by Sandra Cox
Reluctantly, the dog goes to Bert.
As I leave, I glance back. Bert has slid off the stool. He’s stooped down petting the hound. My lips tug up and warmth surges through me. Since I feel like a stray myself, it’s nice to know this one’s going to have a home.
I head back to the apartment. I need to find out how long Amy will be on five so I know whether to head for the rig or wait for her here. I’m still mulling that one when I enter the apartment. The phone is ringing. It starts and stops again. That’s got to be Leif.
“Eisler here.”
“Where have you been?” Leif barks.
“I took a walk. Is something wrong?”
“Hell, yes something’s wrong. Isn’t there always?”
“What is it?”
“Oil’s floating on the water two miles from one of our platforms.”
“Where?”
“Brazil.”
Brazil? I lock my knees to keep them from buckling. There’s no way I can get to my daughter from Brazil. It’s just one damn thing after another. I need to get her, soon. “Crap. Where you had the leak last year, before I started with Ziccon?”
“Close to it. We lost two thousand barrels of oil, got shut down, and fined more than it cost to buy you.”
I understand why Leif’s in such a state. In this business, time literally is money. But, Brazil is the last place I need to be right now. Think, Eisler. “Have you sent Coleman out to look at it? She’s our top engineer.”
“Of course, I’ve sent out Coleman. She didn’t find a damn thing.”
“What about Gray?” Sweat drips down my back. I know what’s coming.
“Damn it, Joel. What’s wrong with you? You’re the man I need out there. What’s all this tap dancing around about?”
“As bad as it sounds, I’m assuming you want Amy too.” I’ve got to keep us together. We can’t separate at this point.
“Damn right. Amy finished on five. The plane’s standing by. Hold on. I’ve got an incoming.”
A moment later, he comes back on. “The government just shut us down.”
My heart drops to my stomach. There’s no way I’m getting out of going now.
Chapter 8
Once in Brazil, we step out of the copter and onto the platform’s helipad. A man with weathered skin and curly hair runs toward us.
Leif motions him back. We move toward him at a low run, and the copter circles upward. “Bring me up to speed,” Leif yells above the receding sounds of the engine.
“Oil’s floating on the surface, enough to attract attention and shut us down. The only thing I know for sure is it’s not a blowout. Rig was checked top to bottom not much more than a week ago.”
Amy and I stand in the background.
The man looks at us, curious.
“That’s why we’re here. These are my specialists.” Leif nods in our direction but doesn’t introduce us.
“Any help is appreciated. Let me show you to your quarters.”
We pass a man hosing down the deck. The hairs on the back of my neck rise at his inimical stare. Who the hell is he? Surely, Craven doesn’t have a plant in Brazil… Or does he?
Our feet echo as we walk down the narrow corridor. I stow my gear in the small room and meet Amy on the deck. Minutes later we step into the water elevator that lowers us over the side.
The ocean surrounds me. For a few moments, I let myself decompress in the water. My eyes adjust to the twilight-colored liquid, while I imagine what it would be like to be alone with Piper in the darkness, to feel the silk of her skin against mine, her hair wet and flowing, wrapped around my shoulders. The image becomes too graphic so I shake it off and get down to business.
Amy is somersaulting in the water until I point down, then we drop, checking the steel legs of the platform as we float down. Once on bottom, I look around. Multi-colored coral sway and a stingray swims by. We ignore each other. Amy moves out of its way.
Testing the water with my tongue, I find oil and look for the source.
To my right I spy what looks like a fine dark line on the ocean floor. I rub the substance between my fingers and want to follow the source but my lungs are on fire. The time I can stay underwater is better than dolphins and most humans, and has improved since I’ve been diving, but I can’t compare with Piper. All three of us can store oxygen in our muscles and partially collapse our lungs on deep dives.
I point my thumb upward. Amy nods and we shoot for the surface.
Breaking water, I gulp air. “Ready to go back down?”
