DEADLY REUNION

CIA agent Shaun Carter is on the trail of an international crime ring, and the sudden appearance of a woman from his past could jeopardize his mission. Missing persons investigator Lexie Reilly’s search for a missing teen has put her in the criminals’ crosshairs. Joining forces to take down this ring is their only chance of survival. Shaun vows to keep the beautiful investigator out of harm’s way and help her find the lost girl. But when their ferry becomes icebound, they are trapped at sea with killers who will stop at nothing to keep them from discovering their secrets.

Lexie peeked over Shaun’s shoulder to see an empty room.

There were few places to hide in these small cabins, but Lexie waited in the doorway as Shaun checked the bathroom and closet.

“It is safe? Can I come in?” Whether she wanted to come in was another question entirely. Shaun hadn’t told her the whole truth about himself, that much had become clear. But could she blame him? It wasn’t as though she’d asked the right questions. Or any questions at all.

“All clear,” he called. The sound of a sliding shower curtain was followed by his reappearance. “You’d better check if anything was taken, though. You’re sure you locked the door when you left the room?”

Lexie’s wide eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, bristling at the implication. “Of course I did. You were standing right next to me and watched me do it.”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t make sense that someone would break into your room and not touch anything—”

Lexie crossed the room as he spoke. She lifted her bags off the bed—and screamed.

MICHELLE KARL is an unabashed bibliophile and romantic suspense author. She lives in Canada with her husband and an assortment of critters, including a codependent cat, an albino rabbit and an opinionated parrot. When she’s not reading and consuming copious amounts of coffee, she writes the stories she’d like to find in her “to be read” pile. She also loves animals, world music and eating the last piece of cheesecake.

Fatal Freeze
Michelle Karl

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

—Romans 8:28

To Amy and Alley

Thanks for brainstorming with me at lunch that one time

And for all the pantry snacks

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Quote

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Lexie Reilly gave her car a final once-over, satisfied that she hadn’t forgotten anything for the sixteen-hour overnight ferry crossing to Newfoundland. She slung her travel bag and purse over her shoulder and pressed the car remote’s lock button twice. The click-beep of the lock and alarm mechanism echoed back at her, and she noted with surprise that she stood alone on the car deck. Everyone else had already cleared out, leaving her amidst a sea of parked vehicles. The radio program she’d been listening to must have been more engaging than she’d realized.

Lexie frowned, feeling slightly uneasy. Aside from the rumble of the ship, it felt too quiet. No, too still. Trust your instincts, she thought. Where were the deck attendees? If she was being honest with herself, her instincts were telling her to get up to the passenger decks, find a cup of hot tea and get back to examining her file on Maria, the missing young woman she’d been searching for these past few months. She had clues to piece together before they docked in Argentia, Newfoundland’s historic port town and former United States military base.

Despite the ferry’s protection against the early March air, Lexie shivered, looking forward to the warm lounge above. Her footsteps clanged as she walked alongside the cars, weaving through them to get to the stairs. As she crossed between a tall blue van and an oversize SUV, arms circled around her neck and waist, pinning her from behind.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” a scratchy, masculine voice growled.

Lexie tried to scream, but the pressure on her neck made it hard to breathe. She gasped for air and lifted her boot to stamp on his foot. He squeezed tighter, and tears streamed down Lexie’s face as sparks flew in her vision. Every movement she made only increased the pressure on her throat. In moments, she would pass out, or worse. As Lexie’s vision turned blurry, she thought she heard something—like shouting, from far away. Pounding footsteps came toward her and, as quickly as she’d been grabbed, her attacker released his grip, shoving her forward.

Lexie tumbled to the floor, gasping for air.

Pain shot through her limbs with each breath, and she could still feel where the man’s arm had pressed against her windpipe.

The footsteps stopped as they came close, and she sensed a presence beside her. A gentle touch on her shoulder sent waves of relief flooding through the pain. “Steady,” said a calm male voice. “Are you all right? Do you need medical attention?”

Did she? Lexie squinted through the haze in her vision. She’d feel a whole lot better if someone had taken off after the attacker. He might still be caught, but this man in front of her would have to get moving.

“Go,” she tried to croak, but it sounded more like a raspy gasp than an intelligible word.

“Let’s get you to the upper deck,” he said. An arm snaked around her back to rest under her shoulders. She tried to push his arm away and gesture in the general direction of her attacker’s escape, but either her signaling skills needed some serious work, or this man was less motivated than he should have been to catch a criminal.

Lexie leaned against the nearest tire and squeezed her eyes shut. Her head and heart pounded. Had the attacker truly known who she was, and why she’d boarded the ferry? The warning had been unspecific, and he could have mistaken her for someone else—the lighting in the car deck made the whole area appear gray and muddled.

If anything, the attacker’s threat only made her more determined to get to Newfoundland. Until now, she’d had no possible evidence that Maria’s disappearance was anything more than another case of “runaway teenager.” Maria’s parents were convinced their daughter had skipped town out of anger after they’d forbidden her to spend time with a boy she’d been sweet on—but unlike most of Lexie’s clients, Lexie had actually met Maria in person before. Lexie occasionally volunteered to drive the local youth group to their community events, and Maria had always come across as one of the most level-headed young adults among the group. On the other hand, she’d spent the drive to the ferry dock questioning how well she’d known the girl after all. Lexie hadn’t even realized Maria was seeing anyone. Not that they’d had any deep conversations about life, but the whole situation hit far too close to home. For Maria’s family’s sake, Lexie would figure this out, no matter how long it took.

As for the man crouched in front of her, asking over and over if she needed medical attention...she could barely hear her own thoughts over his repeated questioning. When she finally shook her head in response, he took her left hand and turned it over, uncurling her fingers.

“Your palm is bleeding,” he said. He traced gentle fingers around the scraped and dirtied base of her palm. “I’m going to call for medical assistance. The emergency phone is five feet away from us on the wall by the stairs. I’ll be able to see you. You’re safe.”

I know I’m safe, and it’s not because of you. “Fine,” she rasped. The effort brought on a fit of coughing, which did nothing to ease the throb in her throat. It was ridiculous, sitting here. She had serious work to do, and only sixteen hours to do it in. “But I don’t need a doctor. Just need to get to the upper deck.”

The man huffed in frustration and stood. Moments later, Lexie heard him phoning for medical assistance. To her surprise, he didn’t explain on the phone why she needed help, but told them to bring a first aid kit and a few extra, oddly specific, supplies. She didn’t need an ophthalmoscope or penlight or whatever—a bit of iodine and a small bandage and she’d be fine.

Lexie braced against the car at her back and pushed upward, placing her hands on the hood for a few moments to catch her balance. Using one hand on the car for support, she reached to pick up her purse and travel bag from where they’d fallen.

“A medical team will be here in a minute,” the man said, hanging up the phone and coming toward her. “Sit back down. They’ll check to make sure no serious damage was done to your throat, since—”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Lexie managed to lift her head to make eye contact with the man who’d come to her rescue. Her heart leaped into her throat as every muscle in her shoulders tensed. The man wore a red plaid shirt, a puffy black winter vest, jeans and a red knit toque. He looked like a lumberjack—or someone trying really hard to look like a lumberjack. Except that she knew him, or she had, eight years ago, and he definitely hadn’t been lumberjack material.

In fact, the man in front of her was her own missing sister’s former beau, looking as gorgeous as he did the day he broke Nikki’s heart and sent her into a downward spiral...a spiral that led to Nikki’s kidnapping almost eight years ago, only months after they’d met.

What were the chances she’d end up here and now, being rescued by him?

* * *

Shaun Carver blinked in surprise at the piercing hazel eyes that glared at him in fury. Eight years separated the last time they’d met, and she looked good.

Really, really good. She had longer hair than he remembered, and a maturity about her that replaced the teenage awkwardness of all those years ago. “Alexandra?” He extended his hand for a proper greeting, but she shook her head and hoisted her bags farther onto one shoulder. “Is that really you? Nicola’s sister, right?”

Instead of acknowledging his question, she mumbled an incoherent phrase under her breath and broke eye contact. “I can take it from here, Carver.”

Hearing his real name jolted Shaun out of the moment of incredulity and back to reality. “Just Shaun these days,” he said, glad that they were the only people within earshot. He’d boarded the ferry under an alias, and there’d be a heap of trouble if the wrong people overheard and figured out his true purpose aboard the vessel. He doubted the CIA would appreciate him blowing his cover on a three-year, multi-continent human-trafficking operation thanks to an unexpected reunion with the little sister of a girl he’d briefly been friends with years ago.

