Sunken Shadows

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Well, this has been fun,” Cash said as his film crew arrived. “But, I must comfort those poor women who lost a valued member of our community.”

  Darcy looked over to where two women in their early twenties sat in short shorts and barely-there bikini tops downing shots at the bar. Darcy rolled her eyes as Cash sauntered away.

  “Come on,” she said softly to Wade as Granger, Hugo, and Jules began to talk. “I’ll introduce you to some of the amateurs I know.”

  Darcy and Wade made the rounds, talked about Leon’s death, and heard more conspiracy theories than she could ever remember. Including one about alien abduction from a hunter who swore he’d found an underwater UFO landing site. She was sure Detective Chambers would love that one.

  “I don’t think we’re any closer to finding out who did this,” Darcy said as Wade led her to a quiet corner at the end of the long bar.

  “I don’t think so either. I was hoping it would be clear who did it. And, the truth is, we don’t know if it was one of them. I wouldn’t mind punching a couple of them myself. Harper already beat me to it.”

  Darcy felt her mood lighten as she laughed. “And he’s telling everyone he battled a shark.” Darcy was laughing so hard, tears rolled down her face. “I think Harper has a new nickname.”

  “We’ll tell her tomorrow. It’s getting late. Is there anyone else you want to talk to?”

  Darcy looked around. Granger fit right in as he and Cash hung out with a gaggle of bikini-clad girls. Darcy had watched from the corner of her eye as Granger made his way around the room talking to nearly everyone there. He’d even chatted up the bartender before bringing Cash a beer.

  “No. I think I’ve talked to everyone I need to. And Granger seems to be talking to a lot of people as well. I was really hoping it would be clear who the murderer was. I hate being the butt of these jokes about being at the wake for the man I killed.”

  Darcy had tough skin. She was used to spending long stretches of time by herself, and she’d grown up surrounded by members of the military. She was used to keeping her feelings under wraps and under control, but it hurt to have people mock her.

  “Then let’s get home,” Wade said, taking her drink and placing it on the bar.

  She liked the way he said home. She’d moved around so much as a kid before they finally settled in Key West. And then she moved around constantly with her research and diving. Home was a luxury she didn’t have. And when he said home, it did something to her. She suddenly longed to do nothing but hold his hand and stroll into a house they shared together. A place that wasn’t constantly moving and wasn’t always empty. Home was more than a place to her. It was a feeling—a feeling of love and support, and she wanted it more than she ever knew.

  “I’d like that,” Darcy said as she reached for his hand.

  Feeling the warmth, strength, and support from Wade made her feel as if she could do anything. All night he’d kept a hand on her arm or back. He’d been the silent strength she had needed. Darcy was also realizing it was getting harder and harder to think about moving on and leaving Wade. In a short amount of time, he’d found a place in her heart.

  * * *

  Wade had kept her hand in his for the drive home. He’d asked more personal questions about some of the hunters and asked about her experiences, hopes, and dreams. By the time they’d made it back to his house, she felt as if she had a true partner in her search for Black Law’s treasure. It felt incredible to share her feelings and excitement with someone who shared them.

  “But what about you? Why did you join the Coast Guard?” Darcy asked him as they walked up the porch steps.

  “There was a hurricane that hit Charleston when I was seven. I thought I was big and tough, and I snuck out of the house and onto the family boat to really experience the storm. Well, the wind broke the dock, and I floated away with the boat and part of the dock. I tried to be brave, but I was scared out of my mind. I called in a Mayday, and they came even through the howling winds and vicious waves. They swooped in like guardian angels and rescued me.”

  “I bet your parents were scared to death.”

  Wade chuckled as he opened the front door. “They never knew I was gone until the Coast Guard brought me home.”

  Darcy laughed as she could imagine a little Wade showing up at the front door when he should have been in bed. “I bet you got in trouble for that.”

  “Yes and no. My parents were so thrilled to have me home after hearing how I was rescued they didn’t yell at me. They simply told me I would have to go with them to haul the boat back and would then have to clean it—top to bottom.”

