Eyes of Fire

by Heather Graham

  “Sam!” Adam started after her, but Hinnerman pulled a gun and pointed it straight at Adam’s nose. Jerry struggled to her feet and caught hold of Sam, dragging her down before Liam could strike her, as well.

  “Leave him alone, Sam, please.”

  “He has no right! He can’t do that to you!” Sam insisted angrily. “I won’t let him! He can just damned well shoot me—”

  “Sam, Sam, please stop. He will shoot you.” Jerry stared at her, her blue eyes damp. “Sam, I knew the story. I—I went into shock after your father was killed. I don’t know how I survived…except that I was saved by one of Santino’s divers.”

  “Hinnerman,” Adam guessed.

  “Yes, sir!” Liam said quietly, smiling, the gun still pointed at Adam’s face.

  “Sam, I swear to you, I didn’t realize it myself until we were on the island. Liam is—”

  “Liam is the bastard who pretended to be working for Robert Santino while he was striking out on his own,” Adam said coolly. “He rescued Jerry and kept in close contact with her while she had to lie low. Justin had been killed, and she had killed a man herself. Liam probably convinced her that she’d get the chair for murder if she whispered a word to anyone. Of course, Liam wanted her to find the ship, but she was terrified of diving, and shock had given her complete amnesia about what she knew about the ship. How am I doing, Hinnerman? Is that about right?”

  “In a nutshell,” Liam said. “I’ve killed before, and I wouldn’t mind killing again at all. Of course, I need Sam alive for a while. Sam can find the Beldona. And Sam is going to find the Beldona. Because if she doesn’t, every single one of you is going to die.”

  Adam crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, Hinnerman, you’ve got a gun. But you’re facing six men, not to mention some very inventive ladies. You can’t shoot us all at once. And there’s a storm coming.”

  “I don’t need to shoot you all at once. I’ll shoot you one by one—you in the knees, first. That should make Sam very amenable to following my orders.”

  “And he’s not alone, honey,” a sexy voice said wryly from behind Adam.

  They all spun around. Sukee had drawn a little pearl-handled revolver from the windbreaker she’d been wearing.

  “Sukee?” Jim said incredulously. “But you were working for my father!”

  “’Fraid not, honey,” she said sweetly.

  Sam stood again, protectively placing herself in front of Jerry. “I just don’t believe this,” she said flatly.

  “Sorry,” Sukee said with a shrug.

  “Why?” Jim demanded, still astounded.

  “Well, now, lover, it seems that no one on this island goes by his or her right name. I made up all that Pontre crap. You’re all too trusting.”

  “I doubt that I will be in the future,” Sam commented.

  “If you have a future,” Liam warned.

  “Just what is your real name?” Adam demanded of Sukee.

  She smiled. “Garcia. Chico was my father.”

  “This is sick!” Yancy offered. “You’re in league with Hinnerman—who killed your father?”

  Sukee tossed her short, sassy hair. “Unlike Joey over there, I can see the truth. My father wasn’t just a criminal, he was a complete asshole. I don’t need anyone to tell me that he deserved to die. But he was the first to find the stinking ship, and I deserve my cut of those rubies. So we’re going to get to them. Right now.”

  “It’s night, and there’s a storm brewing,” Adam said.

  “It’s nearly dawn, and I suggest Sam finds the damn ship before the storm actually gets here,” Sukee said.

  “She doesn’t know where the ship is,” Adam insisted angrily.

  Hinnerman suddenly pressed the nose of his gun against Adam’s temple. “Where’s your brother?”

  “None of your business.”

  “He came straight here. To you. To his kid.”

  “Well, he isn’t here, is he?” Adam backed away from the nose of the gun, staring at Sukee. “Who was keeping him prisoner? A relative of yours?”

  Sukee smiled. “I have a brother, too. He met up with Liam soon after poor old Dad met his fate. We spent a very long time planning this. Hank happened to dig his way out of his imprisonment just a little bit too late to be of enough help to do you any good now, huh? A few days earlier, and he could have kept you from the predicament you’re now in. But the little bastard is on the island, I’ll bet,” Sukee said.

  Hinnerman said, “It is an island. He’s not going anywhere.”

