Chapter Fourteen
Decades of rising before the sun made arriving at the marina at the crack of dawn easy for Kenny.
Sara, not so much. When he’d picked her up at the house before the sun had even blinked on the horizon, she’d struggled to keep her eyes open and herself from yawning.
Thankfully, he’d thought to stop and pick up a double size of her favorite mocha macchiato with an extra dose of espresso.
Her first sip and she sighed heavily, dipping her head back against the headrest. “Heaven. A gift from the Gods.”
Blowing on his fingertips, he brushed them against his shoulder and grinned cheekily at her. “Thank you.”
Almost choking on her next sip, she jerked forward, wiped her mouth and turned in his direction. “I meant the coffee.”
He chuckled loudly. “I know. You’re just so teasible when you’re half asleep. Don’t you usually get up early to work at the hotel?”
“Not before the sun. Check out is at 11am and most people drag their feet to leave their rooms. Some folks have early flights, but not enough to warrant the entire housekeeping staff report to work at the crack of dawn.”
To his surprise, the Thornes were not only at the marina waiting for them, they were all bright eyed and bushytailed, buzzing about like bees in a nest. “Everyone all set?”
Professor and Mrs. Thorne waved from the captain’s perch. Unlike the previous days when one of Nick’s team had been driving the boat, today Billy himself was manning the boat. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one worried about Vance and his intentions.
Standing on deck, with the rising sun winking over the horizon, and the sea a placid, shimmering blue, it was easy to forget there were bad guys in this world.
His gaze fixed on the empty horizon, Vance’s boat was nowhere to be seen.
After their blatant surveillance yesterday, the sudden absence felt less like a retreat and more like an alarm.
Then again, maybe Vance wasn’t fond of the crack of dawn either.
“What’s the plan?” Sara sidled up beside him. “There’s no boat.”
He bobbed his head. “Business as usual. If we’re lucky, they found another dangling carrot to chase and the Thornes can continue and we can enjoy the day.”
“That would be nice.”
“I have to take some photographs, mark the area, document the finds and locations.” Chloe was already suited up and ready for her morning dive. “Kurt and I are going to head down. Dad will spot. We’ll see you later.”
Again, he glanced at the horizon, with no sign of Vance’s boat, he nodded and his hand at Sara’s back, nudged her toward their equipment. The sooner he got down there to keep an eye on the young Thornes, the better he’d feel. An enemy you can see is a problem; an enemy you can’t is a threat.
“Do you think they got bored and went home?” Mrs. Thorne asked from the railing by the dive platform where her children had just rolled into the water.
“Maybe.” He smiled at the woman.
When she walked away to join her husband, Sara leaned closer. “Do you really think so?”
“Not a chance,” Kenny turned to help her with her tanks. “Men like Vance don’t get bored. They get patient.”
The simple act of securing her gear, the familiar clicks of the buckles and the weight of the tank settling on her back, felt routine.
But the brief moment his hands brushed her shoulders was anything but.
He pulled his gloves on with a sharp snap, forcing his mind back to the mission.
The Thornes were already in the water, their excitement a tangible energy in the air.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice all business.
Sara met his gaze over her regulator, her eyes bright and clear. She gave a sharp nod. Together, they executed a back roll off the side, the cool embrace of the ocean a welcome shock that instantly cleared his head.
The world below was a comforting blanket of light and color.
Golden shafts of sun pierced the surface, illuminating schools of parrotfish that flashed like jewels against the sprawling, intricate architecture of the reef.
Sea fans waved gracefully in the current.
Fish startled by the intrusion darted away.
He watched Sara move through the water, her movements fluid and confident.
Her pleasure in the life around her a joy to watch.
He fell into his familiar position—slightly above and behind her, a silent, watchful guardian.
It was a role he’d played a thousand times, but with her, the stakes felt infinitely higher.
They swam toward the galley site, the energy of the reef life giving way to a more somber, quiet landscape.
A short distance away, Kurt and Chloe were already working, their movements slow and methodical.
