Three Tequilas (Althea Rose 3)

by Tricia O'Malley

  “Totally,” Trace agreed, as he docked the boat and I jumped out to tie it up. I wasn’t worried about being back on the dock; there was enough activity that I highly doubted anyone would take a shot at us here. “I’m happy to keep you company at night if you want help keeping the nightmares away.”

  “Very funny,” I said as I hopped back on the boat to stuff my gear into my dive bag. Trace and I both worked with more speed than usual – we wanted to be off this boat.

  “I’m coming with you to Miss Elva’s,” Trace said as we walked quickly down the dock and toward his Jeep.

  “Yup. I’ve got an idea what’s going on here – and I know just the person we need to be talking to.”

  “Good. Because this shit can’t keep happening. I don’t think my poor heart can take it.”

  I shot Trace a glance as we got in the Jeep.

  “Right, like your heart can’t take a shock?”

  “My heart can’t take not being with you.”

  It was said with a combination of snark and seriousness, so I wasn’t sure what to think. I slanted a look at him.

  Trace pursed his lips at me. “Baby.”

  Okay, he was teasing then. The moment passed as I laughed and settled into the front seat of the Jeep.

  We had bigger things to worry about than our hearts.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “So you think Miss Elva isn’t telling you something?”

  “I think Rafe isn’t telling me something,” I said, without thinking.

  “Rafe?”

  “Um, Miss Elva’s pirate ghost.”

  Trace didn’t comment, so I assumed he was taking it in stride. After all, with what we’d just been through, not much was going to faze him. I couldn’t remember if we’d ever specifically discussed Rafe in front of him, but I wasn’t going to worry about that detail right now. Trace would just have to deal with it, one way or the other.

  Miss Elva didn’t look to be on her front porch, but the living room windows blazed with light. Her house looked homey and inviting, a beacon of warmth and safety on a dark day. I kind of wanted to curl up on her couch and never leave.

  We clambered up the porch steps and knocked on the door.

  “Well, child, what happened? You’re back sooner than I expected,” Miss Elva said, raising an eyebrow as she looked at us through the screen door. Hank danced around behind her, delirious at seeing me.

  “We were shot at. Put a damper on the dive.”

  “That’ll do it,” Miss Elva agreed, pushing the screen door open and ushering us inside. I immediately plopped onto her deep Restoration Hardware couch – yes, Miss Elva shops at Restoration Hardware – and snuggled in with Hank. He licked my face – out of concern, I liked to think.

  Who was I kidding? Hank kissed everyone hello.

  “Is Rafe back from Key West?” I asked as Miss Elva swung into the living room from the kitchen carrying three bottles of Corona. Passing them off to us, she settled in her armchair and took a deep pull. Tonight Miss Elva was wearing orange and turquoise paisley wide leg linen pants and a loose turquoise linen top. I wondered if this was what Miss Elva considered loungewear. It was a far cry from my I Heart NY sweatshirt and old sweats that I put on to watch a movie at home.

  “Rafe! Come down here,” Miss Elva called, and Rafe poofed into view behind her immediately.

  “Yes, my lovemountain?” Rafe cooed.

  “Althea wanted to talk to you,” Miss Elva said, pointing at the couch where I was cuddled with Hank.

  Rafe sniffed when he saw Hank, and crossed his arms over his chest. His hat wobbled on his head, but I’d yet to see it fall off. I wondered if you got to choose the outfit you wore when you came back as a ghost, or if you were stuck with whatever you’d been wearing when you died.

  “I hope you’re taking that devil beast home with you,” Rafe said. Hank tilted his head at him, looking cute as could be.

  “Rafe, he’s harmless. You’ve got to get over your fear of the dog,” I said, and Trace looked at me.

  “Is he here? And he’s scared of Hank?” Trace snorted.

  “I will slit your throat in your sleep, you miscreant!” Rafe shouted, flying in front of Trace.

  “Cool it with the insults,” I told the ghost, then turned to Trace. “Rafe wants to murder you in your sleep now.”