  “So you’re planning on killing all of us here, then going to Seafire Isle and killing everyone there?” Adam asked.

  Hinnerman smiled in reply.

  “Sam doesn’t know where the ship is,” Adam insisted.

  “Sam hasn’t wanted to know where the ship is because Sam has known she’d find her old man’s body on it,” Liam said flatly. “Now she can find the ship or I can start killing people.”

  “You can’t just kill everyone,” Adam began.

  Hinnerman turned his gun on Joey Emerson. He fired. Sue screamed. Joey fell, clutching his shoulder.

  “Want me to keep shooting?” Hinnerman asked Adam politely.

  “Jem, get the first-aid kit,” Sam said quickly.

  “Sam, if you don’t want to see anyone else bleeding and in pain, you’d better start suiting up.”

  “Am I supposed to dive alone?” she demanded.

  “I’ll go with her,” Adam offered.

  “Oh, no, not you, he-man!” Sukee said sweetly. “You’re just a little bit too dangerous. I’ll be going with Sam while Liam and his Magnum keep you all company up here.”

  “It’s all right, Adam,” Sam said, looking at him. But oddly enough, Adam wasn’t looking at her. He was looking beyond her.

  Day was just beginning to dawn. Blackness had receded. A crimson sky allowed them to see the foam-tipped waves rising all around them.

  What the hell was he looking at? Sam wondered.

  And what in God’s name was she going to do? She was fairly certain that she actually did know where to find the ship.

  Oh, God…

  “Miss Carlyle, Jerry has been a real pain in the ass lately. If you don’t move quickly, I think I’ll shoot her next. Right in the kneecap. Not a lethal shot, but one that will cause her excruciating pain.

  “I’ll get my suit,” Sam said flatly. She turned to get her equipment.

  “Better get suited up yourself,” Hinnerman told Sukee.

  “Yeah, all right.” Sukee followed Sam, smiling as she carefully slipped her gun into a pocket of her jacket. She kept her distance from Sam while she shed the jacket. “Don’t get any ideas, Sammy. I can see it in your eyes, you’d love to make a grab for my jacket—and my gun. Liam will shoot Jerry if you make one false move. Take my word on that.” She smiled and started toward Liam. He took the jacket, then Sukee walked to Sam to put on a dive suit. “You going to be okay up here?” she called to Liam.

  “Yep,” Liam assured her. “I won’t mind killing anyone who moves.”

  “You’ll just have to be fast to do it,” Adam said matter-of-factly.

  “What?” Hinnerman demanded.

  “Look, look out there! On the water!” Adam said.

  Hinnerman spun around, firing blindly and automatically.

  And as he did, Adam took his chance.

  He leaped on Hinnerman and sent them both catapulting over the port railing and into the water.

  Sam didn’t dare risk the time to glance overboard.

  Sukee’s jacket had gone overboard with Liam, she was certain. And without her gun, Sukee was just an obnoxious little half-pint bitch.

  Who’d been willing to kill them all.

  Sam grabbed her by the shoulder. She’d never really taken a good solid punch at anyone’s face in all her life.

  The ability to do so now came with amazing ease.

  Her right knuckles connected with Sukee’s jaw. Sukee screeched, trying to sock Sam i
n return. She made an ineffectual lunge for Sam’s stomach, but Sam didn’t feel the blow at all. She clenched her fist again, and this time caught Sukee beneath her jaw. Sukee swore, ranted and tried to strike Sam again. She missed completely. Sam struck her once again.

  Sukee screamed wildly, clutching her face, falling to the floor. “You’ve broken my nose, you bitch. You’ve broken my nose!”

  Sam swung around. Half of the Sloop Bee’s passengers were staring at her.

  The other half were staring over the port side of the boat. “Can you see them?” Sam demanded, ignoring Sukee, who was moaning on the deck.

  “No!” Yancy cried to her.

  “I’m going after them,” Jem said, diving into the water.

  They heard shots coming from the water. Someone still had a gun.

  It didn’t matter. Jem was already over the side.

  Sam swore, zipping up the suit she was already half into. James Jay Astin was reading her mind, standing next to her, ready to help her into her vest and cylinder. Jerry was behind him with her mask and fins. She accepted both, looking at Jerry.

