Page 54 of Blue in the Deep Blue Sea

A pillow flew straight at him. He ducked aside just in time.

“Get lost, you perv. This is a female dorm,” Isabella snapped. “I’m naked.”

He dabbed his forehead with a small white tissue, muttered something under his breath, and hurried out of the cabin.

She leaned over the edge of the top bunk, looking down at me.

“He deserved it.”

I climbed out of bed while Isabella made her way down the ladder attached to the bunk. One of her white shirts hung from the bed frame. She grabbed it and pulled it over her head.

“I don’t get what there’s left to clean,” she said. “We already finished all the cabins and the master suite.”

My stomach twisted.

“The deck?” I sat back down on the bed. “Isa, I can’t.” I swallowed hard. “They’ll find out. If I go up there, I’ll panic.”

“Okay, okay.” She held her hands just above my shoulders, as if trying to calm me without touching me. “If that happens, I’ll clean the deck, and maybe you can sneak over to the staff lockers by the kitchen and look for the map.”

I nodded.

I would do anything rather than go back up there. Just thinking about reliving last night made my heart race. My body still remembered the wind whipping against my skin, the sting of the salty air in my lungs. Faint crescent marks from my nails still lined my palms where I’d dug them into my skin while clinging to myself for dear life.

This yacht was a special circle of hell, punishment for whatever I’d done wrong in my life.

I pulled my navy shirt from the locker and slipped it over my head. My hair was still tangled from yesterday. I hadn’t even had the chance to brush it or tie it into a bun. My pants were folded on the shelf. I pulled them on, tugging them up to my waist.

Turning to Isabella, I asked, “Do you think George will say anything if I don’t show up on deck?”

“I think he’ll be too busy judging me,” she said with a chuckle as she pulled on her sneakers, then hopped to her feet. “Six more days.”

“Just six more,” I said, smiling back.

Walking behind her, I pulled my hair into a bun as she headed for the door. I paused for a moment, closing it quietly behind me.

“The kitchen’s below deck, and the cook down there is Lorenzo. I think he works with Bianchi, but be careful even if hedoesn’t,” she said, giving me a quick hug before heading down the hallway toward the door leading to the sun deck.

I exhaled and closed my eyes.

One long breath in through my nose.

Then I opened them again and slowly made my way toward the stairs leading below deck.

The silence comforted me. Judging by how still everything was, no one was around. After being left alone so many times, I’d grown used to it. Somewhere along the way, people had become the thing that unsettled me.

I stepped off the last stair and let my gaze wander across the kitchen.

Everything was neatly organized. Two rows of stainless-steel cabinets lined the room, and on the far wall, two round windows overlooked the aft deck. Between the rows sat two sinks. The deeper one was filled with fresh water, ice, and red apples bobbing gently on the surface, while the other was stacked with dirty dishes waiting to be washed. Pots rested on the stove, carrying the rich smell of something cooking, though none of the burners were on. Only two pendant lights hanging above the center counter lit the room. The overhead cabinets stood open, revealing stacks of plates and neatly arranged pots.

“Hello?” I called, hoping to draw someone out.

Only my own voice answered, sounding softly through the empty kitchen.

I walked over to the sink, my gaze settling on the apples. I picked one up, turning it in my hand, admiring how red and ripe it was. My eyes moved from the apple to the water in the sink.

Something moved in the reflection behind me.

I set the apple down on the cold steel surface. Just as I started to turn around, a strong hand grabbed me from behind and shoved me forward.