Read Surviving Raine 01 Online
Authors: Shay Savage
Surviving Raine 01 (48 page)
I took a half step backwards, further concealing myself behind a large ficus tree, right before he looked up. His eyes took in the room – automatically sizing up every individual as a potential threat. He was out of practice, no doubt, since this was the first time he had looked at anyone other than the woman and the bartender in seven minutes. I’d taught him better than that. The entire populace of the party could have switched in that amount of time. He’d become complacent and lazy, obviously. No wonder he ended up on a barely adequate raft instead of one of the life boats with radio equipment. It was a wonder he didn’t end up dead on the open sea. No, that wasn’t true. That part didn’t surprise me at all – he was always resourceful, and when he put some actual effort into something, he was nearly unstoppable.
What I found most surprising was his continued will to live. I wouldn’t have expected him to give up – he never gave up – but finding the motivation to endure beyond the norm? That was most unexpected, and now that I had seen the two of them in the same room, I understood the true reason. How in the world did the daughter of Henry Gayle end up on his schooner? The odds were just too astronomical. I didn’t believe in coincidences – not on that kind of scale. This one approximated divine intervention. I didn’t believe in that, either.
He never let the woman far from his sight. That much was obvious as well. He kept very close tabs on her and was clearly agitated when yet another male approached her. I wondered why he wasn’t standing with her while she was interrogated by the press and considered the possibility he had already confronted one or two of them before my arrival and had subsequently been banished to the table on his own. I wouldn’t have been shocked to hear he had had an altercation with the press. His temper was both his greatest asset and greatest vice. The idea of the woman sending him into a “time-out” for his tantrum, though – that was intriguing. I found it both out of character and mildly amusing that he would allow himself to be instructed to behave in such a way. I also had to admit I was a little shocked that he would even allow another woman into his life at all, considering the disastrous end to his last relationship.
He shoved himself out of his seat suddenly and reached for the pocket inside his jacket. I tensed reflexively, my hand reaching inside my own coat pocket. Had he spotted me? I let out my held breath when I realized he was only bringing out a pack of cigarettes. His eyes swiveled over and met the woman’s briefly, their non-verbal exchange speaking volumes to me. He lit the cigarette while still in the smoke-free building, long before he actually reached the entrance to the outdoor smoking area.
Obviously, we were going to have to have a little talk, as much as I hated to do it. I had hoped life on the sea would be enough to take him to some reasonably natural end, but it was not to be. I only hoped this woman he had chosen was going to be up for what was to come.
I guess I wasn’t completely retired after all.
Quoted Poetry Credits:
Paradise Lost – John Milton
Weeds – Lord Byron
Desire -
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Shall I compare thee to a summers day? – William Shakespeare
Forgiveness – George Roemisch
Table of Contents