Chapter Twelve

Ty didn'tbother changing once hegot to theircabin. Hedidtake off his coat and tossit on the couch as he moved pastit. After a moment's thought,healsoregretfullypulledtheironegunoutofhiswaistband andsetitdownonasidetable.Hedidn'thaveaholstertocarryit safely,andifhehadthebadlucktogetcaughtinArmen'sroom, having a weapon would only increase his chancesof being shot.

Muttering,he dug intotheir luggage andfoundthe portable scanner Knight had outfitted them with before they'd left Baltimore. He shoveditinto oneof the deeppocketsof hissatin-linedtuxedo trousers andheadedforthebalcony.Hetriednottothinkaboutjusthowbadly itwould hurt tosmack into the water so many stories belowas he hoisted himselfup onto the slippery railing.Hisknuckles werewhite as he grippedthethickpartitionthat he wouldneedtoswing around to reach Armen's balcony.

He was beginning to wish Zane had objected to this plan.

Ty tookadeepbreath,dughisfingersundertheslightlipatthe edgeofthepartition,andswunghisfootoutoveropenair.Hethrew theweightofhisbodywithit,knowingtherailingonthatsidewould be justas slippery and damp as his side was and hoping to propel himself over it rather than bouncing off of it and toppling into the sea.

The strategy worked, sortof.

Itwasn'tnearly asdifficultashe'd imagineditwouldbe,and he went sailing over the balcony and landed in an ungraceful heap on the deck.

Hepoppedtohisfeetandlookedaround,straighteninghisshirt and nodding. "I'm okay," he said to the deck chairs. He cleared his throat and tried not to laugh at himself, glad that this was a solo mission. Zane would never have let him live itdown if he'd seen that nimble bit of action.

He headed for the glass doors of the balcony, confident that they'dbeunlocked.Nooneeverlockedtheirbalcony doors,trusting in gravity tokeepintrudersout.Sohewasnonplussedwhenhefoundthe glass sliding door not only locked but barred witha piece of wood.

"Son of a..." He looked around for something to counter the low-techobstacle.Hedidn't wanttoleaveevidenceofhisbeinghere,so throwing a piece of furniture through the door was not a good idea. He slippedouthisknifeandkneltinfrontofthedoor,slidingitthrough thecrackandeasily tripping thelock.Hewasabletogetthedooropen an inch or so, but then the piece of wood stoppedit.It appeared to be a thickcordofbalsawood,mostlikely takenfromapieceofdecorative furniture inthesuite. Ty slippedhishandthroughthe crackandpushed withallhis strength,levering himselfagainstthewall.Nothing budged for a moment, save for perhapsa tendon or two in his elbow that wasn't supposed to stretch thatway, but then thewoodgave in to the pressure. It didn't so much snap as it imploded, bursting into little shreds and causingthedoortoflyopen.Typitchedforwardassoonasthedoor was no longer there to take his weight andfell face-first into thedeck. Again.

He pushedhimselfupwithagrumbled "I hate thiscase"and crawled into the stateroom.

Zane settledbackinto hisseatafterasmallsmileatNorinaand reached for his water glass. Bianchi waved down a waiter, who promisedtobringmoredrinksimmediately,aswellastheirsalads. Zanewonderedifhe'dhavetocomeupwithanysortofploy tokeep Armen here, since they were literally starting dinner.

"Mr. Porter, couldI troubleyou a moment?" Armen's voice broke into Bianchi's ongoing monologue about the relative benefitsof wine and a middle-aged man'shealth.

Zane glanced at Armen,curious. "Sure."

"Ifyou'renotgoing toenjoy thatScotch,it'sashame forittogo to waste," Armen said. He sounded a little harried.

With a small shrug, Zane waved a hand at it. "Be my guest."

Armen noddedhis thanks and pickedup the lowball glassfrom in frontofZane,immediately takingastrong slugoutoftheglass.Zane watched, somewhat intrigued.He didn't remember ever seeing Armen drink, even during the poker games.

Whenhesettheglassdown,heactuallysmiledwanlyatZane. "Such business oftencauses me undue stress," he explained, almost embarrassed to admitit. Zane blinked at him but offered him a benign smile.

Their salads arriveda few minutes later; ten minutes had passed since Ty left.ZanejoinedinanewconversationasNorinatalkedabout upcoming dance classes on board, buthe keptan eye on Armen, who startedfidgetingslightly.Andithadtobeatrickofthesubtlelighting intherestaurant,becausewhenArmenabruptly droppedhissaladfork, Zane would have sworn the man was pale and sweating.

"Mr. Armen,areyou all right?" Zane asked witha frown.

Armen clearedhisthroattwicebeforepushingback fromthe table. "I'm afraidI'm not feeling well. Please... excuse me," he said softly, and evenasZanesaid, "Wait," he was up and moving woodenly out of the restaurant.

"I hope he is not seasick," Norina said.

Zaneshookhishead.Ithadonly beenabouttwenty minutes.Not enoughtime.NowArmenandhistwotrailingbodyguardswereon their way back to his cabin, and Zane had no way to warn Ty.

"I thinkI'mgoingtogocheckonDelbeforetheentréesarrive," Zanemurmured,placinghisnapkinnexttohisnearlyuntouchedsalad as he stood.

"Hurry back.Youdonotwantyourdinnertogetcold.Andbring myDelbackwithyou!"Norinabidhim.Zanenoddedashewalked away,hopinghecouldcatchupenoughtofollowArmenbacktohis stateroom—Zanecouldshoulderhisway inpastthebodyguardsifhe had to.

