This time he called the captain, and he was grateful when the call went through. He searched through the people on the deck.
“Amelia and George and one of your officers have disappeared and worse,” he explained quickly. “Chloe had eyes on Edward at the bocce ball court, but that whole crew has disappeared, too, except...”
As he spoke, he saw that Daniel McClintock was stretched out on one of the loungers. He hurried toward him, still speaking with the captain, telling him to get on the security footage from the decks and the hallways, to find out where the group had gone.
“I found one! Back to you, please get on that, immediately!”
Captain Millbrook was evidently upset, but he was a strong man who had weathered many rough seas in the literary sense, and in life as well, Wes imagined.
He ended the call to hunker down by Daniel McClintock.
“Daniel!”
No response.
“Daniel, damn it, Daniel!”
No response.
He shook the man. His eyes rolled in their sockets, andhe tried to focus on Wes. “I... I didn’t know... I... He means to kill me. I... I tried... the needle...”
Succinylcholine? Was that the drug that whoever was doing this was hitting people with? But how could he, she or they have moved people around once they’d struck them with a needle? Kilbride had fallen after a few words, apparently having no idea that he’d been hit with anything.
And now...
Here was Daniel, flat out. But there was no sign of Gina—or the others.
“Daniel, try, please try! Where did they go? Please, help me!”
Daniel’s mouth moved. His eyes flickered.
“Down... down... down...”
The man’s eyes closed. He was out. And no matter how hard he was shaken, Wes knew, there was no way that he would speak again.
With any luck, he’s only been drugged. He will live. Unless...
Was thehehis own brother? And did whoever had done this plan on coming back to kill him when he’d finished whatever he was doing? Who the hell was involved—and who, besides Edward, might the intended victims be?
“Hey!” Wes shouted. “Anyone medical? Please, if so, come help this man!”
He was gratified when a woman of perhaps thirty-five excused herself from her group and hurried over to him.
“Can’t take him to the doctor right now, the hospital area is compromised. Please don’t spread fear until we can rectify the situation, but he’s been drugged if you can keep an eye on his vitals!”
“Oh, my God!”
So much fordon’t spread fear.
“Hold on, please.”
His phone buzzed. He answered it quickly, praying first that it might be Chloe, but grateful to see that it was Captain Millbrook.
“Security cameras were compromised, but not before I saw your group heading to the elevators going down. And not before I saw Amelia leaving the infirmary with George weaving around all over the place, just like the man who had been at the door. I’m afraid to leave the helm right now—”
“You don’t need to leave the helm. You do need to get a couple of security officers up to the kids’ pool to help a woman look after a man who has been drugged. I’m going down. Send backup behind me, but tell them to stand down until they hear my order, we need to know who is doing this and who is victimized. Order them quickly, please!”
“You got it. Can we keep an open line—”
