Stranded (9 page)

Gage stretched out before the fire, trying not to think about how long Darcy and Clint had been gone. There was no harm in a walk, but uneasiness filled him and no doubt would until her return.

Whitney shifted beside him. “I'm going to grab some more coffee. Would you like a refill?”

“Sure, that'd be great.”

Whitney had a great sense of humor, was intelligent and very athletic. She reminded him a great deal of Kayden.

She returned, handed Gage his cup, and was about to sit down when Ted approached. “Hey, Whitney, I hear the sunset is gorgeous.”

Interesting
. Gage had expected Cal or another of the other single passengers to hit on Whitney, not one of the crew.

Whitney glanced up at the darkening sky. “I think we've already missed it.”

“Even better to see the stars from the rise. Wanna join me?”

“Thanks, but I'm good right here.” She settled back down on the log beside Gage.

“You sure?” Ted smiled. “I promise, I don't bite.”

“I'm good. Thanks.”

Ted glanced between her and Gage and then nodded with a look of understanding. “Maybe some other time.”

Gage waited until Ted walked away before glancing at Whitney. “Not into walks or not into Ted?” He took a sip of his coffee.

She shook her head. “Not into disappearing.”

Gage spluttered on the liquid. “I'm sorry. What did you say?”

“Not into disappearing.”

“That's what I thought, but I don't understand. Are you suggesting Ted . . . ?”

“I'm not suggesting anything. I'm simply being safe. I'm a single female alone on an excursion. It would be foolish of me to leave the group with anyone, no matter how cute he may be.”

“You make it sound like people are disappearing from cruises all the time.”

“Nearly twenty last year alone.”

“From the
Bering
?”

She shook her head. “No, worldwide, but the
Bering
's not free of its problems.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last August some honeymooners, Drake and Christine Bowen, disappeared while on an excursion.”

Bowen?
“Wasn't that the man who murdered his wife and then ran?”

“That's what the media claimed.”

“Claimed?” The media certainly wasn't bias-free, but it had sounded as if the husband was downright guilty.

“I had a friend on that cruise—Melody. We used to work together at our old law firm. Anyway, Melody said she spent some time with one of the men who'd been on that excursion, and he said the whole thing was strange.”

“Strange . . . how?”

“They'd made camp, and everyone had gone to bed. In the morning, Bowen gets up and can't find his wife. The team starts searching, but they can't find her anywhere.”

Gage remembered the news coverage—it not being far from their backyard. “I think at first they thought she'd wandered off, but then someone discovered blood in the Bowens' tent.”

“Right, but this guy told Mel that Bowen freaked and claimed it was planted there.”

“Planted there? Oh, come on.” Gage sat his cup aside.

“That's what everyone thought—that he was just trying to cover up his crime.”

“He took off. Proves he was guilty if you ask me.”

“That's what everyone believed, but the guy told Melody that Bowen seemed genuinely distraught—that when he took off, he said he was going to find his wife.”

“But he never did.”

“And no one ever saw him again.”

“Because he ran.”

“Yeah, probably.” She sighed. “They'd drunk a lot the night before, so who knows? Alcohol does strange things.

“But the guy Melody talked to said it had shaken him to see how loving the Bowens had seemed that night around the campfire, and then . . .” She shook her head. “Probably why I'm not so keen on marriage.” She laughed. “One of the reasons at least.”

“Did you say they'd been drinking?”

“Yeah.”

“On an excursion?”

She nodded. “I know, stupid. Yet another one of my safety rules. No alcohol while traveling. It's just an invitation for some guy to take advantage.”

“Beyond stupid of them.” He'd never allow it. Too much risk. It would cloud people's vision, and a foggy brain was the last thing a person needed when sea kayaking.

“Apparently the land excursion outfit provided the alcohol.”

If he recalled correctly, the cruise line had, in an effort to save money, gone with an unestablished excursion company.
Company
was actually too flattering a description for the mishmash group of kayakers who thought they'd make some summer cash by catering to the cruise lines and underbidding all the established companies in the area.

