by L. A. Fiore
I couldn’t argue because I had wondered the same thing.
“And both coming so close to when your parents made that huge find. Aren’t you the one who said the crazies came out of the woodwork whenever your parents hit the jackpot?”
A sinking sensation moved through me hearing my own thoughts spoken out loud. “You think they are looking to use me to get to my parents.”
“No, I think they know now who your parents are and are hoping the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Is it also a coincidence they appear right when you are so close to pinpointing Isabella? I could argue Noah was doing it for you had it just been Noah, but his whole crew getting on board so easily. You might be giving them exactly what they came for.”
“How would they have known about Isabella?”
“How did they know where you were living? Clearly, Noah’s been keeping an eye on you.”
She made it sound so calculating, so ruthless. I wouldn’t believe that of the man I met in Cancun, but Noah said he wasn’t that man anymore.
She turned and reached for my hands. “I’m not trying to be unfeeling, but I want to make sure you have your eyes wide open. He distracts you, he always has, but he’s a pirate and he is used to getting what he wants. And as romantic an idea as it is that he is doing this all for you, realistically that’s a fairy tale.”
The following morning, I stood on the dive deck but the conversation with Zoe was never far from my thoughts. She had spoken my thoughts and she was right, Noah did dazzle me. He was that figure in my painting. He always had been. Did I want to believe he was using me to get to Isabella? No, but I would be a fool to ignore it. Though there was a part of me that had to acknowledge they were funding the dive so technically the find was theirs. Would Noah choose the necklace over me? Deep down I knew he would and that was just not something I wanted to think about because it absolutely shattered the illusion.
Today I was taking the crew down in groups of three. The first two to go down with me were the twins and both were as comfortable under the water as they were on it. I waited while Snake and Zeke suited up. I hadn’t had a conversation with Zeke and the last conversation I had had with Snake was in St. Croix. For some reason, they both kept their distance.
“Try to breathe as normally as possible. If you want to surface, point up. If for any reason you get spooked down there...” That earned me an identical look from them and I couldn’t help the smile. “Ascend slowly. If you come up too fast, you risk getting the bends. And stay together. Don’t venture too far from each other. Alright, if you’re ready?”
We dove, unlike Noah and the twins, Zeke and Snake were not comfortable underwater. The hesitancy in their movements was proof of that. And I understood because it could be scary. I watched their bubbles, kept an eye on them that they didn’t start breathing too rapidly.
Noah had found us a wreck, not a ship, but still really cool. A small prop plane resting on the ocean floor. Likely an inexperienced pilot who got caught in bad weather or whose gauges had gone haywire. The white of the fuselage stood out in the murky water. Zeke was ahead of us, peering into the plane. Snake joined him. There were ocean rocks with a few shrimp resting on them. Fish swam in and out of the gaps created by the rocks. A small coral reef was just beyond the rocks, a few anemones in the colors of pink and blue. Orange and yellow fish darted around. It looked like a scene from Finding Nemo.
All of a sudden, the fish disappeared into the anemones just as the hair at my nape stood on end. I turned back toward the plane and caught a shadow on the other side of it, the undeniable movements of a shark. I signaled to Zeke and Snake, but their focus was still on the plane. Movies like Jaws were sensationalized. Sharks didn’t crave human flesh; they didn’t really lay in wait for humans to enter the water to devour them. However, it was possible, especially when in a wet suit—which luckily we were not—to be mistaken for their favorite food, seal. The trick was to swim to the surface without rushing and bringing attention. I reached them then signaled in the direction of the shark. I knew when they saw what I had because they both went on alert. I pointed up to ascend. The shark grew closer; we reached for our knives. We had discussed this. If a shark should attack, a sharp quick hit to the nose with the hilt of the dive knife should be all it takes to get him to swim away. Luckily for us, something else interested him when he turned direction and disappeared. The appearance of the shark ended our dive. Snake signaled to ascend, him going before me and Zeke behind me. Even if they didn’t talk to me, they were flanking me for my protection.
A shadow moved in my periphery. It was the shark. He’d come back and he was heading right for us. I didn’t think, just reacted, when I put myself between the guys and the shark. My heart went into my throat seeing it coming right at me. I managed a solid hit to his nose, but his interest had been piqued. He swam by me; his rough skin, like a metal file, grated the skin of my leg as he passed. The pain was so intense I almost bit down on my mouth piece. My blood swirled in the water; the shark’s heightened senses picked it up. Casual interest turned frenzied. This time he made a beeline right for me. I tried to swim away, but I wasn’t fast enough. His mouth opened and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. I had never been as scared as I was in that moment. Even the horror of Isaac and his crew paled in comparison. I thought I was dead until I saw Snake and Zeke move together, striking at the shark on either side with their knives. The way they moved, the efficiency of each strike sent a shiver through me because they were well versed in killing. When the shark stopped moving, they sheathed their knives. Zeke grabbed me and started swimming to the surface. He shouted for help when we surfaced. Snake was there as we reached the boat, lifting me up to someone. Noah. His expression was not of someone using me to find a treasure. He looked fierce and pissed, but under that he looked desperate, like the idea of losing me would break him. Snake jumped up on the deck and as Noah assisted me with staying upright, Snake got my equipment off. Noah lifted me in his arms, shouting out orders as he walked to the kitchen and gently settled me on the counter. Chas was pulling out the first aid kit; Zoe was running for towels. One of the twins was peppering Zoe about my allergies, if any, to medicine. Noah’s focus was on my leg and mine was on him. He worked single-mindedly cleaning the wound. He looked remote now, nearly emotionless, and yet I saw his hands shaking a bit.
