The Elusive Smuggler Read online

  Gabriella remembered her slow walk up the gangway. Her head was tilted so far back trying to take in the spectacular ship above her that her neck started aching and she felt slightly dizzy when she lowered her chin again. She’d made her way through the bustling crowd and stood in the middle of the main auditorium, feeling lost and out of place, yet exhilarated by the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and accents whooshing past her.

  “Can I help you?”

  Gabriella singled out the kind American voice amidst the sea of chaotic buzz around her. She turned and stared up into the amber eyes of the rather attractive man looking down at her. “Yes,” she said, blushing slightly and looking down at the ticket crumpled in her hand. “I need to locate my cabin, and I’m afraid it won’t be easy with all my luggage.”

  “No problem, ma’am. That’s what I’m here to help you with,” he said with a wink.

  He was much taller than Gabriella and his muscular frame seemed to tower over her, though she didn’t feel threatened. Her parents had warned her to stay away from any lone males who might try to woo her with their cunning wiles before robbing her of all she had.

  “How do I know I can really trust you?” Gabriella asked, one eyebrow flicking up as she studied the youthful man with her green eyes.

  The man suddenly lost some of his confidence and his eyes glanced around in case anyone overheard the embarrassing question. He laughed nervously and then pointed to the emblem on his chest pocket. It was of a dazzling sun bursting through on the horizon with the words ‘Concord Cruise’ written underneath.

  “Ah,” Gabriella smiled, her cheeks reddening. “You’re a crew member. My apologies.”

  “Let me see your ticket,” he said with a quick smile, his fingers gently removing the wrinkled paper from her sweaty hand. He studied the printed words for a few seconds before flashing her another smile. “Your cabin is ready,” he announced, stooping to lift her heavy suitcase. “You can follow me, if you like.”

  Gabriella’s head turned a few times in panic, but she slowly calmed down as she noticed other people also being helped to their cabins by crew members.

  “You have a stunning cabin awaiting you,” the man commented as they made their way through the busy crowd. “You’ll have a view of the Atlantic the entire way—although I have to warn you that some upper cabins receive more of a rolling and bumping motion.”

  Gabriella’s eyes widened with sudden concern, though she wasn’t entirely sure what he was referring to.

  “So,” the man continued, unperturbed that she wasn’t saying much at all, “I hope you have a good stomach on you.”

  “Excuse me?” Gabriella said a little more forcefully than she’d intended.

  “Sorry, ma’am.” He paused and offered her an apologetic smile. “I just meant that some people struggle with sea sickness in the upper cabins. So if you feel ill, just let me know.”

  “You seem to know a lot about the sea. Have you been a sea faring man for a long time?”

  “I think I was born a sea faring man,” he said, and then launched into his life’s story, which lasted the rest of the walk to Gabriella’s cabin. “I’ve been working here since I left school, so for about three years now,” the man was still saying. “And I tell you here and now, Miss— one of these days, I’ll be a captain!”

  He spoke with such conviction and sincerity that Gabriella found she couldn’t laugh at his goals no matter how impossible they seemed. “Thank you for your help, Mr. uh…?”

  “Nicolas Fischer,” he answered, swooping his cap off.

  “Thank you for your help, Nicolas. It’s been a pleasure to meet you.” Gabriella extended a five-pound note for a tip.

  Nicolas shook his head, his lips playing into a curious smile as he spoke. “I ask only for one thing for payment of my services…”

  “And what might that be?”

  “Your name.”

  “It’s Gabriella Reid.” She bobbed her head and disappeared into her cabin.

  “Ms. Reid?” Nicolas called her back.

  “Yes, Nicolas?”

  “One day, I’ll marry you.”

  “Wait!” Sarah said, gob-smacked. “Captain Nicolas said that to you after only about thirty minutes in your presence?”

  “He sure did,” Gabriella said with a smile that hadn’t been present on the day under discussion.

  “What did you do?” Sarah asked, hanging onto every detail of Gabriella’s story.

  “I did what any respectable young lady in my situation would do—I slapped him and slammed my cabin door in his face.”