No wonder the ragtag venture had quickly folded and the kayakers involved dispersed.

“It prompted Destiny to announce they'd be way more stringent with their excursion provider choices in the future—though that might have just been a PR number.”

The incident had put a lot of unwanted heat and bad press on legitimate excursion companies like LFA. But they'd weathered the storm and proven their worth, and now they were the first excursion company in the area to lead an
onboard
excursion component.

“They were pretty stringent with us,” Gage said. They'd done an extremely thorough background check on Last Frontier Adventures before allowing them to conduct even half-day land excursions.

He turned to Whitney. “I think it's very smart of you to take the precautions you do.”

“Thanks. You're definitely in the minority.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Most folks fall into one of two camps. Either they think I'm paranoid or they think I'm an idiot for going on excursions alone. I'm traveling with my aunt, but she's not up for the excursions. I don't see why I should miss out on
the adventures out of fear something might happen, so I take precautions and enjoy the excursions I want to take. But, and at the same time, it's nice to know Aunt Ellen is on the ship waiting for me.”

“Makes a lot of sense.”

She smiled up at him. “Thanks. That's refreshing to hear.”

Darcy and Clint came through the clearing, the moon now full in the sky. Clint pressed a kiss to Darcy's cheek and headed toward the crew's tents.

Gage finished off his coffee and stood. “If you'll excuse me . . .”

“Sure.” Whitney stood beside him and brushed the debris off her pants. “About time I turn in. See you in the morning.”

“Bright and early.”

“Don't remind me,” she said, heading for her tent. “I love adventure, but definitely not early mornings.”

Darcy turned as Gage stepped to her side. “Looks like you made a friend.”

Gage watched Whitney slipping inside her tent, the shadow of her athletic form illuminated by the battery-operated lantern.

He lifted his chin toward Clint's retreating back. “I could say the same. . . .”

“We were just catching the sunset. Clint found this amazing—”

“Cliff at the top of the rise?”

“Yeah.” She cocked her head, curiosity fluttering her lashes. “How'd you know?”

“I lead excursions out here all the time.”

“Right. So how come you didn't head up there?”

“Wasn't feeling it tonight.” In truth, he'd very much wanted
to show Darcy himself, but after their argument . . . “Clint obviously was.”

She smirked. “Do I detect a note of jealousy?”

“Of Wonder Hands?” He laughed.

“Wonder Hands?” Her brows pinched together.

“That's what the ladies were calling him earlier.”

“Really?”

“Interesting nickname.”

“Probably because he's a massage therapist.”

“I'm sure.”

“Are you trying to suggest that Clint gets personal with the female passengers?”

“I'm not suggesting anything. Just stating what the ladies are calling him.”

“Calling who?” Kayden asked, tossing Gage an apple.

“Darcy's new friend Clint.” He bit into it.

Darcy's eyes narrowed on Gage. “Did you want something, or did you just come over here to annoy me?”

He'd come over because, as loath as he was to admit it, he wanted to know how her time with Clint had gone. “Actually, Whitney was telling me something that I thought might interest you.”

“Really?”

They took seats by the dying embers of the fire as Jake, Landon, and Piper joined them. All the passengers had turned in for the night, settling into their luxurious tents, while the remainder of the
Bering
's crew were dispersed about their own business—most likely preparing for bed.

“So what
helpful
information did Whitney share?” Darcy asked.

Gage bit back a smirk. She clearly wasn't a fan of his time with Whitney.
Interesting
.

“She reminded me of a disappearance involving the
Bering
. The couple disappeared during their excursion here.”

“Here?” Darcy's eyes widened. “As in literally
here
?”

He went on to relay all that Whitney had shared, as well as some details he remembered from the media coverage.

Darcy shook her head. “I definitely need to do some digging on the
Bering
's history. This all happened so fast, I didn't have time to prepare, to do the typical background research I normally do. I was relying on Abby to catch me up, and then . . .”

“Whatever you do, don't use the
Bering
's computers to search for it,” Jake said, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together.

“Why not?” Kayden asked.

“Because everything is monitored.”

“What do you mean,
monitored
?”

