Burn

Bridget inclined her head in acknowledgment, then said, "Here’s what’s going to happen. The first night at sea, there’s no formal dinner because everyone is too busy getting settled, but the casual restaurants and bars are open. You’ll go out to eat alone. If anyone asks, Ms. Hazlett had to cancel at the last minute because of a stomach virus. In a day or so, she’ll be allowed to call her father and tell him the same thing, in case someone here onboard sends an e-mail or text message to her father, asking if she’s okay."

That meant they planned on Syd still being alive a couple of days from now, Jenner thought, and went cold at the realization that the exact opposite could so easily have been true.

"After you eat, go out to the Fog Bank, which is the aft bar on the Lido deck – "

"Where’s aft?"

Bridget paused, as if she wasn’t certain whether or not Jenner was pulling her leg.

"Look," Jenner said testily, "I’ve never been on a ship before. I intended to rely on Syd to lead me around until I got things figured out, but you screwed that up, so if you want me in a particular place at a particular time, it’s up to you to get me there."

"Aft is the rear of the ship," replied Bridget with grim patience. "This suite is on the left side, the port side, of the ship. When you leave the room, turn right, and you’ll be heading aft."

"Okay. Aft bar, Lido deck. Where’s the Lido deck?"

"The elevator buttons are named instead of numbered, as I’m sure you noticed when you took the elevator up to this deck. The Lido deck is the fun deck. The top deck is usually the sports deck, and the second deck is the Lido. The Lido is where games are played – "

"How appropriate," Jenner murmured.

Bridget’s jaw clenched ever so slightly. Her calm was beginning to show a few cracks. Still, she ignored Jenner’s interruption and continued, "A couple will get into an argument. Their names are Cael and Tiffany. They’re sharing a stateroom, but they’ll break up, very publicly. Then he’ll approach you, and it’ll be love at first sight."

"Unlikely. I’m not the impulsive type. And I’m not known for picking up sleazoids."

"Pretend," Bridget said briefly, through clenched teeth.

"That I’ve suddenly lost all my common sense and taste? Ooookay."

"Oh, jeez," Bridget said under her breath. Then, more loudly, "Cael’s a good-looking guy, so your taste won’t come into question. He’ll hit on you, and all you have to do is act smitten. He’ll finesse the details, come back here with you, and from then on you’re his headache, I hope."

"So he’ll be my guard?" she asked warily. Being at a man’s mercy made her uneasy, as it would any woman with an ounce of common sense.

Finally she’d asked a question that seemed to please Bridget, if her wide, bright, shark smile was any indication. "He’s more than that. He’s the boss. How healthy your friend stays depends entirely on how happy you make Cael."

THE BIG SHIP EASED AWAY from the dock, but Jenner missed the excitement of departure on her very first cruise because she was literally being held hostage in her own suite. Bridget had other duties to fulfill, but another woman had taken her place. This one called herself Faith. Whether or not that was her real name was anyone’s guess. She was tall and slim, as classically lovely as Syd, and had the same sort of style – the one that screamed Old Money. Her thick brown hair fell in a perfectly cut swath down her back, and her discreet makeup emphasized her high cheekbones and large hazel eyes.

Over the years Jenner had learned how to recognize designer clothing, so she knew Faith was wearing Roberto Cavalli sandals that cost upward of eight hundred dollars. The diamonds in her bracelet, and the big solitaire nestled against her wedding ring, were genuine. Had she stolen them, or was she rich? And if she was rich, why was she involved with kidnappers?

Regardless of Faith’s beauty, and her good taste in clothes and jewelry, she, too, had that very fit, toned look that said she worked out regularly. And even if she wasn’t Bridget’s equal in the ass-kicking department, so what? Jenner was still over a barrel, because of Syd.

Syd must be terrified. Where were they holding her? Had they hurt her, maybe slapped her around, to make her do what they wanted? The image of someone hitting sweet, vulnerable Sydney made Jenner tremble with rage. Syd had never harmed anyone. She had no idea how to fight, and emotionally she was defenseless against any type of violence.

Jenner wrenched her thoughts away from Syd, because otherwise she’d become so angry she couldn’t think straight, not that she could anyway. Her thoughts seemed to spin in circles, as she asked herself the same questions over and over despite the complete lack of answers. Who were these people? What did they want? Evidently not money, because they weren’t holding Syd for ransom. Instead, they were holding her as a means of forcing Jenner to do … what? Act as if she’d fallen in instant lust with this guy Cael? To what end?

Did they have some kind of long con going on? From bitter experience with her dad, she knew cons, knew how they worked. If this was a con, it wasn’t like any she’d ever heard of before. Cons manipulated people into behaving in stupid ways, they didn’t involve elaborate kidnapping schemes – that took the con into the realm of a federal offense.

So, no con was involved. To go to this much trouble and expense, and to have as many people involved in the game as they did, they were serious. She knew of at least four people on this ship – Bridget, Faith, and the unknown Cael and Tiffany – and she’d talked to one other man, the one who had Sydney. That was five people, at a minimum. Probably more than one person was with Syd. And if she believed Bridget, there were other people on the ship who wouldn’t be identified to her, so she wouldn’t know if she was being watched or not.