Then, Kenny saw Chloe stop. She hung suspended in the water for a moment, waving Kurt to her side.
The two focused on something nearby. Kurt shook his head and then turned, signaling for Kenny to join them as Chloe held the camera, clicking away.
When they reached the kids, the peaceful beauty of the dive shattered.
The delicate, sandy bottom resembled the remnants of a kid’s sand castle washed away by the tide.
Lumps where there shouldn’t be, holes where there shouldn’t be, fragile, ancient coral heads were shattered, their white skeletons a stark violation against the blue.
This had all the earmarks of a smash-and-grab.
He caught Sara’s eye; her own were wide with anger. Without another signal needed, he jerked his thumb toward the surface. The dive was over.
Back on the boat, the silence was heavy, broken only by the clank of gear being set on the deck. Staring at the images on her daughter’s camera, Abigail shook her head. “Why?”
Kenny stripped off his BCD and walked to the bow, needing a moment of separation before he made the call. Billy at his side, he punched in Nick’s number.
“They were here. And they weren’t gentle. Who knows what they found—or if they’ll be back.”
Nick swore, a low, sharp sound. “That explains the call I just got. A buddy down at the marina says Vance hired a couple of local divers this morning. Let’s just say, these guys aren’t known for their ethics. The kind of guys brought in when there’s no concern over collateral damage.”
The pieces clicked into place with sickening clarity. Vance wasn’t going to be patient and he didn’t care who or what got in his way. “We need to start talking about 24/7 site security, and we need it yesterday.”
A few more words and Nick promised to get on the extra help ASAP.
The professor stood by his wife, watching the horizon through binoculars. Before Kenny could explain the new development, the professor slowly lowered the binoculars. “Well,” his voice quiet and dangerously calm, “it looks like this morning was a bust.”
Before anyone could say a word, the man had his fingers to his lips and was scribbling on a piece of paper. “They’re back. And they’re closing in.”
None of this morning had gone the way they’d expected.
Until now. Sara kept a casual eye on the boat cutting slowly across the water, its approach both arrogant and predatory.
Unlike the previous days when the boat had stopped too far to see, this time the poachers stopped closer than before, but far enough away to maintain a sliver of plausible deniability. The game had begun.
“Well.” Hands on her hips, Abigail Thorne projected her voice loud enough to ensure she was heard, but not so loud to be out of place.
The lady probably would have done a great job on stage.
“That makes two morning dives and nothing to show for it except some worthless pottery chips. Could we have made a mistake?”
“Mistake? I’ve spent years following the tides, the storms, calculating.” Though the professor’s words were harsh, his expression was calm. The man played along beautifully. Running his hand through his hair he stood over the charts. “Maybe I was too cocky.”
Sara wanted to applaud. So far the performance was masterful.
“One more dive,” Professor Thorne announced to his audience. “If it’s another bust, we go back to the drawing board and figure out where we went wrong.”
“Don’t worry, Dad.” Kurt put his hand on his father’s arm. “We’ll figure it out, one way or another.”
“I guess everyone back in the water.” Abigail Thorne waved her arms toward the stern.
Kenny bit down hard on his back teeth, the tension in his jaw clearly visible. He pulled out a dive slate and wrote quietly: Don’t want you going back down.
Taking the slate away from him, Sara wrote back: Can’t dive alone. Suspicious if I stay.
She could see him weighing the situation. Finally, he nodded and wrote: Stay close. Very close.
For the next forty five minutes, they swam yards away from the location of the overnight damage.
Every so often, Chloe would pull out her camera and snap a picture.
They filled a bag with some miscellaneous bits of rock when Sara noticed Chloe freeze.
Sara took a look around, wondering what had she seen.
When Kurt eased to her side and his head jerked up, Sara knew something was up.
Chloe started snapping photos like a photographer at a Paris fashion shoot.
Too curious to resist, she signaled for Kenny to follow her. When she reached the siblings it took her a long while to figure out what had gotten them so excited, and then she realized, the rock encrusted formation underneath them wasn’t rock, it was cannons. They’d found their wreck.