“All the computers in the cruise ship's Internet lounge are linked and can easily be monitored through their browser history.”

Kayden linked her arms. “And I suppose that's just another random fact of knowledge you possess?”

“What can I say?” He shrugged. “I read.”

“So do I, and I don't know the things you do.”

Jake kicked back the last of his cider and tossed the paper cup in what remained of the fire. “Guess you're reading the wrong books.” He stood. “'Night, everyone.”

“'Night, Jake,” Gage said along with the rest—except Kayden.

He exhaled. “Every time, sis?”

“I can't believe I'm the only one who finds Jake's storehouse of knowledge strange.” She shifted to Darcy. “You're a reporter. Surely you find his criminal knowledge suspect.”

“He said he reads a lot.”

“Seriously. You're buying that? You were way more curious when you were in Yancey.” Kayden's eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. . . . What changed?”

“Nothing. I've just stopped thinking about it.”

“Just like that?”

Gage studied Darcy's guarded expression. He was with Kayden on this one. Darcy simply walking away from something that had intrigued her so . . . Something was off.

Darcy stood and stretched. “I think I'm going to hit the hay. It's been a full day.”

Gage and Kayden exchanged a look. Something was definitely up with Darcy when it came to Jake.

“'Night,” he said as she slipped into her tent.

Kayden looked over at him. “That was weird.”

He shrugged. “Never know what to expect with Darcy.” It was part of what unsettled him so much about her.

Kayden stood. “See ya in the morning, bro.”

“Yeah, see you.” Gage remained after Landon and Piper turned in too. Content to just sit and watch the embers die out. His heart was restless, stirring, and it scared him. He was much more comfortable feeling numb.

Darcy settled in her sleeping bag and rolled to face Piper. They'd dimmed their lantern, but the full moon shining through their canvas tent illuminated the small space between them enough that Darcy could make out Piper's worried expression.

“How's Reef?” Darcy asked. She'd been introduced to the McKennas through Reef's homecoming, his murder charge, and the subsequent investigative ordeal.

“Good, I hope. It's been a while since we've heard from him.”

“What? I thought he'd decided to stay.”

“He did. For about a week after you left.” Piper shifted, nestling into her inflatable pillow. “You know Reef—can't sit still for more than a minute.”

“Will he be back for Cole and Bailey's wedding?”

“I pray so.”

She did too. “I'm glad I got to bunk with you.” She'd missed Piper, missed all the McKennas, especially Gage. “Who's Kayden bunking with?”

“Whitney Castle.”

Kayden was in one of the glamping tents? Darcy wondered
about Gage's influence on that decision, when she was the one who was supposed to be writing about the excursion experience from a participant's POV.

“Ah, Gage's new friend,” she said with a little more bite than intended.

“What?” Curiosity danced in Piper's voice.

“Nothing.” She was being petty. Whitney seemed perfectly nice, and there was no reason for her and Gage not to converse. It wasn't like
she
and Gage would ever be an item. They couldn't.

His disapproval of her profession and questioning of her character were the least of their problems. She'd been praying about his utter lack of desire for a relationship with God ever since she'd first met the man. And she prayed still that God would bring healing—for only He could.

Though he frustrated her more than anyone she'd ever met, he'd wrestled a part of her heart away, and she feared it would always belong to him. As much as she hated to admit it, she yearned for his understanding, his assurance, and his . . .
love
?

“You okay over there?” Piper asked in the silence.

“Yeah, I'm just . . .”

“Deep in thought?” Piper propped her head on her hand. “Are you making any progress?”

Darcy sighed. “Not nearly enough.” Although Whitney's conversation with Gage might have given her the first viable lead—a place to start digging on the
Bering
.

She needed to get back into Abby's room without the roommate present and snoop some more, needed to see if Abby had hidden away anything containing more detail or more elaborate notes. For all she knew, the Bowen case Whitney mentioned was nothing more than what the media and law
enforcement deemed it to be—that the man killed his wife and somehow escaped—but maybe there was more to it, something connected to Abby's disappearance.

