Page 53 of Tiger's Voyage

“You own a satellite? A space one?”

“Yes. You hungry?”

My stomach growled when he said the word.

“Apparently you are. Want to raid the kitchen?”

I laughed at the cavalier attitude Kishan displayed regarding his wealth, and said, “Won’t that bother the staff?”

“Nah. I’m sure we can scrounge something up. Let’s go.”

8

Goa

We got under way soon after our snack. Kishan and I went up to the sundeck to watch the boat leave the dock and head to open water. The ship rumbled briefly as the engines cut on. The breeze hit my face as the ship started to move, and I peered down into the sea as we carved through the blue-green water. Eventually, Ren joined us. He gave me one of his special smiles and squeezed my shoulder before he too leaned over to look at the churning water below.

“Kadam says we should be in Goa by tomorrow morning,” Ren commented. “It’s only around three hundred and fifty miles from here. The diving instructor will come on board in the late afternoon. We can show Kelsey the town and maybe do some shopping.”

Kishan replied, “Sounds fun.”

“What kind of shopping?” I asked.

Ren shrugged. “Window shopping if you want, though most of the markets are open air.”

“Iwouldlike to send something to Mike, Sarah, and the kids, and also to Jennifer from wushu class,” I said, feeling a twinge of guilt for not being able to keep in better touch.

“We can arrange that. Nilima will make sure that whatever you choose gets routed to them and can’t be traced back to us. She sends our mail to contacts in other countries. They mail it to other destinations in America. Then it gets boxed and shipped again. It’s a complex system.”

“Lokesh sure has complicated our lives, hasn’t he?”

“This time we’ll beat him. We’ll be more prepared,” Kishan declared.

I shuddered, and both men took a step closer to me. Trying to lighten the mood, I asked, “Want to watch a movie? I think it’s time I introduced you tigers toJaws. You both need a healthy dose of the ocean jitters, so I’m not the only one afraid to go in the water.”

Jawswas followed byJaws 2. Both Ren and Kishan agreed that the first one was better, despite the old-time special effects. Unfortunately, they still scoffed at my fears. I guess being predators themselves made them less afraid of other predators.

We joined Mr. Kadam and Nilima at the outdoor dining area where a seafood buffet awaited: candied teriyaki salmon drizzled with scallion butter, honey-orange scallops, crunchy shrimp with spicy cocktail dip, lobster-stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes with lemon cream sauce, salad, rolls, and virgin mango berry daiquiris. I took a seat at the lovely polished table. The sun was hot, and I appreciated the shady canopy that had been rolled out to cover us.

I was full after one plate, but the brothers went back several times. After teasing them about leaving some for the staff, I headed back to my room and soaked in the Jacuzzi until my fingers wrinkled. When I got out, I wrapped my body in the robe Kishan had given me for my birthday and brushed my hair. On my pillow, I found a poem.

The Sea Hath Its Pearls

Heinrich Heine

(English translation by

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

The sea hath its pearls,

The heaven hath its stars;

But my heart, my heart,

My heart hath its love.

Great are the sea, and the heaven;