Chapter 10

After my exclamation, the eyes of every man in the room fell on me heavily, making me squirm.

"Babe, you know this man?"

"He's a dealer in the casino. The one running the roulette table on Sunday, and blackjack today…well, I guess it's yesterday now."

Ranger looked at Aurand again. "Why isn't that door open yet?"

Aurand looked to his captain, who nodded grimly. He pulled a key out of his pocket. Within the cell, Alexei paled. His eyes were wide, focused on Ranger. I suppose I could understand why. Ranger had pulled on a pair of mesh shorts and a white wife beater style tank top, packed to be worn under a dress shirt. It clung to his pectorals, muscular arms bared for all to see. With his fists clenched, back ramrod straight, Ranger oozed intimidation and lethal intent.

"I'll talk!" Alexei shouted. "Just, keep him out there, okay?"

Aurand paused, key in the lock, and looked back at Davis.

The captain cleared his throat. "Better start, sailor, or I tell Aurand to unlock the door."

"I'm sorry," Alexei gushed. "I panicked. She knew what I'd done and was going to tell." He nodded my direction. "When I saw her alone, leaning out over the railing…well, I just thought…if she went overboard she couldn't tell, and I'd keep my job. But then, when she fell…" his voice cracked as he sniffled. "After it sunk in that I'd killed her..." Full out sobs racked his body and the rest of his words became unintelligible.

Ranger and I exchanged glances. This blubbering mess was our international jewel thief who'd managed to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars of diamonds out from under the noses of some of the wealthiest people in the country?

"When did he begin working for the cruise line?" I asked Aurand.

Aurand gave Rayburn a nod, and the crewman scurried to a console and started typing. "Six months ago, Ma'am."

"He's not our jewel thief, then," Ranger breathed softly.

"No," Captain Davis agreed, coming to stand behind us. "But then, why did he try to kill Stephanie. What does he think you know?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Alexei's sniffles became less pronounced.

"What did you think Miss Wheeler knew?" Captain Davis asked.

Turning his tear stained face toward us, Alexei poured out his sins. "While she was playing roulette, I was skimming her markers when she won. I'd swap them out for casino chips then slide them into my tip container when she wasn't looking. She didn't understand the game, or the odds, so I figured it was safe. I mean, a woman with as much money as her, she wouldn't miss a few hundred dollars. And then she hit it big, so I skimmed a couple hundred more, but she caught on. She kept asking me if what I'd given her was right."

His tortured eyes locked with mine. "But she didn't give me away, so I thought maybe she was throwing me a bone. But then she came back yesterday and sat right down at my table. Reminded me of her win the day before. It was like she was taunting me. Playing with me before she ruined everything. This job was the best thing that ever happened to me. My mother is sick. We need the money…"

"Enough," Captain Davis barked. "How many others?"

Alexei squirmed, his eyes downcast. "I didn't keep count, Sir."

Davis ran a hand across his bald head. "Aurand, discharge this man from our employment immediately and make the necessary preparations for his disembarkation in St. Maarten later today. Turn him over to the local authorities until corporate decides if they will pursue charges."

Head hanging, Alexei moaned like a wounded animal. "I'm sorry," he mumbled into his hands.

"Sorry you tried to kill a woman or sorry you got caught?" Ranger spit back, wrapping his fingers around the bars.

"For everything," the young man muttered.

I placed a hand on Ranger's taunt shoulder. "Let's go back to bed."

Nodding, Ranger stepped away from the brig. His set jaw still suggested he wanted to punch something. Or someone.

We said nothing on our way back to the suite.

"You okay?" I asked softly as the door closed behind us.

He shook his head. "We came here to catch a jewel thief, but you managed to unintentionally encounter and intimidate a casino thief, who then tried to kill you."

"What can I say, it's a gift." I shrugged, trying to lighten his mood.

No humor lit his somber eyes. "Do you understand what would have happened if I hadn't decided to come look for you?" He stepped closer to me, resting his forehead on mine. Warm arms curled around my waist, pulling us together. "You said you needed air. That could have meant the top decks too. The only reason I went to look for you on the promenade first is because the first elevator to open was going down instead of up."

