Page 3 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

“I’ll try again.” I concentrated, used my gift, and sent out a read over the room.

My emotional invasion of privacy pulled in his determination to find Sasha, and a slight increase in blood pressure at my pointy nipples. Nothing more. If Sasha was in the room, she was blocking me.

I shook my head and felt Marco’s disappointment. Caiyan, the man to whom I should be engaged but wasn’t, excelled at blocking me. Marco wasn’t quite as good. If he was distracted, his guard dropped. And right now, pointy nipples aside, he was extremely distracted.

A breeze floated in from the tavern’s open-air courtyard and ruffled Marco’s hair. I had a view over his shoulder of the two-story veranda-style rooms that circled the courtyard like a sleazy motel. The prostitutes often used these rooms. A man exited one and walked down the circular iron staircase. He was tall and dark, the perfect example of a billionaire vampire, and had a vaguely familiar gait.

“Mortas.” I mouthed at Marco.

Marco did a casual glance behind him.

Mortas stopped at the entrance to the tavern, touched the pistol he had strapped to his hip, and scanned the room. His eyes landed on us, and he went squinty-eyed. What? Did he think the WTF wouldn’t send us to track him?

A rather voluptuous redhead bounced down the stairs wearing nothing but a tropical flower and sidled up to Mortas. He shrugged her off, sent us an evil glare, and left the building.

“We should go after him.” I pushed my chair back to stand.

Marco cuffed my arm. “No.”

“Why not?”

He tossed back his drink. “She’s here.”

“Want a go, honey?” The redhead rubbed against Marco. She looked down at me. “I can do her too, but it’ll cost ye extra coin.”

“Thanks, but not tonight.” Marco turned his attention to the bottom of his empty mug.

She frowned and moved on to the next patron.

I finished the disgusting mud sludge and wiped my mouth with my hand. A small cramp twisted in my intestines. I could blame it on the sludge, but most likely, it was the warning it was time to go home.

“The moon cycle’s closing. We don’t have much time.” I gave a little let’s-get-moving head nod toward the door.

“I know, but I have this gut feeling she’s here somewhere.”

My gut told me it was time to go. “We need to get a move on. Uncle Durr’s wedding is tonight, at least it is if the time portal synced up with our time here.” The portal had been finicky lately, spitting us back to the present several days after our jump instead of mere hours. “I’m meeting Caiyan. He’s my plus one.”

“McGregor needs to grow some balls and turn himself in to headquarters.”

I happened to know firsthand Caiyan’s balls were just fine, but I agreed with Marco that things were easier when the entire team worked together. “He’s looking for…something.”

“What’s he after?” Marco asked, and when I didn’t answer, he looked down his perfect nose at me. “I know he shows up at your doorstep and takes you on exotic trips.”

“I’ll admit I’ve seen him, but I don’t know what he’s looking for.”

We stood, and as I turned, I thought I saw a pirate across the room that looked an awful lot like Caiyan. I jerked my head back for a second look but saw only a dark-haired man bussing the tables.

The thought of Caiyan sparked an urgency to head home. If I was here much longer, my hormones might misfire, and I’d jump Marco, satisfying my previously fantasized sex on the beach.

Two

Marco stepped outside the tavern, and I followed him. We weaved through the streets of Nassau. The full moon balanced like a huge pearl on the horizon. Its beams reflected off a path of creamy cobblestones leading to cresting waves and illuminating the silhouettes of ships anchored in the harbor.

We were stopped by a gypsy selling trinkets from a cart. A colorful parrot rode shotgun on her left shoulder. She held up a bottle at Marco. “Are ye in need of a potion to gird yer loins?”

“Gird yer loins?” the parrot repeated.

Marco politely shook his head. “No. Thanks.” She sent me a toothless smile and handed me twigs tied with a ribbon. “Or perhaps, make love like a king?”

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