Page 30 of An Epic Voyage (The Epic Beauty Salon Files #1)

G riffin stared at the barrels, wires, and devices rigged up to blow the boat to smithereens. He certainly hadn’t expected to run across a bomb when he went looking for something to use to get out of the cuffs. It had been a shocking find.

“He’s going to lure Abdullahi on here and then blow it up,” Indigo surmised.

“My thoughts exactly. The big ass-kicker is that we’re on here too.”

That’s why Van Houten had instructed Gordon and Garcia to take Indigo and him with them. He planned on locking them in the hold so that they would perish in the explosion. No one knew where they were. Their parts and pieces would never be found, and with no body, there was no crime.

“We need to get loose and commandeer that speedboat to get out of here before it blows.”

“We have a little time. He’s meeting Abdullahi tomorrow afternoon. If worst comes to worst, you can take Jordy and Jinger and go for help.”

He gaped at her. “Are you crazy? I’m not leaving you alone here.”

“Griffin, I must confiscate the nuke. That’s my mission.”

“Some things are more important than the job, Indigo, like, oh, I don’t know, your life .”

He hadn’t meant to practically yell the last word, but she was being frustratingly hardheaded.

“At this point, we can assume he’s going to double-cross Abdullahi,” Griffin theorized. “That means he plans to take the nuke with him.”

“Here’s the problem, Griffin. If we steal the speedboat and leave, and this one blows up—”

“A nuclear explosion.” Griffin had no idea how much impact it would have in the middle of the ocean, but they didn’t want to find out.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Indigo suggested. “First is getting out of the chains. Then we’ll work on breaking out of the cargo hold.” She reached into one pocket of her jeans and held up a metal rod. “Bruiser One didn’t take my lock-pick.”

Griffin raised a brow. “Bruiser One?”

“Oh, it’s what I named Van Houten’s bodyguards. Bruiser One, Two, and Three. One is the mean one.”

“That’s Herm Gordon. He’s a sadistic son of a bitch.”

“I almost planted my foot in his crotch when he hit you.”

A rush of emotion welled up in Griffin. Was it love? He had no idea. Leaning forward, he kissed Indigo, putting all the strange feelings into it.

She pulled back. “Your mouth . . .”

“Is fine,” he finished before kissing her again.

He didn’t feel his injury, only the velvety softness of her lips.

She whimpered, and he deepened the contact, even as he cursed the circumstances.

He wanted to touch her. Feel her. They were in a precarious situation.

What would he do if something happened to her?

Indigo broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against his. “To be continued when we recover the nuke and the laptop, and put Van Houten behind bars.”

“Will we?”

She leaned back to look into his eyes. “Of course. We’re good at our jobs. We will succeed.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean?”

“Will we continue this?”

She paused before answering and gazed at the floor. His stomach dropped. If she said no, he’d have to convince her otherwise.

“I don’t know how you feel.” She met his gaze. “But I want to see where this goes. I’m wildly attracted to you.”

It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it wasn’t bad. He had to kiss her again. “I’m wildly attracted to you too.”

“Then let’s get out of here so we can pick up where we’re leaving off.”

He kissed her one more time because he had to. They returned to where Jordy was resting with his back against a steel wall. Indigo sat beside him and patted the floor next to her for Griffin to sit. When he did, she went to work on the lock around his hands.

“Jordy, how did you get here from the other yacht?” Griffin wanted to know.

“A speedboat.”

“How many people were on board?” Indigo asked, not taking her eyes from her task.

“Besides Benny and his three bodyguards, Jinger and I.”

“Franklin wasn’t with them?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see him, but they carried us on and threw us on the floor. We were held at gunpoint. I’m not proud to admit the wetness on my pants wasn’t from residual water in the boat. Franklin could’ve been there.”

“What are you doing over there, Indigo? I told you I need you to fix my makeup.”

“Shut up, Jinger,” Jordy snapped.

“What did you say to me?”

“I told you to shut your big, fat mouth, you horrid bitch. Don’t you understand what’s going on here? There’s a good chance we’re going to die.”

#

I ndigo had been about to utter a sharp retort at Jinger’s summons, but Jordy had beaten her to it. And he’d shocked Jinger into silence. That in itself was a feat. Sadly, it didn’t last long. Jinger shook her head.

“No, you’re wrong. Benny loves me. He’ll come get me soon.”

“Who do you think put you here and chained you up?” Indy snapped. “Your precious Benny.”

