EIGHTEEN
Finn headed to the salon. He needed to see Persephone, touch her, breathe her in. Knowing he'd hurt her broke his goddamned heart. He had to make it right.
It had taken extraordinary courage for her to remain in that room filled with her perceived enemies- alone- and tell them what she'd done. To his knowledge, her friend Dr. Núñez hadn't offered her any support while Finn had been in the room. Maybe he had after Finn left?
In her own inimitable way, she'd sat there daring the Cutters to knock that chip off her shoulder. If they had, they'd done it after he'd left. If she hadn't finished due to Jonah's fiancée showing up, then she'd go back to them for more. She was tenacious as hell. She'd had something important to say, and he knew she wouldn't stop until she'd said whatever it was she wanted to say.
Even though they'd all - and that fucking included himself, insulted everything from her veracity to her honesty, she'd taken it, head held high. Her quiet dignity when she'd spoken, despite their judgement, showed her inner strength and resolve.
She wasn't a woman to back down, and she wasn't a woman who'd take no for an answer. She'd been a winter storm pounding against a sea wall, as she bared her soul to the Cutters. She'd held her own.
He should’ve fucking stayed, but all he'd thought about when he got the text, was dealing with Derry once and for all. Knowing Derry had fucked him over yet again, pissed Finn off royally.
He'd dealt with the situation. Now he needed Persephone like a touchstone. If she forgave him for being an asshat, that was.
He took the stairs.
He knew the way she liked her breasts touched, and the way she was drawn to adventure. He knew she didn't shy away from confrontation. He knew she protected her brother like a mother lioness, but he had no idea how she dealt with disappointment. Would she be somewhere licking her wounds? Punching a hole in the wall? God, would she cry? His heart pinched.
He'd sit her down and let her tell him anything she damn well pleased without comment. Then he'd explain about the call. About Derry's betrayal. She was a reasonable, intelligent woman, she'd understand.
He also wanted to clear the air with the Cutters before they went their separate ways. Ensure there was no misunderstanding his position. He wanted to look them in the eyes and hear from their mouths, what the hell was really going on with them and that cock 'n bull story about the tablets.
Now that the winds had died down earlier than predicted, his guests didn't have to wait another six hours to leave, they could bugger off at any time.
When he strolled into the salon it was to find his guests enjoying the hospitality his staff had provided. Damn nice of Britt, his chief steward, to break open a couple of bottles of Cristal for them.
"We need to talk." Finn strode into the middle of the room. He'd half expected Peri to be there, and when she wasn't, his heart hitched.
Still, his Persephone was a fierce warrior, and Finn’s other half had expected her to come at him, guns blazing.
Unless the wound he'd inadvertently delivered was deeper than anger.
Callie, an attractive woman with dark hair, and intelligent green eyes, came over to him. "Thank you for opening your home and for allowing us to have a beautiful wedding."
Jonah joined his new wife and shook his hand. "Thanks, Rocketman," he said stiffly. "Appreciate you accommodating us. We were just about to call to let you know we're heading out early since the wind's down."
He felt the tension in the air, but all Finn cared about was a long-legged, redhead. "Where's Persephone?"
Nick gave him a dark look. "Clearly not here. We haven't seen her since the wedding. Did you really think she'd come back for more?"
"She's not a woman who backs down," Finn informed him coldly. "She had things to say to all of you. Was she done? If not, I expected her to wait out the festivities, and come back to confront you."
"Well, she didn't." Bria scowled at him. "I think she was done talking. She was devastated when you walked out right in the middle of what must've been a very difficult conversation. It was clear she needed your support."
"I had an urgent call." Christ. He sounded defensive. He already felt like a shit without being scolded, and god damn it, he was defensive.
"You spent the preceding hour practically stripping her naked in front of us, and making love to her on the goddamned sofa, Gallagher." Nick’s eyes blazed. His wife placed a hand on his arm. Nick sucked in a furious breath. "You staked your claim, but as soon as things got tough you bailed."
"Who are you?" Finn asked coldly. "Her father?"
