Fran’s first instinct was to try to haul Ari out of harm’s way, but she instantly rejected that idea. She didn’t want to seem like she had an agenda and besides: Dimitri Korba was a decorated, battle-hardened captain of the Garronia National Security Force. He should be able to think on his feet.
Even coming face to face with the best friend he’d thought was dead.
“Hey!” Ari called, or at least that’s what it sounded like, though the inflection was slightly different and she got the feeling it was a Garronois word. It did the trick, though. Dimitri immediately glanced up from where he was leaning precariously over the side of the boat and waved. Not an overly friendly wave, either—more an acknowledgment.
He called something back and hauled himself to a standing position, and Fran noticed he stepped out of view for a moment. When he looked down again as they neared, his expression was carefully neutral. “Good morning,” he said—in English, for her benefit. She and the gruff Garronois captain hadn’t had many occasions to talk, but they were on friendly enough terms.
Ari wasn’t having anything of it, however. He launched into a quick stream of Garronois that made Dimitri blink then lift his hand to his chin, as if to consider a proposition. He shook his head, and Ari redoubled his efforts, gesturing broadly.
Dimitri lifted his own hands as if to ward off the verbal barrage, laughing now. He swung his gaze to hers, but despite the mirth in his voice his gaze was full of warning. “You put him up to this? You’re American, yes?” he asked.
Fran didn’t hide her shock. “Put him up to what?”
“Return trip to the mainland—for free, he says, at least for now. And I know, I know—you’ll pay me when you find your family.” He waved off Ari’s irritated scowl. “Seems to me you’d be missing out, leaving such a pretty girl behind.”
“I’d go with him,” Fran said immediately. She didn’t miss Ari’s quick, triumphant smile—and the queen’s orders were loud in her ears. If Ari was determined to get to the mainland, he’d find a way. Fran would go with him simply to keep tabs on him, then alert the royal family to his whereabouts soon enough. “I have money, too—enough for transport, I think. So you’d get paid for your time, if you can spare it.”
“You’ve been working on the boat for three days now,” Ari put in, fortunately in English. “Surely you want to take her for a run.”
“Surely.” Dimitri glanced away quickly, staring up at the mast as his throat worked. Something about this exchange smacked of a familiarity that was probably not lost on the captain, for all that Ari didn’t see it. Dimitri focused again on Fran. “You can leave now? Or you need to go back?”
“Now,” Ari answered for her. He flashed a winning grin to Fran. “You have money, yes? You Americans always carry everything with you.”
She chuckled ruefully—he wasn’t wrong. Her passport and money were securely around her neck in a long-strapped pouch. “I do.”
“Good. You can call Nicki when we land—and Stefan, if you feel you must.”
Dimitri barked a laugh. “Stefan Mihal!” he said. “If you’re trying to escape him, good luck my friend. I’ll have no part of that.”
“I’mnota prisoner,” Ari snapped back, and Fran stiffened. There was genuine steel in his voice, and she could see a glimpse of the man he was beneath the confusion. “Mihal has been a good friend to me, but his hospitality cannot last forever. I need to find my own way.”
Dimitri shrugged. “Very well. I can leave in fifteen. You any good on a boat?”
Ari blinked and Fran watched him closely. There was no pain in his gaze though, merely contemplation. He nodded. “I think so.”
“Then climb aboard and get your friend up too. Be careful with her, she’s got the money.”
Dimitri disappeared over the side of the boat and Ari regarded Fran soberly. “I apologize,” he said. “You don’t need to come to the mainland with me. I just—I’m done with this place.” He gazed back up the mountain road. “I’ve been a prisoner for a year, and I can’t wait any longer to break free. To relearn who I am.”
“I understand,” she said, and she did. If Ari was starting to associate his stay on the island with captivity, there was no point in him remaining. And with Dimitri standing watch over him at least all the way to the mainland, the royal family would have time to figure out a game plan.
They boarded and Dimitri stood at the head of the gangplank, handing them down into the boat. When he gripped Ari’s hand Ari visibly flinched. He hopped lightly onto the deck and confronted Dimitri. Fran held her breath, certain he’d ask Dimitri if he knew him, but Ari surprised her.
“Ryker Stavros,” Ari introduced himself. “What should I call you?”
“For today, you can call me captain.” Dimitri grinned at him. “And help me get this girl out on the sea before anyone notices you’re gone.”
Ari laughed, the sound rich and full, and the two of them set to work. Fran stayed out of their way, scanning the deck nervously until she found the bin of life jackets. She’d made her way over and had secured herself into one by the time they set sail. It was a far less choppy mode of travel, she realized quickly, but that didn’t keep her from gripping the railing tightly as she surveyed the surface of the water. Were there sharks in the Aegean? She wondered. Probably. She should get a second life jacket.
“You’re doing a good thing, here.” To her surprise, Dimitri stood in front of her, and she blinked up at him, then shifted to see Ari at the far end of the boat, manning the wheel. “He needs to regain control of his own life, see places more familiar than here.”
“He recognized you, I think,” she said. “I’m surprised he didn’t grill you.”
Dimitri shook his head. “I’m not. Ari was never one to reveal his thinking without being absolutely sure of himself. If he recognized me, but didn’t know how, he wouldn’t have wanted to tip his hand. I’d agreed to take him to the mainland, and that’s his primary objective.”
“But what are we going to do once we get there?” Fran asked.
“I thought about that,” Dimitri said. “The royal family has a number of residences throughout the capital city, a few of which they’ve acquired since Ari’s accident. He won’t know them. I’ll call ahead and have one made ready for you, and you can pass it off as your flat while you’re staying in the city.”
