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  The woman nodded.

  Sam knelt in front of the woman sitting on a deck chair. “I’m Samantha. My friends call me Sam.”

  “You’re too pretty to be called by a man’s name.”

  Sam smiled. “You just made my day, Mrs. Cardwell. Tell me what’s going on. Are you having chest pains?” She checked the woman’s vitals as she asked a series of questions to diagnose the problem. The longer Sam spoke quietly with Mrs. Cardwell, the more her breathing calmed.

  Joe scanned the area and nearby passengers, alert for potential threats to the ship and Sam and Mercy. If the fire was a distraction, Sam and Mercy would be targets out here in the open.

  Within minutes, Sam patted the woman’s hand and stood. “Feeling better now?”

  Mrs. Cardwell smiled. “Thank you, my dear. I feel so silly.”

  “Stress can cause different types of reactions in our bodies.”

  “Including you?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m not a fan of being on a ship this far from shore.”

  “How are you remaining so calm?”

  Sam’s eyes met Joe’s before she turned back to answer the question. “Joe keeps me grounded. He’s been a huge help.”

  Joe cupped the side of Sam’s neck with his left hand, ensuring Mrs. Cardwell saw the wedding band. This was the first time he had heard of Sam’s reluctance to be on board a ship. Was she trying to help the woman feel better or did her words reveal her true feelings?

  Mrs. Cardwell’s eyes twinkled. “If my husband was still alive and as handsome as yours, I’d be glad to have him help me stay in the moment, too.”

  Joe chuckled, surprised at the light flirtation. The lady was a charmer.

  “Martha!” Another older woman shoved through the crowd and stopped by Mrs. Cardwell’s side. The two women shared a family resemblance. Joe figured they were sisters or cousins. “Are you all right? What happened?”

  “Just a little trouble catching my breath, Anne. I’m fine now.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe you should see the ship’s doctor.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary, Sis.” Mrs. Cardwell turned to Sam. “What do you think?”

  “Having a doctor check you wouldn’t hurt, especially if you begin having chest pains.”

  “Are you a nurse?” Anne asked.

  “Medic.”

  At that moment, an announcement came over the loudspeaker informing those aboard that the ship’s personnel had doused a minor kitchen fire and passengers could resume normal activities.

  “Thank goodness.” Anne turned to Mrs. Cardwell. “Come on. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

  “I agree.”

  Joe helped Martha Cardwell stand. “Take care of yourself, ma’am.”

  She patted his forearm. “Don’t worry. I intend to do just that. Come on, Anne. We’ll ask the cabin steward to bring us ice cream. After a scare like this, we deserve it.”

  “Sounds perfect.” Anne glanced at Mercy. “I enjoyed your demonstration at dinner. Made me wish I could do more than draw terrible stick figures. You are very talented.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “It’s Anne Claiborne. Call me Anne.” She turned to Sam and Joe. “Thank you for helping Martha. We’ll see you tomorrow.” The two women left to return to their cabin, walking arm-in-arm.

  When Mercy turned to follow them to the staircase, Joe laid a hand on her shoulder. “Wait.”

  “Why?”

  “Too many people in a confined space. A stairwell is the perfect place for an intentional accident. Wait until the crowd thins.”

  Mercy’s expression showed her unhappiness but she nodded in agreement.

  A few minutes later, a text from Nico appeared on his phone screen. He scanned the message. “Nico and Curt will meet us at the suite in five minutes.”

  Still concerned about the women’s safety, Joe motioned for Sam and Mercy to go down the stairs ahead of him. Sam nudged Mercy to walk near the wall while she took the outside position to better protect the artist.

  When they entered the suite. Mercy glanced around. “Wow. This is nice. Nico and I would have enjoyed a suite like this.”

  Maybe. If Shadow’s leader trusted the security officers aboard this ship. That was unlikely from what Joe had seen thus far.

  A sharp knock sounded on the door.

  Joe checked the peephole and opened the door for his teammates to enter the suite. He didn’t have to ask if the fire was an accident. Their body language told the tale. “Anybody see anything?”

