by Cyndi Raye
She swallowed and dared to look in to those eyes. Maggie needed to tell him to stop. She wasn’t a frozen statue! She struggled with her emotions because it felt good to have someone pay attention to her. Jake didn’t have time to take her places like this.
Ben was a player. He was the type of man who had no desire to be with one woman. He loved them all and would take advantage of the fact he was drop-dead gorgeous. She had a man who loved her to the moon and back. Why did this guy have to be so sexy?
Maggie looked over the water to see the majestic Naval ship in the distance. The other ships and sail boats in the water dotted the ocean as they stayed on the back side of the barriers that bobbed in the water. The sun wasn’t shining much today. It seemed a storm brewed somewhere in the distance.
“Let’s get this done before the storm.” Ben began to take his job serious as he moved away from Maggie and belted out orders. He checked several devices on board then checked his watch. Phone calls began to come in and Maggie watched as the team of divers prepared for this event. These playboys weren’t pretty boys who stood around and looked, well, um, fine. They took their work serious.
She snapped a few photos when no one watched but realized she didn’t need a picture. The images were in her head and they’d stay there for sure. “Miss McCoy, come on over here,” Ben offered.
She stood beside him on the deck and it seemed as if the whole world became quiet. The noises in the background of people talking seemed to fade. Not even the soft music playing on the stereo deflected from the scene at hand. A tug boat sounded off it’s horn as a warning to all who were close to the ship.
“And we’ll be blasting in three minutes,” Ben spoke in to a mic attached to his ear. “Maggie, do you want to count down?”
“Yes!” She scooted closer to the microphone as the two stood face to face. Ben could have removed the piece from around his ear and held it out for her to speak in to, but he didn’t.
“All you have to do is talk in to here,” he said and moved a bit closer to her so they were almost touching. Maggie noticed a television camera to the side but didn’t pay much attention until Ben told them they were live on their local station.
“This is so exciting,” she blurted out, as the adrenaline kicked in. “I know what kind of story I’ll write.”
“What’s the storyline?” he asked, his mouth so close to hers.
“Woman meets bad boy explosion expert. They get stranded on a desert island for a start,” she said, the excitement in her eyes. “Then they get caught up in a love affair of the heart and -”
“Countdown begins now,” a voice said from another boat. Ben nodded to her.
“I’ll start, you finish,” he told her. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six.”
She spoke in the mic. “Five, four, three, two, one and fire.”
The moment she said the last word an explosion racked the air. The subtle riveting of the water rocked the boat. Maggie, fascinated, watched as the swirling foam began to pull the ship down as it made it’s slow descent in to the ocean waters. It began to sink and the back end went down first. “Amazing!” Maggie whispered. She forgot to snap any photos of the scene before her.
After a minute and a half, the ship disappeared below the surface of the water. All that stood in it’s place was a whirlwind of swirling water topped with white waves. A shout riveted the air and the men on board raised their arms and yelled along with the others. It sounded like the waters off the coast of Key West came alive as people roared in victory.
Maggie watched the commotion from behind the scenes as the men on board clapped each other on the back and shook Ben’s hand. “Congrats. You did a great job with the explosives.”
Ben grinned. “Now let’s get the flag raised.” He began to put some tanks on his scuba diving suit, then he walked over to her. “You can watch us from inside the cabin over there,” he pointed. “We have an underwater camera and you can see what we’re doing.”
Maggie took a seat on the stool in front of the screen. A few others stood with her and watched as the five divers went down in the water towards the ship. There was still a bit of disturbance and cloudy water as it settled in the ocean’s floor, but the divers were easy to spot.
Maggie had the privilege of being right here, up close and personal to this historic event. She kept her mind on that thought instead of the five men whose bodies filled up the wet suits with their big, strong muscles.
When the divers reached the ship, one of the men took a flag and unrolled it, then attached it to the ship. It’s material unfolded and the Key West logo stood proud on the helm of the sunken ship. The five men faced the flag for a moment and then, Ben turned and faced the camera and mouthed her name right before he blew her a kiss the world would see.
What would Jake think if he saw another man blow her a kiss on national TV?
<><>
Jake paced back and forth in front of the display case. He told Maggie they would get a ring tonight, but he planned to surprise her with one instead. It was hard to take time off with his busy schedule at work until it occurred to him he could do whatever he wanted since he was the boss. It wouldn’t hurt him a bit to relinquish some of the work to someone else. His secretary wouldn’t do it, he asked her to go look for one earlier and she threw a fit.
He grinned when he thought back at the conversation. He was late for a meeting and one of the work sites had a few complications. Bonnie came in to his office with some papers for him to sign.
“Bonnie, since I’m running late for my meeting, can you do me a huge favor?” he asked her, his head down as he looked over the papers she put on his desk.
