Kensies treasures, p.24
Kensie's Treasures, page 24
“See you soon.” It was almost physically painful to look away from him so she could walk without stumbling, but she did. At least Burke could not see the expression on her face, one of unmitigated joy. She was unable to describe the energy that flowed through her body. It was like being carried away on a cloud of pure bliss, and it plastered a silly grin on her face that threatened to become a permanent fixture. Shit, Catrina’s gonna take one look at me and I’m going to get the third-degree.
Kensie climbed the gangway and, as the crewman checked her badge against his system, she took one last glance back. Burke stood at the fence, hands clinging to the chain-link fence, looking to her like he wanted to run right through it because she’d been out of his company for too many seconds. Even from 100 yards away, she could feel his fiery blue eyes cutting a hole through her right to her heart.
That thought alone brought a new set of tingles with it, and she had to fight to suppress a shiver in the tropical air. The crewman either didn’t notice her actions or didn’t care as he handed her pass back to her with a perfunctory grin. She took it from him and, hanging the lanyard around her neck once more, stepped forward to the metal detector.
She tried not to pause, but a wave of concern flooded through her. Despite her plan to deal with having the Couronne detected upon entering the ship, she was again convinced they would see right through her lie, seize the treasure, and have her arrested for some obscure island law about stealing something they never knew was there anyway.
Kensie approached the archway, trying to feign a look of indifference as she put her gym bag containing her diving equipment on the table next to the detector, ostensibly forgetting the smaller satchel at her waist. She stepped through and, even though it was expected, she still cursed to herself as the device beeped.
“Pardon me, Ma’am,” said the snappily-dressed crewman as he stepped in front of her.
“Was that me?” she asked stupidly.
“Yes,” the crewman said with more boredom than concern. “Are you carrying anything metallic on your person?”
“Oh, jeez,” Kensie replied as she rolled her eyes like the forgetful idiot she hoped they thought she was. “I bought this thing at some gift shop in St. Georges this morning for like ten dollars and completely forgot about it.” She unzipped the satchel and fished out the headdress from below the clothes Burke had pushed in on top of it. With an indifference that required quite the acting job, she held it up for the man to see.
He raised his eyebrows in mild interest. Kensie wondered if he would try to confiscate it, and what she would do in that case, deciding that running back off the ship was her best play. She’d have to move decisively; there was no telling what the two other men at the door might do, and if she got caught trying to run there would be many, many questions, and she’d never see the Couronne again. It would be better to be back on the island (with Burke!) and have her treasure. Catrina would certainly understand.
After a quick second, the crewman ran the wand over her body and, receiving no other alerts as to more hidden metals, nodded. “Thank you. You’re all set.” He returned to his chair against the wall while Kensie went to get her dive bag and stuff the Couronne back into the deepest recesses of the satchel, cursing herself for the raging case of paranoia that had overtaken her. She was the only person on this entire ship that had any inkling of what she carried and, if she would just relax and go on about her business, there was no reason for anyone to give her a second glance. Her only chance of screwing this up would be if she over-reacted. The Couronne was as secure as it could possibly be, and she was just as safe.
Just play it cool, Kensie, and you’re in the clear. She left the small compartment to head to the bank of elevators, completely failing to notice the security camera with the blinking red light that had witnessed the entire event.
***
Burke waited until Kensie’s trim figure disappeared through the hatch before he turned to go back to the Empire. The emptiness surprised him, even though he was already calculating exactly how he would get back to the United States. He shook his head. Am I really going to uproot my entire life for a woman again?
All it took was one mental glance at her shapely body, that saucy little grin, and those big green eyes that exposed that wonderfully intelligent and independent mind, and the answer was obvious.
He was sure he wanted to do it. He just wasn’t sure how.
Sell the boat and hop a flight? Keep the boat and sail it to Florida? He trusted Kensie implicitly but, like she said, neither of them knew exactly how things would play out, and it would be reckless to just abandon everything and fly off on a whim. For all he knew, he might be back here in two weeks. He’d just counseled her to do the smart thing; could he be any less responsible? Of course not.
But…
It wouldn’t be too irresponsible to follow Kensie’s ship to Puerto Rico, would it? Considering all that had happened to them in the past couple of days, he couldn’t discount the danger that she might be in, even on the relative safety of the ship. She was carrying something of immeasurable value, and he was one of two people that knew it. It was probably worth as much as the massive ship on which she rode, and a couple people (it bugged him that neither Kensie nor he knew who those people were) had demonstrated a willingness to do whatever it took to get their hands on it. When he looked at it that way, it would be irresponsible not to follow her; how else could he keep an eye on things and ensure both his girl and her treasure remained safe? All things considered, he had no choice.
Geez, you can talk yourself into anything, can’t you? He smiled at the mental gymnastics that determined his course of action. But now he had to make sure he could do it.
Arriving back at the Empire, he pulled out his charts and started scratching some numbers on a pad. According to the itinerary Kensie had shared with him, Amore of the Seas would spend tonight and all of tomorrow at sea, putting in at San Juan early the following morning. He did some quick math. That worked out to an average speed of about 15 knots, which meant he’d be able to keep her ship in sight during the voyage. Better yet, at that speed he’d get about 350 miles on a full tank, maybe 400 if he had smooth seas. With San Juan some 520 miles away, that meant a fuel stop, but it wouldn’t be terribly difficult to find and catch back up to the cruise ship.