“Yes.” We head back to the bottom and carefully circle the rig, tasting the water. Amy’s right behind me. Near the well casing, I taste oil that’s not visible or detectable to the human eye. It’s the leak. Amy gets closer and nods. She has dolphin retinas that contain both cone and rod cells. It allows her to see underwater as well as she does on land. Her vision in the ocean is much better than mine. The flag to mark the leak planted, we surge to the surface.
We board the water elevator and Amy pushes the button. Instead of moving upward, it tilts at a crazy angle. Overhead, the bolt that holds it in place has come loose. The whole thing is ready to fall off its hinge. Adrenaline surges and I push Amy, jumping out after her just as it goes plummeting to the bottom.
We swim around the side and climb the ladder up. “You okay?”
Amy’s normally olive complexion is bone white. She bites her lip and nods.
“It couldn’t have hurt us. It was just meant to shake us up.” Craven’s sending me a message. He’s letting me know one way or another, he’s going to take me down. If there’s a way he can get to me without damaging Amy, he’ll do it. At least for now, Amy’s safe. He’s not going to harm her till he gets what he’s after. Uneasy, I look around. We’re going to have to make a break for it and soon. But not in Brazil.
Amy’s arm is like ice when I reach out to touch her. “I have to let Leif know we found it. Why don’t you go back to your quarters and change?”
She nods. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” My cabin is next to hers.
I track down Leif and stand dripping in his quarters, water puddling on the floor. Neither of us pays it any attention.
“It’s the steel casing near the base of the rig. I put a flag on it.”
Leif calls for a diver and sends him down then prowls impatiently waiting for his return. The moment he hits deck, Leif demands, “Well?”
“It’s there. The steel in the casing hasn’t withstood the pressure.”
Leif swears.
“We’re going to need several vessels to control the leak.” The diver, who is the engineer on board, tells him as he gets out of his wet suit. “Water elevator’s broken, too. It’s going to slow down repair time.”
Leif looks at me. “Did you know it was broken?”
“Yeah, it went down when Amy and I got on board. Sorry, I should have mentioned it right away.”
A tic bunches in Leif’s cheek, the veins in his neck standing out. “Interesting coincidence.”
I don’t say anything.
“I’ll look into it. Good job. I’m going to be here for a few days, but you and Amy can head back for Houston and finish your recuperation. You look a little gray.”
I shrug. “I’m okay.” Remembering the way he barked when I left the hotel, I ask, “Do you have a problem with us leaving the hotel?”
He reddens then glances at the engineer. “Mac, would you mind leaving us?”
“No, not at all.” As he walks out, Amy walks in.
Once the door is closed, Leif answers, “No. And you’re no longer going to be kept hidden away. That was the CEO’s idea. I’ll have a talk with him. There’s just no need of it. I do need you available twenty-four seven. Pick up a phone. And get Amy one too.”
I just look at him.
“What?”
“What am I supposed to buy a phone with?”
He looks sheepish.
“Sorry, kid. Like I said, that’s going to change.” He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket and hands me his company credit card. “Just don’t do anything stupid with it, okay?”
“No, of course not.” My heart starts to beat erratically. Getting the credit card has given me an idea.
“I’ll see you in a few days. Hope you get some rest before the next crisis.”
“Thanks.” He surprises me again by taking my hand in a Leif-grip and shaking it, then doing the same with Amy, though I can tell he’s gentle with her since she’s not grimacing. He opens the door and bellows, “Seth.”
A young man with a military bearing comes hurrying down the hall.
“Seth, I want you to see our specialists back to Houston.”
“Yes, sir.”
Seth escorts us to the plane. Once we’re settled, he sits down behind us.
I lean toward Amy and say in a low voice, “He gave me a credit card.”
“I saw that. He feels guilty.”
“What?” The idea surprises me.
“Craven nearly killed you.” She snaps out the words as if she’s biting on a jugular.
“I didn’t know you knew about that.” I certainly wouldn’t have mentioned it to her. She’s got enough to worry about.
