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Bea

B ea stretched her legs, feeling the pull and tug on her muscles, which might have resulted from a particularly strenuous swim the day before. Except she knew she hadn’t been swimming. And there was also the slight burn between her legs, leaving no doubt as to what had happened. The thought brought a smile to her face. Now she knew what those older girls at the convent school had been talking about.

God, she’d never felt such pleasure before—so different from what she felt when she touched herself. Just thinking about Rogue’s hard body made her feel tingly again. Of course, she didn’t imagine all lovers were as talented and considerate as Rogue.

She wondered where he was. The cabin still rocked faintly from side to side, so the boat was still moving. Rogue walked into the cabin, a glass filled with café con leche in his hand.

“Thought you might want this,” he said, handing it over.

Bea stared at the glass, open-mouthed. He’d remembered she preferred to drink her coffee from a glass, rather than a mug. He’d been paying attention. “Thank you.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Great,” she said, taking a sip from her coffee. “You?”

“I wish I could show you how I feel,” he said, “but we’re almost there.”

Bea sat up straight, holding the sheet against her body. “In Panama? What time is it?”

“Nine a.m.”

Nine.

She hadn’t slept till nine since she was a little girl. But then, last night had been a night of firsts. “Let me get dressed,” she said, putting the coffee down.

Rogue nodded. Once he was by the door, he hesitated. “Bea. You need to think about where you want to go.”

She nodded. She’d been expecting this.

“I spoke with Thorne. You could come to Zurich with us, as we’d discussed. Or, you could go to the United States. Either way, it’ll be a chance for a new life.”

A new life.

Suddenly, her world shifted. It wasn’t anything he’d said or done. It was a memory of something she’d heard months earlier. Something she should have remembered.

“Bea? Are you okay?” Rogue asked, moving back towards the bed. “What’s happening, honey?”

Bea stood up, for a second almost forgetting she wasn’t wearing anything. She tugged on the sheet, pulling it against her like a toga. This wasn’t the kind of conversation she wanted to have butt-naked.

“Antwerp,” she mouthed.

“What?”

“Antwerp,” she said, louder this time. “I want to go to Antwerp.”

“Okay …”

Bea raised her eyes to look into Rogue’s concerned gray ones.

“That’s where my uncle will be.”

Rogue’s mouth fell open. “What?”

“I only just remembered when you spoke of the chance. I was never allowed in my uncle’s office but, one day, soon before you arrived, he asked me to get something for him from inside. There was an open email on his screen. He was making appointments to meet someone in Antwerp.”

Rogue’s expression lost all color, then. “Do you know when?”

“What day is it today?”

He looked down at his watch. “September 16th.”

Bea closed her eyes, trying to remember the exact dates mentioned. “I think … I think it was September 22nd.”

“Shit. That’s less than a week from now. Are you sure?”

“Almost sure,” she said, hesitating slightly. “My cousin was really happy that evening. He spoke about things he didn’t usually speak about … at least with me. About the expansion of his business. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it earlier. I don’t know how it could have slipped my mind.”

“We need to speak with Thorne.”

She nodded quickly. “I’ll get dressed.”