"We know you're a workaholic, pal." Zane glared at him over a full champagne glass. "But that was a tough shitshow for her. You should’ve stuck around in a show of solidarity. It was six against one."
Finn raised a brow. "You certainly changed your tune."
The youngest Cutter shot a brief glance at his brothers. "We had a meeting of the minds."
"Bully for you. I'm going to go and get her, let her finish what she had to say if necessary. You'll listen, and you'll remain fucking civil. When that's done, you can tell me what all that bullshit was with the tablets. Then you can all bugger off and give Peri and me some privacy."
He turned to go, but Logan grabbed his upper arm, stopping him. "You've known us for ten fucking years, Rocketman. After all this time, do you really believe we had anything to do with what was written on the tablets?"
Finn looked at him over his shoulder as he turned to leave. The urgency he felt to find Peri was overwhelming. Right now he didn't give a flying fuck if or what the Cutters had up their sleeves. "I don't know. Did you?"
Logan released his arm, jaw set, deep blue eyes glinting with challenge. "Will you take our word?"
Finn searched his friend's face. He'd already proved to himself recently that his judgement was skewed. Trust your instincts. "Yeah."
"Then you have it," Logan assured him. "We were as surprised and puzzled as you were."
"You see how bringing up the name Blackstar would spark my disbelief?" The urgency Finn felt to find Peri throbbed behind his eyeballs.
"Yeah. We figured." Jonah wrapped his arm around his new bride's waist and tugged her against his side as he addressed Finn. "But no matter. That's what Vadini and Núñez assure us the tablets say. Nothing to do with us. And talking about tablets- one's missing. I'm guessing it's no coincidence that Peri's isn't here."
Blood pressure rising at the flat-out accusation, Finn glanced behind Jonah to see that only three tablets gleamed on the coffee table. The fourth easel stood empty. "Before you cast aspersions, legally it's hers to take. I'll go and tal-" His phone buzzed. "Talk to her." His phone buzzed again and he glanced at it briefly to see if Persephone was calling him to read him the riot act in private. Fair enough.
It wasn't Persephone. "It's the Captain. Hang on, I'd better take this." Everyone stopped talking as Finn listened for a few minutes. "What the fuck?! How did that happen with no one seeing it? Fire whoever was on surveillance, effectively immediately. A glitch like that is unacceptable."
Finn stared unseeing at the slowly darkening sky after he disconnected. Nothing but open water. Damn it to hell, Persephone. . . He turned to the Cutters standing in a group as if – waiting. "Did you lot have anything to do with her leaving?"
"You know what, Gallagher? Fuck you," Logan told him. "We're not even going to dignify that with an answer. She was absolutely fine after we all spoke to her right here before the wedding." He turned to Callie. "She was okay when she went to change, right?"
Callie shared a look with Bria. "She was. . .subdued."
"Introspective." Bria looked worried.
"She knows the seas here." Zane too shot a look at the diminishing waves, visible through the ceiling to floor windows across the room. "Hell, she knows the weather here. Going out on the water in a runabout doesn't make sense. She's not that stupid."
"She's not any kind of stupid," Finn snapped. "She wouldn't leave." Leave me.
"Caro. Dark eyes distressed, Bria rested a slim hand on Finn's arm. "She was deeply hurt after you left, I think."
"The wind's have died down earlier than predicted. Núñez and her boat are gone." Finn told them, curtly, his annoyance- no fucking fear- making his voice gruff. "I can assure you, Persephone wouldn't retreat. She'll storm in here any minute now, tell all of us to sit the hell down and shut up, and she's going to finish what she started. Núñez was with her in the solarium watching the wedding. He's idiot enough to steal the tablet and her boat. I'm sure she's in her cabin."
He was sure of no such thing.
He touched his earbud. "Page Dr. Núñez. Have him report to the salon asap if he's still on board." Núñez was long fucking gone. Bastard had taken a tablet and Peri's boat and pissed off before anyone could stop him.
He would be found, and suffer the consequences for his fucking actions.