“Well, yeah. I heard about it from the pilot. You should have told me, Joel.”
“What would have been the point?”
Her breath hitches. “The point? The point is you’re my brother. If someone is trying to hurt you, it’s my business just as much as it’s yours when someone comes after me.”
My face heats. She’s right. “I’m sorry, Ames. I didn’t want to worry you. You’ve got every right to know. I’ll keep you in the loop in the future.”
“Be sure you do.” She smiles and I know she’s no longer upset.
Now that Amy’s settled, I lay my head back against the headrest and doze. Since I lost so much blood, I can’t seem to get enough sleep or enough to eat. It’s frustrating. I’m nineteen, normally healthy and don’t have time for this.
As the plane touches down, I wake, starving, but marginally better. I give Amy, who’s snoring softly, an elbow in the ribs. “We’re back in Houston.”
“I’m awake.” She looks out the window at the city lights glowing against the dark sky. “What time is it?”
“One in the morning.”
She rubs her eyes. “I’m starving.”
“We’ll order something when we get back to the apartment complex. The restaurant has twenty-four hour service.”
“’K.”
Seth escorts us to a waiting limo that takes us to Ziccon’s apartment complex. As Amy gets out of the car, his gaze slides over her, his expression hostile. Is Seth just having a bad day, feeling like he’s babysitting? Or is he one of Craven’s men? At this point, I can’t trust anyone. A sleepy doorman holds the door as we walk in.
“This place is more like a posh hotel than an apartment complex.” Amy says as she pushes the button for the elevator.
“Yeah. Listen, why don’t you go ahead and order us a pizza? I’ll be up in a few minutes.” My stomach rumbles. “Better yet, order a couple of pizzas.”
“Where are you going?”
“I just need to check on a couple of things. I’ll be right there.”
As she enters the elevator, I head for the front desk, where a pretty, chestnut-haired girl stands behind the desk looking bored. As soon as she sees me, she smiles. “Good evening. Oh, I guess it’s morning.” She laughs, a tinkling, bell-like sound. “Can I help you?”
“Can you tell me if Mr. Moss is still here?”
“Yes and so is Mr. Davis.”
“Oh yeah, the president.”
She laughs again. “You’re thinking of Mr. Miller. Mr. Davis is the CEO.”
“Duh.” I slap my head and throw up my hand.
“Mr. Davis is still in room 540, right?”
“541. I saw you with that pretty girl the other day.”
I lean forward on the counter as if prepared to chat. “That’s my sister Amy. We’re here with Leif Voorhees.”
“What a hunk.”
“He does seem to have that effect on the opposite sex.”
“You aren’t so bad yourself.”
Since the conversation seems to be going in that direction, I say, “And you have a laugh that sounds like fairies tinkling bells.”
She smiles, flutters her eyelashes, and gives me a flirtatious wink. “Maybe we could get a coffee. My shift is over at seven.”
“I’d love to take a rain check on that.” I straighten and ease away from the counter. “Amy ordered pizza. If I don’t get up there it’ll be gone.” I hold out my hand, “It’s nice to meet you…”
“Heather.” She slips a soft warm hand in mine. “And you are?”
“Joel.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Joel.”
She releases my hand.
“Bye, Heather.” I saunter to the elevator. I start to hit five then change my mind and hit four. I hurry to our apartment, let myself in, and grab a piece of paper, a pen and a small penlight that we sometimes use for dives out of my bag.
A knock sounds on the door. Crap. I look through the keyhole. A livery boy is holding two thin cardboard boxes. I open the door and take the pizza. “Thanks.” He stands there waiting. Oh yeah, tip. “I’ve got no cash, man. Put the tip on the room.”
“Fifteen percent?”
“Make it twenty.”
He grins. “Will do.”
“Pizza is here,” I call out then bump into Amy as I turn around. “Listen, I got to go out again.”
“What are you up to?” Her manner is somewhere between apprehension and suspicion.
“The less you know, the better. I’ll be right back.” I hope.
