Kara
I read the email from Kevin.
“Potter Development will be picking up the debt and the option to purchase the Ross Island Property. Any materials or personal items will be forfeit to Potter Development by COB Friday. Any persons on the property who do not have prior authorization will be considered trespassers and will be subject fines and arrests.”
Kevin Potter, CEO
Gold Cross Savings and Loan
He owned the bank, he owned the development company, he owned everything. Well, he almost did. It was Thursday morning. I was headed out to the island today. I didn’t think anything would change between now and Friday night.
Maybe I’d just lay in the shack and cry for a few hours. Now along with the memory of playing on the beach, I had the memory of Stone and me in the shack. His hands on my skin and our time there. My first time would be seared into my memory forever.
I suppose the shack would be torn down by Monday.
I got dressed and put my hair in a ponytail. I grabbed a swimsuit. Maybe I’d float in the surf a while.
I was half tempted to leave my maps. Who was I kidding? They were nothing but disappointment and tangible proof of a second generation of failure. I looked up to the sky a moment and sent up a small apology to Caroline Ross. She’d somehow smuggled the maps out of the island under the nose of the U.S. Navy.
But I couldn’t finish the job.
It was dawn. Time to get one more full day on my island. As I walked down the steps from my apartment I had to blink to be sure I what I was seeing was real.
The Cobalt was where I’d docked it, but every other slip in Pontiac’s Pier was also filled. There had to be a dozen boats. Each one was filled with half-a-dozen bikers. On the Cobalt stood Stone. My heart flipped over when I caught his eye. He should be on the run. He should be long gone and away from Gold Cross and Kevin Potter. But he was on the Cobalt.
There was a dude with a Mohawk hairdo, Walker from the other night, and a few other bikers I couldn’t name. I looked over, and Estelle, Frank, and Slim were on Slim’s little fishing boat.
“What? What is going on?”
Stone spoke up.
“Slim said you needed an army. We’re the army.”
“I can’t pay any of you. I don’t even know if we’re going to find anything.” I fumbled for the right words to say.
“If we can do anything to help you get rid of Kevin Potter, we’re in.” Said one of the bikers on the Cobalt. I didn’t even know who their names of faces but they were here.
“Thank you.” It was hardly enough.
I stood in one spot for, still not sure what to do next. Stone held out his hand.
“You’re with me. We’ll take the lead.” I slowly walked over to the boat, taking in the motley bunch of bikers.
“Get moving Kara, we have a lot to do,” Jason said. Jesus. Even Jason was in for my wild goose chase.
“Don’t worry honey I made over 200 sandwiches and Frank has one of these boats loaded with beer.” There was a cheer at that news.
I put my hand in Stone’s, and he helped me make the little hop on to the Cobalt.
“Alright then. We’re moving out,” Stone said.
“Do these guys all know what we’re up to?” I asked him as we sliced through the water. It was calm and looked like blue glass in the early morning.
“They know we’re digging for treasure. They know it’s yours, and you can trust each of them with your life. I do.”
“So, shouldn’t you be running away from here? Kevin called the cops I’m sure.”
“Yeah, well, the authorities in Grand City aren’t investigating anymore. I’m free and clear.”
“Oh, I see, I’m real uh…” And before I could get any apology or anything else out the biker with the mohawk slid up next to me.
“Hello there. I’m Ryder.”
“Hi. Kara Ross.”
“Nice to meet you. Seeing as I’m much younger and better looking than Stone here I’d like to let you know that I’m much better suited to the pirate life. More buoyant and I am a better water skier.”
“Stone can water ski?”
“No, that’s what I’m saying, he sucks at it.”
“Leave her alone.” And the mirth in Ryder’s eyes was met with a murderous look in Stone’s. I ignored the look and focused on Ryder.
“So, you’re aware, everyone’s aware, this could be a day of digging that leads to absolutely nothing.”
“Hey, the lady said there were free sandwiches and beer. I’m good. We all are.” Ryder removed his shirt to reveal a leaner set of muscles but an impressive torso none the less. I noticed a tat, identical to the one Stone had on his chest, on Ryder’s shoulder. I looked around, and all the Great Wolves had the tat somewhere.
It was a fleet of mish-mashed vessels. There was Slim’s fishing boat, a Cobalt that was an older predecessor to the one Stone had lent me all these weeks. There was cigarette style boat, and I swear, a pontoon boat bringing up the rear. Thank God it was so calm on the water. Because on top of the water, we looked like a strange parade. I wondered. Did I have to worry about these people knowing my secret? I knew only a handful of them.
And then I realized I’d rather every one of these strangers take a piece of the treasure of Henry Ross than Kevin Potter getting it. I knew he’d tear the island up to put his hotel in place and dammit that’s when he’d find it. Better scattered to the four winds in my opinion than in the hands of Kevin Potter.
