Reid took her tank harness off and quickly began removing the nearly empty tank. Louie went into the cabin and made them both a peanut butter sandwich to give them some extra energy before going back down. When he returned to the stern deck, Reid had both tanks changed and she’d also replaced the batteries in both of the handheld metal detectors.
“Thanks,” she said, grabbing the sandwich. She had been so caught up in finding a search spot, then diving on the spot, that she’d forgotten all about her growling stomach. She was eager to get back into the water, but didn’t want to eat too fast. Her body needed time to digest the food.
*
A half hour later, Reid and Louie were back at it, waving the metal detectors over the sand. This time, they’d started about twenty yards behind the boat and were working there back towards its shadow.
I know you’re here. Reid thought as she slowly passed over a section of bottom near a small reef rock. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She had only felt this type of sensation and adrenaline rush when she’d actually found something, so she knew her body was giving her a signal. She was close.
Louie was fifteen feet away when Reid’s mental detector lit up. She was only about five feet away from the edge of the reef rock, so she scanned a wide path around it as the lights stayed on. She tossed the detector down in the sand and began digging with her hand paddle.
When she scraped away about a foot of silt under the sand, she saw the first glint of something shiny. She quickly dug some more, moving towards the large rock as she uncovered three small, somewhat round and flat, shiny objects. Reid reached down, grabbing them. The sun was almost gone, so she was using a head lantern to help light up her work area. Her eyes grew as round as saucers as she slowly opened her palm, allowing the light to shine on the three pieces of gold lying on her bare hand.
She closed her fist and danced around a second before placing them in the net bag attached to her weight belt. Then, she swam over to Louie, who was busy scanning another area.
Reid grabbed his arm and pointed to the net bag. He started fist pumping his arms when his light hit the gold. She led the way as he followed her back to the spot she’d been digging.
*
Reid and Louie spent the next hour digging all around the reef rock with their hand paddles, finding a few more coins. Reid accidentally bumped the reef rock with her paddle and scraped a small section of coral away, revealing metal underneath. She quickly began chipping away at the rock while Louie sifted through the silt.
Within minutes, Reid’s eyes lit up. The reef in front of her wasn’t a rock at all. It was a cannon with over three thousand years’ worth of marine growth on it, forming an artificial coral reef. She grabbed Louie’s arm and showed him what she’d uncovered. Then, she made a quick hand gesture like she was taking a picture, indicating she was going to get the camera. He nodded and stayed there while she ascended.
The sun was low in the sky when Reid grabbed her camera and dove back in. She tried not to use too much oxygen as she hurried to the bottom. Louie was digging on the other side of the cannon when she met up with him. He held up his net bag, which had a half dozen shiny gold pieces in it. She gave him a thumbs up and began taking pictures of the cannon, as well as the coins they’d found.
*
The sky was pitch black and full of stars when Reid and Louie finally surfaced. They were able to find the boat easily because of the full moon and the anchor lights on the boat.
“I can’t believe I found it,” Reid whispered, taking her dive equipment off.
Louie hugged her. “You did it, my friend.”
Reid peeled out of her wetsuit and ran into the wheelhouse. A plastic bowl was sitting on the galley table with a mixture of salt water and fresh water inside of it. She quickly deposited the coins into the water.
“How many do we have?” Louie asked, sitting down across from her.
“Thirteen,” she replied.
“How many do you think are down there?” he questioned, staring at the gold pieces.
“I’m not a hundred percent certain, but the manifests for the two galleons had about a hundred thousand gold doubloons and equally as many pieces of eight, which were silver coins. Plus, jewels and about twenty gold bars,” she answered.
Reid looked at the bowl full of gold coins, still shocked that she’d found anything at all. She couldn’t be certain she’d actually found the Duchess until she figured out what era the cannon was from. In all of her years of research, she knew no ship had ever been recorded having sunk in the area she was in. The three ships that had been found were in the deeper water, moving away from Great Inagua Island, which sat on the other side of Little Inagua, some five miles away. She reached into the bowl, retrieving one of the coins. The markings clearly indicated it was a Spanish piece. I did it, she thought, feeling a sense of pride as she ran her finger over the markings.
Louie watched as she put the coin back in the bowl, covered it with a lid that snapped in place, and stowed it in a compartment under the helm. Then, he looked through the pictures on the digital camera. “How did you figure out that was a cannon? From the other side, it looks like a coral rock.”
“I bumped it with my paddle and a chunk of coral and barnacles fell off,” she replied. “That will be a key in figuring out if we truly found the Duchess.”
“Do you think we did?”
Reid looked at him and smiled. “I’d bet my life on it.”
“Are we going back down in the morning with the suction pump?” he asked excitedly.
“No.” Reid moved from the galley seat to the helm. “Pull the anchor,” she said, looking back at him. “We’re going to get Nadia.”
TWENTY-TWO
After a four hour ride back to Acklins Island, Reid and Louie were worn out. They hadn’t slept in nearly twenty-four hours. She’d tried calling the thugs on the radio, using the name of the speed boat. When no one answered, she decided to anchor the Lady Pearl outside of the small harbor.
