Page 27 of Finding Elodie
Elodie had stayed as far away from the dead bodies of the captain and the others as she could. The men on the other SEAL team had moved to stand between her and the bodies, which she appreciated more than she could say.
She’d been relieved when word came up to the bridge that Scott and his team had found the last pirate. Not long after that, a few officers who’d taken refuge in the engine room appeared on the bridge…including Valentino. Elodie was glad to see he was alive, but she wasn’t prepared for him to throw his arms around her and hug her as if they were an item or something. She’d had to pry herself out of his arms and reassure him that she was fine.
The other officers told her they were glad to see her and had gotten to work helping the sailors get all the systems up and running again, now that the electricity was back on and they could communicate with the engineers below decks once again.
The SEAL team helped the sailors remove the bodies. She’d known they were taking them downstairs to the freezers. The thought of ever again going into whichever freezer they planned to use was revolting. Now that the danger was over, the only thing Elodie wanted to do was get off the ship altogether, which wasn’t possible at the moment.
She’d stayed on the bridge for a while watching the activity around her in a semi-trance. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. Valentino offered to escort her down to the galley to check it out, and Elodie supposed she needed to clean things up down there. Remembering the way the pirates had rifled through the pantries and had broken glasses and stuff made her wince. The jar of spaghetti sauce Scott said the pirate had thrown against a wall would definitely need to be dealt with.
Yeah, even though she wanted off the ship, she still had a job to do. The crew still needed to eat, and they were probably all very hungry after not eating for so long.
So she’d agreed to Valentino’s escort. He wasn’t exactly a big strong Navy SEAL, but his company was better than the alternative…going below decks by herself. It would be a long time before she felt comfortable walking around the ship alone again, if ever. She knew she’d imagine pirates jumping out from behind every corner from now on.
When they got downstairs, the galley was a mess. Broken glass and food everywhere. Elodie was trying to decide where to start cleaning when Valentino took hold of her arm and pulled her into his embrace.
He held her with a grip that was too tight to be comfortable.
“I’m so glad you’re all right,” he murmured into her ear as he held her.
Elodie held herself stiff in his arms. “Thanks. You too.”
“I was so scared for you,” he went on. “I wanted to come up here and find you, to protect you, but we had no idea where the pirates were. And after hearing they’d shot the other officers, I knew they’d kill me on sight.”
Elodie wanted to roll her eyes. It wasn’t just him they would’ve killed. He’d always thought himself above the other employees on the ship. He rarely spoke to the engineers during meal times, and he’d been the one to suggest different workout times for the officers and the rest of the crew. It was ridiculous, but he seemed to think being an officer made him better than anyone else.
Elodie tried to step away from him, but Valentino tightened his hold.
“I know you need comforting. Just let it happen.”
That was it. Elodie was done.
She pushed as hard as she could and Valentino finally let go of her. “I’m good, thanks,” she told him. She didn’t want to tell him off, as she’d always hated confrontation, but she couldn’t stand in his embrace a second longer.
“I’m here for you,” Valentino told her. “Anything you need, I’m here. Don’t be ashamed to need someone,” he said. “You know what they say, extreme situations often bring people closer, and I feel very close to you right now. I could’ve died along with the others if I’d been up on the bridge.”
Elodie frowned. “Why weren’t you up there?”
“I…well…I wasn’t on duty,” Valentino stammered.
“I don’t think Danny was either, but when the captain came on the loudspeaker, he went straight up to the bridge,” Elodie said. She knew the schedules of most of the men onboard because she needed to know how much food to cook and who would be eating in the dining rooms at various times.
“I was going to go up there,” Valentino said defensively. “But I decided to check on the engineers first instead.”
That was such bullshit. Valentino had never felt the need to make sure anyone was all right. He’d totally gone down to the engine room to hide. Her disgust for the man increased tenfold.
Obviously not sensing her disdain, Valentino stepped into her personal space once again. He lifted a hand and brushed a piece of hair back from her face.
When Scott had done that, Elodie liked it. When Valentino touched her? Not so much.
“I can make you feel alive,” he said suavely. “Give you a way to prove to the universe that you’re still here.”
He couldn’t be saying what she thought he was saying—could he?
“Sex is a great stress reliever,” he went on. “A good orgasm gets the endorphins going, and I guarantee I can make you forget what happened, at least for a little while.”
Elodie took a step backward. Ew. “I can’t believe you’re still hitting on me! Especially now, when your friends are dead and stacked up in a freezer on the other side of this wall! You seriously think I’m gonna jump at the chance to get into bed with you? Not happening, Valentino,” she said firmly.
For just a moment, she saw anger flit across his face. He took a step toward her, and Elodie had no idea what he’d planned on doing—and would never know, as a deep voice sounded from the doorway behind Valentino.
