Authors: Cassandra Pierce
Fuming, Cyra stepped into his path. “Excuse me. You’re trespassing.”
“Am I?” The man stopped, lifting his eyebrows in surprise.
“Yes. You most certainly are. Starfish Cove is privately owned.”
“I’m terribly sorry.” His accent was American, she noted. He also didn’t sound sorry in the least. “I assure you I meant no harm. I was simply enjoying the sea air and the open sky.”
“Where did you come from?” she demanded.
He half turned, tilting his head to his left. “I rented a cottage about half a mile up the beach. I only arrived this afternoon. I suppose I got lost.”
“So it appears,” she said. “I would advise you to be more careful in the future. My brother takes care of this property, and he doesn’t like strangers.”
His smile widened in a way that human women probably found quite charming. “Then may I suggest the obvious remedy of introducing myself?” He extended an open hand toward her. “I’m Alan Scott, your neighbor…at least temporarily.”
She considered not taking his hand, but she supposed he was the type who would insist. She touched his palm in the most perfunctory way possible.
“I’m on vacation by myself,” he added—unnecessarily, in her opinion. Did he think she would care? “To be honest, I was walking along the water hoping to come across someone who might direct me to a decent place to get a drink and some seafood.”
“There’s nothing like that on this side of the island,” she informed him. “As I said, this area is private.”
“What a shame—I would have been happy to treat you. After all, I want to apologize properly for invading your privacy.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m just warning you for your own good.”
“Very well. My offer stands, though.”
He turned and began walking in the other direction. Cyra stared after him until he disappeared behind a clump of rocks and vegetation.
What nerve!
As if she would waste her time having lunch and drinks with a human. Let her brother spend his afternoon that way, if he wished.
Gratefully she pulled off her sundress, stashed it among some rocks so she could retrieve it later, and waded into the water.
Chapter 5
Maura kept her eyes riveted to the shore as Ejan’s boat putted past silvery beaches and overgrown patches of green. Though she spotted a number of lovely birds and aquatic creatures, she detected no sign of Septimus.
The scenery was so stunningly beautiful that she could see how Septimus might be happy to lose himself in it for awhile. Yet, as Cyra had reminded her, even the most charming tropical forests and beaches teemed with hidden dangers. She hoped Septimus hadn’t let his guard down at the wrong moment.
Presently the boat carried them to a more populated stretch of coast. Every now and then, Ejan and Tagin would pull up to the docks of some guest house or hotel, and even a beachside tiki bar. There, Maura and one of the guys would disembark to make enquiries after Septimus. Maura wished she’d brought along the black and white photo, but she had worried about getting it wet. Crazy as the whole idea seemed, she kept an eye out for any older woman who might resemble the one in the picture.
Sadly, all three of them came up empty.
“We’ll try one last place,” Ejan said, noting her downcast expression as they pulled away from yet another dock and useless excursion. Maura realized that their investigation had taken most of the day. Already the sky showed the vivid red and purple streaks that heralded sunset. “They throw an outdoor cocktail party for their guests every night. People from nearby houses and hotels wander in, too. Maybe someone has seen Septimus. Who knows—he might even turn up on his own.”
“Good idea,” Maura agreed, touched by the genuine concern in his wide, clear eyes. She reached out to squeeze his forearm. “Thank you for taking all this time to help me,” she said. She glanced up at Tagin, who stood at the wheel of the boat. “Both of you.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Tagin said, touching her shoulder. “We care about Septimus, too.”
His use of the present tense reassured her. She felt a flash of embarrassment at ever suspecting they had something to do with his disappearance.
Soon they pulled up at yet another dock, this one painted bright white and festooned with festive paper ribbons and Chinese lanterns. They walked single file along a gravel walkway, heading toward a charming two-story house surrounded by palm trees and an explosion of huge tropical flowers.
