Chapter 13 #2
“Alright, no reason to get testy. I was only curious.” He held his hands up in surrender. “How long do you need it for?”
“A couple hours.”
“Do you need air for the tank?”
“No, it was filled last night.”
Jacques grumbled something under his breath that was too low for her to hear as he went to the shack and brought back a key, holding it out for her to take. “Third boat in.”
“Thank you, Jacques.” She reached for the key, but he pulled it back at the last second before she could take it.
“Business first, Mac, then pleasure.”
How could she forget the man cared about his money more than anything? Mac reached into her back pocket and pulled out several bills.
“That’s it?” Jacques asked, looking offended by such a small amount.
“That’s a hundred dollars,” Mac defended.
“That’s what I charge tourists for an hour.”
“What about my deal?” He’d promised her a discount for rescuing one of his customers. This was the first time she was collecting. Who knew Jacques was such a money grabber?
Jacques pursed his lips, not looking pleased about her bringing that up, but Mac didn’t care. She needed a boat, and he was her only option. “Fine, two hundred dollars.”
That still seemed steep to her. “I thought we were friends.” Shouldn’t he cut her a better deal than that?
“You startled me awake.”
“So, what, I get charged extra for the tank slipping from my grip?” She knew she’d scared him, but she didn’t think it was enough for him to skyrocket the price for a boat. She could have paid Burt half that under the table to take her out instead of haggling with Jacques.
“If you don’t like it, you can find yourself another boat.” Jacques smirked at her. He knew he had her. There was another dock on the island, but it was several miles away, and she didn’t know the owner.
“Fine,” she said through gritted teeth, not liking having to pay so much, even if it had been worth it to see him nearly jump out of his skin. “This is extortion, by the way.” She handed over the money.
Jacques pocketed the money and tossed the keys at her. “Enjoy your reef trip.” He laughed as if he knew it was a lie and settled back into his chair.
“Oh, Jacques, I referred a tourist your way. When he stops by, will you give him a deal?”
“And why would I be doing that?” he asked, giving her the stink eye. The man didn’t like giving away anything for cheap.
“He’s a friend, and I already told him you would.”
“Now, Mac, you shouldn’t be going around making promises you can’t keep.”
“Please, Jacques, do this for me.” Mac stuck out her bottom lip and gave him big puppy dog eyes. She wasn’t a woman used to begging, but she had already promised Barry a discount. She didn’t want to be a liar if she couldn’t follow through.
“You know puppy dog eyes don’t work on me.”
“Fine, I’ll give you another hundred if you agree.” Since speaking to his principles didn’t work, she knew money would. Mac pulled out another hundred dollars and waved it around under his nose like a matador waving a red flag to a bull. Jacques’ eyes tracked the money.
“Alright, I’ll do it,” he grumbled, not looking happy about agreeing but taking the money and stuffing it into his back pocket. “And who might this friend be?”
“His name is Barry.”
“A man?” Jacques’ eyes widened in shock.
“Yes, a man.” She felt her cheeks heat, but she refused to be embarrassed. “He asked about a boat, and I told him about you.”
“He must be something special. Is he another shark person?”
None of the locals could seem to remember her actual title of shark biologist, but whatever. She was used to being known as the shark lady, or person in this case. “No, he’s a tourist.”
“It’s not like you to get caught up with the tourists.”
“Regardless of the reason, his name is Barry. You’ll recognize him because he has a prosthetic arm.”
“Alright, I’ll be on the lookout for him.”
Mac wasn’t sure if he’d rent a boat today or at some point, but at least now if he did get a boat, he’d get the discount she’d promised. “Thanks, Jacques.” She started to walk past him and stopped. “Oh, one more thing; don’t tell anyone I went out today.”
Jacques pinched his finger and thumb together and swiped them across his lips, signaling his lips were sealed. She almost expected him to ask for more money. At least he had some scruples.
Mac loaded up her boat. It was much smaller than Burt’s boat, which would allow her to get closer to the coast without worrying about shallow rocks. It wasn’t as fast as a speedboat, but it could still get her to the coast quickly. She tied her hair back and took off.
She wasn’t an experienced boat captain like Burt, but she could drive well enough. The boat came equipped with a GPS. She followed it to the southeast coast to the area she wanted to investigate. It was the area where she used to find the sharks before Miles bought it and made it private property.
As soon as she got close to the coast, she cut the engine and let the boat drift closer to the area she wanted to explore. She didn’t know if Miles had people monitoring the coast, but she wanted to be as quiet about her presence as possible.
She hadn’t gone near the hotel; she didn’t know how close to the coast it was being built, but she assumed it would be closer to the road, so she would be out of sight of the workers.
The waves were rougher near this edge of the coast since it got the full impact of the current and winds. It was probably why sharks liked it so much. It was isolated and had an abundance of fish to feed on.
Mac dropped anchor as close as she dared get to the coast without risking pulling the boat into the current and smashing it on the ground there. Jacques would never let her hear the end of it if that happened.
Mac tossed out the flag to signal a diver in the water, then removed her clothes and stepped into her wetsuit. It was dangerous going diving alone in this area, but she didn’t dare risk her team members getting caught and going to jail because of her.
Mac put her air hose to her mouth and tested it before crossing one arm over her chest and one over her goggles, then leaning back over the side of the boat and falling into the water.