Page 57 of Devoured By You

I’d done this. Me. Sure, I’d had help. A ton, but it’d been my vision, my determination, that had brought this magnificent sight to fruition. All those worries, the countless sleepless nights before sailing, had come to nothing. Apart from the odd gripe here and there—which was to be expected—and Scarlett’s waspish complaints, the cruise could only be described as a resounding success.

As we crept closer, though, a mist of cold sweat touched my forehead. Why were all these people standing in line, using bags and linen jackets to shield them from the relentless sun? Why weren’t they boarding?

“Long lines at both embarkation points.” Jill gave me a nudge. “Do you have a secret entrance?”

She grinned. I didn’t. Something wasn’t right.

“Miguel, stop here,” I barked, hotfooting it onto the quayside before the golf cart had come to a complete halt. I barreled ahead, past the lines of disgruntled passengers waiting to board, the odd complaint reaching me as I swept by. God-fucking-dammit. What the hell was going on?

“Is there a problem?”

The security guard skipped a tired glance my way, as if he’d been asked the same question a hundred times. He did a double take the moment he recognized me.

“Mr. Kingcaid.” He stood up straighter. “Sir, I’m afraid the badge scanners are down.”

Jill appeared to my right. She brushed my arm. My stomach knotted. I felt for her hand, clasping it. The badge scanner had gone down before we’d set sail. I’d had cast-iron guarantees from the maintenance team that they’d fixed it. Obviously fucking not. Jesus Christ. Of all the things that could go wrong, this was up there as one of the worst. Without being able to security-check people, we couldn’t let them board. And without the badge scanner, there was no way of knowing who was a Serenity passenger and who wasn’t.

What a goddamn nightmare.

Despite the raging inferno charring my insides, I schooled my expression and took control. I beckoned to a nearby staff member.

“Have bottles of water brought out for the passengers and bring a few chairs for our older guests.” A woman in her eighties who was near the front of the line gave me a grateful smile. “And umbrellas for shade. It’s baking out here.”

“Yes, sir.” He raced inside the ship.

I got on the phone and put in a call to the captain, stepping far enough away from the passengers to ensure they didn’t overhear my conversation. “John, what the fuck is going on?”

“Kris is working on it. He’s assured me he’ll have it fixed soon.”

Kris was my head of IT. “Soon isn’t fucking good enough. I have passengers out here at risk of sunstroke. Not to mention the reputational damage this will cause. Why the hell didn’t someone call me?”

He hesitated. “That’s my fault. I felt certain we’d have it fixed before any passengers arrived back.”

“And when that failed to occur, you didn’t think to call me then?”

“What could you have done, Blaize? You’re not an IT expert.”

I fumed. “No, but I’d have had fucking shade and water and fucking seats out here to ensure our passengers suffered minimal inconvenience until we could get them onboard.”

He went silent. I rarely lost my temper, but this was an overstep I wasn’t willing to accept. I was the fucking CEO of this ship, not John.

“I screwed up. I’m sorry.”

His willingness to apologize quelled my anger. My fist unclenched. “Tell me we’ve at least got some passengers on board; otherwise, we’re about to have a fucking great puzzle to solve.”

“Most returned already. We’re missing three hundred.”

I’d guessed that, given we were only forty minutes from our scheduled departure time. Glancing at the lines, I’d estimate most, if not all, of those three hundred were here already.

“Thank Christ for small mercies. We’ll talk when this shit show is fixed.”

I hung up and called Kris, who said the same to me as he’d said to John. I pressed for a time. He wouldn’t give it to me.

“I’m going as fast as I can” was all he’d commit to.

Fucking marvelous.

Within ten minutes, my customers had access to water, shade, and, for those who needed it, somewhere to sit. I walked the lines, chatting with the passengers and reassuring them we’d board soon, while praying I wouldn’t get caught in the lie. The relentless heat from the sun beat down. I’d never rued my stupid, self-imposed rule to wear business attire when in public more.

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