After she finished her drink.

Chase wandered aimlessly through the Ocean Emperor. Coming to the function had definitely been a bad move, what with Nina’s new high-and-mighty attitude-and then meeting Sophia, of all people…

He didn’t even want to think about her. She was a part of his past that he thought he’d successfully forgotten. Apparently not.

He emerged onto the aft deck, noting with relief that there were fewer guests here. The cold wind was an encouragement to stay inside. Heading to the railing by the ship’s retracted swimming platform to look out over Manhattan again, he was surprised when somebody called his name. He looked around. “Matt?”

“Hey, Eddie!” Matt Trulli padded over to him, the tubby, spike-haired Australian looking decidedly out of place among the other guests in his scruffy knee-length shorts and garish shirt. He pumped Chase’s hand with genuine enthusiasm. “Haven’t seen you for ages! How you doing, mate?”

“Fine, thanks. What’re you doing here?”

Trulli gestured up at the Ocean Emperor’s bridge. “I work for the boss now!”

“Corvus?”

Trulli nodded. “Normally work in the Bahamas, but I was in the States ‘cause I’m going up to MIT tomorrow for a seminar. I was kind of surprised to get an invite, but thought what the hell, free booze!” He held up his glass.

Chase realized that he didn’t have a drink of his own, and couldn’t see any waiters nearby to give him a glass. Whatever; he didn’t want any more. Unlike Nina… “So, you still in the submarine business?”

“Yeah. After Frost’s business went belly-up I started working for René, designing underwater hotels.”

Chase gave him a skeptical look. “Underwater hotels?”

“You laugh, mate, but they’re going to be the next big thing!” Trulli assured him. “They’re already big in Dubai, and the design I came up with? Modular, so you can bolt one together wherever you like. Wake up in the morning, look out the window and bam! Fish, right there. René’s actually been living in the prototype in the Bahamas. Pretty cool. Wouldn’t mind one myself, but it’s a bit more than I can afford for an apartment!”

“I know what that’s like,” said Chase ruefully, looking across at Manhattan.

“Anyway,” Trulli continued, “now I’ve got the hotel stuff all done and dusted, I’m working on something way cooler.” His face changed to a definite “oops” expression. “Only, well, I can’t really talk about it. Top secret, y’know?”

Chase gave him a half-smile. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Aw, cheers, mate. But I will say this much-it’s bloody awesome! You know how the subs I built for Frost were like bulldozers? This is more like a Ferrari. It’s going to be fantastic! When I get the bugger working properly, anyway.” He took another drink, then leaned back on the stern railing. “So, what about you, mate? How’d you swing an invite to this shindig?”

“I’m here with Nina. She got the invite, not me.”

Trulli reacted with curiosity at his cutting tone, but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he said, “So you and her are…?” Chase nodded. “Aw, great stuff!”

“Don’t get too excited; we’re not married or anything. Not sure exactly what we are at the moment, to be honest.”

“O-kay…So she works for the IHA, then?”

“Yeah. So do I.”

“Gotcha. What do you do?”

Chase puffed air from his cheeks before replying. “Well, most of the time I sit on my arse at a desk and do absolutely fuck all. My official job title’s ‘assistant to the director of operations,’ my actual job’s to look after Nina when she’s out in the field, but since she hasn’t been out in the field for over a year, there’s not really a fuck of a lot to do all day.” The words came out with rather more frustration in them than he’d intended.

“So Nina’s your boss, then? That must make things interesting.”

Chase shot him a dark, humorless smile. “You have no idea.”

Trulli looked slightly awkward. “Right… Is she around? Wouldn’t mind saying hello.”

“Speak of the devil,” said Chase at the sound of high heels clicking rapidly towards him. He turned to see Nina approaching with an irate expression, her dress fluttering in the wind.

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” she snapped, before seeing Trulli next to him. “Matt! Oh my God, how are you? What are you doing here?”

“Just telling Eddie that I work for René Corvus,” said Trulli. “Still building subs. I hear you’re big at the IHA now. Congrats!”

“Thanks. Look, Matt, I’m sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to Eddie. In private.”

Trulli gave Chase a concerned glance, then drained his glass. “Sure thing… I need to get a fill-up anyway. Maybe see you guys around later?”

“Maybe,” Chase said. Trulli clapped him on the arm, then kissed Nina on the cheek before heading inside.

Chase watched him go, then looked to find Nina glaring at him. He indicated her glass. “So, on red wine now? Is that your sixth or your seventh drink of the evening?”

“Don’t try to change the subject.”

“You haven’t told me the subject.”

“You know exactly what the subject is.” She stepped closer. “I’ve never felt so humiliated in my life! I don’t care what your problem was with Sophia, you could at least have pretended to be civil. There are ten-year-olds who act with more maturity! For God’s sake, René and Sophia’s husband are directors of the IHA!”

“Nonexecutive,” Chase noted sarcastically.

Nina’s face tightened angrily. “Do you have any idea how bad you made me look in front of all those people?”

“Oh, now we’re getting down to it,” said Chase, leaning back against the railing. “That’s what really pissed you off, isn’t it? You were there knocking back the champagne with the billionaires and the wannabe presidents and her fucking ladyship, and then suddenly you remember-oh, shit! My boyfriend’s just some thick ex-soldier, how embarrassing! Better put him in his place or my new friends might think I’m more like him than like them!”

“That-that’s not what happened at all, and you know it!” said Nina, openmouthed with outrage. “And what is your problem with Sophia? Where do you know her from?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, I think you’ve made it my business!”

Chase shoved himself upright, face just inches from Nina’s. With the extra height of her heels, she was as tall as him. “All right, you want to know what my problem with Sophia is? She thinks that just because she was born into the right family, everyone else is beneath her. But you know what?” His face pulled into a sneer. “I didn’t mind it so much from her, because that’s how she’s always been, and she doesn’t know any better. But from you? You get a fancy job title and a bit more money and start schmoozing with politicians and all these rich dickheads, and suddenly you think you’re better than me and you can treat me like shit?”

Nina flushed with fury, lips drawn tight and quivering. Then-

Splash!

“Fuck you, Eddie,” she spat, turning on her heel and stalking away, leaving Chase with red wine dribbling down his face onto his shirt and jacket. He took a deep breath, then wiped his eyes. The handful of other people on the deck quickly looked away.

“What?” he said, offering them a broad grin that exposed the gap between his front teeth. “It’s not a proper party until someone gets a drink thrown in their face.”

This particular party being on a yacht out in New York Harbor, simply getting a taxi back to their apartment wasn’t an option for either Nina or Chase. Instead, they had to wait for one of the boats to return, then sit through the unhurried journey to shore, before finally taking a cab all the way uptown to the Upper East Side. The whole trip took close to forty-five minutes. Neither said a word to the other the whole time.