30. Indiana
One Month Later
Peering through my binoculars, I kept my eyes locked on the ramp connecting Devil’s Fortune to the furthest pontoon in Rosebud Marina. Every morning this week, at about this time, Kane Devlin left his fancy boat to get breakfast at Sunshine Café. My heart pounded as I hoped like hell that he repeated his pattern today because I needed his boat.
If he didn’t leave, I would be forced to ask for his help. And he was the last man on Earth I wanted help from. I did, however, need his boat and the equipment he had onboard. Ten years ago, that bastard stole an artifact from me that we’d found together on an ancient wreck. He’d promised we would share the proceeds of whatever we found on that sunken boat. He’d made other promises that were all lies, too. And his offer to give me whatever we found at Pineapple Reef was also a lie.
Kane had been nothing but trouble back then. The bastard is trouble now. Worse still, he was now a rich bastard. Knowing him, he’d probably acquired his wealth with more deceit and lies.
It’s time to show him that I’m not a woman to be messed with.
He emerged from the cabin of Devil’s Fortune with a smug grin plastered across his face as he swaggered down the ramp. Just the sight of him made me grit my teeth.
As Kane disappeared into the café, I raced down the dock, keeping to the shadows. My pulse raced with adrenaline as I approached Devil’s Fortune. The massive yacht’s sleek lines gleamed in the morning sun.
I raced aboard, and praying he hadn’t locked the door, I tugged down the handle.
Yes!
I opened the door and slipped into the main cabin. Luck was on my side today. First, the weather gods provided the perfect conditions to finish a dive I’d started weeks ago. Now, this door was unlocked. It was also a miracle Kane was still hovering around Rosebud Wharf. Then again, he’d been promised a meeting with Aria, and whatever he wanted to talk to her about was obviously important enough to keep him here.
Navigating my way through the luxurious interior, I tried not to jaw drop over how beautiful every aspect was as I searched for my next piece of luck . . . finding the keys to his boat. If I was right, he still kept his keys in the stupid trinket that he used all those years ago.
After scanning that room for the trinket without success, I peeked out the massive windows, searching for him. All clear.
I ran across the expanse and into the open door which had been shut the last time I was on Devil’s Fortune. I skidded to a stop. My jaw nearly hit the floor.
The room looked like a scene from a Hollywood treasure hunter movie. One entire wall was covered in ancient-looking maps, yellowing pieces of newspapers, and handwritten notes. One map was dedicated to Hamburg in Germany, and a red circle was drawn around a place called Schleswig-Holstein, which I couldn’t even pronounce.
His wall of notes looked similar to the wall of research I’d had on Rhino, except my wall also had a pile of overdue notices. Most of my research was ruined or lost when my boat sank.
In the center of the room stood a massive mahogany desk, which was cluttered with maps, charts, and scrolls with frayed edges. On one corner of the desk sat an ornate compass, its golden needle gleaming in the dim light. He even had a large magnifying glass resting on one of the maps like the room was staged for a photo shoot.
The urge to rummage through everything and see if he was searching for the same ancient wrecks as me was strong, but I didn’t have time. I needed to find his key and get this boat moving.
The wall opposite the maps was lined with polished timber shelving that housed leather-bound journals and weathered books and artifacts that looked priceless.
Jesus! The son of a bitch really is a treasure hunter.
At the far end of the room, a massive globe stood atop an intricately carved pedestal. Dotted all over its shiny surface were tiny gold star stickers.
With a ticking clock booming in my head, I marched to the bookshelves, scanning for the ugly clam-shaped box that he’d bought at a seaside market a decade ago.
“Yes.” I pulled up the lid, and grinning, I plucked out his keys.
I can’t believe that was so easy.
I allowed myself a small smirk as I sprinted back to the bridge, and holding my breath, I turned the key. His fancy new yacht hummed to life with a tiny shudder that seemed way too delicate for such a large boat.
