Page 66 of Devoured By You
My eyebrows shot up. “Why would he do that?”
A muscle pulsed in Nolen’s cheek. “Scarlett cut off Jeremy’s alimony, and, well, let’s just say he was pissed about it. So he decided he’d help himself to what he believed she owed him. He knew her well enough to know she’d take some of her most expensive pieces of jewelry on a cruise. I’d wager that she had her home in LA sewn up, preventing him from getting within a mile of the gates. But he couldn’t do it alone, which is when he devised a plan. All he needed was a way to get someone past security and on board to commit the crime. He started digging and found out that one of Serenity’s IT technicians had run up a large gambling debt with the wrong people. They were demanding their money back—with a sizable interest percentage on top. Jeremy swooped in with a solution. He’d pay off the debt if this technician took down the badge scanners long enough to smuggle someone on board and past security.”
“Which he did, obviously.” Aspen looked as if she was close to murdering someone. The technician was probably first in line. If she didn’t murder him, I might.
“Yep.”
“Do we know who the technician is?” Blay’s dad asked.
“We do. The police have him in custody.”
“What about Jeremy?” Aspen’s fisted hands drummed against her thighs.
“Los Angeles police should have picked him up by now.”
“Good.” I ground my teeth. “I hope he gets a good long stretch in jail.”
“There’s more bad news, I’m afraid.” Nolen locked eyes with his dad. “The lowlife Jeremy hired shot three people as he ran off the ship. A security guard and two passengers. Two of them died. Only one passenger made it. A shattered arm, but other than that, she’ll be fine.”
My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh, no.” A person just doing their job and a passenger enjoying a well-earned holiday. Two innocent lives snuffed out through no fault of their own.
“Fortunately, Scarlett and her assistant are okay. A little shaken up, but that’s all. We’ll need to prepare a statement, Dad.”
Nolen’s father nodded, his jaw flexing. “I’ll call Eric.”
I didn’t know who Eric was. Probably PR. God, what a mess.
Something Nolen had said on the ship came back to me. “Marlowe, untie her.” He must have meant Scarlett Rose. God. As much as I wasn’t fond of the woman, no one deserved that. She must have been so frightened. That whole time was a blur in my mind. It kept coming back to me in snatches that made no sense, the only clear vision one of Blay lying on the ground, critically injured.
“Would you excuse me for a moment?” I brushed past Nolen, past Marlowe, past them all, dashing toward the hospital entrance. I needed air. I couldn’t breathe in there. The walls closed in on me. I’d suffocate if I stayed here a second longer.
I burst through the doors and into the brilliant sunshine. An ambulance whizzed by, its sirens blaring. I stared after it, biting my lip. Another family or friends of a loved one were about to go through hell.
A bench nearby called to me. I slumped into it and let my head fall into my hands. My heart galloped too fast. I took several deep breaths through my nose, letting them out slowly. My heart slowed, and the sense of panic faded. It’d be okay. He was alive, and he’d make a full recovery. That was all I cared about.
“Hey.”
I twisted my head. Aspen approached, her steps cautious. I tapped the space next to me. She sat and put her arm around my shoulders.
“It’s a lot, isn’t it? Especially for you. Not exactly what you signed up for, I guess.”
I couldn’t tell if she was testing me or if she was being genuinely sympathetic.
“There are lots of things we don’t sign up for, but life is filled with challenges, and it’s how we respond to them that matters. I’m going nowhere.”
A myriad of emotions traveled across her face. Her eyes softened, and she reached out to clasp my hand.
“You’re a keeper, Jill.”
“I hope Blay thinks the same.”
She chuckled. “It still throws me off when you call him that.”
“I guess I kind of like being the only one who uses it.”
“I don’t mean to play know-it-all here, but I do think there’s something I should explain, to help prepare you for when Blaize wakes up.”
Prickles raced along the back of my neck. “Okay.”