The girls looked at each other. They really didn’t have much of a choice. He led them back into the living room. It was a mess. Tables were knocked over, shattered glass covered the dining room floor. The front door was hanging on its hinges as rain poured in.
Brianna looked around in disbelief until her eyes settled on Beth and Tom. They were handcuffed and sitting silently on the couch.
Besides Jimmy, there were three other people standing in the living room. And one of them was Vivian. When she saw the girls staring at her, she walked over and put a hand on Brianna’s arm. “You guys OK?”
They nodded in unison. “Yes, we’re fine.” They weren’t sure what else they could say. None of this made sense.
Why were Beth and Tom handcuffed on their couch and what did that have to do with Jimmy and Vivian? And how did Jimmy and Vivian end up here?
Vivian looked from one to the other. It was obvious from the look on the girls’ faces they had no idea what was going on.
She turned to Brianna. Maybe this would help. “Your mom is on the way. She and Lee will be here any minute.”
Brianna stared blankly, her words not registering. Her mom was here? In Florida? Vivian repeated her words, hoping this time they would sink in. “Brianna, you mom is only minutes away.”
Finally, she got it. Brianna had never been so happy in her life! Both girls started to cry as they hugged each other.
Vivian reached over and patted Jasmine on the back. “I know this is all confusing to you but really, it’s going to be OK.”
It wasn’t twenty minutes later that a car pulled up out front. Brianna’s mom jumped out as the vehicle rolled to a stop. She darted up the front steps, a tall man right on her heels.
When Sam reached the door, her eyes frantically scanned the room. They finally settled on Brianna and she raced over to wrap her arms around her daughter’s trembling shoulders.
Brianna hugged her mom tightly. It felt wonderful. She hoped her mom would never let go.
But she did. Next she grabbed Jasmine and gave her the same smothering mom hug. Jasmine drew a shaky breath, tears filling her eyes. “I am so glad to see you Mrs. Rite!”
“Not as glad as I am to see you two!” her mother replied. After a few more hugs, Sam finally let the girls sit down.
She turned to the tall man who had come in behind her and was now standing quietly nearby.
“Brianna, you finally get to meet Lee.” Sam pointed at the girls. “Lee, this is my daughter Brianna and her best friend, Jasmine.”
Besides being very tall, one of the first things Brianna noticed were his incredible green eyes. She tried not to make it too obvious as she closely studied him. Tall, yes. Handsome and very muscular, too. Well, her mother certainly had good taste!
Finally, she smiled at him, giving her seal of approval. He smiled back and let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding.
She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.” Looks like he had passed inspection!
Jasmine stood up and wiggled her way between them. “My, my Mrs. Rite. You certainly have good taste!”
“Jasmine, you are such a flirt!” Brianna shook her head at her friend but she was smiling.
Lee laughed. Sam blushed. “Thanks Jasmine, and yes, I think I do, too.”
The introductions over, they all turned to look at Tom and Beth sitting silently on the couch. Now the center of attention, Beth glared at Sam and Lee. “You ruined everything. You and your disgusting daughter.”
That was the last straw. Sam was furious! She marched over and planted herself directly in front of Beth. She crossed her arms and bent down so that she was eye-level. “It’s a good thing these girls weren’t harmed. If you had so much as touched a hair on either one of their heads, I would have hunted you down to the ends of this earth!”
Whoa! Brianna’s eyes grew wide as she stared at her mother. Her mom was always so sweet and nice to everyone. This was a side she’d never seen!
Jimmy and Vivian had been standing off to the side quietly observing. Finally, it was time to make their presence known. Lee looked over at them and nodded.
Sam suddenly felt someone standing directly behind her. She spun around to see who it was.
Jimmy?? Vivian?? Her jaw dropped. Her legs started wobbling so she reached out and grabbed the edge of the couch. Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes shocked wide-open.
“You’re alive.” Samantha grabbed Vivian’s arm. “I can’t believe it. You’re alive!”
