´Hold³Yes, ma·am. You know something about the engines being disabled?µ
Zane laughed without turning. Í·m sure she does.µ
´That boat won·t be moving anytime soon,µ Teal told the man, a smile coloring her words.
Í took out the engines. For good.µ
Éngines permanently out of commission. Get everyone off,µ Wright instructed through his mic. ÁSAP.µ He paused to listen. Śeven minutes. What·s the problem?µ His lips twitched as he disconnected. Ćan this boat go any faster?µ
Zane glanced at him. Didn·t the guy think he had the
Decrepit
going as fast as he could without busting apart? Śhe·s at ful capac³µ
Ńo,µ Teal told him, edging closer. ´We can go a
lot
faster. Excuse me. Sorry Ryan.µ She wedged herself beside Zane and started flipping switches that hadn·t been there yesterday.
He shook his head with admiration as the
Decrepit
leapt into high gear and skimmed across the water, leaving the
Slow Dance
in her wake.
Teal perched on the arm of his chair, resting her hip against his arm. Her clothing was stil wet, but he felt the heat of her skin through the cool material. ´Did you think I was in my engine room al that time eating bon-bons and reading
Playgirl
?µ
Áh « Ma·am?µ Wright said quietly. Ćan I take that from you?µ
Zane glanced at Wright to see what was putting the dry amusement in his voice. Although the man wasn·t smiling, there was a distinct twinkle in his eye.
Zane glanced to his right as Teal. The large handgun looked obscene in her slender hand.
Śhit.µ He smiled, despite the tension permeating the wheelhouse. ´Where the hel did
that
come from?µ
Teal hefted the large handgun in one slender hand. Óne of the Men in Black stuck it in the cutlery drawer. I·m going to shoot back.µ Her voice was fil ed to the brim with enthusiasm.
´The bastards!µ
Í don·t think you·l be needing it now.µ Wright held out his hand.
Áhh, man! I was hoping I·d have a chance to shoot at something.µ
Wright accepted the weapon with a smal smile. Ńot today.µ
Ryan, Saul, and Ben laughed. Zane just shook his head. ´Have you ever used a gun?µ he asked, his concentration on getting his boat as far away from the impending explosion as possible.
Seven minutes? Shit!
Teal put her hand on the back of his neck, in a show of solidarity he suspected was unconscious. Ńo, but I figured this was a perfect opportunity to learn.µ
The
Decrepit
flew over the water, causing her to bounce in her own chop, the thump, thump, bone-jarring in its rhythm. ´Whatever you did to the engines was damn -wel bril iant!µ Zane told her with admiration. Just the thought of her handling a loaded weapon in the confined space made him shudder. ´Jesus, I·ve never seen her move like this.µ
Śhe stil needs the new engines,µ Teal said proprietarily.
Ánything you want.µ The throbbing whop -whop of the helicopters directly above made talking further impossible.
Even though Zane had been anticipating the explosion, the loud percussion caused hi s body to tense as he braced for whatever would come next. The boat rocked violently, and he made a grab for Teal, wrapping an arm around her waist.
Everyone staggered, holding on to whatever they could reach as the boat bounced and gimbaled on the shocks of surging waves.
Éveryone okay?µ Zane shouted, but he doubted they heard him as they held on for their lives. Teal·s cold fingers tightened on his nape as they heaved and bucked. It took al Zane·s concentration to steady his boat and continue to haul ass.
It was like riding a bucking bronco. Part of him was fucking scared that the
Decrepit
couldn·t take the torque, that her old body would snap in two.
The other half of him was stoked by the adrenaline rush and the sheer excitement of the chal enge. The Alphachip was betting, in no uncertain terms, that he wouldn·t make it.
Game on.
Since the epicenter of the explosion was a hundred miles offshore, there was nothing much to show for Zane losing four years· worth of work, other than a debris field from the
Slow
Dance
and wave surges. Considering the excitement and drama of the past few hours, their return trip to St. Maarten was proving unexceptional. Under the blue bowl of the cloudless sky, the
Decrepit
cruised at normal speed. Al Zane·s people were shaken but unharmed. His boat, which had been crawling with special ops guys, was now quiet. Several helicopters had swooped overhead, and men had disappeared as suddenly as they·d appeared, leaving only Michael Wright behind.