  Wade looked around his house and then to the basket on the table.

  “Why don’t you go upstairs, get comfy, and meet me on the balcony. I’ll bring up the brownies and some wine.”

  Darcy almost cheered. That sounded perfect. Suddenly the treasure, the hunt, and life on the water began to fade. Not that she wanted to stop, but she felt centered with Wade. “That sounds lovely.”

  Darcy sent him a smile before hurrying upstairs. She dumped the bag of clothes on the bed, trying to find something cute to wear, but her eyes kept going back to Wade’s T-shirt. He did say comfy.

  By the time Wade made it upstairs, Darcy was in his shirt and curled up on the loveseat on the balcony. She’d run a brush through her hair, her loose curls bouncing into place the second she hit the humidity outside.

  “Here you go,” Wade said, handing her a glass of red wine. He placed the plate of brownies on the side table and took the seat next to her. “Here,” he said, patting his legs as he leaned back.

  Darcy pulled her feet out from where she’d tucked them under her and stretched them out and over Wade’s lap. His hand came to rest on her shins as he reached for the plate of brownies.

  “How do you want to proceed?” Wade asked as she took a bite and moaned.

  “First I want to hug Miss Ruby, then I want to ask if she can look over that song.”

  Wade quietly chuckled as he moved his hand up her leg. “I meant about us. You feel it too, right?”

  Darcy set the brownie down. “I think I made it clear when I was screaming your name that I felt it.” She took a deep breath. She was a grown woman, but it was still scary to tell someone how you felt. “I feel such a connection to you. It’s like my whole body screams for you when you’re not touching me. How is this possible in such a short time?”

  Wade’s fingers brushed back and forth over her thigh. “I don’t know. How was it possible for a teenager to sink a pirate ship and then three hundred years later you find it? Sometimes I think it’s just meant to be.”

  Darcy leaned forward, and Wade slipped his arm around her shoulder and the other under her legs. In one quick move, he had her in his lap. “I’m glad I hauled you out of the water two nights ago.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t think I murdered Leon,” Darcy joked as she leaned her head against Wade’s shoulder. “Wade?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m scared,” Darcy admitted.

  “You aren’t going to jail, and I swear I will protect you from whoever is behind this.”

  “Not that,” Darcy said, taking a deep breath. Admitting her fears was even scarier than admitting she liked him. “I’m scared there will be no treasure, and I’ll have to leave again.”

  Wade was still for a second before he used his finger to lift her chin from where she had it buried against his chest. “If this is truly something more than lust, which I think we both know it is, we will work it out. For now, I have you in my arms and in my life. I intend to enjoy every moment of it.”

  Wade tilted her lips to his and kissed her with a slow, aching madness. His fingers fluttered down her spine and across her thigh. Darcy shivered in his arms and it wasn’t from the cold. She was as hot as the summer night. She clutched at his shirt, pulling herself closer to him, and wondered if she’d ever be able to get close enough.

  When Wade pulled back from the
kiss, Darcy made a noise of protest.

  “I want more, but I’m just as happy sitting here kissing you all night.”

  “I’ve wanted more from the first time you touched me. Touch me now, Wade. All night.”

  Darcy gasped and then laughed as Wade easily lifted her in his arms and practically raced into his bedroom. The curtains fluttered in the moonlight of the open door and the summer air caressed her as Wade pulled his T-shirt from her body. There was no embarrassment or nervousness. It was as if her body knew its match. Darcy rested on her elbows, looking up at Wade as he undressed. It was worth the wait. He was tanned from all the time on the water and his body was that of an elite athlete. And when she finally got to see all of him, she would have sworn her body screamed with joy.

  Wade reached for the nightstand and grabbed a condom. Darcy reached for him, but he pinned her hands above her head. “There was one more thing I wanted to try this morning but didn’t have time.”

  Oh. My. God. Darcy’s eyes rolled back into her head, but she felt him hanging on for control.