“Whatever,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “Did you get a good look at his face? I need to report the incident to ship security. It would help to have a description.”

Shaun shook his head. “Ski mask, wide shoulders. That’s about it. His head and body were covered in black gear, so there’s not much to go on. He had a distinctive gait—jerky but quick—so that might help, but I can take care of it. I saw the guy and can describe the incident. No need for you to relive it if you don’t have to. Let’s have the medical team look you over so you can enjoy the rest of the trip.”

“You’re joking, right?” Her eyes widened as her strained voice rose in volume. Their eyes met again, and Shaun was struck by the pang of familiarity. What he wouldn’t give to have bumped into her at another time and place. On several occasions throughout the years, he’d wondered how Alexandra and Nicola were doing, but had never felt comfortable reaching out. He’d met the Reilly sisters on a youth mission trip to Botswana, and he’d quickly become friends with Nicola, both of them young and self-centered and eager to do anything but the volunteer work they’d come to Africa for. At the time, he’d had no idea that Nicola expected more than friendship from him, and it hadn’t ended well once she made her intentions clear.

Alexandra continued to stare at him. “Someone tried to strangle me, and I shouldn’t be worried?”

She crossed the distance between them, her steps sure and confident. He bristled at the intrusion into his personal space, but their difference in height made it seem as though he was being stalked by a kitten. She poked a finger toward his chest but stopped short of making contact. Shaun bit down on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from grinning. The kitten had claws. He’d never seen this side of the younger Reilly sister before.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but you’re mistaken if you assume I’m going to let this go. I have very important work to do, and while I appreciate your assistance, I can take it from here.”

Important work? Now they were getting somewhere. “What kind of work, exactly? What have you been up to, Alexandra?”

Before she had a chance to respond, two medical staff in navy blue uniforms emerged from the stairwell, medical bags in their hands. Alexandra followed his gaze and actually growled before sighing in resignation. It was adorable, a fact that Shaun wisely kept to himself.

To his relief, she consented to being checked over, though she glared at him the entire time. He had arrested criminals who were less antagonistic toward him than she. Her attitude was baffling. He recalled Alexandra giving him the cold shoulder after he’d rebuffed Nicola’s advances near the end of the mission trip, but that was eight years ago.

He remembered that trip as though it had been yesterday. As they’d spent time helping build a school and dig wells for impoverished families, Shaun had experienced a profound change in how he saw the world, discovering that he wanted to spend his life serving and protecting those in need. Attention-seeking party girl Nicola was a fun friend, sure, but he’d quickly realized he had no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with her. Nicola had been angry when he’d told her he wasn’t interested in dating, and she’d shocked him by demanding he never speak to her or her family again. He’d respected her wishes, and applied to the CIA’s training program the following year. But now Alexandra stood in front of him, needing help. How could he say no?

When the medical team finished checking her over, and before she could request to talk with security, he strode forward. “I’ll take her upstairs,” he said, speaking over her protests. “Maybe it’ll give us a chance to catch up.”

He noted her crossed arms and downturned lips with interest. She’d grown into her beauty, with strong features that somehow remained delicately feminine—a stark contrast from her wispy, blonde sister. Or at least what he remembered of her sister. He hadn’t seen either of them for nearly a decade.

“How’ve you been, Alexandra? Your sister’s not here with you, is she?”

“It’s Lexie,” she said, gathering up her bags. “And no, of course she’s not.”

Had the Reilly girls had a falling out? “That’s too bad. I’d have liked to have said hello.” He couldn’t quite read the look on Alexandra’s—no, Lexie’s—face. Confusion? Anger? “That’s no reason we can’t catch up, right?”

He shouldn’t, though. He had an assignment to focus on, and yet...the attack, combined with her comment about important work, intrigued him. Gathering information was part of a CIA agent’s job description, after all.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Carver,” she said, turning back to the medical staff, who were repacking their equipment. He winced, hearing her say his last name. How had she remembered it all this time? He needed to correct her privately, or else things could get more complicated than they already were. “I’d like to speak with security, please. They’ll want to know about the incident here, for the safety of the passengers. I’ll be upstairs in the lounge. I’ll try to sit near these stairs so that I’m easy to find.”

The staff assured her they’d bring someone over and offered to escort her up to the lounge on the way. Without another word, Lexie followed them up several flights of stairs before being directed to turn left toward the lounge area at the front of the ship. Shaun followed behind, despite Lexie’s obviously deliberate effort not to acknowledge his presence.

They emerged into a wide, open room, with enormous plate-glass windows that curved around the front of the ship. He would have to take advantage of the view at some point, but from where he stood at the entrance to the room, the only thing visible outside was a gray, fully clouded sky. What Shaun wouldn’t give for a day or two of sunshine, like they’d had earlier in the week. This winter had been far too cold, the temperatures dipping and rising without warning, freezing melted snow into thick, slick ice that coated everything. He had been surprised to learn that the ferry would be making the three hundred and forty mile ocean journey today, considering the plunge into deep freeze last night.

Lexie sank into an empty seat a few feet from the door. Shaun followed and sat next to her as she placed her bags on the floor. She opened her travel bag and pulled out a red manila folder, tensing at his nearness as she placed it on her lap. Lexie stared straight ahead at the small coffee table by their feet.

“I’ll talk to security for you,” he said, despite her refusal to acknowledge him. “Trust me on this one. Let it go.”

Lexie tapped an unpainted fingernail on the folder. “Trust you? That’s rich.” Her tone turned bitter. “Don’t think I didn’t notice your lack of urgency in pursuing the bad guy. Now there’s someone aboard who might pose a danger to other passengers on the ship, and it sounds as if you’re trying to threaten me to keep me from telling someone else about the incident, so, no. I’m not going to trust you just because you asked me to. Among other reasons.”

It was a shot straight to the gut. What had he done to become the bad guy? “My apologies. You’re absolutely right. It’s been a while and I suppose trust is something to be earned after all these years.” He paused and considered his next words carefully. If her assailant meant to seriously harm her, she could place herself in danger again if she wasn’t careful. “I’d hoped that stopping an attempt on your life, whatever the reason, would be worthy enough to gain trust.”

Telling her why she needed to trust him would make this so much easier, but Shaun needed to protect his mission. He’d boarded the ferry on an anonymous tip to CIA headquarters that suggested there might be ties in Argentia to the human trafficking ring the CIA had been trying to bust for the past three years. Shaun was so close to cutting off the head of the snake, he could taste it. He’d bring the Wolf and his organization down, no matter the cost.

Shaun blinked as memory took shape. Nicola and Alexandra, disembarking from the YouthBuilders’ bus in a dusty town in Botswana. Hi, I’m Alexandra, the brunette had said, and this is my sister, Nicola. We came with the Canadian group. Where are you from?

“Sorry,” Lexie said, cutting through the strangely vivid memories. She looked startled by his honest appeal. “It’s just that until fifteen minutes ago, I thought I had a straightforward job to do. Now I’m not so sure.”

Now they were getting somewhere. “Maybe I can help.” Lexie made no effort to hide the surprise on her face. “No, really. Tell me, what’s the work you’re doing, exactly?” He inclined his head toward the red folder. Her fingers flicked across its edge in impatience as she contemplated his offer of help.

Silence stretched like a rubber band until her gaze grew hard and distant, and she shook her head. “I can’t. Client confidentiality. I...I’ve probably said too much already.”

This made him pause. He’d have to tread with care and draw her out by reassuring her that she could trust him. Telling her everything would blow his cover, but maybe he could offer up a partial truth in hope she’d reciprocate with an exchange of information. If that attack had been deliberate, he needed to know.

“I promise you, I’m not involved. Not the way you’re thinking, anyway. It’s complicated, so trust me when I say you need to stay out of this. Let me handle it.”

She rolled her eyes, making no effort to hide her frustration. Her limbs were locked tight against her small body, as though he had a contagious disease. The hostility astounded him, especially considering he’d saved her from a potentially life-threatening situation. “It’s been a long time, Lexie. How’ve you been? What have you been up to?”

“You ask a lot of questions, Carver,” she snapped. “You a cop? Got a badge to show me?”

Shaun rubbed his jaw. He needed to stop her from using his name. “It’s Lane. Shaun Lane.”

She arched a delicate eyebrow. “Is it now? I have a good memory for these kinds of things.”

