Page 6 of A Second Dawn

They’rebothnear.

Dread pools in the pit of my stomach. How is this happening?

What about Freemont’s well laid-out plan?

Shit, shit, shit.

I knew this sea journey would only give me a small reprieve from all the drama.

What if Aiden confronts Tiero? It would be a death sentence given Tiero would have backup, and Aiden would be outnumbered.

Claudette takes my hand and leads me back to the couch.

“While I sense both men are near, I can’t tell if either one of them is at the terminal.”

“Why did you look so worried then and needed to compose yourself?”

I’m not satisfied with what she’s given me. There’s got to be more.

She wriggles her nose, avoiding my gaze.

“Claudette, what is it?” I ask as I bounce my curled knuckles against my mouth.

She sighs. “I sensed the level of Tiero’s anger. It’s boiling red hot beneath the surface. It could make him reckless.”

Memories of the night he wanted to punish me assault me. I’ve never been more afraid in my life. No, that’s not true. Molinaro’s kidnapping attempt in Rome is right up there too.

My face falls, and Claudette is quick to clarify.

“He’s not angry with you. Just the people who hide you from him.”

What was I saying about a death sentence earlier? An angry Tiero is terrifying.

“It will all be fine,” she tries to reassure me. “We just need to be careful.”

She stands to check the time on her nightstand. “We need a plan. But let’s have some breakfast first. It’s easier to think with food in your stomach.”

Is she for real? She just dropped a huge bombshell. How can she think about eating right now?

“Umm, I’m not hungry.”

In fact, the thought of food makes me want to throw up again.

“Darling, you need some sustenance in you to keep up your strength. God knows what awaits you once you leave here. It’s always best to start a journey with a full stomach.”

“But Tiero’s men might already be on this ship. They might even know where my cabin is. And if they discovered that, they’d find out about our friendship and would come here next. We should move to another cabin. There’s gotta be an empty one on this floor.”

Am I being paranoid? I don’t think so.

If Tiero has managed to track me down, he’ll be aware of my new identity and physical appearance. His men wouldn’t even need to ask many people to learn that I only hung out with Claudette.

“We need to make a plan now,” I say, getting up and walking to the door to check the corridor through the peephole.

“Right. But I need food,” Claudette calmly replies. “How about we go to Ronda’s cabin? She left the ship this morning.” Ronda is a girl I worked with in the kitchen who had a room a few doors down.

“How will we get in?”

“I’ve got my ways. You make yourself comfortable there, while I’ll get us something to eat.”

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