“Thank you, sweetheart,” Aurora said, but didn’t take it.
“All through with the phone?” Jordan asked.
“For now.”
“What about Mom?” Tanya said. “Can we see her again?”
“No. They say she needs her rest, and the doctors are with her most of the time anyway. We can come back in the morning.”
Tanya opened the citrus and thrust it into Aurora’s hand. “Drink, already. You need the sugar rush.”
“She needs a good night’s sleep,” Jordan said. “We all do.”
“Are we going back to the boat?” Tanya asked as Aurora swallowed.
“No,” Aurora said. “We need to get back to Oceanside. You need clothes, and we could all use showers and some sleep. We’ll spend tonight at your parents’ house. Tomorrow morning is soon enough to figure out what we’re doing next.”
Tanya audibly groaned. “I hope I can stay awake that long. I refuse to drink vending-machine coffee.”
“I’m with you,” Jordan said kindly. He gave Tanya the rest of his change and gestured to the candy-bar machine. “Get us three chocolate fixes,” he said. “Then we’re out of here.”
* * *
THE SMELL OF GARDENS and the beach, the sights and sounds of suburbia once again hit Aurora’s senses as she parked her truck in her sister’s driveway. They’d picked up Roberto, since the owner of the Silver Dollar had reclaimed his boat for visiting relatives, promising to return it the following Tuesday. According to Roberto, who had insisted on rejoining them after hearing by phone that his family was safely settled, Neil Harris had once again offered the use of his Dealer Ship and wanted Aurora to call him later.
“Here we are,” Aurora said. “Everyone out.” She tossed the keys to Tanya, who caught them handily.
“Home, sweet home,” Tanya said. “Finally.” She unlocked the door and entered the house first. “I’ll be in the shower for a long, long time,” she announced and disappeared down the hall to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
That left Aurora to show Jordan and Roberto inside. “Jordan knows where everything is, but if you want me to get you something to eat, Roberto...” Aurora started toward the kitchen.
“Aurora, don’t worry about it. Roberto, why don’t you go outside and lock up the truck for me? Take your time.”
Roberto left, and Jordan led her over to the living-room couch. Aurora was surprised by how weak her legs felt.
“What did the doctors say about Dorian? I didn’t want to ask any more questions in front of Tanya.”
“Just what I told you.” She gave a dejected shrug. “They’re not sure how to help her. They’re talking about doing more tests tomorrow and putting her in the Intensive Care Unit tonight. In the meantime, Dorian’s wasting away, and what if the police extradite her to Mexico? She’ll never make it.”
To her dismay, tears fell from her eyes. Suddenly she couldn’t hold in the tension, the frustration and, most of all, the fear. She began to sob, full-fledged, harsh sobs that shook her whole body. “Sorry,” she whispered as she buried her face in her hands.
She found herself in Jordan’s arms, nestled against his chest, her head on his shoulder. His kindness washed away her embarrassment and allowed the sobs to purge her overwrought emotions. His hand stroked her hair. Only when she’d calmed down did he set her on the couch next to him, reach for a nearby tissue box and hand it to her. She ducked her head and wiped her eyes and nose.
“When I was rescued from the hurricane,” he said, “I was howling myself. Only, instead of weeping—which might have been healthier—I settled for yelling and throwing a few punches at the wall.” He stared at his hand, flexing the right one with its scarred knuckles. “Still, I did feel a little better,” he said.
Aurora managed a smile. “This isn’t my house, so I’d better avoid the walls. I should fix us something to eat—I couldn’t sleep right now—and make Roberto comfortable.”
“I’ll do that. Why don’t you hit the shower before your niece uses up all the hot water?”
“If you don’t mind, maybe I will.” Aurora pushed hair back from her face. “A bath sounds tempting.” She stood and gave Jordan a grateful kiss on the cheek. “Thanks,” she replied before heading down the hall.
Is this nightmare ever going to end? We could have been killed tonight—all because of Tanya’s single act of defiance. A single act that affected the lives of family, friends, even strangers...
