‘Way to summon it, hun,’ said Trudy with a wink.
When we boarded, Trudy sat next to me and just before we lifted off, she leaned close and said, ‘I’m glad you came tonight, Ally. You can keep me company.’
‘That’s what Julian said. I’ve got this vision of the menfolk retiring to the library with brandy and cigars while the wives are left to drink sherry and gossip.’
She smirked, then put her headset on and I did the same.
* * *
Dinner was being served on the flybridge, and the crew had gone all out.
Upbeat instrumental music played softly from popup speakers, while blue light from the still jacuzzi cast a shimmering hue across the deck, candles bobbing gently on its surface.
The table – a striking centrepiece – was set with a white linen tablecloth and napkins, fine china with a gold rim, gold-plated cutlery, crystal glassware, and gold candlesticks with off-white tapers that were already lit, adding a warm glow to the ambiance.
A steward circulated with canapés – well, as much as one can when there are only a handful of guests. They were delicious morsels, and I tasted Dimitra’s deft hand in each bite. Though, I only had three – a nervous tum, you see.
I was onlypretendingthat everything was perfectly normal and Julianwasn’tabout to implicate himself in some sort of (still unknown) nefarious scheme and Ihadn’tinsinuated myself into the middle of it.
I wandered over to the railing and stared across the water at Naxos. It may have been a Tuesday night but to the people onshore, it appeared to be a Saturday. Joyous voices, laughter, and music carried across the water, somewhat imposing on the carefully curated atmosphere aboardAlly’s Odyssey.
Julianreallyhad to change the name.
I was about to take another sip of champers, but suddenly remembered that I should keep my wits about me. I lowered the glass, then inhaled deeply, drawing in the warm, briny air. God, I adored being in the Aegean.
The sound of a motor drew my attention. The yacht’s tender had pulled up alongside us and I watched as a short, stocky middle-aged man with wiry salt-and-pepper hair disembarked onto a lower deck. He was dressed similarly to Julian in a very expensive, well-fitting suit. Kovalec.
‘I should have guessed.’
I jumped, finding Tommy standing beside me. I glanced over, barely moving my head. He was dressed in crew whites and smelled like sunshine and lemons and being on holiday – delicious, but also distracting and I needed to focus.
‘Hello, Tommy,’ I replied quietly. ‘I thought this yacht already had a skipper,’ I added with a smirk.
‘That’s not— I’m working security.’
I hadn’t expected that and angled my body towards him. ‘Julian has you on security detail?’ I whispered. ‘Really?’
‘It’s a small staff, Ally. Everyone on Aetheria has double duties.’ That’s what Christos had told me, butsecurity? Oh god, maybe thiswasdangerous. ‘So, you’re here now,’ he continued, ‘and there’s nothing I can do about that. But can you atleastdo your best to stay out of the way?’
Stung, I swallowed hard and squared my shoulders. ‘I can be useful, you know. I can talk to anyone – if you need Kovalec to implicate himself… I can do that. I could wear a wire or?—’
‘Ally,no. All of that’s taken care of. Just?—’
‘Ally, darling,’ said Julian, ‘come meet Ivan.’
Gah!I’d have to pin Tommy down later and convince him to let me help.
I gave Tommy a smile – hopefully it wouldn’t seem too odd that he and I had been chatting – then headed over to Julian and Kovalec, who openly leered at me. I pretended not to notice.
‘Ally, this is Ivan Kovalec. Ivan, this is Ally, my ex-wife.’
Kovalec’s eyebrows leapt an entire centimetre. ‘That’s strange – being on good terms with your ex-husband,’ he said accusingly.
‘I understand that’s true for some people, but Julian’s a treasured friend.’
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Julian beam at me, but I kept my eyes fixed on Kovalec. I’d encountered men like him before – the sort who believed everyone shared their world view. Or should.
He stared at me a beat longer, then broke into false, bellowing laughter. Julian and I joined in out of politeness. When the laughter died down, I excused myself and joined Trudy – far safer waters (so to speak).