Piper shifted to face her better in the small confines. “Tell me about her.”

“About Abby?”

“Yeah.”

There was so much to say, so many memories. . . . Where did she start? “I met Abby freshman year of college. We were assigned to room together.”

“Did you hit it off right away?”

“More or less. Abby was a go-getter, smart, savvy . . . destined to be a reporter.”

“Sounds an awful lot like you.”

“People always said we were two peas in a pod.”

“Which is why she reached out to you when she was in trouble.”

Darcy let the comment slide, unsure how to answer. After she left investigative reporting, her relationship with Abby had changed. Abby had pressed forward while she'd gone to heal. Things hadn't been the same since. They still talked—occasionally—still remained friends, but at a greater distance than ever before.

“I think it's wonderful that you dropped everything and went to her aid.”

“She was my best friend.” Or at least she had been for years. Until that last case. “We were hired by the same paper out of college, both worked our way up to investigative journalism.”

“Like undercover reporting?”

Darcy nodded.

“Wow. That must have been exciting.”

“That's one word for it.”

And for a while it was absolutely exhilarating, but then the cases began to wear on her—the heartache, the lies, the ugliness she was exposing. She was bringing the criminals to justice, but it began eating away at her. She'd wrestled with the idea of taking a breather but didn't want to leave Abby hanging. She and Abby were the Starsky and Hutch of the undercover investigative world.

Then a case turned her world upside down, leaving her no choice but to walk away, to get out while she could still maintain her dignity, her character, everything she stood for—bruised as it may have been. Abby said she understood, but things had never been the same between them since.

Darcy moved on to covering the extreme sports circuit, reporting on the events and the athletes she'd grown up around. It was an entirely different world—one that didn't leave her satisfied—but for a while she'd been content to remain in a holding pattern until God showed her the next step, the new direction and plans He had for her. This—Abby's undercover case and disappearance—was an unexpected detour, but it was one Darcy had to take.

“You must have worked some pretty intense cases,” Piper said, never one to lack curiosity.

“I could tell you stories that would curl your toes. Which makes Abby's fear of this particular case all the more frightening. I've never seen Abby so scared. The way she looked at me when I boarded the ship . . .”

“Which is why you're willing to ignore your fear and push forward regardless.”

Darcy swallowed. “My fear?”

“You're scared of water—you can't swim, can you?”

“What?” Darcy sat up. “How . . . ?” How did she know?

“I've seen the fear before—recognized the panic on your
face when you climbed into the kayak. We had a client at Last Frontier Adventures a few years back—Pete Baker. He'd grown up in the Aleutian chain surrounded by water but was terrified of it.”

Having grown up in southern California less than a mile from the beach, she knew the feeling all too well.

“He decided it was crazy to be scared of the water surrounding his home, so he decided to face it. He knew Cole from his competitive skiing days, so he came in the shop and asked for Cole's help in overcoming his fear.”

“And did it work?”

“Yeah. Pete's a scuba fanatic now. His passion for the sport nearly rivals Cole's.”

“Impressive.” Clearly he was much braver than she was.

Piper swung her legs around to sit cross-legged and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “You know you're going to have to tell Gage.”

Darcy sat up. “I can't. He won't let me continue with the excursion. I'll lose my job and any chance of finding Abby.”

“I'm sorry, Darcy. I understand how desperately you want to help your friend, but it's not safe.”

“I managed just fine today.”

“Today, yes, but tomorrow we'll be cutting across the south side of Kesuk on the Akalux River, and Class IV conditions are the norm, not the exception.”

Darcy swallowed.

“I can't let you endanger your life like that.”

“But . . .”

“Maybe we can come up with some excuse for why you have to travel back on the supply boat.”

“Mullins won't care about excuses. She'll just hire someone else.”

“I know you are worried about your friend, but so am I.”

“What?”

Piper leaned across the space separating them and clasped Darcy's hand. “You. I'm trying to protect you. I don't want to lose my friend.”

How could she argue with that? But she still had to find a way to stay with the excursions. Her cover had to remain intact until she uncovered the truth behind Abby's disappearance.