Stranded by Dani Pettrey Read Free Book Online

yet, I’m hoping Abby gets word to me herself.”
    â€œWhy do you think Landon will hear anything different tomorrow? You said he’d already spoken to the hospital?”
    â€œHe did, but he said he was going to dig deeper. He was going to talk with the night crew when they came on duty tonight. See if any of them remember Abby.”
    â€œAnd if they don’t?”
    â€œThen, I have no idea where she is.” She looked at him so starkly, tears welling in her eyes, that it nearly broke his heart.
    â€œCome here.” He tugged her to him and enveloped her in his arms.
    Slowly, apprehensively, she nestled into his embrace. She felt so good, like she was made to be held in his arms.
    â€œIt’s going to be okay,” he whispered, feeling the odd need to comfort her, to protect her. All the feelings he’d felt in Yancey were still there, despite his attempts to forget about her—still there and, to his surprise, far stronger.
    â€œI pray that’s true”—her voice was more tentative than he’d ever heard it—“but my gut says something’s very, very wrong.”

7
    He glanced at his cell, at the number blinking across the screen. It was the burner satellite cell he’d gotten for his lead man aboard the Bering, which until yesterday had been Jeremy.
    â€œWhat now? Don’t tell me I’m going to regret promoting you.”
    â€œNo. I . . .”
    â€œAren’t going to waste my time.”
    The caller cleared his throat. “Of course not. I just wanted to keep you apprised of a new situation.”
    â€œWhat kind of situation ?” He loathed the word. It was simply another way of saying someone had screwed up again .
    â€œThere’s a reporter on board.”
    â€œAnother one?”
    â€œNo. Not like that. She’s an adventure journalist. Some bigwig over at headquarters hired her to drum up publicity for the ship. They’re all pumped about this new adventure angle.”
    â€œOkay . . . ” He drew the word out, wondering where the problem was.
    â€œI only thought you should know because she’ll be tagging along on the excursions.”
    â€œI see.”
    â€œDoes that change anything?”
    Was he kidding? “What do you think?”
    â€œI . . . I just wanted to check.”
    He wanted to be sure he didn’t get his head blown off, like Jeremy had. “Are we good?”
    â€œYes, but . . .”
    His impatience flared. He wasn’t the hand-holding type. Maybe he’d chosen the wrong man. “But . . . ?”
    â€œShe’s still a reporter. What if she catches on?”
    Please, she was a fluff adventure journalist. “Then we get rid of her like we did the other.”

    After returning to her cabin and writing up a few notes, Darcy realized she’d neglected to ask Gage what Mullins had said in the meeting. She’d considered taking a quick nap, but if she was to cover the excursions, she decided she ought to at least have some idea of what was planned. She splashed water on her face, freshened up her makeup, and headed back to Gage’s cabin, only to find him gone.
    Great.
    Landon had said something about Gage being in charge of adventure activities aboard the ship. Perhaps he was up on Deck 9, where the bulk of the ship’s activities seemed to take place. Not eager to get back on an elevator anytime soon, she took the stairs and exited at the end of a corridor.
    The carpet—the same cobalt blue as the rest of the ship, chosen no doubt to mimic the crisp blue-green Alaskan waters—was extra plush beneath her feet. They’d recarpeted the hall recently. The head of Destiny’s publicity department, Megan Nash—who’d given her the journalist job—had mentioned something about recent upgrades occurring throughout the five-year-old vessel.
    As she entered the main hall, she glanced up at the