A Dangerous Arrangement (24 page)

Her arousal built like a storm cell, a moving mass of power and energy that drew her into its vortex. Unable to hold on any longer, she cried out, her entire body contracting. She searched, found his mouth, thrust in her tongue, demanding he come with her. He jerked inside her, came undone, right as she peaked on a tidal wave of feeling.

He groaned his release, driving into her again and sending waves of pleasure rolling through her, the sensations so exquisite she never wanted it to end.

Finally, they stilled, and then Dean rolled onto his back and pulled her into his arms.

Replete, limbs heavy, she rested her head on his shoulder and waited for the room to right itself. And as the
Orion
rose on an incoming tide, a corresponding wave of emotion welled inside Marina and lodged in her throat.

For in that moment, at the deepest level, she'd been fundamentally changed—forever.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Marina woke early when they anchored offshore, a mile and a half from Livorno. The ship was due to dock at eight. At seven, Danika brought a croissant to her stateroom. The young woman was puffy around the eyes and quiet, but she gave Marina a friendly enough smile, and said she was feeling okay.

By seven-thirty, Marina was dressed and ready to join Dean and Rask upstairs, her muscles a little tender from their work-out last night. The joy of their lovemaking still lingered, overshadowed only by her dread of the upcoming day's wait.

The cruise ship would be in port all day, and they had no idea if Li would contact her during that time, or tomorrow. The general consensus seemed to be tomorrow, in Civitavecchia, the port closest to Rome and the day the entire ship's population was due to disembark. But they needed to be ready today, in case Li decided to make his move.

She was on her way up the spiral staircase when an alert sounded on her phone. Thinking it could be Michelle, she paused at the top of the stairs to read it.

San Francesco d'Assisi Cathedral.

Marina stared at the message, heart pounding so hard her hands began to tremble. She half walked, half ran down the hallway to the saloon, taking inventory in her head of everything she needed. She had the USB in her bag, money, a credit card, sunglasses and her hat.

Was that everything?

She so wasn't ready for this!

She burst through the door to find Rask drinking coffee and Dean, dressed in the same touristy clothes as yesterday, reading the newspaper.

One look at her face and they abandoned what they were doing.

‘Victor sent a message.' Her voice came out a little high pitched. ‘I'm to meet him at some church.'

They rushed to look at the phone, and she held it so they could read the screen, arm outstretched as if she intending taking a selfie.

‘San Francesco d'Assisi Cathedral,' Dean said, taking his phone from his pocket and plugging the words into his search engine.

Marina moved closer to him, nausea churning her stomach. He turned and kissed her temple. ‘Don't worry. It'll be okay'

Rask thrust the earwig in his ear. ‘I'll call the local police.'

‘It's in the old town, Piazza Grande.' Dean scrolled down and an image of the church appeared on the phone's small screen.

Marina peered at it, heart racing, her hand on Dean's arm. ‘He hasn't given me a time.'

‘No. He'll be expecting you to disembark with the others. The majority of people head into Tuscany from here, usually to Florence and Pisa. But there's a lot going on in Livorno too. It's more local, not as touristy.'

Rask was already speaking to the local police. ‘Don't make any move to detain him unless you're 100 per cent sure it's him. I can't stress this enough. We can't afford to take the wrong person. If Li Chen were to witness such a thing, it could motivate him to carry out a threat he's made to an associate of Mr Logan's.'

Marina watched as Rask paused to listen to the person on the other end.

‘Patience is the key. Even if we have to wait until she's physically handed over the device. That's better than us getting the wrong guy and tipping him off.'

Marina looked at Dean. He was concentrating on what Rask was saying, a worried frown creasing his forehead.

‘What's that?' Rask asked.

He listened, then gave a sigh and closed his eyes. When he opened them he muttered a word which Marina assumed was an Icelandic expletive, followed by a weary ‘That's all we need.'

