Unfathomed

by Anna Hackett

  “I think we should survey the area with the ROVs first,” Dec suggested.

  Everyone nodded. Morgan knew it made sense to pinpoint locations with the ROV before they put divers in the water.

  “Winds can pick up at that location and the seas can get rough very quickly.” Diego looked thoughtful. “We’ll have to keep a close eye on the weather.”

  Zach nodded. “So, we’ll get the ROV in the water as soon as possible, do a site scan, and see if we can find our wreckage.”

  As the men talked more about logistics and search plans, Morgan leaned back against a panel and watched Zach. Right now, he looked nothing like the man who’d been pouring on the charm the day before. His face was serious, his brow furrowed, as he listened to Diego. This was another side of him. The serious, studious archeologist.

  Finally, Diego straightened. “All right. Let’s go.”

  As Diego touched the controls of the Storm Nymph, he pulled out a handheld radio and instructed his crew to cast off from the wharf. Soon, the ship’s powerful engines rumbled to life, the throb vibrating beneath Morgan’s feet.

  She followed Dec, Zach, and Dr. Still down to the main deck. The students and archeologists were huddled together at the railing, excited.

  Zach watched his team with a smile, lifting his face to the sky as the ship sailed out of the harbor. “God, this is the best bit. That moment when all the discovery is ahead of you, and anything is possible.” He glanced her way. “Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy it.”

  “I do. But part of my job is to foresee the possible troubles. And I know just how much of this is going to be hard, tiring work.”

  He grinned. “I like the hard work, too. It’s all worth it for the chance to hold a piece of history in my hand.”

  “The past is just the past. Sometimes it’s better left there.” She thought of her dad, and felt that all-too-familiar pain that refused to fade. It was an ache in her chest that never went away.

  Zach’s smile dissolved. He reached out, his fingers brushing her jaw. “I get that some things are better left forgotten. Believe me, I do. But putting the pieces back together, rediscovering something for others to learn from and appreciate…that’s pretty darn exhilarating.”

  “That’s pretty poetic for an archeologist.”

  “You want me to quote you poetry?”

  Her eyebrows winged up. “Do I look like the poetry kind of girl?”

  His sexy dimples flashed. “Hell, no.”

  The ship moved past the breakwater, and turned northeast. As they moved through the water, the students pointed back to the shore, noting various landmarks. They passed Tolagnaro and the town’s pretty curve of white beach. Ahead, the rocky point called Itapere became visible.

  “I can almost picture this place around the time when the Soleil d’Orient limped in,” Zach said. “There would have been ships anchored off shore here, with elegant wooden hulls, three masts, and white sails flapping in the wind.”

  He had a way with words. Morgan could almost picture the ships on the water.

  “But I like to wonder what it might have been like here even earlier than that. When the island was first settled.”

  She turned her head. “The really ancient stuff floats your boat?”

  He nodded. “Underwater archeology is a passion of mine, but my other area of expertise is prehistory, especially megalithic construction.”

  “Oh?” She instantly imagined giant standing stones. “Like Stonehenge?”

  “There is evidence of megalithic construction all over the world, mainly during the Neolithic period. Stonehenge is just the most famous.”

  “I’ve always wondered what inspired ancient cultures, who had limited tools and no technology, to lug giant rocks around,” she said.

  “Who said they didn’t have technology?”

  She blinked at him. “Huh?”

  “We only have theories on how many of the megalithic structures were built, and some are way out there. Some people like to think the ancient cultures had some sort of tech that helped them shape and move the stones.”

  “From the aliens?” she asked archly.

  A quick grin. “Now, no need to go that far. Over the last year, I’ve combined my love of underwater archeology and megalithic construction. I’ve been diving sites that are flooded, on the seafloor. Most of them would have been above water a very long time ago. Maybe far enough back to disrupt some established historical timelines. Who knows what they had that’s been long lost under the waves?”

  Morgan gasped. “You’re not talking about Atlantis, are you?”

