Page 43 of Terminal Voyage

I hadn’t had enough to drink to hallucinate something like that. But maybe with all the stress, my mind was playing tricks on me.

Adrenaline still surged through my veins, and the headiness from the wine vanished. Alert and awake, there was no way I could fall asleep now. I needed to get out of the room and get some fresh air. I unlocked the deadbolt, pulled open the door, and peered down the corridor.

It was empty.

I stepped out of my room, locked it, then moved toward the spiral staircase. I took it up to the main deck and walked into the foyer, then through the main door to the side deck.

The wind raced as the Vesper plowed through the inky water, heading southwest. The moon glowed overhead, and the seas were calm. Too calm to have slammed the door to the en suite like that.

There had to be some logical explanation for it all.

The sounds from the sky lounge drifted down as the boys still played poker.

I walked to the aft deck, took a seat on the settee, and curled up. I watched the frothy wake the boat left behind. It was calm and soothing.

It wasn't long before a stewardess came by to check on me. "Can I get you anything?”

I smiled. "No, thank you. I'm fine.”

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "On second thought, a bottle of water would be great?”

"Certainly. Would you like that chilled or room temperature?”

"Room temperature is fine.”

She spun around and darted away, wearing white shorts and a royal blue polo shirt. It was the standard uniform aboard the ship.

She returned a moment later with the water, along with a blanket and a pillow. "Just in case you want to relax under the stars for a moment.”

"You think of everything," I said.

"That's my job,” she replied with a cute smile.

"I'm Teagan," I said, extending my hand.

"I know. My name is Elizabeth. I'll come back to check on you in a little while. Let me know if you need anything.”

"I will.”

With another smile, she darted away.

I stayed there for a bit, letting the wind and the wake calm me down.

I must have dozed off.

When I woke around 4:00 AM, the boat was silent but for the drone of the engines and the water. I pulled myself off the settee, left the pillow and the blanket for the stewardess,and staggered back down to my stateroom. I passed Luciano's room, which was quiet.

I put the key into the slot at my door, twisted the handle, and pushed inside. The room was empty and just as I’d left it. After deadbolting the door behind me, I checked the bathroom and the closet for good measure. Then I crawled into bed and fell back asleep rather quickly.

Just as I dozed off, someone banged on the hatch. I peeled open a sleepy eye and looked at the clock. It was 6:30 AM already.

"Get up, bitch!" Vanessa shouted through the hatch in an affectionate tone. "We're going diving! Breakfast is on the foredeck. See you there!”

I groaned and would rather have rolled over and gone back to sleep. But she was right. I couldn't stay in this cabin the entire time. I needed to get out and get some sunshine. Maybe that was my problem. I'd been so inside my head since my encounter with Earl Vernon Maddox that I hadn't created enough new experiences to blow out the cobwebs. Sometimes, the best medicine was getting out and doing things. But at times, the weight of the world was on my shoulders. Heavy stress and fear weighed me down.

I pulled myself out of bed, put on shorts and a tank top, then made my way up to the foredeck to join the others. We had anchored just off Puerto Maya. As far as the eye could see, crystal clear blue water.