Marina clenched her hands at her sides. Whatever the person on the other end was relaying to Rask, it wasn't good.

‘We'll bring her over now.' Rask looked her up and down. ‘Denim knee-length shorts, trainers, white singlet, short white cardigan. Long dark hair pulled back. She'll also be wearing a rattan hat and sunglasses.'

Dean slipped his arm around her and she moved closer to his warmth. ‘Don't worry. You're not going in there alone. I'll be watching from a distance.'

She turned and studied his strong, straight profile. ‘What if Li recognises you?'

‘In this?' Dean pointed to Rask's Hawaiian shirt and the Yankees cap. ‘It's not exactly my style. One glance and he'll assume I'm just another American tourist.'

‘The police will be there to protect me.'

He squeezed her waist. ‘You know I have issues trusting the police.'

What was that all about?

She wanted to know, but there were more urgent things to worry about right now.

‘Are you sure you should take the chance? He's expecting me. He's not expecting to see the person he stole from.'

Before Dean could answer, Rask hung up. ‘We have a problem.'

Marina held her breath, worrying thoughts crowding her mind.

‘Livorno is swarming with paparazzi. Some big movie star's coming in on their yacht. Apparently there are three black Mercedes limos lined up at one of the docks to take the entourage to Florence. The star is shooting an advertisement for Balenciaga. But there's a rumour circulating they might be having brunch in some famous restaurant up in the town square first.'

Dean groaned. ‘Right near the church?'

Rask nodded and spread his hands. ‘I don't know how we're going to keep this under wraps. All you need is for someone to recognise you and I can see the headlines.
‘Logan abandons America's Cup to play tourist in Tuscany.'

‘
Christ
, don't get melodramatic.' Dean sent Rask an irritated look. ‘I've lived with worse headlines than that, and the real story can come out later. I'm more concerned about Marina. She's as well-known as me. What if someone spots
her
?'

Marina frowned. She wanted to ask about the other headlines he'd had to endure, but again there was no time. ‘Don't worry, Dean. We have to play this out the best we can—take one of those risks we were talking about last night.'

His eyes were full of concern, and she could see he was far from happy with the developments. But in the end, he nodded. ‘The tender's ready to go. I suppose we should get you there.'

Suddenly, a calm acceptance came over Marina. There were so many variables, so many things beyond her control. If she were spotted in Livorno, and with the
Orion
anchored a mile and a half away, it wouldn't take much for the press to discover she'd been on the yacht at the time Dean had pulled out of the America's Cup defence.

Especially if Alain decided to talk.

A bit of investigative journalism and they'd probably find out she'd worked on the cruise ship too, and then her agent, her management and even the SSO could ask questions. Her secret might still come out.

She took a deep breath and the three of them prepared to leave the comfort of the saloon.

What other choice did she have?

She'd come this far.

She had to see it through.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Dean was bringing the tender close to the cruise ship's starboard side. Rask had organised for the liner's exit door, the one facing out to sea, to be opened. Now, as the former detective took over the tender's controls, she and Dean stepped aboard the cruise ship.

Immediately they were surrounded by three officers of the Italian Police. Dressed similarly to the passengers, all showed their badges.

‘The majority of guests are in the process of disembarking,' said one man sporting a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. ‘We must hurry. It is safer for you to move along with the crowd and easier for us to hide among them.'

As Rask roared away in the tender, an employee of the ship stepped forward and closed the big exit door. Marina glanced at the man from under her hat and behind her glasses. Would he recognise her as the violinist from the string quartet who had played on board a couple of nights ago?

‘Your phone, ma'am.' An officer sporting a brushed-back hairstyle held out his hand.

Marina took her phone from her bag and gave it to him. The officer held the phone against each of the three devices belonging to the three men, and then began scrolling through the menus.

‘Let me run through how this will work,' said the man in glasses. ‘We'll mix with the crowd. You must pretend we're not there. Do not look around, but be assured we are present. Act as naturally as you can. Move as if your only concern is to locate him and hand over the USB. Think how you would behave and what you would say to him if that were truly the case.'