  Curt snorted.

  That’s what Joe had been afraid of.

  Mercy wrapped her arms around Nico. “What happened?”

  He hugged her close. “One of the ovens caught fire.”

  Sam’s eyebrows rose. “That sounds like a normal occurrence in my world.”

  “You don’t toss clothes inside an oven in use.”

  “The steward’s uniform?” Joe guessed.

  Nico nodded.

  Joe dragged a hand down his face, frustrated. The fake steward had covered his tracks. “Maybe a security camera recorded his movements.”

  “Security office is my next stop.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Mercy said. “Maybe I can tempt you into a moonlight walk on the deck afterward.”

  Nico’s face softened. “Sounds like a great plan.”

  Another knock on the door heralded Trace and Ben’s arrival. Joe waved them to the living room. “We have a lot to cover before Nico goes to the security office to check a possible lead.”

  Joe sat on the couch and gently tugged Sam down beside him. Before Nico gave Ben and Trace a rundown of events, Joe threaded his fingers through Sam’s. When she stared at him in surprise, he winked at her. The medic needed to be comfortable with him holding and kissing her. He wouldn’t stop unless she kicked him to the curb after this mission was completed. He intended to make sure he was lodged so deep in her heart she wouldn’t want to push him away.

  When his attention shifted to Nico, Joe noticed his teammates and Mercy staring at him and Sam. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Trace stretched his legs out in front of him. “We’re glad you’re smart enough to make a move on the lady.”

  “They have to act like they’re married,” Mercy pointed out.

  “Outside the suite.” Ben’s lips curved slightly. “Trace is right. Joe finally got his act together.”

  Nico held up his hand. “Back on point.”

  “What’s been happening?” Trace asked.

  Between Nico, Curt, and Joe, they updated the other men.

  Ben’s brows knitted. “Why risk a larger fire aboard? Would have been simpler to weigh the clothes down with a heavy object and toss them overboard.”

  Nico shook his head. “More chances of someone seeing him throw the clothes overboard than tossing clothes in an oven. Passengers wander around the ship at all hours of the day and night. In an empty kitchen, the job takes two or three seconds.”

  Trace frowned. “He’d need precision timing or serious luck.”

  “He knows the ship routine,” Sam pointed out. “If he has access to a steward’s uniform, what prevents him from scoring a waiter’s uniform?”

  Mercy nodded. “Sam’s right. Who questions the presence of a waiter in the kitchen?”

  She had a good argument, Joe conceded. “Swipe the uniform and you’re another invisible cog in the Pacific Star’s machine.”

  Nico looked thoughtful. “No one would notice him until it was too late.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sam opened the suite’s balcony door and walked to the railing, enjoying the cool breeze and the moonlight dancing on the surface of the Pacific Ocean. She should go to bed. Right. As if she wanted to face more nightmares. Every time she closed her eyes, Sam saw the bullet arrowing toward her chest in slow motion and no matter which direction she turned to evade it, the projectile slammed into her body anyw
ay.

  She didn’t need Marcus Lang’s counsel to know what she was feeling was normal. As a medic, Sam counseled her teammates on the body and mind’s mechanisms to process trauma. Knowing she was normal didn’t alleviate the frustration. Sam didn’t want to be the weak link on her team and that’s how PTSD made her feel. Weak.

  Although Sam didn’t hear movement, she knew Joe had joined her on the balcony. She wasn’t surprised when his body heat warmed her back and his hands bracketed hers on the railing seconds later.

  “Can’t sleep?” he asked, voice soft. Joe had left the suite to find ice, bottled water, and soft drinks, encouraging her to go to bed.

  She considered blowing off his question. Couldn’t. In the past two days, her relationship with Joe had moved to a different level, one in which she felt compelled to tell him the truth. Conscious they still played a role outside the suite and voices carried at night on the water, she murmured, “Don’t want to.”