  “You didn’t!” Sarah gasped, touching her fingers to her mouth in shock.

  Gabriella laughed, realizing how proud and foolish she’d been at such a young age. “it worried me he would try taking advantage of me. I was alone on a cruise ship and I came from a wealthy family, so I was just being careful.”

  “But something must have happened because you ended up marrying him, and he became a captain…”

  Gabriella checked her watch. “I’m afraid we must continue this history lesson another time.” Gabi’s expression turned serious. “Sarah, I want you to be careful when dealing with Sebastian on this cruise. It’s clear that he had quite an effect on you in a brief time span. You know the rules. Often people onboard seek some kind of love connection and when the cruise is over, the connection is cruelly snapped off too.”

  Sarah nodded. “I know. Trust me, I won’t do anything stupid. I guess I’m just in a vulnerable place. It felt good to connect with someone again.”

  “If you’re looking for a love interest,” Gabriella winked at Sarah, “I know plenty of males on our crew who would willingly feed a limb to sharks to spend an off day with you.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes and pushed her friend away. “Don’t you dare get involved in my love life, or I’ll tell the captain you’ve been relating stories from your early romance together.”

  “It might do him some good,” Gabriella said stiffly. “You know, to remember the good old days.”

  Sarah tilted her head in confusion, but Gabriella’s guard immediately went back into place. She then waved Sarah off with a smile and continued progressing through her lengthy list of duties.

  Chapter 5

  Midnight Mysteries

  Gabriella was making her way to her husband’s quarters located under the bridge. The captain’s quarters provided an open and private space for a captain and the relieving captain. While many captains’ wives didn’t frequently sail with them, preferring to live on land and see to other family affairs, Gabriella had immediately decided not to be one of those wives when Nicolas received the privileged rank of ship captain. She loved every minute she got to spend with her husband and couldn’t have survived the months away from him.

  The Fischer cruise ship had separate quarters for the relieving captain, and Gabriella and her husband loved sharing their private quarters. It was their home more than any other place on earth. That didn’t mean they spent much leisure time together—her husband rarely got over five hours of sleep, and Gabriella had fallen into the same pattern.

  “Gabi,” a voice suddenly spoke behind her.

  She jumped and turned round to see that Derek had been trying to catch up to her. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you back there, Derek. Do you have any news on Pamela Savage’s bags?”

  “Yes, I hand delivered them myself,” Derek informed, matching his stride to hers.

  “Did you go through her luggage to check if everything was kosher?”

  “Yeah. Everything seemed fine and all the locks were in place. Nothing tampered with.”

  “What about that Ronnie guy? I think we should have a chat with him.” Gabriella frowned slightly as she thought of the trouble he’d caused.

  “I wouldn’t bother,” Derek remarked. “He was just being a gentleman.”

  Gabriella raised an eyebrow. “And we know this how? We can never be too cautious, Derek.”

  “I agree, which is why I c
hecked out his name and ID and so forth. I saw no reason to be suspicious or pursue the matter any further.”

  “Excellent work, Derek.” Gabriella grinned. “And that’s why you’re the head of security around here, and not me.”

  Derek smiled. “I hope you get some rest.”

  “You too. Your shift is also over now, right?”

  “Right.” He yawned. “You don’t miss a thing around here, do you?”

  Still smiling, she waved him goodnight before heading into her quarters and sighing contently as the door clicked closed behind her. The first day of a cruise was always full with adrenalin as everyone functioned on high energy, excited to meet the new passengers and elated to show them around the ship. And then there were the parties and entertainment that wouldn’t end until disembarkation.

  The voyage was gradually exhausting and demanded a lot from the crew.

  Gabriella quietly eased her shoes off. The lights were already out, meaning her husband was fast asleep, exhausted from his shift. Gabriella tip-toed across the carpeted floor and took a quick shower before creeping into bed and snuggling up next to her snoring husband. She then checked her watch one last time and groaned at seeing that it was already after midnight, meaning it would be another night with less than five hours of sleep.