Aurora swallowed hard. Just like my single act, she thought with devastating honesty. She’d run away from home, and her family was never the same again. Dorian was afraid to stand up to her daughter—afraid Tanya would run the way Rory had. And their parents had blamed each other and finally left California, their lifetime home, all because of the unhappy memories they had of this place—of her leaving it. They were too old and tired to face it.
I’m the one who started this whole mess. Time for me to stop it.
Aurora decided she had to meet with Flores alone. He’d been one step ahead of them all along. Dorian’s phone number was in the book; he’d call here sooner or later. It was only a matter of time. And when he did, she’d make sure she spoke to him. She’d tell everyone she was meeting with the harbor police and the insurance investigator...
She’d walk down to the harbor, take Neil’s boat, get Gerald, and this would end—one way or another.
Next day, Sunday
9:00 a.m.
A HOT, BLISTERING DAY signaled a summer scorcher and time for families to kick up their heels in the ocean.
Jordan looked out at the mobbed beaches from the guest room’s side window. The room he and Roberto shared gave a perfect view of the shoreline. Despite the weekend, he didn’t feel in a festive mood. If truth be told, he felt rotten—not for himself, but for Aurora.
Jordan watched the surfers in the waves, wondering how long her visit with the harbor police and insurance investigator would take. The thought that he should have gone with her nagged at him, but Aurora had insisted he stay at the house with the two teens—a wise precaution, they both knew. Donna’s hired guards hadn’t arrived yet; until they did, Jordan dared go nowhere.
He continued to face the window. From its small rise above sea level, the house had a beautiful view of the beach and pier—Dorian appeared to enjoy the ocean as much as her sister, Aurora.
Aurora...how could he have let her go out alone? What if she’d been followed? Where was she now? And the real question: Could he hope they had a future together, the two of them? Jordan wanted children, yet Aurora hadn’t once expressed a wish for any of her own. She’d spent most of her life away from her kin. Could he ask her to join him and leave that family once again? He couldn’t put his love for her over his love and obligation to the rest of his relatives—yet he couldn’t see leaving her behind once this whole mess was over. Her obligations were as heavy as his. With so many people pulling on them both, was there any chance of their becoming a couple? A real family? Would Aurora even be interested if he broached the idea?
He went back to the window, sweeping his eyes restlessly over the ocean. He hated this rough, unsettled feeling. Where were Donna’s guards? Why hadn’t they shown up? Maybe he should call her office and hurry their arrival so he could go down to the harbor. Cool relief washed over him at the prospect of rejoining Aurora. Yes, that was what he’d do. He reached for the phone, automatically noting the position of the sun, the clouds and the smoothness of the waves.
Wouldn’t you know it? Jordan thought wryly. I’m stuck in the house on a day that’s perfect for salvaging.
* * *
AT THE HARBOR drinking fountain, Aurora took a deep breath, then bent to get a drink of water. All around her were throngs of people vying for parking space and for choice spots on the crowded beaches outside the harbor.
She glanced at the couples strolling by, tanned men with their arms around bathing-suited women. Couples flirted openly in the sun, kissing each other with joyful
abandon. Aurora sighed and looked away. Their contentment only drove home the sense of incompleteness she felt more and more often these days.
The beach scene blurred before her as Aurora turned back toward the boat slips. The sun burned summer-hot, California-bright, the wind gentle, the seas calm—a perfect boating day. One dive, just one dive would buy back Gerald from Luthor Flores. It no longer mattered what remained in the cargo holds of the San Rafael; the only thing that mattered was showing Flores the ship’s exact location. No one knew that she’d called the bishop from her room last night. As she’d hoped, the translation was finished. According to the document, the galleon’s payload was pure Spanish gold bullion, enough to make anyone a millionaire many times over.
Aurora took in another deep breath. “Hang on, Gerald. I’m coming. I’ll get you home.”
While the rest of the exhausted group slept at Dorian’s, Aurora had refused to sleep. She’d suspected Flores would call her, as indeed he had. At five that morning, Aurora had snatched up the phone after the first ring.