  Somewhere close by, laughter from a couple on another balcony drifted on the breeze to Sam and Joe.

  He kissed the side of her neck, eliciting a shiver from her. “You have to sleep sometime.”

  She didn’t need the reminder. Her sleeping issue hampered her recovery. Yeah, she could have taken a mild sleep aid. Her lips curved. Guess the refusal made her as stubborn as her macho teammates.

  Joe wrapped his arms around her waist and drew Sam back against his chest. As he spoke, his lips brushed her ear. “Have you tried sleeping outside?”

  She turned her head toward him. “We live in a large city. Sleeping on the patio isn’t safe.”

  He squeezed her waist. “You built a tree house in your backyard, Sparky. Why not sleep there?”

  “What good would that do?”

  “You were shot in a small, enclosed space. Maybe you need to know subconsciously that you have room to maneuver and defend yourself.”

  Sam stared, stunned at the simple solution to a problem she hadn’t been able to diagnose for herself. Could it be that easy? Oh, she knew the nightmares wouldn’t totally disappear with this one small change. If she could lessen the frequency and manage to sleep a few consecutive hours, though, her body would recover faster.

  Already her mind jumped to several possibilities to beef up security in the tree house. She could design multiple escape routes including one leading her higher up the tree instead of down to the ground. The thick branch she was thinking of would give her access to her neighbor’s yard where could she escape if one of Shadow’s enemies attacked.

  Joe turned Sam to face him, his arms circling her waist again. “We should try it tonight. The temperature is comfortable and rain isn’t in the forecast.”

  She frowned. “You just said I have trouble sleeping because I feel trapped. This balcony isn’t large and I would have no room to maneuver without being in danger of falling off the ship.” Not a cheerful thought. Sam could hold her own in a pool but she wasn’t an Olympic swimmer and had no desire to battle creatures of the deep.

  “You won’t be alone. I’ll be here to watch your back.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Will you try? If it doesn’t work, we’ll go inside and come up with another plan.”

  “What about you? You need sleep, too.” Sam didn’t want Joe to ignore taking care of himself to watch over her, never mind that she would have watched over him in a heartbeat if he needed her.

  “I’ll sleep out here, too. We’ll leave the door to the suite open. We’ll hear if anyone breaks in.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “You game?”

  What did she have to lose? She might gain a few more hours of sleep. At worst, she’d stay awake in the company of a handsome operative under a romantic moon. “I’d like that. Thanks.”

  Joe tightened his grip. “I would do anything for you. You know that, right?”

  “I feel the same about you.”

  He was silent a moment. “Did you think about our conversation before dinner?”

  She nodded. How could she not? Despite tracking a mysterious murdering steward, Joe dominated her thoughts. Who was she kidding? Joe had dominated her thoughts since the first moment she’d seen him five years ago.

  “Do you have questions?”

  “One.”

  “What?”

  “Did you mean what you said?”

  Joe eased her closer. “Every word.”

  “We’ve worked together for five years and you pushed me away before now. What changed?”

  “I thought I would lose you three months ago, Sam. I didn’t want to waste another minute without you. Our job isn’t the safest in the world. I didn’t want to die with regrets. Not pursuing a relationship with you would have been the biggest regret of my life.” He lowered his head and spoke against her ear, his warm breath causing a surge of goosebumps over her body. “Give me a chance, sweetheart. Give us a chance to explore this bond growing between us.”

  She longed to take the plunge with no thought for the possible fallout. She couldn’t. “What if this new relationship doesn’t work? You’re my best friend, my partner. I don’t want to lose you or our team.”

  “That won’t happen. We’ll figure it out. Take a leap of faith, Sam. Don’t walk away from me because you’re afraid. I am, too. I’m more afraid of missing out on a relationship with the most incredible woman I’ve ever known.”

  Sam looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity and restraint Joe exercised to keep himself from pressuring her to give in. She thought about their conversations through text, phone calls, and face-to-face encounters the past few months and knew her heart had already decided the matter. She drew in a deep breath and took that leap. “Yes.”

