stared at the photo of Maria, but her real focus was elsewhere. She could barely believe it—she hadn’t seen Shaun Carver for nearly a decade. She’d been sixteen years old when they’d first met, and he had been the hottest guy on the YouthBuilders’ mission trip to Botswana—and he’d known it, too. She’d disliked him the moment they met, but not because she hadn’t been attracted to him. It was because her sister had been, despite the point of the trip being to build a school for the local orphanage, not finding a future husband among the mission team. But when had Nikki ever done what she was supposed to?
She’d recognized him instantly on the parking deck, despite the strange lumberjack getup. He looked just as handsome as the day he’d broken her sister’s heart. Shattered it to a million pieces is how Nikki had phrased it. What kind of guy would be so cruel as to lead a girl on, promising her the world and then dumping her the minute things got “complicated”? At least he’d recognized her, too, so he’d understand why she might be less than thrilled to see him. If she’d known he would be on this ferry, she’d have waited for the next boat.
What she really didn’t understand was why he’d been acting so cheerful and laissez-faire about bumping into her after all this time. Could he really be so clueless? Did he honestly have no idea what he’d done? His cruelty had sent Nikki into the arms of a rebound boyfriend, a guy who’d clearly been a terrible influence and only encouraged her reckless personality...resulting in her disappearance. Or as Lexie believed, her kidnapping. It would have been easier to ignore Shaun and walk away when he’d asked about her work, but memories of Nikki had bubbled to the surface and she’d barely shut them down in time. Working on Maria’s case felt too close to home at times, but it was getting easier to shove her grief aside—after all, it had been eight years since Nikki’s disappearance. Lexie figured it was about time.
Lexie needed focus, because without it, another girl might very well disappear forever. Maria had already been missing for three months, and the longer it took to find her, the less likely she’d be found at all. While Maria’s parents believed the girl had run away, Lexie had seen Maria’s dress for her prom next month. According to her parents, Maria had saved up her earnings for a year to afford the five-hundred-dollar dream dress for the event. What kind of teenager would willingly give that up after working so hard for it?
It was tough enough to search for missing people when giving it her full focus, but having Shaun Carver—sorry, Lane—around provided an unwanted level of complication. A government lackey? Please. Guys like him were nothing but nosy, brawny wannabe heroes.
She glanced over her shoulder at him and shook her head. Shaun knelt on the floor, helping a young mother cram hundreds of spilled plastic blocks back into a cloth bag. The woman’s toddler wasn’t doing either of them any favors, grabbing pieces off the floor and throwing them at bemused passersby. Shaun and Lexie’s coffees sat abandoned on the edge of an empty table. Okay, maybe he wasn’t all bad. It had been nearly a decade since he’d callously dumped Nikki at the end of the trip. People could change, right?
Lexie sighed and turned her attention to the fading light through the window. Why did life have to be so complicated? Now was not the time or place for a walk down memory lane, despite Shaun’s earlier eagerness for it. Getting him out of her business had to be the first priority or she’d get nothing done. If she could ditch Mr. Wannabe Superhero and investigate the attack on her own, maybe she could shove away the memories of Nikki for a little while longer.
She jumped at a sudden touch on her shoulder, but relief flooded through her body when a paper coffee cup with her name scrawled on the side crossed her field of vision. She took it and placed her folder on the coffee table. One seat over, Shaun took a sip from his own cup while scanning the room. He had a quiet strength about him, an air of confidence that made her want to trust him—despite the lumberjack outfit and his two-day scruff. That was new. At nineteen, but he’d kept his appearance immaculate, despite working in a dusty village in rural Africa. Nikki had found it appealing. Lexie had found it pretentious and ignorant. Now, it gave him a rugged handsomeness that made Lexie shift uncomfortably in her seat.
A stray curl of light brown hair escaped from underneath his toque, and Lexie resisted a sudden urge to lean forward and brush it out of his eyes. Shame blossomed in her belly. How could she even think that way, after how he’d hurt her sister? Heat stung her eyes, and Lexie blinked away another rising tide of memories and guilt. She needed to refocus on the job she’d come here to do. Her fingers tightened on the coffee cup, and she savored the sensation of fresh, hot coffee dancing across her tongue, heating her up from the inside. She held on to that, pulling her attention away from Shaun’s searching gaze.
A few minutes later, two blue-uniformed ferry employees entered the lounge and scanned the room as though looking for someone. Before Lexie made the mental connection, Shaun had crossed the distance and ushered them out of the lounge and into the hallway. Security personnel! She tried to sit upright and push herself out of the chair, but her limbs felt heavy. She blinked, trying to clear a growing haze in her vision. The sounds around her grew muffled. Wasn’t the coffee supposed to keep her—
“Lexie?”
Lexie’s eyes fluttered open. She jerked up in her seat and stared at Shaun, whose look of concern had turned into a satisfied smirk. “What happened? I was about to follow you, but—”
“Need another coffee?” Shaun ran his fingers through his mop of hair, toque nowhere to be seen. “Though we should probably get you to your bunk. You can’t sleep here overnight.”
“It’s not like I planned to do so.” Had she been more tired than she’d realized? Lexie yawned and lifted her coffee cup from where she’d rested it between her hip and the chair. She raised the cup to take a sip, but set it down again in disappointment when no warmth radiated through the lid. A fresh cup would be nice, but she’d already accepted too much charity from someone who might as well be a stranger. Eight years was a long time. “It’s okay, thanks. I want to do a little more thinking before I turn in for the night. And talk to security on my own. I can’t believe you talked to them without me.”
The smirk slipped, and he rubbed a hand across his jaw. “I thought you were following me to talk with them, honest. When I looked back and saw you weren’t with us, I figured you’d changed your mind about letting me do the talking.”
“I didn’t plan to fall asleep. It was sudden. I just blacked out.”
Shaun frowned. “Can I see your cup?” She handed it to him and he sniffed the contents. “No strange smell. You sure you’re not just exhausted from what happened downstairs?”
“I wish you’d stop acting like I’m incapable of rational thought. You’re the one who left the cups unattended while you cleaned up a toy spill. Maybe...maybe I was drugged. My name is on the cup here, plain as day.”
“You’re right.” He rubbed his hand across his face. “But why would someone drug your coffee, Lexie?”
She rested her head against the back of her seat. “I don’t know. It sounds crazy. And why me? I should call the police.”
Shaun pulled a phone out of his pocket and waved it at her. “The reception out here is terrible, and I’ve already talked to security. But if you’re determined, I know exactly where the police station is in Argentia. I can show you the way once we dock.”
She scowled at him, considering his offer. If he’d already talked to security, what good would her statement do? “Won’t that be too late? The guy will have escaped by then.”
“For all we know, he might have already jumped ship. But we’d cast off when I found you on the parking deck, and no
