Page 64 of Velvet and Valor
June gives Moorcrock’s nephew a half-lidded gaze.
“Now this looks like a man who knows how to entertain a woman,” she says, moving away from me and hooking her arm into his. His eyes go wide as she rubs her bosom against his arm. “How about it, handsome? Why don’t you take me on a tour of all the nooks and crannies?”
Jesus Christ, she’s good! She should have been an actor instead of a producer. I follow along in their wake as the flustered young man tries to go through an obviously rehearsed sales pitch.
“Hey, Mr. Williams,” I say. “Would you let me use the bathroom?”
“Of course, Mr. Dickenson,” Moorcrock’s nephew replies, his gaze fixated on the flirtatious June. “It’s on the foredeck, and we call it a head.”
“Super. So, the bathroom, that is, the head is…which way is the four deck?”
He points to the front of the boat, still not looking at me.
“Great. I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
I head off, and the second I’m out of sight I start searching. Everywhere. There are so damn many panels and storage compartments I start to feel like it’s an impossible task.
I don’t even know what I am looking for, which makes trying to make an educated guess impossible. We’ve got no idea what they want with June, or how she is connected to the woman in the airport at all. I’m starting to rethink this plan.
June is fantastic. She keeps Moorcrock’s nephew on a tight leash, nice and distracted. Maybe a little too distracted. If she’s trying to make me jealous, she is succeeding beyond her wildest dreams.
Pretty soon I run out of places to look, and I’ve been gone a long time. I feel like my search just wasn’t thorough enough, but I’m out of time. I go back up on the main deck, trying to fight thequeasiness creeping into my stomach. Is it my imagination, or is the sea getting rougher?
The sun hits my face, and being able to see the way the skyline bobs in sync with the boat helps my seasickness. Somehow. Still feels icky, though, I freaking hate boats…
My mouth falls open when I see her. Moored not three spots away from the sprite. A big fucking yacht, dwarfing Moorcrock’s. A Chinese port of call etched on the hull, and the name:Go For Broke.
It’stheyacht. It’s the fucking yacht, right here! Go for Broke. That is where they told June they were taking her originally.
Moorcrock could be on that boat. Or someone who knows where he is. If I can cut off the snake’s head, she’ll be safe whether we find out what he was really after or not.
I’ve got to find a way on that boat.
15
JUNE
My ‘boyfriend’ Eaton aka Axel shows his face again. Moorcrock’s nephew Ricky is kind of a dunce, and I don’t sense a malicious bone in his body. Maybe he doesn’t even know about his uncle’s criminal connections. No, that doesn’t seem likely. More likely, this is a test to see if the nephew qualifies to be brought deeper into the organization.
Axel strides up, a big smile on his face.
“This is one incredible ship, but I’m just not sure it has enough room for all of my lady’s wardrobe. The amount of shoes she has alone will sink us.”
“Oh, I don’t know, it’s kind of a cozy boat,” I say, squeezing the nephew’s arm a little tighter.
“Yeah, but look at that monster over there,” Axel says, staying in character as he points at the massive luxury yacht moored a few spaces down from the sprite. “That’s more my style. You think the owner might sell?”
Ricky’s eyes widen with panic, and he stiffens up next to me.
“I doubt that,” he says quickly.
“Are you sure? Maybe I could go talk to the owner,” Axel says.
“I don’t think you should be bothering them,” Ricky says. “They probably don’t even speak English.”
“Well, it can’t hurt to try,” Axel says.
He looks over at me.
