The Crew by J.M. Hewitt

Author:J.M. Hewitt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2023-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Annie watches the phone. But just like earlier, it stays frustratingly and resolutely silent.

She will stay awake, she decides, so she can introduce herself to her new roommate when she comes in. But her eyes grow heavy, until she decides just to rest them for a short while.

It’s her last thought as sleep catches at her, and for the first night in as long as she can remember, there are no dreams at all.

2

There’s a body in the bed beneath her when she wakes. A huddled shape under the duvet, snoring heartily, noisily, then murmuring and, finally, giggling.

Annie sits up in the bed, her face aflame.

There are two people in the bunk below her! And oh God, what if they don’t know she’s there, and they start something up down there? The embarrassment would be huge, too much to bear on her first day aboard!

As quietly as she can manage, she slips down from the bunk, landing with a soft thud on the floor.

‘JAY-SUS!’

The voice startles her, the volume making her cringe.

Annie holds out her hands, a position of surrender, as the bedside light is switched on, and two tousled heads emerge from the small bottom bunk.

‘Hi, morning, sorry, I’m Annie,’ she says in a rush. ‘I just came on board last night.’

‘Fuck,’ says one of them, the man, as he groans, clutches at his head and dives back underneath the pillow.

‘I’m sorry,’ whispers Annie.

The girl emerges, stretching, all tanned limbs, muscled arms and legs that go on forever.

‘Ignore Luca,’ she says. ‘He’s always grumpy in the morning.’ She grins at Annie. ‘I’m Cat; are you my new roomie?’

Annie nods. ‘I’m really sorry,’ she apologises again. ‘I didn’t realise…’

‘It’s okay.’ Cat drags her fingers through her short, ebony hair and stretches once again. ‘What time is it?’

‘Ten to six,’ says Annie.

‘Fuck.’ Cat jabs an elbow into Luca, who responds with a roar.

‘I can just…’ Annie gestures towards the door. ‘I’d better go upstairs.’

She slept in her clothes of the night before, and she hadn’t even used the bathroom, brushed her teeth, her face, but she’d rather turn up on time looking like a bag lady than be late for her first morning.

She smooths her hair as she traverses the hallways, trying and failing to remember the route that Ella took last night. Worries are piling up on her now: she’s given Ella her passport; will they keep it, scrutinise it, carry out checks on her? What about the bank stuff – does that go through Joan at the agency or is she now employed by this boat? Is the agency even involved, seeing as this gig came on the back of a recommendation? Will her new boss do even more thorough checks on her, on this bigger, plusher, richer yacht? Or will it be the opposite, considering she came straight here from Siren? Will they be so accommodating as to pay her money into an account that – as far as they are concerned – isn’t in her name? Can

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