Risky Business

by Nora Roberts

  “I don’t want you to go.” She balled her fists against his chest. “If I was down, all I’d think about was what I was doing. If I stay up here, I won’t be able to stop thinking about what could happen to you.”

  “Time me.” He lifted the tanks and held them out to her. “Help me get them on.”

  Hadn’t she told herself weeks before that he wasn’t a man who’d lose an argument? Her hands trembled a bit as she slipped the straps over his shoulders. “I don’t know how to handle being protected.”

  He hooked the tanks as he turned back to her. “Practice.”

  She closed her eyes. It was too late for talk, too late for arguments. “Bear northeast as you dive. The cave’s at eighty feet.” She hesitated only a moment, then picked up a spear gun. “Watch out for sharks.”

  When he was over the side, she lowered the case to him. In seconds, he was gone and the sea was black and still. In her mind, Liz followed him fathom by fathom. The water would be dark so that he would be dependent on his gauges and the thin beam of light. Night creatures would be feeding. Squid, the moray, barracuda. Sharks. Liz closed her mind to it.

  She should have forced him to let her go. How? Pacing the deck, she pushed the hair back from her face. He’d gone to protect her. He’d gone because he cared about her. Shivering, she sat down to rub her arms warm again. Was this what it was like to be cared for by a man? Did it mean you had to sit and wait? She was up again and pacing. She’d lived too much of her life doing to suddenly become passive. And yet… To hear him say he cared. Liz sat again and waited.

  She’d checked her watch four times before she heard him at the ladder. On a shudder of relief, she dashed over to the side to help him. “I’m going down the next time,” she began.

  Jonas pulled off his light, then his tanks. “Forget it.” Before she could protest, he dragged her against him. “We’ve got an hour,” he murmured against her ear. “You want to spend it arguing?”

  He was wet and cold. Liz wrapped herself around him. “I don’t like being bossed around.”

  “Next time you can boss me around.” He dropped onto a bench and pulled her with him. “I’d forgotten what it was like down there at night. Fabulous.” And it was nearly over, he told himself. The first step had been taken, the second one had to follow. “I saw a giant squid. Scared the hell out of him with the light. I swear he was thirty feet long.”

  “They get bigger.” She rested her head on his shoulder and tried to relax. They had an hour. “I was diving with my father once. We saw one that was nearly sixty.”

  “Made you nervous?”

  “No. I was fascinated. I remember I swam close enough to touch the tentacles. My father gave me a twenty-minute lecture when we surfaced.”

  “I imagine you’d do the same thing with Faith.”

  “I’d be proud of her,” Liz began, then laughed. “Then I’d give her a twenty-minute lecture.”

  For the first time that night he noticed the stars. The sky was alive with them. It made him think of his mother’s porch swing and long summer nights. “Tell me about her.”

  “You don’t want to get me started.”

  “Yes, I do.” He slipped an arm around her shoulder. “Tell me about her.”

  With a half smile, Liz closed her eyes. It was good to think of Faith, to talk of Faith. A picture began to emerge for Jonas of a young girl who liked school because there was plenty to do and lots of people. He heard the love and the pride, and the wistfulness. He saw the dark, sunny-faced girl in the photo and learned she spoke two languages, liked basketball and hated vegetables.

  “She’s always been sweet,” Liz reflected. “But she’s no angel. She’s very stubborn, and when she’s crossed, her temper isn’t pretty. Faith wants to do things herself. When she was two she’d get very annoyed if I wanted to help her down the stairs.”

  “Independence seems to run in the family.”

  Liz moved her shoulders. “We’ve needed it.”

  “Ever thought about sharing?”

  Her nerves began to hum. Though she shifted only a bit, it was away from him. “When you share, you have to give something up. I’ve never been able to afford to give up anything.”

  It was an answer he’d expected. It was an answer he intended to change. “It’s time to go back down.”

  Liz helped him back on with his tanks. “Take the spear gun. Jonas…” He was already at the rail before she ran to him. “Hurry back,” she murmured. “I want to go home. I want to make love with you.”

