Ladyfish

by Andrea Bramhall

  “Finn!”

  “Well, you know my dad would insist on a prenup, so what do you think would happen?”

  “I know. But you don’t need to be so crude.” He lifted his hands to her face and wiped away the tears that slipped slowly down her cheeks.

  Finn snorted. “Since when did you become a prude? You’re the one who told me what jerking off was!”

  “Yes, but we know I’m a slut with a dirty mouth. You, however…”

  “Yeah, I know. Sweet and innocent.” She patted his back and started to move away. “I think I might have to do something about this reputation of mine. If diving doesn’t work out, maybe I should be a streetwalker.” She stuck her hand on her hip and cocked it to one side taking on the exaggerated gait straight out of Pretty Woman, desperate to take her mind off the sense of loss already invading her heart. “What do you think? I’ll get some high-heeled boots and strut my stuff.”

  “You in heels? You’d break your neck before you got to the first car, baby.”

  She straightened up. “Gee, thanks. You’re just jealous.”

  “Of what?”

  “I don’t know. I just thought I’d say it and see what came to mind.”

  “Nutter.”

  “I know.”

  “So should we go and grab something to eat before we go to the airport?”

  “Sure, what do you fancy? Besides the concierge?”

  Pete stuck his tongue out at her. “Spoilsport. Do you feel like Italian?”

  “Yup, I can go for a pizza.” She hoisted Pete’s rucksack onto her shoulder as he lifted the towing handle on his case. She grabbed the key card as they got to the door, and they waited in silence for the lift. Memories of their shared past bombarded her during the short ride to the pizzeria, only the sound of the engine and the occasional horn filling the silence.

  They made short work of ordering pizzas and Cokes when they got into the restaurant, and Finn smirked at Pete as he watched the waiter walk away.

  “How’s the stitching?”

  “Huh?”

  “On his bum? You seemed to be examining the stitching very closely.” She handed him a napkin. “Just wipe your chin.”

  “Cheeky mare.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So tell me the plan for when you land back?”

  “Let’s see. Night flight back home; tomorrow I’ll be sleeping. I have a meeting set up for Monday with John Pritchard. He’s setting up that unit I was telling you about to run through financial crimes and needs an IT expert.” She tried to ignore the way he avoided her eyes whenever he talked about Pritchard and the new job. She knew there was more to his story than he was telling her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

  “Hacker?”

  “To assist him with software development and stuff like that. It’s all pretty hush-hush so it shouldn’t get back to your dad until it’s a done deal.”

  “Sounds exciting.”

  “Yeah, it’s more what I thought I’d be doing. Using my cyber skills to catch the bad guys, not make them richer.” He realized too late what he had said. “Sorry, Finn.”

  “So you see yourself as some sort of computer Robin Hood?”

  “Yep, always did like those men in tights.”

  “Pete, tell me the truth. What’s going on with this Pritchard guy? Every time you talk about him, you’re all vague and I know you’re hiding something. Please just tell me what it is.”

  Pete twisted his napkin around his fingers. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “John Pritchard works for MI6.”

  “Wow. You’re going to be a spy?” Finn grinned and took a sip of her drink.

  “I guess.”

  “Didn’t you say he approached you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t realize your reputation was that good.”

  “It’s not. He approached me because I have inside knowledge of one of their investigations.”

  “Pete, please don’t tell me you’ve been doing anything illegal.”

  “Not knowingly. I got involved with something, and before I knew what was going on, I was too far in.”

  “I don’t understand. You’re talking in riddles.”

  “He’s investigating Sterling Enterprises.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Why are they investigating my dad’s company? What do they think is going on there? What do you think is going on there?”

  “I know there’s a lot going on.”

  “Don’t be so obtuse. Just spit it out. What do they think is going on in my dad’s company? I mean that thing is his life, how they can think something is going on under his nose—” The realization hit her like a sledgehammer. She gasped and covered her mouth, trying to hold the words back.

  “Finn, I’m sorry.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t know anything for certain for a long time. I just had suspicions. Heard rumors. That kind of thing. I couldn’t tell you those kinds of thing. He’s still your dad, whatever kind of bastard he is.”

  “It’s not suspicion or rumor now, is it?”

  “No.”

  “So tell me. I think I deserve to know. He is my father after all.”

  “Finn—”

  “Tell me!” Her heart thundered in her chest as she tried to calm her breathing. “Please, Pete, tell me what you know.”

  “I know that Sterling Enterprises is laundering money. Huge amounts of money.”

  “From what?”

  “That I don’t know. I swear.”

  “Carry on.”

  “There has to be more to it, because MI6 wouldn’t be investigating if it was just money laundering, but I swear I don’t know anything else.”

  “So why do they want you, if you don’t know anything?”

  “I designed the company’s computer systems. I have files of evidence proving the money laundering, and I said I would testify that your dad knows this is happening.”

  “You’re sure he knows?”

  “Yes. I found e-mails from him to Jack about it. I’ll give all this to Pritchard when I meet him on Monday.”