  He shook his head. “I think Atlantis is an amalgamation of myths and legends all polluted with a large dose of fantasy and whimsy.”

  “It would be pretty out there for a renowned archeologist to study Atlantis.”

  “You bet,” he agreed. “I don’t deal in myths, I deal in facts. There’s a lot more study to do in this area. I’ve done a lot of research on prehistoric cultures, flood myths and legends that have been passed down across the globe, and dived some amazing submerged ruins. My last dive was off the south coast of India. About five kilometers off the small fishing village of Poompuhur is a strange, U-shaped structure on the seafloor. It definitely looks manmade.”

  She nodded. “I dived the Yonaguni Monument in Japan a few years back.”

  His eyes lit up. “Fascinating place. Did you think it was manmade?”

  “Most people think it could be natural…but the giant stones certainly looked too straight and square to me.”

  Suddenly, the timbre of the engines changed, and the Storm Nymph slowed.

  Diego and Dec appeared, leaping down the stairs leading from the bridge.

  “Time to get Poseidon in the water,” Diego said.

  Morgan watched as Diego and the two men on his crew moved over to unlock a small ROV from the rack. Marc was a burly former sailor, and his son, Turner, was a younger, less-grizzled version of his father. Soon, Diego was operating the crane controls, moving the arm over the side of the ship to lower Poseidon into the water.

  She watched the boxy, yellow machine disappear into the blue water.

  Soon, they were all huddled around Diego’s screen, as the ROV moved through the water. Morgan caught glimpses of colorful fish, rocks, and sand.

  “We’ll start moving in the search pattern,” Diego said, tapping the controls. “I’ll also run a scan and we can analyze the results later.”

  And this was where the truth of archeology kicked in. As the ROV methodically moved through the water, no wreck appeared out of the depths. Instead, the search was long and tedious.

  After an hour, they’d found nothing.

  “You’re sure we’re at the right coordinates?” Charity asked.

  “Yes.” Zach didn’t look away from the screen. “This takes time. With the tides, shifting sands, storms…a lot has changed down there from when the Soleil d’Orient sank.”

  More time passed, and Diego’s hands stayed calm and steady on the controls. Zach’s focus never wavered.

  Morgan wasn’t sure she was comfortable seeing more of the real, genuine man under the charming exterior.

  Zach looked at the discouraged faces of his team. “It’s pretty rare to find what you’re looking for on the first day. A good archeologist needs some patience.”

  The students peppered him with questions, and he answered them all thoroughly and patiently.

  Morgan leaned over Zach’s shoulder, staring at the watery image of the seafloor. Clumps of rock littered the sandy ground. A fish swam right up to the ROV before darting off.

  “Batteries are running low,” Diego said. “Another few minutes, and I’ll bring it up.”

  Morgan stared at a long, elongated rock on the screen. Well, no one could deny that there were plenty of rocks and endless piles of sand. Maybe a secret part of her had expected to see a broken mast, or the rotting hull of the ship. But she kn
ew that underwater archeology wasn’t like Hollywood movies.

  Then she frowned, studying the long rock again. It was cylindrical in shape, with some sea growth on it.

  Then she froze. She knew what it was. She elbowed Zach. “Hey, take a look at this.”

  He leaned his body against hers as he stared at the screen. Then he sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Is that what I think it is?” she asked, excitement licking her insides.

  Zach spun around, yanked her close, and smacked a quick kiss on her lips. “That is the cannon off a ship.”

  The students and archeologists erupted in cheers. Diego had a faint smile on his rugged face.

  Zach smiled at Morgan. “We just found ourselves a shipwreck.”

  Chapter Six

  Zach stepped out on deck and into the early-morning sun. The weather was clear and he’d slept well, even though he’d been buzzing with energy. They’d spent the rest of yesterday afternoon sending the ROV down for more survey runs and scans.

  They’d spotted a few more potential artifacts, but they wouldn’t know for certain until they got down there.

