She slipped her phone back into her purse. “Okay, sent. I hope it makes it through.”
“Everything will be okay, either way.” Evan took her hand and she slid closer to him.
Three black limousines pulled up to take the guests to the yacht. Evan helped Juliet into the closest one.
There was no going back now.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The yacht was everything Evan would expect of a criminal of Vince Cady’s caliber. Large, able to easily sleep the twenty guests he had invited, plus the staff and security Cady had on board.
The limos had taken them to a private boatyard near Annapolis Harbor. Everyone had been shown on board and soon they were on their way into the Chesapeake Bay, with champagne served as they sailed away.
As if they were going on some sort of pleasure cruise rather than an auction of items that could potentially cost the lives of thousands of people.
Evan had to admit he was impressed by the ship’s luxury. He and Juliet had been shown to their plush stateroom. A bed filled the space, surrounded by tasteful mahogany woodwork and trim. Under any other circumstance, he would be delighted to be here with Juliet.
But the fact that the room was most definitely bugged, that all their belongings had been searched and they were in the middle of a dangerous situation with little or no backup tended to kill the romance.
Evan still hadn’t been able to talk to Juliet about this new change in situation. He was sure that was part of Cady’s plan: keeping everyone on edge and giving them very little privacy.
“Hey, baby, we’re on a cruise. Just like we always wanted to be.” Evan walked over, hooked an arm around Juliet’s waist and began kissing her neck, working his way up to her ear. Her shivers delighted him, but this embrace was business.
“Room is bugged. Audio, maybe visual,” he whispered.
She tensed, but then nodded and kissed him. “Well, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. I was thinking more along the lines of the Bahamas,” she said out loud.
“If we secure this deal with Cady, I promise to take you there. The commission on the drone override codes will be outrageous.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve heard all that before, Bob.”
“Aw, don’t say that, baby.” He pulled her in for another hug. “Let’s take a shower together so we can get ready for tonight.”
Juliet nodded. “I definitely feel like I need one, especially with some of the people Cady invited. Go turn the water on.”
The bathroom was just as opulent as the bedroom. Evan switched on the shower, knowing it would be their only chance to talk privately.
Not that he minded getting in a shower with Juliet for any reason.
He undressed and entered the stall, a large walk-in one with granite tiles and a clear glass door. Evan turned the water to hot to make the glass steam. He wasn’t sure if the surveillance was just audio or had a visual component, and he wanted to protect their privacy as much as he could.
Evan tried to stay focused on the case, but found it difficult when Juliet opened the shower door a few minutes later.
“Wow, this is nice. We should get something like this at home,” she said, loudly enough to be overheard.
“I know. Get in here.”
Evan wrapped his arms around her and brought her flush up against his body. He couldn’t control his reaction to her, but forced himself to concentrate on the business at hand. This might be the only time they could talk freely with one another.
“Surveillance in the room, without a doubt. Cady wouldn’t bring us all out here otherwise,” Evan whispered in her ear, at a level that couldn’t possibly be overheard with the water falling all around them.
Juliet nodded, but he felt her stiffen. She didn’t like the thought of someone watching her naked. Neither did he. “Sorry.”
“Our plan is still the same, right?” she asked. “We make sure we have the highest bid when the codes become available.”
“Yes.”
“What about Heath Morel?”
Morel complicated things, especially since Juliet was right—it seemed most likely that he was behind the emails to her.
“We can’t let him distract us.”
The water rushed down over both of them for long moments. “This is all hard enough for me. I’m not sure I can do it with him around. Just seeing him, knowing he has those sick details…”
Evan skimmed his fingers up and down her spine. “I know, but you’ll have to, baby. You have to just push it aside.”
He could feel her sigh against him. He didn’t blame her. The whole Cady case was difficult enough without Morel thrown into the mix.
“We’ll get him, Jules. I promise. Within twenty-four hours of being back on shore, we’ll make sure Morel gets picked up for questioning. We’ll put an end to all those emails. But it will have to wait until after. Can you do that?”
Juliet nodded her head against his chest. They stood in silence for another moment, water pouring around them. Then Evan felt her hands slide up his arms to his shoulders and link behind his neck. “I don’t want to talk about Heath Morel anymore.”
Her body brushed up against him. Evan’s body responded in kind.
“Do you think there’s any chance of cameras being inside this shower?” Juliet asked, planting kisses along his chest.
“No, not with all the steam. They wouldn’t be able to see anything.”
“Good,” she murmured, and pulled his lips down to hers.
* * *
AFTER THEIR SHOWER, Juliet and Evan got dressed and walked around the yacht. They strolled as if they were just enjoying being out on the Chesapeake Bay, but they really wanted to glean as much intel as possible.
As far as Juliet could tell, the ship had five levels. The bottom one seemed to be staff quarters, the galley and the engine and maintenance areas. She and Evan hadn’t been able to get down there at all.