Now getting that assist overseeing the site was even more crucial than before. Chloe and Kurt ascended first, Kenny and Sara just behind them. Unable to say a word about the find, everyone did their best to pretend it was another unsuccessful effort, when Chloe spun around frantically. “No.”
Her father’s brow furrowed. Heads turned, no one quite sure if this was more acting.
Her back to the water between them and the other ship, she whispered, “My camera. I must have dropped it.”
“I’ll get it.” Kenny’s voice left no room for argument. He was already reaching for a fresh air tank.
Sara moved to do the same.
“You’re staying on the boat.” Kenny spoke more sharply than usual.
“Nope.” Hands on her hips, doing her best to state her case and keep up the farce of not knowing they were being watched. “I don’t care if it’s just a few minutes to retrieve a dropped item; you never dive alone, ever. You know that.”
He stared at her, the muscle in his jaw working. Her logic was unassailable, rooted in the same safety protocols that had been drilled into him for two decades. Finally, he gave a single, sharp nod. “You stay within arm’s reach. No exceptions.”
“Wouldn’t dream of doing anything else.”
The second descent was fast and urgent. They dropped straight down, bypassing the scenic route, their focus singular: find the camera. There it was, near a small cluster of fans its dark casing half-buried, almost invisible.
Kenny reached for it. As he secured the camera to a clip on his BCD, Sara turned.
Hidden in the shadow of a large coral overhang, not more than ten yards away, were two divers.
Unfamiliar divers. They must have slipped into the water from the far side of their boat while everyone’s attention was elsewhere.
Kenny saw them a second later. His entire posture changed, from relaxed to coiled steel.
He signaled to her—stay put, stay behind me.
He swam toward them, not aggressively, but with a clear, deliberate motion that said I see you.
The site is not unattended. It happened fast. Startled, the larger of the two lunged, not with fists, but with a long, wicked-looking dive knife he pulled from a sheath on his leg. He came straight at Kenny.
The shock of it almost had her losing her regulator as her mouth threatened to open and scream.
Thoughts raced through her mind; did she rush up, ignore safety speeds, and seek help from Kurt or Billy, or, did she do something herself.
But what? There was no force under water and those two thugs were bigger than her.
Kenny was already in a wrestling match with the first guy, his hand manacled around the arm that held the knife. All she had to do was sneak up behind the bad guy, except, for a fleeting moment she’d forgotten there were two of them. Where had the other one…
She felt the grip around her ankle. Shit. How had she lost sight of him? Spinning around she did her best to kick her leg free. Whether it was adrenaline, desperation, or sheer dumb luck she had no idea, but she managed to break free.
Now Kenny had done the same and was speeding toward her, the other guy on his heels. What a blasted mess.
Arms flailing, doing her best to distract, she spun about, reaching for her own knife, flinging herself back around, she managed to catch her assailant off guard and slashed at his suit.
He was close enough for her to see the shock in his eyes.
Taking advantage of the moment, she swung again, this time nicking his air hose.
The man would have no choice but to surface before he lost all his air.
Just as Kenny reached her, the assailant signaled his partner.
In a tumbled blur, Kenny turned on the first guy, reaching for the knife as the man kicked away from him.
Undeterred, Kenny grabbed at his leg. The guy swung at him with jerky, frantic motions.
The shiny edge of the knife whizzed past Kenny and then with a good last kick, the thug broke free and swam away with his partner in crime.
Sara saw a brief, bright ribbon of red cloud the water near Kenny’s bicep—a small nick.
Kenny turned to her, his eyes blazing. He gave her a frantic, head-to-toe visual scan. She gave him a thumbs-up, her own adrenaline making her hand tremble. He pointed to his arm, then gave another thumbs-up and signaled for them to ascend.
She nodded, turning to begin their slow journey back to the light when another shadow cut through the cool water.
Not again. Mentally preparing for another confrontation, the shadow came into focus and the regulator suddenly felt huge and clumsy in her mouth.
Her hand flew to her mask as a gasp she couldn’t voice seized her lungs—shark!