Portia watched Nigel for a moment, hesitating before voicing her guess. "Mr. Howell, are you... are you going to look after our Callie?"


    "You are, aren''t you? You''re going to keep her safe?"


    "Mr. Howell, you''re wonderful!"


    "I know you''re talented and you''ve got a whole team of skilled people working for you. I''m putting Callie in your hands. Please, she''s counting on you,” Portia said, her voice brimming with emotion.


    Truthfully, she''d been uneasy about Calliope striking out on her own. If Nigel was going with her, Portia could finally breathe easier.


    She was well aware of Nigel''s skill-rival or not to Ss Myers, he''d never shown Callie any ill will. In fact, if Portia was reading things right, he might even have a bit of a soft spot for her.


    Whatever his motives-whether it was fondness or something else it could only work in Callie''s favor.


    Things in Stormgard were a tangled mess. Too many factions had their ws in, and trouble was always lurking just below the surface. Calliope was heading straight into the lion''s den for Mavis, and while she could handle herself, there was real danger there.


    At least with Nigel involved, the odds looked better.


    Nigel didn''t say a word. He just nodded.


    Portia let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mr. Howell. I''m counting on you!"


    Nigel only cast Portia a brief nce, then turned and walked off with Lnd.


    By the time Damien arrived, they were gone.


    Calliope had forgotten to say goodbye in person, so she''d sent Damien a hurried text as she left-short on details, to say the least.


    All Damien knew was that she''d gone, but not where or why. He spent frantic minutes searching before he finally spotted Portia.


    "Where''s Calliope?" Damien demanded, his voice tight with worry.


    "She''s gone," Portia replied, turning to face him.


    "Gone?" Damien repeated nkly. He looked out at the dark, empty water here was nothing but the undting ck sea; Calliope had vanishedpletely.


    "Ms. Sutton, please don''t scare me like this! If anything happens to her, Mr. Myers will skin me alive!" Damien was almost pleading. “She just texted me that she was leaving first, but I have no idea what that''s supposed to mean."


    “It means just that,” Portia said matter-of-factly. “She got off the cruise ship ahead of everyone else."


    "So...where''d she go?" Damien stared at her, dazed. "I mean-after she left, where did she go? Did she take a boat or something?"


    He dashed to the rail, peering out desperately at the sea, but there was nothing-no sign of Calliope anywhere. Panic started to rise in his chest.


    "What is going on?"


    "She left by helicopter,” Portia stated, her tone t. "Mavis got into trouble. Callie went to help her."


    "Ms. Shepherd?" Damien finally pieced it together. "What happened to her? How could she be in danger?"


    "Wait, wasn''t she on assignment with Mr. Stewart?"


    "Sure, this job was a tough one, but...was it ever supposed to be deadly? She shouldn''t have been in any real danger."


    "And if Mr. Stewart''s there, how could anything go so wrong?"


    Portia fixed him with a stare. "You''d think she''d be fine, right? But that bastard Uriah''s doing just peachy, while Mavis is the one hurt!"


    "Hepletely failed to look after her!" Portia fumed, her voice growing sharper. "And he calls himself her mentor? He''s unharmed, but she''s the one in trouble How does that make sense?"


    Damien paled. “...She''s really hurt? Is it serious?"