“I burned your boat,” he’d said without preamble. “Your sister’s house is next—unless I get what I want.”
“And that would be...?”
“You already know what it is,” he said scornfully. “Here’s how we play it.” Flores started to relay his orders, but Aurora cut him off.
“No,” she said. “You and I will meet at these coordinates,” Aurora told him, naming a location close to, but not directly over, the old galleon. “Then I wait for a phone call from Gerald, saying he’s safe.” At Flores’s reluctant assent, she continued, “When Gerald’s returned to us, I show you the dive site. Once I’m safely topside again, I sign over my fifty percent. Our business ends, and my family stays out of it. Whatever differences you and Jordan have, you settle them yourselves. Deal?”
Flores didn’t like it, but Aurora stood firm.
“Deal,” he finally agreed.
Aurora had hung up the phone not knowing or caring whether he’d lied. She’d laid her plans and made her way to Neil’s slip. He’d generously had the boat moved from San Diego to Oceanside for her to use—before she and Jordan had decided to go with a loaner from the Mission. Like many owners, he had a spare set of keys hidden aboard. Luckily she knew where they were.
Once on board, she called Neil and again she was in luck—he didn’t answer, which meant she could simply leave him a message, asking him to get in touch with Donna at ten and explain to her that she’d borrowed his boat. Donna would know why—and be on the lookout for Gerald. No telling what shape he would be in after his ordeal. He might need medical assistance. She also told him she was taking him up on his offer to use the Dealer Ship but didn’t leave any details. Sorry, Neil, for borrowing your boat without telling you all the facts. You’re a good friend. By the time you call Donna, I’ll be long gone. Everyone would figure out where she was but no one could stop her. It would be too late. If all went well, she’d see them that afternoon, with Gerald by her side.
Aurora hurried down into the cabin, then began to adjust the straps on Neil’s diving equipment for her own use. Neil’s onboard cell phone rang halfway through her preparations.
“Hello?” she said irritably. Only seven in the morning, and already the line by the fuel docks stretched long. Time and tide were her enemies...and phone calls weren’t helping.
“Aurora, it’s Donna. Did I call at a bad time?”
“Yes,” Aurora said bluntly. “What is it?”
“Neil got your message. He wanted to know if you found the boat okay.”
I asked Neil to wait until ten. “Obviously, since I’m here,” Aurora said lightly, hoping she could still bluff Donna into thinking all was well. “Anything else?”
“Yes. I want to talk to Jordan for a minute.”
Now, that would be difficult, Aurora thought.
“Neil assumed he was with you. Rory? You still there?” Donna asked.
“Jordan can’t come to the phone,” Aurora said truthfully. “Leave me the message. I really have to go,” she said, then immediately regretted her response as Donna pounced.
“You have to go? Where’s Jordan? Are you there alone?”
Aurora bit her lip. Donna was nothing if not persistent when it came to ferreting out the truth. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t talk right now. Goodbye, Donna.” Aurora hung up and returned to prepping the dive gear.
The phone rang again almost immediately. Aurora was tempted to ignore it, but couldn’t risk that. She’d given Flores Neil’s cell number. Her own cell phone had burned with her ship, and she hadn’t had time to replace it.
What if this was him? She clicked the answer button. “Yes?”
“Aurora, it’s Donna. Don’t hang up,” she said in a rush. “You’re not planning to do anything stupid, are you? Neil thinks so, and so do I. Let us help.”
Aurora was silent, knowing that her very silence spoke volumes.
“Talk to me, Aurora—please. What are you going to do?”
“I’ll give Flores my share of the San Rafael in exchange for Gerald and then I’ll dive the site with him.”
“Are you insane? That maniac will slit your throat as soon as you tell him where the galleon is! Where’s Jordan? Put him on.”
“Sorry, it’s just me. Jordan’s back at Dori’s with the kids.”
Donna gasped. “Aurora, this is crazy. Tell Jordan what you’re doing.”
“This is my family, my problem, not his.”
“Aurora, don’t. Take someone with you.”