I kiss her forehead, slip out the door, and head for 541. By now it’s nearly two AM. The hall is empty. A soft light leaves the hallway in shadows. I get out my penholder and let myself in, hoping to hell Davis is asleep.
All the lights are out. Keeping my tread light and making sure I don’t bump into anything, I head for the bedroom. The door is closed. Praying that it’s well-oiled, I open the door.
Mr. Davis appears to be asleep and not alone. I trust CEOs are like the rest of us and drop their pants on the floor when they crawl into bed. While my night vision isn’t as good as Amy’s, it’s still better than the average human’s. Yup, there they are. Along with a few articles of women’s clothes mixed in. The fifth floor execs appear to have healthy sexual appetites.
I edge forward on my elbows and belly, my body sinking into the soft luxurious carpet. This floor covering would have been a big improvement over the hard lumpy cot I’ve spent the past eight months on.
I reach his pants and pull a soft leather wallet out of them then belly crawl back down the hall. Once in the living room, I pull out my flashlight, hold it between my teeth, and rifle through his wallet. I blow out a silent whistle.
The dude must have twenty credit cards and several hundred in cash. I slip out four twenties, randomly grab a credit card, and turn off the flashlight. Just as I’m getting to my feet, the hall light comes on. My blood drains, my body turns to ice then adrenaline kicks in and I dive over and behind the sofa.
Chapter 9
A pretty blonde, not much older than me, walks into the kitchen wearing nothing but skin, digs out a bottle of water, and heads back to bed. The hall light goes out.
Whoosh. I let out the breath I’ve been holding. How long do I need to wait before returning the wallet? At least twenty minutes, maybe more.
I settle in to wait. My lids are heavy. I’m getting drowsy. Damn, I can’t fall asleep here. I wait half an hour then scuttle to the bedroom. I’ve just returned the billfold and am backing cautiously out when I hear the girl giggle and Davis’s breathing change. Well, this might not be a bad thing. Who’d have thought old dudes could be so horny? As
the rustling under the covers intensifies, I ease out of the bedroom. I get halfway down the hall, rise to my feet, and make a spring for the door.
It takes every ounce of self control I’ve got not to go sprinting through it. Instead, I ease it open then shut it. Mr. Moss has a giggling red-haired beauty on his arm and is fiddling with his key. What is it with these guys?
I’m practically dancing with impatience. I give it another minute then ease open the door again. Thank goodness. I make a dash for the elevator. Before I can press the button, the light comes on and the elevator halts on fifth. Really? I walk quickly to the stairs. Geez, it looks so much easier in the movies. I open the door and gallop down to fourth. I don’t know if I’ve been seen or not, but if I have, it’s the back of my head, which is a little better than a full frontal.
Letting myself into the apartment, I see Amy dozing on the couch, the pizza boxes sitting on the coffee table. One’s empty. One’s untouched. Amy’s slender as a gazelle. Dolph’s burn calories like crazy. She’ll never have to watch her waistline.
After grabbing a soda, I sink onto the couch and proceed to stuff cold pizza in my mouth. My body is limp, my head hurts, and I’m exhausted. How long is it going to take for my blood to get built back up? Maybe the engine just needs a little fuel. I stick another piece of pizza in my mouth.
Amy stirs and opens her eyes, the same brilliant turquoise as my own and Piper’s. Though, I swear Piper’s are brighter than both of ours put together. “You’re back.”
I swallow. “Yup, sure am.”
She refrains from asking me where I’ve been.
“Well, since you’re awake, let’s get started.”
“What’s the plan?” She yawns so wide, my jaws ache.
I can’t help it. I yawn too. “Don’t do that.”
“Sorry.” She puts her hands over her mouth.
“We head out of here. I get you to Piper’s then I go get the baby.”
“I’m going with you.”
“I appreciate your willingness to go back in that ghastly place. It takes a lot of courage, but I think I’d stand a better chance just slipping in and slipping out.”
