Undertow (31 page)

Í·m going to find that fucking chip. I want al of you to pack your things and leave. When I·ve handed the Alphachip over, I·l cal you and you can come back.µ

Ńo way,µ Ryan said flatly. ´They said
act normal
. Normal isn·t one guy, diving alone for God only knows how many hours at a stretch. Too dangerous. Not going to happen.µ

Saul rose and came over to clasp Zane on the shoulder. ´You·l need al the help you can get. I don·t dive wel , but I can make sure you·re al fed and watered and your tanks are refil ed, ready when you are. I·m not leaving.µ

Śame goes for me,µ Ben told him firmly. ´Four of us have a better chance of finding this thing than you do alone in such a short span of time. Majority rules, son.

We al stay.µ

Zane turned to Teal. Í want you³.µ

´Two teams,µ
she told him firmly, holding his gaze. Ít·s already decided.

Everyone dives with a buddy. No exceptions. Now, how about you fil us in on the rest of it?µ

Zane rubbed his hand across his jaw. