Seduced by the Spare Heir

Serafia shook her head. “They’ve already got a crew of guards there at the rig. They cleared the platform this morning and are standing by for your arrival. All the details have been taken care of,” she assured him. Turning to glance out the window, she realized they were at their destination. “And here we are.”

They climbed from the car at the heliport and made their way over to the helicopter waiting for them. The prime minister was already there, rushing over to shake Gabriel’s hand. Then as a group, they climbed into the helicopter and headed out to sea.

Serafia was glad Gabriel was okay with helicopters. She wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, so it was good that at least one of them wasn’t freaking out. When the engine started, she put on the ear protection and closed her eyes. The liftoff sent her stomach into her throat, but after a few minutes the movement was steady. Thankfully it wouldn’t take long to get out there, so she took some deep breaths and tried not to think about where she was.

A thump startled her, and she opened her eyes in panic only to realize they’d already landed on the oil platform. Thank goodness. Everyone climbed out and Patrick came to greet them. With him, he had the lead rig operator, his son William and a few members of Patrick’s management team who always seemed to be following him around. This, in addition to a large contingent of press, as always. They’d come out earlier on the boat. Once everyone was fitted with hard hats, the tour began.

With all the cameras so near today, Serafia decided to take a step back from Gabriel. There was no need to stir any more rumors or give any of them a reason to write another scathing article about her family or their romance. He didn’t seem to notice she was gone. With everything going on, he surged ahead, carried by the crowd with Rivera and Patrick Rowling at his side.

Serafia trailed the group as they walked around the open decks of the platform, admiring the massive drill and other equipment. She couldn’t hear what Patrick and the others were saying, but she didn’t mind. She wasn’t really that interested.

After that, they went inside to tour the employee quarters and cafeteria, the offices and the control room. It was a tight fit for the men who lived on the rig up to two weeks at a stretch.

The day was going fairly well, so far. She’d begun to think she’d been anxious for no reason.

It wasn’t until they went back outside and started climbing down a set of metal stairs that went below the platform that Serafia started to feel the niggling of worry in the back of her mind. The only thing below the platform were the emergency evacuation boats, some maintenance equipment and the underwater exploration pod they used for maintenance.

Oh God. Her heart very nearly leaped out of her chest and into her throat when she realized what was about to happen.

The submarine.

She’d forgotten all about it. It had always been a part of the plan. They were to tour the oil rig, and then their exploration pod, which was essentially a small, four-man submarine, would take Gabriel under the surface to see the rig at work. It was a harmless photo op, and when she was given the original itinerary, she hadn’t thought a thing about it. Gabriel certainly hadn’t mentioned having a problem with it when they discussed the agenda back in Miami.

Since then, she’d learned about Gabriel’s issues with small, dark spaces, but so much had happened that the submarine had slipped her mind.

That had to be where they were going. Unfortunately there were twenty people between Gabriel and her on the narrow deck and staircase. He was below the platform and she was stuck above it at the very back of the pack. She was unable to get close enough to warn him before it was too late.

She rushed to the metal railing, peering over the side at the party below. They were still walking around while Patrick pointed out one thing or another, but she could see the open hatch of the exploration pod a few yards in front of them.

“Gabriel!” she shouted, but no one but a few of the reporters and crew members turned to look at her. The sounds of the ocean and the operating rig easily drowned out everything. Everything but the expression on his face.

Serafia knew the instant that he realized where they were going. He stiffened, his jaw tightening. His hands curled into fists at his side. Everyone around him continued to talk and laugh, but he wasn’t participating in the discussion. He was loosening his tie, looking around for another option to escape, short of leaping into the ocean and swimming back to the mainland.

Patrick Rowling and the prime minister were the first to crawl inside the exploration pod. Gabriel stood there at the entrance for several moments, looking into the small space. He was white as a sheet and he gripped the railing with white-knuckled intensity. She could tell the others were trying to encourage him, but he likely couldn’t hear anything they said if he was having a full-blown panic attack.