If Ty needed him, he would be there.

Ty satbehindthe largedeskin one part of the suite,flipping through documents and reading over them quickly. He was using the portable scanner to make copiesof some of the papers, but he knew he didn't have time to copy every one. He was trying to glean critical information and determine which ones might be pertinent while keeping an ear toward the front of the suite.

Hisheadjerkedupwhenheheardascratchingatthedoor,then the distinctive sound of the key card being swiped.Heglancedaround the stateroom furtively,looking for a placeto hide. There wasno way he'dgetoutthedoorandaroundthebalcony partitionintimewithout being seen.

He ducked behind the desk and cursed inwardly when herealized there was no back tothe damn thing. He saw apair oflegsenter the stateroom and several more in the hallway. Armen and his bodyguards.

Tyturnedandputhisbacktothesideofthedesk,momentarily outofsight.Butastheymovedaroundtheroom,they wouldquickly catch sight of him. He peeredaround thecornerand counted three men. Armen wasyanking at his tie in obvious displeasure. Maybe he hated wearing tuxedos as much as Ty did.

"Itis stuffy," Armen muttered to one ofhis bodyguards, andthe man went over to the thermostat to adjust the temperature accordingly.

"You seem ill," one of the men commented, but his accent was so thickTy wasn'tquite sure if thatwaswhathesaidor not.The thug began to walkaround the sofa, bringing himalarmingly close to Ty's hidingplace.Tyduckedaway,commandocrawlingbehindthedesk andpeeringaroundtheotherside.Armensatonthesideofhisround bed,thesidethatdidn'tlookliketheendofthebed,anyway,andhe wasfacing away fromTy.Oneofthebodyguardshaddisappearedinto thebathroom,andtheotherwasfacing away aswell,apparently giving hisbosssomemodicumofprivacy. Ty tookthechanceandcrawled across the floor to the bed, intending to slide under it before he rememberedthatthedamnthingwasonasolidpedestal.Heresisted the urge to curse and hugged to the expensive carpet,rolling as close as he could to the side of the bed as he heard one of the three men begin to move around the stateroom.

Thecomforteralmostcoveredhim,buthewasstilljustsome dudesprawledonthefloorifany ofthemendecidedtowalkaroundto that side of the bed.

He held his breath, waiting.

"I amovertired.PerhapstheexpensiveScotchMr.Portershared does not agree with me," Armen muttered finally."All is well. Please leave me," he ordered in the same monotone voice he'd always spoken in.

Ty frowned.Mr.PorterwasZane.HehadsharedhisScotchwith Armen?Ty didn'teventry toponderthatone.Helistenedasthetwo menmutteredobediently,andTycountedtotenbeforeheheardthe door shut behind them.

He remainedwhere hewas, frowning heavily and breathing shallowly, straining his ears so he could hear Armen's movements.

Butthemanwasn'tmoving.Hewasn'tevenshiftingaroundon thebed. Ty madeaslowcountoftenagain;thenhepushedhimselfup and raised hishead overthe bed. Armen wasstillsitting where he'd been,shouldersslumped,headdown.AsTywatched,heraisedhis head and took in a deep,seemingly painful breath.

What the hell was wrong with him?

His breathing became more labored, and he pressed a hand to his chestjustbeforehisbody seemedtocollapseinwardandhetoppled forwardtothefloor. Ty shotupandslidoverthebedbeforehethought better of it, landing next to Armen's prone formon the other side of the bed.

"Armen?" Ty whisperedas he put a hand to Armen's neck. The man merely gurgled in response.

Ty quickly rolledhimoverandstretchedhisarmsabovehishead, takingnote of how wronghis bodyfelt. He was completelylimp, devoidofanymuscularcontrol.Tygrippedhishand,andhisfingers were icy coldtothetouch.Heblinkedrapidly upatTy,buttheneven theblinkingstopped.Therewerenofacialticsormovements,nothing to indicate the manwasstill alive. His eyes were so dilated that the normally coffee-colorediriseswerecompletely black.Hisentirebody was soaked in sweat. Ty bent his head to listenand could hear faltering, rasping breaths.The pulse athisneck was thready,and even as he checkedforit,Armen'sbody begantotwitchallover,themuscles jumping.

Ty certainly wasn't an expert, but he knew poisonwhen he saw it. Syncopeandparalysis,respiratory distress,dilationofthepupils, profuseperspiration.Andonelaststutteringbreathbeforethebody went completely still.

Tywincedandshookhisheadashesatdownhardandlooked downatArmen'sbodyhelplessly. Ty wasfamiliarwithpoisonsand silentwaysofkilling.Hewasalmostcertainhe'd usedthisonehimself atimeortwo.Theculpritwasprobably aCalabarbean,anativeof Africa.Halfabeanwouldbelethal,buttoactsoquickly ithadtohave been several,ground upand slippedinto something to hide the subtle taste.

Fear gripped himsuddenly,so strong itnearly made himsick. Armen had shareda glass of Scotch with Zane.

Ty leftArmenwherehe'dfallen,knowingthemanwaspasthelp. Heshotoutthebalconydoor,barelythinkingtocloseitbehindhim, andhedidn'ttakeasmuchcareasheprobably shouldhaveashestood ontherailingofthebalcony toArmen'sstateroomandswung himself around thepartition.But he couldn't affordtobe careful whenZane mightalready be dyingfromthesamepoisonthathadkilledVartan Armen.It could be treated with atropine with varying success, but the bestthingtodowasvomititup.Violently.HehadtogettoZanenow if he'd had as big a dose as Armen.

