“You owe me ten bucks,” Ana said.
Chanel crept her hand back and settled it onto my knee, her eyes glancing over at me as I took deep breaths.
“The fuck was that?” I asked with a murmur.
“A preview,” she said, grinning.
The four of us talked about other high school memories until familiar faces started to gather in the middle of the floor. I knew what was about to happen. They were all carrying instruments and unpacking them like they used to in high school. It was our high school band that played at literally every sporting event they could get approval for. They tuned their instruments as everyone turned their heads to take in the sight, and then the fight song for our school filled the dining room.
Everyone was singing the words to the song, but I couldn't take my eyes off Chanel.
The way she’d lit up during the performance this afternoon was something that had enraptured me. There were some things that never changed, and her enthusiasm for new experiences was something that apparently never would. Even with everything she had gone through and all the growing up she had done over the past decade, her childlike joy for the smallest things tugged a smile across my lips. She was joyfully singing the fight song of our alma mater, but with the happiness that rolled across her face, you would have thought someone had gifted her with a million dollars. The broader her smile grew, the warmer my chest became, and I wrapped my hand around hers and settled it higher up my leg.
She turned her smile toward me, her eyes glistening with delight.
But there was a movement out of the corner of my eye that caught my attention. I whipped my head around to see what was going on and saw two security guards approaching us. They came over to Chanel and dipped into her ear, and one of the men offered his hand to escort her away. I stood along with her and watched as she went with the two security guards. They pulled her off into a corner, and I could see a type of horror dripping over her features. I clenched my fists and tried to wait as patiently as I could for her to come back, my eyes scanning the room for anything else that would pull her from my side.
She turned her head toward me, tears filling her eyes as I approached her. Whatever was being said could be said in front of me. Chanel wasn’t doing any more of whatever the hell this was alone.
The security guards walked away as I approached Chanel. She fell against my body, and I wrapped my arms around her. I could feel her shaking as her breathing came in unsteady pants. I was feeling anxious, wondering what in the world it was they had told her. I should never have let her go off with them alone. I should have told them I was her personal security detail and left it at that. I cursed myself for backing down when I should’ve stepped up to the plate
“What happened?” I asked. “Talk to me.”
“The guards are looking for Luke,” Chanel said.
“Why?” I asked.
“He’s not on the ship, Rhett. He never got back on the ship.”
Relief flooded my veins as I sighed. I kissed the top of Chanel’s head, my fingertips running through her hair. I could feel Tommy and Ana’s eyes on us, but I didn’t care. Chanel was still shaking, which told me that wasn’t all the guards had told her.
“What else is there?” I asked.
“They, um. Well, they went into his room. You know, to see if he was okay. They thought maybe he had collapsed on his floor or something,” Chanel said.
“And?”
“He had a shrine of me in there, Rhett, this creepy, weirdo shrine. They had pictures of it, and it was awful. My name was written on the wall, and there were pictures of me in my bikini and stuff from around the ship. Rhett, he had a picture of us on that private balcony.”
I felt my blood run cold as anger bloomed through my veins. That motherfucker had a picture of Chanel in one of her most vulnerable moments? I was going to tear this man’s throat out. I was going to make sure he never fucking laid eyes on her again.
“It’s okay. Come here. Look, the good thing about this is he’s not on the ship. We can stop constantly looking over our shoulders and enjoy the trip,” I said.
“I told them everything,” Chanel said.
I looked down at her and furrowed my brow.
“What?” I asked.
“Yeah. They said they wanted to inform me of the shrine, and I told them it didn’t shock me. They asked why, and I told them about the notes, about the encounter in the bathroom on Curaçao, and about … about how you saved me.”
I couldn’t have been prouder of her than I was in that moment. It took strength, telling those security guards what she had been through. She was taking control back from that wretched little fucker. I watched as Tommy and Ana approached us, Tommy’s arms threaded around Ana’s waist. Ana reached out to he
r friend, and I released her as the two girls embraced.
“What’s going on?” Ana asked.
“The short version or the long one?” I asked.