“Hey.”
Grant turned his attention to the voice on his right. Holden. He was holding Melanie’s hand, but he released it as Melanie pulled away from him to get closer to Callie.
Holden’s brows were furrowed. The two men exchanged a knowing look. They didn’t need more. Even though they hadn’t been on the same SEAL team, they understood each other. They both had extensive training. The best in the world.
Holden glanced at Callie and back at Grant, one brow lifted just enough for Grant to catch it.
Grant lifted both in return, letting his friend know he didn’t have answers.
Holden set his hands on the railing, gripping it hard, staring out at the water. They both knew shit was about to happen on the planet.
Grant wished he had a crystal ball and could figure out where and why.
Callie and Melanie were chatting about the locks, and Grant realized Melanie didn’t know anything was amiss either. Callie hadn’t shared with her. Not this time. Not this morning. Not yet anyway.
Mel surely knew what her college roommate did for a living, but she seemed too lighthearted right now, leaving Grant to assume she wasn’t in the same profession and hadn’t gotten a phone call this morning.
A narrator came on the ship speakers and began to explain what was happening in the locks, sharing facts about the canal, how it came to be, when it was built, when the old one was built. He did a good job and it was obvious Callie was interested and curious. She and Melanie commented about the various numbers and how the canal worked.
Callie relaxed slightly as they moved through the canal.
Grant knew this because he never once took his hands off her. He couldn’t. He was struggling to focus on anything except the ticking of the clock like a time bomb about to go off.
She knew something he didn’t. She was getting off this ship. He could feel it. Sense it.
It surprised him that she didn’t seem bothered by the fact that she was wearing shorts, a tank top, and sandals. They hadn’t showered. He could smell himself on her every time he leaned close enough.
He kind of liked that fact. If she got off this ship in a hurry, she would have his lingering scent on her skin. He kissed her neck and inhaled for the millionth time.
Would she remember what it felt like to have his lips on the soft spot behind her ear? Would she think about his breath against her neck as he whispered to her?
Would she look him up or walk away and never look back?
The process of getting through the canal was lengthy. It was after nine when the cruise ship finally exited fully into Lake Gatún.
Holden stared out at the water, deep in thought, probably wondering the same things Grant was wondering. While they were here on this luxury vacation, watching the amazing feats of man, tremendous unrest was rumbling all over the globe.
Grant couldn’t bring himself to let go of Callie. He was grateful she didn’t fight him on it. She even leaned into him and stroked his arms at her waist several times. He was crowding her, and she didn’t care, which was telling.
The past three days weren’t simply a fuckfest for her. She cared. She might not be willing to say it out loud, but she wasn’t pleased with the idea of their time coming to an end any more than he was.
Was it enough for her to reach out when the dust settled? He wasn’t sure. She’d adamantly insisted it was not. It stung. He ignored the disappointment.
Suddenly, there was a very loud explosion.
Callie stiffened and jerked her gaze to meet Grant’s. “What the fuck?” she asked.
People all around them were screaming and running in every direction. Holden nodded toward the port side of the ship and then took off toward the starboard side at a jog. He held Melanie’s hand, pulling her with him.
Grant grabbed Callie’s hand and headed for the port side, peering over, seeing nothing at first.
“Was that on this ship?” Callie asked.
“No. Definitely not.” Grant scanned the area, his gaze finally landing on the growing billow of smoke coming from the center lock where a containership had entered behind them. He pointed. “There.”
Callie lifted her gaze. “Fuck,” she muttered. She pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen before tucking it back into her shorts.
Grant stopped dead and scanned her face, his hands on her shoulders. “Were you expecting that?”
Her eyes widened. “No. Of course not.”
He stared at her, not sure he believed her. “I don’t give a single fuck about your secrets anymore, Callie. This is serious. You’ve known something was about to go down for hours. If you suspected there would be an explosion, I need you to tell me.”
She shook her head. “I did not. And I need to get out of here and call my boss.” She jerked to free herself.
Grant held on tighter.
She glared at him. “Let me go.”
He shook his head. “No fucking chance. We’re staying together. Let’s go back to your room. Then you’re going to talk to me.”
“I’m not, Grant. Stop badgering me. I don’t have permission to tell you anything. I’m sorry.”
He took a step closer, gripping her hips, putting his face inches from hers. “You’re not the only one getting updates from your boss, Caroline Singleton.”
