Page 85 of The Situation Ship
“Last time I say it, but thank you,” Isaiah said, not wanting to be scolded again.
“Since the police are holding all your belongings, I left some clothes for you and Poppy on the chest of drawers outside the spare room,” Phoebe said kindly.
“Right. I didn’t even think about that,” he admitted, tasting the extra sugar in his tea.
“For the shock – you could use the pick-me-up,” Phoebe said, reading his expression. “She’s going to be okay. She might never forget what’s happened, but she’ll learn to cope. It’s in your nature to ask questions, to want to solve things, but just be patient with her, and she’ll open up in her own time.”
“I knew you two were going to be fast friends,” Isaiah joked. “I wanted to ask… could you not tell anyone that we’re here? Thefewer people that know, the better.” He wanted to err on the side of caution.
“My lips are sealed.” Phoebe zipped her lips. “I’ve left the spare key in the kitchen in the porcelain duck by the door, and you already know the alarm code.”
Her phone rang. From her tone, it was Axel.
“Okay, I’ll be right there,” she said before hanging up and putting her mug in the sink.
“Axel managed to get the event back under control. Some of the guests wandered down the beach to the scene, but most have returned, and they want us to check in and make sure everything is okay. I want to tip the staff something extra for all their work. He managed to get us a room, so there’s nothing left to worry about. All you have to do is rest and look after Poppy.”
Isaiah had been so distracted by what was happening with Poppy and theMidasthat he’d forgotten about their event. She would never let on that it upset or bothered her that the chaos had detracted from the event. However, considering how hard they had worked, it would have been nice to have the night end without sirens and murder.
“We’re only down the road, so call us if you need anything. Get some rest. You need to look after yourself too,” Phoebe said, resting a reassuring hand on his arm before heading off.
Isaiah locked the door behind her and turned on the alarm system he had installed for them last year.
Lyingbeside Poppy to watch out for any signs of fever, Isaiah kept a hand on her as she slept in case he fell asleep, so he would be alerted when she woke up. He figured she would be in a lot ofpain, and he didn’t want her to experience that alone. Watching her chest rising and falling softly, he wished they had gone to the hospital to be safe.
He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, and her eyes fluttered open.
“Mina!” Poppy bolted up, only to let out a howl of pain as she clutched her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Mina’s fine. You’re safe,” Isaiah said, easing her back against the pillows.
She grimaced and positioned herself so she was leaning more on him than on her injured side.
“Take these,” he said, handing her some painkillers that would help with the worst of it. She sighed in relief and took a glass of water from him. “How’s your shoulder?” He had other questions, but he only cared about protecting her right now.
“It aches, but whatever they gave me still hasn’t fully worn off. I’d say when it does, it won’t be pretty. Where are Phoebe and Axel?” Poppy asked, taking in her surroundings. He had left the balcony doors open during the warm night so they could see the starry skies and coastline.
“They had to go back to the hotel, and they decided to stay the night so we could have some space,” Isaiah told her, putting the glass of water on the bedside table.
“We should have stayed in the hotel. This is their home,” Poppy said sadly.
“Phoebe is more than happy to help us, and she doesn’t want you beating yourself up,” Isaiah said, not wanting her to feel bad on top of every other emotion she was sure to be feeling. “Phoebe knows this is the safest place for us, so please don’t think any more about it.”
“We owe her a massive present when this is all over. This was meant to be her night,” Poppy said.
“I’m sure she’ll take you up on that, but right now, she only cares that you’re safe and healing.” Isaiah kissed her hair, and she settled under his arm. He was sure she could hear his heartbeat. It sped up whenever she was close, but this time it was because he was nervous.
“You want to ask me what happened, what I didn’t tell you before we got here?” Poppy asked, looking up at him.
“Davide wasn’t the mastermind, was he?” Isaiah dared to ask.
“No.”
He thought telling her what he had learnt would make it easier for her to open up. “You were talking to someone before he arrived. I don’t think the police paid attention to anything except what happened when you shot Davide, but I saw it on the security footage the captain sent me while you were sleeping. Who were you talking to?” He didn’t want to sound like he was interrogating her. “I’m not accusing you of anything. I just need all the facts to protect you.”
Why was she so reluctant to share? Had she been threatened? Did the killer have something on her? The footage had had no audio, and he desperately wanted to know who she was talking to.
Poppy took his hand and threaded her fingers between his own. “Have you ever been in love?”