He might already be too late.

Helandedonthefloorofthebalcony withaheavythump,andhe bargedinthroughthebalconydoors.Luckilytheyweren'tlatched,or he would have merely gone through the glass to get inside.

"Ty!"

TherewasZane,stridingtowardhim,lookingintentandupset, but breathing and notyetparalyzed. Ty didn't think, he merely pounced onZaneandhuggedhimtightly ashisheartpoundedfromfearand adrenaline.He closed his eyes and let himself just soak in the warmth andthescentofZane'sbody nexttohis.He'dbeensopanickedhe'd almostunconsciously convincedhimselfhe'dneverbeabletodothis again. Zane's arms were just as tight around him, and after a long moment, he realizedZane was actually talking tohim.

"—wasnowayIcouldletyouknowtogetoutofthere,"Zane was saying, lips moving against Ty's ear and hair.

TypulledhisheadbackandlookedatZanealmostfrantically.

"What?No, shut up—stop talking. Didyou drinkanything?"

"What?Drinkanything?Weallhaddrinkswithdinner,"Zane said as he clasped Ty's upper arms. "Why?You're practically freaking out."

"Didyoudrinkyourdrink,Zane?"Tynearlyshouted,grabbing Zane in the same manner and shaking him violently.

"Jesus!No!Whatthefuck?ItoldyouIwouldn'tdrinkanymore if I didn'tabsolutely have to!" Zane exclaimed, hurt clear in his voice.

Ty tookZane'sfaceinhishandsandshookhishead,struck speechless withrelief.He alloweda moment to calm himself before trying to explain, and finally he just came out with, "Armen's dead."

Zane'sconfusionwasclear,buthe didn'tsnapatTy aboutit. "How?"Hesteppedbackenoughtolook Ty upanddown."You're okay?"

Ty shookhishead."I didn'tkillhim!Hecamebackfromdinner beforeIgotout,talkingaboutnotfeelingwellandhavingsharedyour Scotch. Then he dropped dead in his room. Classic poisoning. I thought... Areyou sureyou're okay?You didn't even have a sip?"

Zane cupped one of Ty's cheeks in hispalm. "Not evena sip. Cameclose,buttherewasavery distractingattractionoutonthedance floor."Tyhuggedhimagaininrelief.Zanehuffedquietlybutpulled himclose for severaldeep breathsbefore starting to relax. "As great as this is, we've got problems, baby."

"Big problems," Ty agreedwithoutlettingZane go. "Armen's deadbecausehedrankyourdrink.Sonotonlywashenottheone tryingtokillus,butsomeone's stillfuckingtryingtokillus!"He pulledbackandlookedZaneoveryetagaintoassurehimselfthathe was fine. He noddedgrimly.Zane was right: they had work to do. "And the Bianchisare either guilty, or they're in dangertoo."

"Ordeadonthegoddamndiningroomfloor,"Zanesaid,his voice rough. "Bianchidrinkslike a fucking fish."Then hecrossedhis arms."Wait.IfArmendrank my drink,anditwastheonethatwas poisoned,thenBianchiwouldalready bedown,"hesaid,looking athis watch."Wehadthosedrinksalmostfromthetimewesatdown,and Armen didn't take mine until a good ten minutes afteryou left. But he tookoffreallyquicklyafteryou.Callit... fiveminutesonset,maybe fifteen minutes to death?"

Ty closedhis eyesandwavedhishandsthroughtheair."Stop doingmath!"heshoutedashegrabbedhisjacketandmovedaround Zane to head for the door. "Come on, we have to find them."

"I lefttheminthediningroomwaitingontheentrées,"Zanesaid as they practically ran out of the stateroom.

Zanedidn't eventhinktoslowdownasheandTyranthroughthe promenade, skidding around Christmas treesand dodging through groupsofpeople.HeknewTywasbesidehim,andtheybothknew whathadtobedone:findtheBianchis.Asheswungaroundthelast corner before the restaurant, Zane found himself hoping Lorenzo and Norinawerebothbreathingandinnocent.Forcriminals,theywere pleasantcompany,ratherunusualinZane'shardcoreMiamidrugscene experience.

Neitherhenor Ty stoppedmoving whenthey enteredthe restaurant.Afternoting theabsenceofscreaming,EMTs,orany other unusualexcitement,Zaneimmediatelyscopedouttheleftsideofthe restaurant from where he stood inside the door, spotted Bianchi at the barwithoutany trouble,andcutpastthehostess.Zanesensed Ty heading off in the other direction;he knew withoutasking that he was going after Norina.

Zane reached the bar and set a hand on Bianchi's shoulder.

"Signor Bianchi?"

Bianchi turned, a wide smile on his face."Ah,Mr. Porter,you must have hurried to return to us so quickly fromchecking onyour Del. Scotch?" he asked, holding up a bottle.

"Notyet,thankyou,"Zanesaidsmoothlyashereachedoutto taketheprofferedflask.HewatchedBianchicarefully,lookingfora tell. Was the man trying to poison him?"I'll wait for dessert,I think."

"Asoundidea,"Bianchisaid,soundingapproving."Bringitto the table, and we'll all finish the bottle off."

