“Fill me in.”
OT had he strangest urge to snap out a salute. “The ones you’re standing in front of are the ocean’s currents the day she rented from me up until the day you said her body was found.
Natasha tensed slightly but nodded.
“The one on the table has the beaches closest in similarity to the grain of black sand you found.”
“And the one you gave it to, knows their stuff?”
“Leoni is the smartest person I know. She couldn’t be more specific because it didn’t match any of the samples in her database system she’s created over the years. Close to, but nothing exact.”
She faced him and he noticed the scar that bisected her chest before vanishing below the neckline of her white silk shirt. More questions filled him, he wanted to know how she came by that jagged looking scar. And so many other things.
“So what’s the play?”
He moved closer to her allowing their arms to brush against one another. “We go out in the boat and a few of these spots to see what we come up with. I’ll bring diving equipment along as well.”
She rubbed her chest, the pale pink of her nails snagging his attention for a moment. “I can’t dive. Not anything deep. Not anymore.” As if she realized her action, she removed her hand and added to the one around the mug.
A secret part of him enjoyed having her here with him. An emotion he didn’t understand but wasn’t fighting. “No problem, you wait in the boat. I’m thinking we may get a better bead on everything if we check it out as opposed to pure speculation.”
“Clothes first,” she said before drinking the rest of the coffee. “I’m not wearing this to go out in a boat.”
“Let’s go then.” He remembered she hadn’t wanted her clothing after strangers had been rifling through them, so she left them.
She spun and faced him. “We also need to discuss payment. I’ll be right back.”
He raked her with his gaze as she went to the sink and rinsed the mug before heading off down the hall. Right then, he noticed she hadn’t been wearing shoes.
She was a paradox and intriguing, all wrapped up into one sexy package.
Three hours later, they were skimming along the road on his motorcycle. Her arms were around him as she pressed close, using his back to protect her from the wind.
He was headed to one of the beaches mentioned. This area wasn’t the easiest to get to and should be trekked as part of a tour group but he didn’t have the time to wait for one. He slowed the Harley and pulled off the road to park. She unfurled from behind him and climbed off. The fact his missed her touch gave him pause. Then he shoved that away. There were other things to do right now.
He joined her at the trail head once he’d turned off the bike and swung his leg over.
She wasn’t wearing short, tight, shorts like most did around—more’s the pity—instead she had on dark blue jeans and a three-quarter sleeve medium heathered gray top she’d tucked into the waistband. The dark grey hiking boots completed her outfit.
“Want to wait up here?” He didn’t want to leave her but wasn’t going to push her to go the steep and hard trail to the beach.”
“Of course I do,” she said. “I hate being outside but I won’t stay up here. Let’s go.”
He beat her to the path. “Let me go first.” From the set of her chin, he half expected an argument from her but none was forthcoming. In fact, she stepped back and made a grand sweeping motion with her hand.
He set off, heading down the trail. Behind him, he heard her moving, occasionally slipping but she never crashed into him. Her breathing worried him however.
When they hit the beach, she had to catch her breath and wipe the sweat from her face. “Damn.”
He couldn’t have said it better himself. Black sand beaches were impressive in a whole different way. Everything offset with the dark grains. They had pink and green sand beaches as well in Hawaii but these were the most impressive to him.
“It’s like a sheet of obsidian. One that’s not perfectly smooth but has been worked on. Bitch always did have beautiful places to treasure hunt at in her lifetime.” No animosity in her tone, actually fondness.
OT cleared his throat. “Let’s take a look around. Very strong rip currents here, so don’t go in the water.”
“No plans to entertain that at all. I’m staying on dry land.”
He smiled and pointed to the stretch of beach he would check.
She went in the opposite direction.
After searching his section, he turned around and wandered back. His gut yelled at him that this was the area. Yes, he—they—had other beaches to check but his instincts were screaming he was on the right path. He trusted them, they’d made him one hell of an investigator.
Coming around the corner, he lengthened his stride when Natasha wasn’t in sight. Where had she gone?” “Natasha?”
“Down here.”
He hurried along until he spied her near a large chunk of driftwood.
She had one hand resting on it as she stood there.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Don’t have a choice. I have to be.”
OT moved around and leaned near her.
Natasha brushed off the log and sat, ankles crossed and hands braced on either side of her. “What happens if this place is the one we need? With the currents, you can’t just drop off the boat.”
“You’ll be in the boat. I’ll be tethered as well to it.”
She shook her head. “Are any of the black sand beaches without the hard riptides?”
“Not really, no.”
Her expression fell before it smoothed out. “We have others to check?”
“Yes. Let’s head back up.”
“Sure.”
At the trail, he waited and she did too. “You wanted to go first time, is that not the case now?”
Her question snapped his mind from mentally making a list of what he needed, equipment wise. “Go ahead. I’ll bring up the rear.”
“Sure could use TC’s chopper right now.” Natasha groaned and tipped her head to look up the daunting trail before her.