Stil sitting on the arm of his chair, Teal remained glued to Zane·s side for the entire trip. He liked having her butt pressed against his arm. Loved that she wanted to give him whatever support she could, and al without a lot of platitudes and chitchat. Every now and then, her fingers would tighten on his nape, or she·d run her hand over his hair. He wondered if she was even aware of how much he craved the physical contact with her right then.
Almost high on the adrenaline stil surging through his body, Zane could smel Tea l·s skin and her heat. Lust and the residue of excitement from the last few hours was a powerful aphrodisiac. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder, carry her down to his cabin, and sink into her softness. He made do by brushing a kiss to her upper arm, which was in line with his lips. Her hand tightened on his neck, her strong fingers kneading the taut tendons there.
The surges from the explosion were flattening, the closer they got to land.
Zane had no idea how they were going to explain the news of the explosion that must·ve been passed along over marine radios from boaters who were close enough to hear it. He·d leave those explanations to Wright and his people.
Wright entered the wheelhouse, wearing a pair of Zane·s jeans and a ratty gray T -shirt.
Without being told, Zane realized that Wright would blend in with the crowds waiting for them at the marina. There·d be no sign of the black -garbed special ops guys or Werner and his men at al . It was going to be business as usual. Who were these guys? Za ne would bet what was left of the
Decrepit
that they didn·t come from the same group as Davis and Smiley. Maybe vaguely from the same side of the law, but Wright·s team had a decidedly more intense focus and worked together like a wel -oiled machine. ´What happened to the
Slow
Dance
?µ Zane asked Wright.
Ín pieces and sunk somewhere near your wreck, I suspect,µ Wright answered easily. ´We apprehended Werner and his people. Got them evaced before she blew. Nice job on the fire and disabling those engines,µ he smiled at Teal. Íf you ever want a job, give me a cal .µ
Í don·t think so,µ she told him.
Zane coughed back a laugh and rested his arm across her thighs in a subtle show of possession Wright couldn·t miss. A quirk of the other man·s lips told Zane h e hadn·t.
Í think my wife, Tal y, would enjoy you, Teal. She has a thing for explosions, too.µ
Teal smiled. ´Good to know you have someone watching your back. I thought you secret hero types didn·t get married.µ
´Guys like me never think so either,µ his tone was wry. ´Then
wham
! In walks the right woman at the wrong time and we·re goners.µ
God, wasn·t that the truth!
Áre we ever going to be told what that Alphachip was al about?µ Zane asked as Phil·s marina came into view, and he saw the crowds waiting on the wharf.
Ńo,µ Wright replied without elaboration. ´But I·m sure someone wil be appreciative that you attempted to retrieve it.µ
Ít blew Zane·s treasure ship to hel ,µ Teal told him indignantly. Á ship th at took him four freaking
years
to find! What can compensate him for
that
?µ
Wright looked over Teal·s head to meet Zane·s eyes. Í suspect he found something of even greater value. We always like to see the good guys win a few.µ
He stepped up and held out his hand to Zane. Ít·s been interesting, Cutter.µ He shook Zane·s hand, then Teal·s.
´Where are you going?µ Teal asked, puzzled. ´Don·t you have to do ³
something
when we get in?µ
Wright slung a smal , black bag over his shoul der. ´The authorities wil meet you as soon as you dock. My job here is done.µ He shook hands with the other three men, then went down on deck.
He·d already informed Zane and his team that they would be taken for
´debriefingµ as soon as they were ashore, and not to discuss the íncidentµ with anyone else.
Ćool guy,µ Ryan said, watching Wright disappear into the salon.
Śpecial ops,µ Saul told them. Í read an article about them a while back. Think he·l want to grab a beer and tel us some war stories?µ
´He didn·t leave a number or any contact info, so I·m guessing no,µ Teal said practical y. Śo much for the job offer,µ she added with a laugh. Óh, my God! Look at al those people waiting for us. I want to go with that other guy.µ
´You·re with me, Teal,µ Zane said with a kiss that had Ryan and Ben whistling.
´From now until forever, there·l be no other guys.µ Teal snagged him by the shirt to hold him there. She gave him a flinty look as she warned, Ór
women
, Ace.µ The smal marina was crowded with the press and curious onlookers, al being held back by a police cordon.
