Page 5

5

Aran

The two chatty passengers who approached us look to be in their fifties. Now that I think about it, the majority of the masked guests are closer in age to me than to Hex. It’s the wrinkles, laugh and frown lines that give them away. I wouldn’t call them old necessarily, but at forty, my own prime has already passed, and I no longer feel like I used to. Like the world is mine for the taking. Like I could do anything. This all died the day I saw my best friend’s smile for the last time and realized I had to be the one to deliver the devastating news.

“Oh! So, this is your first time on a cruise, sweetie?” the blond woman who’s wearing a brocade pantsuit says, giggling behind her peacock-inspired venetian mask. Her voice is a little hoarse, but otherwise inoffensive, though it rubs me the wrong way.

“It is! My friend here”—Hex hooks a finger at me—“has been doing them since forever. We work at the same company. He said they needed some extra people for this fancy gig, so I signed up. It sounded like lots of fun.”

The way he delivers it makes it sound like being hired here was his life’s goal. He’s good at pretending and playing a role when he’s gotten over the initial stress that being around people brings him. If he had a better tolerance for crowds, I think he’d have made an amazing idol or actor.

The woman laughs again, patting her companion on the arm. He’s a stocky man with a swashbuckler’s mustache, who’s dressed in a matching brown suit and colorful mask. His one comes with extra feathers.

“My, what an energetic young thing you are! And so chatty, too.” She lifts her hand, covering her mouth as if the two of them are in the middle of conspiring. “All I got were curt answers and glares when I tried to ask for directions, so this is such a breath of fresh air.”

My fingers twitch to grab Hex and pull him toward me, but I stifle down the powerful urge. I don’t like her so close to him, but she’s a VIP and acting out here will compromise us or even get us thrown out.

Shaking his head, Hex throws a mischievous wink at her. “Please, don’t mind my colleagues, Ma’am. They are just doing their job. The safety and comfort of the guests is our top priority.” He leans in closer, smiling at her like they are best friends. “And don’t tell anyone I was chit-chatting with you while on duty. It will get me in trouble with the boss.”

Laughter explodes out of her, loud and throaty. Her companion joins in too, though his show of amusement is more of a chuckle. Hex straightens his posture, folds his arms behind him, and tries for a neutral expression, but his smile breaks through. It’s a nice smile, and even if it’s half-fake, it stirs something bubbly in my chest all the same.

“Truly a delight, you are. And so funny.” Her dark blue eyes twinkle in excitement, matching the color of the feathers decorating her mask.

“I’m even better off duty,” Hex jokes without really joking.

I can feel where this is going, and I am not sure I like it.

“Such a charmer!” She strokes him on the arm. My hackles rise as I watch her manicured fingers massage the area. “Hmm, perhaps you could grace us with your lovely company and wit for dinner, once your shift ends? We’ve booked a reservation at the Shark Nest, down below. I hear it offers an amazing view of the ocean.”

The Shark Nest? The name wasn’t on any of the blueprints, which means it must be part of the areas that are off-limits. Only specially appointed crew members have access to those decks, but we didn’t receive a list during the briefing, so my intel is lacking.

A wave of electricity zaps my nerve-endings. This is our way in. A golden opportunity. But for a reason I can’t quite pinpoint, my stomach twists. Somehow, I still don’t like this.

Hex’s eyes flick to me for a second as his smile widens into a radiant grin. “I would love to, but sadly, I don’t have access to that part of the ship.”

The woman waves him off, her mouth curving into a satisfied smile as she finally lets go of his arm. “Don’t worry, dear. You can be our plus-one.”

“Hmm, I don’t know… I don’t want to get into trouble.”

“Nonsense,” the man speaks up at last. His voice has a high pitch, though there is a rumbly quality to it. “My lady and I will make sure you don’t.”

The same spark of excitement lives in his eyes too as they roam Hex from head to toe. There is a flicker of interest in them, and I bristle like a cornered cat. Am I overreacting? But I’m not blind; I know Hex is a good-looking man, even if he seems mostly clueless about it. On the rare occasions when we go out to run errands, people always notice him. Some even try to approach him or chat him up, but I usually manage to thwart them.

