Page 36 of Terminal Voyage

"What?"

"My robe is not in here. The stew must have moved it. Is it hanging up out there?”

Luciano sat up and looked around. Sure enough, the terrycloth robe was folded and sitting atop the dresser with another one. The stewardess must have forgotten to put them in the bathroom.

Luciano crawled out of bed on the side nearest the entrance. He walked to the dresser, grabbed the robe, and spun around.

By that time, I had crawled to the far side of the bed, out of sight.

Luciano walked toward the en suite, buck naked.

"Just set it on the counter," she said.

He stepped inside. I'm sure Sophia looked delectable in the shower stall, hot water dripping on sultry skin. The two-minute power nap was all Luciano needed. He was ready to restart his engine and go again. He slipped into the shower stall with her.

"What are you doing?" Sophia asked, annoyed.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

This was my opportunity to bolt for the door. I sprang to my feet and hurried across the compartment. I twisted the handle, opened the hatch with a delicate touch, and slipped into the hallway.

Grunts and groans emanated from the shower.

I closed the door behind me.

The stewardess came out of my room, having finished cleaning it. I'm not sure if she put two and two together that I had just stepped out of Luciano’s room. She smiled. "I’m finished. You can go in. Is there anything else you need?”

"No. I think I'm good. Thank you,” I said with a smile.

I slipped past her, stepped into my stateroom. I closed the door and leaned against it, breathing a sigh of relief.

Nobody could say I was crazy anymore. Nobody could say it was my imagination.

I took a moment to regroup, then left my cabin and went in search of Vanessa. With this bracelet, she had to believe me.

17

"Where did you get that?" Vanessa asked when I showed her the bracelet.

Her eyes filled with rage as she stared at it in my palm. She reached a hand out to take it from me, but I pulled it away. I wasn’t letting anybody have this.

In her stateroom, we had a little privacy, for the moment.

"This is Kate's bracelet. It has an inscription to her on it. It's the one she was wearing last night when I met her at the bar.”

Vanessa took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. In a slow voice that betrayed her anger, she said, "Teagan, you didn't meet anyone at the bar. There is no one named Kate aboard the ship. Not now, not last night.”

I stared at her in disbelief. "This is her bracelet. It has her name on it.”

"Where did you get that?” Vanessa asked again.

My lips tightened, and I finally admitted in a hushed voice, "From Luciano’s stateroom.”

Vanessa's eyes rounded like saucers. "You broke into their stateroom and rummaged through their things!?”

"No. I didn'tbreak in. I just happened to slip in while the stewardess was cleaning the room,” I said, trying to sound innocent.

Vanessa glared at me.