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I prayed Cody hadn’t ratted me out as Tyson emerged from his room, looking at me like a cat who’d trapped a lizard under his paw.

He was shirtless, his emaciated torso tattooed with an array of symbols and runes I’d never seen, and he was holding a polished black rock the size of my fist in his palm.

“Audrey,” he said, swinging the door wide. “Come in.”

I felt my breath grow fast as I followed him into the large primary suite, also decorated in luxurious shades of gray and cream, with sleek ash wood accents and a king-size bed covered by a gray duvet.

Like his lair at the house, the temperature was freezing cold, and blackout curtains covered the windows, the room lit only by the dim lamps on the bedside tables and the glowing humidifier responsible for the strong scent of rosemary and sage that permeated the space.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Tyson what I’d discovered in the arrest report, but now that I had a choice as to when to deliver that blow, I realized it would be more beneficial to have a civil conversation with him and Cody about how to deal with the investigation before playing that card.

If a civil conversation was still on the table after the way Cody had stormed out of here a minute ago.

“Did you get dogs?” I asked instead.

He dipped his chin, looking at me intensely from beneath his brows as he rubbed his thumb over his rock. “Cody seems to think my inviting you down here has something to do with Ian’s foot washing up,” he said, disregarding my question.

“Because I stepped in dog shit upstairs,” I continued. “And no one seemed to want to tell me whose dog it was.”

“Audrey.” There was warning in his voice.

But I was done letting him bully me, whatever the size of his yacht. “What, you don’t like it when people ignore your questions?”

“I didn’t get fucking dogs, okay?”

“So, whose were they?”

“Why are you so hung up on this?” he snapped.

“It makes it really hard for me to help you when you won’t even tell me who you’re involved with.”

He uttered something unintelligible under his breath, then swiped his green drink off the bedside table and took a long swig.

“Fascinating,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

“It’s none of your business who was here this morning,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“They aren’t blackmailing me. Of that I’m sure.

And after the conversation I just had with Cody, I don’t trust you not to go back to him with anything I tell you, so I’m keeping the details to myself.

” He squeezed his black rock with all his might, then exhaled.

“Why does Cody think you’re here because of Ian’s foot? ”

I ignored the weirdness with the rock, keeping my face neutral as I crossed my arms over my chest. “He’s not wrong, is he?”

His nostrils flared, and I felt a taste of victory at his irritation. “Did you speak to him about it?” he demanded.

“Did he say I did?”

“He sidestepped that question the same way you just did. Said the three of us should sit down.”

“It’s a good idea for all of us to be on the same page,” I said diplomatically. “Have you gotten the call from the police yet?”

He jerked his head in a nod.

“Same.” I took a breath, softening my tone. As good as it felt to get under his skin, it was in my best interest to keep things civil between us, so I needed to reel it in. “I know you don’t trust me or Cody, but it doesn’t work for us to turn against each other.”

He snorted. “Tell that to him.”

I cocked my head. “What happened just now?”

“None of your business.”

I sighed. “Well, you two are gonna have to figure it out. We should also come up with a plan for how to handle the blackmailer.”

“I pulled the cash out last night.”

“Look, I want to know who is blackmailing you and what they have on you just as much as you do. But then what?”

He passed the rock from hand to hand. “We pay them to shut up.”

“In my experience with blackmail, that’s not how it works.

It’s not a give-and-take. It’s just a take and take and take.

You should know that better than anyone.

” A look of recognition passed over his face as our eyes met.

“So you need to figure out how it is that you benefit from this exchange before you engage with them.”

He paced over to the window and pushed open the drapes, letting in a sliver of light as he stared out at the sea.

“This blackmailer may or may not have anything that could touch you,” I went on, “but once you engage with them, they know you’re guilty of something, even if they don’t know what, so they have you on the hook.”

He evaluated me. “And if I don’t engage with them, and they go to the police with whatever they have?”

“They won’t. This isn’t altruistic. No one here is trying to ‘do the right thing.’ They want money, and for that they need leverage. If they go to the authorities, they’ll have played their cards and will have nothing left to blackmail you with.”

“You’ve dealt with this before.”

I leveled my gaze at him. “So. Have. You.”

He turned back to the window. “We’ll find out who it is when we meet them at five.”

“We?”

“You and me.”

“Tyson…” I dug my nails into my palms, reminding myself to stay calm. “They said to come alone.”

“I will. You’ll already be there, waiting.”

“I didn’t bring protection,” I protested. “I don’t want to get into a situation where—”

“I have guns, if that’s what you need.”

