Page 25 of Terminal Voyage

At first, I thought I was still dreaming. Despite the wind and the rain, it was unmistakable.

A thud followed, along with more muffled screams.

I sprang out of bed, staggered into the en suite, and put my ear to the forward bulkhead.

"Get off of me!" a woman shouted.

It had to be Kate.

Maybe Sophia had come back to the cabin and found them. Maybe they were in the middle of a scuffle.

"Help! Somebody hel—“ She couldn't finish the sentence, choked out.

Panic rifled through me. It sounded like he was strangling her as she choked and gasped.

I didn't know what to do.

I grabbed my cocktail dress from the floor and slipped it on, then I darted into the hallway and banged on the hatch to Luciano’s stateroom. I didn't know what I was going to do when he opened the door, but maybe I could interrupt the process.

There was no reply.

I put my ear to the hatch and listened, but heard nothing.

Maybe Kate was already dead.

"Open the door right now!" I demanded as I kept banging.

Finally, footsteps shuffled toward the hatch. Luciano yanked it open and looked at me with sleepy eyes. "What do you want?”

The room was dark. The angry sky had clouded out the moon.

Flashes of lightning backlit his silhouette.

I swallowed hard and said, “I heard someone scream. I heard someone call for help."

His brow wrinkled. "What!?"

"Don't play games with me," I said, looking past him. "Kate? Are you okay?”

"Kate?” His brow knitted. “You're confused. There's no one in this room besides Sophia and me."

"Bullshit! I heard you strangle her. Where is she? Where is Kate?"

"Who is Kate?"

"You know damn good and well who she is?”

Luciano flicked on the light in the cabin, pulled open the door, and stepped aside. He gestured to the room. "See for yourself.”

I peered into the stateroom. The layout was the exact opposite of mine, with the headboard against the forward bulkhead.

Sophia sat up in bed with sleepy eyes, looking annoyed. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Luciano replied. "She seems to think someone was strangled in this room."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "I only wish Luciano was that creative in bed."

He glared at her.