It was an intimidating looking group. If not an Army what I had here was a fleet of pirates ready to head back to Ross Island to claim what they’d left behind. They made quick work of changing out of leather and shirts and skins for lack of a better term. I had a squad of fantastically built tough guys ready to get sweaty. It was a dream come true if I wasn’t so focused on every other thing
They docked or put down anchor in the lagoon that had once provided shelter for the boats of the pirate hideaway. The assembled on the beach with shovels, picks, metal detectors, and I watched half a dozen men lift a Bobcat out of one of the boats. There was a big shovel in the front. This was so far beyond what I’d hoped was even possible.
I looked around and had a small spike of panic. What if it was a waste of time? Screw it. I had less than two days to figure this out if it was a bust I’d deal with the guilt and embarrassment along with my grief at losing the island.
Stone came up to me as they finished unloading, “Well Pirate Queen, time to lead the marauding hoards. Give they orders. They’ll listen.” I wasn’t so sure. But I spoke as loud as I could, and they all strained to hear.
“So were going up that hill, single file, we don’t want to disturb something we having found yet. The Bobcat can bring up the rear. Our footfalls should help clear a path for it. When we get up there, I’ll assign everyone a grid, and I’ll demonstrate how to dig without destroying anything. Estelle has refreshments and uh, thank you, I just can’t thank you enough.”
Ryder spoke up, “Don’t thank us until we find something. Now lead the way, I’ll follow right behind you.”
“I’ll follow right behind her,” Stone said, and I saw Stone punch Ryder in the shoulder.
“Okay then.” I turned and made my way through the brush using the path I’d carved over the last few days. When we got to the clearing, if you could call it that, Stone looked at my handiwork.
“You did all this?”
“What?”
“You’ve marked off a football field size here.” I had used twine, and posts, and had sectioned the entire area based on what I thought was the most likely place to dig. Then I ran the twine out in a grid, each grid had a number.
“Well I was trying to do it the right way, so if I dug in one place, I would know I’d covered it, or if I found something in one area I’d know what to go back to.”
“Jesus Christ Kara it’s incredible. I’m just amazed at the amount of work this had to have taken. By yourself.”
“Yeah.” Stone and I hadn’t said anything to each other, but the necessities and now wasn’t the time, but I was dying to know what had happened in the last few days. How he was? If he missed me? And if he could forgive me for not listening to his side of the story?
I hoped that he wanted to have that conversation, but I couldn’t be sure.
We caught each other’s eye for a moment, and I felt a jolt like the first time I saw him. Was it mutual?
It was a question I didn’t have time to ask. The Pirate Army had arrived, and I had to lead them.
“So we have to be careful. This is a place of historical significance. SO we can’t just dig. I have spent hours removing the ground cover so we can get to the good stuff today. I’ve got six sifters, I wish I had more, but I didn’t expect so much help.”
“Shit with free beer and those shorts you could have had a thousand helpers.” Ryder again, he was the opposite of Stone, and I started to think they might also be best friends.
“Okay, well, thanks? You get a shovel full, put it in the sifter, and shake the dirt through. Like this.” I showed them how to dig and be sure they didn’t miss anything or do damage to something of historical significance.
“So let’s go.”
“Do you think it would help if my guys made a few more of your sifters? So you have more workstations?” Stone asked.
“That would be great. The materials are in the shack.”
“Walker can you send someone down to that shack on the beach. We can make more sifters?” He asked the man who I’d met on the night Jason punched Kevin.
“Yep.”
“So where do you want the Bobcat,” Stone asked me.
“I have a spot that I think could be the biggest haul. I really do I’m so excited. I think they all had a cut of the loot, but I think Caroline had the lion’s share, the more I looked at family letters, what was known about her life, I think she hid it. And I believe she came back to it again and again.”
“Show me where to and I’ll drive the Bobcat,” Stone said.
“Stone, I don’t know what to say, this is incredible.”
“Oh, it’s more than the white shorts Kara Ross,” he said.
I blushed.
“It’s that tank top too. I don’t even need the free beer.” I couldn’t help talking. A tumble of words came out of my mouth.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have flown off the handle and jumped to conclusions.”
“You were right to get rid of me. You don’t need the life I live.”
“But I want it.” I reached out a hand and put it on his muscled forearm. I knew we had a million pieces of sand to sift through, but I needed to touch him. In an instant, Stone had his arms around me and his lips on mine.
He kissed me deeply, and I opened up to him. For a split second, I forgot there were dozens of people working their asses off for me. I wanted the kiss to go on.
We pulled apart, and he put his hand up to the side of my head. His hands were so big it cupped my face from chin to temple.
“We’re going to finish this later.” He said in a husky whisper that stirred my blood and called up every touch we’d shared.
“No, it will be just the beginning. After we find my gold.” Stone leaned and softly trapped my lip in his teeth.
This day was either going to be the best one of my life or the biggest disappointment, but I felt stronger knowing that this night I’d be with Stone. We hadn’t broken our relationship so badly that it couldn’t be salvaged.