  She closed her heavy eyelids and for the first time that day, she stopped thinking about her to-do lists.

  Gabriella was dancing wildly across the floor, her husband twirling her around. She was laughing so hard, she couldn’t breathe.

  Feeling hands shoving her, her eyes snapped open and her colorful dream fell apart.

  “Gabi, it’s Sarah,” a hushed whisper found her ear. “I’m sorry to wake you, but I need your help.”

  Gabi was used to being woken by Sarah in mild emergencies. Apart from the relieving captain, Sarah was the only other crew member who had a key to their quarters.

  Waking instantly, Gabriella dressed in under a minute and followed Sarah back into the passageway. “What’s the problem?” she asked, her eyes taking a while to adjust to the bright passage lights.

  “It’s a passenger named Pamela Savage. Apparently, she knows you. There was an incident in the night and she’s refusing to speak to anyone except you,” Sarah reported.

  “Did you contact Derek?” Gabriella asked, checking her watch. She had only been asleep for two hours.

  “When I suggested it, Ms. Savage adamantly refused. That’s when your name popped up.”

  “You did the right thing in waking me up then,” Gabi said as she quickened her pace.

  Sarah relayed the cabin number and was then ordered back to bed by Gabriella.

  Ten minutes later, Gabriella knocked gently on Pamela’s door.

  “Who is it?” a nervous voice sounded from inside.

  “It’s me, Gabi.”

  The door clicked open and the frail and old Pamela stepped aside. She clutched her night shawl close around her compact frame, and her fingers trembled as she gestured for Gabriella to enter the cabin.

  “Are you okay?” Gabriella asked, noticing Pamela’s white pallor.

  “No, my dear. I am not!” she replied in a shaky voice.

  Gabi swiped at her phone and sent a message for one waiter to bring a tray of tea to Pamela’s cabin. “Tell me what happened,” she said, eyeing the bags sprawled across the room.

  “Well, the security man, Mr. Figo, brought my bags to me shortly after dinner. I had wanted to attend the theatre tonight, but decided against it, as I was still in my travelling clothes.”

  “I’m deeply sorry for the inconvenience we’ve caused you,” Gabriella began her well-rehearsed apology speech that she’d relayed humbly many as the captain’s wife.

  “Oh, never mind that.” Pamela waved her hand through the air. “Anyway, Figo delivered the bags, but the strangest thing happened.”

  “Tell me,” Gabi encouraged.

  “Maximus went crazy,” Pamela said in a trembling voice.

  Gabriella’s gaze swept swiftly through the room and she realized Maximus wasn’t with Pamela. “Where is he?”

  Pamela exhaled slowly. “I’ll get to that, my dear. You young people are so impatient. An old woman can only get out so much information at a time.”

  Gabriella smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Pamela. Please continue.” There was a light tap on the door and Gabriella stood to receive the tea tray. She poured Pamela some tea and handed her the cup. “I put some honey in yours. Figured it might help with the shock.”

  “That’s so kind of you,” Pamela simpered gratefully, taking a sip and then continuing. “Maximus didn’t take kindly to Mr. Figo at first, but when the bags came into the room, Maximus just wouldn’t stop barking and growling,” Pamela resumed. “I thought he would attack someone!”

  “So Maximus was barking at the bags?”

  “Yes!”

  “But where is he now?”

  “Mr. Figo suggested I allow him to lock Maximus up for the night so he would calm down. He said the barking would disturb the other passengers,” Pamela recounted with dismay.

  “I’m so sorry, Pamela,” Gabriella said soothingly. “I can’t imagine what went wrong. I’ll sort things out and make sure Maximus gets back to you as soon as possible. Could I send a crew member to help you pack your things away? Then perhaps we could store your bags in a different location and Maximus could return to you.”

  Pamela nodded. “I would like all of that very much, but I’m afraid I haven’t yet reached the worst part of my night.”

  Gabriella listened in stunned silence as Pamela resumed her tragic tale. She had just fallen asleep after someone had wrenched her service dog from her care, when she was awoken by another unexpected visitor.

