Adventure Cruise Line Box Set by Loucinda McGary

Author:Loucinda McGary
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Cruises, Fiction, Anthologies, Suspense, Retail
Publisher: Loucinda McGary
Published: 2013-12-11T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Rip and Williams bided their time and tried to mingle with the other crew members who were busy preparing Valiant for her day in port. Within five minutes of their arrival, another smaller cruise ship, Enchanté, pulled directly across from them on the wide dock. Apparently the two ships often made this stop together, for the men called back and forth congenially to each other as they worked.

After about twenty minutes several people began wandering up and down the pier, and Williams gave the signal for the two of them to move out. At the end of the dock, they ducked into the public restroom and shed their coveralls. Rip shoved his into the duffle bag. Since he had so few items of clothes with him, he couldn't quite throw them away.

He put on his new sunglasses and pulled the baseball cap Williams had supplied low on his forehead. As they crossed and walked down the road that followed the waterfront, Rip figured they looked like typical American tourists.

"Nice shades." Williams' sarcastic tone indicated he knew his agency had footed the bill.

The knowledge made Rip smile a little in spite of himself. "Thanks."

"We need to get to the public dock before the rest of the passengers disembark," Williams reminded him.

However, he stopped at an ATM long enough to get some local currency used throughout the West Indies, but refused to let Rip use his card in case his account was being monitored. With a sardonic expression, Williams handed him two small bills and a half-dozen coins. "Here, knock yourself out."

Rip dropped them in his pocket with a silent, scathing look.

By the time they reached the public dock almost half a mile away, morning traffic had picked up with more and more people making their way to work. Rip could see the boxy white ferry-boat sitting at the end of the pier, already taking on passengers even though it wouldn't leave for more than an hour. True to his word, Williams walked past the kiosk selling ferry tickets and approached some of the local fishermen and private tour operators. Within ten minutes, he'd struck a deal and he and Rip were ushered onto a small boat with a flying bridge and the name Sirene painted on the bow.

Though he tried not to limp, Rip noticed the further they'd walked, the more difficult it was for the agent to disguise his injury. Williams dropped onto the padded bench seat with a sigh, and immediately put his foot up. Rip settled on the bench on the opposite side. Their captain, a man who looked to be in his mid forties climbed up to the bridge and started the engine, while the mate, who looked less than half the captain's age and was likely his son, untied them from the dock.

With a sputtering cough, the vessel pulled away from the dock and chugged toward the entrance of the harbor. Behind them, Rip caught sight of the gleaming black smoke stacks of Valiant and a wave of longing and loneliness broke over him.

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