This situation reminds me of those times, except that I don’t have the luxury of butting in as I normally do.

“Aw, thanks. You two are so nice. It’s a date!” He winks at the woman, causing her eyes to glimmer even more.

“Splendid. What is your name, sweetie?”

“Hex. Nice to meet you…”

I want to groan. Really, Tien? You give her your actual hacker name? God save us.

Surprisingly, the couple shows no sign of recognizing his handle. “Mr. and Mrs. Lynx. You finish at around eight, don’t you? How about you stop by our cabin at eighty-thirty?”

“Su—”

“It would be better to meet here,” I cut in sharply.

Everyone snaps their attention to me, but among the three pairs of eyes, only Hex’s aren’t glaring. I spoke without thinking this through, or how it might come across, but I couldn’t just stand and watch. It is my duty to ensure Hex is safe, and letting him go to the cabin of two strangers is a risk I am not willing to take. I might be jumping the gun, but things have already spiraled out of control as is. He was never supposed to have such an active role in this—that’s my part to play while he handles things behind-the-scenes.

“Hex is terrible with directions and tends to get lost easily when he goes to unfamiliar places. We haven’t been posted on the guests residences’ level yet, but he knows the entertainment deck since he’s been shadowing me today.”

I can tell that the two don’t like my suggestion. But they also have no reason to refuse or it will appear sketchy. Hex might be oblivious to a lot of things, but I am not, and as his supposed friend , it is my responsibility to look out for him.

“I finish at the same time, so I will personally hand-deliver him to you and make sure he arrives on time at the right place,” I add to soften the tension, faking a friendly chuckle.

The woman frowns, then forces a smile. In truth, I don’t think she needs to worry about keeping up public appearances. She could rebut me. She could probably get me fired, too. But that won’t fly with Hex, and she can probably sense it. The question is why does she care, and just hypothesizing the possible reasons makes me bristle.

“That would be lovely.” She bounces her gaze from me to him. “You have such a reliable friend, dear.”

My breath catches at the smile that takes over Hex’s face. It’s radiant and open, making my heart gallop.

“He’s the best, isn’t he? Always looking out for me.” Hex pokes me in the arm with his elbow, aiming those captivating browns at me. “He can be a little broody though, so sorry about that. It just takes him a while to warm up to people.”

The unimpressed looks I get from both Lynxes grate on my nerves. I still don’t like this and I still don’t think it’s a good idea, but it’s too late to back out now. What’s done is done—Hex is going to that dinner. The best thing I can do is to make it count.

“I can see that, dear. But I am sure he is a nice person at heart, or he wouldn’t be your friend.” She drapes her arm over her companion’s shoulder. “We’ll be on our way now, as the golf session we are going to is about to begin. Thank you so much for the directions and we are looking forward to tonight.”

Flashing Hex another smile, she herds her partner into the crowd that has formed by the stage. Only when the two of them disappear among the sea of faces, do I unclench my hands to let out some of the tension I was holding onto. I don’t like her. And I don’t like that we got dragged into her little game.

Hex is the brains; I am the muscle. That was the condition under which I agreed to let him be part of this mission. I need to know he’s not in any direct danger in order to do my job. It’s all gone out the window now. The moment he agreed to this dinner—as useful as that might end up being—he changed the rules. He’s too reckless, and he didn’t consider the consequences of his actions. I don’t know these people, but if they are here, it’s logical to assume they aren’t as harmless as they might currently appear.

I can’t deny that this is a golden opportunity, though. They are somehow part of this drug conspiracy and we just got our potential way in, if we play it right. The only problem is that I’m not sure I can go with Hex. We have just a couple of hours until the end of our shifts and that’s not enough time to get me the clearances needed for the off-limits decks.

“Chill. I got this,” Hex says, leaning his shoulder into my arm. “I’ll just go with them, have a nice chat over dinner, and collect all the intel I can right under their noses. Easy. You have nothing to worry about.”

I massage my forehead, an ache already forming. I really wish that was the case, but where this troublemaker is concerned, something always goes wrong.