He grinned, moving as fluidly as the waves to get us on board and away from the mooring. “Raven.”
“Raven.” I followed him, pulling on a life jacket, knowing where they’d be kept because this wasn’t my first rodeo on a boat with Caleb. “You named a boat after my nickname.”
“Of course. She’s not as noisy as you. You like her?” He did a couple of quick checks and started up the engine.
“I like her. Not sure about her name though.” I pretended to look offended. “I thought that was just between us.”
“It still is. I haven’t told anyone why I called her that. Anyway, why are you homeless?” He wasn’t going to let that go.
I hadn’t thought he would.
“Promise you won’t be cross?” The wind smacked my face as we headed out into the Menai Strait, cold and hard, enough to sting and it was one of my favourite flavours of freedom. Out here, I could be exactly who I needed to, no expectations, apart from that I’d pull my weight on board, which I did.
“No. I’m not promising that.”
I took a deep briney breath. “You need to know this anyway, just in case, otherwise I might not tell you. I can’t go home because I have a stalker and he’s found out where I live. The house is on the market - ”
“It’s that bad you’re having to sell?”
I shrugged, not that Caleb would be able to tell because the coat was big and padded. “Security has told me that I can go home, and they have it covered, and it isn’t that I don’t trust them, but about four months ago he managed to break in and live there for two days. I was on tour so it felt very far away – I was on the Japan leg – but I can’t go back. It doesn’t feel right. So, I’m selling and buying somewhere else. I just don’t know where yet. I want to be somewhere for Christmas, ideally.”
There was silence while he navigated, this stretch of the Strait not the easiest, the Swellies dangerous at the best of times and currents moved, but I also knew he was working out exactly what to say while swallowing his annoyance because I hadn’t told him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. You were in the Baltic Sea when the break in happened and there wasn’t anything you could do.” I’d also needed to try and ignore it. Touring was exhausting, especially when it was the last thing you wanted to be doing. I’d been touring since I was seventeen after ending up going viral on social media, the next big thing at first and then a big thing. The only time I’d stopped was when I was in Puffin Bay.
My safe space.
“I could’ve listened to you or distracted you or – never mind.” He shut down. “I hated your house anyway.”
“Really?” He’d been there twice, not for very long either time. “You never said.”
“Didn’t really matter what I thought of it. I didn’t live there. How dangerous is your stalker? That I do need to know about.” He took his eyes off the sea and looked at me, the sort of look that made me think he was staring into my soul.
I swallowed because this bit was nasty. “He’s a threat. He hasn’t done enough to be arrested. He’s mentioned several times what he’d like to do to me if he got his hands on me, and none of it’s very pleasant, but we have precautions in place.”
“Such as?” Caleb was normally chatty and full of words, charm personified, unless he was pissed off.
He was pissed off.
“I have a PI tracking him, and he’s being stalked online. He thinks he’s clever, but he’s not as clever as the people on my team. Your friend, Finn Holland’s fully aware and he knows I’m here – so there’s security around while I’m in Puffin Bay. I’m not putting anyone at risk, or I’m mitigating the risk. But we don’t think he knows much about Puffin Bay anyway.” Because I’d always kept Puffin Bay a secret. My social media was run by my team, and they would use photos from a bank we kept of me in other places. I wouldn’t use cards in my own name or anything that could trace me to being here, which was my standard practice anyway. Puffin Bay was mine. It didn’t belong to my fans or my management or my family. It was the only thing that belonged solely to me, and I was going to keep it that way.
Caleb set the course for Puffin Island, a route we’d taken so many times. We’d be out for a good hour now, maybe longer, giving us time to talk before we headed back to the inn and I’d see people I’d missed for so many months.
“So you’re hiding out here?” He sounded grumpy.
“I always hide out here. That’s nothing different.” I stood next to him at the helm, watching the waves and the sea birds, all constantly in motion.
“True.” He still hadn’t looked at me. “What’s this man’s name?”
“Why?”
“So I can find him and dispose of his body.” His jaw was tight, his eyes stony.
“I’d rather have you free to take me out in your boat than serving time in jail, if I’m honest.” I put my hand on his back, remembering how much I liked to feel it there.
His shoulders relaxed some. I felt him take a deep breath. “You’re assuming I’d get caught.”
“True. I mean, you always were a secret gangster, weren’t you? All this marine biology PhD thing is just a front for the organised crime group you’re running.”