  Joe froze. “Yes?” he whispered. “You’ll let this relationship between us develop naturally?”

  Sam slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes. Kiss me, Joe.”

  He flashed her a grin, his eyes lit with joy. In the next moment, his mouth captured hers, his kiss hot, ravenous, and so good. When he finally lifted his head, Joe nuzzled the side of her neck. “I swear you won’t regret this. We’ll take it one day at a time. Just don’t hold back or hide. Talk to me. Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  He held her tight against him for a few minutes until their breathing steadied. Easing back, Joe framed her face between his rough palms. “We need to sleep. I’ll grab a couple blankets and pillows. We’ll camp out here and enjoy the night breeze.”

  “I’ll help.” She followed him into the suite and found two blankets while Joe went after the pillows. Back on the balcony, Sam eyed the narrow couch and glanced around the small area. “How will we do this?”

  “Easy.” He dropped a pillow on one end of the couch and motioned for her to lay down. Joe covered her with the blanket, then stretched out on the floor beside the couch with his own pillow and blanket.

  He turned on his side and positioned her hand on his shoulder. “Wake me if this doesn’t work.”

  In answer, she squeezed his shoulder and began to relax the muscle groups in her body, starting at her feet and moving up. As she went through the process, her body let her know which muscles were tight and which were still healing from the extensive damage done by a would-be killer’s bullet.

  Although she didn’t expect to sleep, Sam grew heavy lidded. Maybe Joe was right. Perhaps the root of her problem had been feeling trapped. Maybe she felt safe having Joe with her, knowing he had her back and always would.

  She woke with a gasp twice during the night, remembering the pain and terror she experienced in that bathroom. Both times, Joe held her until the shakes disappeared, then kissed her and tucked the blanket around her again before returning to his pallet. The good news? The nightmares didn’t wake her every hour or two as had been the recent pattern. Hopefully, the nightmares would ease off before the weather turned cold in Nashville. Maybe she should resume the intense sessions with Marcus when Shadow was between missions because Sam hated to be cold.

  Joe
sat up as the sun lightened the sky to a pearl gray. “Good morning.”

  “Hi.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “Better,” she admitted. “You were right.”

  He smiled. “We should write down today’s date in case I need to refer to a time when I was actually right.”

  Sam’s laughter was soft in deference to the early hour. “I’ll make a note of it.”

  “Coffee?”

  “Sounds fantastic.” When she started to get up, Joe laid a hand on her shoulder to hold her in place.

  “Enjoy the sunrise. I’ll bring the coffee when it’s ready.” He gave her a quick kiss and went into the suite.

  Sam swung her feet to the balcony floor and watched the world come to life. When Joe rejoined her, he brought two mugs of coffee and sat beside Sam. They sipped their drinks in companionable silence as the Pacific Star continued to power toward the next port, the sun continuing to rise on the horizon.

  When her mug was empty, Joe set it aside along with his own. He gathered Sam into his arms and kissed her with gentle thoroughness. Minutes later, he raised his head. “That’s a perfect start to the day.” He stood and held out his hand. “Go shower. Nico will be here in thirty minutes. Zane has information for us.”

  “Did Nico give us a hint?”

  “No, ma’am.” He urged her inside the suite and closed the balcony door. “We’ll find out soon enough. Want more coffee?”

  She shook her head.

  “I found ice, water, and soft drinks last night. Any of those sound interesting?”

  Always taking care of her. The knowledge wrapped itself around her heart, nudging her closer to falling off the ledge into love. “Water.”

  Joe retrieved a bottle of water from the small refrigerator and handed it to Sam. “Take your time. I’ll gather the blankets and pillows, then check email while you’re getting ready.”

  Sam hurried into the bathroom. Minutes later, she was dressed in a short-sleeve shirt and jeans along with her boots. No, they weren’t typical vacation clothes. However, with the murder and fire aboard ship yesterday, Sam needed the protection of more durable material and shoes. Her typical work gear would draw too much attention.