Zane nodded slowly, and movement over Bianchi's shoulder caught his attention. He glanced up to see two men in ill-fitted suits walking alongthebartowardthem.Themenweretotally focusedon himandBianchi,andZane'sinstinctswentonalert.He'dhavetotake a risk.

"Listen to me. Armen isdead."

Bianchi's eyesinstantly wentcomically wide—itwasaboutas natural a reaction as Zane had ever seen. "Dead?" he asked, aghast.

"Yes. Poisoned," Zane said, nodding to the bottle.

Bianchiyanked his hand back from it like it had burnedhim. "But... but we ordered our drinks from the bar, all of us!" Then Bianchiflinched."WhataboutmyNorina?"hesaidurgently,sliding off the bar stool and standing. "She had drinks aswell!"

Zane tookhis arm to keep himfrom hurrying off."Toyourright, do you know those men?"

"Men?Whatmen?WhatdoI careaboutmen? My Norina!" Bianchibabbled.Itwaspretty damncleartoZanethatthemanwasn't involved in any poisoning.

"Del is withher. Lorenzo," Zane said, trying to hold the man's attentionasthetwomendrewcloser.ToZane'seye,they lookedlike some kind of law enforcement. "The men behindyou."

Bianchiglancedoverhisshoulderandshookhishead."No.No,I don't know."

ZanegrippedBianchi'sarm to hold him in place. "Stand up," he ordered.

Bianchiglancedat him, looking wild around the eyes,but he obeyed just as the twomen stopped in front of them. Theirsmiles weren't particularly pleasant looking.

"SignorBianchi?" the blue suit asked with anobviousItalian accent.

Bianchicleared histhroatnervously andglanced toZane,who nodded slightly."Si, sono il signor Bianchi."

"Deve venire con noi," the blue suit said flatly.

"Cosa?Perchè?Chisiete?"Bianchiasked.Zanewasn't surewhat they were saying, but he knew whatcon noi was:come with us.

"Ci sarà tempo dopo per le domande. Ora venga con noi," the beige suit said as he slid his hand into his jacket.

Zanedidn't hesitate.Hesurgedforwardtograbtheman's arm andelbowedhiminthethroat,sendingthemantothefloorchoking and gasping, toofocused on trying to breathe to attemptto draw a weapon. The bluesuit grabbedBianchi, buta harsh kick to the back of the suit's knee and a leftcross shoved him off aspeople around them gasped and jerked away from their tables, starting a commotion. Zane pulled at Bianchi'sarmto get him moving away from the baras the beige suit started to climb to his feet.

"That's whatyou get for hanging me over a railing,you dick!" Ty called out in triumph over the chaos of the gawking diners.

Hearing thatcrow,Zanelocatedhispartnerinthebustling crowd andsteeredBianchiinthatdirection.BianchihurriedtoNorina—Ty wasdraggingheralongwithhim—andsweptherintoahugwitha spate of worriedItalian.Zane turnedto look around them. The milling patrons blockedthe way to the door, and he castaround for another exit they could use before the threat or the crew closedin.

"Kitchen,"hesaidtoTyashepulledatBianchiagain."Timeto go before the suits get froggy again."

"Froggy?" Bianchi said blankly.

"Justgo!"Zane urgedashe pushed the manand hiswife aheadof him.

Ty wrappedanarmaroundZaneandhuggedhimexcitedly."You knockedthatbastardonhisass,"hesaidgleefully."God,thatwas great!"

"What happened toyouraccent?" Norina demanded of himas she was shuffled along.

"That'swhatyou'reworriedaboutrightnow?" Ty askedher incredulously.

"Where's our gun?" Zane asked.

"Youdon't haveit?"Ty askedblankly,andZanesworeunderhis breathas shoutsandangry screamsfrombehind themsignifiedthat the men who must be Ty's Dolce and Gabbana were in pursuit.

They pushedthroughthedouble doors intotheindustrialkitchen, garnering oddlooksfromemployeesinside asthey hurriedthroughthe walkways,dodgingwaitstaff,trays,andcartsofdirtydishes.They'd reached a service door in the back whenZane glanced back across the kitchen to see Dolce and Gabbana thump through the doors andrun straightintoapassingbusboy.Allthreeofthemcrashedtothefloorin a comic display.

Ty shoulderedopentheemployeeentranceand tumbledoutinto thecorridor,onlytoputonthebrakesandthrowhisarmsoutwideto prevent the rest of them from following. "Back,back!" he cried, right beforeagunshotpingedoffthetopofthemetaldoorway.Norinalet out a shrillyelpas she fell back againstZane,and he pulled her back intothekitchen.Ty andBianchiwerewiththemasZaneturnedthem down an aisle running along the back of the largekitchen, keeping the bulk of the cabinets, stoves, and prep area between them and Dolce and Gabbana.They didn'thave much time, though. Whoeverwasoutin the hall would be behind them, and fast.

Zanealmostranpasttheelevatorbutcaughttheedgeofthedoor to stop himself. He motioned to Bianchi andNorina. "Move!" he ordered, pushing them when they stopped just inside the threshold.

"There is not room!" Bianchi huffed as he tried towedgehimself betweentwolarge laundry carts.He pulledNorinaascloseashe could, barelygettingherinside.Zanewasabletoedgejustinsidethewall next to the controls, but the rest of the service elevator was full.

ZaneglancedoutatTy."Getinhere,"heurgedashereachedup to grab the strap that would close the metalgateand heavy doors.