  “Hell of a time to bring that up.” He sent her a grin, curled and fell back into the water.

  Within five minutes Liz was pacing again. Why hadn’t she thought to bring any coffee? She’d concentrate on that. In little more than an hour they could be huddled in her kitchen with a pot brewing. It wouldn’t matter that there would be police surrounding the house. She and Jonas would be inside. Together. Perhaps she was wrong about sharing. Perhaps… When she heard the splash at the side of the boat, she was at the rail like a shot.

  “Jonas, did something happen? Why—” She found herself looking down the barrel of a .22.

  “Señorita.” Manchez tossed his mask and snorkel onto a bench as he climbed over the side. “Buenas noches.”

  “What are you doing here?” She struggled to sound indignant as the blood rushed from her face. No, she wasn’t brave, she realized. She wasn’t brave at all. “We had a deal.”

  “You’re an amateur,” he told her. “Like Sharpe was an amateur. You think we’d just forget about the money?”

  “I don’t know anything about the money Jerry took.” She gripped the rail. “I’ve told you that all along.”

  “The boss decided you were a loose end, pretty lady. You do us a favor and make this delivery. We do you a favor. We kill you quickly.”

  She didn’t look at the gun again. She didn’t dare. “If you keep killing your divers, you’re going to be out of business.”

  “We’re finished in Cozumel. When your friend brings up the case, I take it and go to Merida. I live in style. You don’t live at all.”

  She wanted to sit because her knees were shaking. She stood because she thought she might never be able to again. “If you’re finished in Cozumel, why did you set up this drop?”

  “Clancy likes things tidy.”

  “Clancy?” The name David Merriworth had mentioned, Liz remembered, and strained to hear any sound from the water.

  “There’s a few thousand in cocaine down there, that’s all. A few thousand dollars in the case coming up. The boss figures it’s worth the investment to make it look like you were doing the dealing with Sharpe. Then you two have an argument and shoot each other. Case closed.”

  “You killed Erika too, didn’t you?”

  “She asked too many questions.” He lowered the gun. “You ask too many questions.”

  Light flooded the boat and the water so quickly that Liz’s first instinct was to freeze. Before the next reaction had fully registered, she was tumbling into the water and diving blind.

  How could she warn Jonas? Liz groped frantically in the water as lights played on the surface above her. She had no tanks, no mask, no protection. Any moment he’d be surfacing, unaware of any danger. He had no protection but her.

  Without equipment, she’d be helpless in a matter of moments. She fought to stay down, keeping as close to the ladder as she dared. Her lungs were ready to burst when she felt the movement in the water. Liz turned toward the beam of light.

  When he saw her, his heart nearly stopped. She looked like a ghost clinging to the hull of the boat. Her hair was pale and floating out in the current, her face was nearly as white as his light. Before his mind could begin to question, he was pushing his mouthpiece between her lips and giving her air. There could be no communication but emotion. He felt the fear. Jonas steadied the spear gun in his arm and surfaced.

  “Mr. Sharpe.” Moralas caught him in the beam of a spotlight. Liz rose up beside him. “W
e have everything under control.” On the deck of her boat, Liz saw Manchez handcuffed and flanked by two divers. “Perhaps you will give my men and their prisoner a ride back to Cozumel.”

  She felt Jonas tense. The spear gun was set and aimed. Even through the mask, she could see his eyes burning, burning as only ice can. “Jonas, please.” But he was already starting up the ladder. She hauled herself over the rail and tumbled onto the deck, cold and dripping. “Jonas, you can’t. Jonas, it’s over.”

  He barely heard her. All his emotion, all his concentration was on the man who stood only feet away. Their eyes were locked. It gave him no satisfaction to watch the blood drain from Manchez’s face, or the knowledge leap frantically into his eyes. It was what he’d come for, what he’d promised himself. The medallion on the edge of his chain dangled and reminded him of his brother. His brother was dead. No satisfaction. Jonas lowered the gun.

