It Happens in Threes

by Denise Robbins

  At last, she thought as her arms came loose from the ties, lightheaded with delight. Before Ruby could jump for joy, a shadow moved over her. The predators of the ocean were back and circling her, pinning her against the reef.

  Sliding the knife from the console’s case, she held it in a white-knuckled grip between her fingers, stood in a fighter’s stance. Left leg forward, right leg back, hands held up in a pyramid position. Who was she kidding? The little diver’s knife wouldn’t stop them.

  Then she caught a glimpse of another shadow overhead. When she looked up, she saw something crash into the water. Legs intertwined, struggled against each other. Michael and Thomas— in the water, fighting.

  Sunlight lit the surface. She could distinguish a large spot, a thicker substance flowing in the water. Blood!

  Michael! she screamed inside her head.

  The red stain glistened in the water, the waving of a matador’s red cape infuriating the bull. Fear forgotten, heart throbbing terror ripped through Ruby’s body.

  She had to get to Michael.

  Inflating her BC to compensate for the too heavy weight belt, Ruby left her perch from behind the coral. She started to kick toward the surface, toward Michael. But her legs were weak. She was tired, lightheaded. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion. She’d just rest a few minutes, hovering in her buoyancy compensator until energy returned. She was so sleepy.

  A rough current moved her, pushing past her exhaustion. Michael. She remembered Michael. The sharks. And Thomas.

  The sharks circled below, but it wouldn’t be long before they sensed the blood, the commotion, and be drawn to it. Ruby wouldn’t let Michael be the magnet.

  Kicking her fins, she propelled herself upward. Slow but sure, inch by inch, Ruby reached for Michael and the life they deserved together. They’d gone through so much, she wasn’t about to let fatigue keep them apart. Or sharks. Or Thomas.

  Just below the surface, Ruby saw the struggle between Michael and Thomas. Thomas had his arm wrapped around Michael’s neck cutting off his airway. Their feet kicked in a frenzied motion and they were yelling because she heard the noise echo in the water. It sounded like, “Owah, owah, owah.”

  Michael’s kicks seemed to get slower. Either that or the world moved in slow motion. Maybe both.

  What could she do? She didn’t have a gun. She couldn’t hit Thomas over the head with her air tank. With her luck, she’d end up floating back down to the abyss. Staring at the emergency tuck-away knife held in her right hand that she’d removed from its hidden sheath in her dive console, Ruby hoped it would be enough.

  Avoiding the legs, Ruby slid up behind Thomas without making a sound. She’d get one shot. If she missed, she could kill Michael. That wasn’t going to happen. With a wave of energy, Ruby broke the surface, grabbed Thomas’s hair, pushed him down, and jammed the silver blade into his throat.

  The scream rent the water, echoed and reverberated. Bright red blood spurted out in streams from Thomas’s neck. He clamped a palm to it trying to staunch the flow, but it kept oozing through his fingers. Ruby watched as Thomas warred with trying to grab at her or hold his wound.

  The knife had penetrated Thomas’s larynx and the sound made was the gurgle of a dying man.

  Ruby saw the blood on her hands. Her breathing became labored, vision blurred, she wanted to throw up, but she didn’t have the energy. Michael? Where was Michael?

  As if her mind had conjured him up, he was there, by her side. She could feel him, his hand on her arm, heard him speaking, but couldn’t make out his words.

  It still sounded like, “Owah, owah, owah.”

  Smiling, Ruby’s masked face fell forward in the water. Oh, look, cute little fishes swimming in a circle. Excited, she sucked for more air, and pointed at the sea creatures below.

  “Ruby? Ruby?” Michael shook her, lifted her head out of the water. The grin on her face wild, that of a person on drugs. “Are you all right? What is it?”

  He barely made out the noise. “Da da da da dadadadada”. What the—the theme from JAWS. Michael dipped his head in the water, the water that flowed with blood, and saw them. One, two, three. Holy shit! Three, black-tipped reef sharks circled below. His heart beat fast, a ticking time bomb in his chest.