"Maybe it just wasn't my time to go," I returned hoarsely, blinking against the tears. I thought of all the near misses in my life. My guardian angel must knock a few back at the end of each day. Don't envy that job.

"You've got more lives than a cat," he said dryly. "And the thing that terrifies me the most in the world is that one of these times, your uncanny luck is going to run out." He swallowed. "There was a moment last night when I thought it had. Thought I'd lost you forever, and the last interaction we'd had was a fight. My last words to you were that I couldn't offer you commitment, when they should have been, 'I love you.'"

"I know you do," I reassured him, cupping the side of his face and enjoying the way his stumble scratched against my palm. "You've shown it time and time again. Rescued me so often I've lost count."

"Those shouldn't be the only times I prove my love. Starting now, they won't be."

My next inhale caught in my throat. "How so?" I managed to croak.

Finally, a smile cracked his serious façade. "You told me all I needed to do was ask for what I want."

My breaths quickened. "I thought your need to protect me was stronger than your wants?"

"I'm beginning to realize my need to protect you is an exercise in futility. You should have been safe here. It's a closed ecosystem, no external threats. And I still nearly lost you. Trying to keep you safe is like fighting a force of nature."

"Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes at him.

Caressing the side of my face, he elaborated. "I don't mean that as an insult, Babe. It's difficult for me to accept that the safety of the woman I love falls outside my control. My first instinct is to keep you safe, because it keeps me safe. It's not just you I fear losing, but myself. The monster I could become if someone took you from me…" He closed his eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath.

"You're not a monster. You never could be." Even as I said it, I knew the words were untrue. I'd seen the way he looked at Alexei, felt the caged energy in his muscles just asking for an outlet. Knew there were dark periods in his past he would never show me. "I wouldn't want you to become one, not because of me."

"There are times you are the only sunshine in my very dark world. If I can't guarantee your safety, then I at least want to guarantee that I'll have no regrets."

"You had a very long list of wants," I returned, inhales bordering on hyperventilation. Marriage was hairy enough, but he wanted to feel the kicks of a baby. I could barely manage a hamster right now.

His lips brushed mine. "Breathe," he ordered sternly, and my body complied, drawing in my first deep lungful of air in several minutes. "I'm not asking for everything, Babe. Let's start small. How about I be the only man you kiss for a while, and you be the woman I hold every night? And we'll take it from there."

"As your girlfriend?"

He offered me a lopsided smile. "That is generally the term society uses to describe that arrangement."

"Smartass." I smacked his shoulder, laughing.

My laugh suddenly ceased as he pressed our lips together, heat rushing through my body.

He pulled away too soon, leaving me wanting more. "You didn't give me an answer, Babe."

"I don't know, I might need some convincing," I teased. "After all, I apparently say yes much too readily. Seeing as I missed out on making you beg for me to come on the cruise with you…" My speech ended in a screech as Ranger suddenly picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

"Be careful what you wish for, Babe," he warned, jogging up the stairs with no effort at all. "You'll find I can be very persuasive when forced to beg."

The innuendo in his tone set my blood on fire.

He dumped me onto the bed, and I batted my eyelashes at him, adopting a coy expression. "I'm told I can be very stubborn, Mr. Manoso."

His eyes went black as he hummed, "I expect nothing less, Miss Plum."

Crud. Another pair of panties down for the count.

He stripped off his shirt, his excitement over our little game evident through his mesh shorts. Then he reached down and yanked my underwear and pants off in one swift pull. I saved him the trouble and disposed of my shirt and bra myself, while he did away with his shorts. Grabbing my ankles, he pushed against my legs, bending my knees. Crawling onto the bed, he knelt between my legs. My skin heated under his gaze, his focus clear. With one arm off to my side, propping him up, he hovered over me. The kiss that landed on my lips was surprisingly gentle. The fingers that landed between my legs, not so much.