He swallowed hard. He’d faced down terrorists and real-life villains without so much as a flinch. Why did Lexie’s observations bring a lump to his throat? “We all make changes. I got your name wrong, didn’t I?”

“A shorter version of a long first name is a little different than an entirely new last name.”

He needed to move this along before she started asking questions he couldn’t answer. “Look, I work for...the government, and let’s leave it at that. What about you? I’m getting a PI vibe, but I suspect that’s not right, either.”

A hint of a wry smile touched her lips. “No. I’m the vice president and a support counselor for a volunteer missing-persons organization.”

Her shoulders dropped, and Shaun couldn’t help but notice the purple bruise forming across her throat. “Hey, are you actually okay? That looks painful.”

Lexie lifted pale fingers to the bruise, wincing at the touch. A small silver name bracelet slid from her wrist to her forearm. Shaun could just make out the engraving as the setting sunlight glinted off the name plate. Nikki.

“I’ll be fine. I’m alive, and that’s what matters.”

Silence returned for a moment as Shaun churned over what to say next that wouldn’t shut her down further. Lexie seemed to come to a decision when he didn’t press her for more information. “The organization is named Lead Me Home National. We search for missing persons in Canada that law enforcement like the local police or even Interpol have given up on, or who aren’t considered ‘missing’ for whatever reason. Or the family might fear going to the police, maybe because they or the family member entered the country illegally, that kind of thing. I’m searching for a girl named Maria who disappeared a few months ago.”

Shaun’s heart sank. “You aid and abet illegal immigrants?”

Lexie lifted the folder and slammed it down on her lap, fire blazing in her eyes. “No. It’s a matter of human rights. Of everyone’s right to have someone looking out for them, even when everyone else has given up, even when...”

Her voice trailed off, hitching on her words. The fierceness in her eyes had been replaced by a red-rimmed sadness, which she was trying unsuccessfully to blink away. Shaun laid his hand on her shoulder and mentally kicked himself. Everyone dealt with trauma differently, and clearly the events of the past hour had brought something painful to the forefront.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He scanned the room, desperate for a way to prevent her tears from flowing. He’d been the cause of too many tears in the distant and recent past, thanks to this job. Learning how to balance relationships and job requirements was a steeper learning curve than he’d ever expected. In a way, it had been easier before he’d realized how much he longed to share his life in a deep, committed relationship with someone who understood his drive to help and protect others.

Shaun’s gaze landed on the coffee bar in the center of the room, where baristas handed out drinks and pastries to the waiting customers. He turned his attention back to Lexie, who was staring at his hand where it rested on her shoulder.

“Uh, I...” Shaun pulled his hand away and stood. “Can I get you a coffee? You look like you could use the caffeine.”

Pink rose in her cheeks. “One cream, please.”

At the coffee bar, Shaun kept his attention split between his place in line and Lexie. His stomach churned with frustration, and he found he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She’d be much safer if she stayed put and allowed him to do the searching for her attacker. It’d be foolish to encourage an unarmed woman to take on an opponent who’d just proven himself physically stronger than she.

Besides, he had his own search to conduct, and the people he’d come to search for were far more dangerous than a random man in a ski mask. Still, the coincidence made him pause. Here was a woman also searching for a missing person, and she’d been the victim of an attack. Could there be a connection?

Whether there was or not, a civilian nosing around for any reason might get herself hurt—she’d already gotten herself hurt. It could be worse, next time. Lexie’s interference might also compromise his plans and destroy three years of painstaking intel and recon, putting the lives of those in the ring’s clutches in further danger.

And while he understood God would forgive him if he messed this one up, he knew he would never, ever, forgive himself.

TWO

Lexie stared at the photo of Maria, but her real focus was elsewhere. She could barely believe it—she hadn’t seen Shaun Carver for nearly a decade. She’d been sixteen years old when they’d first met, and he had been the hottest guy on the YouthBuilders’ mission trip to Botswana—and he’d known it, too. She’d disliked him the moment they met, but not because she hadn’t been attracted to him. It was because her sister had been, despite the point of the trip being to build a school for the local orphanage, not finding a future husband among the mission team. But when had Nikki ever done what she was supposed to?

She’d recognized him instantly on the parking deck, despite the strange lumberjack getup. He looked just as handsome as the day he’d broken her sister’s heart. Shattered it to a million pieces is how Nikki had phrased it. What kind of guy would be so cruel as to lead a girl on, promising her the world and then dumping her the minute things got “complicated”? At least he’d recognized her, too, so he’d understand why she might be less than thrilled to see him. If she’d known he would be on this ferry, she’d have waited for the next boat.

What she really didn’t understand was why he’d been acting so cheerful and laissez-faire about bumping into her after all this time. Could he really be so clueless? Did he honestly have no idea what he’d done? His cruelty had sent Nikki into the arms of a rebound boyfriend, a guy who’d clearly been a terrible influence and only encouraged her reckless personality...resulting in her disappearance. Or as Lexie believed, her kidnapping. It would have been easier to ignore Shaun and walk away when he’d asked about her work, but memories of Nikki had bubbled to the surface and she’d barely shut them down in time. Working on Maria’s case felt too close to home at times, but it was getting easier to shove her grief aside—after all, it had been eight years since Nikki’s disappearance. Lexie figured it was about time.

Lexie needed focus, because without it, another girl might very well disappear forever. Maria had already been missing for three months, and the longer it took to find her, the less likely she’d be found at all. While Maria’s parents believed the girl had run away, Lexie had seen Maria’s dress for her prom next month. According to her parents, Maria had saved up her earnings for a year to afford the five-hundred-dollar dream dress for the event. What kind of teenager would willingly give that up after working so hard for it?

It was tough enough to search for missing people when giving it her full focus, but having Shaun Carver—sorry, Lane—around provided an unwanted level of complication. A government lackey? Please. Guys like him were nothing but nosy, brawny wannabe heroes.

She glanced over her shoulder at him and shook her head. Shaun knelt on the floor, helping a young mother cram hundreds of spilled plastic blocks back into a cloth bag. The woman’s toddler wasn’t doing either of them any favors, grabbing pieces off the floor and throwing them at bemused passersby. Shaun and Lexie’s coffees sat abandoned on the edge of an empty table. Okay, maybe he wasn’t all bad. It had been nearly a decade since he’d callously dumped Nikki at the end of the trip. People could change, right?

Lexie sighed and turned her attention to the fading light through the window. Why did life have to be so complicated? Now was not the time or place for a walk down memory lane, despite Shaun’s earlier eagerness for it. Getting him out of her business had to be the first priority or she’d get nothing done. If she could ditch Mr. Wannabe Superhero and investigate the attack on her own, maybe she could shove away the memories of Nikki for a little while longer.

She jumped at a sudden touch on her shoulder, but relief flooded through her body when a paper coffee cup with her name scrawled on the side crossed her field of vision. She took it and placed her folder on the coffee table. One seat over, Shaun took a sip from his own cup while scanning the room. He had a quiet strength about him, an air of confidence that made her want to trust him—despite the lumberjack outfit and his two-day scruff. That was new. At nineteen, but he’d kept his appearance immaculate, despite working in a dusty village in rural Africa. Nikki had found it appealing. Lexie had found it pretentious and ignorant. Now, it gave him a rugged handsomeness that made Lexie shift uncomfortably in her seat.

A stray curl of light brown hair escaped from underneath his toque, and Lexie resisted a sudden urge to lean forward and brush it out of his eyes. Shame blossomed in her belly. How could she even think that way, after how he’d hurt her sister? Heat stung her eyes, and Lexie blinked away another rising tide of memories and guilt. She needed to refocus on the job she’d come here to do. Her fingers tightened on the coffee cup, and she savored the sensation of fresh, hot coffee dancing across her tongue, heating her up from the inside. She held on to that, pulling her attention away from Shaun’s searching gaze.

A few minutes later, two blue-uniformed ferry employees entered the lounge and scanned the room as though looking for someone. Before Lexie made the mental connection, Shaun had crossed the distance and ushered them out of the lounge and into the hallway. Security personnel! She tried to sit upright and push herself out of the chair, but her limbs felt heavy. She blinked, trying to clear a growing haze in her vision. The sounds around her grew muffled. Wasn’t the coffee supposed to keep her—

“Lexie?”

Lexie’s eyes fluttered open. She jerked up in her seat and stared at Shaun, whose look of concern had turned into a satisfied smirk. “What happened? I was about to follow you, but—”

“Need another coffee?” Shaun ran his fingers through his mop of hair, toque nowhere to be seen. “Though we should probably get you to your bunk. You can’t sleep here overnight.”