Finn strode from the salon, taking the stairs down to the lower deck three at a time, passkey in hand. Sliding the key into the lock without knocking, he pushed open her cabin door.
Immediately he was engulfed in her soft fragrance. "Persephone?"
When there was no response, he went into the empty bathroom. The fragrance of lilies was stronger here, mingled with the womanly smells of cosmetics and lotions.
Going back into the bedroom he opened the doors to the large closet. "Fuck it." Empty.
"Shit." Blackstar was the size of a football field. She could be anywhere. He hoped to hell she hadn't taken out a twenty-five-foot boat, on the open water, in these winds.
Acid burned his stomach as a bad feeling surged through him. What if something had happened to her to prevent her leaving with Núñez?
Finn picked up the house phone on the bedside table and called the Captain. "Use the P.A. to call Miss Andersen- No, make that Miss Case, to come to the salon immediately. Hell, use both names, and keep repeating until I tell you to stop. Alert the crew. I want her found. I'm returning to the salon. Send me any surveillance footage of the garage and of her for the past two hours. Have the T-FLAC operatives, and our full security team, meet me in the salon in three minutes. And ready my runabout with emergency equipment.
Please God, don't let it be necessary.
It was fully dark by the time Peri saw the lights of the Puerto Mahón marina in the distance. No one knew about the entrance to the caves in the cliff under her house other than her brother. She planned to keep it that way. Currently, the service elevator was filled to bursting with stolen Cutter artifacts. She didn’t want anyone else to know about that either. And she certainly didn't want Theo to have unrestricted access to her house from the caves below.
The marina it is then.
Her bright green slicker had kept her body comparatively warm and dry, but everything else- from top to toe- was cold and soaking wet. She looked forward to a long hot shower and her own bed. She was too tired to think, feel, or have a rational conversation with anyone. Given everything that had happened today, that was both a blessing and a curse. Good thing she lived alone. She didn't even want to talk to herself tonight.
It seemed like a lifetime ago that she'd driven the ten miles from her house to the marina to meet Theo to take him with her to Blackstar. He'd parked beside her, and together they'd walked down the dock to where Witchcraft was moored.
Then, she'd felt energized sailing to Finn's ship, knowing she'd be with him, and would soon confront the Cutters. Anticipating the confrontation had filled her with a mix of excitement and dread. The anticipation of spending time with Finn had filled her with pure joy. Now, she just felt hollow about both.
Fortunately, the wind and slap of the waves had precluded conversation with Theo and his friends the entire trip. She'd left Blackstar, too numb to make polite conversation with anyone. Pretty soon that wall of nothing was going to crumble, and she damn well wanted to be alone for that.
Theo sat beside her, the older guy sat on the small seat in the bow, and the younger one was on the stern seat behind her. Needing every advantage possible in the rough water, she’d directed the men on where to sit so their weight would be evenly spread in the small boat.
The swells had decreased throughout the trip, but the random high crests and low troughs were as jarring as skating up and down a cement skateboard ramp. She'd bitten the inside of her mouth several times as they bounced along and her jaw ached from gritting her teeth. The muscles in her neck and shoulders were stiff and sore from fighting the wheel for two hours. She’d stood for most of the journey. Now, her legs felt rubbery and weak, as though she’d run a marathon.
"Querido Dios," Theo said fervently, seeing the lights of the marina approaching through the water drops streaking across the windshield. He perked up, loosening his death grip on the edge of the plexiglass. "I am very grateful that is over. You are an excellent sailor, Ariel."
Peri dredged up a smile. "You might as well call me Peri, Theo."
"I'm not sure I can. I have called you such ever since I've known you. After five years it would be hard to call you something else now."
"Ariel is fine."
"To be honest," Theo told her, using both hands to comb through his wet hair. He staggered, putting out his hand to hold on again. The swirly tattoo on the web of his right thumb glowed in the dark. She'd never noticed its luminosity before. "I had no understanding of what was going on with you and the Cutters this evening. You know I hate drama of any kind, and the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. I was focused on the beauty of the tablets, and tuned out most of the conversation. Was it important?"