Once he was in San Juan, he’d make sure she got on the plane safely and with her cargo intact, and then he’d undertake the trip to Florida. A longer and tiring voyage, but still very doable; he would be passing through the many islands of the Bahamas and would have safe refuge if anything were to happen, or if he needed to bed down for a couple of hours.
He’d already committed to going, but now that he had decided upon his course of action and had a plan, the finality of his decision hit him hard. It made him a little sad to be leaving his home of eight years so suddenly when he’d not given a thought to anything like this even a day before, but it felt right in every other way. He just couldn’t envision a future that didn’t include Kensie, or – if he was being totally honest with himself – at least the attempt to make one together.
He went to his bunk and opened the drawer in which he kept his cash. He had fuel and stores to purchase, and neither was cheap down here, but Kensie had been as good as her word and paid him for every second of his diving services, so he had more than enough to cover such expenses. After that, there was nothing left to do but start the engines.
I’ll see you soon, Kensie.
***
Kensie headed directly to her cabin. She needed a shower and to close her eyes for a few minutes before getting some dinner. She’d started the morning tired and hungover, and a day filled with diving, heavy lifting, the extremes of disappointment and triumph, the stress of mortal peril, and blisteringly hot sex had exhausted her. Geez, this was one for the books!
Her phone chimed with a text from Catrina. U on board?
Yeah. Gonna take a shower.
Cool. We’ll be down soon to get u for chow.
That was a relief. “We” almost certainly meant that she was with Reid and, as much as she was bursting at the seams about her accomplishment, the distraction he would provide meant Kensie would be more able to avoid pointed questions from Catrina. Sharing her secret right now could only put her friend at risk as well – if there was any risk now that she was on board. Of course, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t share more details about Burke with them, something she intended to do regardless.
She undressed and stepped into the small shower, being sure to hang the satchel on the towel hook and leave the curtain back just enough so that she could see it. Letting it out of her sight was not an option, so much so that she rushed each time she had to close her eyes to rinse shampoo from her hair. Kensie knew how silly it looked, but her peace of mind was more important that appearances, especially in private. If a person does crazy things and no one is around to see them, is that person really crazy?
She exited the shower and grabbed some clothes, placing the satchel on the desk right in front of her. Kensie pulled on a polo shirt and shorts, tightening the belt after passing it thru the loops of the satchel to re-attach it to herself. Unable to resist, she dug into the canvas bag, moving Burke’s (hopefully clean) t-shirts and socks out of the way until she felt metal and pulled the Couronne out one more time, staring at it, picking a couple of the colorful jewels to examine very closely. If there were any imperfections in the stones, she lacked the visual acuity to see them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Kensie nearly jumped out of her skin at the incredibly loud report on the cabin door. Her first thought was to stuff the headdress back in the satchel as far down as she possibly could get it, yanking the clothing over it as quietly as possible. Had someone followed her on board? That shouldn’t be possible! She retreated from the door until her back pressed against the far wall of the cabin, her head swiveling about looking for something she could use to defend herself, but came up empty. Most things in the cabin were secured to a surface to prevent them from sliding about in the event of rough weather. The best she could do was one of Catrina’s Birkenstocks.
“Come on, Kensie!” a very male and completely unfamiliar voice demanded. “We know you’re in there!”
They know my name! How the fuck do they know my name?! That didn’t bode well, but she sure as shit wasn’t going to open the door. Sooner or later Catrina would come down to meet her. They had to know she could call security. She could wait them out.
That plan died a quick death when she heard the buzz of a key card being inserted into the lock. They had a way in. Her mind froze for the interminable second the door took to swing open, and then she was facing a younger-looking man with a shock of brown hair and a deep tan. Kensie’s first impression was that he looked neither threatening nor dangerous in the least.
She knew why when she saw Catrina and Reid standing behind him, with Liv and Nancy peeking their heads in the opening as well, wide grins on their faces. All five broke into clearly-drunken laughter upon seeing Kensie in a defensive posture, holding the colorful shoe like she was about to throw out the first pitch at a Phillies game.
It took Kensie a full second to comprehend the situation, and another for her body to abandon its fight-or-flight pose. The unknown man grinned sheepishly and stumbled forward as everyone else pushed their way into the cabin.
With the danger now passed, and with it any outlet for the built-up stress, Kensie felt a surge of anger flow through her. “Jesus fucking Christ! You guys scared the shit out of me! What were you thinking?!”
The laughter faded like someone had flipped a light switch, and for several seconds Kensie and the others faced each in silence, one with an expression of unrivaled fury, the others with looks of stunned confusion. It took several seconds for Catrina to break the silence. “Kensie, we’re sorry. We just thought it would be a little funny to surprise you, that’s all. We were going to grab you and take you up to the bar for drinks, that’s all.”
Kensie’s outrage deflated like a balloon that someone had stuck a pin into. “Yeah, I’m sorry for yelling. You guys just scared me.”