“No, it was his bodyguards. They don’t like me because I make Benny send them away when we make love.”

“Jinger, grow up,” Griffin chimed in. “The bodyguards operate under the direction of Van Houten himself. If he still wanted you, you wouldn’t be here. Simple as that.”

She thrust her chin in the air. “I don’t care what any of you say. He loves me.”

It was entirely possible she would die on that hill.

“What are you doing over there, Indigo?” Jinger wanted to know.

If Jinger said anything about wanting Indy to do her makeup again, she was going to get up, march over, and slug her.

“Indigo? Answer me,” she prompted.

“Removing the chains so we can get out of here.” To Jordy, she promised, “I won’t let you die.”

That seemed to reassure him, and he nodded.

The lock snapped open on Griffin’s handcuffs. Indy changed her focus to the ones around his feet. Before she could get started, the hatch opened and light flooded the room. She cursed under her breath. She thought they’d have more time to get loose.

“Benny! There you are! I knew you’d come back for me.”

Van Houten ignored Jinger and walked to Indigo. He held out a hand. “Come with me, Indigo.”

“Benny, what are you doing?” Jinger screeched. “You’re supposed to come for me. I’m the one you want.”

“No, you’re not.”

Jinger recoiled, as if his verbal rebuke had been a physical slap. As Indigo watched, Jinger’s face morphed from shock to anger in a nanosecond.

“They are removing their handcuffs, Benny. They’re trying to escape, but I won’t because I know you love me.”

Griffin held up his arms, still bound by the flex cuffs. “Gordon didn’t put my cuffs on correctly, and they came undone.”

Van Houten withdrew a pistol. Indigo’s heart stopped.

Had she inadvertently gotten Griffin killed?

She started to throw herself over him when Van Houten turned and fired at Jinger.

Indigo jumped as the sharp retort of the gun echoed in the tight, enclosed space, piercing her eardrums. A neat round hole bloomed on Jinger’s forehead, but the back of her head had been blown off, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere. She instantly toppled backward, dead.

Jordy screamed, and then bent over to throw up. Indigo wanted to comfort him, but she wasn’t taking her eyes off the psycho in front of her. Earlier, she’d told Jordy that Van Houten wasn’t a murderer. How wrong she’d been.

“I hate tattletales,” Van Houten muttered as he slid the gun back into a holster under his arm. “Indigo, put the cuffs back on Griffin and make sure they’re tight.”

She slyly placed her pick beside Griffin’s leg. He slid it into his pocket. Then she secured the cuffs, ensuring there was enough room for him to free himself.

“Good. Now, let’s go.”

Griffin scrambled to his feet. “Take me and leave Indigo here.”

Van Houten chuckled. “You’re not bad for a dude, Griffin, I’ll give you that. But I prefer ladies.”

Indigo met Griffin’s gaze. He was beyond pissed. If he acted on his impulse, one or both of them might get killed. Have faith in me. She didn’t say the words, but he understood and gave a slight nod.

Indigo shuffled after Van Houten. When they reached the steps, she turned and mouthed the words she’d felt for Griffin since the first time she’d met him.

#

I ndigo loved him.

Griffin felt sucker-punched. Fear had overtaken him when Van Houten had forced her to leave with him.

It wasn’t fair that the first time she said the words, or mouthed them, she disappeared.

He wanted to say them back to her, wanted her to know how he felt in case something happened.

He should’ve told her when he’d had the chance.

No, what he wanted to do was go after her. He would, as soon as he got out of his cuffs. He dug the pick from his pocket and got to work.

“Jordy, are you okay over there?”

“No.” His voice was a low croak.

“Suck it up. We need to get out of here.”

“H-he killed her,” Jordy moaned.

Griffin winced. He’d been too hard on the guy. He remembered seeing his first dead body. It’d happened when he was a marine in the Middle East. A young woman had set off a suicide bomb, blowing herself up and dozens around her. He’d been too late to stop her.

“I puked the first time I saw a person killed.”

Jordy lifted his head. “You’ve seen one before?”

“Many.”

“Did Benny kill them?”

“No, and I’m going to tell you something that I need you to keep a secret. Okay? This is between you and me.”

Jordy nodded.

“I’m a federal agent. I work for the FBI.”

Jordy perked up. “Seriously?”

“Yes, and I’m going to get us out of here.”

“Good. Indigo is with a killer. We have to save her.”

Griffin almost told Jordy that she could most definitely save herself. And she would. He had no doubt.