Letting the engine idle, I sprinted outside, and checking that Kane wasn’t racing along the pontoon toward me, I released the bow mooring line. My muscles strained against the weight of the massive luxury yacht as I pushed it away from the shore.
The yacht creaked as I raced along the side deck to the rear. I released the rear mooring line, and with one final push, the yacht drifted away from the pontoon.
Fuck yeah! I couldn’t believe I got away so cleanly.
I scanned the dock, and my heart launched to my throat. “Dammit.”
Kane raced along the dock toward me, waving his fist over his head. His open mouth confirmed he was yelling at me, but I was too far away to hear anything.
My clean getaway vanished like the early morning breeze.
I stood on the rear deck with my hands on my hips, ready to face Kane. I didn’t have time to waste convincing him to give me his boat. This was the only option. Pineapple Reef didn’t have perfect weather for diving very often, and the promise of treasure was waiting for me.
Lucky for me, Devil’s Fortune was in an outer pontoon, so I didn’t need to worry about her crashing into anything. The rear deck was too far away for him to jump back onboard.
“What the hell are you doing?” he yelled across the water.
“Borrowing your boat.” I couldn’t waste another minute debating with the man who oozed lies.
“You’re fucking stealing it!” He pumped his fists.
“No, I’m not. I’ll have it back here in a couple of hours.” I looped his mooring line over the bollard.
“Don’t do this, Indiana!” His tone was laced with fury.
I squared my shoulders and met his gaze head-on, refusing to back down. “Relax. I’ll look after Devil’s Fortune like she was my own.”
“Bring it back now, or I’ll call the police.”
Damn it. “I’m just borrowing your boat. Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Dramatic!” he yelled over the increasing distance.
“Yeah. Take the day off. I’ll see you here this afternoon.” I saluted him and turned.
“Indiana! Come back, you bitch!”
I raced inside and taking position at the bridge, I ramped up the engines and guided the yacht toward open waters.
As I set a course for Pineapple Reef, the thrill of taking Kane’s boat coursed through my veins. But my excitement was short-lived. Kane wasn’t going to let me go so easily. He wanted the priceless bottles of wine that were on the Siren’s Lure shipwreck as much as I did.
My idea to steal his boat suddenly seemed futile. He knew where I was going. It was only a matter of time before he found a boat and chased after me.
The wind whipped through my hair as I glanced back at Rosebud Marina which had shrunk into the distance. Kane was probably already making calls and arranging for another vessel.
Around my neck was Mom’s golden locket, and I clutched it in my hand. It was the only asset I had left.
The last four weeks had been like no other time in my life. It was like my very existence had been stolen from me. I didn’t have a job or even a reason to wake up every day. I’d been living in Tyler’s tiny home, and as much as I was grateful to have a bed, the closed-in space seemed to be sucking out the final threads of my existence.
Tyler had been my anchor, grounding me each day and showing me that life did go on. Our nights together had been some of the most incredible nights of my life. He cooked me delicious meals, and we took long strolls along the nearby deserted beach. I’d had more conversations in four weeks than I’d had in my life. Tyler also seemed to understand me better than I did. He knew when I needed a hug, and he knew when I needed to be left alone.
But while he went to work every day, I was left trying to pick up the pieces of my life and figure out what I should do next.
When the guys from Border Force took us out to Rhino’s final resting place, Tyler had helped me salvage everything I wanted from my boat, which, it turned out, wasn’t much at all. Working side by side with him on Rhino’s wreck had been surreal. It was like he’d been in my life forever, and he knew what was important to me.
He is going to be pissed at me for this little stunt.
But I had to do this. I told myself I was doing this dive for Dad. Finding those Penfolds wines on Siren’s Lure had been the last treasure hunt Dad and I had done together. And that moment of triumph had been ripped from our fingers by Kane Fucking Devlin.
Taking Kane’s boat was justified.