I shook my head. Packing my own registered weapon in Florida was a lot different than pulling out some gun of Tyson’s in the territory of another nation. “I don’t think that’s legal.”

“Now who’s paranoid?”

I held up my hands. “This is getting a bit above my pay grade.”

“You want more money?”

“No.”

A rapping at the door, and he dropped his rock to the bed. “Five o’clock.”

I fixed him with my gaze. “After the dive, you and Cody and I are going to sit down and have a conversation like adults.”

He didn’t answer, striding for the door. But I wasn’t worried. As much as I preferred to tell him about the arrest report after we’d had a chance to talk civilly, if he refused to play ball, I’d have to force his hand.

Either way, I was done taking his shit.

I left Tyson chatting with the white-uniformed captain, a deeply tanned man in his forties with a blond man-bun, and descended the stairs to another sumptuous lounge one level down.

This one featured a golf simulator, shuffleboard, and arcade games, as well as tables for pool, foosball, and poker, with an open sitting area and bar decorated in the same shades of gray and cream as the master suite.

“Welcome aboard, Ms. Collet,” an attractive male crew member greeted me with a smile.

Hell, they were all attractive—which after a few days in St. Barth’s should’ve no longer been remarkable, but somehow I was still thrown by it, like I’d wandered into one of those utopia scenes in a movie where you know something nefarious is going on beneath the surface.

Life simply wasn’t supposed to be quite so perfect.

“This is the game room,” he went on, oblivious to my wariness about the symmetry of his face.

“There is a gym and sauna directly behind the bar,” he said, pointing, “and you will find pickleball and basketball courts on the deck beyond.”

Good God, Tyson was rich.

Proof that money couldn’t make you happy, I supposed, no matter how good-looking the crew of your yacht might be.

The guy indicated the wide spiral staircase behind him. “The stairs are here, please, when you’re ready, madame.”

As I reached the next landing, I was greeted by another fit male crew member with thick, short brown hair. His name tag indeed read Evan , as the girls upstairs had said it would. “ Bonjour, madame . You are Audrey Collet, yes?”

I nodded, shading my eyes against the glare off the sparkling rectangular pool.

The main living area was decorated in that same soothing wealthy man’s greige and cream with a circular bar in the center of the room.

To one side was a long dining table beneath a modern LED chandelier, to the other a grand piano and seating area with a studied simplicity that came off as distinctly sophisticated.

Off the hallway past the piano, I could see Jennifer and Allison chatting between the open doors of what must be their suites.

“Madame?” I turned my attention to the young man. “Your room is one more deck down,” he said. “Number seven. Please meet on the pool deck ready to dive at one. That’s in fifteen minutes.”

I forced a smile. “Oui, merci.”

I descended yet another stairwell and followed the beige-carpeted hallway past doors four, five, and six to door seven. Past my room were two more doors, with another at the end of the hall marked Crew . Through the open door of the room next to mine, I could see Samira helping Gisèle unpack.

My cabin was small but well appointed, everything built into the space: polished wood queen-size bed with white linens, a dresser against the opposite wall with a television above it, and on the other side of the door to the bathroom, a closet.

As I shut the door to my suite behind me, there was a soft tap on it. “Who is it?” I called.

“Laurent,” came his voice.

I gave myself a quick once-over in the mirror above the sink before opening the door to find him changed out of his uniform into swim trunks and a black rash guard that advertised a surfboard retailer, holding my suitcase.

“I have your bag,” he said. His tone was professional, but his blue eyes were fixed on mine.

I peered into the empty corridor, then swung my door open wide.

He glanced over his shoulder before he stepped inside, leaving the door ajar.

I started to close it behind him, but he caught my wrist and shook his head, so I pulled him into the bathroom, where we could talk out of sight of anyone that might be passing by.

“I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye last night,” he whispered, leaning against the sink.

“The call I received was our dive master canceling. I had to find another dive master, then Tyson decided he wanted to come to the ship early.”

Our bodies were close in the tight space, the inches between us crackling with electricity. I wanted to feel him against me again, but wasn’t about to be the one to make the first move when he was clearly uncomfortable being in my room at all.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Did you get any sleep?”

“I never sleep much when I’m working.”

“Your job is hard,” I sympathized.

“It won’t last forever.” I shivered as he ran his fingers lightly down the inside of my arm. “Audrey…Last night is between us, yes?”

I nodded. I didn’t risk losing my job like he did if anyone found out about us, but it certainly wouldn’t be a good look. “My lips are sealed.”

His eyes flicked down to my lips, lingering.

In the hallway, someone called his name. “I’ll see you upstairs,” he said, pulling away.

“Yes,” I said. But he’d already gone.