She turned to Jimmy. “I don’t understand…”
She wasn’t the only one. Brianna was more confused than her mother. “Mom, you know them?”
Lee walked over to mother and daughter. “I’m sure you’re both confused and I can explain everything…”
Just then, a marked police car pulled up and two uniformed officers stepped in to take Beth and Tom away.
But not before Lee stopped them as they were being led out the front door. “You might as well tell us where the map is. If not,” he waved his hand in the direction of Sam and the girls, “we will take great pleasure in tearing every inch of your house apart – just like Michel did to Sam’s.”
Beth clamped her mouth shut but Tom just shrugged. “There’s a framed picture of a palm tree over our master bed. We hid the map and list in the back.”
Without saying a word, Lee nodded his head at the police and Tom and Beth were gone.
Brianna turned to Sam questioningly. Her mom sighed. “It’s a long story. I’ll try to explain it on the way to the hotel.”
But first, Sam had questions of her own. Lee had no sooner started the car when Sam began firing away.
“So Jimmy and Vivian were part of the rescue team in Belize?”
Lee nodded. “Yeah, I couldn’t blow their cover. They’re actually detectives. When the captors realized the two of them weren’t just innocent tourists, they dragged them from the tent that night.”
He continued. “When that happened, it was time to make our move. Their lives were in danger.”
Sam shook her head in wonderment. “So they were keeping an eye on the girls down here, too?”
“In a roundabout way. Their real reason for being here was to keep an eye on Beth and Tom. We suspected they had something to do with the map and Michel.”
Sam interrupted, “But what about Emily, Beth’s daughter?”
“Completely innocent. She had no idea what was going on.”
Sam crossed her arms, a thoughtful look on her face. “Hmm…I feel like I’m in a movie.”
It was the middle of the night by the time they made their way to the hotel and checked in.
Sam turned to Lee, “I better keep an eye on these two – make sure they stay out of trouble.”
Brianna rolled her eyes at her mom’s words. “Sounds like you’re the one that got me in trouble in the first place.”
She quickly changed the subject. “Hey, now that you’re here, you can meet Travis. Jasmine and I both met someone.”
Ahhh, to be young again! Now it was her mother’s turn to roll her eyes.
“No Mom. You’re really going to like them.” She was rattling on. Sam glanced at Lee over the top of Bri’s head. “See you in the morning,” she mouthed.
Once inside their room, it didn’t take long to unpack. Sam packed in such a hurry, she had only a handful of clothes.
Jasmine and Brianna were so excited and relieved, they chattered on and on about their trip, the boys they met, their plans for tomorrow. Finally, they settled down and drifted off to sleep.
Sam checked her phone one last time before turning in. She smiled as she looked at a text Lee sent. “Sorry I didn’t get to give you a proper good-night kiss …. I’d like to take a rain check, if you don’t mind...”
She had a second text that read. “I have a meeting in the morning to go over what happened today and I’ll have to turn in the map. If you and the girls would like to take a peek at it before I leave tomorrow, I’ll meet you
in the dining room downstairs for breakfast around 9.”
She quickly replied. “Yes, we would love to see what caused us all so much grief! It’s a date! We’ll see you at 9.”
She hit send. There was one final text, leaving no room for doubt. “And I’ll be holding you to your promise for that kiss!” She hit send one more time, plugged the phone into the charger and shut off the light.
A smile etched on her face as she snuggled under the covers and nodded off.
Sam woke to a bright ray of sunlight shining right in her eyes. Apparently the girls hadn’t done a very good job of shutting the drapes the night before and light was pouring in the room.
Sam squinted at the clock beside her bed. 7:30 a.m. Might as well get up. Three girls and one bathroom. We’ll need that hour and a half just to get ready.
She looked over at the two lumps in the other bed, their bodies completely covered. Sam shook her head. That would give me a major claustrophobic panic attack!
She quietly grabbed her bag and tip-toed to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later she was showered and dressed, her hair pulled back in the customary ponytail.
