My fingers twitch to grab Hex and pull him toward me, but I stifle down the powerful urge.I don’t like her so close to him, but she’s a VIP and acting out here will compromise us or even get us thrown out.
Shaking his head, Hex throws a mischievous wink at her. “Please, don’t mind my colleagues, Ma’am. They are just doing their job. The safety and comfort of the guests is our top priority.” He leans in closer, smiling at her like they are best friends. “And don’t tell anyone I was chit-chatting with you while on duty. It will get me in trouble with the boss.”
Laughter explodes out of her, loud and throaty. Her companion joins in too, though his show of amusement is more of a chuckle. Hex straightens his posture, folds his arms behind him, and tries for a neutral expression, but his smile breaks through. It’s a nice smile, and even if it’s half-fake, it stirs something bubbly in my chest all the same.
“Truly a delight, you are. And so funny.” Her dark blue eyes twinkle in excitement, matching the color of the feathers decorating her mask.
“I’m even better off duty,” Hex jokes without really joking.
I can feel where this is going, and I am not sure I like it.
“Such a charmer!” She strokes him on the arm. My hackles rise as I watch her manicured fingers massage the area. “Hmm, perhaps you could grace us with your lovely company and wit for dinner, once your shift ends? We’ve booked a reservation at the Shark Nest, down below. I hear it offers an amazing view of the ocean.”
The Shark Nest?The name wasn’t on any of the blueprints, which means it must be part of the areas that are off-limits. Only specially appointed crew members have access to those decks, but we didn’t receive a list during the briefing, so my intel is lacking.
A wave of electricity zaps my nerve-endings. This is our way in. A golden opportunity. But for a reason I can’t quite pinpoint, my stomach twists. Somehow, I still don’t like this.
Hex’s eyes flick to me for a second as his smile widens into a radiant grin. “I would love to, but sadly, I don’t have access to that part of the ship.”
The woman waves him off, her mouth curving into a satisfied smile as shefinallylets go of his arm. “Don’t worry, dear. You can be our plus-one.”
“Hmm, I don’t know… I don’t want to get into trouble.”
“Nonsense,” the man speaks up at last. His voice has a high pitch, though there is a rumbly quality to it. “My lady and I will make sure you don’t.”
The same spark of excitement lives in his eyes too as they roam Hex from head to toe. There is a flicker of interest in them, and I bristle like a cornered cat. Am I overreacting? But I’m not blind; I know Hex is a good-looking man, even if he seems mostly clueless about it. On the rare occasions when we go out to run errands, people always notice him. Some even try to approach him or chat him up, but I usually manage to thwart them.
This situation reminds me of those times, except that I don’t have the luxury of butting in as I normally do.
“Aw, thanks. You two are so nice. It’s a date!” He winks at the woman, causing her eyes to glimmer even more.
“Splendid. What is your name, sweetie?”
“Hex. Nice to meet you…”
I want to groan.Really, Tien? You give her your actual hacker name? God save us.
Surprisingly, the couple shows no sign of recognizing his handle. “Mr. and Mrs. Lynx. You finish at around eight, don’t you? How about you stop by our cabin at eighty-thirty?”
“Su—”
“It would be better to meet here,” I cut in sharply.
Everyone snaps their attention to me, but among the three pairs of eyes, only Hex’s aren’t glaring. I spoke without thinking this through, or how it might come across, but I couldn’t just stand and watch. It is my duty to ensure Hex is safe, and letting him go to the cabin of two strangers is a risk I am not willing to take. I might be jumping the gun, but things have already spiraled out of control as is. He was never supposed to have such an active role in this—that’s my part to play while he handles things behind-the-scenes.
“Hex is terrible with directions and tends to get lost easily when he goes to unfamiliar places. We haven’t been posted on the guests residences’ level yet, but he knows the entertainment deck since he’s been shadowing me today.”
I can tell that the two don’t like my suggestion. But they also have no reason to refuse or it will appear sketchy. Hex might be oblivious to a lot of things, but I am not, and as his supposedfriend, it is my responsibility to look out for him.
“I finish at the same time, so I will personally hand-deliver him to you and make sure he arrives on time at the right place,” I add to soften the tension, faking a friendly chuckle.
The woman frowns, then forces a smile. In truth, I don’t think she needs to worry about keeping up public appearances. She could rebut me. She could probably get me fired, too. But that won’t fly with Hex, and she can probably sense it. The question is why does she care, and just hypothesizing the possible reasons makes me bristle.
“That would be lovely.” She bounces her gaze from me to him. “You have such a reliable friend, dear.”
My breath catches at the smile that takes over Hex’s face. It’s radiant and open, making my heart gallop.
“He’s the best, isn’t he? Always looking out for me.” Hex pokes me in the arm with his elbow, aiming those captivating browns at me. “He can be a little broody though, so sorry about that. It just takes him a while to warm up to people.”