  As he headed down onto the main deck, he saw that Charity and Jasmin were already up. Charity was wearing a bright-pink bikini, while the dark-haired Jasmin had on a floral one-piece swimsuit. He could feel the excitement buzzing around them.

  Then he looked up and spotted Morgan checking dive equipment.

  Hell. The last thing he needed before he went diving was an erection.

  She’d already pulled a wet suit on her bottom half, and on the top half, all she was wearing was a simple black bikini top. She was tanned and toned. His gaze lingered on a set of tight abs that he really wanted to touch.

  Zach had always liked women of all shapes and sizes: curvy, slim, soft, firm. But he’d never wanted to touch a woman as much as he wanted to touch Morgan Kincaid.

  She checked some tanks before laying them out on the deck beside a set of fins. He must have made some sort of noise, because she looked up at him.

  “Good morning.”

  “Morning, Morgan.”

  “Sleep well?”

  “Sure did. I’m eager to get in the water.”

  Morgan turned her head, looking at the water. “Me, too. It’s been too long since I was in the ocean.”

  Zach helped to grab some tanks and gear, and laid everything out neatly on the deck. “Tell me about BUD/S.”

  “Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school. The hardest twenty-four weeks of my life. They push you to the limit. They’re testing not just your physical stamina, but mental as well.” She shook her head. “A lot of it is a blur of being wet, cold and hurting.” A small smile crossed her lips.

  He sensed her pride. “But you made it?”

  “Sure did.”

  “The first woman to make it.”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “I’m stubborn like that. All my life, my dad took me camping, hunting, swimming in freezing-cold lakes. He’d tell me that no kid of his would be a wimp.”

  Sounded like she was the son her father never had. “He was in the Navy, too?”

  She shook her head with a smile. “Marine to the bone.” Sadness moved in her eyes.

  Zach understood straightaway. “You lost him.”

  Her smile vanished. “Yes.”

  There was a story there, but a story for another day. “Mine’s gone, too.” Thank God. “So what happened after BUD/S?”

  “The Navy refused to let me join a SEAL team, so I left.”

  “And the Navy’s screwup is my gain.” Declan’s deep voice.

  Zach looked over at the other man. He was already suited up, a wet suit stretching across his powerful chest and weight belt around his trim waist. Zach pulled on his own suit, and looked over to check that his archeologists and students were almost ready. The first dive would be himself, Alice, Charity and Max.

  “Shall we dive?” he asked.

  Everyone pulled on their tanks, fins, and masks. Soon, he was sitting on the edge of the boat as Morgan paired everyone up with a dive buddy.

  She sat down beside him. “You’re with me, doc.”

  He grinned. Good. He pulled his mask over his face, and then let himself roll backward into the water.

  Zach hit with a splash, sinking, and waiting for the bubbles around him to fade. He took a second to orient himself, grabbed the control for his BCD and submerged beneath the waves.

  Diving always made him feel like he was entering his own little world.

  The mask on his face, the sound of his breathing, the constriction of the wet suit…it all trapped a person in his own little space. But then he looked up and into the clear water ahead, and beyond his little world was an amazing universe.

  The water temperature was good and the visibility was great. Conditions were perfect for a successful dive. Now they just had to find what they were looking for.

  With a graceful splash, Morgan appeared in the water beside him. She took half a second to right herself, looking sleek and experienced. She paused to tap the waterproof screen attached to her wrist. She had the map marked on there.

  He kicked to move forward, and for a second, with the tanks on his back, the weight belt around his waist, and the huge fins, he felt awkward. Morgan looked up and pointed ahead. With two powerful kicks, she was sliding through the water with a grace he’d never match.

  Zach kicked again, and just like that, he felt weightless and fluid. That was the beauty of diving. When you forgot about the gear that was there to make an inhospitable environment survivable and simply looked around, it was amazing.

  As he followed Morgan, he checked on his students and made sure everyone was following along. Dec was swimming with Alice, and keeping a close eye on the students.

