Burn (Page 37)
What terrified her was that they were letting her see their faces, giving her their names. The names could be fake, but their faces weren’t. Did that mean they weren’t worried about anything she might later tell the authorities? Maybe they didn’t intend for her to return alive from this cruise. After she’d done what they wanted, all it would take was a simple tip over the balcony rail, and she’d be gone.
But what about everyone else aboard the ship? There were people here who knew her, knew Syd. If she was supposed to be carrying on a torrid shipboard romance with a man she’d just met, others would notice. She’d have to introduce him to people they encountered, so even more people would be able to describe him. Not only that, he’d gotten aboard by going through the same security procedures as everyone else. His photograph was in the facial recognition program. There was no way he could hope to get away, unless he destroyed the entire ship and everyone on it.
Recognizing how far she’d strayed from the shoreline of logic, Jenner mentally paddled back into shallow water. These people weren’t on a suicide mission. They had a definite purpose, and they needed her to carry it out.
So … that meant she had an edge with them. They needed her. They’d gone to the extreme of kidnapping Syd to use as leverage against her, to make certain she did as they wanted. This probably meant they wouldn’t hurt her, but Syd didn’t have that protection.
She tried to think of some way, any way, that she could thwart them, but finally she had to admit that she was infuriatingly helpless. Jenner hated being helpless. She hated feeling vulnerable, not knowing what to do or where to turn. She hated this strange woman sitting in her suite and calmly reading the book she’d brought, paying no more attention to her than if she were a fly – less, even, because she’d at least have swatted at a fly.
Deciding she’d rather be swatted at than dismissed, Jenner got up and went to the balcony door.
"Please sit down," Faith said, her tone as courteous as if she were offering coffee or tea.
"I will," Jenner returned, "out on the balcony." Her heart thumped hard from the fear that they might take this out on Syd – could they have a severed pinkie finger, or ear, or any other body part, delivered to her at sea? – but this was nothing other than a small push to discover her boundaries. They had to realize that, if they actually did hurt Syd, they ran the risk of pushing Jenner so far she balked. This was a balancing act they were all engaging in, with neither side wanting to push the other into anything rash. She banked on that as she stepped out onto the balcony.
Warm, moist air wrapped around her. The movement of the ship created a breeze that kept the temperature pleasant. Going to the rail, she gripped it and leaned over just a little, looking to her left to see the sunlit coast of California and Mexico falling behind as the Silver Mist steadily moved southwest – more west than south – toward Hawaii. Even leaning out that little bit was enough to make her head swim, so she retreated to the deck chairs and sat down in the one farthest from the door, stretching out her legs and relaxing against the high chair back.
Faith followed her onto the balcony, bringing her book with her, and took the chair that was closest to the door, so Jenner would have to get past her if she tried to bolt. That had occurred to Jenner beforehand, so she’d deliberately chosen the one she had just to reassure her guard that she wasn’t going to try anything stupid.
Being outside was calming, with nothing but the sea and sky surrounding them. She slipped off her shoes, feeling a little of the tension drain from her bones. The deck flooring was teak, with small cracks between the individual planks to allow the water to drain away. Other than the top railing, the balcony was enclosed only by panels of clear Plexiglas that didn’t obstruct the view. White gulls wheeled and soared, shrieking as the silver giant plowed through the foam-topped waves that swirled with all shades of blues and greens. Under different circumstances, this would have been wonderful.
As far as she could tell, there was no one on the balconies on either side of them, though she supposed it was always possible someone could be quietly reading as Faith was doing, or even napping. This early into the cruise, though, most people were likely exploring the gorgeous new ship or meeting up with friends, or both.
"Tell me about him," she prompted, meaning this guy she was supposed to hook up with.
Faith looked up from her book, frowning a little as she glanced in both directions before shaking her head in refusal. Even though she had to have made the same assessment that Jenner had made about the possibility they could be overheard, she wasn’t willing to take the chance.
Raising her voice, Jenner shouted, "Hello, neighbor! Anyone there?"
Faith sat upright, looking alarmed, as if she was thinking about clapping a hand over Jenner’s mouth and dragging her inside. But no one answered, not from either side, or even above or below, though Jenner didn’t think sound carried well from those directions. From what she’d noticed so far, the ship was far quieter than she’d ever imagined it would be. Other than the sound of the ocean rushing by, she could hear only the deep, distant rumble of the powerful engines.
She lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. "See? No one’s there. You can talk."
"No," said Faith. "I can’t. You’ll find out soon enough." Nothing Jenner said budged the woman, though she gave it the old college try until Faith completely lost patience and ushered her back inside.
"Soon enough," as it turned out, was a little after nine that night. At seven, Faith had walked with her to the outdoor cafe on the Lido deck, where she smilingly introduced a tall, dark-haired man, who carried a cane and walked with a slight limp, as her husband, Ryan. Ryan had shaken Jenner’s hand without even a hint that he was anything other than delighted to meet her, though of course he had to be one of Them. Okay, that made five people that she knew of.