  “Ruby, honey.” He tapped her face with his fingers. “Come on, sweet cheeks. We’ve got to get the hell out of Dodge.” She didn’t move, dead weight. What was wrong?

  They had to get out of the water. Now. Glancing up, Michael pinpointed their location. The struggle and the current had shifted them thirty or so yards from the boat. No short distance when swimming in a pool of blood with sharks circling for the kill.

  Without a second glance at his now dead partner, Michael hooked Ruby in a rescue hold and started swimming in the direction of the boat. “Damn it. Don’t you die on me woman.”

  He loved her. He wasn’t about to lose her. Motivated, Michael swam harder, faster, driving fatigue out of his mind. The only thing he wanted to concentrate on was getting Ruby to safety.

  Relief pumped through his veins when he heard the helicopter approach. Help was on the way. Michael kept swimming though. He didn’t want to risk the sharks getting any closer. The more distance he put between them and the finned carnivores the better their chances of not becoming prey.

  The sleek black helicopter lowered, Michael shielded Ruby’s face with his arm, the ocean sprayed up temporarily blurring his vision. When he almost reached the skids, he heard the rotor slow its spin. In a panic, Michael’s heart jumped.

  “Don’t shut it down! We’ve got to get out of here!” he yelled up.

  Jake leaned out of the helicopter, his face pale. “What happened to Ruby? Is that her blood?”

  Michael glanced in the direction of Jake’s gaze and inwardly cursed. There was a trail of red in their wake. It was faint, but visible. Chaotic movement caught his attention. Emotions drained, Michael tried hard to feel something as he stared at the carnage. Reef sharks fed upon the body of his former partner, ex-friend, now chum.

  The sharks circled, splashing and flipping their tails, jaws snapping. Waves of frenetic energy vibrated, a chill of desperation surged through him.

  “A feeding frenzy. Blood! Grab her, Jake. Get her in your flying machine and go.”

  In response, Jake hooked his arms under Ruby’s armpits and locked his hands in front of her chest. As Jake tugged her body, hoisting her from the water, Michael boosted her thighs. As soon as they were clear of the door, Michael pulled himself into the chopper and helped Jake complete the task of removing Ruby’s dive gear.

  “Why is she out?” Jake asked. “Did you knock her out or something?”

  “No.” Michael shot him a warning look then rolled up a towel and laid Ruby’s head on it while checking for bumps. “I have no clue what happened. She burst from the water like an avenging mermaid, jammed a knife into Alex’s neck, and by the time I got to her, she was talking gibberish then passed out.” Like she was intoxicated. Intoxicated. “Narc-ed.”

  “Nitrogen narcosis. Shit,” Jake growled with a whistle. “How the hell did that happen? The water ain’t that deep.”

  “I don’t know. Hand me the oxygen tank and get this baby in the air. Keep her low and don’t go above one atmosphere. Get us to the nearest hospital.”

  The helicopter’s blades spun and roared to full life as Michael slid the oxygen mask into place on Ruby’s face, grateful the military, unlike commercial aircraft, carried pure oxygen for the flight crews during high altitude operations. Breathing pure oxygen would remove nitrogen from her bloodstream and prevent decompression sickness. Thirty minutes would clear her system of any air bubbles. Michael hoped.

  Running his hand over her wet blonde hair, Michael pleaded. “Come on, sweet cheeks. Wake up. Wake up so I can yell at you for being such a stubborn woman. So I can thank you for saving my life.”

  He bent and brushed a kiss on her forehead. “Wake up, damn it. I can’t tell you I love you while yo
u’re sleeping.”

  The moan that escaped Ruby’s lips cut into him. Did a bubble burst? Oh, damn!

  Her body bent and curled into itself. Agony wrenched his heart from his chest. She attempted to weather the pain in the fetal position.

  “Hurry, Jake. You need to land this puppy.”

  Michael pulled her into his lap and rocked her. He would not lose her. “Don’t check out on me. Do you hear me, Cat? For once in your life you listen to me and you listen well. I love you and I’m not going to lose you.”

  I love you.

  * * * *

  The voice, arrogant but caring, demanded she listen to him. It filtered through her foggy brain and told her she wasn’t allowed to die. He wasn’t going to lose her. He claimed he loved her. He loved her?