He wasn’t about to tell her most times people rode donkeys down it.
A few moments and she struck out.
OT followed, ready to assist her if necessary.
αβ
Natasha’s frustration mounted. They’d checked all the beaches OT had marked for possibility. Not that she’d expected a huge sign from Ashlee, something…anything would have been nice. “Gotta give me something Ash, please.”
Nothing answered her prayer.
The day was half over and they were about to go out for him to dive. Nerves taunt and pulled tight, she rubbed her hands down the thighs of her jeans. Maybe she should have changed into shorts.
Maybe I should have kept my ass in my city and never have come to Hawaii.
“I’m back,” OT announced. “Let’s go.”
Together, they fell into step as she continued down the pier to the boat he had.
“This yours?” she asked him.
“Nope.”
“It’s mine.” A short well dressed man joined them. He shot her a smile
Natasha didn’t return it. Seriously. Short of TC, I have the crew. And a ladies man like Rick, right here.
“Natasha, this is Tully. He’s letting us use his boat.”
“Thank you,” she said taking in the clean-shaven man. His Hawaiian roots were blatant.
“OT never said you were so beautiful.”
“He didn’t mention you at all.” She glanced away.
“Ouch, you have sharp claws.”
“She’s not interested, Tully. Leave her alone.”
“I need consoling.”
OT gave her an, ‘I’m sorry look.’ “Tell your wife.” OT winked at Natasha.
She gave him a small smile in return.
They boarded a nice trawler. Her heart thundered and her breathing grew shorter. It was hard to fight this fear, but she had to. Tully was up top starting the engine when a shadow fell over her.
OT waited.
“Yes?”
“Is it going to be a problem?”
“No.” She wasn’t going to let it become one. How he’d figured out this fear, she hadn’t the foggiest but it didn’t matter. She would face it. Just like I did with the airplane ride.
He held her gaze. Assessing. Judging. All of it before he gave a sharp nod and went to cast them off. Never mentioned it to Tully either. Not that she knew of anyway.
Safe inside the cabin, she waited for them to get out to the first locale. Looking around, she withdrew her phone and called her boss to update him. The call dropped and she tried once more before giving up.
She peered out through the window for a moment until her tightening chest drove her away. Rubbing her eyes, she found a bottle of water dangling in front of her.
OT. He had this uncanny way of sneaking up on her.
“Thanks.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Not any more than I’d like my wisdom teeth pulled with no drugs.” She uncapped the drink.
He held out his hand and before she realized what happened, he’d gotten her out of the cabin and seated outside in the sun on the back deck.
OT sat beside her, legs stretched out. “Well, what was she hunting?”
“I wish I knew.” Natasha closed her eyes and allowed the ocean wind to move along her heated skin. “Ashlee didn’t talk about what she was after. Fight club rules, treasure hunters have the same thing. You don’t talk about it and you don’t share information. I never knew when or how she got the tips she did.”
“Risky.”
Natasha stared at him. “She was a treasure hunter. Of course, it was risky.”
“I mean all of it.”
“Have you had the pleasure of being around treasure hunters? This isn’t a crew you do Sunday breakfast with. They’re cut throats and thieves who may wear a business suit but it’s only a disguise. A wolf—a rabid one—in sheep’s clothing. They will kill you to keep it for themselves.”
“What about Ashlee?”
“I suspect as vicious as the others. We were friends first and I didn’t mingle with the people she dealt with in her business ventures.”
“Surely, you had to have some clue.”
Of course I did, I’m just not sure I can trust you with all that information. “Nope.” They crested a swell and she gulped, praying her food stayed down.
“What did she hunt mostly?”
This question threw her. She hadn’t given it much thought lately. Her shock was such she forgot about the water surrounding them. “Coins mostly. She loved the sunken treasure finds. Something about bringing up the past. But anything that came with a mystery to it. She liked to think of herself as a real life Lara Croft. Without all the money. Well, not Lady Croft money anyway.”
“Did she keep any of it?”
“No. She kept pictures. Or rather I did. She would send them to me. She enjoyed the hunt, didn’t want the clutter messing up her place.”
“Do you think it could be coins?”
“I guess.” Natasha shrugged. “It could be anything. Does it matter?”
“It would help? Area wise.”
“I’m sorry, I just…” Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
She liked the sound of that.
“Anchor’s dropped!” Tully’s cry broke the simmering tension between them.
“I have to go get ready.”
The boat rocked gently on the ocean. OT got into his diving suit.
Tully helped him into the tank.
She wrung her hands as he spit in the eyepiece and rinsed it out. He adjusted everything, tossed her a salute, and fell back overboard.
Be safe.
Tully slanted a look to her and she worried her lower lip while she reclaimed a seat to wait. After a few moments, Tully went in to the cabin, leaving her alone on deck.
She turned and gazed in the window and saw him on a phone. Turning back, Natasha watched the water for OT to surface.