  Her mother.

  What a night.

  Psychologically, of course, she would never get over it.

  But she would get past it.

  And she would help Jerry get past it with her. It was just that right now…

  Right now she had to find Adam. She started to move. Sukee grabbed her ankle, trying to trip her.

  “Could someone please take care of Sukee?” she asked politely.

  “They just shot Joey,” Sue said. “You bet I’ll take care of her.”

  Perhaps that wasn’t such a good idea, but Sam couldn’t waste any more time on Sukee. Besides, she realized, as she went over the side, Sue wasn’t a vicious killer. Sue wasn’t a killer at all. She was just in love with a man who came from a family with a shady past.

  Joey’s father had killed hers.

  Her mother had killed his father.

  Sweet Jesus…

  No more killing. No more deaths.

  She went over the side.

  Her dive gear gave her the same advantage Adam had used to sweep her away from the Emersons. She sank down a good fifteen feet, grateful that dawn was breaking, that she was also being given the advantage of the light that was just beginning to break through the water. She could see the kicking legs of all three men.

  Jem was perhaps twenty feet from the other two.

  Liam Hinnerman was still in possession of his gun and still shooting. But he was finding it almost impossible to get a good shot at Adam in the midst of the waves that were buffeting him.

  Adam…

  Adam was perhaps fifty feet from her. Diving, rising, diving, rising.

  Trying to beat the waves and avoid Hinnerman’s shots at the same time.

  She swam toward Adam.

  Tugged on his feet. Jerked his ankles.

  He came shooting downward in front of her. To her amazement, he was smiling. Her weights balanced them against the buoyancy of the water. They went pitching downward together for a long moment. She started to offer him her regulator so he could breathe, but he pulled her mouthpiece away for a moment instead, gripped her head and kissed her hard as they plummeted.

  Interesting way to drown….

  But they didn’t drown. Adam released her, sharing her air. He motioned, indicating Jem, and she knew he was telling her that they had to do something to help Jem.

  When she realized what he wanted to do, she shook her head fervently.

  He nodded.

  She couldn’t stop him.

  He was going to bait Hinnerman. Force the man to keep taking potshots at him.

  Sam was to drag Hinnerman down until Adam could turn and struggle with the man.

  “No!” she mouthed.

  Adam was already gone.

  Even in a shirt and jeans, he was still amazingly smooth and supple in the water, like a dolphin. He went streaking by Hinnerman, who fired.

  Again…

  How many bullets were in that damned gun? How many had he used?

  Sam didn’t know, but she heard the peculiar sound of another bullet streaking through the water. She couldn’t bear it anymore.

  Time to move.

  She filled her vest with air and shot upward with a prayer, directly beneath Hinnerman. He was kicking madly against the waves, looking out at the water surrounding him. Looking for Adam to surface.

  She caught his feet and dragged him downward with all her strength.

  He catapulted down, startled by her attack. Then he tried to recover, doubling over, reaching for her.

  He was stronger than she was, and in damned good shape. He worked out. He was powerful.

  He reached for her regulator, ripping the mouthpiece from her. She lost her mask as his fingers wound around her throat.

  He raised his left hand. Aiming the gun directly into her face.

  He smiled as he prepared to fire.

  His arm was suddenly jerked upward, and he fired. A bullet ripped toward the surface of the water, missing Sam by mere inches.

  It had been intended for her face….

  But Hinnerman couldn’t fire again. Adam’s fingers were around his throat, and the man was turning blue. His eyes were beginning to bulge, his tongue to protrude. He tried to gasp in air.

  And received nothing but water.

  Sam watched in horror, mechanically dragging her mask and regulator back into place. She gasped in air.

  As Hinnerman tried to break free he slammed against a coral shelf that rose just above the Seafire Isle Steps.

  Blood from a cut he opened on the coral spewed into the water, and the man went limp.

  Sam caught Adam’s arm, and his eyes met hers. He was still furious, in a deadly rage. But he read in her eyes what she had realized earlier. It was time for the killing to stop.

  She hadn’t spoken, but he nodded. He took a long draft of her air, then indicated that she should take her mouthpiece back and surface. She did, with him behind her, dragging Hinnerman’s wounded form.

