“Are you sure about this?” Kendra asked for the tenth time in the past minute.
She’d changed her mind a million times over the past few days as she shopped and packed, reminding herself again and again this was just what she needed. Something spontaneous and thrilling. A change of pace that would take her mind off Mark. When the day finally came, she’d almost backed out again. “Yup, I’m sure. Thanks for driving me, Kendra. I’ll see you in a few days.”
Ali looked around the dock. He could be any one of these men. How would she know?
“There’s security on this ship, right?”
Ali laughed as she pulled her bag from the trunk. “Relax. Everything will be fine. Even Ron thought it would be okay.”
Suspicion shone in her friend’s eyes and she laughed again.
She was surprised to realize how good she felt. She was excited. A tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she was determined to enjoy it. Giving Kendra a quick hug, she headed for the ship.
Ali stood on the dock, looking at the ship. She had never been near a cruise ship before, and the enormity of it overwhelmed her. It was beautiful, but she couldn’t get past the size. Pushing aside her inhibitions, she boarded. It was time to move on, to do something exciting and unpredictable. She’d even left her comfortable sweats at home, packing instead a sexy negligee, just in case.
She found her room, and stood in the doorway, astonished. She’d been thinking about this trip all week, trying to imagine what it would be like. Her wildest fantasies hadn’t prepared her for the reality. The room was beautiful, luxurious, more so than any hotel she’d ever stayed in. When she dropped her bag on the bed and turned, a hot tub sat in the corner. Her mouth fell open.
After checking out the rest of the room, and waving goodbye to Kendra from the railing of the balcony, she went in search of her date. They’d agreed to meet in the dining room, where there’d be a crowd and she could feel safe. He told her she’d know him when she saw him but wouldn’t tell her how. So, she wandered through the room, enjoying the music, but too nervous to notice much else.
Then she saw him. She only caught a glimpse of him through the crowded room. He was sitting with his back to her, but she had no doubt it was Joe. In the center of the table was a large vase filled with daffodils. She smiled and relaxed a little. This was going to be fine. He was a nice man, and she was going to spend the weekend getting to know him. Who knew if anything would come of it, but if nothing else, maybe they could be friends. Looking down, brushing imaginary lint from her skirt, she pushed her way through the sea of people to his table.
When she reached him, though, and he turned to face her, the smile froze on her face. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” Outrage poured off him. He stood, teeth clenched, staring daggers through her.
“Yes, what are you doing here, ‘Joe’?” Sarcasm dripped from her icy words as she stood, arms crossed over her chest, indignantly tapping her foot, waiting for his answer.
When he finally did respond, it was in the most unexpected way. He started to laugh. He laughed harder and harder, until she couldn’t help but join him. “How ridiculous is this?”
“Pretty ridiculous,” she answered honestly.
“Come on. Sit down, Ali. Have a drink.” He held the chair for her, and she sat, allowing him to order her drink.
“So,” she started.
“Ali, you look fantastic.”
She looked into his deep brown eyes. He was being honest. “Thank you. So do you.” That was also the truth. He looked terrific.
He sighed. “I have to ask, though, what do you think you’re doing, meeting up with some strange man you met online?” The twinkle in his eyes softened the words, and no spark of anger ignited.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she countered, playfully. “Besides, I called Ron and he said he thought it was a good idea.”
“That traitor.”
“He knew.” The laughter she’d met with when she’d spoken to him suddenly made perfect sense.
“I told him the other day I was going on a cruise with a woman I met online. He must have figured it out.” Their drinks arrived, and the waitress asked if she could get them anything else. When she left, they sat in silence for a few minutes. Ali looked around, trying to take in everything at once.
“So, what do you want to do?” She bit her lower lip and waited for his answer.
“Well, we’re both here.” He shrugged and smiled at her. “Why don’t we enjoy the cruise and see what happens.”
She smiled, and when he returned the smile, she was lost. All of the pain washed away, as the vast amount of love she’d always felt for this man flowed through her.
They enjoyed dinner and spent the evening talking and listening to each other as they had when they’d been dating. Before the routine of marriage, and the stress of life, had interfered. She couldn’t remember ever being so happy.
* * *
Mark couldn’t believe he was having such a great time. He watched Ali cross the room and couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was beautiful, had always been beautiful. Once she turned down the corridor and was out of sight, he headed in the other direction. He’d gotten rooms that were near each other, but not too close, wanting to make ‘Jane’ feel comfortable.
He laughed. What were the chances of this happening? Well, considering he and Ali had obviously always been meant for each other, he guessed the chances were pretty good that being on the same site, they’d find each other.
He unlocked the door to his room and went to get his jacket. Ali wanted a few minutes to freshen up and change before they went to sit on the deck. He pulled the cell phone from his pocket. Someone had some explaining to do.
He poured a drink while he listened to the phone ring. On the fourth ring, Ron finally picked up. He was already laughing when he answered.
“You think you’re funny, partner?” Good humor filled Mark. He hadn’t felt this happy and stress-free in a long time.
“Yes, I do.”
“How could you send her to meet a strange man she met online? What if it was a coincidence and it wasn’t me she was meeting?” He shivered, as the thought sent a chill up his spine.
“Come on, now. Give me a little credit. First of all, what are the chances of that happening, both of you going on a cruise with someone you met online on the same weekend? And second of all, even though I don’t believe in coincidences, I still sent two of the security guys with her. They have the room next to hers.”
“All right. I guess you’re forgiven.”
“How’s it going?”
Mark thought of Ali, pictured her sitting across from him, relaxed and smiling. “It’s good, Ron.”
“Well it’s about time.” The older man chuckled. “I thought I was going to have to hit you over the head with something.”
“Bye, Ron.” He’d been about to hang up, when Ron called to him.
“Hey, wait.”
“Yeah.”
“I dropped the evidence bag with the death threat against Ali on your desk, do you still have it?”
The question seemed casual enough, but Mark knew his partner too well, could hear the underlying concern in the other man’s voice. “I dropped it at the lab on my way out. Why? Has something else happened?”
Ron cleared his throat, clearly reluctant to answer.
“What’s going on?” Mark’s hand tightened on the phone. His heart rate kicked up while he waited for whatever bad news Ron was about to deliver.
“We found the car that was used in the attempt to run Ali down.”
Mark waited patiently through the hesitation.
“Paul Cardone’s fingerprints are all over it.”
“That’s impossible. Paulie’s still in prison.”
“Nope. He got out a few months ago.”
“Ali would have been notified.” Anger replaced some of the fear that had been filling him. Calvin and Ali had been the prosecutors on Cardone’s case. There’s no way they shouldn’t have been notified of his release. “What about Calvin?”
“I’ve already talked to him. He didn’t know, but he hasn’t received any threats.”
“He needs protection. You know Paulie will—”
“It’s already taken care of. Don’t worry about it. Go enjoy some time with your wife, and let me worry about everything else. But, be careful.”
“Yeah, thanks, Ron.” Paul Cardone was bad news. He’d been convicted of embezzlement, money laundering, smuggling and assault. They knew he was guilty of at least two murders but hadn’t found enough evidence to make the charges stick. They might have if one of their key witnesses hadn’t disappeared before he could testify, but…Mark shoved the phone into his pocket and hurried down the corridor in search of his wife.