Full Steam Ahead (Sea Swept #1) Read Online Free

pig, which makes me smile. It reminds me of my old stuffed animal, Piggy Porkchops, which I dragged everywhere with me when I was little, so I set it on the dresser to keep it safe.
    After I brush the knots out of my hair and throw on a hoodie to fend off the air conditioning, I’m about to head out the door when my phone pings. I dig it out of my bag. One new email. It’s probably from my parents, checking in to make sure I made it to the ship, so I absentmindedly open my inbox, ready to type out a quick reply before we depart and I lose service in international waters. But my blood freezes at what I see. It’s not a message from my mom and dad.  
    It’s a new message from him .  
    Feeling numb, I tap to open it.  
    January 15. Don’t be late with the money again. No excuses this time, Ms. Cantwell.  
    The room slants sideways, and a sourness hits the back of my throat. I brace a hand against the wall, my breaths heavy, my head spinning. I want to delete the email and scrub his message from my brain but it doesn’t matter. He’ll keep sending more.  
    My knees go weak, and I curl up into the ball right next to the door. The phone tumbles out of my hand, bouncing onto the carpet.  
    “God, what am I going to do?” I whisper to no one.  
    Even out on the ocean, there’s nowhere to hide.

Chapter 3
    Jace

    Georgia barely makes it to the start of the safety session; if she were any later, the crew assigned to our “Safety muster group” would have had to go find her. Not super considerate, but then again, Georgia’s focus doesn’t usually extend beyond herself.
    The crew goes over safety procedures, and I fervently hope we won’t need to know any of this, because some of my fellow passengers can’t even seem to work a life vest. But eventually the session ends, and as the ship leaves the dock we’re officially invited to have the time of our lives on board the Radiant Star .
    Someone shouts out a rip-roaring, “So where’s the bar?” and the crowd breaks into laughter. No doubt that’s one of my Psi Alpha Psi brothers—and sure enough, I find them in a circle with some Kappa girls by the windows overlooking the ship’s stern. They’re all greeting each other and chatting about everyone’s flight down to Miami, and I join in as the other passengers head off towards the viewing deck, the pools, the buffet. I overhear one guy tell his wife she could find him at the casino. Who comes on a cruise to the Caribbean to play slot machines?
    Out of the corner of my eye I spot Georgia making for the other door, hands in her hoodie pockets and head down as if trying to slip out without any of us seeing her. What is her deal, anyway? Over the last semester she’s been acting strangely, snubbing our parties and hiding in her room as much as possible.  
    Is she doing drugs or something? But I have unfortunate first-hand experience with how someone looks strung out—thanks, Dad—and my gut tells me she’s not using. Plus, I can’t imagine prim Georgia Cantwell snorting a line. The few times I was in the same room as her last semester, she seemed like her mind was elsewhere, and her brow was creased in a way that could have been worry but was probably just annoyance at having to hang out with the likes of me.
    Something about her face right now, though … she’s so pale, like she’s seen the ghost of Flipper or something. My eyes narrow, but then I turn away. She has made it perfectly clear that even though we’re roommates, she wants nothing to do with me. I should focus on having fun. Half the girls are already in bikinis and various filmy cover-ups, which makes me smile. With all the eye candy around, how could I help but have fun on this trip?
    Pete, one of my Alpha brothers, looks a little nervous. Leaning over, I grin at him.
    “When are you going to do it?” I ask, quietly enough that no one else hears. He shushes me anyway, then shrugs uncertainly.
    “Don’t know. Gotta find the right moment,