  Sam broke the surface first. Jem was holding on to the ladder on the back of the dive boat.

  “Sam?” he demanded.

  “Adam’s coming. Hinnerman’s hurt,” she said.

  Jem nodded, dragging himself up the ladder to help Sam emerge first, then turning back for Adam. Sam sat at the back of the boat, doffing her flippers first, thanking James Jay Astin as he helped her out of her vest.

  Adam reached the ladder. Liam Hinnerman must have really gashed himself, she thought, and the sky, crimson itself with the rising of the sun, was adding to the deep red tone of the water that surrounded Hinnerman.

  “Come on, Hinnerman, we’re going to take you to a hospital so you can be nice and healthy when you stand trial for murder,” Adam muttered, setting Hinnerman’s arms on the ladder. “Hold on!” he said, grasping the ladder to drag himself up so he could turn with Jem to heft the man out of the water.

  But even as Adam emerged, Jerry suddenly started to scream. Sam jerked her head up. Adam swung around.

  Hinnerman let out a startled cry as he was jerked off the ladder.

  “What the hell—” Adam began.

  “Shark!” Jerry whispered, standing there, shaking.

  Hinnerman disappeared beneath the surface as Adam positioned himself to dive in.

  James Jay Astin made a dive for Adam instead.

  “It’s the blood, O’Connor. You can’t help him now.”

  They were all frozen, stunned.

  Hinnerman’s head appeared above the surface one more time as he gurgled something unintelligible.

  Then he disappeared under the waves that were growing fiercer with each passing second.

  They heard a strange wailing. Sukee, starting to cry. Sam didn’t think she was crying for Hinnerman, just for the loss of what she thought should have been hers.

  Adam moistened dry lips, slipped an arm around Sam and spoke to Jem. “We’ve got to get
back before the storm hits, Jem.”

  Jem nodded. “Yeah.”

  Adam led Sam to a wooden seat, his arm around her. They passed Jerry, who was sitting with her wind-whipped blond head bowed.

  Sam paused and knelt beside her.

  “I’m not sorry to have a mother,” she said softly.

  Jerry started to cry. Sam winced, but James Jay Astin smiled wryly at her and Adam, taking a fatherly position beside Jerry.

  Sue had tied Sukee to the ice chest with her belt. Joey was lying on the floor, with Yancy packing towels against his wound.

  “Yancy?” Adam said.

  “He’s going to make it. If we all survive the storm, that is.”

  Sam looked at Adam, who smiled, touched her chin and kissed her gently.

  “We’ll survive the storm,” he assured her. “We will.”

  They took a seat side by side, Sam leaning against his shoulder.

  “There’s probably still a lot to explain,” Adam said softly to her. “But I meant what I said, Sam. I love you.”

  She smiled. “I love you, too.”

  “Want to marry me before you get mad and walk off again?”

  She looked at him. Nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, marriage sounds kind of good right now.”

  “I’m glad. I don’t think I could leave you now for a while.”

  “I don’t think you’ll need to leave me,” she whispered.

  He kissed her again. Her lips. Softly. Tenderly.

  They made a good team, she thought. “You’re definitely one good dive buddy,” she told him.

  He laughed.

  The sound was carried away on the wind.

  And Jem brought them speeding to the dock at Seafire Isle just before the heavens burst open.

  Epilogue

  D ead men tell no tales.

  But those on the Beldona had done so, each man crying out his own story in poignant silence.

  It was the second day Adam had dived to the wreck. Though Sam had led him there the first time, she had stayed outside the crusted hull of the ship.

  While the storm raged around them the other night, she had told him what she was certain her father had known. Their group—plus Hank and minus Liam Hinnerman—had huddled in the main house while the storm winds whipped around them. Sukee had ranted and threatened, promising that she was going to bring Sam up on charges of assault and battery. Joey Emerson née Shapiro had told Sam that she should tell the authorities everything she saw fit, but Sue had cried and pleaded, promising that she would get her husband psychiatric help. Sam was still a soft touch. Joey Emerson was probably not going to pay for the way he had behaved. However, even Adam had to admit that he was extremely contrite.