“It’s not like I planned to do so.” Had she been more tired than she’d realized? Lexie yawned and lifted her coffee cup from where she’d rested it between her hip and the chair. She raised the cup to take a sip, but set it down again in disappointment when no warmth radiated through the lid. A fresh cup would be nice, but she’d already accepted too much charity from someone who might as well be a stranger. Eight years was a long time. “It’s okay, thanks. I want to do a little more thinking before I turn in for the night. And talk to security on my own. I can’t believe you talked to them without me.”

The smirk slipped, and he rubbed a hand across his jaw. “I thought you were following me to talk with them, honest. When I looked back and saw you weren’t with us, I figured you’d changed your mind about letting me do the talking.”

“I didn’t plan to fall asleep. It was sudden. I just blacked out.”

Shaun frowned. “Can I see your cup?” She handed it to him and he sniffed the contents. “No strange smell. You sure you’re not just exhausted from what happened downstairs?”

“I wish you’d stop acting like I’m incapable of rational thought. You’re the one who left the cups unattended while you cleaned up a toy spill. Maybe...maybe I was drugged. My name is on the cup here, plain as day.”

“You’re right.” He rubbed his hand across his face. “But why would someone drug your coffee, Lexie?”

She rested her head against the back of her seat. “I don’t know. It sounds crazy. And why me? I should call the police.”

Shaun pulled a phone out of his pocket and waved it at her. “The reception out here is terrible, and I’ve already talked to security. But if you’re determined, I know exactly where the police station is in Argentia. I can show you the way once we dock.”

She scowled at him, considering his offer. If he’d already talked to security, what good would her statement do? “Won’t that be too late? The guy will have escaped by then.”

“For all we know, he might have already jumped ship. But we’d cast off when I found you on the parking deck, and no one can survive more than a minute or two in ocean waters at these winter temperatures. Tell you what, we’ll call the police station as soon as we get cell service back. Deal?”

It sounded reasonable. That way the ship could be locked down and searched before anyone disembarked. “Deal.”

Shaun nodded and locked his fingers together, stretching his arms in front of him. “All right. Let’s have a look at the folder, then. Maybe that contains some clues about why someone would go to the trouble of making sure you’d be asleep for a few minutes.”

Lexie glanced at her lap and at the coffee table where Shaun’s cup sat. “Don’t you have it?”

Shaun shook his head and pointed at her bag. “Didn’t you put it away when I brought the coffee over?”

Alarm bells rang in Lexie’s head. “No, I thought I’d look through it when the caffeine kicked in. It was right here, I had my eye on it when you handed me the coffee.” She refused to entertain the obvious notion before exploring all other possibilities.

She knelt on the floor and looked under the chairs and table, while Shaun stood and surveyed the area around them. They both came up empty-handed.

“It’s gone,” Lexie said, panic rising in her chest. “How can it be gone? I took a few sips and it sat right here, while you were—”

“Talking to security,” he said in a flat voice. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but someone may have come by and taken it. Best-case scenario, it was a passenger playing a prank, or someone mistook your folder for theirs.”

He left the other option unspoken, but Lexie saw it in his eyes. He feared that the man who’d assaulted her had drugged her so he could steal it while she slept.

“All my notes are in there.” Lexie groaned, reality setting in. “My photo of the girl I’m looking for, plus sensitive information on contacts.”

Shaun frowned and scanned the room again. “You left a folder with sensitive information on a table? In a public area?”

“I didn’t plan on falling asleep.”

“I only walked away for a few minutes.” He grimaced and ran his fingers through his hair. “Not good. Someone’s watching you. Whatever information you have in that folder, it’s important to them. Or they suspect it might be. Combined with the attack earlier, it seems like the situation is more serious than you thought. This girl might be in a lot of danger.”

“I know.” Lexie’s voice carried across the room, and she felt her cheeks warm as several passengers turned to look at her. “I know,” she continued, voice quieter. “But it’s not like I expected someone to drug my coffee. It’s not like I’ve done this before.”

“Done what? Look for someone?” Shaun’s eyebrows scrunched together as Lexie flopped back down into her chair. “I thought you said you worked for a missing-persons organization.”

She nodded, feeling a weight in her chest. “I do. But I haven’t tackled a search like this on my own before. I’ve spent several years proving I’m capable and trustworthy enough for a solo project, and now that I’m VP, I can’t mess it up.”

“Do you have a backup copy somewhere?”

Lexie shrugged. “I might be able to access some of it on my phone through email or cloud storage. The rest is on file at the office, which I could have someone scan and send to me.” She dug through her bag for her phone, hope surging—until she looked at the reception icon in the upper right corner. Still no bars. “No signal, but you’re right, I’ve had trouble getting decent reception for the past day or so. Maybe they haven’t turned on the wireless yet?”

“I think they have an internet kiosk elsewhere on the ship.” Shaun reached down and picked up her bags. “Let’s find your room first. While you’re getting set up, I’ll find out where the kiosk is and then come back to walk you there. Sound like a plan?”

Sure, except for the part where he watched over her as though she was a china doll. “I’ll be fine walking around on public decks. If whoever took the folder had wanted to hurt me, wouldn’t they have done it then? Why go to all the trouble of potentially drugging my coffee?”

Shaun adjusted her bags on his shoulder. “Because the room was still full of other people. The coffee was likely a crime of opportunity—which we’ll report as soon as we can. But if you happen to get lost down a corridor, or take a wrong turn and end up alone...” He shook his head when she tried to protest. “Maybe they only wanted the folder, sure. Maybe this is about something else. I can’t answer that, I can only assess the risk—and the risk here is losing sight of the possibility that it might not have been an accident, or that having the information in your file will incite a reaction.”

Lexie tried to come up with a reply that let him know how she felt about his insistence on trying to insert himself into a situation that didn’t pertain to him, when a muffled, crunching noise interrupted everyone’s conversations. The ship shuddered, and Lexie’s heart leaped into her throat. “What was that?”

Around the room, worried faces searched for ferry staff, while many of the passengers in the room continued as they were. Before Lexie could ask Shaun if he knew anything, he’d already flagged down a passing attendant.

“Ice,” he said, turning back to Lexie. “It’s normal during winter months, but if we can hear the cracking, it means we’re moving through a thick patch. The ship is fine.”

Lexie noted that he looked back at the attendant a second time and followed his gaze. Several people in employee uniforms were making the rounds throughout the lounge, stopping to reassure passengers who demanded to know what they’d heard. Lexie crossed her seating area to look out the nearest window, but it had grown too dark outside to see anything.

And then Shaun was at her side, looking outside with her. Much to her annoyance, having him nearby felt comforting. She blamed it on the lure of familiarity. Definitely not attraction.

“Nature is unpredictable,” he said. “But it’s winter, so I guess they expect this kind of thing. It’ll be fine. Let’s get you to your cabin.”

Lexie struggled for composure, not wanting to reveal just how scary the ship’s shudder had been. Her brain knew how unlikely it was for a ship of this size to capsize—and as far as she knew, there’d never been a serious accident on this ferry crossing route—but her legs felt shaky as the crunching continued at random intervals. She didn’t even have the strength to protest as Shaun touched her elbow and led her away from the window, escorting her through the ship’s corridors to find the passenger cabins on the deck below.

The cabin deck hallways were narrow, providing just enough room for two people to pass each other or for a wheelchair to navigate successfully. At room forty-two, Lexie dug the key card out of her pocket and unlocked the door.

She’d reserved the smallest, most austere room they offered—the coach of ferry cabins—and the bunk bed on the left wall gave the place a college dorm feel. The rest of the room contained a desk and chair, a little bathroom and shower, and a window that overlooked the ocean. It was no Hilton Suites, but it would do for an overnight trip.

“Thanks,” she said, when Shaun pushed past her to place her bags on the floor. “But you didn’t need to carry those.”

“It’s nothing.” He folded his arms and glanced around the room. “Basic amenities? And I bet you fly coach, too.”

“Of course. I’m being responsible with company funds. What’s your point?”

He shrugged and exited the room, tapping on the door frame. “I bet your sister wouldn’t go for this. If Nicola were here, she’d—”

Lexie’s temper flared. How dare he even speak her name? “Because you’re an expert on my family? Please, tell me more.”

Shaun stepped back, his face a mask of confusion. “I was just suggesting—”

“Stop suggesting, then.” If he hadn’t lead her sister on and then broken her heart eight years ago, well, they wouldn’t even be here right now.

