go for this. If Nicola were here, she’d—”
Lexie’s temper flared. How dare he even speak her name? “Because you’re an expert on my family? Please, tell me more.”
Shaun stepped back, his face a mask of confusion. “I was just suggesting—”
“Stop suggesting, then.” If he hadn’t lead her sister on and then broken her heart eight years ago, well, they wouldn’t even be here right now.
“Fine.” Shaun exhaled through his nose, clenching his jaw. “I’m going to go find out where the computers are. I recommend you stay here and lock the door. Don’t open it to anyone except me. I’ll knock twice, wait ten seconds, and then knock once.”
Lexie stared at him. When had Shaun become a conspiracy nut? The guy had no idea how this kind of thing worked. “I don’t see why I can’t come with you.”
“Safety,” he said, his voice betraying a hint of annoyance.
“The only person in danger here is the girl I need to find. And I can’t find her without the information from that folder.” Did he really think she’d act carelessly after the events of the past hour?
Shaun raised his hands, the corners of his mouth turning down into a scowl. “Lexie, I need you to listen—”
Another crunching noise reverberated throughout the ship and Lexie put her hand on the wall to steady herself. The ship shuddered more violently this time, and the noise continued instead of quieting. Her heartbeat sped up, pounding in her ears.
“You think that’s normal?” Lexie almost spat the words at Shaun, whose scowl had vanished, replaced by concern. “Pretty sure ferries aren’t supposed to sound like a bag of chips when they sail.”
He shook his head and caught her gaze. Lexie stopped the gasp that threatened escape. He was worried, and he wasn’t trying to hide it. For some reason, that made her feel better. Despite their acquaintance being separated by almost a decade, a familiar face in a moment of uncertainty helped to quell her immediate panic.
“Keep the door closed. I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything rash.”
She shut the door behind him, despite wanting to slam it in sudden anger at his parting comment. Who did he think he was, telling her not to do anything rash? He didn’t know her. Or her sister. Not anymore, anyway, and he’d made it quite clear all those years ago that he didn’t care to. Lexie sucked in a deep breath, trying to ease the tingle of adrenaline. The last thing she needed was to lose control of her emotions. She had a job to do, and if Shaun insisted on being a part of it, surely she could put up with an annoying hero-wannabe for a little while longer. He had potentially saved her life, after all. When she got the information from her folder back, she’d politely ask him to stop distracting her for the rest of the trip.
She sat on the bed and drew her knees up to her chest, feeling resolute, yet unable to shake the strangeness of Shaun’s confused reaction to her words moments ago. This was not the time to dwell on it, though. She needed to focus, and Shaun would provide nothing but distraction.
So why did she feel a pang of regret at the thought of sending him away?
* * *
Shaun wandered through the ferry’s halls, wincing at the unending crunch and jar of the ship. Worried faces peeked out of cabin doors, and there were fewer employees around than there had been a few minutes before. Had they all run off to find out what was happening? Hopefully, that meant there would be a ship-wide announcement to reassure the passengers before they started mobbing the captain’s quarters. The thought of having Lexie’s assailant amidst the mob of angry, scared passengers didn’t sit well—it would provide the perfect cover for her to be injured, or worse.
The muscles in Shaun’s neck tensed as he thought about Lexie’s shock at losing her folder. Hadn’t she been the more docile of the Reilly sisters? But now after less than an hour with her, it wouldn’t surprise him if she’d left the room the moment he was out of sight. It was bizarre that they’d ended up on the same ship bound for the same place, but even stranger was Lexie’s reaction to his question about her sister. He regretted not delving further into that immediately, but she’d reacted with such hostility that he’d let instinct take over and backed off.
Not exactly the mark of a superspy, allowing himself to be rattled by an attractive woman from his past. Did he find her attractive? Sure, in a platonic, purely aesthetic... Oh, who was he trying to convince, anyway? She’d been the cute little sister before, but now? She’d blossomed, all right. Lexie had gumption to be in the missing-persons business, too. They’d make a good team if he could manage to quell her hostility. Letting her in on the details of his assignment might do just that, but protecting his alias could get tricky. On a typical assignment, he needed to protect his identity at all costs, but she knew his full name and they shared a past—albeit through another person, but it might be enough for a mission-destroying slipup. Bringing her in the loop, even a little, could help protect them both. He’d discuss it with HQ on his next check-in.
Shaun rounded a corner and saw a bank of computer cubicles through a set of glass doors at the end of the hall. He paused and had decided to go back to get Lexie when a scruffy employee in a white uniform pushed open one of the doors and strode toward him, purpose in his step.
“Excuse me,” Shaun said, pasting a smile on his face. “Can you tell me what’s happening with—” The employee shook his head in silence and brushed past Shaun without making eye contact.
“Excuse me?” Shaun raised his voice, staring after the employee. He wanted to give the man the benefit of the doubt—the ongoing noise was extremely worrisome—but it was no excuse to be rude. The man disappeared around the corner without another word. Some people. Shaun figured he might as well take a look inside the computer area to make sure the internet access was working.
All the chairs and computers were lined up in a row inside little library cubicles with instructional sheets tacked above the monitors. No, Shaun noted, not all the chairs. The final chair in the row sat slightly askew. His intuition urged him toward it.
Shaun sat and shook the mouse to wake up the screen. A sudden coldness hit his core.
Whomever had previously used this computer left in a hurry, because up on the screen—logged in, and with a list of files in clear view—was Lexie’s cloud storage account. The coldness spread and chilled his spine as he noted another open tab. Lexie’s email. He checked her account details, changed her password and logged out.
It had to be the same person. Lexie’s attacker had been here minutes before. But what worried Shaun even more was that the attacker wasn’t here now. And Lexie was alone.
Shaun thought of the employee he’d passed in the hallway. The man might have seen who had used the computer. In fact, he might have been in such a hurry because he’d been held back by a recent guest. If Shaun moved now, maybe he could catch him and get a description.
Shaun leaped up from the computer and raced through the glass doors, slowing his pace only when he reached the next hallway. He looked both ways, seeing several other people in white employee uniforms engaged by other guests. None looked familiar. The employee couldn’t have gone too far, though. There were too many curious and worried passengers around to have made it