She looked at the girls again and shook her head. Still sound asleep. “Time to rise and shine sleeping beauties. We have a busy day today. You both have one hour to get ready so we can meet Lee for breakfast!”
Bri peeked out from under the covers as she opened one eye and groaned. Jasmine rolled over and burrowed even deeper under the covers. For good measure, she threw her pillow on top.
Sam stuck her hands on her hips. This ought to get them motivated. “Well, you don’t have to get up but Lee said this would be our only chance to see the treasure map before he has to turn it in later this morning.”
That was all she needed to say. The girls both jumped up at the same time. Who wouldn’t want to see a treasure map that was worth millions of dollars?
An hour later, they were seated in the dining room, waiting for Lee to arrive. The smells were torturing them as they suddenly realized they were starving. The last few days stress had taken their toll and food had been one of the last things on any of their minds.
Sam glanced around. “Looks like they have a pretty good variety on the breakfast buffet. Maybe we should just get that …”
Just then, Lee walked in. He gave both girls a quick hug hello and then leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on Sam’s cheek. “Good morning beautiful ladies.” Sam turned a slight shade of pink.
Brianna snorted as she looked over at her mother. “Ha! You made my mom blush!”
“I haven’t seen your mom look this happy in a long time!” Jasmine chimed in.
Sam put her hand up. “OK, now stop embarrassing me – all of you!”
“We’re having the breakfast buffet,” Jasmine informed Lee.
He nodded as he glanced in that direction. “Sounds good.”
After the waitress took their order, Brianna couldn’t stand it any longer. “Where is it?” she demanded.
“Ah, a woman of few words. I like that,” Lee joked. He reached down and pulled a manila file folder from the bag at his feet. By now he had all three girls’ undivided attention. They couldn’t wait to see what the map looked like.
Lee carefully unfolded the crinkled brown paper and spread it out in the middle of the table. It wasn’t too big – roughly the size of a large picture - but it looked ancient. The edges were jagged and blackened like someone might have tried to burn it at one time.
They all leaned in to get a closer look. In the right hand corner was a compass. In the left hand corner was a small scale, marking distance.
In the center of the map was a rough sketch – an outline of the State of Florida. Several palm trees dotted the landscape. The words “Florida” and “St. Augustine” were written on the map by a shaky hand. The letters were not straight and the words almost unintelligible, badly faded over time. Crude waves, indicating the Atlantic Ocean were sketched to the right of what was marked as St. Augustine.
Just above St. Augustine, a dotted line had been drawn, curving upward into the ocean. There were three lines in all – extending roughly two inches out into the water. At the end of the dotted line was a wooden ship with an “X” beside it and in very small letters were the words “hundido aquí.” Lee translated. “That’s Spanish for - sunk here.”
“Whatcha lookin’ at?” All four of them jumped! The waitress was peeking over Sam’s shoulder. They were so focused on the map, they hadn’t heard her return.
Lee quickly pulled the map from the table and shoved it onto his lap. “Oh, just a little souvenir we picked up.”
Sam quickly hid her smile as the girls looked at Lee with an admiring glance. Wow, good one.
After the waitress finally walked away, Lee turned to the girls again. “Would you like to see the ship’s manifest?
All three nodded in unison. Lee carefully placed the map back in the folder and pulled out another paper. He once again set it in the center of the table, careful to keep it away from the brimming coffee cups.
The list was on the same old, brown paper. It was obvious from the handwriting, it was written by the same person – in very sloppy, crooked letters. The list included Tobacco, Spices, Indigo, Silver, Gold, Diamonds, Pearls, Emeralds and other valuable gems.
“Fascinating,” Sam murmured.
Lee finally put the list back in the folder and carefully slid it into the bag.
The girls looked at Lee curiously. Brianna leaned forward, talking in a hushed voice. “So this treasure is still out there? If a survivor of the San Miguel drew that map after the ship sunk, there’s a pretty good chance that ship is close to where he marked it?”
Lee nodded. “That’s what I think.”