“Fine.” Shaun exhaled through his nose, clenching his jaw. “I’m going to go find out where the computers are. I recommend you stay here and lock the door. Don’t open it to anyone except me. I’ll knock twice, wait ten seconds, and then knock once.”

Lexie stared at him. When had Shaun become a conspiracy nut? The guy had no idea how this kind of thing worked. “I don’t see why I can’t come with you.”

“Safety,” he said, his voice betraying a hint of annoyance.

“The only person in danger here is the girl I need to find. And I can’t find her without the information from that folder.” Did he really think she’d act carelessly after the events of the past hour?

Shaun raised his hands, the corners of his mouth turning down into a scowl. “Lexie, I need you to listen—”

Another crunching noise reverberated throughout the ship and Lexie put her hand on the wall to steady herself. The ship shuddered more violently this time, and the noise continued instead of quieting. Her heartbeat sped up, pounding in her ears.

“You think that’s normal?” Lexie almost spat the words at Shaun, whose scowl had vanished, replaced by concern. “Pretty sure ferries aren’t supposed to sound like a bag of chips when they sail.”

He shook his head and caught her gaze. Lexie stopped the gasp that threatened escape. He was worried, and he wasn’t trying to hide it. For some reason, that made her feel better. Despite their acquaintance being separated by almost a decade, a familiar face in a moment of uncertainty helped to quell her immediate panic.

“Keep the door closed. I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything rash.”

She shut the door behind him, despite wanting to slam it in sudden anger at his parting comment. Who did he think he was, telling her not to do anything rash? He didn’t know her. Or her sister. Not anymore, anyway, and he’d made it quite clear all those years ago that he didn’t care to. Lexie sucked in a deep breath, trying to ease the tingle of adrenaline. The last thing she needed was to lose control of her emotions. She had a job to do, and if Shaun insisted on being a part of it, surely she could put up with an annoying hero-wannabe for a little while longer. He had potentially saved her life, after all. When she got the information from her folder back, she’d politely ask him to stop distracting her for the rest of the trip.

She sat on the bed and drew her knees up to her chest, feeling resolute, yet unable to shake the strangeness of Shaun’s confused reaction to her words moments ago. This was not the time to dwell on it, though. She needed to focus, and Shaun would provide nothing but distraction.

So why did she feel a pang of regret at the thought of sending him away?

* * *

Shaun wandered through the ferry’s halls, wincing at the unending crunch and jar of the ship. Worried faces peeked out of cabin doors, and there were fewer employees around than there had been a few minutes before. Had they all run off to find out what was happening? Hopefully, that meant there would be a ship-wide announcement to reassure the passengers before they started mobbing the captain’s quarters. The thought of having Lexie’s assailant amidst the mob of angry, scared passengers didn’t sit well—it would provide the perfect cover for her to be injured, or worse.

The muscles in Shaun’s neck tensed as he thought about Lexie’s shock at losing her folder. Hadn’t she been the more docile of the Reilly sisters? But now after less than an hour with her, it wouldn’t surprise him if she’d left the room the moment he was out of sight. It was bizarre that they’d ended up on the same ship bound for the same place, but even stranger was Lexie’s reaction to his question about her sister. He regretted not delving further into that immediately, but she’d reacted with such hostility that he’d let instinct take over and backed off.

Not exactly the mark of a superspy, allowing himself to be rattled by an attractive woman from his past. Did he find her attractive? Sure, in a platonic, purely aesthetic... Oh, who was he trying to convince, anyway? She’d been the cute little sister before, but now? She’d blossomed, all right. Lexie had gumption to be in the missing-persons business, too. They’d make a good team if he could manage to quell her hostility. Letting her in on the details of his assignment might do just that, but protecting his alias could get tricky. On a typical assignment, he needed to protect his identity at all costs, but she knew his full name and they shared a past—albeit through another person, but it might be enough for a mission-destroying slipup. Bringing her in the loop, even a little, could help protect them both. He’d discuss it with HQ on his next check-in.

Shaun rounded a corner and saw a bank of computer cubicles through a set of glass doors at the end of the hall. He paused and had decided to go back to get Lexie when a scruffy employee in a white uniform pushed open one of the doors and strode toward him, purpose in his step.

“Excuse me,” Shaun said, pasting a smile on his face. “Can you tell me what’s happening with—” The employee shook his head in silence and brushed past Shaun without making eye contact.

“Excuse me?” Shaun raised his voice, staring after the employee. He wanted to give the man the benefit of the doubt—the ongoing noise was extremely worrisome—but it was no excuse to be rude. The man disappeared around the corner without another word. Some people. Shaun figured he might as well take a look inside the computer area to make sure the internet access was working.

All the chairs and computers were lined up in a row inside little library cubicles with instructional sheets tacked above the monitors. No, Shaun noted, not all the chairs. The final chair in the row sat slightly askew. His intuition urged him toward it.

Shaun sat and shook the mouse to wake up the screen. A sudden coldness hit his core.

Whomever had previously used this computer left in a hurry, because up on the screen—logged in, and with a list of files in clear view—was Lexie’s cloud storage account. The coldness spread and chilled his spine as he noted another open tab. Lexie’s email. He checked her account details, changed her password and logged out.

It had to be the same person. Lexie’s attacker had been here minutes before. But what worried Shaun even more was that the attacker wasn’t here now. And Lexie was alone.

THREE

Shaun thought of the employee he’d passed in the hallway. The man might have seen who had used the computer. In fact, he might have been in such a hurry because he’d been held back by a recent guest. If Shaun moved now, maybe he could catch him and get a description.

Shaun leaped up from the computer and raced through the glass doors, slowing his pace only when he reached the next hallway. He looked both ways, seeing several other people in white employee uniforms engaged by other guests. None looked familiar. The employee couldn’t have gone too far, though. There were too many curious and worried passengers around to have made it far without being stopped to answer questions.

Excusing himself past groups of concerned faces, Shaun paced the corridors, scanning every hallway in both directions. The employee had vanished. After five minutes, Shaun had to admit he’d lost him. That made getting back to Lexie the next priority.

He’d have to tell her what he’d found, but maybe she’d be able to tell if the hacker had had time to read any of her documents. The room attendant had to come back eventually. Shaun would question him then, or find one of the security guys and learn whose responsibility it was to keep an eye on the computer room.

Shaun jogged down the stairs and hallways to get to Lexie’s room. He followed the pattern of knocks and, to his relief, she opened the door the moment he finished the final knock. She appeared unimpressed as her face tilted up expectantly, jaw set in defiance, a fire blazing in her eyes that was betrayed by the quiver in the corner of her delicate mouth. A knot formed in Shaun’s gut and he found himself suddenly conscious of how close she stood to him. He struggled to hold himself together, her vulnerability in the moment causing him to inexplicably yearn to hold her close and protect her from danger.

Lexie’s emotions bubbled near the surface, about to spill over. It thrilled him. Intrigued him. His head screamed at him to run, that this pull toward her was ridiculous, but his feet remained firmly planted to the ground. What would she do if he pulled her into his arms and promised everything would be all right?

Lexie seemed to sense a shift in the air between them and stepped back. “You found something?”

He swallowed—cool it, buddy—and glanced both directions down the hall. “Yes, but you’d better come with me.”

To his surprise, Lexie didn’t hesitate. She stepped out of the room and locked it, no questions asked. She must have noticed his shock, because she raised one eyebrow and tilted her head. “What? You wanted me to try trusting you.”

Warmth returned to his center, easing the cold that had come with learning someone had accessed her private files—but following that came the regret that he couldn’t yet be honest about why he’d boarded the ferry. In his book, omission of information was as harmful as a lie. Would knowing the truth break her fragile trust? God, give me strength.

She followed him in silence to the computer room, where he led her to the last terminal. He brought up the webpage to log into her email with the new password he’d given her, then pulled out a chair so she could sit down.

Lexie stared in disbelief as her inbox loaded. “What...what’s this? How’d you get into my email?” She looked up at him with accusation, but he shook his head and reached across, clicking open the other tab.

“I didn’t, Lexie. But I have a good idea who did.”

She sputtered half words, eyes glued to the screen. “Someone hacked my account? But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would anyone want to read my messages?”

“Check if anything is missing. Whatever you had in that folder gave someone enough information to hack your email and your online storage account. They want to know what you know.”