  “What?” Gabriella said furiously. “Someone was inside your cabin?”

  “Yes! I know that it was a man because I threw something at his silhouette and heard him howl!”

  “How did he get inside?”

  “My door was most definitely locked, so I suspect he picked the lock and snuck in,” Pamela relayed, trembling.

  “Did you see what he was doing?” Gabriella asked, a sick feeling spreading through her stomach at the thought of one of her passengers experiencing harm on her ship.

  “He was rummaging through my luggage!”

  “Did he take anything?”

  “I don’t know.” Pamela sighed and shook her head wearily. “I screamed and screamed, and he turned around and bolted out of here. My neighbor came to help, and I told him to call you. That’s when that lovely Asian girl arrived.”

  “Sarah Lang,” Gabriella said diplomatically. “I’d like to move you to a safer cabin, Ms. Savage. This is unacceptable and I’m mortified that you experienced this while under our care. I’ll have a security guard stationed here immediately until we can get you moved.”

  Pamela shook her head again. “No, my dear. I appreciate your concern, but as long as I can have my Maximus back with me, I’ll feel much safer.”

  “I’ll see to that immediately.” Gabriella said, rising to her feet.

  Within minutes, a security crew member arrived and stationed himself outside Pamela’s door.

  “Ms. Savage, this is Henry,” Gabriella introduced the bulky sailor. “He has a direct line to me, so if anything further disturbs you, let me know. Goodnight.”

  “You sleep well, dear Gabi,” Pamela said fondly.

  ***

  After a good few hours of sleep, the captain woke to find his wife missing. Considering that this wasn’t entirely unusual, he had busied himself with getting ready for the shift ahead of him. He was just completing the last stroke with his razor when his wife bolted into their quarters, yelling his name.

  The captain jumped slightly, nicking himself on the chin. He scowled at the drop of blood that pooled and scrambled for some toilet paper to dab up the mess.

  “Nick, honey,” Gabriella barked like a mad woman as she burst into the bathroom, “you will not believe
what happened tonight!”

  Nicolas was quite used to his wife’s exaggerated, passionate responses to practically everything. He gently leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and dabbed away the shaving cream he’d left behind on the side of her face.

  “You’re up early,” he commented mildly before washing his face.

  “I didn’t really go to bed,” Gabriella mumbled.

  “Uh oh. I know that look.” He paused his early morning routine and studied his wife’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  Gabriella relayed all the events—from her first encounter with Maximus and Pamela in the tea room, to the missing luggage, the missing dog, and finally, the unwanted cabin visitor.

  “Talk to Figo, love,” Nick said reassuringly. “He’ll get this smoothed out in no time.”

  “But why did he take away the dog?” Gabriella complained. “And he won’t release Maximus when I requested it. He’ll only listen to captain’s orders in that department.”

  “You will not like this,” Nick said, rubbing his angry wife’s shoulder, “but I think Figo made the right call by removing Maximus. A dog on a cruise ship is dangerous and out-of-place, especially if he’s going frantic like that.”

  “But she needs her dog!” Gabriella argued.

  “She can have a security detail with her at all times if it’ll make her feel safer,” Nick countered.

  Gabriella watched as her husband slipped into his captain’s shirt, his gold shoulder stripes glinting in the light. “Maximus is her service dog. She needs him for health reasons.”

  Nick raised an unconvinced eyebrow.

  “I’m sorry, Gabi, but I will not undermine Figo on this one,” he said, straightening his tie in the mirror. “If it means so much to you and the old lady, then explain it to Figo. I’m sure he’ll cooperate.”

  Gabriella exhaled loudly, ignoring his rational response and took another shower while he ate his breakfast alone. She resented stubbornly wasting their precious and quiet morning time together, but she couldn’t help resenting how her husband had sided with Figo over her.

  She was busy buttoning her uniform shirt in the mirror when her husband walked in, stooped down, and affectionately kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sorry, love,” he apologized gently. “I’ve got an hour before my shift, so I think I’ll do a morning round and maybe catch the sunrise. Care to join me?”