She stared at him, taking deep breaths. “Just because there was an explosion in the locks doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was an accident,” she pointed out.
Grant searched her face. “There are no accidents. Two naval ships are on their way here with the intent of crossing through the canal. Did you know that?”
She shook her head and swallowed. “Apparently you did. Who do you—?” She cut herself off, probably realizing she couldn’t ask him questions if she wasn’t willing to answer his.
“Who do I work for, Caroline?”
She winced. “Don’t use that tone with me.” She jerked herself free. “I need to go.” She started jogging toward the crowd that was funneling into the ship.
He let her take about one step before he grabbed her hand and held on tight. They needed to get back to her room and make some calls in relative privacy, though he didn’t really give a fuck what she overheard at this point. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight if he could help it.
Grant glanced around and found Holden guiding Melanie toward the same entrance. They met up there and funneled into the hallway at the same time.
Civilian passengers were running down the hallway, mumbling and shouting with wide eyes. Confusion was on everyone’s face.
Grant ignored them all and pushed through, never letting go of Callie as he nearly dragged her behind him.
She didn’t try to escape his clutch anyway. She threaded her fingers with his and held on just as tight. Thank God.
All four of them headed to the women’s room without a word. As soon as they were inside, Melanie looked at Callie. “What’s going on?”
Callie sighed and headed for the balcony. She turned back around and shot both Grant and Holden a glare. “Give me a fucking minute.” And then she was out on the balcony, sliding the door closed, her phone already out in her hand.
“I’ll call the agency,” Holden said.
Grant nodded, hands on his hips, gaze on Callie. He watched her every move, noticing how tense she was and frantic. She paced back and forth the few feet available to her.
Melanie waved a hand in front of Grant to get his attention. “Will someone please tell me what that explosion was and what the fuck is happening?”
Grant glanced at her. “I don’t know. I suspect it came from the containership. Holden will know more in a minute.” He met and held her gaze. “I bet your best friend here will know even more than us.”
She gasped, eyes wide. “What… What makes you think that?”
“Because I’m a damn Navy SEAL, Melanie. I’m trained to notice things. I don’t know who your friend works for, but I do know she’s damn important and someone is about to airlift her out of here.” He lifted both brows, challenging Melanie to lie to him.
Melanie’s eyes widened even further and she jerked her gaze to Callie on the balcony who was frantically talking into the phone, which she held incredibly close to her lips, probably to make sure no one on either balcony next to them could overhear her.
She even leaned over the side of the ship and checked the surrounding balconies before taking a step back and continuing her conversation.
“Am I wrong?” Grant challenged Melanie.
“I don’t know,” she murmured, breathing heavily. “She can’t tell me something like that.”
“Do you work together?”
Melanie shook her head. “I’m a professor at Georgetown.”
“Georgetown?” Grant wasn’t expecting that. He glanced at Holden who was on the phone but would be listening just as intently to Melanie. Holden had a brow raised. He hadn’t known either.
Grant shifted his gaze back to Melanie. “What do you teach?”
She drew in a deep breath. “International affairs among other things.”
“Other things…” Grant chuckled. The “other things” were what mattered here, and Mel knew it.
Melanie crossed her arms and wandered toward the bathroom. “Stop asking me questions. I’m not trained to lie. I’m a fucking college professor.” She stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Grant shifted his attention back to Holden as his friend hung up the phone. With one eye always on Callie, Grant waited for Holden to give him an update.
“The entire world already knows about the explosion. Ajax and Ryker are trying to get more information. When they hear something, they’ll let us know.”
Pretty much what Grant expected.
Callie’s entire demeanor suddenly changed, and she spun around to stare at the sliding glass door as if she were looking at the men in the room. There was no way she could see them as well as they could see her because of the glare, but she knew they were in there, and whatever she was hearing put her on edge.
Grant’s phone rang, and he yanked it out, answering it without looking down, keeping his gaze on Callie the entire time. He didn’t like the look on her face.
“Housman,” he said into the phone as he put it on speaker so Holden could hear.
“You have an assignment.”
“Already?” Holden responded. “I just hung up with you two seconds ago.”
“That was before I got a call from Charley.”