“Sure boss. What can I do for you?” Bonnie asked, her cool, no nonsense attitude ready for whatever task he asked of her. That attitude was the reason he hired her because she got the job done and didn’t need to be coddled.
“This isn’t work related and I hate to ask, or even have you do this, but there’s a ring at the jewelers I want to get for Maggie. Can you pick it up for me?”
Bonnie didn’t say anything, which seemed unusual. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up from the paperwork. She stared at him. Hard.
“What kind of ring?”
“A diamond. You know we are engaged. I haven’t been able to buy a ring yet with my schedule and all.”
“Have you picked out this engagement ring yet?” Bonnie’s blue eyes bore in to him and he came to the sudden realization she was about to tell him off.
He set the pen down and looked at her. “No, I didn’t. I hoped you could pick out a nice one, you know.”
She walked over to the desk and yanked the signed papers from his grasp. As she walked out the door, she turned her head and said to him. “Jake Hatfield, that is the lamest thing you ever asked me to do. The answer is no. Do it yourself.”
Now here he stood in front of the display case as nervous as a teenager going on a first date. He stuffed his hands deeper in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. The jeweler wanted him to come back for the inscription but he insisted on waiting. Now he stood there almost in a panic because he never picked out a ring for a woman before. He never needed to. She was the first woman he ever loved enough to want to buy a ring for.
The TV screen on the wall caught his attention as a red strip flashed the words LIVE across the screen. A young, pretty, dark haired news reporter stood on a charter ship reporting the latest.
Jake watched for a moment before he picked up the remote sitting on the glass case and turned up the volume.
“This is Angela Dalton of QTY Channel 14 reporting from the BKH Diving Charter. I’m here with the Bad Boys of Boat Key Harbor who are about to sink this fine Navy vessel.” Her voice droned on but Jake followed the camera as it focused on men in wet suits lined up to watch the explosion.
“Bad boys of Boat Key Harbor!” Jake fumed. Maggie was going to meet an explosive expert to do some research. He didn’t realize it would be Ben’s group. J
ake began to breath in short bursts of air through his nose. He dished out his cell and called her number but it went straight to voice mail.
He called his secretary instead. “Bonnie, have you heard anything from Maggie?”
“Since you left?” she asked. “I hope you’re where I think you are.” Bonnie was younger than him but acted like his mother at times. Any other time he didn’t mind, but not now. “No, she hasn’t called. What’s wrong?”
“She went to do some research today. Turn on your TV.” He waited, the seconds seemed like minutes before he heard her reply.
“Oh! I see her now.”
Jake had turned away from the screen to make the phone calls. When he looked up there was Maggie, her face up close and personal with Ben Trooper. The news reporter stood right beside the two and held the mic towards them. He bent his head to hear her voice. “I know what kind of story to write now,” he heard her say. “Woman meets bad boy explosion expert. They get stranded on a desert island for a start. Then they get caught up in a love affair of the heart.”
Ben leaned in to her on purpose, raised his hand and Jake watched as he took advantage of Maggie’s excitement as Ben ran a finger down her arm. He could see Maggie caught up in the moment. All Ben saw was another notch in his belt. Jake gritted his jaw and clenched his fists.
These guys were notorious bad boys who didn’t care who knew. Jake understood they were an elite team of demolition experts who came home from Afghanistan and started their charter business. He used them several times when he needed an old hotel or building to come down.
But no one, not even Ben Trooper, would hit on his woman and get away with it. Not as long as Jake had a heartbeat in his body. He stormed out of the jewelry shop and in to his work truck, banging gears as he headed for Key West.
Chapter 3
Maggie drew in a deep breath. The sky above began to cloud over, then get dark all of a sudden. “Are we okay out here?” she asked. The reporter and her crew were gone and most of the other boats that dotted the water drifted away.
Ben and his men were working on some of the details, along with a bit of celebration. A cooler stocked with cans of beer sat on the deck. She reached in and grabbed one before she closed the lid and sat down on top of the cooler. “This is scary yet breathtaking,” she told Ben.
Ben nodded. “The skies are not looking good. We’ll head back to shore in about ten minutes,” he told her, all business. Maggie sat down on the cooler with a beer in her hand and watched the men flex their muscles as they worked. Five hot alpha males in tight wet suits.
She wondered if Jake liked to scuba dive because she’d like to see him in a wet suit. Perhaps their next road trip would be somewhere they could do a bit of diving. Even though she could snorkel, it would be fun to learn to dive with Jake. A blast of rain hit her like someone punched her in the face. The skies opened up so quick and before she could say a word, her clothes were drenched.
“Maggie, I suggest you get inside!” Ben shouted. “Bad storm ahead. Put on a vest.”
She jumped off the cooler and ran. The boat began to rock and the men scattered to get control of the ship. The helmsman opened the door and she fell in to the bridge, grateful to get out of the pelting rain. As each man finished their job at hand, they followed her out of the bad weather.