  “Then what? Are they going to arrest my dad?” The thought crossed her mind that it would ensure that he left her alone, and that with him out of the picture maybe she could return to her work, to finish her research with the E. coli bacteria protocols. She didn’t find the thought appealing. She knew she would miss Florida and the diving too much already. More than that, she knew she would miss Oz, and she didn’t want to lose the fledgling connection she could feel developing between them. The idea of her dad actually doing something illegal didn’t surprise her as much as she thought it should, nor did the prospect of him going to prison upset her. Her only concerns were the unanswered questions, which suddenly seemed endless.

  “I don’t know. It depends if they can make a case, I suppose. Listen, I didn’t want this to be our last face-to-face conversation for I don’t even know how long. I’m sorry, Finn.”

  She shrugged. “I wish you’d told me sooner.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to tell you at all.”

  “Why?”

  “Official secrets act. I had to sign a disclaimer before we left the UK.”

  “Wow. So telling me was treason.”

  “Great, now I feel better.”

  She laughed and held up her little finger. “I won’t tell. Pinkie swear.” She wiggled her finger.

  “Finn, we aren’t kids anymore.”

  “I know.”

  He laughed and hooked his little finger with hers. “Okay, now what?”

  “Don’t tell me you don’t remember?”

  “I’m not singing that stupid song. No way.”

  “Then it’s not binding.”

  “I don’t care.”

  They finished their meal, paid, and left. Finn caught a flash of light out of the corner of her eye as th
ey settled back into the car and headed for the airport. Almost certain that it was a camera flash, she looked around, but couldn’t find its source, so she pushed it to the back of her head. I’m getting paranoid now.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  Finn was staring out across the ocean, hugging her coffee cup, the brew long cold and unnoticed. Oz’s voice broke her reverie, and she looked up with a wan smile.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “I know you will. But that wasn’t what I asked. Did Pete get to the airport okay?”

  Finn wiped her hands across her face as the tears welled in her eyes, and she found herself unable to speak.

  “What time is he due to land?”

  “He should be landing any time now. I was going to give him a call tonight, if he hasn’t already beaten me to it.”

  “Well, in the meantime do you want something to take your mind off him?”

  “Definitely. What do you have planned?”

  “Well, you passed your rescue diver test with flying colors yesterday so I thought we’d move on with logging your dives for your Divemaster certification. We’ve got plenty of time today. No reason why we can’t get three dives taken care of. There’s a boat going out with some tourists in about thirty minutes. Can you be ready?”

  “My gear’s all boxed. I just need to grab my wet suit.”

  “Perfect. I’ll get Carlos to put the tanks on the boat for us, and I’ll see you there in a few minutes.”

  Finn watched her go, grateful that Oz had found the perfect way to take her mind off things. Not only was she reeling from Pete’s departure, but the discovery of her father’s nefarious activities and the subsequent interest of MI6 left her with more questions than answers. Why MI6? They wouldn’t be investigating simple cases of money laundering unless there were international or terrorist connections. Why hadn’t Pete trusted her with his suspicions in the first place? She felt cold inside and tried to push the troubling thoughts away, knowing there was nothing she could do about the situation. She tried to focus on the diving ahead of her and the time she’d be spending with Oz. She felt the chill in her bones begin to thaw as she pictured Oz in her wet suit with the top half rolled down to her waist, just high enough to cover the scar on her belly most of the time. Every glimpse of it piqued Finn’s curiosity, and she wanted to ask her about it but found her courage failing every time. So she focused again on the image of the strong, tanned shoulders covered with only the thin straps of the bikini top she always wore underneath. She found herself hoping for the aqua blue top today, loving the way it made Oz’s eyes stand out. She hurried to grab her gear and flipped through her own swimwear, mentally casting aside one after the other until she spotted her dark green bikini and hurried to the changing room. Oz had said that green brought out her eyes. She thought about her conversation with Pete. The truth, even if she didn’t admit it to him, was that she had a major crush on Oz. She made her feel good, she made her laugh, and more importantly, for the first time in her life, she felt sexy. Oz made her feel like the new woman she wanted to be, and she was going to keep doing whatever it was that made Oz look at her like a woman.

  The more time they spent together, the more she liked Oz as a person. She had told Pete Oz was a good friend, and it was true. The more she watched her interact with the crew and customers alike, the more fascinated she became with the woman behind the snorkel. She held the green bikini top to her chest and grinned before rushing to finish getting ready.

  Twenty minutes later, Finn passed her crate to Carlos and stepped aboard the dive boat.

  “Hey, Finn, are you going out with Oz today?”

  “Yup. Where are we off to?”

  “Key Largo. She didn’t tell you yet?”

  “Nope. Should I be worried?”

  “Well, it’s a beautiful spot. She asked me to put three tanks each on the boat for you so she must have a good plan. Clem’s taking out a group of six, and Mac’s got a group of five. Different levels in each group, so Oz will probably want you to listen in to the dive briefings of both before she does the briefing for you.”

  “Does that mean you are our captain today?”

  “No, my dad is the captain. I get to run around doing everything he tells me to do.”

  “Carlos, stop chatting up the pretty girls and get the rest of the gear on the boat! We don’t have all the day to be playing Don Juan, you know.” Oz joined them, smiling.