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. “I’ve been meaning to change my passwords to something more secure. I’ve been using my dog’s name. Easy to guess with a quick search on social media. Maybe we should call the police, have them meet us at the dock. They could dust this terminal for fingerprints or clues or something.”

“I’d already touched it,” Shaun said. “And do you really want to make this area an active crime scene? We’d have to cordon the room off and guests will ask questions. There’s no way of being sure some kid or joker wouldn’t tamper with the area, and I have a feeling security doesn’t have enough manpower to post a guard outside.”

Lexie scanned the contents of her accounts as Shaun paced the floor. Had someone been looking for additional, specific information? The more he thought about it, the more he grew certain that the same young woman Lexie was looking for had to be tied to the organization he hunted.

“Have we stopped moving?”

Shaun snapped out of his thoughts. Lexie jumped from her seat and jogged toward the doors at the same time as a blue-uniformed employee came toward them down the hallway. Shaun couldn’t make out his face due to the way the hall lights reflected on the glass doors, but the employee appeared to be moving at a very brisk pace.

“Oh!” Lexie looked back over her shoulder. “I’ll ask this guy. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like we’ve stopped. Don’t you feel it?”

An uneasiness rose in Shaun’s gut as the employee continued his approach, though Shaun couldn’t pinpoint why. The way he moved seemed wrong, like he had something else in mind beyond attending the computer terminals.

The employee and Lexie reached the doors at the same time, Lexie still looking over her shoulder for an answer from Shaun. Shaun saw the man’s hand disappear, as though reaching into his belt for something.

“Get away from there!” Shaun shouted and darted forward, ready to place himself in front of her as a human shield.

Lexie stopped, but the employee had already opened the door and stepped inside. He glanced between Shaun and Lexie and then over his shoulder, where a group of giggling teenage girls followed behind. “Is something wrong, sir?”

The tension in Shaun’s shoulders refused to unclench. “I don’t know. Is it?”

“Shaun?” Lexie looked between him and the employee. “What’s going on?”

“Come over here,” Shaun said, drawing his words out. “Toward me. Don’t turn around.”

The employee’s eyes widened. “Sir?”

The teens pushed through the glass doors and into the room, laughing and whispering in each other’s ears. Shaun’s tension eased as the employee gestured to the terminals. “Here you are, ladies. Twenty minute maximum per session, please.”

“Sorry,” Shaun said, adding a brief laugh to diffuse the moment. “I thought you were someone else. I don’t suppose you know if there’s been anyone else in this room over the past hour or so, other than myself?”

The man shook his head, and Shaun finally pulled his observations away from the man’s face to read the name tag. Josh.

“Sorry, sir. I’ve come from a briefing, myself.” Josh divided his attention between Shaun and the teenagers. “Personnel are being shifted around at the moment.”

“Do you know which staff member was stationed in this area on departure?”

Josh pulled on the edge of his shirt, straightening out a rogue wrinkle. “We don’t typically station someone in this room for the duration of the trip. We have a few staff members with IT experience who check in every so often, but there’s a call button at the back wall in case of any technical issues.”

Shaun rubbed his chin, considering the best way to ask his question without alarming anyone. “Would you happen to know who’s on the schedule to do the first round of checks tonight?”

Josh grinned and nodded. “Yes. That would be me, sir. Security does initial sweeps at departure, but Sheila has the bulk of the overnight run. I’m on call for this room until then.”

“Did I see you down here earlier? Pass you in the hallway?”

Josh’s smile disappeared. “No, that wasn’t me. Sorry I can’t be of more help.”

Shaun gestured to Lexie, and she stepped closer to him as Josh vanished through a staff door. A physical attack, drugged coffee, stolen folder, hacked email and no leads. Complications would abound if he continued to exclude Lexie from his op, but she clearly had trust issues when it came to men. Or when it came to him, for some reason.

“I have a theory about your hacked email, but we can’t talk about it here. We need either a public place with plenty of noise or a closed room where no one can overhear. Did you have enough time to see if anything is missing?”

Lexie frowned and looked between the bank of computers and the door. “Oh no, you don’t. Mind telling me what that was about?”

“I will, as soon as we get somewhere that isn’t full of listening ears.” He inclined his head toward the teens, who were involved in an apparently hilarious game on a social networking website.

“Fine. Hang on a sec.” Lexie crossed her arms and returned to the computer. She tapped on the keyboard a few times before turning off the screen. “We can talk in my cabin, but I’d like to pick up another coffee since I didn’t get much out of that first one.”

Shaun pressed his lips together. He wanted to get this conversation over with, but it would do no good if she stayed on the defensive. Maybe with another coffee and a snack, she’d be more amicable to discussing what had happened.

“All right, but let’s make it quick.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder, annoyance rippling through her features. “You don’t have to follow me. The halls are full of people. I can meet you at my cabin.”

Instead of responding, he shook his head and kept pace behind her. No use trying to convince her of the necessity of teamwork before he’d had a chance to explain.

“My case files were gone, by the way,” she said as they descended the stairs to the deck below. “Everything has been deleted. Somebody doesn’t want me having access to information while I’m on board.”

* * *

Lexie noticed Shaun startle and nearly miss the next step. He grabbed onto the railing to steady himself, but she didn’t regret the tone of her delivery—these halls were full of passengers already worried about the sounds coming from outside the ship. Showing alarm would just add to the high tensions in the air.

They walked to the lounge in silence, where Lexie bought another cup of coffee and a bag of trail mix.

“You’re sure stuff was deleted?” His voice was light and upbeat, following her cue as they made their way back to her room. “Just the files on the case or other things, too?”

“Just the case,” she said, smiling as they passed a family of four in the hallway. The whole family wore fuzzy pajamas, and the two young children clutched plush toy characters from a recent animated film. The worried expressions on the parents’ faces suggested that no one knew yet what was going on. Lexie wished they’d make an announcement, but the calmness of the staff was mildly reassuring. If the situation were serious, surely they’d be evacuating people by now. “In fact,” Lexie continued, looking over her shoulder as they rounded the corner into her room’s hallway, “I think—”

Without warning, Shaun jumped forward and flung his arm out in front of Lexie, grabbing her shoulder to push her behind him against the wall. She winced at the pain of being slammed against a hard surface, but gritted her teeth to stay silent.

Lexie followed Shaun’s gaze to her doorway. It stood open about three inches, and though she’d intentionally left the light on before leaving for the computer room, no light shone through the door now.

“Stay here,” Shaun whispered. He crept forward with slow, steady steps, but Lexie’s attention was drawn to his right hand. He’d placed his hand inside his puffy vest, next to his right hip. There was only one reason a person would position their hand that way in a threatening situation, and it caused Lexie’s heart to pound even faster.

Why is he armed? She had to say something. Even if he had a perfectly good explanation, drawing a concealed weapon on board a Canadian passenger ferry could send him straight to prison. “Shaun.” Lexie’s voice wavered, but he ignored her, moving toward the door. “Shaun?”

He stopped at the edge of her door, cocking his head to listen. He glanced back at her and gestured for her to move toward him. She stopped about three feet away and watched as Shaun, with the practiced grace of a professional, slid his back against the door and reached his left hand slowly through the crack. The light switch clicked on and Shaun simultaneously slammed his palm against the door, which flew open.

Lexie peeked over Shaun’s shoulder to see an empty room. There were few places to hide in these small cabins, but Lexie waited in the doorway as Shaun checked the bathroom and closet.

“It is safe? Can I come in?” Whether she wanted to come in was another question entirely. Shaun hadn’t told her the whole truth about himself, that much had become clear. But could she blame him? It wasn’t as though she’d asked the right questions. Or any questions at all.

“All clear,” he called. The sound of a sliding shower curtain was followed by his reappearance. “You’d better check if anything was taken, though. You’re sure you locked the door when you left the room?”

Lexie’s wide eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, bristling at the implication. “Of course I did. You were standing right next to me and watched me do it.”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t make sense that someone would break into your room and not touch anything—”

Lexie crossed the room as he spoke. She lifted her bags off the bed—and screamed.

The bags tumbled from her hands and she stumbled backward, bumping into Shaun, who had moved across the room to grip her shoulders. An empty hollow formed in her stomach as tears sprang forth. She tried without success to blink them away.

Shaun’s grip tightened as he followed her gaze to the center of her bunk. Behind Lexie’s bags, someone had used a small, wood-handled hunting knife to spear the photo of Maria from the stolen folder to the bunk. Between the photo and the blade, a short braid of glossy black hair had been pinned to the image.

