Portia stood in the doorway, eyebrows raised in surprise. "How did you manage to convince Nigel?"


    Everyone knew Nigel and Ss were sworn enemies-Nigel wasn''t exactly the


    charitable type.


    "You''re not worried he''ll throw you overboard halfway there?" Portia gave Damien a skeptical look.


    "If he does, I suppose I''ll ept it,” Damien said with a shrug. “Right now, Calliope''s safetyes first."


    Portia nodded in agreement. "You''re right... Just promise me that if you find Callie, you''ll keep her safe."


    "And if you spot her or manage to contact her, please send me a text," she added.


    "Of course,” Damien replied, nodding. "Take care of yourself, Ms. Sutton. I need to get moving."


    With that, he grabbed his luggage and went off to find Nigel. True to his word, Nigel didn''t back out-he actually brought Damien along. After leaving the cruise ship, they headed straight to a private airstrip.


    Damien followed Nigel onto his private jet, which wasvish enough to rival anything Mr. Myers owned. When Damien sat down, he nced over at Nigel. The side table was stocked with vintagebels and a spread of gourmet hors d''oeuvres-the height of luxury.


    But Nigel didn''t seem interested in the spread. He sat with his long legs crossed, head bowed, focused on his phone as he typed out a message.


    Remembering something, Damien pulled out his own phone and typed up several messages to Ss. He''d tried to get in touch before, but for some reason, he just couldn''t reach him. All he could do now was send updates and hope Mr. Myers would eventually see them.


    When he finished, Damien looked up again. Nigel was still engrossed in his phone, sipping asionally from a ss of water and ignoring the winepletely.


    Soon enough, the ne''s engines roared to life and they lifted off.


    Damien''s brow furrowed as he stared out the window, his mind racing with questions about Calliope. He hadn''t arranged a flight for her-how had she even reached Stormgard, and was she out there entirely unprotected?


    Nigel finally turned toward him, frowning slightly.


    "Mr. Howell, you must know something about Calliope," Damien pressed. Is anyone traveling with her? Who arranged her trip? I heard Mr. Stewart didn''t handle it, that she went off on her own. What kind of there


    transp on did she use?


    aren''t even direct flights to


    Stormgard from here."


    Nigel gave Damien a look somewhere between incredulity and amusement.


    "Did you really think Calliope walked all the way there?" he asked.


    Damien found himself at a loss for words.


    "Obviously she flew," Nigel said dryly. "Just because you didn''t book her a jet doesn''t mean she doesn''t have one of her own." His lips curled with a faint mocking smile. "You really underestimate her her resources her background Things aren''t as simple as you think."


    Damien could only stare, momentarily stunned. Sure, he''d known Calliope was


    capable, but he had no idea she owned her own jet.


    "So she''s not alone, then?"


    Nigel''s eyes glinted. “She''s definitely not alone. She brought quite a few very capable people with her." He had already had his people look into it before boarding. Nigel''s calm wasn''t for nothing-he knewCalliope could handle herself. She was smart enough to anticipate trouble, and she''d made sure to travel prepared.