Page 55 of The Situation Ship
“Regardless of my feelings for you, I’m not and would never be disgusted by you. Do youwantme to think you’re a monster?” he asked. “Did you kill Patrice? Calliope? Or attack Joshua?”
“No! I’d never have harmed them. I told you, I would only have protected myself against Joshua. I tried to save him tonight. I tried to get them help. I didn’t want them to die!”
“Do you thinkI’ma monster?” Isaiah asked.
“Why would I?” She frowned, drying her tears as she focused on his expression. She’d never seen him look scared before.
“Since we’re confessing, then I should even the playing field. Eckells and I are friends and… colleagues; I’m unsure how to define our situation. Eckells is on one side of the fence, and I’m on the other. When an unforgivable case comes my way and the culprit escapes from my side of the fence, I ensure that Eckells doesn’t let them get away – and vice versa. He has informants all over the city and works with me unofficially. When one side can’t ensure justice, the other takes action.”
Poppy let that sink in. This was how he’d got the bodyguard job so easily; his relationship with Eckells was far more close-knit than she’d expected. At least they used their power for good instead of self-gain.
“I see why his staff is so good at cover-ups,” she said, thinking they had enough skeletons together to fill quite a few rugs and wardrobes.“When did you and he start working together?”
“I got a tip out of the blue one day from him when he was a bouncer at the club he now owns. He’d overheard talk of a private party with underage girls. He managed to get the address, and I went undercover to bust it. Except when I got there, I discovered the girls weren’t just underage; they were – young, and the party wasn’t so much a party but a small group of sick men. I reacted.”
“When you say reacted…?”
“The men were never found, and the children were sent to good homes.” He let out a breath. “No one else on this earth knows about this. Eckells cleaned up the scene and took care of the children who were victimised. We’ve had a mutual understanding ever since.”
“Why tell me this?” she whispered.
“Because we need to start trusting each other, and if someone is on board targeting you, then we have to work together to make sure that you make it off this ship.” He took her hand. “So I’ll ask you again. Do you think I’m a monster?”
“No, I don’t think you’re a monster. We did wrong for the right reasons. We can’t be the monsters, can we?” She shook her head, resting her forehead against his chest. Exhaustion started pouring through her veins.
Isaiah picked her up and carried her over to the bed.
“We might not be saints, but I don’t think we’re the bad guys,” he said, tucking her into bed.
“How about we settle for something in between?” Poppy asked as he lay beside her.
“I can live with that,” Isaiah agreed, cradling her body against his as he brushed her hair.
“Me too.” Poppy turned to face him, covering them both in the blanket. Isaiah rested his forehead against her and kissed her tenderly.
“Get some sleep,” he said as she brushed her lips against his. “Tomorrow, we have a real monster to catch.”
“Thank you,” she sighed, staring into his dark eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, she’d felt so light, so free.
“For what?” he asked softly.
“For being here with me. For not using my past against me,” she said, yawning.
“I only wish I had found you sooner,” he told her.
Poppy snuggled into his chest. Listening to his steady heartbeat, she fell asleep in his arms.
“Poppy? Can you come in here?” Isaiah called out as he heard the door open. Poppy had been having breakfast with Mina, catching her up on the events from the previous night. He’d wanted to give them some space to talk, so he’d been on a morning run, leaving them safely in the suite.
“Are you changing your mind about last night?” she asked tentatively, peering around the bathroom door. “Because there’s no takebacks on letting me get away with murder.”
She was still in her pyjamas, pink shorts with red hearts and a matching top. After their long conversations last night, Isaiah had crashed into a deep sleep, so she must have got up at some point to change. He had never slept so soundly when he was supposed to be on alert, especially with someone else in his bed.
“No takebacks necessary. I need help with the after-sun lotion. I think I managed to get sunburned,” he said, struggling to reach his back.
His run had also been to assess whether the captain had increased security on the outer decks. Despite the crew’s insistence that nothing had happened on the lounge deck, they had ordered everyone to keep away from the jacuzzi area where Poppy had found Joshua.
“My hands are at your service.” She smirked, hopping onto the bathroom counter to reach his shoulders and neck.
