Page 71 of The Admiral's Daughter

“Boot,” I caution. “We have no idea what the circumstances are. Yes, she’s not the nicest, but she’s still one of us.”

“So is Benson, technically,” Kit supplies.

“No, he’s not. He’s a man in power, for a start. A man with friends higher up the food chain than Grey. Do you think he’s going to protect her when the shit hits the fan?”

“Not likely,” Cheddar mumbles.

“He’ll throw her to the wolves. Benson would probably get a slap on the wrist or a transfer. Maybe someone will have the gumption to properly discipline him, but on the chance the brass wants a scandal swept under the rug, it will be Grey who’s left with a target on her back.”

Kit blows out a big breath. “I get that, Rome, I really do, but you have a duty to protect the rest of the crew. Their conduct must be reported.”

I chuckle humourlessly. “How can I possibly be the one to do that with what’s going on between Cleo and me?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Cheddar offers softly.

“So far, you’re probably the only one who knows about it, except for us, now,” Boot begins. “But let’s not forget a particular lovely and voracious reporter who has locked on to Benson and his bullshit. It’s not going to be long until she gets a whiff of impropriety and the whole thing ends up in a report heading to the bloody admiral.”

“And I can’t imagine it’s going to go in your favour if she finds out you knew and didn’t tell her,” Cheddar adds on.

“Yeah.” I sigh. “I’ve already thought about that.”

“Okay,” Kit announces with a hand in the air. This is Kit in decision-making mode. “It needs to be reported, but let’s not go running to the captain half-cocked. River, talk to Cleo, explain the situation.”

“And then what?” I ask, because I seriously don’t want to be in charge of this at all.

“Then…we talk to Grey.”

“Sorry, say that again,” Boot shoots.

Kit sinks to her bed. “We need to talk to her. She knows Romeo saw them and is probably expecting her to have already reported it. She’s going to be a mess.”

I laugh. “And you think talking to her is the answer? Us…talking to her?!”

“Actually, it needs to be just you,” Kit winces as she answers.

Cheddar cuts a hand through the air. “No way. Grey could spin it and say River has a personal vendetta against her.”

“That’s what she’ll do regardless,” Boot chimes in. “Think about it. The tension between River and Grey is well known throughout the entire ship. Add Benson to the mix and it’s suddenly not as clear cut as simply reporting an incident.”

“Fucking hell,” I moan.

Kit taps her chin in thought. “Hmm, you’re right. Okay, River, you still need to tell Cleo. If she comes up with evidence of other infractions, it’s going to be a lot harder for Benson to slither his way out of it.”

“I’ll tell her tonight. But Grey could still cause trouble.”

Cheddar rocks her head from side to side in deliberation. “I think she’ll wait. She’s not going to risk exposing herself accidentally.”

“Trust me, she ain’t shy about exposing herself,” I say with a shudder.

“Mate,” Cheddar chuckles, “do you need some bleach for your brain?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well, this was an exciting start to the day,” Boot says, reaching for her workout gear. “Might as well get some PT in. Anyone want to join me?”

“I’m gonna hide in here for the rest of the day,” I say. “If you see Grey or Benson, you can’t let on you know.”

“We got ya, Rome, no worries,” Cheddar says, crawling back into bed.