  “Interesting. I did feel like a… change in energy or something. It got colder in front of me, that’s for sure,” Trace said, his eyes wide as he looked around – and through – Rafe.

  “I’ll make you feel cold forever,” Rafe promised.

  “Tone it down, Rafe. I have some questions for you,” I said, patting a spot on the low table in front of me. “Come, have a seat. I promise to keep a hold on Hank.”

  Rafe sat, but kept a careful eye on Hank.

  “We’ve been diving for some shipwrecks this week. Looking for a particular treasure,” I said.

  Rafe immediately looked interested.

  “Treasure’s my favorite.”

  “I know it is. You happen to hear of a treasure called El Serpiente? Or La Rosa?”

  Rafe immediately looked away and up at the ceiling.

  “What are you looking at, Rafe?”

  Rafe just whistled and examined something on the far wall.

  “Rafe,” Miss Elva barked, and Rafe jumped. He turned back to me, chagrin on his face.

  “I may have heard of those,” he conceded.

  “Would you happen to know where the ships are that contain those treasures?” I asked carefully, running my hand down Hank’s side.

  “I might,” Rafe said, and I threw my head back and stared at the ceiling as I counted to ten.

  “Rafe, you knew they were looking for that treasure all week. Why didn’t you just tell me?” Miss Elva scolded, and Rafe flew to her side.

  “I was mad that she kept dropping that stupid devil beast off at our house,” Rafe said, wringing his hands as he hovered over Miss Elva.

  “Rafe – the sooner we find the treasure, the quicker Hank gets to go home.”

  Hank perked up at his name, rolling over to expose his belly and stretch his legs in the air. Rafe was unswayed by this display of cuteness; instead he crossed his arms once more and sniffed.

  “I was not aware of that,” he finally admitted.

  “What’s going on?” Trace asked. I’d forgotten that he couldn’t hear Rafe’s side of the conversation.

  “Basically, the pirate knows about the treasure and withheld information on purpose because he was mad that I kept dropping Hank off here,” I summarized.

  “You’re making me sound like a spiteful woman,” Rafe sniffed.

  “Well, if the shoe fits…”

  “That’s it! I’m not helping you. Find the treasure on your own. It should remain in the water anyway. Nasty business,” Rafe said, zooming into the kitchen. It still gave me a moment’s pause to see him zip through a wall.

  “Rafe. Back in here this instant,” Miss Elva said in her I-mean-business voice. Even Hank rolled over and sat up, and Trace straightened a little in his seat.

  You don’t mess with Miss Elva when she uses that voice.

  “Fine, but I’m only here because you are the sweetest, most voluptuous beauty of a woman I’ve ever seen,” Rafe said, his words dripping with adoration for Miss Elva.

  “You tell Althea what you know about that shipwreck. She’s getting shot at and hunted down – bad people want this treasure. It’s better if we get it and protect it, keep it from getting into the wrong hands.”

  Rafe visibly gulped at her words.

  “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry, Althea,” Rafe said earnestly and I nodded at him. “That’s bad news. Those stones… I don’t know. I was once blinded with lust for them. They’ll do that, you know. But time has shown me what a mistake it was to go after them,” Rafe hung his head.

  “You searched for these treasures?”

  “I went after the treasure fleet. It wasn’t just a hurricane
that sank those ships. I had a hand in taking some of them down. And I had the treasure! Ever so briefly, that is. Until the storm came.”

  My mouth dropped open and I gaped at him.

  “Are you telling me you attacked the treasure fleet and plundered the treasure?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “And then your boat was shipwrecked after you obtained the godstones?”

  “Yes, nearly twenty-four hours later. Ahhh, but for those twenty-four hours!” Rafe brought his hands to his lips in a kissing motion. “It was bliss. The stones – they blind you. All I could see was the joy, the honors the royal family would bestow upon me when I brought the stones to them, and how it would elevate my position in society. It was – well, it was the best day of my life.”

  We were all silent for a moment as we devoured that information. It was enlightening and terribly sad all at the same time.