Lexie willed herself to step closer. There was writing on the bottom of the photo, which she didn’t recall seeing before. “Shaun?” The effort to raise her voice above a whisper was too much, and the bruises along her throat began to throb from shock. Almost every time Lexie had seen Maria, the young woman had worn her hair in a beautiful long braid. This had to be hers. Someone had cut her hair. But why?

Shaun turned her to face him, forcing her attentions away from the photo and threatening knife. To her surprise, Shaun had a hint of a smile on his face. “Breathe, Lexie. I know this is beyond scary, but it’s not as bad as it seems.”

Fury rose in her gut. “Not as bad as it seems? What’s wrong with you? I’m trying to find a girl who has either run away from home or had something horrible happen to her and now there’s a lock of her hair on my bedspread—”

Shaun placed gentle hands on her cheeks, commanding focus. “Yes, it’s terrible. But think about it this way. If that’s Maria’s hair? That means she’s on board this ship.”

Lexie felt the blood drain from her face. She blinked against light-headedness, willing herself to focus on the man in front of her. “That means I can find her.”

“We can find her,” Shaun said, emphasizing the first word. “But there are a few things we need to talk about first. I’m going to call security and get them up here to secure the room.”

She nodded, but her attention was drawn back to the photo. With her tears under control, she could now read what had been written at the bottom, in thick red paint. No, not paint. Lexie swallowed against the rising contents of her stomach as she read the two words smeared there: STOP SEARCHING.

“Or what?” Lexie whispered, glancing back at Shaun. “Do you think they’ll hurt Maria?”

Shaun’s shoulders drooped as he looked from the photo to Lexie. He scratched his chin and sighed in resignation. “No, Lexie. Think about it. Their target is you.”

FOUR

Lexie sank into the closest chair, Shaun’s deduction ringing in her ears. None of this made sense. Why target her? Sure, Lexie had her suspicions about Maria’s disappearance, but she’d honestly thought that her parents would have received a ransom note or message by now. The lack of communication from an abductor or kidnapper had only reinforced Maria’s parents’ belief that their daughter had run away, and Lexie had had to follow clues and an anonymous tip that led her on this trip. But with Lexie’s folder disappearing, the email hack and now the lopped-off braid and warning message, the whole thing spoke of something bigger going on. Had there been truth to Shaun’s warning, after all?

He’d brought a gun on board, of that much she was certain, but it didn’t explain his involvement or the reason why someone would try to scare her off what should be an innocuous retrieval of a mildly rebellious young woman. Or even if it did turn out to be kidnapping, why hadn’t anyone asked for money? Lexie swallowed the urge to demand an explanation from Shaun. She’d get answers from him once the security team examined the strange mess on her bunk.

“I think,” she began, striving to keep from staring at either the bunk or where she suspected the gun was tucked on Shaun’s belt, “that you have some explaining to do.” Before she could finish her thoughts, heat rushed from her belly to her forehead. A ringing in her ears drowned out Shaun’s response. Her lungs seemed to decide that breathing was optional, and beads of sweat broke out along her forehead.

Shaun gripped her shoulders, his face blurry in her compromised vision. “Lexie? Stay with me, Lexie. What’s wrong? Are you ill?”

Barely lucid, Lexie waved a limp arm toward the bathroom, hoping Shaun would get the message. He disappeared and returned with a plastic cup of water, which he tilted up to her lips. She drank, grateful for the cooling effect of the liquid, but beyond mortified that she’d lost the strength to hold the cup herself. She squeezed her eyes shut and let the panic attack run its course.

After a few minutes of labored breathing and intense internal waves of heat, Lexie felt well enough to open her eyes again. Shaun knelt in front of her chair, concern etched across his features. “What happened? Should I call a nurse?”

Lexie shook her head and downed the rest of the water. “Panic attack. I’m okay, I’ll just feel a little dizzy for a few hours.”

“You’re sure you don’t need medical attention? I can have one of the nurses down here in minutes.”

Under different circumstances, Lexie might have laughed and explained the details of what a panic attack entailed, but right now she felt more annoyed with her body’s bad timing and unpredictable response to stress than anything else. “No nurse needed, all right? This happens once in a while. It’s not a condition I can control. It feels like I’m dying for about ten to fifteen minutes and then I’m fine.”

Lexie wished her cabin had an extra room she could disappear into for a few minutes, not only to give her body a break from trying to process the stresses of the day, but also to get away from the clear worry on Shaun’s face. His concern made her stomach queasy, mostly because it didn’t make sense. How could someone who’d so callously shattered her sister’s heart act with such tenderness?

Heat rose in her cheeks as she realized she’d been staring at him. He stared back, refusing to break eye contact. A gasp rose in her throat and she swallowed it down, looking away with effort. No, no, no. Shaun was all wrong for her.

She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the present. Someone had left her a warning, and she needed to know why. “The only reason I can think of for that message,” she said, working it out as she spoke, “would be if Maria isn’t simply missing, as her parents believe. Whoever did this means business. They have to know I’m looking for her, which only confirms the worst-case scenario. Shaun, Maria left her prom dress behind. It doesn’t make sense.”

“You’re suggesting she might have been taken?” Weariness betrayed Shaun’s otherwise confident demeanor. “Because you’re on the right track, in that case.”

Lexie shot him a sharp look. “You know about this? Let me guess—I should stay out of it and let you handle things.”

Shaun ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against the desk. “I think we’re beyond that. In brief, kidnapping isn’t far off. The correct term here is likely trafficking, though I don’t want to jump the gun just yet.”

Lexie cringed at his choice of words. “Because anything to do with a handgun on Canadian soil would be problematic.”

Shaun squinted at her. “Right.”

Since he didn’t rise to the bait, she pounced on the rest of his know-it-all commentary. “And I don’t see how trafficking fits into this. We’re on a ferry to Newfoundland. Last time I heard about trafficking, it involved moving drugs or weapons across the Pacific.”

“Exactly. Which would make the Atlantic an ideal route for a savvy trafficker with connections and the know-how to get their cargo from point A to B.”

“Cargo? Their drugs?”

Shaun shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m afraid not. It’s far worse than that. There are groups around the world who traffic people, Lexie. They kidnap young women and sell them to the highest bidder for work in factories or as domestic help to people who have more money than brains or morals. These girls don’t know what they’re getting into, and are usually enticed by the promise of a great job in a flashy foreign country. They’re offered high salaries and plenty of additional perks, but by the time the girls realize they’ve been duped, it’s far too late.”

Lexie’s stomach churned as she tucked her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs. “I thought that kind of thing only happened overseas, not here. I’ve wondered why the girls don’t just run away, but I know it’s much more complicated than that. It’s hard to believe this goes on without the whole world freaking out about it.”

Shaun sighed. “It’s a harder problem to solve than it sounds. These people operate covertly, and yes, even here in North America. They’re smart. And it’s not unusual to drug these young women en route. By the time the girls get to the factory or new home, they’re either threatened with bodily harm or their captors threaten to hurt the girls’ families if they don’t cooperate. So they go along with it, working themselves to the bone, while the factory owners reap excess profits from their cheaply made products.”

It sounded insane, and yet...what other explanation could there be? The world made less sense by the minute. “How do you know all this?” she asked, peering up at him. He looked far too relaxed if what he’d just told her was true.

He pushed away from the desk and crossed the cabin to the emergency phone. “I’m going to call security, all right? They’re going to want to deal with this before we make a mess of it.”

Lexie unfurled her legs and stretched, hoping to work out the crick in her lower back from the earlier events of the day. Once security completed their sweep of the room, she and Shaun were going to have a serious talk, whether he liked it or not. He knew far too much to be a simple passenger on board the ship—not to mention the gun she was sure he had hidden in his waistband.

Shaun Lane had a secret, and she intended to figure it out.

* * *

Shaun’s heart thudded as he replaced the phone receiver. It had become quite apparent that he needed to bring Lexie in on his case. The woman had a good head on her shoulders, and she wouldn’t accept his diversions for long. He had to call his case officer with an update sometime in the next few hours anyway, and he needed to clarify how much he could tell Lexie about his search for the Wolf without leading her into even more danger.

On the other side of the room, Lexie’s stare bore holes into his skull. He admired her persistence—and understood her desire for answers perhaps more than anyone else aboard—but safety had to come first. Whoever left the braid and the message knew very well who she searched for, but likely hadn’t yet figured out Shaun’s purpose here. That put her in the line of fire and left him with the option of sticking by her side for the next twelve hours or so until they docked...not that he’d complain about spending more time around her, but with it came the possibility of being distracted for entirely the wrong reasons.

