Last Chance at Love by Gwynne Forster

Author:Gwynne Forster
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kimani Press
Published: 2013-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Only the Lord knew what she’d think of him now, leaving her standing by the men’s room with two cups of frozen yogurt. But he had to move. That shifty little cook bumped into him, looked as if he’d seen a ghost, and slipped around the corner. Jake took out his government-issue cell phone, hoping to find an email from the chief. With unsteady fingers he opened it.

Ring may not be your man, but he served eighteen months in a Missouri prison for accessory to a crime. He didn’t have any drugs on him, but his partner did, and he was driving the car. Word is that when he’s lying low, he gets a job on a boat. We haven’t yet been able to get “Mr. Harasser” to talk, but he will. 312.

He followed the cook to the laundry room, where the man spoke at length with a passenger, but the cook neither gave the passenger anything nor received anything from him. That wasn’t grounds for indictment, only for suspicion. Jake started for the elevator and tripped over a couple making out in a corner.

“What the...” His gaze went immediately to the woman’s left hand; he saw the rings there and said nothing more, pitying her poor husband. A call to Allison in her room yielded no response, but he knew she was there. He also knew he was in trouble. He passed the florist shop and ordered a bouquet of lavender calla lilies and pink orchids.

“Deliver them to Ms. Wakefield, 303 Deck, please.”

“Yes, sir.” The man handed him a white card. “If you wish to include a message.”

I’d rather hurt myself than you, he wrote. It couldn’t be helped. Love, Jake. He put the card in the envelope, addressed it, and hoped for the best. That cook was up to something, but what? If Jake encountered drug smuggling on the ship, he would of course report it, but his assignment was to identify smugglers of human beings, and he had to focus on that. He’d watch the shifty little man, but he didn’t believe that man was his quarry.

On the way back to his stateroom, he encountered the delivery boy who had obviously just delivered his flowers to Allison. He waited until he thought she’d had time to read the note, then, fearing that she wouldn’t answer the telephone, he knocked on her door.

To his amazement, she opened it and stood in the open door, looking up at him with watery eyes. Wordless. He waited for her reprimand or even for her to slam the door shut. She did neither. Only stood there looking at him.

“I’m more sorry than you can imagine,” he said. “May I...come in?”

She stepped back, giving him access. If only she’d say something. He looked first at the vase of flowers on the table beside her bed and then at her. Never had he seen her so fragile or so vulnerable, and as badly as he wanted to hold her, he didn’t dare touch her, for she still hadn’t said a word to him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.