Page 34 of An Epic Voyage (The Epic Beauty Salon Files #1)

She whimpered when he pulled back and inhaled sharply when he framed her face. “I was so worried about . . . Indigo? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

He tucked himself back into his pants, tugged hers up, and clicked on a flashlight. She squinted to avoid the glare. Griffin’s firm jaw clenched. “Who did this to you?”

“Bruiser One. Gordon.”

“I am going to kill him.”

“Too late.”

Griffin’s eyes widened and then softened. “Oh, babe, I’m sorry.” He pulled her into his arms.

“It’s okay. He did it to himself.” She leaned back to see his face. “He went over the balcony rail and couldn’t swim.”

“What happened?”

She recalled the details of the attempted rape and then smoothed her fingers over his cheek. “Griffin, unclench.”

“I can’t help it. I want to kill him.”

“He’s probably being eaten by a great white as we speak.”

“Okay, that helps. How did you get away from Van Houten?”

“I put the same mixture into his drink as the other night. He’s in his room, violently ill.”

Griffin chuckled. “You are amazing.”

“Nah.” She informed him that the meeting time had changed and that the other two bodyguards had retrieved the nuke. “I have to be there for the exchange.”

“No, Indigo—”

“Griffin, this isn’t a negotiation. I will be there. It’s my job.”

#

G riffin hated that she had to go back into the lion’s den.

Yes, it was her job, and she was good at it.

He would never have had the forethought to bring the knockout drug while they were searching for the safe.

They had assumed they were alone. She’d been prepared for any contingency. The woman was a badass in every way.

“You probably want this back.”

He looked down and saw his gun. “How did you get it?”

“I swiped it from Gordon in the fight.”

She’d been in a battle with a man built like a tree stump. And she’d won. She said Gordon had done it to himself, but she’d outsmarted the man. That’s all there was to it.

He certainly didn’t want her facing both Van Houten, who’d proven to be a cold-blooded killer, and Jabari Abdullahi, a murderer in his own right, without a weapon. “If you must go back, you’ll need it.”

“I have to dress in a gown. I don’t have any way to hide it.”

“We’ll strap it to your thigh.”

“I’d feel better if you were there in the shadows, watching my back.”

That might not be a good thing. He’d be tempted to shoot everyone in the room to keep her safe. “I can do that.”

She leaned forward and kissed him. “I know you can, and I trust you.” She brushed a thumb against his busted lip. “You need to know how hard it was for me to say that because I don’t trust easily. There are only a handful of people on earth that I can say that about, and you’re one.”

Oh, damn, he loved her so much. “I feel the same way about you, Indigo.” His voice was gruff.

“Good.”

He cleared the lump of emotion from his throat. “I found Franklin Shepard. He’d been beaten almost to death.”

“Van Houten is getting rid of loose ends.”

“It looks like it. I checked out the speedboat. There are storage areas under the seats. I’m going to get him and Jordy and put them in there.”

“That’s a great idea,” she praised. “They’ll be sure to get out of here safely. I’ll help.”

They returned to the cargo hold. Griffin propped the hatch open so they wouldn’t get locked in again and led her to the room where the other men were located.

“Jordy, it’s Griffin and Indigo. I’m going to turn on the light.”

Jordy popped up. “Indigo? Thank God you’re okay!”

She hugged him. “I am.”

“Oh, honey, what happened to your face?”

“I had a run-in with one of the bodyguards.”

“Are you okay?”

“I am.”

“Has Franklin woken up?” Griffin asked.

“No, but I’ve been talking to him the whole time. He hasn’t responded. Do you think he’s dead now?”

Griffin reached down and checked for a pulse. “He’s alive.” He looked up at Jordy. “There are storage compartments in the speedboat.” Griffin explained the plan. “Do you feel comfortable hiding there?”

“I’m in this mess with you, so I want to help. I need to do it for Jinger. She drove me crazy, and I couldn’t wait to get away from her, but she didn’t deserve to die. I don’t know how to fight, but I’m scrappy.”

Griffin smiled at his brave offer. He knew Jordy was scared out of his mind and was pushing that aside to assist.

“I have an important job for you,” Griffin told him. “Can you drive a boat?”

Jordy nodded. “My parents had a cabin on a lake when I was growing up. We spent the summers waterskiing, tubing, and fishing.”

“Good. You are going to captain the getaway vessel. You’ll need to stay out of sight but be ready to make a quick getaway. Can you do that?”

Jordy stiffened his spine. “Yes.”

“Good man.”

They discussed more details as Griffin removed the chains from around Franklin’s wrists and ankles.

Then he slid his arms under Franklin and lifted him.

Indigo led the way with the flashlight. She made sure the coast was clear and then assisted Jordy out of the cargo hold.

It was a struggle to carry Franklin’s dead weight up the steps.

Indigo helped Griffin with the last few.

She did another quick check to make sure they were alone and then guided Jordy to the speedboat.

After opening one of the storage bays, she arranged blankets on the ground and stepped back to give Griffin room to place Franklin inside.

She grabbed more cushioning in the form of life jackets for Jordy and made a spot for him on the floor next to the driver’s seat.

Griffin ensured the keys were in the ignition. They were.

“If you see any trouble, get away as fast as you can,” Griffin instructed him.

“I’m not leaving without the two of you.”

“If something happens, motor thirty feet or so away and wait. If we can, we’ll wave you down to pick us up or swim to you.”

“Got it.”

Indigo hugged him, and they climbed out and snuck upstairs to Indigo’s room. She locked the door, and he pulled her to him again. Her face looked even worse in the light. It was swollen and turning an ugly shade of purple. Griffin touched a finger beneath the bruise. “Does it hurt?”

“Not when you’re holding me.”

The love he felt for her almost overwhelmed him.

They’d only known each other for a few days, but it had been enough to realize that she was his equal in every way.

His life had been good before. He’d had no complaints.

But he hadn’t known what was missing. Now, he did.

He couldn’t imagine life without Indigo in it.