Murder on the High Seas - The Devereaux CaseFiles Book 3

Chapter 4

By the time the next morning came around, Reed had caught up on all the sleep he needed to function properly again. He had promised Ayah over dinner that they would take as much time to relax and do nothing on their cruise, as was possible without either of them getting bored. And so, they slept in until around ten o'clock, ventured out to catch a quiet breakfast and sat, eating their refreshing meal and discussing their plans for the days ahead.

Quiet was one thing, but doing nothing at all was a fairly optimistic plan. They had given the shops a slow, meandering walk past the night before, had traveled past the diamond showroom where Ayah did some window shopping. Typically she had pointed out gifts she hoped to buy later on in the cruise for Anita and Gideon. They had walked past the spa, taken a look at what was on offer and did the same with the gym and most of the other entertainment areas of the ship. "I think I might just read my book today and watch the world go by." Ayah admitted with a soft, sort of lazy smile that said she was perfectly happy, for once in their relationship, to sit by and do nothing while there was nothing to be done. She was still being sick quiet often, about three times a day and although he was worried, she managed to convince him that she was fine and looked forward to some peace and quiet to enjoy the pregnancy.

"And while you're doing that I could...hmm...what could I do?" Reed wondered to himself. He leant his head on the palm of his hand as he watched his wife of only a year pick away at a croissant while he waited for his cooked breakfast to be served. There really wasn't much he thought he could do. He hadn't brought a book, wasn't likely to buy one and would probably get bored once he started reading it. He didn't want to expend as much energy as visiting the gym and he wasn't one for spa treatments. He wasn't a heavy drinker, if at all and knew the bar was the last place he wanted to hang around during the day. He could take a wander round and try to figure out who his mysterious guest was, the one he found all so familiar. He could even make a few phone calls to inquire about it. A quick, sly snap of a photo on his phone and he could send it off to Raidon or Murray to get some information.

"Don't you dare!" Ayah snapped him out of his dream with those three words. He could only sigh and realize that they had been together for so long that she couldn't only read his mind, she could anticipate his thoughts even before he thought them. "I swear to god Reed, if you do any work on this trip, government or not, I'll never forgive you. I don't care who this person is or why he seems familiar. Or if he's going to blow up the ship with us on it. You promised you wouldn't work for the entire twenty-one days of this cruise and I'm going to make sure you stick to that promise." She warned him, making her point as clear as possible. She hadn't left him any room to wangle out of it or a loop hole to excuse himself with later on, when she found out he'd gone and done his work anyway. For a minute Reed cursed their connection before smiling to himself in approval.

"Alright. Then what do you suggest I do with my time when you're off walking in the Carpathian mountains with the mysterious Mikhail then?" He asked, curious about her plans for them, since she was so heavily engrossed, yet again, in one of her favorite books. It was one of the few books about vampires and supernatural creatures that she bothered to read and he knew that once she started reading it, there was no hope of getting her attention again, she would be off in a dreamland.

"You could practice a little patience for an hour or two until the guided excursion to Dubrovnik in the afternoon? We're going to visit the little village of Gruda to see a gallery and meet the local artist." She suggested happily. He actually highly approved of her plan, as always.

"I guess I could just kick back here with you for a few hours. It wouldn't be so terrible," Reed approved, thinking to himself about all the things they could get up to together in their cabin. "But then you might not get time to read your book," He reasoned in a gentle voice, kissing the palm of her hand and then her fingertip teasingly. Ayah quickly agreed that his idea was better than reading a book for two hours while he sat by and did nothing. Sure they were on holiday, but that didn't mean they had to be like the eighty year old biddies, sitting on the deck lounging in the sun all daylong.