  Manchez tossed back his head. “I’ll get out,” he said quietly. The smile started to spread. “I’ll get out.”

  The spear shot out and plowed into the deck between Manchez’s feet. Liz saw the smile freeze on his face an instant before one formed on Jonas’s. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Could it really be over? It was all Liz could think when she awoke, warm and dry, in her own bed. She was safe, Jonas was safe, and the smuggling ring on Cozumel was broken. Of course, Jonas had been furious. Manchez had been watched, they had been watched, but the police had made their presence known only after Liz had been held at gunpoint.

  But he’d gotten what he’d come for, she thought. His brother’s killer was behind bars. He’d face a trial and justice. She hoped it was enough for Jonas.

  The morning was enough for her. The normality of it. Happy, she rolled over and pressed her body against Jonas’s. He only drew her closer.

  “Let’s stay right here until noon.”

  She laughed and nuzzled against his throat. “I have—”

  “A business to run,” he finished.

  “Exactly. And for the first time in weeks I can run it without having this urge to look over my shoulder. I’m happy.” She looked at him, then tossed her arms around his neck and squeezed. “I’m so happy.”

  “Happy enough to marry me?”

  She went still as a stone, then slowly, very slowly drew away. “What?”

  “Marry me. Come home with me. Start a life with me.”

  She wanted to say yes. It shocked her that her heart burned to say yes. Pulling away from him was the hardest thing she’d ever done. “I can’t.”

  He stopped her before she could scramble out of bed. It hurt, he realized, more than he could possibly have anticipated. “Why?”

  “Jonas, we’re two different people with two totally separate lives.”

  “We stopped having separate lives weeks ago.” He took her hands. “They’re not ever going to be separate again.”

  “But they will.” She drew her hands away. “After you’re back in Philadelphia for a few weeks, you’ll barely remember what I look like.”

  He had her wrists handcuffed in his hands. The fury that surfaced so seldom in him seemed always on simmer when he was around her. “Why do you do that?” he demanded. “Why can’t you ever take what you’re given?” He swung her around until she was beneath him on the bed. “I love you.”

  “Don’t.” She closed her eyes as the wish nearly eclipsed the reason. “Don’t say that to me.”

  Shut out. She was shutting him out. Jonas felt the panic come first, then the anger. Then the determination. “I will say it. If I say it enough, sooner or later you’ll start to believe it. Do you think all these nights have been a game? Haven’t you felt it? Don’t you feel anything?”

  “I thought I felt something once before.”

  “You were a child.” When she started to shake her head, he gripped her tighter. “Yes, you were. In some ways you still are, but I know what goes through you when you’re with me. I know. I’m not a ghost, I’m not a memory. I’m real and I want you.”

  “I’m afraid of you,” she whispered. “I’m afraid because you make me want what I can’t have. I won’t marry you, Jonas, because I’m through taking chances with my life and I won’t take chances with my child’s life. Please let me go.”

  He released her, but when she stood, his arms went around her. “It isn’t over for us.”

  She dropped her head against his chest, pressed her cheek close. “Let me have the few days we have left. Please let me have them.”

  He lifted her chin. Everything he needed to know was in her eyes. A man who knew and who planned to win could afford to wait. “You haven’t dealt with anyone as stubborn as you are before this. And you haven’t nearly finished dealing with me.” Then his hand gentled as he stroked her hair. “Get dressed. I’ll take you to work.”

  Because he acted as though nothing had been said, Liz relaxed. It was impossible, and she knew it. They’d known each other only weeks, and under circumstances that were bound to intensify any feelings. He cared. She believed that he cared, but love—the kind of love needed to build a marriage—was too much to risk.

  She loved. She loved so much that she pushed him away when she wanted to pull him closer. He needed to go back to his life, back to his world. After time had passed, if he thought of her he’d think with gratitude that she had closed a door he’d opened on impulse. She would think of him. Always.