“Can’t.” Aurora spoke with deadly seriousness.
“Someone has to go with you!”
“Daylight’s burning, and I have to meet Flores.”
“Call Jordan, or I will. We’ll follow you.”
“In what? You don’t own a boat. It’s a sweltering weekend, and you’ll never find one to rent. The only marine ride is the Coast Guard, and if you call them, Gerald is a dead man. Is that what you want?”
“Aurora, please.”
“I’ve got to go.” Aurora clicked off the receiver. Then she touched the power button and deliberately turned off the phone.
* * *
THE PHONE RANG at Dorian’s. Jordan picked it up on the second ring.
“Jordan, it’s Donna” came the immediate words. “It’s about Rory—she’s at the harbor on Neil’s boat, headed for the San Rafael. She’s meeting Flores. She’s going to give him her salvage rights in order to get Gerald back. I tried to stop her, but she hung up. I called her back, but she’s not answering. Can you check the docks for Neil’s boat? She might still be inside the harbor getting fuel or fighting traffic. Maybe you can catch up with her or get the harbor police to stop her—”
“I’d check right now, but I’ll have to take Tanya and Roberto with me. Your help still hasn’t arrived.”
“Oh, no. They were supposed to be there hours ago.” For the first time since he’d known her, the unflappable Donna sounded shaken. “What will we do if she’s already gone?”
“I’ll go after her.”
“How? You’ll never get a rental on a hot summer weekend.”
“I’ll think of something.” Jordan took in a deep breath, trying to calm his overwhelming sense of urgency. “Let me check the slip first, and I’ll call you back.”
* * *
TANYA LOCKED THE door as she, Jordan and Roberto stepped outside. Jordan had suggested borrowing her parents’ car, but Tanya vetoed this idea.
“Don’t bother. On weekends it’s quicker to walk. See?”
Jordan saw that the street traffic was backed up for blocks. It wasn’t even nine o’clock, yet already the police were setting out traffic cones and wooden barriers, closing off beach-access roads for the day.
Tanya led the way to the pier from her parents’ house. They zigzagged through crowds of people laden with blankets, radios, beach umbrellas and towels. The roller skaters, bicyclists and joggers didn’t make it any easier. A Frisbee zipped by
his head, and Jordan ducked. He ignored the kid’s “Sorry” and continued down the sidewalk.
“Are we close yet?” Jordan asked Tanya, confused by her shortcuts and all the barricades.
“No. This way.” She gestured. Her grim face seemed out of place among the laughing beach-goers—as did his. A few more hundred yards, then Tanya jerked to a stop, nearly causing Roberto to run into her.
“What is it?” Jordan asked.
Tanya viciously kicked a plastic orange traffic cone.
“We’re too late. Neil’s boat’s gone.”
Outside San Diego waters,
Near the San Rafael
12:15 p.m.
AURORA DROPPED ANCHOR a good distance from the San Rafael. Even a person in the vicinity wouldn’t find the ship without a shove in the right direction. She set the anchor, tested it twice, turned off her ignition and turned up the radio squelch. Then she checked the cell phone’s battery gauge and prepared to wait. The San Rafael wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was she. Sooner or later Flores would show up with Gerald.
It’s only a matter of time.
The snarled weekend boat traffic in the harbor had taken almost fifteen minutes to navigate; she’d spent even longer in the line of boats exiting the harbor. Neil’s boat had full fuel tanks, so that had saved her at least half an hour. She’d breathed a sigh of relief once she’d reached deeper waters. Traffic was still heavy but she had considerably more room to maneuver.
She’d finally escaped the crowds, but her relief didn’t last. The sound of the falling, dropping anchor had sent chills down her spine.
She realized she’d never felt more alone in her life....
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SITTING IN THE SUN, binoculars in hand, Aurora waited for Flores’s ship. She reached for her bottle of water and swallowed. Her mouth felt dry and parched, her stomach uneasy. The hours passed slowly, unbearably. She’d checked over her diving gear and her underwater-current maps and fiddled with the radio squelch more times than she could count.
Found at Sea Page 18