Catrina eyes went wide. “I forgot about yesterday!” she exclaimed. “Oh, this is all my fault! I should have said something!”
“What happened yesterday?” Nancy asked.
“Kensie was attacked on St. Vincent,” Catrina explained. She went on to give a brief recount of the event, leading to apologies all around. Kensie felt bad about snapping at them, realizing that she was unnaturally tense and defensive, and that her friends were far enough along in their consumption of alcohol that their judgement was seriously clouded.
“And who’s this?” Kensie asked, pointing to the boyish-looking man who had first entered the room.
“That’s Corey,” Liv said. “We met at the beach. He’s pretty cool.”
Kensie shook his hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said, “and I’m sorry I was about to attack you.”
“It was a dumb thing for me to do. I don’t even know you,” he answered, giving Liv a wry look. Kensie silently agreed with his assessment. It was a dumb thing, even if he said it like he didn’t believe it.
With everything sorted out, the group headed to the upper decks for whatever bar they had in mind. Kensie trailed in the back, and wasn’t surprised when Catrina slowed to walk next to her. “I hope you’re not still mad. That was a stupid of us, but it was my idea.”
“It’s OK, really. I guess I am still a little on edge from yesterday, so it was just bad all around.” Calling herself “a little on edge” didn’t begin to describe her mental state at the moment, but she was determined to avoiding giving even a hint of what was really going on.
Catrina nodded in appreciation. “Thanks. Let’s make the best of the rest of this cruise. You’re stuck on this ship like the rest of us until San Juan, so you’re going to have fun whether you like it or not.” She paused, her eyes glinting. “Speaking of all-day excursions, did your diver boy-toy show up this morning?”
Now that she could talk about, and she relaxed at the change in topic. Her smile exploded all over her face. “Oh yeah, he showed up. And then some!”
Catrina did a double-take. “Are you serious? I have to be honest, I really didn’t think he would! What I wouldn’t give to have some sailor chase me around the ocean! I wish I could have met him! Was there any more fun before you got back on board?”
Kensie hesitated, considering how much she could share, and decided that a little disclosure was OK. Even more than that, it would be fun. “It was out of this world. And I have a funny feeling you might get the opportunity to meet him,” she said with a coy look as they entered the Rum and Fun Bar, a new one to her. Where do they get the names for these bars?
The group grabbed a table but, holding up her finger to them, Catrina grabbed Kensie’s hand and pulled her aside. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The lovestruck woman just nodded like she owned the keys to the kingdom. “Just what I said. Don’t be surprised if we’re on a double-date with you and Reid when we get home.”
Catrina rolled her eyes. “Kensie, now you’re being crazy. OK, I was wrong to think he wouldn’t come to Grenada to see you one more time, but you really think he’s gonna follow you to Delaware? That’s a little nuts.”
Kensie, who was even more sure of Burke’s commitment to follow through on his word than she had been last night, just maintained her confident disposition. Being the one with the juicy story laden with romance was new to her, but she was having fun in the unique role. “Yeah, it’s a lot nuts. But you’re going to see.”
Shaking her head, Catrina appeared ready to object when her eyes tracked to the satchel on Kensie’s waist. “What the hell is that ratty thing?”
OK, fun is fun, but I’ve got to stop this before she asks the wrong question. Kensie took Catrina’s hands in hers and stared into her eyes. “Cat, we’ve been friends for what, 16 years?”
“Yeah, something like that. Why?”
Kensie took a deep breath. “We’ve kept secrets for each other from parents, teachers, guys, whoever, right? And more than once.”
“Of course.”
“That’s because I always trusted you completely. Do you trust me?”
“You know I do. What are you talking about?” Catrina looked like she was going to jump out of her skin.
“If I ever needed you to trust me, I need it now. I will see Burke again, for sure. I don’t just wish it, I know it. And, as big as that is, there’s something else going on, something bigger – way bigger. So, whatever you do, don’t ask any questions about what I did today. Don’t ask about the satchel. Don’t mention it – at all. Don’t draw attention to it – at all. In fact, just pretend it doesn’t exist – even if we’re alone. Everything will make sense in a day or two, but right now I have to keep something from you, and I need you to be cool with that.”
Catrina tilted her head, recognizing that Kensie was both serious and, all indications to the contrary, sane. After a second or two, she shrugged her shoulder. “OK, but it better be a damn good payoff.”
“Thank you. And, believe me, you will not be disappointed. You’ll understand soon.”
Her friend nodded. “So, can I still talk to you about this Burke guy?”
Kensie giggled and actually felt herself growing emotional with the joy of knowing that they would be together again soon. “If you don’t, I’m going to be that pain in the ass that won’t shut up about her new boyfriend.”
“You really think that he’s going to relocate for you and you’re going to be a couple and everything? Really?” Her disbelief was obvious.
Kensie was still holding her friend’s hands, and she squeezed them with an unintentional intensity that made Catrina wince. She backed the strength down, but could do nothing to control the passionate certainty that drove her next statement. “Cat, I love him.” The surge of emotion at actually saying those words out loud caused a tear to form in each eye. One broke loose and ran down her cheek.