Gasping, my back arched off the mattress as his digits filled me. His own groan followed a second later, as he realized just how much I was enjoying this game too. This rare, playful Ranger was turning me on more than I expected. He stroked me more aggressively, drawing little moans from my lips.

"Say you'll be mine." His hoarse voice rasped the words.

It took a few seconds for me to remember how to move my tongue to make speech to continue the game. Where would the fun be if I gave in right away? "I'm still not…"

He curled his fingers in a magical way, and my words fell apart. Wasting no time, he brought me to the edge of ecstasy and then abruptly stopped.

"Still unsure?"

I groaned. "Aren't you supposed to be the one begging?" Each word was punctuated by a breath. "This feels more like coercion."

"My mistake."

With a devious grin, he kissed down my belly until his tongue replaced his fingers. I tried to cling to my sanity and not lose this game too quickly, because I knew the longer I held out, the more spectacular the final fireworks would be.

Each time he asked, I answered in the negative. Each time, he drove me closer and closer to my breaking point. His lips moved back up my body, trailing wet kisses in their wake. Our skin, slick with a thin sheen of sweat, pressed together everywhere except where I wanted it the most. His tip rested against my entrance, hands pressing down on my hips to keep me from bucking into him.

"Just say yes, Babe, and I'll end the torture for both of us." He rocked gently forward, then back, teasing.

Raking my fingernails gently down his back, I countered. "I have yet to hear you beg."

In response, he swirled his tongue around my nipple in a way that nearly made me orgasm on the spot. I fisted the sheets and bit my tongue to avoid screaming an affirmative into the night.

"So stubborn," he murmured into the valley between my breasts, but when he lifted his face, he smiled.

My mind traveled back to Valentine's Day, as he'd driven my body insane in a similar way with me handcuffed to the headboard. His request for me to call him Carlos, just for that night. Because we had been pretending. And now it was at the verge of becoming reality.

We'd been playing a game, but suddenly the life altering repercussions hit me. One little 'yes' might be the ripple that would change the heading of my entire life. No, that wasn't right. It would correct my course to point in the direction I was always supposed to go.

"Ask me again, Carlos."

His face transformed when I used his name, all the edges softening. "I'm offering everything to you, Steph. All I ask in return is that you promise to be mine, and only mine."

"I'm yours," I whispered, hand against the side of his face.

He sank into me. My body so tightly wound, it took only a few strokes before I shattered. He took his time, building me back up, so that by the time I fell apart around him again, he fell with me.

I woke in the best possible manner, with Ranger laying feather soft kisses on my lips.

"Rise and shine, sirena," he muttered in my ear, the 'r' sound in the Spanish word trilling on his tongue.

A light hum escaped my lips as I stretched, eyes still closed. "Whatever that means, it sounds better than pollito."

Ranger chuckled. "Mermaid seemed appropriate, considering."

Finally cracking an eye open, I examined his amused expression. "You're in a better mood."

"Might have something to do with the incredible sex and a few extra hours of sleep with my arms around my girlfriend," he replied, nuzzling my neck.

A grin split my face, hearing him refer to me as his girlfriend. "I could use a few more hours."

"I let you sleep as long as I could, Babe. You have just enough time for breakfast before your 10am checkup."

I groaned, having forgotten all about my appointment with the infirmary doctor. "Is breakfast here yet?"

He shook his head. "I thought we could try something other than room service this morning."

Intrigued, I dressed and followed Ranger through the ship, expecting to be led to a fancy dining room. Instead, we stepped through a set of sliding glass doors into a buffet worthy of Vegas.

"You've been holding out on me," I exclaimed, glancing at all the different food stations, my eyes falling on the small mountain of bacon at one. Then I spotted the pastry table and a little moan filled the air.

"Thought you might need some comfort food after last night," Ranger said, trying to hold back a smile.

I threw my arms around his neck, kissed his cheek, then hurried into buffet heaven with a, "You're the best!"