  A furious blush colored Carlos’s cheeks. He turned quickly and almost tripped over the box he had put down for Finn, causing his blush to deepen further.

  “I told you. He’s smitten.” Oz was grinning at her from the dock, her hair glowing against the shining sun. It was easy to see her eyes sparkling with mischief, even covered by the dark glasses. She wore shorts over her bathing suit and had a backpack slung over her shoulder, one arm securing her dive crate to her hip. Finn felt her pulse speed up as she stood looking at her. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers through her hair, stroke her fingers down her cheek, and feel the soft, smooth skin for herself. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts.

  “Stop teasing and pass your crate over.”

  Oz handed the crate over and stepped aboard.

  “So tell me about today’s dives.”

  “We’re going to do a deep dive and a couple of wreck dives. We’re going to dive on the Spiegel Grove. We’ll be doing all three dives on it and start off with the deep one first. That means we’re going in and straight down to ninety feet. That’s thirty meters in English.”

  Finn smiled sweetly at her. “I can do the sums, thanks, Oz.”

  Finn watched as Carlos cast off the boat and then she headed to the top deck where Mac was giving his briefing. He nodded to Finn as she sat at the back of the group and listened intently.

  “The Spiegel Grove was a five hundred and ten foot long naval vessel that was eighty-four feet wide and could carry more than three hundred combat troops, twenty-one landing craft, and eight helicopters at any one time. It lies between fifty and a hundred and thirty feet deep. It was scuttled in two thousand and two to create an artificial reef. This wreck is so big that you could easily dive it twenty times and still see something different every time.”

  He held up a picture of the wreck. “This is how the wreck lies currently. We’re going to descend and stay on the shore side of the vessel. We get better protection from the strong currents there, making dives easier and therefore much more enjoyable. We’ll be down about forty minutes, depending on air usage, and we’ll stay around sixty feet. We’ll have a three minute safety stop at fifteen feet as we ascend. Now, there are sections we can swim through. Everyone here has their advanced dive certifications, so if you want to, we can go on the swim-through. Does anyone feel uncomfortable going inside the wreck? Nope. Cool. Okay, we’ll be going onto the bridge. The doors are missing so you can’t get stuck behind closed doors or anything. This will be a drift dive due to the strong currents. Does anyone have any problems with any of that?”

  Clem tapped Finn on the shoulder and motioned her to follow him. “I’m going to start my briefing now, if you want to come and listen.”

  “Thanks.” She followed him downstairs.

  “Okay, guys, if you’ll all gather around, I’m going to start the dive briefing.” The group congregated quickly and settled into their seats.

  Finn listened and learned a bit more about the wreck itself, but not much more about instruction. The styles were different, but the information was virtually the same.

  “That’s it, really. If we have to come up, we’ll do it as a group, take care of whatever the problem is, and then decide on the course of action from there. Does anyone have any questions?”

  Finn set off to find Oz when the talk ended.

  “So tell me what you know about the wreck,” Oz said, sitting with her back to the sun, her bathing suit showing off her tanned, toned arms. Finn took a breath to steady her
self.

  “It’s underwater.” Finn grinned cheekily as Oz laughed loudly.

  “Can you tell me how deep?”

  Finn fed back the information from the other dive instructors almost word for word. “And since they said their dives are drift dives, I’m guessing ours is too. How’d I do?”

  “Not bad. A little short on details, but the main points are definitely there. Let’s see if you can still tell me when we come back up.” She made the T sign with her hand “What’s this?”

  “One hundred bar.” She made a fist herself. “Fifty. And each finger is ten bar. Always tell you the number lower if I’m in between and let you know when I get to one hundred bar so you can plan ahead.”

  “I’ll make a diver of you yet. So we’ll go in and drop to what depth?”

  “Ninety feet.”

  “Then we’ll just drift along nice and steady. We won’t be going in the wreck on this dive. We’ll save that for next time. Just follow me and keep breathing. Oh, and here, put this on your BCD.” Oz tossed her a coin-like medal.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s your wreck medallion. All divers who go on the wrecks out here have to have one to show they’re allowed to dive the wrecks. You can get annual medallions or lifetime ones. I got you an annual one. It covers this wreck and two others that you’ll be diving pretty regularly. We’ll be down a shorter length of time than the others.”

  “Because we’re going deeper so our air will run out faster.”

  “Exactly. But I’m not going to set a limit on the dive. I want to see how long you get at depth, then we can gauge what work we need to do to maximize your dive times.”

  “Cool.”

  They got their gear ready and went through their buddy checks. The boat came to a stop and Mac led his group in first. When they had descended, Clem led his group below the surface of the water and Oz stepped off the back of the boat. Finn watched the waves tossing the small dive boat, planted a hand over her mask and regulator, crossed the other over her body, and stepped off the boat. She signaled her okay to Oz and pointed her thumb down. Foot by foot, they descended into the blue-green depths of the ocean, and at one point she pinched her nose to help equalize the pressure in her ears. Oz asked if she was okay, and she signaled that she was fine.