I hissed when the antiseptic hit the wound. A strong hand on my shoulder offered a reassuring squeeze. I looked up to see Zeke. Zoe appeared behind Noah, but it was the look on her face that finally had me looking at the wound. My thigh was mangled and that was just from the shark’s skin. A shudder moved through me thinking about what his powerful jaw and teeth would have done. My upper thigh had about a dozen cuts. Some of them were deep and oozing quite a bit of blood, others more like scratches. And the entire area from my hip to my knee was bright red, like the worst rug burn ever.
Noah’s hands were visibly shaking now. I reached for them. His eyes lifted to mine.“Too fucking close.”
“It was. If not for them...” I jerked my head to Snake and Zeke. “I would be dead.”
Snake growled from his spot across the kitchen. “She fucking put herself between us and the shark.” He was pissed, really pissed.
“I’ve dealt with a shark before.” And that was the truth. Both of them were not experienced in the water, they were not even comfortable being there. I acted and I would again.
“Well, it didn’t fucking work out for you this time, did it?”
“The shark?” Noah demanded.
“Dead,” Zeke replied.
Zoe and I shared a look because it was almost as if Noah intended to hunt down the shark if he wasn’t dead.
His focus zeroed in on me. “The second this looks infected your ass is in a hospital.”
He finished dressing my wound then turned, and without speaking another word, walked away. Snake following after him.
Zeke lingered. His big form hovered over me and his intense black
eyes studied my face. His blond hair still wet from our swim. He touched my leg, just a delicate brush. “You know what to look for with an infection. Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“Bravest fucking thing I ever saw. Stupid as fuck, but fucking brave.”
He followed after Noah and Snake.
“Do you want some pain medicine?” Chas asked.
“I’m still in shock so it doesn’t hurt so much right now. Maybe later when the adrenaline wanes.”
“Alcohol? After that I think you’ve earned it,” Chas suggested.
“A Bahama Mama.”
“Coming up.”
Zoe waited for Chas to disappear into the pantry before she looked back at me. “I’m thinking I might have been wrong about Noah’s intentions. That man is in love with you.”
My leg was killing me. Now that the adrenaline was no longer coursing through me, I couldn’t believe I had done what I had. I would like to believe I would do it again. But seeing that shark, every time I closed my eyes I saw him coming at me, saw the way his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Zoe’s comment lingered too. I wasn’t sure Noah was in love with me, but he definitely had very strong feelings when it came to me. We needed to talk because I didn’t like having ambiguity when it came to him. I knew he cared, he carried my necklace all those years, he carried a stone I had given him, a simple stone, but Zoe’s point about the timing of Noah and Isaac appearing was a valid one. He needed to clear that up for me. Noah had not come to bed. I thought to hunt him down, but in his shoes I would need time to process how close a call it had been.
Sleep was eluding me so I headed to the living room. I had some of my files spread out on one of the tables. I had been researching the ship, specifically the design of that type of ship and where a necklace would likely have been stored. I was putting the cart before the horse because we hadn’t even found the ship. If we did though, we would need to act fast. When word got out about what we were searching for, we wouldn’t have a lot of time before the area was overrun.
I moved to the bar to get a bottle of water. I didn’t know someone was in the room until I heard that deep, raspy voice. “How’s your leg?”
I turned to see Noah sitting in one of the commander chairs with a glass dangling from his fingers.
“No sign of infection, but it hurts like hell.”
I couldn’t see his eyes, but I felt them burning holes into me. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
He leaned into the soft glow of the lamp at his side, his expression harsh, almost cruel. “Don’t fucking play dumb. You could have let that shark have Snake or Zeke.”
I was offended, but then it wasn’t so long ago that I had wished him dead in a manner of speaking. “Killing is your thing, not mine.”
His glass came down hard on the table as he stood and closed the distance between us, getting right in my face. “Why risk your life for theirs?”
He wasn’t drunk but he was livid, and quite frankly he scared me a bit. I tried to take a step back, but I was pinned between him and the bar.
“Answer me. You fucking put yourself between the shark and them. Why?”
“Instinct.”
His eyes went all hot, his focus shifting to my lips.
“They weren’t comfortable in the water and Decker taught me a lot about shark behavior after he spent time with them in Cape Town. Of the three of us, I was the one most equipped to handle it. Now you answer something for me. Why did you wait so long to come for me?” He looked away. “Why Noah? I’m having a hard time with you and Isaac showing up in St. Croix at the same time.”
