Page 39 of Deadly Waves

“That was before I knew you were keeping something from me.”

James licked his lips as he rolled his neck. In truth, he no longer had to keep the secret. They were an hour away from her finding out anyway. “Fine. Do you really want to know?”

Mandy was practically salivating as she bobbed her head. “Yes.”

“We’re going on a special boat where you can get in a cage and see Great White sharks.”

Whatever she was expecting, that wasn’t it. Mandy swallowed hard at the news, terror and delight warring for supremacy in her busy brain. “W-what?”

“You heard me,” James said, smiling. “Now eat your breakfast. We have a full day ahead of us, baby. You’re going to need your strength.”

“OKAY,we’re having the security team search every common area again once the ship docks on the island,” James said as he munched on a strip of bacon and focused on Grady, Jake, and Finn. “They weren’t happy, but Will put his foot down when I explained how important it was for us to be able to clear the ship and move in another direction on Zoe’s disappearance.”

“They’re not going to find anything,” Jake said. “They don’t know what they’re doing.”

“I agree, but we have to exert due diligence,” James said, resting his hand on Mandy’s knee under the table as his wife stared at her uneaten breakfast. “Baby, if you don’t eat that food, I’m going to feed you myself. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you about the surprise.”

Mandy’s features were ashen as she reached for her fork. In truth, she was unbelievably excited about seeing sharks. She was also terrified that something would go wrong and she would end up as an appetizer at a human smorgasbord. “I … .”

James squeezed her knee. “Eat.”

“Maverick is working his magic on Zoe to see if he can come up with any motive,” Grady said. “He’s also going to run the passenger list to see if there are any obvious warning signals. He doesn’t expect to get back to us tonight with the second list because it’s simply too big.”

“Yeah, this whole thing is problematic because we’re not technically in charge and our options are limited,” James said. “I’m glad we never took on cruise security as a full-time thing, just for the record.”

“That makes two of us,” Grady said. “This is really a nightmare. We have no power and if a murder did occur, it happened in international waters so jurisdiction is iffy. We have a boat owner who seems more interested in profit than anything else and a missing girl who appeared to have ties to no one.”

“Yeah, our benefactor seems to be confused about what’s the right thing to do, doesn’t he?” James leaned back in his chair and cast a sidelong look in Mandy’s direction as he tried to hide his lazy smile. “Baby, you need fuel. We’re going to have a long afternoon with the sharks. That means you’re not getting lunch. You won’t eat again until dinner.”

“I’m eating,” Mandy said, making a face as she snatched a slice of bacon. “Stop being a pill.”

“I was just checking,” James said, holding up his hands in a placating manner as his eyes twinkled. “Make sure you eat the entire plate. Lick it if you can.”

Mandy was so lost in her own thoughts she merely nodded. “I’m eating.”

James pursed his lips as he turned to Grady. He was enjoying himself immensely. “So we have Maverick running a background check and we’re otherwise stuck in the middle of nowhere without a body. Zoe could be spending her time in another room … or knocked unconscious somewhere … or voluntarily missing.”

“She could also be dead,” Jake added, rubbing the back of Ally’s neck as he pointed toward her half-eaten breakfast. “You need to eat, too.”

“Why?” Ally asked. “I’m not going on that shark boat with Mandy. Don’t even try talking me into it.”

“I have no intention of taking you on the shark boat,” Jake said. “You’re going shopping at port.”

Ally brightened considerably. “I am? Yay!”

“You are,” Jake said. “I’m going to go with James and Mandy to see the sharks, though, as long as you don’t care. I might not get another chance.”

“No, go,” Ally said, waving him off. She was visibly more excited thanks to the knowledge that she didn’t have to see the sharks. “Are you guys going shopping with me or to see the sharks?” she asked Emma and Sophie.

“I’m going shopping,” Emma said. “Sharks terrify me.”

“I’m going shopping, too,” Sophie said. “I’m not afraid of sharks, but I’m not in love with them either. I would rather put my feet on dry land.”

“Well, I’m going to see the sharks,” Grady said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. There’s no way I’m missing this.”

“I’m with them,” Finn said, offering Emma a rueful smile. “I have to see the sharks.”

“So, it’s settled,” James said. “All of the women – except for my brave and beautiful wife – are going shopping. Everyone else is seeing the sharks. I figure we’ll pick a central meeting location once everyone is done and have dinner together. How does that sound?”