  “Let go and take me with you,” Darcy said between pants. Wade looked down at her and kissed her.

  “I’ll always take you with me.”

  And he did. She was an adventurer, and Wade took her on a trip of her life. Darcy knew that tonight she’d embarked on the beginning of her most important adventure yet—one with her heart.

  19

  Ding-dong.

  Dammit, not again.

  Wade groaned as he kept his arm around Darcy. That night had been, well, a treasure. He’d been with enough women to know that last night was something special, and he planned on doing whatever it took to hang onto her.

  Bang, bang, bang!

  “Who’s at the door?” Darcy grumbled.

  “Go away! Miss Ruby and Miss Winnie!” Wade shouted.

  “Police!”

  Darcy and Wade shot up.

  “That wasn’t Miss Ruby,” Darcy said, her eyes wide in fear.

  “It’s also not Kord or Granger. Get dressed. I’ll see what’s going on.”

  Wade slipped on a pair of shorts and grabbed a T-shirt as he yelled that he was coming. He padded down the stairs, unlocked the door, and opened it to find Detective Chambers and two Charleston uniforms at his door.

  “Detective, what’s the big hurry? You could have called. I thought Granger would have filled you in on last night.”

  “This is official business. Can we come in?”

  “Of course.” Wade opened the door for them, but the detective turned to one of the uniforms.

  “Take the back door. You stay here and guard the front.”

  “Is this really necessary?” Wade asked, suddenly worried. This wasn’t a visit to see how last night went.

  “Where’s Miss Delmar?”

  “I’m right here. What’s going on?”

  Wade looked up the stairs to see Darcy walking down with her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail that had curls sticking out around her face and wearing a sundress he recognized as Harper’s.

  Wade held out his hand, and Darcy reached for it the second she stepped off the stairs. “Let’s have a seat,” he said to the detective as he gestured to the living room.

  Darcy and he took a seat on the couch, but the detective stayed standing. “Where were you last night?”

  Wade gave a dry laugh. “You’re joking. You know where we were. We were at Hunters Bay Bar.”

  “When did you leave?”

  “Ten o’clock,” Wade answered.

  “What’s going on, detective?” Darcy asked.

  “Where did you go after you left?” Detective Chambers asked, ignoring Darcy’s question.

  “We came back here and were here all night,” Wade answered. He squeezed Darcy’s hand to indicate he’d answer the questions.

  “Can anyone verify that?”

  “I don’t know. You can ask my neighbors if they saw us pull in.”

  “Ma’am, you can’t come in here,” the uniform said from out on the porch.

  “That look won’t scare me. I was married to a SEAL.” Wade and Darcy turned to see his neighbor, Edie Greene Wecker, pushing her way past the uniform. Her brown hair was in a ponytail and her electric blue eyes were flashing. “What’s going on? Are you okay, Wade?”

  “Ma’am, I must ask you to leave,” the detective said, coming to stand between Edie and Wade. They had been friends his whole life, practically family.

  “Why don’t you ask Edie if she saw us last night?” Wade suggested. “She lives two houses down.”

  “Why does Wade need an alibi?” Edie demanded. She’d been such a quiet, subdued woman after the death of her husband. He’d been killed by a traitor in his team and Edie’s brother, who was on the same SEAL team, was the only one to get out alive. Walker Green had made his way on a containership from Africa to Charleston and then had snuck into his childhood town to seek help from Gavin. After the man responsible was caught, Edie had bought their old family home and moved from the naval base in Virginia back to Shadows Landing. Lately, it seemed she was coming out of her shell.

  “Ma’am,” the detective started to say.

  “Don’t you ‘ma’am’ me. I don’t know what time they got home, but I know they were here after eleven,” Edie said as she placed her hands on her hips.

  “And how do you know that?” the detective asked.

  “Because I heard them. I think the whole street did,” Edie leaned around the detective. “I’m Edie, by the way. It’s a pleasure to put a face with the enthusiastic voice.”

