Page 33 of An Epic Voyage

Indigo removed the garment and handed it to Jordy.Then she redressed and hugged him before gathering her kit and heading to her suite.She turned the corner and ground to a halt.Benedict Van Houten opened her door and entered her room uninvited.Thank goodness she’d gotten rid of the glass he’d used last night in case he was suspicious.

She made a quick U-turn and retreated to the salon to deposit her kit.Staying wasn’t an option since he might look for her there next.It was a vast boat, but not so big that she could avoid him forever.Her best bet was to be around other people.The only problem was that there were no other passengers on the boat besides the staff and security personnel.

Not that Indy was afraid to be alone with Van Houten because she wasn’t.Very little frightened her.She’d grown up in foster care and learned toughness and grit at a young age.Her fear was what she would do to him if he made a move on her.Her job was to find the nuke, and if she got kicked off the boat, she wouldn’t have a chance to search the island.

With that thought in mind, she might have to endure Van Houten’s advances, as much as it made her skin crawl.Darn it, she was going to have to suck it up and be nice to Jinger.He couldn’t hit on her if his girlfriend was around.She hoped.

The sky swirled with dark gray clouds when she stepped onto the deck.Strong winds whipped her hair around her face, and she tried to hold it back with a hand.It had to be a harbinger of the brewing storm.If it turned their way, Indigo hoped they would make it to the island first.If they abandoned the plan and changed course, she wasn’t sure when she would get the chance to go back.Pammy was supposedly sick with food poisoning, but that didn’t last forever.She didn’t want Van Houten to sell the nuke before she found it.Hundreds, possibly thousands, might die.That meant she might have to pretend to want the job Jinger was offering.

Indy found a secluded spot and called Evangeline.

“Hey, Indy.Jackson is here too.How’s it going?”

“Slow.”She told them about the boat being constantly monitored with security cameras.

“That makes searching tough,” Evangeline agreed.“You’ll need to be prepared that the island will be the same way.”

“I thought about that.”She didn’t know what to do about it yet, but she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

“If it’s on the boat, it’s most likely with his luggage,” Jackson postulated.“He’ll need a way to move it if it’s not already on his island.”

“About that, how does the hurricane look?”

“Bad.”Jackson gave her the latest weather update.“All signs point to it turning your way.”

She gazed at the heavens.“The sky is looking ominous.”

“Indigo, I know you, and you’ll want to finish the job, but do not put yourself in danger,” Evangeline warned.

“That’s an order,” Jackson tacked on.“If it gets bad, we will get you out of there.”

Not without the nuke, but she would tell them what they wanted to hear.“Got it.”

Chapter Ten

Griffin made a circuitof the boat, ensuring all was well.Was he expecting to run into Indigo?Possibly.Okay, yes, he hoped to find her lying by the pool in a Jinger-sized bikini.In other words, microscopic.Sadly, her deck was empty.The weather may have contributed to her absence.The sky was dark with an impending storm.It was a precursor to the hurricane he still hoped would bypass them.