you two want to go talk to Ethan?”
Marc nodded. Raven shook his head at the same time. It was amusing seeing them disagree like that. When Marc caught Raven’s motion, he tugged at Raven’s arm. “Come on, Raven.”
Raven pulled his arm away. “I’ll go with her.”
“She’s the boss,” Marc said. “You have to do what she says.”
Raven’s gaze shifted between me, Avery and Marc. I almost felt bad about it.
“I’ll be fine, Raven,” I said. “I’m just going to grab a few notes. I’ll be with Avery. I’ll meet you back here when Axel and the others come aboard.”
Raven shifted on his feet but then started slowly toward where Avery had said Ethan was located. “Ten minutes,” he said.
I doubted I could walk up and down five flights of stairs in that amount of time. This place was huge. “Thirty or sooner,” I said and lifted my palm in a gesture of promise. “Depends on how long it takes to get info. Promise.”
His shoulders relaxed at this and he started toward the doors. Marc followed him. They both disappeared beyond the bottom of the staircase and on down the hallway.
It was an odd parting of ways. They hadn’t left the ship, but a heaviness remained inside my heart. It was difficult to deny Raven going with me when he clearly wanted to. He was the one helping me, after all. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was asking them to get into, either. I didn’t really have any sort of plan. They were coming along without even thinking about that, it seemed. They simply said they’d stay if I stayed. Was I forcing them into doing something they really didn’t want to do?
What would that Academy have done if I wasn’t here? Just watched from afar and waited? I thought maybe I should ask Marc that, if he knew.
“This way,” Avery said, heading toward the stairs.
I stole one more look at where I’d last seen Marc and Raven and then followed Avery to the stairway, almost slipping on the marble in the boots I wore. I should have told Marc to tell Corey to bring a few of my own clothes along. Hopefully Axel would tell them we’d be gone for a few days and Corey would think to bring some along anyway.
ARROGANT IRISH
W e passed through a narrow hallway on the second floor, twisted around a corridor and then followed a trail that lead to an elevator, then up to the fifth floor. Even there, we crossed hallways and rows of rooms.
“This boat is huge,” I said. “We’ve been walking forever.” My eyes were dazzled by bright wall sconces, polished wood tables and the blue and white flower patterned woven carpet in the hallways. Every door had a plaque beside it, either with a number or a specific room function like Study or Day Room. What is a Day Room?
Avery shuffled along beside me, occasionally checking out a gold framed painting hanging on the wall or a crystal vase filled with roses sitting on a tiny table. “Like I said, it’s a lot like a hotel. Or a resort, since it’s got spas and game rooms and all kinds of extras. There’s even a stage and a movie theater.”
“It’s really crazy,” I said. I couldn’t help but feel a little lost, even if I was following Avery. It was one of the fanciest places I’d ever been in and oddly surreal. “I tell you what happened to all the money. It ended up in this big thing.”
“No,” he said. “That money’s accounted for. We’re looking for unaccounted for money.” As he walked past another little side table, marble topped and with just an empty vase this time, he swiped his fingers across the surface. “Although if you’re implying there’s a lot of wasted money that could be doing good elsewhere, I’d agree with you.”
At least someone understood. “Did you tell that to Ethan?”
“Ethan says the things they buy and build with the company—the legitimate things—employ people as well, like the maids and cooks and the captain of this ship. Yes, Ethan and those good CEOs make a lot of money, but a lot of
Marc nodded. Raven shook his head at the same time. It was amusing seeing them disagree like that. When Marc caught Raven’s motion, he tugged at Raven’s arm. “Come on, Raven.”
Raven pulled his arm away. “I’ll go with her.”
“She’s the boss,” Marc said. “You have to do what she says.”
Raven’s gaze shifted between me, Avery and Marc. I almost felt bad about it.
“I’ll be fine, Raven,” I said. “I’m just going to grab a few notes. I’ll be with Avery. I’ll meet you back here when Axel and the others come aboard.”
Raven shifted on his feet but then started slowly toward where Avery had said Ethan was located. “Ten minutes,” he said.
I doubted I could walk up and down five flights of stairs in that amount of time. This place was huge. “Thirty or sooner,” I said and lifted my palm in a gesture of promise. “Depends on how long it takes to get info. Promise.”
His shoulders relaxed at this and he started toward the doors. Marc followed him. They both disappeared beyond the bottom of the staircase and on down the hallway.
It was an odd parting of ways. They hadn’t left the ship, but a heaviness remained inside my heart. It was difficult to deny Raven going with me when he clearly wanted to. He was the one helping me, after all. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was asking them to get into, either. I didn’t really have any sort of plan. They were coming along without even thinking about that, it seemed. They simply said they’d stay if I stayed. Was I forcing them into doing something they really didn’t want to do?
What would that Academy have done if I wasn’t here? Just watched from afar and waited? I thought maybe I should ask Marc that, if he knew.
“This way,” Avery said, heading toward the stairs.
I stole one more look at where I’d last seen Marc and Raven and then followed Avery to the stairway, almost slipping on the marble in the boots I wore. I should have told Marc to tell Corey to bring a few of my own clothes along. Hopefully Axel would tell them we’d be gone for a few days and Corey would think to bring some along anyway.
ARROGANT IRISH
W e passed through a narrow hallway on the second floor, twisted around a corridor and then followed a trail that lead to an elevator, then up to the fifth floor. Even there, we crossed hallways and rows of rooms.
“This boat is huge,” I said. “We’ve been walking forever.” My eyes were dazzled by bright wall sconces, polished wood tables and the blue and white flower patterned woven carpet in the hallways. Every door had a plaque beside it, either with a number or a specific room function like Study or Day Room. What is a Day Room?
Avery shuffled along beside me, occasionally checking out a gold framed painting hanging on the wall or a crystal vase filled with roses sitting on a tiny table. “Like I said, it’s a lot like a hotel. Or a resort, since it’s got spas and game rooms and all kinds of extras. There’s even a stage and a movie theater.”
“It’s really crazy,” I said. I couldn’t help but feel a little lost, even if I was following Avery. It was one of the fanciest places I’d ever been in and oddly surreal. “I tell you what happened to all the money. It ended up in this big thing.”
“No,” he said. “That money’s accounted for. We’re looking for unaccounted for money.” As he walked past another little side table, marble topped and with just an empty vase this time, he swiped his fingers across the surface. “Although if you’re implying there’s a lot of wasted money that could be doing good elsewhere, I’d agree with you.”
At least someone understood. “Did you tell that to Ethan?”
“Ethan says the things they buy and build with the company—the legitimate things—employ people as well, like the maids and cooks and the captain of this ship. Yes, Ethan and those good CEOs make a lot of money, but a lot of
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