by Blue Davis
Tension rose to her neck as her mind spun. This was like the Pike’s Place job. She had made it through harrowing security, cracked the vault and got the diamond, but a rival thief had followed her all along. Pain seared her clenched jaws as James approached.
He wore a puzzled expression.
She broke open her clenched fists. “How are they now looking for gold that Black Caesar left centuries ago? It’s lazy-ass crooks trying to claim my gold discovery.”
“Question is, how did they find us?”
Her blood boiled. “I don’t know. It’s Seattle, all over again.”
James tilted his head. “What happened in Seattle?”
“The Pike’s Place Diamond. It was supposed to be a clean, in-and-out job.”
James rubbed his chin. “Yeah? I’m listening.” His voice trailed higher at the end.
“Well, I got the diamond and this schmuck, he came out of nowhere…” Her throat constricted as her jaw locked. “I had to drop the diamond. He drew a gun, he wanted the jewel, and he was willing to kill me to get it. I could either stay there and try to fight him, or I could run. And what did I do instead? I froze. But finally something snapped, and I must’ve woken from my haze because I ended up scaling down a window washer’s rope to escape.”
James looked dumbfounded. “Jesus. And what happened to the diamond?”
“He got it. When I reached the bottom, I saw blood. He had sprayed my shoulder and arm with bullets. I was so pumped up with adrenaline, I hadn’t noticed. They found me collapsed in front of the emergency room. I never had to explain much because my pockets were empty. I told them I was mugged.” Her stomach rolled a bout of nausea. “I tried looking for his ass later, but I never found him. After that, I studied the martial arts, because I decided that no one was going to take what was mine ever again.”
James leaned against the handrail and nodded. “They’re too dumb and cowardly to do the work. They get a woman to do it and reap the profit.”
Warmth filled her face. Finally, someone who understands. “Exactly.”
“That’s not happening today.” He marched back to Bernardo. The fisherman stiffened and tilted his head, listening to James. He reached to a control on his left and drove it forward. The boat let out a rumbling loud noise and picked up speed.
She gripped the railing tight as she walked up the deck. Thank god James came. He was playful and flirtatious, but he got things done. That must be why so many bimbos fall for him. Not gonna be me. Need to keep my eye on the gold and use James to get me there.
A mass of land neared. Her heartbeat raced. “Is that Strife?”
“Yeah,” the man responded.
James lifted his chest. “Good. Take us around the back. We hide the boat. They’ll never find us.”
Bernardo shook his head. “No. We circle the island and do a U-turn.”
James’ flared his nostrils. “Do you want them to follow us home as well? We need to slip the boat into a cove.”
The man cocked his head to the side and squinted with one eye. “What, like into a secret pirate’s cove?”
It sounded like a joke, but he didn’t laugh. His eyes gleamed as the corner of his mouth turned downward.
“I paid you to bring us there. We had a deal. Are you not a man of your word, Bernardo?”
The fisherman frowned and peered out to sea. He wiped his brow and steered the boat to the left. They traced the perimeter of the island.
The other boat was nowhere to be seen.
“Lost ‘em,” James announced, stretching his neck to see out of the spotty deck window.
Lexi threw her hands in the air. “Whoo-hoo!” They landed on James shoulders.
His eyes softened as his body relaxed.
Heat flickered in the space between them. She jerked her arms back down to her side.
He stood quiet and still for a moment.
Her cheeks became warm.
He turned to the fisherman and hit him on the back. “Nice one, man.”
The fisherman flared his nostrils and straightened his back. The trip was risky, but the old guy looked like he appreciated her and James’ stealth decisions.
And likewise, they appreciated his expert steering.
She turned to Bernardo. “Pardon the cliché, but the coast’s clear. Time to bring this baby on the sand,” she beamed.
The fisherman remained quiet. He wasn’t interested in talking to her. If he only realized she held the map, and she designed the whole damn trip. She was the one in charge, and yet he looked to James.
When would men take her more serious? It was a silly time to battle and it may have resulted in her sounding like a whiny brat, so she turned instead to James. Please talk sense into this man.
James watched him with an arched eyebrow.
Finally, the fisherman shifted from the sea and stared at him. “No harbor here.”
“There isn’t. It’s a tiny island in the middle of nowhere. Can we drive on to the sand and park there?”
Bernardo shrugged. “We cannot.”
James scowled. “What? But I’ve seen the little fishing boats doing that all the time.”
Lexi touched her chest and bobbed her head in agreeance. “Yes, the fishing boats pull right up on to the sand all the time. Should be fine to pull it up on the sand.” The more they repeated themselves, the more unconvincing it sounded. How do you park a boat, anyway?
“Sand damages the boat. It’s an expensive repair.” He scrunched his ruddy cheeks. “We cannot pull the boat on the sand. Too heavy.”
A corner of James’ mouth turned downward. “Well we can at least try.”
Bernardo scoffed. “What do you think happens when the tide comes? Sand moves. You think you will come back to a boat in the same place?”
Lexi inched closer and blocked her cheeks from producing a grimace. “But—”
James held his hand up to stop her from engaging. “So what do we do?”
