She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll miss ye.”
“You’ll watch every move I make, wild girl,” he challenged back. But there was nothing besides fascination and heat in his reply.
He opened the apartment door and carried her into the hall.
Mila made big eyes. “Is it me or is it getting hot in here?”
“Couldn’t tell you. It’s been too long. I don’t know what hot is anymore.”
She laughed softly then settled on a cream sofa. “I remember you saying you were single.”
I took the seat at the other end and wrinkled my nose. “I was seeing a guy, but it didn’t work out. And he was more of the tepid variety.”
Mila twisted her lips in an expression of regret, but the haunted look I’d seen in her yesterday returned to her eyes. “About Convict’s rescue, I didn’t know Arran planned to use you like that. It wasn’t fair of him. Did it cause any issues with your dad?”
I huffed an unfunny laugh. Arran knew exactly what he was doing, and I couldn’t blame him for putting his friend’s safety over mine. I was an easy solution. My father hadn’t taken me into consideration when he captured the crew member.
Story of my life. He hadn’t taken me into consideration ever.
It was the reason Arran’s plan had worked. I had the access to walk straight into the police safe house, including with a new crew member on my arm who nobody spotted. The rest of the crew had gassed everyone inside, including me, knocking us out. Meanwhile, Kane had raced through the building to spring Convict from an upper window. It left me as just another victim, there in the city to see theEdenbeing brought up from the water.
The ship, belonging to Mila’s family, had been mysteriously blown up, and I was beyond certain it had been done to hide secrets.
With my access to police information, courtesy of the work my father gave me, I now knew the answer to one of those secrets. I hated how much it would hurt my friend.
I reached for Mila’s hand and squeezed her fingers. “No, my father bought the lie, and all’s well that ends well. But, there’s something else we need to discuss.”
She exhaled and sank into the cushions. “You mean theEden? I had a call from the solicitor an hour ago.”
“They told you?”
“About the bodies? Yes.”
She seemed so heartsick, that crushing emotion threatened me again. “I’m so sorry.”
“Tell me what the police are saying,” she asked.
“From the reports I read, they said that raising the ship went quicker than expected, but the damage from the explosion which sank it was extensive. No crew was listed as being on board, but the bodies of four people were identified through the broken side of a shipping container.”
She paled and cringed. “Women.”
It wasn’t a question, but I nodded all the same.
Mila took a shaky breath. “I feel so awful for them. To have died like that. Do they know if it was the explosion or were they…? Was it the water?”
I shook my head quickly. Drowned, burned, or dead already. That was the speculation in the police chat. Bets were being taken. “They haven’t announced it yet. When I find out, I’ll let you know.”
“It’s so hard to imagine my grandfather would have anything to do with people trafficking. I know I keep saying it, but he was so decent and honest. He did everything for his family, as you’ve seen.”
The two of us had investigated just how much Marchant Haulage supported the wider Marchant family. So manyrelatives got regular payouts from the company which deepened the mystery over who might be trying to influence the business now it was on hold.
“It’s very possible that he didn’t and it was done without his knowledge.” Even as I said the words, I didn’t truly believe them. I just wanted to comfort her.
But Mila’s expression darkened. “I’m not so sure anymore. He hid a whole sibling from me.”
“Kane? I remember you saying you only met as adults.”
Why did his name make my belly flip?