He took a step back, but not before I saw something sweep his expression. What he was thinking though I didn’t have a clue. “Because I died.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected to hear but it wasn’t that. “What?”
“You said you thought I was dead. You were right. For a few minutes, I did die.”
I reached out to brace myself with the bar top because my legs had gone weak with that confession. “What are you saying?”
“You know why I gave Isaac that scar, but what you don’t know is two years later we had just secured this yacht from a drug dealing pimp. Snake and I were leaving the yacht when someone sprayed the deck with bullets. I took six.”
My throat went dry and the lump that formed made speech almost impossible. “Six?”
“Died right there on the deck.”
I lost my battle to stay standing as I sank onto one of the bar stools. “It was Isaac.”
“Bastard can hold a grudge.”
“That was his payback, to kill you?”
“Apparently.”
His world was scary. “Why come for you now then?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. He claimed it was seeing the scar day in and out, but I think there’s more to it.”
“You think he was working with someone.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t say who and after what Zeke put him through, he wasn’t giving it up.”
My eyes moved to his tattoo visible on his forearm. “It covers the scars.”
“Yeah.”
“Can I see?”
It was only the slightest hesitation before he worked the buttons and pulled his shirt off. The tribal design moved up his arm to his pec and around to his back. I had to look closely for the circular scars, one on his shoulder, two on his arm, one on his side, one near his collarbone and one dangerously close to his heart. It wasn’t a conscious thought when I pressed a kiss to each one. His muscles flexed under my touch then his body went very still.
I couldn’t hold back the tears when I looked up into his face. “You could have died.”
There was an intensity about him when he said, “You earned my admiration when you bought a pineapple for that little girl. You stole a little piece of my heart when you let me touch you that night on the ship and you got my respect putting yourself between my friends and a shark, but baby you just sealed your fate by kissing my scars.” He curled his spine to look me in the eyes. “You’re mine.”
He let those words linger before he started for the door, pulling his shirt on as he did. I called to him right before he walked out. “I know you’ve seen the worst in people, that your experiences have hardened you, but there are good people in the world. You’re not so hardened though, because you carry around my necklace, you carry that stone. Showing me that, you sealed your fate too. I claim you right back, but please don’t break my heart.”
He stopped for a second then disappeared, but I knew he had heard me.
We were ditching the yacht and now that I knew it had been stolen and the previous owner was dead, I wholeheartedly agreed with Noah’s decision. I had been thinking about Isaac and his timing for coming at Noah. Perhaps he chose St. Croix for a different reason and Noah was just the icing. The thought he could have come for me wasn’t a thought I liked and yet it wouldn’t be the first time nuts were stirred by the activities of my parents. Granddad had said he kept all the letters and packages from the crazies. I wondered if we might find a clue among them. I called him.”
“Willow. Is everything okay? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” I hated that he was worrying. I wished there was a way I could ease that, but my reason for calling was only going to make it worse.
“You mentioned when I was younger that you kept all the crazies’ correspondences. Do you still have them?”
“Yes, why?”
“There’s a chance the trouble from the island might be related to Mom and Dad.”
His voice was clipped with anger. “Why am I not surprised.”
“Would you do me a favor and go through them? I don’t know what to tell you to look for, but I think the man who came here, the one who has a link to Noah, he may have been targeting me. His name is Isaac and I’m wondering if he has a connection to Mom and Dad.”
“Where is this Isaac now?”
I didn’t want to
tell him the truth because it would freak him out and likely have him hunting me down. “He can’t hurt me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very.”
“What else do we know about this Isaac?”
“He has a scar on his face and he used to work for a gangster in Cancun.”
“And you think there is a connection to your parents?”
“His timing doesn’t make sense unless he was here for another reason and seeing Noah he thought to finish what he started.”
“Finish what he started?”
Oops, not going there. “They have a history.”
“I appreciate you censoring this for me because it is already very difficult to sit on the sidelines while you are dealing with...well…whatever it is you are dealing with. But this will give me something to do, so I’ll go through the correspondence and see if anything pops.”
“Thank you.”
“I do have one question though. I thought your friend’s name was Kace.”
“Kace Noah. He goes by his middle name now.”
“I’m sure I don’t want to hear the reasoning behind that.”
“Probably not.”
“I’m showing remarkable restraint, dearest Willow.”
“I know, and I really appreciate it.”
“I’ll call you if I find anything.”
We were walking down the pier of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. This was the oldest section of San Juan and likely where Alejandro had docked during the countless trips he had made to the New World.
“Alejandro made this trip frequently. He likely docked in that same harbor.”
“It gives me the chills thinking about it, but I get why you love it so much. The link to the past, the history.”
“I know why it took Noah so long to come for me.”
Zoe turned her focus on me.
It happened so long ago, he was fine now, but the thought of him on that deck, dying from gunshot wounds...I understood Noah’s reaction to the shark attack.