He looked irritated, but he was right. It wasn’t time to challenge the old captain on the best maritime practices. He was their only ticket back home. She sealed her lips and forced herself to be patient.
He stopped the boat a hundred feet away from the shore and stepped out of the deck bridge. He marched to the bow and moved a heavy chain away from a roller mechanism. He stepped back to the controls and pushed a button.
The entire boat shook, the noise unbearable.
Her finger joints tightened as she pressed the sides of her ears closed and eyed James. She scratched her head and rubbed her dry eyes. Nothing made sense. “What’s he doing?”
James glanced at her, then shifted back to the fisherman. He blew out his cheeks and released a breath. “He’s anchoring the boat.”
The fisherman overheard him and nodded.
It was ridiculous. Why was Bernardo not explaining? What’s going on? Her mind raced for answers. “How are we going to get to shore?”
James rested his calm eyes on her. “We do what everybody else does. We swim.”
Chapter 6
James
Lexi stumbled toward him. “Are you insane? There’s sharks in that water!”
James squeezed both of her arms from behind her. Her arms pimpled under his grasp. Was he trying to calm her? It was working, and that was weird. Her shoulders loosened and relaxed.
Bernardo was right. That’s why no one had wanted to bring them out to Strife. A small fishing boat was too dangerous in the sharp coral reefs. It would rip the boat in two and leave them stranded—or worse—drowned. A big boat could handle the current and the coral. Problem was getting close enough.
A sudden chill swept through his body. Show her it’s no big deal. James swallowed. “So we swim.”
“You’re kidding right? We’re not swimming. It’s over a hundred feet!” She dropped her pack and plopped down on the bench.
He racked his brain for reasoning. “Are you on your period?”
She put her hands on her hips and leaned forward.
“What the hell kind of question is that?”
“A shark acts on instinct. Do you think it will attack if it smells no blood?”
Her eyebrows knitted. “It can attack us anyway.”
“Answer,” he pressed. “Are you bleeding?”
She threw her arms down at her side. “No, I’m not bleeding, James.”
“Good.” It was a good time to find his way through her shorts, but that was another story. If they could make it to the island, everything else would fall in to place. He pushed her seductive body from his mind.
She crossed her arms and pinned him with her eyes.
He elaborated. “I mean good that the shark won’t smell any of your delicious scent. We’ll be fine. It’s a hundred yards. Four laps across a swimming pool. Like doing the hundred-meter freestyle. Have you watched the Olympics?” Words continued to bumble from his mouth, as sweat formed on his forehead. Nervousness trembled his body as he realized he had no desire to get in the water either--not with the two of them smelling like a big batch of fear.
She smiled and tilted her head to the side. “I don’t need to watch the hundred-meter freestyle, I swim. I’ve just been prepared with diving gear and never had a school of sharks and pirates trailing behind me.”
The fisherman shifted feet and frowned.
James faced the water as his heartbeat pounded against his shirt. He swallowed. “There are no sharks. Sharks have that fin that sticks up out of the water, remember? Take a look and tell me if you see any critters.”
She walked around the deck of the boat and peered out to the water. “But the little critters could be under the water,” she mocked.
“Okay. Shall we go back home?”
She looked at him as if he was bonkers. “What? I’m not going back home empty-handed. We came all this way!” She had taken the ‘home’ suggestion as a threat.
Home doesn’t sound like a bad idea at this point.
He squared his shoulders. “We swim.”
She collapsed on the railing and squinted across the boat to the sea. She lifted herself up and stood on the edge. She pushed out air from her cheeks and dragged her shoulders forward. “Okay. Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Great.” James cupped his hands together and prioritized enthusiasm. If he didn’t show charisma, how would she ever dive into the sea? It was evident she needed him for moral support. For him, the hunt was less about the gold and more about learning to cooperate with her. “Let’s get moving. They’re right on our tail.”
She gasped and held her pack out. “And the map?” Her voice was too loud. She stopped herself and peeked around the corner at the fisherman.
He was busy moving crates around inside the bridge deck. He didn’t look up.
She leaned into him and whispered. “What about the map?”
His mind raced. The damn map. She was right. We need that. “We dry everything out when we get there,” he resolved.
She shifted feet. She must have thought it was a plausible idea because she nodded and rested her eyes on the island.
“Who’s going first?”
“You are.”
“Me? Why me?”
“I need to watch you.” It was an easy answer. He would never forgive himself if he were to lead the way, and she fell into danger behind him.
Her shoulders rose higher, her eyes softening. She looked pleased with the answer. “That’s sweet, but I’m perfectly fine.”
The coast was still clear. Could they be approaching soon? “We’re running out of time, Lexi.” He said the words in his strongest tone, but restrained himself from panicking. Please get in the fucking water, Lexi.
She placed the bag over her head and tightened it over both one shoulder. A backpack would have been nice at this point. Why had they both brought unpractical shoulder bags?
She climbed on the railing.
The fisherman watched, his posture stiff.
“Don’t leave,” James called out to him. “We’ll be back in a couple days.”
“I will be fine,” the old man said. “It is you who should be worried.”