As Ejan had predicted, an informal party was going on in the courtyard, with a large number of people milling around and laughing. Jaunty calypso music played from a boom box set up on one corner of the deck, where a makeshift bar conducted a brisk business. The guests seemed to come from various generations and ethnic groups, giving Maura hope that Septimus might, in fact, be wandering among them.
As they stood at the bottom of the deck stairs, scanning the party, a tall, steely-haired woman standing near the bar waved at Ejan. He returned the wave and gave her a brief nod. She moved quickly through the crowd toward them. A handsome, much younger man followed her attentively, resting one hand on the small of her back as they walked.
“You know her?” Maura asked Ejan.
“You could say that,” he admitted with a grin. “She’s my mom.”
“She owns the place,” Tagin explained.
The woman reached them, and her escort caught up to her. He slid one arm around her waist, beaming with pride. Maura found herself intrigued by their closeness. Ejan’s mother appeared to be in her early sixties, while her companion looked no more than thirty-five or so.
Ejan introduced them. “Maura, this is my mother. Irissa Kol, meet Dr. Ryan. She’s staying with us.”
“Maura, please,” Maura said as the woman extended a long, lean hand toward her. Maura had never seen such graceful fingers before, or a more luminous smile. Irissa probably had no problem attracting lovers of any age, she decided.
As if he could read Maura’s thoughts, the handsome man stepped forward and extended his free hand. Ejan suddenly became flustered. “And this is her… uh… companion.”
“Elliot,” the man offered helpfully. Maura thought she detected the hint of a British accent.
“She’s lovely,” Irissa said to her son, not caring that Maura could hear. “I’m pleased, Ejan. This should work out very well.”
“No, Mother, it’s nothing like that,” Ejan stammered. Beside him, Tagin smothered his laughter. “Septimus invited her. To help with his research.”
Irissa’s indulgent smile never dimmed. “Yes, of course. I see.”
Maura raised her brows. Irissa must be aware that Tagin and Ejan were involved with one another. Was she hoping her son would change his sexual preference? Surely she realized that wasn’t very likely to happen.
Still, their issues weren’t Maura’s business. She was here to find out if Septimus had come by. To her relief, Ejan was already explaining their mission to his mother.
“I’m afraid Septimus hasn’t called on me for quite some time now,” Irissa said with a touch of regret. “A shame, because he was always so entertaining for the guests. He could tell stories about this island that kept everyone spellbound. He was very good for business, in fact.”
Maura perked up, intrigued. “What kind of stories?”
“Incredible tales of the sea,” Elliot said, sweeping his arm over his head. “Wild theories about people who could breathe underwater and lived in cities made of coral. When their civilization fell, he said, they waded ashore and learned to live among humans.” He paused to laugh. “I told him he should write his stories down—he could make a fortune. Then he insisted he would never betray the sea people like that. Said they deserved to live in peace after all they’d been through. Has quite an imagination, doesn’t he?”
“He certainly does,” Irissa said, raising a silver brow. Ejan and Tagin merely looked at one another and shrugged. “But then, my cocktails are known to be a bit strong. Speaking of that, let me get you one, Maura. Ejan, dear, be a gentleman and find her a place to sit down. She looks exhausted.”
“It’s the heat,” Tagin said. “She’s not used to it.”
“Come on, Maura.” Ejan held out his hand and led her toward a circle of chairs arranged around a koi pond. Each chair had a bamboo torch beside it, and many of the chairs were occupied by guests. Somehow, Ejan found her an empty one. “Stay here. I’ll fix you something nice and cold.”
“Thank you,” Maura said, sinking down in relief. Now that she thought about it, this really had been a long, draining day. She’d probably crammed more adventure into the last forty-eight hours than she had experienced in all her thirty-one years on earth. For the moment, she gave herself permission to just lean back and enjoy the music and the buzz of conversation around her.
