Stowaway by Emma Bennett Read Free Book Online

up under it, and places a pair of giant
men’s sunglasses on my nose.
    “There! Perfect.
Now, I’m just going to park you at a bar while I go run a quick errand. Got it?”
    “Oh
no! You’re not leaving me…”
    “I’ve got to call
in sick from work, alright? Having you hanging on my arm while I do it is not
going to convince one of my buddies to cover for me.”
    Right. I nod. We part ways at the stairway, and I head up to the promenade. When I get
to the bar, I sit in the same stool as yesterday, chatting with a new
bartender. However, my phone is safely tucked into my jeans’ front pocket.
That’s all that’s in there. I forgot to grab my change when I switched clothes
at Luke’s.
    “Hi doll. Anybody sitting here?”
    Great. Mike the pickpocket is back. I sip on my drink and will him to leave.
    “Go away!”
    “Hey, no need to
get so defensive. I just want to talk. Nice hat.”
    He did the coin
from behind my ear trick thing again. Really? Two days
in a row?   Maybe he is going to apologize
in his own weird way, and that’s his only ice-breaker.
    “Buy you a drink?”
he says, again failing to notice I’ve already got one, and it’s free.
    “Whatever.”
    He doesn’t need
any more encouragement to scrape his chair closer to mine and start clicking
that infernal lighter.
    True to script, he
throws his other arm around my shoulders.
    “Isn’t this nice,
doll? Sailing the open seas, full of beauty and mystery?”
    I sigh and take a
gulp of my drink. I choke when I feel his hand creep lower.
    “Seriously? Are you really trying to pickpocket me two days in a row? Do you have a death wish,
Mike?”
    He jumps back,
like I’m suddenly made of hot coals.
    “You’re that lady
from yesterday!”
    “Yeah, and you’re
the stupidest criminal I’ve ever met.”
    “Well, you look a
lot different,” he pouts, standing up. Then he storms off muttering.
    I can’t help
laughing as he wanders away. Too bad I couldn’t wait for him to order me
something expensive before chasing him off. Next time, I promise myself.
    “I won’t have to
worry with small jobs for long,” he says just before he ducks out into the
crowd. “I’m going to score big on this cruise. You just wait and see who will
be laughing then!”
    Idiot. I slurp down the rest of my drink and chomp on the complimentary cherry.
    Finally, Luke
comes. He’s changed from his uniform to street clothes. I notice his hand is
closed around something.
    “ Here. ” He motions for me to take whatever he has.
    I hold out my
hand, and he drops casino chips into my hand. I count them and they amount to
less than a couple dollars.
    “What is this for?
I think my life is enough of a gamble right now.”
    “Found some change
in your pocket. And, that’s all I found there. Not even a credit card. Thought you could use some better financial luck.”
    “You snooped
through my clothes?”
    “Yep,
while you were in the shower. You don’t have a wallet or any identification
at all. Care to explain that?”
    My first instinct
is to say no, but I can tell he knows. Besides, despite what I convinced myself
last night, I am a terrible liar. So, I have two options. I can jump into the
ocean and fight the sharks for freedom or I can tell the truth. Right now, the
sharks are looking pretty appealing. I take a deep breath before looking at
him.
    “I snuck onto the
ship.”
    There I said it. I
feel better, more like myself, telling the truth.
    “Are you going to
turn me in?”
    “A stowaway,” he
says, ignoring my question. “That’s what I thought. Most people jump at the
chance to get back to their own room. Last night, you jumped at the chance to
go to mine, and it certainly wasn’t because of my considerable charm. Believe me, you would have known if I had used it.”
    “Hey! I am
offended! Who says I would fall for your stupid charm anyway?”
    “Oh, you would’ve,
Maggie, trust me. You know, you’d be smart to be nicer to me right now. I
considered