Lexi had heard the snide remark. The tendons on her neck stood out as she perched on the other side of the railing, ready to dive.
He climbed up beside her. The other side of the railing was slippery and wet. He held on with a single hand and touched her back with the other.
She flinched.
His hand trembled across the soft skin of her arch. “Do it for the gold.”
Her head lowered as she curled one corner of her mouth. She nodded and pushed off from the railing.
Her legs hit the water first, and then she was in.
He drew in a breath and jumped.
The water refreshed his heated body. He cleared droplets from his eyes to see her better.
She treaded water, her eyes widened. “Ready?” She called out.
“Yup. Let’s do it.”
It was good to hear her take control. The swim would take inner motivation and he didn’t want to be dragging her through the water.
She was a decent swimmer, paddling through the water and inhaling quick breaths along the way. She stopped about halfway. “Resting my arms,” she called out.
The coast was still calm. No thugs, no sharks. Just a nice little swim in the Caribbean.
“Don’t rest too long,” he joked, allowing a wild smile come to his lips.
Her hair looked so fucking sexy wet. He couldn’t help but play with her. The inherent danger made her all the more alluring.
She inhaled a deep breath and paddled away.
He followed close behind, looking up every once in a while for any potential threats.
The water became shallower, clearer. He nudged the bottom with his tip-toes. They kept paddling until the sea floor was evident. They trudged to dry sand, dragging water with them.
She collapsed and inhaled deep breaths.
He fell on top of her, the ocean current taking every last drop of energy from his limbs.
He expected her to move from under him.
She didn’t.
Was she as exhausted as he was or did she enjoy having her body pinned by him? His dick hardened against her hip. He moved away, embarrassed at the primal reaction. He allowed his breath to catch up with him and picked himself up. “Nice swim,” he said. “You looked real cute with your head bobbing up and down in the water. Like a cute sea lion.”
She hit his ankles and lifted herself up. “Are sea lions cute?”
“Yeah, they got the whiskers and all that. Cute.”
She stumbled and rocked her head back in laughter. She looked happy.
“See? Was it that bad?”
She buckled her knees and leaned forward. “Did you see me choke on that mouthful of seawater?” She wailed again. “I almost gagged to death.”
Her shiny eyes twinkled when she giggled. Sand clung to her wet hair.
He wanted to pop one of her hard nipples in his mouth and suck on it until she squealed. He swallowed. Grab a hold of yourself, James. He relaxed his shoulders. “Death by gagging. Hmm, interesting.”
She hit him on the shoulder and continued laughing. “I think we better get going on that trek.”
The old fisherman stood on the side deck of the boat.
James waved. “Amazing. Bernardo is smiling.”
Lexi turned around and waved too. “I bet he hoped we would get gobbled up by sharks,” she remarked through clenched teeth. She perfected her smile into a crisp, toothy grin.
He chuckled. “I’m sure he was rooting for us. He needs that that other five grand.”
She yanked down her arm. “What? You’re giving him five thousand more?”
His shoulders sank. My humongous mouth. “I am.”
“Dollars?”
“Yes. Five thousand American dollars. Fifty-five hundred if you tack on the extra grand that it took to bring your ass along too,” he added.
She crossed her arms and wedged her foot out to the side.
“That’s funny James, considering it’s my hunt. So how much did you spend on this boat trip in total?”
His breath welled in his lungs, unable to escape his mouth. He knew he spent way too much on the boat rental, but there was no other way. Tell her and risk her finding out what a complete idiot he is? Would she stop there and let it go? She wasn’t the type to let anything go. Lexi was shrewd and good with numbers. “Uh…Eleven.”
She gasped. “Eleven grand?”
“Yes, that’s co…correct.” Why did she have me stuttering? Didn’t women despise men that couldn’t communicate? He was turning into a wimp who couldn’t express himself properly. He straightened his back. “It’s pennies, Lexi. Don’t worry about it.”
“I am worried, James. I’ll write you a check for the boat as soon as we get back to Florida with the gold.”
He blew out air. Seriously? “No. Absolutely not.” Her refusing his money pained him, but in a way he found it kind of hot. Any other woman would have taken that money plus some.
“What is the point of spending it up to look for gold? The point of finding treasure is to pocket the profit—not to use up all the resources getting there.”
She made sense. He had been obsessed with providing needed capital and protecting her. Profit was secondary. Heat rose to his face. Am I losing my business sense? “Well, I got the boat, didn’t I?”
“Sure you got the boat, but are you wanting a kick-back? Just ‘cause you spent more money than everyone else, doesn’t mean you’re getting more share of the pot.”
His brain raced for an answer before he asked. “Everyone else?”
Her lips pressed together. “Yeah.”
“Like who, Lexi?”
She turned the corner of her mouth down. “I have a guy back in New Orleans who’s gonna help me push the gold on the black market.”
Heat flooded his nostrils. “Do I know this person?”
She looked tight-lipped and defensive. “Do you need to know him? You’ll get your cut once it’s sold.”
He caught himself chewing his bottom lip. It bothered him that she had kept him in the dark about a third partner. “That’s not how I do things.”