The officer who'd taken her phone handed it back to her. ‘We'll be able to hear all your calls and messages now. We'll be listening.'

‘Can you put it on my phone?' Dean asked.

The officer with the brush-back shook his head once. ‘Police only, signore.'

‘What about Mr Rask?' asked Marina.

‘Rask has gone back to the
Orion
,' said Dean.

‘Mr Rask will be aware of everything as it transpires,' the first officer said. ‘Now, before we go to the other side of the ship, do you have any questions?'

‘I do,' said Dean. ‘What if he's armed?'

‘The police are carrying firearms, though we do not expect Li Chen to be doing the same. From our teleconferences with Mr Rask, Interpol and the Australian Federal Police, all our information tells us that Li Chen is a white collar criminal. He shouldn't be a physical threat to the lady.'

The lady. Marina breathed easier. Rask and Dean had certainly gone to great lengths to keep her identity a secret.

‘How do I get into the old town?' she asked.

‘Shuttles leave every ten minutes from the terminal. Join the queue as if you are a normal tourist. Once up at the piazza, you will see the cathedral on your right. You can't miss it. Don't go directly in. Walk around, mingle for a few minutes, look in a shop window. Give these officers time to get into the church before you.'

They started walking to the other side of the ship, from where they'd be able to disembark on the dock.

‘Don't mingle too long,' Dean said in her ear as they hurried along. ‘Remember, the paparazzi are everywhere. Keep your hat low and your sunglasses on.'

‘Okay, I will.'

‘And honey.' He took hold of her hand and brought it quickly to his lips. ‘Please be careful.'

Marina did her best to smile. ‘I'll feel better knowing you're close by.'

It was true. His commanding presence reassured her. Broader through the shoulders, he towered over the three Italian men. But more than his physical attributes, it was his aura of capability that impressed her the most, like he could handle anything life could throw at him.

The officer in the glasses, the one who seemed to be in charge of proceedings, moved them aside to enable a few guests to pass by. All around her excited daytrippers, laden with water bottles, hats and tote bags, were chattering excitedly about their plans.

‘The best advice I can give you is to use your wits. Go with your intuition. If you feel threatened in any way, or if you suspect he's carrying a weapon, or he makes it known that he is, turn around and leave immediately. Make your way to the front of the Palazzo Grande. It's the big white building in the centre of the piazza. You can't miss it.'

He turned to Dean then. ‘One last thing. Mr Logan, please keep at a reasonable distance. You're not trained in the matter of surveillance and could easily be spotted by our quarry.'

Dean nodded, though he looked unimpressed to be taking instructions from an Italian policeman.

‘I think we're ready.' The man in charge sent the third officer ahead of her down the gangway. Middle-aged and slightly balding, he was pulling off the tourist thing better than the others.

‘Remember, natural is best. Good luck. Go when you're ready.'

Marina drew in a breath and slowly blew it out again.

‘Don't let nerves worry you,' Dean said, his steady voice calming her. ‘He'll expect you to be nervous. It would be strange if you weren't.'

That made sense.

Reminding herself she'd done no wrong, and that Li was the one who should be nervous and fearful, Marina checked the strap of her bag was sitting securely across her chest, the small pouch containing the USB tucked under her right arm.

Then, with one final look at Dean, she turned and walked down the gangway.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Li paid the receptionist with cash, slipped on his backpack and left the hostel.

The air was crisp, the pavers damp from being hosed over. Every second car was a haphazardly-parked smart car. One had even muscled its way into a parking area reserved for bikes and motor scooters.

Li looked neither left nor right. Being a tourist didn't interest him. Only money interested him. Money, and the various forms of motor transport.

Li was two months shy of his thirtieth birthday—medium height, medium build. It worked in his favour, especially as Westerners had a tendency to think all Asians looked the same.