  Wade saw Darcy turn bright red as the detective shifted his feet and cleared his throat. “Not to be indelicate, but how do you know it was them?”

  “Well, the cries of Wade, Wade, oh my god, yes, Wade! along with the Oh Darcy, You feel so good groans that came from the house as I walked my dog kind of gave it away.”

  Darcy buried her face in his shoulder and even Wade felt himself turning pink. It was then he realized he hadn’t closed the bedroom door leading to the balcony. Sure enough, the whole street probably had heard them.

  Everyone was quiet for a moment until Darcy stood up and held out a hand. “Well, Edie, I’m Darcy, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Although not quite the pleasure as last night,” Edie said with a wink.

  Wade tossed back his head and laughed. It was the only thing he could do after learning people had heard him having sex with Darcy, and that’s the only thing that provided an alibi. Speaking of which . . . “So, what is this about?”

  The detective took a seat then and put away his notepad. “I got a full report from Granger. He called me when he drove home last night. Basically, it’s as you said, Miss Delmar. Everyone hated Leon.”

  “So, you were going to arrest me because we couldn’t find a better suspect?”

  The detective shook his head. “Granger left at midnight. Cash, Hugo, and Jules were still there along with some young women and a couple of amateur hunters. At five this morning, I got a call from a fisherman. When I arrived, I found a body with its head cut off. The fisherman’s golden retriever was nice enough to bring back the head from the ocean. It was Jules Chasseur.”

  “Someone cut off Jules’s head?” Darcy whispered in horror as her face drained of all blood. “And you thought I did it?”

  “With immunity in hand, it wouldn’t be unheard of for you to get rid of your competition. Obviously, immunity wouldn’t reach to Jules’s murder.”

  Wade was furious, but he took a steadying breath. Showing any tendency toward anger right now would only hurt their situation. “What do you know?”

  The detective looked weary as he leaned back in his chair and looked over at Edie. “Well, go ahead and take a seat unless you’ll leave and let me talk to them alone.”

  “I’ll get y’all some coffee,” Edie said kindly as she patted the detective’s wrinkled shoulder.”

  “Thank you, miss.”

  “Mrs.,” she
corrected. “Mrs. Wecker.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  When Edie went into the kitchen, the detective ran a hand over his face. “I got nothing. Divers are searching the area of the bay where the body washed up, but I’m not holding out much hope. I have no evidence of any kind leading to anyone except you and even that evidence is only circumstantial at best. I had hoped we’d discover something last night, but like I said, nothing there either. Only more suspects with no evidence.”

  “What can I do to help?” Darcy offered, even though Wade wanted to do nothing more than pull her back and lock her in his house where no one could touch her.

  “Here y’all go,” Edie said, carrying out a tray with coffee on it. “And if I may make a suggestion, when Walker and Shane had a mission, they would set traps if they didn’t know where the enemy was. Better to be ready for them than be surprised by them.”

  The detective perked up and leaned forward. “That’s a good idea. Who are Walker and Shane? Can they help us?”

  “Walker is my brother, but he lives in Kentucky with his wife now. And Shane is my—was my husband. He was killed in action.”

  “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Wecker. But you gave me an idea. A good one.” The detective turned to Darcy, and Wade took her hand in his as if that would protect her. “I want you to be visible. And I want you to continue hunting the treasure. Only this time we’ll find it.”

  “Find it?” Darcy squeaked out. Wade was sure she wasn’t going to let the police in on her hunt.

  “Well, the treasure we leave planted for them.”

  Wade’s tight lips relaxed into a smile, and he felt Darcy breathe a sigh of relief next to him.

  “Do you think your friend Granger will help? It would be good to keep him undercover with you so you have law enforcement with you to keep you safe.”

  Wade nodded. “I’m sure he will.”

  The detective stood up and tossed back the coffee as if it were a shot of liquor. “Good. I’ll go see him now. I’ll call when we get the details figured out. Thanks for doing this. I know you’re putting yourself in further danger. We’ll keep you safe.”