Page 92 of The Admiral's Daughter

“We need to talk,” she replies curtly. My stomach sinks. What on earth has happened between the last time I saw her and now? Where is the warmth she wrapped around me just this morning, or the care she radiated as she took me to the bridge earlier?

I nod and follow as she leads me back to her bunk. The second I step through into the space she closes the door and settles her forehead against it.

“River, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

I’d seen her briefly after the fire and she looked fine, but maybe she’d gotten hurt and just didn’t want me to know.

“I’m fine physically,” she replies, turning around. “But we have a problem. A big fucking problem, Cleo.”

Sitting on her bunk, I do my best to stay calm. If she’s here to pull the plug on us, I might not be able to keep my composure for long. Today has already thrown far too much shit our way.

“Grey knows about us,” she states. Her stance is guarded and as much as I want to soothe her, I remain still.

“Please elaborate. Tell me exactly what’s happened.”

I sit and listen to her as she explains the conversation she had with Grey in the showers.

“When did she have access to your phone?” I ask. River frowns at me and I understand her confusion. She expected me to panic, but I’ve done enough of that for one day.

“I-I don’t know,” she replies, rubbing her temples. “The only time…” she trails off and I get where she’s going.

“During the emergency. Was your phone in here?”

River nods. “It’s always in here because there’s no reason for it to be on my person. None of the crew have their personal phones on them during shift.”

“So she knew where to go looking.”

“That’s not all,” River stutters. “Fuck, I was going to tell you on our date, but—”

“I asked you not to,” I say plainly, because I remember the conversation. I’d shut River down because I just wanted a scrap of normalcy for us.

She nods. “It doesn’t matter. The point is, I was going to tell you that I’d caught them.”

“Caught them?”

“Yup. Grey and Benson in a…compromised position.”

All the air whooshes from my lungs. “Well, that explains why she’s going on the offensive then.”

“She told me if I reported the incident she’d make sure everyone, including the captain and your dad, knew I was sleeping with you, and I don’t think she’d paint me in a great light. Not with my history with women. Jesus, I can just imagine your dad hearing about it.”

River pales at the thought.

“Is it really such a big deal that they’re sleeping together?” I ask, even though I know the answer.

“You know it is,” she replies.

A feeling pokes at my brain. “Do you think Benson knows you know?”

“I’d say yes. Grey is a nasty piece of work, but when she spoke to me, the words were Benson’s, I know it.”

“Fuck. We need to decide where to go from here. I haven’t got anything concrete to take to the captain regarding Benson’s behaviour towards you and the rest of the queer crew members, although I think it’s glaringly obvious he’s a bigot.”

“So it’d be my word against that of Grey and Benson. And let’s be honest, my word will mean shit once the text messages are revealed.”

“Yes, but how can they use them as evidence without compromising themselves? Private information didn’t just suddenly spring from your phone to Grey’s.”

River sags against the door. “I don’t know, Cleo. But I do know I’ll be the one in the shit no matter how you look at it.”