´We have nothing to hide,µ Zane reminded them as he brought the
Decrepit
alongside the dock where several men waited to assist with tying his boat. ´Wright said to answer what we can noncommittal y and not talk to anyone but the authorities about what actual y happened out there.µ He took Teal·s hand and got to his feet. Ĺet·s get this over with, people.µ
* * *
Maarten, and immediately taken by unmarked vehicles to a local hotel.
There they·d been separated for questioning. It was al very cloak and dagger, but anticlimactic after the day·s events. After an hour of tel ing her story, and with no sign of Zane, she·d been flown by helicopter, alone, back to Cutter Cay. The pilot hadn·t said more than a handful of words to her the entire flight.
Teal was okay with that. She·d had more than enough interaction in the last few weeks to last a freaking lifetime.
By the time she was dropped off, it was late afternoon. There were no cars on Cutter Cay, but a golf cart was parked at the smal landing strip for convenience.
With the sun hot on her head, Teal opted to walk, and trudged down the hil , almost dizzy with fatigue and adrenaline overload even now, hours later. Unlike Zane, who·d been juiced and energized by the time
Decrepit
had put into port, she felt as though she·d been through a war. She probably looked like she·d been in one, too.
Not that she cared.
Should she stay and wait for Zane? Or just cut her losses and leave before there were any embarrassing good-byes? Because there was no doubt in her mind that there
would
be good-byes in her very near future.
Her footsteps lagged as she passed the marina and the Counting House.
Curious to see the
Decrepit
·s treasure laid out in al its glory and col ected in one place, she was tempted to go inside and say hi to Brian and his team. She·d love to see more of the cleaned and identified artifacts. But instead of stopping, Teal picked up her pace.
Seeing Zane·s dream spread out, without him there to enjoy it with her, wouldn·t be the same. His exuberance, his sheer joy at each discovery³no matter how smal or insignificant³had made the entire experience « magical.
Even though he·d retrieved a considerable fortune in treasure, the rest of it was now scattered al over hel and gone on the ocean floor by the explosion. It would be hard, if not impossible to recover it now. ´But not for Ace Cutter.µ Teal smiled as she headed up the dirt road to her cabin. She knew he·d go back as soon as possible to
try
.
Zane of the magic cape would pul it off, too.
But she wouldn·t be there to share his excitement. When she found somewhere she wanted to put down roots, she·d let Logan know. He could mail her a check for her share.
Her future was more uncertain now than it had been when she·d gotten the job offer from Logan. The phone cal from Sam asking her to come ´fil in for a while.µ
She didn·t want to start missing Zane before she absolutely
had
to and put some speed in her steps. He·d said he loved her in the heat of the moment. But of course she wasn·t stupid enough to believe it.
He hadn·t invited her forever, and she wasn·t going to be the one to overstay her welcome.
Despite Logan·s generous offer of employment, she was going to enjoy what little time she had left with Zane, then « who knew?
That pain of being brokenhearted was delayed for the moment as Zane made arrangements to take the
Decrepit
to the dry dock in Ft. Lauderdale, later in the week. At this point, as a ship·s mechanic without a ship, she was redundant.
No, she decided, she wouldn·t think of it that way. She·d contributed to Zane·s treasure hunting, and she·d helped save the
Decrepit
from getting blown up at the same time as the
Slow Dance
. If she could have saved the treasure, she would·ve, but it had been out of her hands. Her future wasn·t bleak, she realized. Not only was she going to get her share of the treasure already secured in the Counting House, there was an entire world out there just waiting to be discovered. She·d go and discover something.
The thought, instead of cheering her, was somehow incredibly depressing.
She walked faster, her breath catching with this different kind of exercise. Not wanting to think further than the upcoming confronta tion, Teal broke into a jog, the sun hot on her head. The air smel ed of green things, but it was the salty tang of the sea that made her eyes mist.
´Get over yourself!µ she told herself firmly, her steps slowing the closer she got to Sam·s bungalow. This was something she should·ve done years ago. Just because she didn·t want to do it, didn·t mean it had been okay to let it go. Heart manic, she banged on the door. Too quickly, it was opened by Cookie. ´Teal.µ She smiled a wide, genuine smile. She was a plump, motherly woman in her late sixties, with Marilyn Monroe blond hair. Deeply tanned, she favored bright colored muumuus³today·s was purple with orange parrots³and flip-flops. Ćome in, honey. Sam just woke up from his nap. He·s having a real good day! H e·l be happy to see you. We were sitting out back. Want cold tea or a Coke?µ