  By the time Liz was walking toward the shop, she’d settled her mind. “What are you going to do today?”

  “Me?” Jonas, too, had settled his mind. “I’m going to sit in the sun and do nothing.”

  “Nothing?” Incredulous, Liz stared at him. “All day?”

  “It’s known as relaxing, or taking a day off. If you do it several days running, it’s called a vacation. I was supposed to have one in Paris.”

  Paris, she thought. It would suit him. She wondered briefly how the air smelled in Paris. “If you get bored, I’m sure one of the boats could use the extra crew.”

  “I’ve had enough diving for a few days, thanks.” Jonas plopped down on a chaise in front of the shop. It was the best place to keep an eye on her.

  “Miguel.” Liz automatically looked around for Luis. “You’re here early.”

  “I came with Luis. He’s checking out the dive boat—got an early tour.”

  “Yes, I know.” But she wouldn’t trust Miguel to run the shop alone for long. “Why don’t you help him? I’ll take care of the counter.”

  “Bueno. Oh, there were a couple of guys looking at the fishing boat. Maybe they want to rent.”

  “I’ll take a look. You go ahead.” Walking back, she crouched beside Jonas. “Keep an eye on the shop for me, will you? I’ve got a couple of customers over by the Expatriate.”

  Jonas adjusted his sunglasses. “What do you pay per hour?”

  Liz narrowed her eyes. “I might cook dinner tonight.”

  With a smile, he got up to go behind the counter. “Take all the time you need.”

  He made her laugh. Liz strolled down the walkway and to the pier, drinking up the morning. She could use a good fishing cruise. The aqua bikes had been ordered, but they still had to be paid for. Besides, she’d like the ride herself. It made her think of Jonas and his unwanted catch a few weeks before. Liz laughed again as she approached the men beside her boat.

  “Buenos días,” she began. “Mr. Ambuckle.” Beaming a smile, Liz held out a hand. “I didn’t know you were back. Is this one of your quick weekend trips?”

  “That’s right.” His almost bald head gleamed in the sun as he patted her hand. “When the mood strikes me I just gotta move.”

  “Thinking about some big-game fishing this time around?”

  “Funny you should mention it. I was just saying to my associate here that I only go for the big game.”

  “Only the big game.” Scott Trydent turned around and pushed back his straw hat. “That’s right, Clancy.”

  “Now don’t turn around, hon
ey.” Ambuckle’s fingers clamped over hers before she could move. “You’re going to get on the boat, nice and quiet. We have some talking to do, then we might just take a little ride.”

  “How long have you been using my dive shop to smuggle?” Liz saw the gun under Scott’s jacket. She couldn’t signal to Jonas, didn’t dare.

  “For the past couple of years I’ve found your shop’s location unbeatable. You know, they ship that stuff up from Colombia and dump in Miami. The way the heat’s been on the past few years, you take a big chance using the regular routes. It takes longer this way, but I lose less merchandise.”

  “And you’re the organizer,” she murmured. “You’re the man the police want.”

  “I’m a businessman,” he said with a smile. “Let’s get on board, little lady.”

  “The police are watching,” Liz told him as she climbed on deck.

  “The police have Manchez. If he hadn’t tried to pull a double cross, the last shipment would have gone down smooth.”

  “A double cross?”

  “That’s right,” Scott put in as he flanked her. “Pablo decided he could make more free-lancing than by being a company man.”

  “And by reporting on his fellow employee, Mr. Trydent moves up in rank. I work my organization on the incentive program.”

  Scott grinned at Ambuckle. “Can’t beat the system.”

  “You had Jerry Sharpe killed.” Struggling to believe what was happening, Liz stared at the round little man who’d chatted with her and rented her tanks. “You had him shot.”

  “He stole a great deal of money from me.” Ambuckle’s face puckered as he thought of it. “A great deal. I had Manchez dispose of him. The truth is, I’d considered you as a liaison for some time. It seemed simpler, however, just to use your shop. My wife’s very fond of you.”