The captain muttered a stream of expletives and turned away, picking up a phone. He explained the situation to whomever was on the other end, then added, “Make sure all sailors are accounted for.”
Half an hour passed, and the roll call was complete—all sailors were still on board. The captain paced in front of the monitors and rubbed his beard again.
“You’re sure he went overboard?”
Leila drew the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “We saw him fall. It was the only way we were able to escape him.”
“But all my sailors are safe. We have no other passengers.”
“You don’t?” Xander frowned.
The captain shook his head. “No. Just the two of you.”
“Jack had mentioned him to me just before the attack,” Leila explained. “He’d been in the galley looking for medicine.”
“This is why I hate taking passengers,” the captain muttered and turned away.
After another phone call, the captain turned the ship around and circled the area. Due to the rough waters, they couldn’t risk sending out a search team. The captain reported the incident to the Greek authorities, but there was nothing they could do to find the man in the storm. Leila couldn’t bring herself to care.
Jack joined them briefly in the bridge, explaining he’d seen the man in the galley. Apparently, the agent couldn’t handle the rough sea very well, either.
“Stowaway,” the captain growled, slamming his fist on the desk. Easing himself into a chair, he pressed his fingertips to his forehead. “Maybe he got lucky and the vessel behind us picked him up.”
“There was a boat behind us?” Xander asked.
The captain nodded. “Trailed us out of Haifa. We didn’t have any communication with her, and she’s no longer on our radars. But there’s nothing unusual about that. Probably has a different destination.”
Leila and Xander exchanged an uneasy glance.
• • •
By the next morning the sea had calmed. The weather forecast assured that they would spend the rest of the day sailing smoothly toward Athens, though they would arrive with another delay of several hours.
Leila leaned against the railing on top of the bridge, scanning the container-filled deck that stretched out before her. She lifted the brim of her hard hat, which she would now diligently wear so she wouldn’t have to have another discussion with the captain. As far as she could see, the sea glittered like a guilty smile after a tantrum. She couldn’t see any other ships, no matter how hard she strained her eyes.
Footsteps clacked up the metal stairway to her left, and Xander appeared on the platform. A bright blue hard hat sat on top of his head, reminding her of the times they explored underground tombs together. A longing stirred in her chest.
“The captain wants us to stay on board for a few hours to answer questions from the police,” he said, coming to a stop next to her and leaning his forearms on the railing. “We need to try to get off before they stop us.” He gave her a sideways glance. “But that won’t be a problem for you. You seem to have acquired some impressive hiding skills.”
Leila smirked. She was nowhere near the ninja level Drake had been, not that it mattered now. The agent was long gone. Now all she wanted was to put her feet on solid ground again—and feel Xander’s arms around her.
“Do you think he’s dead?”
“I’m not worried about him.” Xander shrugged. “I’m certain that was an SIS boat right behind us. He’s got a GPS chip, too. Plus survival skills. Did you know you can turn trousers into a life vest?”
She rubbed at her arms as if she were cold. She never wanted to be in that moment again, when she thought the man really would kill Xander. Just the memory of it spurred the feeling of a fist wrapping around her heart, squeezing until it burst. Right now, they stood so close, she could feel his warmth at her side. But last night, it could have all been ripped away from her.
Her vision blurred, throat tight. She was going to cry. She didn’t want to.
Then Xander’s hands covered hers and he tugged, turning her to face him. His expression was serious. “I thought I’d lost you…”
Leila lost herself in his gaze. When the giant wave had crashed over the side of the ship, she had used that moment to climb between the containers. She hadn’t thought about it frightening Xander. Her only thoughts had been gaining an upper hand by catching the man off guard and getting him away from Xander. There hadn’t been any thoughts about Soliman, her mom, or Faris. Just Xander.
He was what mattered most.
“Please tell me I haven’t,” he whispered.
Leila frowned. “What do you mean? I’m right here.”
“I shut you out, and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. There’s no excuse, but I… I was taught not to talk things out. And now, every time things get complicated, I shut down. I look for a way out. And now I see myself turning into my dad, and you don’t deserve that. You deserve better. So much better.”
She pulled her hands from his and wrapped her arms around him. She tried to rest her head against his chest, but the hard hat kept her cheek an inch away. It had hurt when he wouldn’t talk to her—she wouldn’t deny that—but hearing him recognize it, she knew there might be hope for them yet.
“All I’ve ever done is fail you,” he whispered, his arms holding her tight. “Of all the times you’ve been in trouble… When Amir shut you in the burning room. When you were stuck on top of the mountain. When you were being chased by an SIS agent across a cargo ship… Nothing I did helped the situation. I just make things worse.”
Leila pressed her palms against his cheeks. “You’ve never failed me. If anyone has failed, it’s me. I shouldn’t have kept the Medjay a secret. I should have told you, oath of secrecy or not. Now look at this mess we’re in.”
“I had a part in this, too. I shouldn’t have kept secrets from you either.” He lifted a hand and raked his fingers through the loose strands of her hair, coming to rest at the back of her neck, his other hand settling at her waist. “I’ll do better. I won’t shut you out. If you’ll still give me a chance.”
“I wouldn’t give up on you that easily.” A soft smile played at her lips. “We’ll get through this, just like we always have.”
“Together.”
She leaned into him, running her hands up his chest, and their lips met, hard hats clacking together. Salt and ginger filled her senses as she melted against him, her heart soaring.
He held her face with both of his hands, the gentleness of his touch full of apology, the fire in his kiss full of hope, breaking through the chains that had been pulling them apart.
• • •