Tyreachedup,grabbedthesolidmetalbarabovethegate,and swung himselfupover the servicecarttodrop intoone of thelaundry trolleyswithanoomph. Assoonashe let goof the bar, Zane hadthe gate shut andslammed his fist against the button,sending theelevator creaking slowly upward.

Foralongminute,theonly soundwasthemetalgearsgrindingas the elevator worked, andZane craned his neck to look back at Ty. He hadtosnort; Ty hadhisfeetkickedout,crossedattheankles,andhis handslacedcasuallybehindhisheadasheloungedontopofthemess of laundry.

"You are not Corbin and Del Porter," Bianchi said with an obvious certainty.

"Turns outthat'sgoodforyou, so don't knockit," Zane said shortlyashelookedupthroughthegratingabovethemintothedark elevatorshaft.Itwasn'tlikely any oftheirpursuerswouldknowwhere theelevatorwent,soheand Ty wouldhavealegitimatechancetoget theBianchistosomething resemblingsafety beforetracking down ship's security.

"YouarenotmygoodfriendDel?"Norinasaidinasmallvoice. "Butyou tango so well!"

"Yes,you tango so well," Zane parroted, looking back at his partner. "How is that, by the way?"

"Don't start with me, Garrett," Ty mumbled. He turned a sincerely apologetic look on Norina. "It's a long story.I'm sorry."

Shebitherlip,obviouslyupset,andthenturnedinwhatlittle room she hadand whacked himin thehead with herdesignerpurse. Zane laughedaloud,drawing aglarefrom hispartner anda sniff from Norina.

Theelevatorcreakedtoastop,andthelurchcausedTytoflail andlosehisbalance.Hefellbetweenthepilesofdirty linenshe'dbeen perchedatop.Ashecussedandstruggledtoclimboutofthelaundry bin, the doors cranked open noisily.

Zanegrinnedat Ty foramomentbeforecarefullypeeringoutof the elevator, checking both sides. The hallway was empty, and he didn't hearany running footsteps. "Looksclear.Let'sgo. We needto find security andgetyou two somewhere safe."

"Butwhatisgoing on?" Norina started demanding asthey hurried down the passageway to a set of fire doors.

"Alittlehelpbackhere!" Ty calledafterthemjustasacrash soundedfromwithinthe elevatorand Ty crawledoutfrombetweenthe doors,coveredintowelsandpillowcases."I'mokay,"hemutteredas he struggled tohisfeetand joggedto catch upwiththem. Whenhe reached them, Norina rewarded him with another smack, just for good measure.

"Who are those men?" she demanded of them all.

"Two of them areItalian police, my gioia," Bianchisaid apologetically.

"Oh, Lorenzo, how did they find us?" Norina asked.

"I'm bettingonArmen,"Zanesaidastheyreachedthedoors.

"Not that we can ask, now, considering."

"Why not?"Norinaasked.Shelookedaroundatthethreemen who stood silently around her, and she paled.

Zane shook his head and opened one of thedoors carefully.It openedintooneofthesmallerlobbiesoffthegaily decorated promenade.Hedidn'tseeanyonebutpassengers,andhegesturedfor the others to follow himout."Stay close," he warnedthem. "We don't know where thoseguyswill pop up, and we have no idea who the second set of shooters is."

"I wouldrather dealwithDolce andGabbanathanthe guyswith guns," Ty claimed.

"Itis notDolce andGabbana!" Norina criedasshe wavedher purse threateningly. "White ostrich leather Hobo,itisthe only one of its kind, and look! Ruined because ofyour face!"

"I'msorry!" Ty criedhelplessly,holding uphishandstoward off more attacks.

"Nothelping!"Zanehissedatthem,and Bianchimanagedto calmNorinaenough to save Ty another whack over the head with the ostrich leather.

They filed out, trying to act casual. Zane led the way back into the promenade, thoughthey stayedto the far side against the wall, moving toward the main staircase and elevator that would take them up toward thebridge.ThatwastheonlyplaceZanecouldthinkofwherethey'd besuretofindrealsecurity withfirearms.Theycouldn'tjustgrabany random crewmember toget effective help, and a frantic phone call wouldn't help either.

Bythetimetheymadeittothecentralentrytothepromenade, Zane hadcalmedenough to beableto startthinking furtherahead. They'd have toget on asatellite phone to callin. They'd need to get jurisdictional approval,and as muchashe hated it, what passed for the local officials would have to be involved, at least to shut down their attackers.

Asthey stoppedatthefootofthestaircase,Zaneglancedaround them and turnedto lookrightata man raising hisarm to pointagun at him.

"Down!" Zane exclaimed, grabbing Bianchi's andNorina's heads anddroppingtothefloorjustasthegunshotrangoutandricocheted behindthem. Screamsrang outthroughthegallery,andZanechanceda lookattheirattacker,only tohavetoduckimmediately asthemanshot athimagain.Thistimethebulletclangedoffthemetalembeddedin the staircase wall.

"Out, out, out!"Zane urged, pushing Bianchi toward the door that would let them out onto the open-air deck.

ZanecouldhearTycomplainingashebroughtuptherear."If that bastard shoots at me one more time I'mgonna shove thatgun up his—"

"Right!" Bianchi called out as he grabbed Norina's arm and pulled her in the direction Zane pointed, heading for the bridge justas Zanewanted.WhatZanedidn't wantwasforthemantobarrelright intoa group of vacationerswho squawkedandhollered,slowing their progress as Norina tried to apologize and help people up.

