Page 86 of An Epic Voyage

“Are you okay?”Garcia asked.He seemed genuinely concerned.

She tentatively touched her cheek.“I-I think so.”They’d bought the story about Gordon quickly, and it was essentially the truth.She changed the subject to avoid any further scrutiny.“How is Benny?”Still vomitous, she hoped.

Garcia wrinkled his nose, and Zisk mimicked gagging.

“Not good,” Garcia said.“We wanted to take him to a hospital, but he refused.”

Zisk shuddered.“I swear, I’ve never seen anyone hurl so much.There can’t be any fluid left in his body.”

Aw, too bad.

“Get some rest.Boss wants you to attend the meeting.It’s been rescheduled for the early morning, so you only have a few hours.”

So, it had been moved.That must’ve been the call Van Houten had received—the one that had allowed her to drop the drug mixture into his drink.

“I’ll be ready.”

Indigo waited until they left and locked the door.She found the stocked closet.Most of the wardrobe consisted of designer dresses.They were beautiful and expensive and soon to be blown to smithereens.What a shame.

She found a pair of pants and a top she could maneuver in.Van Houten probably wanted her in one of the gowns to meet Abdullahi, but for now, she was going to be comfortable.Plus, she needed a place to stash the weapon she’d confiscated from Gordon: Griffin’s gun.

A drawer held a selection of lingerie in different sizes.She picked out a black bra and matching panties.

Indigo entered the bathroom and winced when she glanced in the mirror.Her face was bruising already, and the swelling was closing her eye.She gently probed the area.It hurt, but nothing was broken.Her body was sore from Gordon’s bulk crushing her twice and all the punches he’d landed, not to mention the pounding she’d taken on the speedboat as they’d navigated the rough waters.A hot shower would feel good, but she didn’t plan on lingering.It made her uncomfortable to be naked with Van Houten a stone’s throw away.

After she showered, Indigo blow-dried her hair and then found a small scarf to strap the gun above her ankle.The wide legs of the pants would disguise it.

There was nothing of hers in the room.If she could get out before anyone saw her, she might be able to hide until the deal went down.Van Houten should be incapacitated for several hours.Even if there were security cameras, no one was monitoring them since he’d sent the crew away.Considering what would happen in the morning, she figured Van Houten wouldn’t want any evidence of his crime.

Indy unlocked the door and stuck her head out.No one was around, so she eased into the hallway and walked in the opposite direction from Van Houten’s suite.She found a stairwell with lights illuminating each step and descended to the first floor.There were three levels on this boat, not counting below deck where Griffin and Jordy were being held.She’d free them after she made an initial search for the nuke.

This yacht was outfitted with teak wood and glass everywhere.Indigo checked each space as she passed.She came to one that had to be either an office or a library, with a wall of books and a spiral staircase leading to a catwalk.She started to go in when she heard voices.

Her head darted around in a panic, looking for a place to hide.She spotted a ladies’ room across the hall.Perfect.Indy ducked inside and cracked the door to see Zisk and Garcia approach.

“Do you think the boss will pull off the double-cross since he’s been praying to the porcelain god all evening?”Zisk questioned.

“He’d better—” Garcia’s voice cut off as they entered the office, leaving the door open.Garcia moved a clock on a shelf, and the wall slid open.Good grief,Van Houten needed to see a psychiatrist.He had a major hidden door fetish.Garcia came out with the case containing the nuke.Damn.She’d hoped to find it first.Garcia placed it on the desk, opened it, and inspected the canister.It was smaller than she thought, but big enough to cause significant damage.