Page 81 of The Red Queen

She slid a shaking hand over her belly and looked down. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

It was strange, but this was the first time she’d communicated with the creature growing inside her. Before now, it felt like a foreign disease, growing bigger, stronger, and more dangerous by the day. The longer it stayed planted in her womb, the more it tied her to a life she hadn’t agreed to, wasn’t sure she wanted and didn’t know how to fit into.

For the first time, she felt the insidious creeping of attachment to the fetus. The very idea nearly threw her into a panic. She couldn’t be a mother, she just couldn’t!

“Excuse me… are you okay?” Desi looked up and saw the couple who’d gotten on the boat behind her. The woman had stopped and was now looking at Desi, concern etching her features.

Desi forced her lips to twist into a half smile. “I get seasick.”

A relieved smile creased the woman’s face, and she began digging through her purse. “Oh my goodness, me too! When I first got on this ship in Spain, I was sick as a dog. The ship’s infirmary gave me these tablets, and they worked like a charm. Take them, I don’t need them anymore.”

Before Desi could protest, the woman pressed a small bottle into her hand, then patted her arm.

“Get some rest, you’ll feel better in no time!” She gave Desi a sympathetic smile. “You should be back on your feet by tomorrow, just in time to enjoy our next port.”

“Um, I seem to have forgotten. Where’s the next port?”

The woman looked concerned again. “Oh, poor you, you must be feeling really under the weather if you can’t remember where we’re headed. Tomorrow morning we dock in Dubrovnik. You’ll want to get lots of rest so you’re up to exploring the city.”

Desi nodded. “Thank you.” She held up the pills. “And thank you so much for these.”

“They’ll make an enormous difference, trust me.” The woman patted Desi’s arm and turned to walk away with her husband.

Desi watched them until they disappeared, then looked down at the pills in her hand. The woman had been nice to her. A total stranger. For no reason other than to help relieve Desi’s made-up seasickness.

She continued through the ship, dropping the pills into a wastebasket as she went. As much as she knew the other woman was just trying to help, she wouldn’t take anything given to her by a stranger. Assassins could come in any age, shape, and size. The Venezuelan assassin,El Escorpion,was now in her 80s and rumour had it just as deadly as she had been in her youth.

Desi made her way to the ship’s concierge desk, wiping away the residual feelings of confusion. It was time to go to work and she needed all her faculties about her. She approached the man, a wide smile stretching her red-painted lips.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted him.

He looked up slowly from his computer, but when he finally saw her, his eyes widened. “Hello, Signora, what may I help you with?”

So far everyone she’d encountered spoke English, which told her the cruise catered to English speakers.

“I’m so sorry to be a bother.” She lowered her long lashes, giving the impression of embarrassment. “My husband and I… we had a fight, and I just don’t think….” She blinked away the tears that suddenly leapt to her eyes and let out a long breath. “I don’t think I can stay in the same cabin with him. I know this is a long shot, but are there any other rooms available?”

His gaze became speculative, interested.

“Please, I’m happy to pay. I have money.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a wad of bills in a shaking hand, placing them on the counter. “We were supposed to be working on our marriage, but I found out… he… he… oh… I’m sorry!”

She sniffled loudly and pulled a tissue from her purse, pressing it to her nose.

The man looked sympathetic and began tapping on the computer. “I’ll see what I can find. We always leave a few cabins open in case of emergency. What is your current room number?”

Desi froze, her brain working rapidly. She’d counted ten passenger decks. She assumed the nicer cabins with balconies were on the top decks. The cabins she’d passed while coming up to the concierge desk had three numbers on the door.

She tried to sound distraught as she struggled to ‘remember’ the room number. “I… I think we’re in room 614, but I really wasn’t paying attention. My husband takes care of all that.” She used the edge of her tissue to wipe beneath her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m really quite useless at this stuff.”

He gave her a comforting smile and then dropped his gaze to the computer screen. “It says here that a Mr. And Mrs. Gillian are staying in room 614.”

She nodded emphatically. “Yes, that’s us.”

“Okay, great, I can move you into cabin 327. It’s not as nice as the one you’re in, but you’ll get some privacy.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” Desi gasped, giving him her best look of sultry gratitude.

His cheeks reddened and he fumbled as he programmed a room key for her, handing it over. “The room is yours for the duration of the cruise.”

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