Ten minutes later, I settled into a chair at a window-side table with a gorgeous view of the crystal blue ocean beyond. My plate was piled high with bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash browns, and crowned with not one but two Boston cream donuts. Across from me, Ranger had half a bagel topped with lox and a cup of freshly cubed fruit.

A soon as I bit into the first donut, I sighed contentedly. The sugar seemed to rush directly into my bloodstream, perking me up and making yesterday's events more distant. All was well. Honestly, hadn't anyone ever thought of just passing out really yummy donuts to achieve world peace?

Leaving the buffet half an hour later, we passed a large wall-mounted screen displaying the day's activities, docking and departure times for St. Maarten, and short snippets of the daily on-board news program. The screen cut to a video, and I froze.

"Romance was alive and well in The Silk dining room last night," read the anchor in a British accent as a recording of Ranger's proposal played behind her. "Congratulations to the lovely couple."

I rounded on Ranger. "Did you know?"

He shook his head, blank face in place. "No. The dining room manager must have arranged it without my knowledge." He turned a wary eye in my direction, gauging my reaction.

Absentmindedly, I fiddled with the heavy engagement ring. None of the disappointment or anger from last night returned. Those donuts must still be working their magic. "Well, it can only increase our visibility. So that's good, right?"

Ranger wrapped an arm around my shoulders, drawing me into him. "Right, Babe."

He kissed the top of my head affectionately, then steered me toward the elevators. After getting the all clear from the ship's doctor, we wandered to the top decks to watch the ship sail into Philipsburg.

"What does today's adventure entail?" I asked Ranger as we held hands, reclined on side-by-side loungers. Beyond the ship's rail, the lush greenery of St. Maarten slipped past.

"I booked an excursion that includes swimming with dolphins. After last night, I would understand if you'd like to cancel. We could walk around the shopping district instead."

I sat up a little straighter in my chair. "Swimming with dolphins? That sounds amazing." He squeezed my hand gently, offering me a genuine smile. "Doesn't really sound like you, though," I added. "I'm kind of surprised you picked it." Gazing out at the mountainous terrain of the island, I grinned. "You strike me more of a nature hike kind of guy."

"They do offer a strenuous, day long mountain hike. I'm sure we could switch excursions before we dock."

"How about no."

Ranger grinned. "You sure, Babe?"

"Absolutely."

His thumb rubbed across the side of my hand, and it sent little tingles of energy down my arm.

"I picked out all the shore excursions before our sailing was moved up. Luckily, the cruise line was able to pull some strings and keep my itinerary unaltered. I chose things I thought you would enjoy. One of those little ways I was able to show you I loved you, before I realized I could offer you more."

"If taking me swimming with dolphins was a little thing, I'm a little scared to see what you do now that we're officially together."

That earned me another grin, but no response.

Our afternoon spent with the dolphins followed by quality beach time was as magical as I imagined it would be. Then my phone rang as we finished our time on the island in the shopping district, and I saw Morelli's name flash across the screen. An iron fist immediately socked me in the gut.

"Tank would have called if anything new developed regarding your grandmother," Ranger said softly, seemingly reading my troubled thoughts.

It didn't do anything to quell my anxiety as I answered. I didn't even have time to utter a greeting before Morelli was shouting.

"You're marrying him? What the fuck, Stephanie? You'd get cold sweats and hives if I so much as mentioned marriage. It's been less than a god damned week since you declared we're over, and now you're engaged to Ranger? How long has this been going on?"

A few seconds passed before I found my voice to reply. "Joe, what are you talking about? I'm not engaged to Ranger." Even as I said it, my eyes traveled down to the ring on my finger. It wasn't real. And besides, there was no way Joe could know about the proposal.

"You don't need to lie to me, Steph. I've seen the video."

My heart stopped for several beats. "What do you mean you've seen the video?" Beside me, Ranger froze too.

"It's all over social media. Did you honestly think I wouldn't hear about it? Jesus. Ranger down on one fucking knee. And you said yes! No wonder it's so cold. Hell froze over."