They passed the rock breakwater, and the water was relatively calm. Peri took one hand off the wheel to shove her drenched hair over her shoulder. She'd sacrificed her cap to Poseidon an hour ago. "No. Not at all. You didn't miss a thing," she said, inhaling deeply of the fresh smell of the day's catch and a hint of cigarette smoke as they passed a fishing trawler with a light on.
You didn't miss a thing other than my life imploding. Nice to know you cared as little as everyone else. Most of the craft in the marina were small fishing boats and sailboats, well-secured against the high winds. Patagonians knew their weather well. No one went out when the winds were as high as they'd been when they left Blackstar. There'd been some dicey moments.
Peri pulled into the wide bay of the marina and glanced back at the other two passengers. "You know how to tie up a boat, right?"
She knew from past experience Theo didn't have a clue.
"Sí, señorita," the older guy said, standing, steady on his sea legs.
Peri returned her attention to reversing into her slip. “Of course, you do, sorry. You work on Blackstar, you must've tied up dozens of craft." She twisted her shoulders to get the kink out. It didn't help. "I left lines on the dock when I left," she said looking between the two men, since she didn't know which was which. "Would you crisscross two on the stern, use a spring line, and another on the forward piling for the bow? We’ll do a port side tie.”
"Santi," Theo ordered, and the older man stepped easily onto the dock to grab the lines. His friend, Eneas went with him.
After throwing the bow line to Eneas, Santi handed the spring line to Theo, then walked over to grab the stern lines.
After checking her position, Peri caught the lines and secured the boat. Normally, after being in the open water, she’d take care of the boat by either cleaning it herself or hiring someone to do it. But not tonight. The marina was closed, and although well lit, only the security guard was around. The light was on in his little hut, and she could hear the bass on his radio faintly on the wind.
She didn't have the energy to give Witchcraft the TLC she deserved. But tomorrow was another day. She'd come over and take the runabout to her place and give her a good scrub down.
Theo, holding the heavy bag with her tablet in it, handed her onto the dock. With a concerned frown he scanned her face. "You look exhausted."
No shit. "Not something any woman wants to hear, Theo."
Peri adroitly sidestepped him to check on one of the cleated lines. Unwinding it, she re-cleated it more securely before turning back to him.
"Why don't you let me take you home? I'll bring you back tomorrow for your car," he offered as they started walking in the direction of the parking lot. Forty-foot-tall cypress trees formed a windbreak in a semicircle around the perimeter of the marina, and their smoky, pungent, piney, scent mingled pleasantly with salt water and fish on the night air.
There was no sign of his friends. "Nice try. And you no longer have sleepover rights, Dr. Núñez," she said, trying to add a teasing tone to her voice.
"You're fucking the millionaire," his voice was flat with a tinge of censure.
"Billionaire. And not anymore."
He gave a bitter laugh, and Peri glanced at him, as he said, "Then you never looked at him when he watched you. His eyes fuck you every time you're in the same room, and when you leave, he watches the door. And I'll tell you something else. You never looked at me the way you look at Gallagher. Even if you didn't keep your hands off each other in public, the heat between the two of you was obvious to everyone."
Was he jealous? After all this time? She had no intention of fanning those dead embers with him. She'd better make that clear. "Theo-"
"I don't care, Ariel. I really don't."
She touched his arm. His slicker felt wet and cold. "I'm glad. I still want to be friends." Which she couldn't imagine any man wanted to hear, so they were even, she supposed.
"Well, as your friend, I insist on driving you home. You’re too tired to do it on your own safely. Don't argue."
Tall, utilitarian metal lamp posts lit the way as they passed a shack that sold hot coffee and the fresh catch of the day in the early mornings. Theo's friends were almost at the parking lot, as they wandered down the length of the dock, apparently in no hurry. One lit a cigarette, and the red tip glowed, bobbing in the dark as he walked.
It was impossible to think she'd ever had sex with Theo. Their relationship had barely lasted the five months she usually allotted to lovers. There was nothing at all she found attractive about him now, certainly not in comparison to Finn.