As he contemplated what to say to ease her raised hackles, crackling came through a speaker in the corner of the room.

“Ship-wide announcement?” Shaun watched as surprise flit across Lexie’s visage. She already looked tired. Hopefully this announcement would bring some good news about the noises around the ship.

A pleasant, masculine voice with a heavy Newfoundland accent came over the speaker. “Good evening to all passengers of the MV Providence. This is your captain speaking, and on behalf of myself and the crew, we’d like to thank you for choosing Atlantic Voyages for your journey to Argentia this evening. No doubt you’ve heard quite the ruckus outside, and we’d like to ease your minds. Please rest assured, the ship is in no danger. It’s quite natural for ice to form this time of year, though it’s atypical for ice to reform this quickly and this thick after a warm spell. As you know, the weather this year has been a mite unpredictable. However, we are not, repeat not, going to sink.”

The captain paused, and Shaun regarded Lexie. She’d taken his place leaning against the desk, her arms folded and hands tucked against her sides. An urge to cross the room and rub her shoulders for reassurance tugged at his gut, but she appeared less than welcome to any sort of interfering comfort at the moment.

“What sometimes happens,” the captain continued, “is the ice thickens to the point where the ferry is unable to break through the ice on her own. We’re also unable to turn around and return to harbor. But rest assured! An icebreaker from the Canadian Coast Guard is on its way.”

Lexie glanced his direction, met his eyes and looked quickly away. What was she thinking? He’d give more than a penny for her thoughts. He’d pay a whole dollar—what was it they called them in Canada? Loonies?

“So, please sit tight and enjoy the ship’s amenities. A special, complimentary evening buffet will be provided by our kitchen staff in about a half hour’s time, and we’ll provide hot beverages for the remainder of the evening at no cost. Current estimates put us docking into Argentia late tomorrow evening—a slight delay from our original estimated arrival time. We will continue to provide updates as the situation develops.”

The speaker broadcast ended with a click. Shaun didn’t even attempt to hide the sigh that welled up, releasing it in a long, drawn-out breath. Having the ferry trapped in ice presented an additional complication, namely that it meant more time in an enclosed vessel with someone who wanted to hurt Lexie. If his suspicions were correct, that someone also happened to be a notorious criminal who had eluded him for the past three years.

This left Shaun with just one option: Find the Wolf and take him into custody before he could hurt Lexie or anyone else. First things first, though. He had a question, the answer to which might provide some insight into the situation.

“The security team should be here in a minute,” he said. “But before they get here, I’m curious. What made you pick this ferry? Specifically, I mean.” He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going with this, but his gut told him it might be important.

Lexie raised one eyebrow at him. “If you must know, though I don’t think it’s any of your business, we received an anonymous tip at Lead Me Home. The tipster saw Maria’s photo on our website and called to tell us he saw someone matching her description at the last gas station on the highway before the ferry terminal. Logic followed that she might be headed to Newfoundland, as there isn’t really anywhere else to go from here. And the small community of North Sydney, Nova Scotia, isn’t the kind of place a person can run to in order to disappear. It’s not unusual for us to get tips like this. Folks call in sightings of people we’re searching for, or report whispers and rumors. Sometimes finding a person is as simple as a friend knowing where their buddy has gone for the weekend, or an employee at a rehab facility letting us know the person has checked in. This one came in about Maria, so I followed it. I didn’t pick this ship for any particular purpose, just got on the road as soon as I could after the tip came in.”

Buzzers went off in Shaun’s ears as he listened to Lexie’s explanation. As a CIA operative, he relied on leads from anonymous sources on a regular basis, following up on promising tips and using the intel to assist sensitive investigations. The kicker here? He’d undertaken the voyage to Newfoundland for a similar reason, after receiving a tip that possible suspects with ties to the Wolf might be operating out of Argentia. It could be a coincidence, but in his experience, very few happenings in life could truly be chalked up to coincidence.

Had the same anonymous tipster provided intel to the CIA and to Lexie’s missing-persons organization? It seemed unlikely and far-fetched, but then again, so did the fact that he’d bumped into Nicola’s sister on a ferry to Newfoundland, far from both of their homes.

And even more bizarre? That Lexie might possibly be targeted by the same man he’d been trying to bring down for the past three years.

* * *

Although he stood on the other side of the room, Lexie felt keenly aware of Shaun’s presence. His concern for her safety had softened the edges of her anger, though allowing herself to pursue any line of thought regarding why wouldn’t serve any purpose. Better that they remained far from each other, especially after the embrace he’d given her when they found the braid and photo on the bunk. They’d fit together too well.

She had to stop thinking about him that way. She wouldn’t be the second Reilly sister to have her heart broken and her life shattered by this man. Lexie squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

“Knock, knock?”

Several raps on the door frame followed the question, and three men in navy blue security uniforms entered the room. An older, stocky gentleman who looked as if he’d spent a lifetime on the open water strode over to Shaun and extended his hand. “Tim Parsons. We spoke earlier about the incident on the parking deck?”

“Tim, thank you for bringing your team in here. We’ve got a bit of an unusual situation.” Shaun took the man’s hand in a firm grasp, and Lexie noted with mild annoyance that all the security officer offered her was a curt nod.

“Call me Parsons.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder toward the two men behind him. The shorter of the two had a lanky build with arms that went on for days, and bright orange hair to complement it. He stared at the floor and the walls as though wishing he could be anywhere but inside a passenger’s room. The other security officer, however, looked familiar. “Reed and Josh are my main team. We’ll do what we can, but as you know, we have our hands full with the recent announcement. What’s the situation here?”

Josh seemed to sense her gaze on him and met her look with a nod of acknowledgment. They’d met him in the computer room. Well, a familiar face was a good thing, right?

“Lexie, why don’t you have one of the officers escort you to the lounge?” Shaun’s question sliced through her brooding thoughts. “I’ll meet you there after we get things sorted here.”

Escort her to the lounge, as if she was a child? Not likely. “I can see myself there, thank you very much. But this is my room, so I don’t see why I should leave.”

Parsons cleared his throat, waving his hand in her general direction. “Sorry, miss, but judging by what this gentleman has told me, we’ll need to move you to another room while this one is under investigation.” He turned back to Shaun. “There’s no Royal Canadian Mounted Police on board today, but we’ll close off the room until we reach harbor.”

Lexie shuffled closer to her bags, away from the door. Being pushed out of whatever was going on wouldn’t help her investigation or give her the answers she needed regarding Shaun’s latest suggestion. Human trafficking? It sounded absurd, and yet deep in her heart, she knew that some people were fully capable of evil. Was kidnapping people and forcing them into menial labor truly that far-fetched?

“Won’t moving me to another room cause the same problem? If somebody got in here, they could get into that room, too. I don’t see how that’s any safer.”

Parsons smiled at her as though she’d lost a few brain cells. “It’s a matter of protocol and safety, Miss...”

“Reilly. Lexie Reilly.” She didn’t bother to cross the room and shake his hand. “Forget about the room. I don’t need sleep.” She reached down to pick up her bags, but a hand on her arm stopped her mid-motion. She straightened to find Shaun next to her, a sheepish smile on his face.

“It’s a good idea, Lexie. Humor me on this and take a different, safer room for the night. The person who accessed your room may have hacked into the passenger list and found your room number there. Your new room won’t be on file, so you should be able to get a good night’s rest.”

Lexie scolded her heart, which threatened to melt at his sincerity. She matched his gaze and held it for a few seconds before realizing that he did, in fact, make a good point about the passenger list. “Fine. But I still want an explanation for how you know all that stuff you told me...understand?”

He nodded and took a step back, easing the growing tension in the air between them. “I’ll tell you as much as I can, and that’s a promise. But you’ll have to meet me halfway. I have some questions for you, too. Meet in the lounge in a half hour or so?”

She agreed, picked up her bags and headed to the door. What could he possibly have to ask her? Compulsion moved her to look back at Shaun one last time before following Reed to her new cabin. He and Parsons were discussing the photo left on her bunk, and despite the lumberjack getup he wore, Shaun’s demeanor looked too smooth—too professional for him to simply be a passenger who’d stumbled across her path. And while this thought left her with more suspicions than reassurances, she couldn’t help but wonder why she’d felt so much safer in his presence than she had in the few moments she’d been on board alone.

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