"Take her and go," Zane said as Tystopped at his side. Ty grabbedNorina by thehandandbeganjoggingonahead. Asthey hurriedoff,ZaneyankedaprofuselyapologeticBianchiaway fromthe women now laughing the accidentoff. "Not the time!" he insisted, pushing theItalianaheadofhim.Bianchifollowed Ty andNorina aroundthecornertoadeckwalkwaythatranalongthelengthofthe ship,andZanepausedtolookbehindthem.Hesawthreemenrunout of the promenade and start searching the crowd,and Zane let out a slow breath.They mighthavedodgedabulletagain... untilthegroupof ladiesBianchihadsteamrolleredpointedinhisdirection.Oneofthe men yelled at him, but Zane turned on his heel and ran after the others.

Afterahalfminute's hardrun,hewascloseonBianchi's heels andchancedaglanceoverhisshoulderastheyranalongthedeckon theportsideoftheship,stillinthepublicareas.Thethugschasing themhadn'tpulledtheirgunsandshotatthemagain,probably because of the mass of people enjoying the music and nighttime activities along the open decks. But every time Zane checked, they were losing ground, and he wasn't sure just how far they'd be able to run.

Norinayelledsomething in Italian, and Zane turned his attention backtowherehewasgoing:insideandupaflightofstairs,ratherthan thewide,open-airstaircasethatwouldskylinethemby thelarge swimming pool,nowopen to themoon in the warmerCaribbean weather.Good thinking on Ty'spart, leading them into some kind of shelter. Zane just hoped it didn't dead-end them.

They poundedup thestairs,climbingtwodecksbefore thenext exit. WhenZane skiddedthroughthe fire door, Ty,Bianchi,andNorina were waiting for him.

"Blockit," Ty ordered,windedbutnotgaspingforbreathlikethe poorItalians.Hewasalreadymovingtoaheavyteakloungechairto try and blockthe door, buthe cursedcreatively when hediscovered the chairs were boltedto the deck.Zane checkedthe door andheard the thudsofheavytreadsonthestairs."We'vegottomovenow,"hesaid as he tried to recallthe layout of the ship's decks."Go left and outside, we should beableto cut througha passenger deck toget back tothe promenade and up to the bridge."

Ty reachedfor himandpushedhimontotakethe lead.Thenhe turned to the woman. "Norina, give meyour shoes," he demanded.

"Theyarenotyoursize!"Norinaprotestedasshesteppedaway from Ty.

"I'm notgoing to wear them!" Ty shouted at her in frustration.

"They are alligator skinManolo—"

"Givehimyourshoes!"Bianchiurgedashereacheddownto yank them off her feet.

Tytookthemandshovedoneofthemunderhisjacket.Zane knewhispartnerwasdyingforaweapon,buthe'dhavetosettlefor alligatorskinstilettosandtakinguptherearguard.Zanetookofffor the door and ran back out into the night and took the left turn, cutting through the open-air sitting area ofa closed coffee shop, heading for another door set into thebulkhead. He stoppedin front of this, catching his momentum and weight on one hand, and pulled at the door handle.

Locked.

"Oh come on,"Zanegrowled.He starting digging in hispockets for his key card. Norina and Bianchi stopped beside him.

"That is a fire hazard," Bianchi commented after pulling on the handle himself.

Zane snorted, found hiscard, and skimmed it through the reader next to the door. The little box blinked red.

Aseriesofcrashesandbangsfollowedthem,accompaniedby the oddmelody ofoff-tuneChristmascarolsbeing played by amechanical decoration.SoonTy roundedthecorner,skiddinginhisexpensive Italianleather dress shoes. Hehadmanaged tokeep his tuxedo shirt tuckedin,butitwasnolongerbuttoned.Zanesnorted.JustlikeTy to findaway toshowoffhischestasthey werebeingchased byarmed men across a cruise ship. He glanced over his shoulder, laughing under his breath at whatever blockade he had managed to devise.

"Didyou buy usa little time?" Zane asked. "We need it. Can'tget in the door.Come on,"he said, taking Norina'selbow andturning her back to the deck. "We need to find another way in."

"I amwishingI joinedtheaerobicsclassnow, my gioia," Bianchi huffedastheytookoffagain.Norina's tinklinglaughterwaslighter thanZaneexpectedtohear,consideringthey werepretty muchrunning for their lives.

They cameupon a maintenance door, whichwasalsolocked, but beforeZanecouldtrythekeycard,Tybarkedathimtomoveaside. Zanehadbarely managedtosidestepoutoftheway before Ty threw himself,shoulderfirst,againsttheedgeofthedoor.Thedoorwas heavy, solid metal, butthe doorjamb was not.Norina screamed and clappedherhandsoverhermouth,andBianchishoutedwordlessly in surpriseasthedoorjambsplinteredundertheassault.Tygavethedoor a hard kick, but it wasn't quite enough. He took a step back and then kicked the door again.

It fell open with a groanof protest.

"Go," Zane said, pushing Bianchi and Norina toward the doorway. "It'sgottoleadtoaninnerhallway."Asthey moved,he looked Ty over quickly. "Okay?"

Tygruntedathim,rubbingathisupperarmashefollowedthe Bianchis upward. Zane pushed the door shut behind them, but it wouldn't latch.Theywereinsomesortofmechanicalroom.Lights blinked all over the walls, and wires threaded everywhere.

Norina wasalready atthe farend of the room,opening a door that led back out onto the deck.

