  “What did you two do before there was the Internet to go to and snoop into people?” Lucas asked. “Town gossips,” Forge said. “Ready? We can go pick up Blair. Our flight leaves from Detroit, and we should get going.” He reached over and slapped Declan’s shoulder. “Come on, take a break. You can finish up when we get to Thunder Bay.” He stood up, switched off the television, and gave Moose a few hearty pats. “Simon and Ben will take care of you. I’ll be back in a few days. Maybe I’ll bring you some treats from Canada.” When they boarded the airplane, Lucas was ridiculously relieved to find out he and Declan were sitting together. It had hit him during the few hour’s drive to the airport in Detroit he and Declan would likely be staying in different parts of the ship. At first he’d been more concerned for Blair, who was so nervous about being on a ship in the open waters of Lake Superior. As the time neared for them to take their respective positions, his worry turned to Declan. Lucas tried reminding himself Declan and Forge had done this before. The two of them appeared scarily cool and nonchalant about the whole thing. Lucas wondered if that was their way of preparing for the parts they’d play. They settled into their seats, and Declan leaned back, yawning. He took Lucas’s hand and squeezed, whispering, “Get some rest. Stop your fretting.” “We’re going to stop that ship from sinking, right?” Lucas said in a low voice. He shifted so his shoulder pressed solidly against Declan’s. “And make sure the Sloanes are safe?” “It’s my goal, Lucas.” Declan’s voice was soft and steady. “Make sure you keep your eyes open and have your earbud in. If there is even a hint of trouble, don’t be afraid to say so. There’s no such thing as a false alarm in this sort of business.” Lucas studied Declan for a few seconds before relaxing more. “You’re worried about me?” Declan looked at him, surprise all over his face. “Of course I am. It’s not as if you have a lot of experience in covert work. It’s easy to get flustered or think you’re overreacting to something.” “Personal experience talking?” “Oh, yes. The first few ‘jobs’ Jonas and I pulled, I think we screwed up more than we got right,” Declan said. “It’s something of a miracle we survived. There was no one to coach us, we just fumbled right on through. Well, in Jonas’s case it was more like he bulldozed through.” Lucas laughed softly. “And yet, you both survived,” he pointed out. Declan chuckled. “You are very right. Fortunately, later on we were able to infiltrate organizations that offered formal training.” He squeezed Lucas’s hand again. “We’ll be fine.” Lucas leaned over and gave Declan a quick kiss on the cheek. “Yes, we will be.” When the plane landed, they split up. Lucas and Blair had to pretend they didn’t know Declan and Forge and vice versa. There were no hugs, no good-bye kisses, not even a few soft, kind words of farewell between them. They had to play the part of total strangers. Lucas and Blair traveled separately to the cruise-line offices. At least once on the ship, they’d be “co-workers” and free to interact. As part of the crew, they’d also be expected to attend to the passengers and that would afford them more freedom to contact Forge or Declan. While Lucas and Blair settled into their roles, Declan and Forge split up and spent two days combing the city. Each time they reported in, they had nothing new to share. Blair wandered into the clinic where Lucas was working. “Okay, I have to admit, even if this”—he waved one hand up and down his torso—“outfit is asinine, the ship is pretty cool. I’d like it better if it stayed tied up to the dock, though.” Lucas looked Blair up and down and bit his lip to keep from laughing. Blair’s eyes flashed to a solid hazel and his fangs descended for a few seconds. “Shut up. Your getup looks just as bad.” Blair was dressed to look like a swashbuckler. Lucas’s outfit mimicked an eighteenth-century Spanish naval officer, complete with gold braid and tights. “At least I can wear the white doctor coat over mine.” Lucas drew himself up and chanted in a very accurate French accent, holding one finger in the air. “Pirates were dirty, mean, scurvy men. Not the romantics we portray them as today!” Blair laughed. “You do that way too well.” “I should. I’ve heard it enough times. Why do you think I howl? It’s to drown that out,” Lucas said and smirked. All the book bundles listed below are for LGBTQ+ books!       Comments are closed.
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