  She stirred, eyelids fluttered as she woke to see him gazing down at her, a concerned frown on his face.

  “Michael?”

  She moved to try and get a better look at him. Her head spun and ached. Covering her head with her arms, she tried holding it steady and keep the pain away.

  He leaned closer. “Shugah.”

  Squinting, her vision became clearer. Moss green eyes stared back at her. Jake. It wasn’t Michael. He hadn’t been talking to her, it was a dream. Where was Michael? Where was she?

  “In the hospital,” Jake answered without her voicing the question.

  A hazy memory flashed through her mind. Blood. Sharks. Her heart pounded in her chest, a hammer hitting her in the ribs.

  “Mich...is Michael okay?”

  “Michael had to go.” Go? Go where? She was in the hospital and he left her, abandoned her?

  “Where?”

  “Even though your ex-fiancé is now shark food, it seems Nicolas La Rue managed to escape before the Coast Guard could get to Shark’s Cove. The Sirena was still there, but the boat’s owner wasn’t onboard. Michael went after him.”

  Images of Nicolas slumped on the floor and bleeding, registered. Thomas shot him. How could he get away?

  “Mickey thinks there was a Zodiac on board and Nicolas used it to make his escape.”

  “Why’d he have to go? Couldn’t someone else do it?”

  Jake shrugged, lifting broad shoulders, his face stone serious. “They tried to poison you. They filled your scuba tank with a mixture of air and carbon monoxide. If we hadn’t gotten pure oxygen into you, at the very least you would have been put into a decompression chamber, and at the very worst you would have died from ‘the bends’. Mickey took that personally and went after Nicolas. Nicolas better avoid dark alleys for the near future.”

  “Oh.” She couldn’t think anymore. Her head hurt. She didn’t want to know about Michael chasing down Nicolas. She wanted him here.

  She had to pee. Ruby eased herself to a sitting position and hung her legs over the side of the bed. Sliding her feet to the floor, she steadied herself before she took a step.

  She shuffled toward the bathroom so the pounding of her steps didn’t pound in her head. When she passed Jake, he cleared his throat.

  “Would you like some help holding that gown together?”

  “Huh?” Oh. She smiled, grabbed the material of the hospital gown, tugged it open wider and flashed him. He gave a low rumbling chuckle, and she relaxed as the door shut behind her.

  “It’s going to be a fun flight home, Shugah. You get some more rest and I’ll be back later to play pilot and chauffeur.”

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  The flight home had been fun and exhausting. Ruby recovered from her nitrogen narcosis. According to the doctor, if Michael hadn’t gotten her to oxygen, or she’d kept on breathing the air in the tank, she would never have made it home alive.

  But Michael had saved her and she was home in New Hampshire. Only her home had changed. She now owned an historic mill building in Manchester. She fell in love with it the moment she laid eyes on the river view.

  When she and Jake first arrived back in New Hampshire, Ruby was clueless about her future. After about three days of moping because of no news from Michael, Jake was tired of it.

  He told her in his husky southern drawl, “Quit moping, dang woman. You’re too pretty for sour lemons in your mouth. Go make some lemonade and sweeten up that face.”

  His words made her double over in a fit of laughter. He not so eloquently told her she was a sour puss and to get over it. He’d been right.

  From that day on, she let Jake badger her into eating and going out for some fun. One night out, they were walking around Manchester and came upon an old brick mill building that was for sale. The idea struck her like a lightning bolt.

  Jake looked at her and must have read the expression on her face because he smiled, winked at her conspiratorially, and handed her his cell phone.

  “Go ahead and call. This is gonna be good.”

  “Thanks, Jake.”

  Standing in front of the building, she placed two phone calls. The first was to the real estate agent to get the specifics on the mill and set a date to see it. The second, with the aide of her favorite bodyguard and now friend, Jake, she called George Trent, Michael’s boss.

  Two weeks after that, she signed all the paperwork and was now the proud owner of an old mill building she dubbed, Sweet Retreat.