  “What’s happening?” Trace whispered to me, and I started.

  “Oh! Uh, Rafe was a pirate at the same time the treasure fleet sailed. He went after and intercepted the godstones. He was telling us how wonderful the stones made him feel – as though he would finally be accepted back into society and that the royal family would shower gifts upon him.”

  “Oh,” Trace said, taking that in. “That’s sad.”

  “I never made it home,” Rafe said.

  “What happened, Rafe?”

  “I… I don’t know. We could sense the storm coming. There’s tells on the sea, you know. We were discussing turning our boats back. We’d made the decision to head back to land and postpone the journey. But, then we just… didn’t.” Rafe shook his head and held up his hand to forestall me from speaking. “I will warn you against these stones, Althea. They make you… not right. It’s like they blind you with their love or something. I don’t know. I just felt that I was cocooned in this glow of power, that nothing and no one could beat me. I was the Almighty, you understand? And so I ignored my first mate and turned the boat around. The storm arrived shortly thereafter and decimated the boat.”

  Rafe didn’t have to go into more detail. I could imagine the horror of a storm ripping through your boat at sea.

  “When I drowned… I can’t speak of it.”

  I took a deep breath. What do you say to someone as they relive the last moments of their life?

  “That’s… I don’t know what to say Rafe,” I finally said, helplessly.

  “It’s done. I made the choice – blinded by greed. I paid the ultimate price.”

  There was a moment of silence as we gave Rafe a little space to come back from the raw emotion of his story. He was sitting on the arm of Miss Elva’s chair, and she murmured something to him that seemed to perk him right up. Then I said, “There’s no record of your ship being near the treasure fleet, though.”

  “Of course not. Pirates didn’t record their passages. Do I need to explain the definition of pirate to you, woman? We operated on the principle of stealth,” Rafe said, back to his old self. I shook my head at him.

  “I understand. But some pirates still kept ship’s logs.”

  “Not me. That’s what made me the best at what I did. Until those stones.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to remember where you were when the ship went down, would you?”

  I held my breath at that question – turning to raise my eyebrow at Trace in a hopeful look.

  “Of course I do.”

  I almost dropped my beer.

  “Rafe!” Miss Elva admonished. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Nobody asked.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  And that is how Trace found himself on a dive boat the following day with a white witch, a voodoo priestess, a pirate ghost, and a psychic.

  “This is certainly the most diverse crowd I’ve had on this boat,” Trace decided as we motored out onto the water.

  It was one of those perfect days – just a light brush of wind to tease up the waves. The sun shone in an almost cloudless sky and a gull swooped lazily over the boat as we cruised in the direction Rafe indicated. We weren’t going by coordinates this time. Instead we were just taking a cruise to see if Rafe really could remember where his ship had gone down.

  And if we did find his boat, it would be an undiscovered wreck in the Keys. I shook my head as I thought about the legalities. We’d have to file an admiralty claim.

  “This way,” Rafe pointed, and I repeated his instructions to Trace.

  “This here’s a nice boat,” Miss Elva said, looking around at the boat. She wore a screamingly bright pink bikini covered by a cream crochet cover-up. Did I mention that Miss Elva owned her curves? I needed to borrow some of her self-confidence on occasion. Luna looked flawless as usual in a demure white bandeau swimsuit that somehow looked elegant and sexy at the same time. A wide-brimmed straw hat with a polka dot ribbon and large Jackie-O sunglasses completed her look. I felt woefully underdressed in my raggedy diving suit and oversized t-shirt. I didn’t care, through – I felt excitement hum through me as we followed Rafe’s directions to his hidden spot.

  “Over here. Of course,” I murmured as Rafe guided us several miles past where Miss Elva’s map had indicated. It made sense, based on the timeline of events he had outlined for us.

  “What’s the depth here?” I leaned over Trace’s shoulder to check. I hooted with laughter when I saw. “Sixty feet? Shut up. That’s awesome.”

  “I’m trying not to freak out,” Trace admitted. That depth would lengthen our dive time and allow us more time to explore.