  Knowing his team was well looked after, he looked ahead and took his time to admire Morgan’s long, lean body.

  She looked completely at home in the water. It was then he noticed that she held a spear gun lightly at her side. Strong, sexy, and dangerous.

  Zach’s gut tightened. For the first time in his life, he found a woman equally as exciting as his job.

  But when Morgan pointed ahead, he jerked his attention off of her and back onto the job.

  When she stopped, tapping her screen, he realized they must be at the location of the cannon. He directed his team to start searching. Alice pulled out an underwater camera and started taking some shots.

  As the archeologists fanned out, he scanned the seafloor. Seconds later, he spotted the cannon. He grinned around his regulator. As he started taking measurements, he was vaguely aware of Alice floating around him, taking photos. They’d need to bring this beauty up and clean it before they could determine if it was off the Soleil d’Orient. Other ships had sunk around this point, so he couldn’t be sure just by looking at it half buried in the sand.

  He felt a tap on his leg and looked over to see Morgan. She was pointing at the sand nearby. With a few kicks, he joined her, and saw what she was pointing at.

  There was a large shard of what looked like porcelain buried in the sand. He moved closer, hoping to make out its pattern. But it was encrusted and covered in muck. From the shape, it was some sort of vase.

  He waved Alice over and she took some pictures. He gestured for Charity to extract the piece. As the young woman carefully got to work, Zach pulled a soft net bag off his belt and shook it open. Soon, Charity had eased the item free. Zach’s heart kicked. It was, indeed, a vase, and more importantly, it was intact.

  They carefully put it in the bag, and he attached it to Charity’s dive belt.

  They kept searching, fanning out over the area. Max signaled him, and he moved over and found another vase.

  This was it. He was sure of it. It had to be the Soleil d’Orient. They had no conclusive evidence yet, and this certainly wasn’t the main part of the ship, but she was here somewhere.

  His head buzzed, his thoughts ru
nning rampant, imagining doing a site survey, laying out an artifact grid, running a magnetometer over the site.

  Zach floated in the water for a second, adjusting his flotation device. He needed some proof that this was the right ship, and he knew that would take time. He needed to dredge up some of that patience he’d lectured his students about.

  But with the possibility of treasure under here, maybe right under his feet, he didn’t have a hell of a lot of time. He knew the lure of gold and diamonds would have treasure hunters on top of them in an instant.

  He watched Morgan swimming nearby, searching the sand. She’d take time, too. She had a prickly exterior, but something told Zach that if he took his time with her, whatever she hid under that tough shell would be worth the wait.

  ***

  Morgan gripped the edge of the ship and pulled herself up onto the Storm Nymph. She carefully set down the soft bag she was carrying, loaded with several artifacts.

  Behind her, the others were climbing on board. They were all excited, buzzing and chattering. Everyone started to shed their tanks and gear.

  Morgan pulled her mask off and looked around with a frown. Where were Coop and Hale? Where were Diego and his guys? She shook her head. Slackers.

  After taking off her tank and peeling off her wet suit, she helped the others, setting the tanks back in the racks to be refilled. She grabbed a towel off the pile left on deck and pulled her shorts on.

  She turned and got the perfect view of Zach as he stripped off his suit. He wasn’t quite as muscular as her colleagues, but there were a lot of lean muscles to appreciate. Her mouth went dry. Lots of lean, well-defined muscles.

  “Where the hell are Coop and Hale?” Dec grumbled.

  “And Marc and Turner should be getting this gear prepped again for the next dive.” Morgan looked across the ship again. It was quiet. Too quiet. “Something’s wrong.”

  Dec snapped into action, pulling his handgun from the stash of clothes he’d left on the deck. Morgan did the same, settling her SIG Sauer comfortably in her palm.

  “What’s going on?” Zach asked.

  Morgan faced him. “We’re not sure. Stay here with your people. Dec and I will take a look around.”