"No, we wantto be inside. We have to getto the bridge,"Zane called out, turning in a circle, looking for another door. But there wasn't one.

"Out'sbetterthantrapped,"Ty argued,pointingatthedoorand movingtowardit.Hescannedtheroomashewent."Anybodyknow enough about electronicsto do damage with any of this stuff?"

Zaneshookhishead.Therewasn'ttime.Bianchishruggedand looked around the room.

"Let usgo!" Norina whispered urgently,and she opened the door to peer out. Bianchi and Ty were close on her heels.

They exited back on deck, now a little farther down the side of the ship.They weren'tbutfiftyyardsfromthesternnow,anddoorswere getting scarce.

"You ever watch horror movies and bitch at the girl for running upstairsinsteadofout?" Ty wassayingtonooneinparticularasthey edged cautiously alongthe outer deck.Zane knew what he meant, becausetheyweredoingtheequivalent:headingupwherethey'd be easily trapped if they couldn't find another way down.

Looking downatthe oceanfarbelowwasa dizzyingexperience fromthisheight.Zaneswallowedhard,turnedhisbacktothewater, andglancedbacktheway they came.Hopefullythepursuerswould follow through the mechanical room and lose time instead of staying on deck andclosing in fast. When he heard loudfootfalls, he turned to chase after the others.

When he made thenextturn,Zaneskiddedtoa stop.Bianchi, Norina, and Ty allstood in the middle of an opensitting area sheltered under an overhang,and there wasno otherexitexceptthe way they had come, the way their pursuers were blocking.

Bianchiand Norina were holding close to one another, backing towardtherailingasTystoodinfrontofthemholdingtwoalligator skin stilettos, as if he could protect the twopeople behind them when theywereattacked.Zanewouldn't putitpastTyGradytobelethal with a pair ofhigh heelsin closequarters.But the menchasing them weren't interested in sparring. They'd shoot first.

Ty metZane's eyes,anditwasobviousevenbeforehesaid anythingthatthey'dfinallyhittheendoftheline.Therewasnowhere to run.

Behind him, Zane couldhear the men chasing them, shouting and bangingaroundinsidethemechanicalcompartment.They'd blocked the door asbestthey could,butitwouldn'tholdthemlong.He hurried over to his partner.

Ty lookedupattheawning,thenbehindthemattherailing.He shookhishead."Onlywayoutisdown,"he saidbreathlessly.He looked at Zane."We have to jump."

"Jump to where?" Zane asked in disbelief.

Ty grippedhisarmhardandpulledhimtoward the railing."The poolisdown there.We're lucky—they have theroof retractedfor the warmweather,"hesaidashepeeredover.WhenTyspokeagainhe wasyelling,giving orders to Norina andBianchi."Gatherthe cushions offtheseloungers,tossthemover.Trytohitthewater,"hebarkedas he tossedthe shoes asideand begandoing the very thing he'd toldthem to.

Zane watchedasTy yankedthe firstthickcushionoff one of the loungersand tossed it like an over-sized discus over the railing. He didn't waitto see where it landed but hurried to the next chair. Bianchi soon moved into action to help him, hisfrightened wife following athis heels.

"ButI donotunderstand!" shesaidasshestruggledwithone of the heavy cushions. "Why must we do this?"

"You've got to disperse the weight whenyou hitwater from this high up, oryou'll gostraight to the bottom just as ifyou were hitting concrete,"Tyansweredashetossedanotherofthecushionsoverthe railing. He turned toNorina andgrabbed her hand, pulling her toward the railing.

"Wait!"shecried,andsheyankedawayfromhimandgathered herheelsandherruinedpurse.Sheslidtheshoesonandstraightened hershoulders."Iwillgoasaladyshould,"sheclaimedbravely."In patent leather heels."

Ty actually crackedasmileashepulledhertotherailing."When you jump, make sureyou aim for a cushion."

Shelookedovertherailingandimmediately turnedherheadand put her fingers over hermouth, closing her eyes.Zane thought hisheart might stop. They'd be falling three decks or so down to the pool.

"Come, Norina. Just think of the cliff diving," Bianchi said in a shakyvoiceashehelpedherclimbuptositontherailing.Hekissed her hardand fast,and asshe started to speakrapidly inItalian, hethrew herofftheside.Ty andBianchibothwatchedherfall,makingcertain she hit thecushions likeshe wassupposedto.Listening toherthin wail and the distant splash that followed, Zane flinched as Bianchi thumped Ty's shoulder and then leaped off the railing as well.

Zane heard the next splash and hurried back across the deck to check the walkway. He was just in time to seemen bust out of a door and slide into therailing of theside ofthe ship,almostpitching over. But then they righted themselves and got to moving.

"Fifty yards andclosing," Zane said, hispulse pounding as he slowly walked backward,watching the huntersapproach.

"Comeon,Garrett," Ty urgedinalow,tensevoice.WhenZane finally lookedtohim,Ty wasstraddling therailing,holdinghishand out.ButZanecouldn'tmakehimselfmove.Hecouldalready feel himselffallingashelookedat Ty,andhedistantly admittedtohimself that he was scared out of his mind.

Tywaitedafewheartbeats;thenheslidofftherailing,crossed the ten feet between them,and took Zane's hand. He didn't pull at him, though. "Come on, Zane. There's no other way. Please."

Zane had to force the words out as he gripped Ty's hand like the lifeline it was andstaredat hislover."I can't," he breathed. He would havebackedaway likehehadatthecliffs,buthecouldhearthe pounding footsteps approaching.