Eventually, Elliot appeared, carrying a tall blue drink with a tiny paper umbrella and plenty of ice. He left her to sip it in blissful solitude and quickly returned to Irissa, who was in the middle of an animated conversation with her son and Tagin. Were they arguing about her? She hoped Tagin wasn’t angry over Irissa’s suggestion that something was going on between her and Ejan. Not that Ejan wasn’t as gorgeous as the rest of his friends—and so was Tagin, for that matter—but Maura respected their relationship to one another too much to entertain such a possibility. Aside from all of that, where did Daq fit into the equation? Did he even want to fit in?
“Whoa,” she said aloud, pulling the drink from her lips and looking down into its frosty blue depths. Irissa wasn’t kidding about her drinks being strong. A few swallows and already Maura’s mind had tilted sideways.
Well, she decided, why not? She didn’t plan to steer Ejan’s boat. When she glanced back at Ejan and Tagin, she saw that neither of them had taken any refreshment. So they were safe enough on that score, at least. The two men were still involved in a spirited conversation with Irissa. Elliot had disappeared.
Soon the three of them were standing around her chair again. Ejan reached out and helped her to her feet.
“I hope you’ll come back to chat.” Irissa took Maura’s hand next, pressing it affectionately. As she did, Maura noticed something surprising. Below the large bangles on her necklace, Irissa wore the same tattoo as her son and the others. She decided to ask about its meaning, but before she had a chance, the guys were already leading her back to the boat.
As they set off from the dock, Maura felt a little woozy from the combination of the drink and the rolling of the water beneath them. She nestled herself into one of the deck seats. Ejan took the spot beside her while Tagin remained at the wheel.
“How long has your mother been with Elliot?” Maura asked.
“A month or so,” Ejan said with a shrug. “They’re still in the honeymoon phase. I’m glad she’s happy, but it probably won’t last. We’ve been through this before.”
“Where’s your dad? Are they divorced?”
“I guess you could say that,” Ejan answered, shifting his eyes to the left. Maura took his reaction to mean they had never been legally married, and Ejan was a bit ashamed of the fact. “He lives in Florida. That’s where they met. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for them. My mom swam off before I was born.”
What a strange way to put it, she thought. “Do you have a relationship with him?”
“I’ve met him a few times. We get along okay. My mother didn’t want anything from him, and he didn’t push it. He understood where she was coming from.”
“She didn’t love him?”
“I think she did, but she wanted to move on. Restlessness is in her blood. I’m pretty sure she started running the guest house so I’d have a stable place to grow up. Since I’m on my own now, she still takes off by herself once in a while. That’s why I suspect Elliot isn’t a permanent thing.”
“Does he know that?”
“I’m sure at some level he does. If not…he may find out eventually.”
Maura shook her head. She couldn’t picture such a free lifestyle, but who was she to judge? Overall, she had to admire Irissa. She certainly looked lively and happy despite entering late middle age.
“I hope it works out for them,” she said. “Age difference and all.”
To her surprise, Ejan smiled. “Me, too.”
When they got out into the bay, Tagin cut the motor and stepped out from behind the wheel. Maura looked around as the boat drifted under the stars. The sheer beauty of the sky, the calming breeze, and the moon reflecting off the undulating water left her breathless for a moment. In fact, she mused, only one thing would make the scene better…but, of course, that whole train of thought was crazy. Just the cocktail playing a wild calypso song in her head, she decided.
“I thought we could take a few minutes to enjoy the sea,” Tagin said. “A lot of people find it soothing.”
“I can see why,” she agreed. “But aren’t you worried about running into a rock? Or a shark?”
“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe. I know this bay like a part of my own body.”
“I believe you.” She leaned back in her chair, loose and relaxed…free. Thinking about his body wasn’t unpleasant, either.
When she turned away from the water, she found Ejan sitting much closer.
“My mother says we look good together,” he said, still grinning.
“I got the impression she thought so,” Maura replied. Casually she placed a hand on his shoulder, and his smile widened. “That’s sweet of her. But did she forget about Tagin?”