But even as I raced to beat Kane to the potential fortune, I also doubted there was anything to find down there. Weeks ago, I had been banking on the fortune I would find on Siren’s Lure wreck to give me funds to keep Rhino afloat. Now I didn’t have a boat, but I did have a massive amount of money in my bank account, thanks to the insurance I’d somehow managed to continue to pay when Rhino was afloat.
I couldn’t believe how quickly the insurance payout had happened. I thought they would take months to investigate the attack on Rhino. Somebody was obviously looking out for me because the marine insurance assessor had approved my full claim within days of him scuba diving down to Rhino and seeing the bullet holes punched all over the place, the exploded engine remains, and the charred decking.
What amazed me the most was that I had no idea what to do with all that money.
I wasn’t even sure I wanted to continue with my salvage career. And just thinking like that nearly crushed me.
Part of my lack of drive was because Dad wasn’t with me anymore. I hadn’t realized how much I’d kept Rhino going just to keep him happy. Another aspect had been because salvaging had been what I’d always done. It was in my blood.
I had no idea what to do with myself now that my life was in tatters.
When the weather morphed into perfect conditions to dive for Siren’s Lure, it was like I was obsessed. Like I needed to prove I was still Indiana Smith, salvage expert/treasure hunter/independent woman.
My phone rang, and I reluctantly pulled it from my pocket. Tyler.
I pressed to answer.
“Hi, babe,” I said.
“Please tell me the police report that just crossed my desk is incorrect.” He had his cop voice on.
“Hmmm, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I scanned behind me, expecting the water police or Border Force to be right on my ass.
“Indiana! What the hell? Why did you steal Kane’s boat?”
“I didn’t. I told him I was just borrowing it.”
“Bloody hell, woman. You’re going to be the death of me.”
My knees nearly buckled. That was exactly the saying Dad used on me all the time.
“I only need his boat for a few hours. I’ll return it, I promise.”
“Bloody hell. What are you doing?”
“I have to do this. I’m sorry.”
“Indy. Come back, please. I have something I want to tell you.”
My breath hitched, and a wave of guilt washed through me over the mixed turmoil in his voice.
“I’ll be back later, and you can tell me over your delicious fettuccine carbonara.”
“Indiana, this is nuts.” His frustrated voice echoed in my ear, mixing with the wind that whistled through the open windows of the bridge.
“Pardon? I can’t hear you. I think I’m losing signal. Hopefully you can still hear me. I’ll call you later.”
“Jesus! Don’t?—”
I cut him off, and a wave of guilt washed over me. He didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire of my reckless decisions, but I couldn’t back down now. Not when today may be my only hope to dive down to Siren’s Lure.
Devil’s Fortunecut through the water like a shark on a hunt. It was so different from Rhino, and I never thought I would enjoy this type of pace from a vessel. But it was like I was a gazelle, dancing over the waves instead of barging through them, and the speed and freedom were exhilarating.
As the sun inched up from the eastern horizon, casting shimmering reflections off the smooth ocean surface, my heart raced, and my mind swooped between the opportunity to search for the liquid fortune and Tyler. It was strange to have a man like him care for me so much, especially when we were so completely opposite.
Kangaroo Island appeared as a tiny speck in the distance, and as I ran through everything I needed to complete this dive in the fastest time possible, I scanned the horizon behind me.
My heart sank. A boat was carving through the water, heading toward me at such a speed that I knew it was Kane.
I willed Devil’s Fortune to go faster, but I already had the engines at maximum speed. That boat was going to catch up to me just as I reached my destination.
“Son of a bitch.” I clenched my fists.
The one thing I was trying to avoid was diving down to Siren’s Lure with Kane Devlin.
Now I didn’t have a choice.
Provided I wasn’t arrested again before I even got my scuba gear on.
Raising the binoculars, I peered at the oncoming boat. The vessel was fast and looked like one of Ryder’s Border Force boats. I searched for Kane behind the wheel.
There you are, you bastard.
My breath punched out of me. Beside Kane was Tyler.
Oh shit.Is Tyler coming to arrest me?