Ty's eyes darted to look over Zane's shoulder,and Zane knew whathewasseeingwithouthavingtoturn.Theydidn't havemuch time. Those hazel eyeshe wasso familiar withturned back tohim, pleadingandanxious."Please,baby.I don'twanttodieupherewith you," he said with a weak laugh.

"No,"Zanesaid painfully.The thought ofhimbeing thecause of Ty's death was too much to handle, and he balked. He pried his shaking hand loose from Ty'sand pushed at him gently. "Go jump. Now."

"Fuckyou,Garrett.I'mnotleavingyouuphere,"Tygrowledas he took Zane's handagain. This time he did pullat him. Despite Zane's size,Ty's strengthwashardtofight,andTygothimtomovethree jerkystepstotherailing."IfIhavetopushyouoverIwill,butthen you won't be able toaim andyou'll breaka leg andI'll never hear the endofit,"Tygrumbledathimalmostunderhisbreathashelooked behind them at the three-story drop.

Zanewrappedhisfreehandaroundtherailinginadeathgrip. "I'm sorry, Ty," he whispered as he met Ty's worried gaze. Visions of fallingwarredwiththesightof Ty nearlybegginghimtojump,andfor a moment Zane thoughthe might be sick right then and there.

Thefirstill-advisedshotsentthroughadecorativegratingrang out,pinging off the awningabovetheir heads. Ty duckedinstinctively, but he didn't take his eyes off Zane. Ty's eyes hadalways been easy for Zanetoread,andnowTy wasdesperateandscaredandnottryingto hideit.HeputonehandonZane's cheek,squeezingZane's fingers with the other. "Zane," he whisperedbrokenly. He hesitated, his mouth working but nosound coming out.Another shot,this one closer and slightlymoreaccurate,hadthemduckingtogetherassparksfromthe metalrailingshowered them.Theirpursuersweremovingcautiously in case their quarry was armed, but time was running out.

"Zane,"Tyrepeated desperatelyas he stood and pulled Zane closer totheedgebeforeclimbing overtherailagain."I loveyou," he blurted,griptighteningonZane'shandincasehetriedtopullaway. "Please trust me."

Zane didn'tthink it was possible to beshocked out of mind-numbingfear.But Ty'swordsshookhimenoughthatheallowedTy to pullandguidehim,andZanefoundhimselfclimbinguptothrowone leg overandstraddletherailing nexttohispartnerina sortoffog."I trustyou," hesaidina shakingvoice that revealed all too much of his fear.

Ty'sfingerswere like a vise grip onZane's hand. "On three," he said softly.

Behindthemthemenfinallyroundedthecorner,cameoutinto the open, andfired several quick, poorly aimedshots—though one pinged off the railing between them, causing Zaneto flinch and wobble enough that hegrabbed at the railing desperately, the fright blooming in his chest and blanking his mind.

"Three!" Ty shouted. He wrapped hisarm around Zane's shoulder and leaned sideways, kicking off the railing atthe last minute and sending them both plummeting over the edge.

The fallpassedmuch more quickly thanZaneexpected.Dazed by Ty'sdeclaration,hebarely gotintwobreathsbeforesuddenly the cushionswere there andhe slammedintothewater,plunging belowthe surface. Despite the cushionshelping to break his fall, Zane feltlike all the air was knocked out of him. He gasped beforehe could stophimself andtookinamouthfulofsalinewaterasthemomentumtookhimto the bottom of the pool.

Heinstinctively launchedhimselfrightbackup,gaspingand coughing as he surfaced,and he flailed helplessly for several seconds. Trying to breathe and treadwater and open his eyesallatthe same time wastoomuchto accomplishwhen hispulse was racing and hisheart was practically pounding out of his chest.

A firmgriptugged on hisshoulder then justasquickly released him,and he couldhear coughing and sputtering nearby assomeoneelse struggled in the water. Screaming and shouting mingled with the rushing sound of adrenaline inZane's ears andsomeone barking orders nearby.

Freeofthefearthathadfrozenhimbutnowliterallyshaking, Zanefinally managedtorighthimselfandwipe hisstinging eyessohe couldseeTynexttohim."Didyousaythattogetmetojump?"he choked out.

Ty wasstrugglingthroughthewatertowardtheedgeofthepool. Helookedmorelikeadrowningpuppythanthegracefulswimmer Zanehadseenintheoceanandpoolseveraldaysago. Ty didn't respond;hemerely spitoutamouthfulofwaterandshookhis head.He threw both arms over the edge of the wall, pulling himself justenough out of thewater to be able togasp inseveral deep breaths.Zanegot to the side of the pool as well, still trying to wraphisbrainaround Ty's manipulation and the obvious fact that it had beensuccessful.

Zane was ill, angry, aghast, still scared out of his mind, desperately relieved... amishmashofflaring emotionshecouldn'tsort out.Hekepthiseyesonhispartner,wonderingif Ty wasgoingto respond.But Ty juststaredatthedeckofthepoolasherestedhis elbows on it, looking a little dazed.

As Zanewatched, aheavy black bootsteppedin front ofhis partner's face,causingTytolookupatitsowner.Oneoftheship's security officersstoodabovehim,lookingdownatthemwithhisarms crossed disapprovingly.Behindhim, the Bianchiswere wrappedin towels and handcuffed, two other security officers flanking them.

Ty lookedupatthemanforafewmomentslonger,thenthumped his head down to his forearms in surrender.