Jasmine spoke up. “We should go look for it. Think of how rich we would be!” her eyes staring dreamily off into the distance.
Food overruled riches and with that, the girls remembered they were starving to death. They grabbed their plates and headed to the buffet.
As they walked away, Lee turned to Sam. “I think they’re onto something. Wouldn’t mind looking for it myself,” he added thoughtfully.
Before Sam could answer, they were back, their plates piled high. There were omelets, toast, bacon, sausage, hash browns, cheese-filled Danish.
Sam eyed the food. “That looks so good! Now it’s our turn.” They both pushed back their chairs and stood.
Not trusting the precious documents out of his sight, Lee grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder. He looked at the girls. “I trust you but I certainly don’t trust anyone else,” nodding towards their waitress.
Bri shook her head. “I wouldn’t either, considering all we’ve gone through for that crazy thing.”
They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before Lee finally stood up as he looked at his watch. “Better get going or I’ll be late. The sooner I get this thing off my hands, the better.”
He glanced at Sam. “I’ll see you later tonight?”
Sam smiled warmly. “Yes, of course.”
She turned to the girls. “We can’t wait to meet your new friends. Would it be possible for all of us to have dinner tonight?”
“We’ll have to double-check, but that shouldn’t be a problem,” Jasmine replied.
On the way back to the room, Sam asked the girls what their plans were for the day. Brianna spoke first. “Well, with the storm damage, we’re not sure what kind of shape the parks are in.”
“Honestly,” she confessed. “We’ve had enough excitement to last us awhile. We would be just as happy hanging out here at the hotel.”
Jasmine chimed in. “Since you upgraded us to such a nice hotel, I think we’ll just stay around here today.”
Sam nodded. “I agree. Then I won’t have to worry about what you’re doing and what kind of trouble you might be getting into …”
Bri frowned at her mother. “Well, if not for you and your stinkin’ treasure map.”
Sam laughed at her daughter’s ann
oyed expression. “I know, I know. I’m teasing.”
Bri quickly smiled and hugged her mom. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too, Mrs. Rite,” Jasmine chimed in as she hugged Samantha.
“Speaking of that, have you called your mom, Jasmine?”
The girls spent the rest of the day lazing by the pool, enjoying the warm sunshine and working on their tans. It was hard to believe a hurricane had just gone through!
Later that afternoon, Sam ran upstairs to grab more sunscreen. She suddenly remembered her cell phone that was charging on the nightstand. She picked it up and saw a number she didn’t recognize.
Curious, Sam listened to the message. Well, I’ll be darned. She rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, hey Sam. Gabby here. I know this is probably a surprise – me calling you out of the blue and all. I hope you don’t mind…”
“I know your daughter is here – or was here – kinda scoping out the place, you know, cuz y’all are thinking of moving down and – I think that would be GREAT! I mean, I’ve only been here a few weeks myself and I haven’t really met too many people.”
“Anyways, I’m sorry to be ramblin’ on. Just kinda lonely, ya’ know. So uh, if you have time…you know … whenever, give me a call. OK? Thanks. Bye!”
Sam started to feel guilty. Poor Gabby. Nothing like being in a new place and not having any friends. I ought to give her a call. Maybe I can have lunch with her before I head back home.
Before she could change her mind, she dialed Gabby’s number and wasn’t surprised when she picked up after only one ring.
“Hi Sam! Wow, thanks for calling me back! How ya doin’? Is your daughter still in town?” Gabby didn’t give Sam a chance to get in a word edgewise.
She sounded so excited to hear from Sam, it made her feel even worse for rolling her eyes and feeling exasperated.
When Gabby finally stopped to catch her breath, Sam quickly spoke up. “Believe it or not, I’m actually in Orlando for a couple days myself. Maybe we can have lunch…”
Before Sam could even finish her last sentence, Gabby was back. “Yeah! Yeah! I would LOVE that!” she gushed.
Winds of Deception (Samantha Rite Series Book 2) Page 8