“Charley?” Grant stood taller. He knew who Charley was. As much as anyone did at least, which wasn’t a lot. The woman worked for some extremely deep unknown faction of the government and doled out assignments to both the willing and the unwilling. When she needed something, she could hunt down a man to take care of it in seconds. Turning her down wasn’t an option. Grant was pretty sure she wasn’t just one person but more like an entity.
“Yes.”
Grant was glad that the shower came on. At least Melanie was occupied and couldn’t hear them.
“Can you get us off this ship?” Holden asked. “If we have to wait for a tender, it will take hours, especially now that there’s been an explosion in the locks. I doubt they’re letting anyone off without some serious clearance.”
“I don’t need you off that ship right now. Your assignment is on the ship. I need you to find someone and ensure their safety while I work on figuring out how to get her off the ship. And I need you to do it without alerting anyone. Understood?”
“What the fuck is going on?” Holden asked.
“One of the Supreme Court justices is on that cruise with you.”
“Fuck,” Grant muttered, gaze still locked on Callie. He got the distinct feeling she was receiving the same information. “Who knows this?”
“No one. At least that’s what we hope. She’s traveling under her husband’s name. Vacation.”
“Shit. Which justice?”
“Helena Williams. Her husband’s name is Jack Lyons. He’s not as well known by the public. She’s traveling under the name Helena Ana Lyons and using the name Ana. She wears a disguise when she leaves her room and stays out of the public view as much as possible.”
“Do you know her room number and or where she’s currently located?” Grant asked.
“No. Andrew is working on it. Find him ASAP.”
“Why isn’t he handling this?” It didn’t make sense. Andrew had access to the manifest and could easily secure Helena Williams. He could have already done so by now.
“He has his own assignment.” Ajax ended the call.
Grant met Holden’s gaze at the same time Callie stepped back into the room.
“We have to go,” Grant informed her without making pleasantries. He grabbed his bag off the floor and tugged out a pair of jeans. He tossed them to Holden and then reached for a second pair. Luckily the two of them wore the same size. They’d gotten their damn jeans mixed up a few times.
Both men dropped their shorts and shrugged into their jeans. Grant didn’t give a shit if Callie or Holden saw his junk, but he wasn’t commando today, and he was grateful Holden wasn’t either. They put their shoes back on quickly.
“I need your help.”
Grant lifted his head to face Callie.
She was staring at him, fidgeting, wringing her hands together.
He chuckled. “That’s rich.” He hated being a dick, but seriously. “I’m afraid it’s going to have to wait, Callie. We’re busy.” He pocketed his phone and nodded toward the door. “Let’s go,” he told Holden.
The shower turned off.
Callie jumped forward and grabbed Grant’s arm. “Look, I’m sorry. I haven’t been forthcoming with you, but I need your help.”
Grant stared at her. He was almost pissed, and for a moment he considered telling her to go fuck herself. And then he reined in his frustration and reminded himself that there was a very good chance the reason she hadn’t divulged personal details wasn’t by choice.
He closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, and met her gaze again.
She licked her lips. “There’s a Supreme Court justice on this ship. She needs to be secured.”
Holden started laughing.
Callie stared at him and scowled. “What the fuck is funny?”
“Callie…” Grant stepped closer to her and cupped the back of her head. He knew he was patronizing her, but it was too easy. “We know that, baby.”
Her eyes went wide and then she groaned. “Of course you do. Since you know Andrew, do you think you can get the manifest from him?”
“I’m sure I can. You’re going to stay here.”
She jerked free of contact with him and shot daggers at him with her eyes. “Don’t you dare go all condescending on me. I’m not a child. Nor am I a fragile flower. I have an assignment, and I intend to do it.”
“Apparently we have the same assignment,” he pointed out, uncertain how to handle this.
“Then let’s work together. You have better access to the ship’s manifest. I have a better connection to the justice. If you think I’m going to sit in the room like a good girl while you play GI Joe, you’re wrong.”
He hesitated. “What does Melanie know?” he asked, glancing at the closed bathroom door.
“Nothing. Not about this anyway.”
“Will she stay in this room if you ask her to?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Do so. We’ll be in the hall.” He turned to head for the door.
“If you walk away from me, Grant Housman, I will never forgive you.” Her stare was deadly.
“I won’t. You have my word.” He opened the door and stepped outside, Holden on his heels.
Holden turned back to Callie before letting it close. “Tell Melanie I’ll catch up with her later.”
Callie nodded.