He slid the forkful into his mouth and chewed, before adding, “I’ll have Liv organise accommodation for you while we’re gone.”
“And how long do you think that will be?” Lucian asked, his face pale, his lips a thin line.
Henry picked up his empty bowl and took it to the sink. “As long as it takes to ensure that Ri is safe when we return.”
I was starting to wonder if that was ever going to be possible.
The Sydney shoreline was shrinking with every moment, and ahead of us was nothing but calm seas. The sun was a golden disc in the azure sky, and despite the crisp ocean breeze, I basked in its mellow, autumn warmth.
“Fuck, I love Australia,” I mumbled to myself, leaning on the railing and staring out at the endless miles of ocean.
“Technically, we’re leaving Australia.”
I turned, finding Henry a few feet away. He looked younger as his hair ruffled in the tailwind.
“How far until we’ve officially left?” I asked, scooping my blustering hair out of my face and tying it into a low ponytail. He moved closer, coming to stand beside me as the yacht flew over the water.
“Josie said it would take about two hours. We have to travel up the coast a bit to avoid shipping lanes before we can head further out.”
“And what’s the plan, then?”
Tension crept across Henry’s face. “The plan is that I’ve handed your case over to a qualified immigration lawyer, and I’ve told her that I’ll throw as much money at it as is needed to expedite an approved visa.” He took off his glasses and polished the sea spray off them with the hem of his T-shirt. “I should have done that from the start, but I was … disinclined to involve a legal team when so much about what we’ve done this far has been less than above board.”
“Why now then?”
He returned his glasses to his face and fixed me with that intensegreen stare. “Because keeping you safe is more important now … especially with Lucian’s worries about Cockerels Cap.”
My stomach swooped at the mention of the man. Despite knowing he’d had dealings with Rumi, I felt like he had some other reason for tailing me. We didn’t know Rumi was paying him. What if …
I gasped. “What ifhewas payingRumifor information?”
Henry’s brow furrowed. “What makes you?—”
“I don’t know, but we just assumed thatshehad shown up to payhimfor information on me. What if it was the other way around? What if he’d contacted her to ask questions about me?”
“It seems far-fetched, given everything else Rumi has done,” Henry murmured. “But perhaps it would be worthwhile mentioning it to Lucian, so he can investigate further.”
I turned back to the ocean as Henry tapped a message out on his phone and then stashed it back in his pocket.
“Do you think I’ll ever get to stop worrying about this?” I asked softly.
Henry’s warmth pressed against my side, his arm coming around my shoulders in a reassuring squeeze. “That’s the endgame, Catnip.”
I chanced a glance at his profile, marvelling at the line of his nose, the dark stubble on his jaw. Maybe once my endgame had been to be able to live worry-free, in Australia.
But now …
Now it was starting to feel like I’d never reach my endgame unless it was with a certain curly-haired tech geek in slutty little glasses in tow.
Pizda.
BREAKING NEWS: BILLIONAIRE COUPLE SETS SAIL FOR THE HIGH SEAS
Tickle creator and CEO, Henry Baxter, appears to be taking his wife for a long-overdue honeymoon. The pair quietly said goodbye to Sydney and set sail yesterday morning, his yacht theGirl on Fireseen cruising through Sydney Heads just after 10 am.
We reached out to Tickle for a comment on Baxter’s sudden departure.
“Mr Baxter is able to conduct his business from anywhere in the world,” his personal assistant reassured us. “Tickle will continue to operate smoothly in his absence.”