“Maybe they’re asleep,” Louie said.
“I doubt it.” She checked her dive watch. It was just after midnight. “Come on,” she mumbled, switching on the anchor lights and shutting down all of the electronics.
Louie watched Reid reach into the compartment under the helm, retrieving two of the gold coins. She put them in the pocket on the side of her cargo shorts and secured the Velcro closure at the top.
“What are you going to do with those?” he asked.
“They’re our bargaining chips. You need to go to the casino with me more.” She grinned.
“No way. I like my money in my pocket,” he replied, helping her get the dinghy into the water.
*
The ride through the harbor to the marina was short, taking about ten minutes. They tied the dinghy up near the end of the dock and began looking for the bright yellow speed boat. She knew since they’d shot and killed the captain, leaving his body for the sharks, that the smart option would’ve been to ditch the boat, but she wasn’t sure those two goons had enough common sense to do so. Which is why she was looking for the boat.
“Excuse me,” Reid said, stopping a couple who was stepping onto the dock. “Have you seen two Hispanic men, one tall thin and the other short and fat? They were probably with a girl a little shorter than me with light brown hair.
“No,” the man replied.
The smell of alcohol vapor coming from his open mouth made Reid glad she wasn’t a smoker. She might have gone up in flames if she had a lit cigarette.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, moving to walk away.
“Wait, was she wearing a purple bikini?” the woman asked. “I saw a fat Spanish guy with a really pretty young girl when we were at the Salty Rat earlier today. She had a purple bikini on. I remember because no one else in the bar was wearing a bathing suit and I thought she looked out of place.”
Clearly, the woman had drank a lot less than her husband. Reid said thank you and quickly hea
ded up the ramp, looking for a taxi. At that time of night, no cabs were waiting around to shuttle people into town.
“Damn it!” she growled.
“Look,” Louie said, pointing to the scooter rental shop on the other side of the road.
The sign indicated they closed at ten p.m., but the disgruntled owner was outside, bringing in the scooters from a party of people who were just now returning them. He shook his head as he got on the first scooter and drove it around to the back of the building.
Reid and Louie watched him take the second one. As soon as he disappeared around the corner on the third scooter, they rushed over, climbing on the remaining two and racing down a side street. Reid and Louie were completely out of sight when the man returned.
*
Reid had been on Acklins Island a few times, so she vaguely remembered where the Salty Rat bar was located in the middle of town. She sped through the empty, darkened streets, pushing the little red scooter to its limit. Louie was right behind her, maneuvering easily. A scooter was his only means of transportation in Zanzibar, so he was very comfortable riding one, and Reid had also had a scooter as her automobile while living in the Bahamas.
Both scooters skidded to a halt in front of the rundown bar. Only a few people occupied the small establishment when Reid and Louie stepped inside. The two Hispanic goons were easy to pick out. They were sitting at a table in the back corner…alone.
Reid felt like her worst fear was coming true. She tried to slow her racing pulse as she walked up to them. “Where’s Nadia?” she demanded.
“She’s put away for safe keeping,” Juan laughed.
“Did you find our treasure?” Berto asked.
“I want to see her first,” Reid growled.
“She’s in good hands,” Juan replied with a smug grin.
“She better not be in anyone’s hands you son of a bitch! Where is she?” she yelled as her adrenaline level rose.
“No treasure…no girl,” Berto said simply.
Reid gritted her teeth as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out one of the gold coins, slamming it down on the table under her palm. The couple of people on the other side of the bar watched the commotion in the corner.
Berto and Juan both reached for the shiny gold coin like kids at Christmas as soon as Reid removed her hand.
“Is there more?” Juan asked, reaching for it.
“Of course there’s more,” Berto replied before giving Reid a stern look.
“There’s thousands more,” she replied, crossing her arms.
“Thousands,” Berto whispered as his eyes lit up.
“We’re rich!” Juan said, smiling from ear to ear.
“The Dom can kiss my hairy ass,” Berto laughed, running his finger over the coin.
“You’re not getting anything until you give me Nadia…alive,” Reid said, killing their mood.
“You don’t get the girl until we get all of the gold!”
“Be at the main dock of the marina at dawn with her,” Reid growled, walking away and leaving them to salivate over the coin.
*
Reid pulled anchor and moved the boat around the corner so they wouldn’t find it easily if they came looking for it in the middle of the night. Once they were settled, she set the alarm on her watch and crawled onto the V-berth in the bow. She hadn’t been there since Nadia disappeared. In fact, she hadn’t slept a wink. Her mind and body had been running on pure adrenaline. She wondered if she was even going to be able to sleep at all.
“What are we going to do?” Louie asked through the open doorway. He was lying on the port bench seat, staring at the stars through the window.
“I have no idea,” she replied as her eyes slammed shut.
TWENTY-THREE
“Wake up, Princess,” Juan said, kicking the chair Nadia was curled up in.
She cracked her eyes, realizing it wasn’t a dream and she was still stuck with the two thugs. Both men were starting to smell like bad body order, making her wonder if she stunk too.
