Shipped(71)

A spark of hope lights behind his brown eyes.

“Here,” I say, twisting around to open the drawer to my nightstand. “Take my staff Wi-Fi card—I get them for free. Use it to call her.”

He takes the card from my outstretched hand like I’m offering him the keys to redemption. Bringing the card to his lips, he kisses it. “Thank you, Miss Evans. I will never forget your kindness.”

I cast a glance at the bathroom where Graeme is still hiding—waiting. Impatience wells in my gut and I steer Nikolai across the cabin with a friendly, but firm, pat on the back. “Don’t mention it.” I pause, looking him in the eye. “Really, please don’t tell anyone you were here. Let’s keep this between us.”

Nikolai places a hand over his heart. “I promise.”

Just as my fingers close around the door handle, a knock reverberates through the thick metal.

I jump, and bump into Nikolai, who stumbles.

The knock sounds again. “Miss Evans?”

It’s Gustavo.





24




Shit,” I whisper, backing deeper into my cabin.

“Is there a problem?” Nikolai asks.

My heartbeat quickens and I can’t seem to catch a breath through the boatload of mayday, mayday barreling through my system.

Gustavo can’t find Nikolai in here, he just can’t. Staff isn’t allowed to have guests in their cabins, and he already has the wrong idea about Nikolai and me. Maybe if we stay very quiet, he’ll go away…

Fanning my fingers, I hold perfectly still and stare at Nikolai, who stares back with wide, confused eyes.

Silence.

I begin to exhale, when…

Knock, knock, knock.

“Miss Evans? Are you there?”

“Are you going to answer?” Nikolai asks in a low voice.

I shake my head so rapidly I swear I can feel my brain bouncing around my skull. I swallow. “No,” I whisper. “See, I’m up for a promotion, and if my boss finds out I had a guest in my cabin, that’s it for me. Game over.”

“But it is innocent. We are not doing anything untoward,” he says.

“It doesn’t matter. The appearance of impropriety is enough, believe me.”

Based on the insistent pace of knocking, Gustavo’s not going away. I pace the cabin. What to do, what to do…

I gnaw the inside of my cheek. “Can you keep a secret?”

He nods solemnly. “Yes, of course.”

“Good.”

I open the bathroom door. Graeme is sitting on the closed toilet lid, chin propped on his fist. His look of anticipation fizzles into pure what-the-flying-fuck when he spots Nikolai, who hops back, fists raised.

“He was here whole time?” Nikolai asks.

I steer Nikolai inside the bathroom. “Yeah, clearly.”

Graeme springs up and steps into the open shower to make room for him. The snug bathroom is barely big enough for one person, let alone two full-grown men. Graeme’s eyebrows knit together. “What’s going on? Why is he here?”

I put my finger to my lips, then pump my hands toward the floor. “It’s Gustavo. He’s at the door. He wants to talk.”

“Now?” Graeme whispers.

Nikolai looks between me and Graeme like he’s putting together a puzzle. “Everything makes so much more sense now. You two are together. Felicitations.”

Gustavo’s fist pounds my door.

“We’ll talk about it later. Sit tight, okay? And try not to kill each other,” I add in a mumble before flicking off the bathroom light and shutting the door.

Rubbing the tension from the center of my chest, I take a deep, steadying breath before hitching a smile on my face and cracking open the door.

Gustavo is standing on the other side. “There you are, Miss Evans.”

“I’m sorry, but you caught me at a bad time. I was just getting ready for bed.” I pull the lapel of my robe tighter at my collarbone. “What’s up?”

Gustavo steps forward and I have no choice but to step backward. Edging into my cabin, he peers around the empty space. Sweat gathers between my shoulder blades when his gaze lingers on the bathroom, but with no light seeping from under the door, his attention quickly moves on.

“I wanted to give you the good news myself. I have tallied all the donation cards. You raised over sixteen thousand dollars for conservation in the Galápagos.” His lips crack into a beaming grin as he extends his hand to shake mine. “Congratulations.”

My jaw slackens and I stumble backward with the pitch of the ship. Sixteen thousand?

Victory barrels through my chest. I’m so happy I could hug Gustavo… whoop with joy… I could…

Crash! A shattering noise reverberates from the bathroom.

My heart stops and my eyes widen in horror.

Gustavo casts a sharp look at the bathroom door. “Is there someone else here?”

“What?” My voice is about an octave too high to be sincere. “No one here but me,” I add in a deeper register, except now my voice is so low I sound like the herald of Satan. Get it together, Evans. I clench my jaw so tight I could splinter steel.

Gustavo’s eyebrows raise.

“I mean, no one besides Walsh. She’s taking a shower,” I lie.