Follow Your Star, Jennifer Bohnet [best fiction novels to read txt] 📗

front for money laundering as Mathieu had said, those papers, too, would be better back on board.

Picking up her keys, she quietly left the apartment. Once on the quay alongside Pole Position, Nanette was surprised to find that although the ‘No Entry’ sign was in place, the gangplank to the yacht was lowered so she simply walked on board. The door to the main cabin was closed and, as she opened it, Phil glanced up from the table where he was working on some papers.

‘Hi. I just need to put these in Zac’s safe,’ Nanette said confidently, as she walked past him towards the master bedroom, willing him not to stop her.

Phil looked as though he was about to say something and then simply shrugged his shoulders and returned to his paperwork.

Nanette didn’t bother to throw the light switch in the bedroom – there was enough light from the passageway for her to see her way across. In the bathroom, she pushed the door to as she switched on the mirror lights before kneeling down and moving the towels and lifting the under sink shelf out.

Once again she concentrated on remembering the combination number and breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled the safe door open. She was doing what she should have done originally – putting the package in the safe.

Another minute and she’d be on her way back to the apartment. Her actions froze as her gaze took in the empty shelf where the gun had been: there was only one person in the world who could have removed it.

The door behind her creaked. Slowly she raised her head. A cold shiver ran through her as she recognized the body of the man reflected in the illuminated bathroom mirror.

Nanette watched, rigid with fear, as Zac Ewart casually flipped off the safety catch before levelling the gun at her and asking, ‘Why, oh why, did you have to meddle, Nanette?’

CHAPTER TEN

Night-time sounds of the crew moving about up on deck punctuated the silence as Zac regarded Nanette intently, the gun steady in his hand.

‘Do you intend using that, or shall I put it back in the safe too?’ Nanette asked quietly.

Zac looked at the gun as if he’d forgotten he was holding it, and shrugged. ‘Might as well.’

As he leant forward and handed her the gun he said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s not loaded.’

Wordlessly Nanette took the gun from him and put it in the safe.

‘Why didn’t you put the package in the safe the other day?’

Nanette swallowed hard. ‘Couldn’t remember the combination,’ she said finally.

‘Oh, and now you can. Came to you in a flash, did it? Incidentally, I’ll have the Vacances au Soleil papers if that’s what’s in the envelope. They don’t need to go in the safe.’

Silently Nanette handed the envelope up to him.

‘You lied to me, didn’t you, Zac, when you told me there was nothing illegal about the package?’

Zac shrugged. ‘Did you open it?’

Nanette flushed but didn’t answer.

Zac’s eyes narrowed.

‘You did. I trust you didn’t go as far as using any of the contents? Or, indeed, showing them to anyone else?’

‘Why would I show bottles of shampoo to anyone?’ Nanette said, as innocently as she could. Nothing would induce her to tell Zac that Jean-Claude had been with her when she opened the parcel – or that Mathieu had also seen the contents and told her what they contained.

‘Good. Well, go on – put it in the safe.’

He watched as she carefully did as she was told and closed the door.

‘Don’t forget to leave everything tidy, will you?’ he said, looking at the shelf and the towels on the floor, before turning on his heels and leaving Nanette alone in the bathroom.

Nanette steadied herself against the cupboard as the yacht rocked unexpectedly on her mooring. Shakily, she started to replace the shelf before reaching for the towels. Only a few more minutes and she’d be on her way home.

Another unexpected movement of the yacht and Nanette frowned. Something big must have come into the harbour to cause such a rocking wake. It was almost as if Pole Position was underway. Nanette felt her body freeze at the thought.

Leaving the towels on the floor and slamming the bathroom door behind her she ran to the nearest porthole in the master bedroom.

Monaco town lights were fading into indistinguishable specks along the shoreline. The walls that guarded the entrance of the harbour were disappearing from view as the yacht made for the open sea.

‘Nice evening for a trip round the bay, don’t you think?’

Nanette spun round to see Zac watching her lazily from the large king-sized bed.

‘Turn the yacht around and let me off,’ Nanette demanded.

Zac shook his head. ‘Sorry, I can’t do that. We have to talk.’

Nanette glared at him. ‘If I’m not there to take the twins to school tomorrow morning, Mathieu will be worried.’

Zac shrugged. ‘I spoke to him on the satellite phone a few minutes ago. I told him you were spending the night with me.’

Nanette flushed angrily at the implication behind his words.

‘If you don’t turn around immediately, the first thing I shall do when I get back is go to the authorities and have you charged with kidnapping,’ Nanette threatened.

‘They’d just think you were a spurned lover – after all you were happy enough to come aboard before. Besides, you did come aboard of your own free will. Phil will attest to that.’

Disconsolate and fighting back tears Nanette stared at him. It seemed a long time ago that she had thought she loved this man.

‘How long do you intend to keep me on board?’

Before Zac could answer there was a discreet knock on the cabin door.

‘The saloon is ready sir,’ the head stewardess said.

Zac turned to Nanette. ‘You told me recently we needed a serious talk so, shall we be civilized and do it over a meal?’

‘Answer my question. How long?’

Zac sighed before saying slowly, ‘As long as necessary. Now, shall we eat? What with the flight back and the