Page 38 of Terminal Voyage

"No.”

"Give. Me. The bracelet!" he growled, drawing close.

I pulled away from him. He had murder in his eyes.

"You're about to blow a billion-dollar deal. Do you realize that?”

"I'm sorry. But Luciano and his wife murdered that woman."

"Sophia's middle name is Katherine. That's her bracelet. She was wearing it last night at dinner.”

I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling ill. I shook it off. "No. That's not true."

"Yes, it is. Give me the bracelet, now!"

I froze and did nothing.

"I have got to do damage control. You’re gonna give me that bracelet, one way or the other. Do you understand me?”

I swallowed hard.

“Then you're going to get off the boat at the next port and fly back to wherever it is you came from. I've had enough of this nonsense." Declan grabbed my wrist, pulled it to him, and took the bracelet.

I didn't put up much of a fight. I was terrified at that point and dumbfounded.

Declan stormed toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To fix this."

He pulled open the door, stepped into the hallway, and slammed the hatch shut.

Vanessa glared at me. "Every time I bring you into my life, you fuck it up.”

My eyes brimmed, and tears spilled over. I rushed out of the room and into the hallway. I followed Declan down the spiral staircase to the below-deck staterooms.

He stormed to Luciano’s room and banged on the hatch.

Luciano pulled open the door a moment later with a confused look on his face.

"Is your wife missing a bracelet?" Declan asked.

"I don't know," Luciano replied. "Honey? Are you missing a bracelet?”

Sophia stepped to the door a moment later. She was out of the shower, and her makeup had been done to perfection. She wore a cream bikini with a sheer sarong. Her eyes found the gold bracelet, and relief washed over her face. "Yes, thank you. Where did you find it? I've been looking for this."

The muscles in Declan's jaw flexed, and he glared at me as I hovered nearby. "You can thank Teagan for that. She found it on the deck."

It burned him up inside to say that, but it was better than telling the truth. The truth could blow the deal. Declan wasn't stupid. He was the kind of guy who would always look out for his interests.

"Oh, thank you so much," Sophia said. "You're such a doll."

"I was confused at first,” I said. “I didn't realize your middle name was Katherine.”

"Not my middle name. My mother's name. You asked about the bracelet yesterday. I told you it was a gift to my mother from my father, God rest their souls. I really should stop wearing it and put it in a safe, but it's like having a piece of them with me all the time."

I stood there for a moment, not sure how to respond. "That's so special. I’m sorry, but I don’t remember that.”