A/N: Inspiration for the chapter, 'SOS' from Mamma Mia by Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep: http (colon) (backslash, backslash) www. youtube .com (backslash) watch?v (equals) 6nT9T_3tx90
Chapter 25
Kristin finally accepted the fact Nathan was unwilling to listen. She headed back to her room in hopes she would have the chance to see him in the morning to give him one last warning. Luckily for her, Alex was sound asleep, so he hadn't noticed her leave or return. She really wasn't in the mood for sleeping, but she didn't know what else to do. Besides, she had the sinking feeling she would need all the sleep she could get.
The next morning, she awoke to Alex rustling around the room.
As Kristin stirred, Alex said, "Well, good morning, Sleepyhead. I was wondering when you were going to join us. Are you feeling better?"
"A little. What time is it?"
"A little after nine. Are you hungry? I had room service bring up some breakfast."
Kristin was a little hungry. She grabbed a muffin and a cup of coffee from the room service cart and quickly ate.
As Alex entered the bathroom to wash up and get dressed, Kristin called to him. "What time is your meeting, Dear?"
"Later this morning," Alex replied. "Eleven thirty." A short time later, he emerged from the bathroom dressed and ready for the day. "What are your plans for the day?"
Kristin hesitated a bit. "I'm not sure. Maybe I'll go down and sit by the pool for a while."
"You are looking a little pale," Alex noted. "A little sun would do you good."
"I'll be back in time for the meeting though," Kristin said.
Alex shook his head. "You don't need to be there."
"But, I always go to your meetings with you, at least when it's something like this," Kristin protested.
"Well, this time, you don't need to be. In fact, after you get some sun, why don't you go to town and do a little shopping?" He was trying to get her away from the hotel, Kristin realized.
She nodded. "I suppose that would be nice." She managed a small smile.
"That's my girl," Alex said, rather pleased with himself. "Listen, I need to meet with Jacob and Kevin before the meeting. I guess I'll see you later, hm? Oh, I'll have Moose and Bear guard you, as usual though." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Have a great day."
"You too," Kristin said. As Alex left, she tried to come up with a plan of her own. She sighed as she finished her muffin and coffee. Then she headed to the bathroom to grab a quick shower. Then, she dressed in a bathing suit and tied a wrap around her waist. She grabbed a book from her bag and left the room. When she emerged from the room Moose and Bear were waiting for her.
"Oh, boys, I really don't think it's necessary," Kristin said, waving a hand. "I'm sure I'll be fine."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we have our orders. Mr. Mangos was very adament that we don't leave you out of our sight for even a minute," Bear replied.
Kristin looked disappointed. Moose noted this, and added, "We promise we won't smother you. There must be a reason for Mr. Mangos' worry. We're just supposed to make sure you're safe."
"Well, thank you," Kristin replied. "I appreciate that. Well, I'm headed to the pool."
So, the group all walked to the outdoor pool. Kristin quickly scanned the pool area for Nathan but didn't see him. She sighed and sat down in one of the lounge chairs while Moose and Bear gave her some space, but they made a point to keep a close watch on her. She opened her book and tried to focus on the page in front of her. However, her attention was lacking.
A few moments later, she heard a gentle clearing of a throat. She looked up from her book, and saw Wendy. Immediately, Moose and Bear flocked to her side.
"You can call your dogs off," Wendy said. "I just want to talk."
"It's alright, boys," Kristin said, waving them off.
The bodyguards immediately retreated.
Wendy motioned towards the vacant chair next to Kristin. "Do you mind if I sit down?"
"Be my guest," Kristin said.
However, Wendy noted the cold tone in her voice. "I just want you to know that the captain and I are just friends."
Kristin snorted. "Yes, well, you two certainly looked friendly last night," she replied sarcastically, still pretending to read.
"I'm not going to lie to you; I was somewhat attracted to him," Wendy continued.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
Wendy sighed. "Please," she said, placing a hand on Kristin's, causing Kristin to look at her, "just listen."
Kristin closed the book and set it down next to her. "Very well."
"As I said, I was attracted to him, but, honestly, I think we were both reaching."
"Reaching?"
Wendy nodded. "I was looking for some sort of connection on the seaQuest. I'm an empath, and you might be surprised by this, but it makes it difficult to make friends. They always seem to think I'm reading their minds. I'd never do that, not without permission."
"It's illegal," Kristin replied.
"Yes, and well, the captain was emotionally weak himself. He missed you, and he was making the attempt to move on. We shared a kiss and a dance...and some intimate conversation. But, I'm telling you that's it. We decided we were better as friends, and that's all we are."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Well, Doctor, although I can't read you without your permission, I can still feel feelings. And, I can see by the look on your face that you don't seem to like me. Listen, I didn't do anything wrong. You decided to opt out of the tour, and you broke it off with the captain. That isn't my fault."