  A month passed since Michael abandoned her in a Hawaiian hospital. She and Jake became good friends. Despite her insistence that she could take care of herself and wanted to, Jake wouldn’t leave. He told her he had folks he trusted to run his ranch while he was on assignment. He was in no hurry.

  “Besides, darlin’, I want to be around when you drop the bomb on Mickey.” A wicked grin spread across his handsome face.

  “Ha! He won’t even show. And even if he did, why would he care what I’m doing?” She bit her lip holding back a smile. In secret she wished Michael would show. She wanted to surprise the pants off of him. If there was one thing she was good at, it was driving Michael a little nuts. Okay, a lot nuts, but it was good for him.

  Ruby knew the day Michael caught Nicolas. Evidently, Nicolas had a friend that helped sew him up and get him to Colombia. The reference to Green Ice she read in the emails referred to emeralds. Michael knew Alex’s affinity to emerald mines and his investment in them. He figured Nico would follow suit. He was right. Michael flew to South America where he located Nicolas and took him into custody. That same day Ruby signed the paperwork on her mill building. It had been a day for celebrating all the way around.

  That was a couple of weeks ago and Michael hadn’t even called. Why would she think he’d show up on her doorstep? Besides, her doorstep had changed locations. Like that would stop him, she thought, a wry smile on her lips.

  Now, she was in the middle of painting the walls pale goldenrod in what would soon be her new bedroom and sitting area. The color would add life to the room and allow focus to be on her two favorite features, a view of the river, and her fireplace.

  Jake went out to buy the paint for the trim while she finished up the last wall. He promised to pick up her favorite pizza on the way back.

  The front door banged open and shut.

  “I’m almost done,” she yelled. “That was a fast trip. I hope you got the pizza because I’m starvin’ like Marvin.”

  Jake didn’t answer back. She ran the roller along the last space of wall, put it back in the paint tray and started down the ladder.

  “Oh, for you southern boys, the saying is ‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse’. But I don’t think I’d like horse, unless you tell me it tastes like chicken. Does it taste like chicken? Have you ever eaten horse?”

  Swiping paint splattered hands on her pants, she laughed to herself. She liked the Neanderthal’s funny sayings. When she heard feet walking on the protective newspaper, she told him, “Just give me a minute, I’ll change and get cleaned up for dinner.”

  “You look fine to me. Don’t change on my account.”

  Ruby froze, her stomach dropped to her toes. Not Jake.

  “Cat.”
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  Smiling and shuddering on the inside at the use of her nickname, Ruby was mad as hell on the outside. Who did he think he was waltzing in here uninvited? Trying to sweet talk her before he even apologized for leaving her, not calling her, making her wonder if she’d see him again. Did he think she’d let him pick up right where they started? Ha!

  The air shifted, a shiver went up her spine. A storm was coming. Her heart thundered as loud in her breast as the thunder that boomed outside the windows. She turned around and looked at him.

  He stood there staring at her, his blue eyes fiery and turbulent. She was wrong. The storm was already here. In defense, she wrapped her arms around herself.

  “Didn’t you use that same line ‘Don’t change on my account’ on me when you first showed up in Florida?”

  “Mmm,” he replied. It was the same line. His mouth quirked up in a mischievous smile. It worked for him before, why not now?

  Michael watched emotions flit across Ruby’s face. His breath caught in his throat as he watched feelings flicker through her eyes, gold in anger and emerald green in love and back again.

  “I like the color you chose. What room are you painting or is it painting you?”

  The glint that appeared in her eyes, accompanied by the almost imperceptible twitch of her lips answered his question. The bedroom.

  She was breathtaking in those baggy overalls covered in a yellowish paint, her hair tousled, shoved into a clip. In his mind, Ruby never looked more beautiful or at home.

  “You’ve been busy.”

  Her arms released their hold around her waist, went straight into fists at her hips. Now this was the woman he loved.

  “Of course I’ve been busy. What was I supposed to do, wait for you to show up? Jake stepped in and made up for your absence.”

  At the mention of his new partner’s name, Michael scowled. It had been over a month since he’d seen Ruby. He hadn’t meant to be gone so long. It was unavoidable.