“Let’s go. Your girl came through last night,” Juan added.
“What? Reid was here?” Nadia sat up a little straighter. She found me.
“Yep. She brought us a shiny gold coin.”
“Where is she now?”
“At the dock. Get your ass moving! We’re going to trade you for the rest of the loot.”
Nadia was dehydrated, starving, tired, and in desperate need of a shower, but simply knowing Reid was nearby gave her enough energy to rush down the stairs, where Berto was waiting. She had no idea what time it was, but it was still completely dark outside.
Juan opened the back door of their tiny rental car and shoved Nadia inside, before going to the front passenger seat. “Don’t try anything funny,” he said, pointing to the gun tucked in his waistband.
Nadia stayed silent as they drove through the streets of the small town. Her mind was on seeing Reid and getting the hell away from those men.
“Where the fuck is the marina?” Berto growled, slamming on the brakes at the start of a dead end road.
“Maybe you missed a turn,” Juan suggested.
“I know we came from this direction,” Berto rumbled, squealing the tires as he turned the small car around.
“How about a sign that says marina with an arrow on it?” Nadia said sarcastically.
“Shut up before I put a bullet between your teeth!” Berto yelled.
“Look, there’s a sign,” Juan exclaimed!
“Told you,” Nadia muttered.
Berto pulled his gun and pointed it at her face.
“Come on, we need her alive long enough for that bitch to give us the gold,” Juan said.
“You’re going to be the first one I shoot,” Berto sneered.
They were about to turn into the marina parking lot when Berto’s phone rang. “It’s The Dom,” he murmured, pulling into a parking space. “Keep her quiet.” He nodded towards the backseat, getting out of the car. “Hey, boss,” he answered.
“Where the fuck is my money, Berto?” The Dom rasped.
“We haven’t found the boat yet. It wasn’t where we thought, so we had to go to another island.”
“Are you kidding me?” The Dom growled. “Find that damn boat, Berto, or don’t bother coming back. You hear me?”
“I hear you, boss. Loud and clear. We’re on it,” Berto replied before hanging up.
“What did he say?” Juan asked, pulling Nadia out of the car.
“Find the fucking money or don’t come back.”
“We’re not going back anyway, right?” Juan said.
“Hell no. I told you, I’m done being his bitch. This treasure is ours. He can go find his own money.” Berto began walking towards the docks. “Listen, we’re going to get on this boat, make sure she has the goods, then bam! We get rid of them and sail off into the sunset. The Dom will be old news by tomorrow morning,” he whispered.
“Do you think he will find us?” Juan asked.
“How is he going to find us? He can’t even find his own drug boat!”
Juan nodded. “Look,” he said, pointing towards the end of the dock.
“What the fuck?” Berto huffed.
TWENTY-FOUR
The inflatable dinghy bumped against the dock. Reid cut off the engine and reached up, tying the line on a nearby cleat. It was still dark, but orange rays from the sun were slowly becoming visible on the horizon. She climbed out of the boat and leaned against a large piling with her arms crossed. There was no sign of the two thugs or their captor. She tried to calm her nerves as she thought about the plan she and Louie had devised. A few months ago, Reid would’ve never left the Duchess until she had enough proof to claim the discovery, much less risk everything, including her own life, to save a woman and deal with a couple of lowlife thugs. She cursed Guillermo for getting her into this situation to begin with. So much had changed, especially in her. Nadia had wrecked her from the inside out, breaking down barriers she never knew exist
ed. For the first time in her life, Reid knew what it felt like to love and be loved. It thrilled and scared the hell out of her. Thinking about her plan and all the ways it go could wrong, scared her even more. She pushed off the piling, shaking the thoughts from her head when she heard male voices. She looked up in time to see Nadia walking towards her with the two men flanking her sides. Her hair was disheveled and she was still wearing the bikini top and cutoff shorts from two days earlier. She looked miserable, but didn’t have any visible injuries.
“Reid!” Nadia squealed, wrapping her arms around the slightly taller woman. “They’re going to kill us all and take off with the gold,” she whispered. “Their boss has no idea what’s going on,” she added before Juan snatched her back.
“Get your ass over here,” he yelled.
Reid smiled at her. The simple feeling of Nadia’s body against hers made her heart race, pushing her adrenaline level even higher.
“Where’s the fucking boat?” Berto growled.
“Out there,” Reid replied, pointing to the open water. “There’s plenty of room. Let’s go,” she said, moving to get into the dinghy.
“No funny business or you’ll both get it,” Berto mumbled, holding his pistol in his hand.
Reid waited for everyone to get situated, then she pulled the cord, starting the motor.
*
The short ride out to the Lady Pearl took a little longer with the added weight, despite Reid running the small engine at full throttle. As soon as they rounded the curve of the inlet, they spotted the white boat, bobbing at anchor a hundred yards away.
Reid pulled the raft up against the swim platform and tied it off. Berto was the first one out. He grabbed Nadia, pulling her up. Then, Juan climbed on deck. Reid secured the inflatable with a second line before joining them on the stern.
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