Kristin softened a bit. "I'm sorry; you're right. I used you as a scapegoat, and it was wrong. I shouldn't hold you resposible for my actions."
"I'm only sorry we couldn't have met on better terms," Wendy replied. "The crew members that served with you speak very highly of you. It's an honor to finally meet the great Dr. Westphalen."
Kristin blushed slightly. "I'm not as great as they say."
"Well, there's no telling them that."
"Look, uh, Dr. Smith, if I told you something, would you believe me?" Kristin asked.
"Please call me Wendy. And, well, I suppose it depends on what it is."
"It's about the meeting, Wendy. It's a trap, and I've been trying to convince Nathan that it's too dangerous. There's a bomb planted in the room," Kristin said quietly, not wanting to alert the other guests near the pool.
"The captain mentioned that," Wendy said.
"He did?"
Wendy nodded. "The captain does need to confide in someone once in a while. You might remember that."
"Do you believe me?"
"Well, the captain seems to think you're trying to protect Mangos," Wendy replied.
"That's not true," Kristin said. "Not in the least."
At that moment, Nathan entered the pool area. "Dr. Smith, I was looking for you."
"Hi," Wendy said. "Is there something you needed?"
"No, I just wanted to see that you were prepared for the meeting," Nathan said.
"Uh, I suppose I should go get my notes in order." She looked at Kristin, "If you'll excuse me, Doctor."
"Please call me Kristin," Kristin replied. Then she added, "Please consider what I've told you."
Wendy nodded and left.
"What was that all about?" Nathan asked Kristin.
Noticing a someone new had approached Kristin, Moose and Bear were once again at her side.
Nathan held up his hands in a surrender-like pose. "I'm not going to do anything to her."
Moose and Bear looked at Kristin expectantly.
"It's no worry, boys."
They obediently left the two alone.
"Wendy and I were just getting acquainted," Kristin replied. "Is that a problem?"
"Well, frankly, I don't want you tainting any of my crew," Nathan said.
"Tainting your crew? Oh, please, Nathan."
"So, you didn't try to convince her to talk to me about backing out of the meeting?"
Kristin was silent.
"That's what I thought. Well, if you'll excuse me." Nathan turned to leave.
Kristin stood and grabbed his arm. "Nathan, please. I just don't want to see anything happen to you."
"I think it's too late for that," Nathan said as he wriggled his arm out of her grasp and walked away.
Kristin sighed. She'd tried and tried and tried, but she'd failed miserably. She decided she wasn't in the mood to continue sitting near the pool anymore, so she went back to grab her book. She summoned Moose and Bear and headed back up to her room.
When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Alex. He was holding her cellular phone. "I thought you were going to be out all day?" she said.
"Moose, Bear, I don't think I'll need your services anymore today," Alex said, sending them away before turning back to Kristin. Once they were alone, he said, "Yes, well, I came back to the room because I forgot some notes. And it's the funniest thing," Alex said, but Kristin could not the sarcasm in his voice, "your phone was ringing."
Kristin hadn't thought anything of leaving it upstairs. "Who was it?"
"Your friend Maggie," Alex replied. "And she and I had a very interesting conversation."
Alex stood and walked towards her, causing Kristin to take a few steps back. She didn't like the way Alex was looking at her, and she had the feeling her world was about to fall apart.
"Alex, I can explain," she said.
Alex laughed evilly. "I should have known better than to trust you," Alex continued. "You know, Jacob and Kevin told me you were bad news, but I defended you. And, all this time, they were right. You've made me look like an idiot, and I hate that."
Kristin's anger flashed as Alex spoke. "Well, if you wouldn't have brought my daughter into this, none of this would have happened," she shouted back.
Alex laughed again. "I didn't know that until Maggie mentioned you were looking for Cynthia and Malique. It's too bad you'll never see them again, though."
"What have you done with them?" Kristin asked, nearly pleading with him to tell her.
"Oh, I'll tell you where they are, but you'll never get out of here to rescue them. They're at my home down south. They've been working for me, and let me just say, you're daughter's really good at shaking her ass. She's made me a lot of money pushing drugs."
"Go to hell," Kristin spat.
"I think you'll be there first," Alex said as he walked towards the door and left the room.
Kristin wasn't too worried at first until she realized Alex took the key with him. For security reasons, most hotel rooms had converted to a system where one needed a key both to enter and exit a room. Kristin searched frantically for an extra key, but found none. Not only was she locked in, but she realized that the adjoining room was locked as well, the adjoining room where the meeting was to be held, the adjoining room where the bomb was.
Kristin willed herself not to panic, however. "I'll just call downstairs and tell them I'm locked in," she muttered. But, much to her dismay, the phone cords had all been cut, and Alex had taken her cell phone battery out. She was trapped.