Page 37 of Companion Required

Chapter Sixteen

Kieran

On the third day at sea, with not a cloud tainting the morning sky, the cruise ship anchored at Koh Samui in Thailand for the first of their excursions.

Even without the rainbow flags and pink feather boas streaming out of a couple of the coach windows, nobody on the street could have been in any doubt as to the orientation of the passengers inside—well, the majority of them. Kieran had never seen so much colourful spandex or leather harness, so much glitter and makeup and so many tight vests, shorts and half-naked muscled bodies in one place.

Whether the local coach driver had been warned or not, Kieran had no idea, but the man grinned broadly each time the holidaymakers boarded and re-boarded the bus. Two minutes away from the previous stop, and the crowd—most a little the worse for wear after discovering a gay-friendly bar selling cheap Singha beer—began a rousing chorus of Abba’s ‘Mamma Mia’. Three of them, dressed in boas and wigs as Meryl, Christine and Julie, provided a coordinated dance show down the narrow aisle between the seats. Kieran enjoyed the coach entertainment almost as much as the trip itself.

Almost, but not quite.

Sitting next to Leonard in the luxury air-conditioned coach, Kieran’s forehead rested against the cool window, as he observed the stunning coastline of calm, aquamarine sea, and the almost white sands bordered by lush green vegetation lining their route. The next and final stop on their island tour would be the Big Buddha, viewed at sunset. Butterflies had set up shop in his stomach. If he was going to be honest with himself, he wished Kennedy had joined them, missed having him there to share the experience. Twice in the past few days, he’d noticed Kennedy ogling him naked in the shower. Not that he minded. To be perfectly honest, he left the door to the bathroom open on purpose now, found the attention strangely flattering.

But as usual, Kennedy had work to finish, and had wanted to give Kieran time on his own. In the seat behind him, Steph snuggled up to Laurie, and opposite them, Pete sat with his dad. Leonard had insisted Kieran keep him company, and had even given him the window seat. From a couple of their conversations he learned that Leonard had no interest in meeting anyone on the cruise, and, like Kennedy, had taken time out from his busy schedule to relax with friends. Kieran had grown to like Leonard on the short excursion—had even been invited to call him Len—and was glad he’d spent time getting to know him. He sat there right now, occasionally making approving noises at views Kieran pointed out, but mainly frowning down at his tablet computer.

“You like this place, don’t you?” came Len’s voice.

“It’s stunning. I could happily retire here.”

“Got a few good years before that happens, buddy.”

Next to him, Len snorted, before cursing softly under his breath. Kieran turned and noticed him repeatedly brushing his finger across the display of the tablet computer. He’d been playing with the device, and intermittently huffing, ever since they’d boarded the bus from the Thai silk market.

“You okay there?” Kieran asked.

“I’m trying to get to the next page of this bloody site, but the damned thing keeps freezing. It’s driving me nuts.”

“Can I take a look?”

“Be my guest,” said Len, thrusting the device at Kieran.

Kieran already knew Leonard had no problem accessing the Internet, because they shared the same Wi-Fi dongle. But the site on the display—for what appeared to be antique furniture—had frozen. Kieran copied the URL, closed the browser down and tried again. This time the page opened to the main page of the site, and Kieran selected the one Leonard had been trying to reach. After a minute, he handed the device back.

“Not your fault, Len. Looks to me as though that site was cobbled together in the nineties. I realise they’re selling antiques, but the home page shouldn’t have to work like one. Heavens, a twelve-year-old could build something better these days. Surprised they manage to sell anything at all.”

When he turned to Len, the man had a grim smile on his face.

“We don’t. At least not much.”

“Oh, shit,” said Kieran, placing his fingers over his lips. “Foot meet mouth. A bad habit of mine. I’m so sorry.”

“No, no,” said Len. “You’re right, of course, and you’re honest. All my sites were built by the same developer over a couple of decades ago, who subsequently disappeared off the face of the earth. Since then I’ve thrown good money after bad, simply trying to keep them up and running.”

“Kennedy told me your businesses are doing really well.”

“We’re making money. But not as much as we could be.”

“Well, if there’s anything I can help with, let me know. This is my area of expertise.”

“Seriously?” said Len, turning to Kieran with what looked something like hope in his eyes. “You could help with this?”

“Absolutely. Tell you what, why don’t you give me the details of all your websites—including any backdoor passwords—and I’ll check them out. With Kennedy working, I’ve got so much time free on the cruise. Then we’ll get together one afternoon, you can buy me a cocktail, and I’ll give you my recommendations.”

“I can’t ask you to do that on your holiday.”

“You’re not. I’m offering. Plus, to be honest, this is the kind of thing I get a kick out of, much more than I do trying to find space to swim in that tiny tub on the boat they call a swimming pool.”

“Pete loves to hang around the pool,” said Len, grinning. “Says that’s where you find all the young hot guys with the ripped bodies.”

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