The boat rocked back and forth in unsteady movements. Maggie felt giddy at first. She didn’t realize she could become sea sick. She slid down on a seat and used the seat belt, then put her head down on her knees.
One of the men told her to breath deep and steady and focus on something besides the fear of the storm. “I’m not sure I can,” Maggie whispered. The storm was terrifying, she wasn’t sure she could stay calm. Breathe in, she told herself and inhaled. Maggie didn’t realize she forgot to let the air out when Ben opened the door and a burst of air and wind startled her. She let out her breath in one big whoosh.
“Let’s ride this out men,” he ordered. “There’s trouble ahead.”
Maggie lifted her head. “What do you mean trouble?”
“Some engine problems. No worries,” he told her and smiled. When she looked in to his eyes she saw his concern. This was not good.
“I never rode out a storm before. I wish Jake were here.” Maggie put her head down again and squeezed her eyes closed. If she were to think of something else, it would be of him. She imagined his arms as they held her while the boat rocked and creaked and bounced in the water. She forced her stomach to settle because she didn’t want to get sick now. The thought of Jake did settle some of these fears.
“We’re close to Dry Tortuga. Let’s see if we can get there, away from the storm,” Ben told the others. The hustle of the men as they wrestled the boat in the storm was lost to Maggie, who stuffed her face in her lap. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, oh crap,what was that! A loud noise reverberated through the air. It sounded like some one shot off a round of bullets. Then a clang and she could smell smoke.
“Is the boat falling apart? What’s happening?” she asked, her voice muffled because she was afraid to lift her head.
A soft, gentle hand touched her shoulder. “No worries Mag, we got this.”
Mag? The man gave her a pet name? She wanted to pass out. This guy hit on her in the midst of a storm that could end their lives. He was either reckless or had no fear. She wouldn’t be the one to find out because in this moment all she could think about was the dinner date she had with the man of her dreams.
She didn’t think she’d make it home for dinner.
<><>
Jake paced back and forth on the docks, the rain crashed down like pellets against his skin. He didn’t care, he wanted answers. Where was the diving boat and why weren’t they back on shore? All the other boats were docked and most people dashed for a dry spot. Not Jake. He stood at the edge of the docks because he didn’t know where Maggie was or if she ever came back from the charter boat.
One of the captains of another charter boat ran down the dock towards him in a rain jacket. The hood covered his head as the rain belted him. High winds were pushing him around on the dock. “Best to get out of the storm,” the man shouted. “Come on, we have shelter. Follow me.”
Jake looked out at the horizon, then turned and followed the captain. They entered the back door of one of the shops along the dock. He stomped his feet and shook himself. This was someone’s home behind the shop. A small apartment.
“Here, use this,” a woman’s voice said. He felt someone thrust a warm, dry towel in his hands. Jake nodded to the older woman as he dried the droplets of rain. His skin was clammy and wet from the rain. Thunder boomed outside and a fear clutched and squeezed at his chest.
He searched for the charter boat Maggie was in for hours and no one could remember it coming back since the sinking of the Navy vessel. Her car was still in the parking lot. “I’m waiting on the BKH Diving Charter boat. My fiancé is out with the boat,” he told the older couple.
The captain began to play with some buttons on what looked like an old Marine radio. “Give me a second son, I’ll see if anyone else heard anything.” He began to contact others to put the word out. A response came back with in a few minutes.
Jake heard the crackle of the radio and the distinct words came through loud and clear. “BKH Charter is lost at sea, sir. No word from them yet.”
“Maggie,” he groaned. Jake raked his hand through his hair. He couldn’t sit here and wait.
The older woman must have seen the stricken look on his face. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry yet, son. Most times these charters will find a place to hunker down until the storm is over or ride it out. There’s islands all over the keys they can get to. You have to give the storm a chance to pass before you panic. It happens all the time.”
“My Maggie is out there. I’d say nows as good of a time as any to worry.” He dug his phone out of his pocket. There had to be a plane or chopper available to help him find the boat.
&nbs
p; Jake almost slammed his fist in to the wall. After calling everyone and anyone he could think of, no one was willing to go out in the storm. It was too dangerous, they told him. He knew they were right, but every nerve ending in his body cried out. He needed to find her, his love, before -’ The woman shoved a cup of coffee in his hand.
He took it and thanked her. “I’m sorry. I’m helpless. I’ve never felt like this before except the day my-” He stopped. Jake didn’t want to remember the day his Mother fell over and they found her on the floor, an aneurysm causing her slow death. She lingered in a hospital for a few weeks, never to respond to their touch again. It devastated Jake because he carried the weight of her death for many years. Before she was found on the floor, she told him to go get their Dad, but instead he ran to the docks to meet his brother, not realizing she was feeling ill. She never said she was sick and by the time Jake told his Dad, it was too late.