Both lights on the tall poles in the gravel parking lot were burned out, and they stepped into the deep shadows under the trees.
"You should report the lights," Theo told her, taking her hand to wrap it over his forearm when she stumbled over an unseen rock. "It's dangerous out here in the dark, you could fall and hurt yourself, and that guard is probably old and drunk and useless, so no one would find you until morning."
Peri withdrew her hand, as she walked. No touchy-feely. "What a cheerful thought." She would report the lights, but it was rare that she came into the marina, although she kept a slip there.
The smell of the cypress overhead was much stronger under the trees. The pungent piney smell thick in the now still air. Their shoes crunched as they walked across the gravel parking lot. Damn, it was dark enough that she might need Theo's strong arm after all. She'd rather not.
His black truck was still parked beside her electric blue SUV. When Theo wasn't in Buenos Aires doing his job as Minister of Antiquities, he ran a sheep farm twenty-five miles inland, so he didn't have that far to go.
They got to their vehicles. Thank God. She had about enough energy to make it back home. Skip the shower, she'd just fall, nose first, onto the bed and deal with everything in the morning.
She reached for the bag he carried. "Thanks for the offer, Theo, but I want my own car in the morning." He handed the heavy bag to her, and waited until she was inside her car, the tablet on the passenger seat beside her.
"I'll follow you."
"Go home, Theo." Peri pulled the door closed. He stood beside watching her. Peri smiled and shook her head, waving as she started the car. The engine clicked. She tried again. Damn. Had she left the lights on the other day and run down her battery? She tried again, and again the engine refused to turn over. Not even a hopeful click. Damn it to hell, she was too tired, cold and freaking wet to deal with this.
Cracking the door, because she couldn't lower the window without power, she said, "Do you have jumper cables in that fancy truck of yours?"
"I do. I'll turn the heater up, and you can sit in it and at least warm up while we jump start your car."
Sounded good to Peri. Grateful he didn't push driving her home again, especially now that her car didn't work, she got out and started walking around the back to his truck.
Something painfully hard struck her on the temple. Her head seemed to implode from the blow. Peri's eyes rolled back in her head as she slumped to the ground. Confused, she blinked back the pain and dizziness. The dark canopy of the trees swirled sickeningly, and nausea rose in the back of her throat as pain radiated from the point of contact. Had she been hit by a falling branch?
Her vision dimmed. Don't lose consciousness. Do. Not. There wasn't a hospital for mil. . .
Time seemed to pass in lightning fast slices, as if she was inside a strobe light. Theo. Her car. Trees. Men's voices.
She hung on by a thread, the intense pain seemed to surround her. Eyes blurry, she focused on Theo's feet and legs to orientate herself as everything around her spun. "Theo-"
"¡por Dios! What are you doing? I almost had her in the truck, you fool."
Another voice so close, it was practically in her ear, responded in angry, rapid-fire Spanish. The man loomed over her. Think. Breathe.
Think, damn it.
Move!
Struggling weakly to twist free, she was jerked onto her back by rough hands. A man leaned over her, a dark shape against the darkness behind him. She caught a glimpse of his feral black eyes and rough unshaven jaw before the sudden, alarming, heavy weight of a knee compressed her chest, stealing her breath.
His hand smelled of nicotine and sweat, as he covered her mouth and nose, to wrench her head to the side.
Swallowing bile, Peri broke her fear-induced paralysis and fought for her life. Kicking out proved useless, and trying to punch and buck her hips garnered her nothing more than him almost breaking her ribs with the full weight of his body pressed down in the middle of her chest.
Someone else held her legs, stopping their useless flailing. The sharp sting of a needle piercing a vein in her neck had her fighting manically, as full-fledged panic and terror flooded her body. A surge of adrenaline gave her strength to do whatever it took to get the man off her. Thrashing and bucking, she fought him with everything in her. But an insidious fire and lassitude melted her veins like hot syrup, slowing her movements.
Her world faded to black.