Ranger had his cell phone out and his blank face on. A second later, he turned it so I could see my Facebook page. A cell phone recording of Ranger's proposal, taped off one of the ship's monitors, was plastered all over my wall. Nearly everyone in Trenton had tagged me in it. Ranger didn't have a personal Facebook page, but enough people had recognized him to type his name and tag Rangeman's business page.

Oh fuck.

The next second, Ranger had his phone to his ear, growling instructions to whomever was on the other end. "Find the source and take it down." A pause. "Yes, I know what I'm asking, but this could blow our cover. I need it wiped. Attach a virus to it if you need to. I don't care, just get it done."

It was a few more seconds before I remembered I was still on the phone with Morelli. "Joe, Ranger and I are undercover. The proposal was part of it. We didn't know it was being recorded, and that video could ruin everything."

Morelli must have detected the panic in my voice, because his tone softened. "You're not engaged to him?"

"No." I figured now was not the time to confess that Ranger and I were, however, dating.

"I'll see what I can do on my end to get it offline. It's nearly impossible to erase something completely once it's gone viral, though."

"Thanks," I breathed.

"No problem, Cupcake. When you get home, we'll need to talk."

"Yeah, we will," I replied, an ache building in my chest. That was one conversation I didn't want to have.

Ending the call, I glanced over at Ranger. "All that's left to go wrong is hitting an iceberg, I think."

He didn't smile. "Hopefully, we can still salvage this. Silvio is going to try and make it disappear and trace the source. The video wasn't posted by the cruise line, I just checked all their social media accounts, so that means another passenger did it."

The blood drained from my face. "Does that mean someone on board knows who we are?"

"Possibly. Could be someone just thought it was romantic and posted it to their page, and people we know saw it that way. It's bad either way." He had his cell phone to his ear again. "Tank, I need you to contact Rodger Thames and get a list of every passenger onboard our ship. Run the names and see if anyone else from Trenton is aboard, or anyone who knows Stephanie. Past classmates, former skips, even the smallest link. I need to know how badly we're compromised."

After Ranger hung up, we caught a taxi back to the docks. Ranger was in full crisis containment mode, leading us directly back to our suite so he could get online and help with damage control. I felt fairly useless. I couldn't exactly post a status telling people to stop sharing the video because it was part of an undercover sting. But I also couldn't claim a case of mistaken identity either. The entire situation was one colossal mess.

As the ship left port, Ranger had me order in room service for dinner. The crewman who delivered it wished us congratulations on our engagement. So did Misha, who apologized for interrupting when he came in to turn down our bed for the night and bring us tomorrow's Cruise Compass. In between calls and e-mails, Ranger had reviewed the video feeds from our time ashore. Nothing suspicious captured.

I was beginning to understand why Morelli carried Rolaids in his pants pocket.

Just before eight, Ranger's laptop dinged with a new e-mail alert. Our cell phones had lost signal when the ship set sail for Puerto Rico. His eyes widened as he read the message, then he turned the screen so I could read the message from Tank.

Ship records indicate an Ernie Barnett aboard, with his wife, Stella, both of Trenton. Room 11205. There is a silver Buick registered in his wife's name, which is why it didn't show up when I did the search for Ernies with silver Buicks. Also, death records show his wife passed away two weeks ago. Viewing and funeral held at Stivas. Unless the ship is boarding zombies, you and Bombshell aren't the only folks onboard under an alias. Silvio traced the video back to a YouTube account of one Edna Mazur, aka Sxygranny43. Took it down, but still trying to track down all the shares.

"Omigod." My eyebrows collided with my hairline. "My grandmother's crazy, but she'd never impersonate a dead woman."

Ranger's lips thinned.

"Yeah, you're right. She would." I sighed. "You can't say I didn't warn you. Disaster trails me like flies on a rhino's backside."

Ranger stood, tapping the button on his laptop to turn on the suite's cameras. "Let's pay a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Barnett."

AN: Well, now you know where Grandma Mazur has been. A few of you figured it out already, I think, based on your reviews. All that remains is to catch that jewel thief... Anyone have any guesses yet?