  “This feels right,” Rafe said, relatively subdued himself.

  “Cut the engine,” I said softly. Trace did, and I moved to the front of the boat and threw the anchor instead of the grappling hook today.

  Rafe flew out of the boat, hovering just above the water. His face dropped for a moment as he looked down, then he nodded.

  “Here,” he said, pointing down.

  I indicated the spot for Trace and he noted it.

  “Rafe, are you okay? We don’t have to dive here if you don’t want us to,” I said, crossing my arms across my chest as I looked up at the ghost floating above me.

  “It’s done. I have had several hundred years to come to terms with it all,” Rafe shrugged.

  “And now we’ve got each other, baby,” Miss Elva said softly, and Rafe went to sit by her. She murmured something in his ear and he nodded, looking out over the water.

  “I’ll keep an eye on stuff up here,” Luna said. I was glad she had come with us. We’d been able to catch up on some of our much-needed gossip time this morning. I was feeling marginally better about the Cash situation, though I suppose being shot at puts anything into perspective.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Now you remember that stasis spell I taught you, child. Do your best to hold it before you bring those stones up.”

  “I will,” I said, though I was tremendously glad Luna and Miss Elva were both on the boat to take matters into their own hands once we retrieved the stones.

  “Let’s do this,” Trace said and we geared up.

  “Back in a bit,” I called before jumping into the water. My adrenalin was cruising at a fairly good clip, and I was almost trembling with excitement as we descended to the floor.

  I saw the ship immediately –half of it, at least. I wondered where the other half had drifted to. The stern of the ship lay on its side, tucked between two long strips of reef, all but hidden from above. I could see how probably hundreds of boats had zipped over this site, thinking it was just another lump of coral.

  Trace and I swam to the stern and I marveled at the ship. For some reason, this wreck hit me fairly hard. I knew someone – well, the ghost of someone – who had once lived and died on this ship. Granted, he hadn’t practiced the most noble of livelihoods, but there was still something incredibly sad at seeing a ship, once destined for great travels and adventure, torn to pieces on the ocean floor. I blinked back the tears that threatened.

>   Running my hand over the Captain’s wheel, I imagined Rafe standing here long ago, wind in his hair. It made me smile to think of him in all his glory. I glanced up to see Trace motioning me from the spot where the deck splintered off. He wanted us to go into the hull. Nodding, I kicked over and swung myself under the side of the ship, taking a moment to allow my eyes to adjust to the dim interior.

  Rays of light filtered into the hull from small portholes along the side of the ship, but the rest lay in darkness. I clicked on my dive light to assist, and was startled to find that the silt covered…

  Pretty much nothing.

  The hull was empty except for a single box that Trace was now hovering over. How could that be, I wondered? Had the cargo been strewn for miles through the storm? Or had this wreck already been ransacked? I looked around for signs of any recent disturbances, but for all intents and purposes the wreck looked completely untouched.

  Trace hefted the crate between his hands and looked at me and shrugged. I gave a thumbs-up signal and he nodded. We might as well take a look at what was in this crate; then, if nothing else, we could do a couple more dives throughout the day to scour the deck and surrounding area.

  And trust me when I say I knew that, once this was all over, I’d be back to look for anything else Rafe had tucked away on his ship.

  I kept my eyes on the crate in Trace’s arms as he began to kick around in circles at our safety stop. A sudden wave of evil hit me so hard I almost choked as my stomach roiled in disgust. I met Trace’s eyes behind his mask to find them glassy – like the lights were on but nobody was home. Yet when he focused on me with a decidedly evil squint to his eyes, I realized that someone was definitely home.

  It just wasn’t Trace.

  My mind scrambled as I stayed at fifteen feet of depth, counting down the time until I could reach the surface. If Trace didn’t drown me first. He’d kicked closer and was reaching out to me with one hand, his other hand hooked through a handle on the crate.

  I dodged his reaching hand, smacking him as best I could against the weight of the water. Forcing myself to breathe, I began the stasis spell Miss Elva had insisted I learn.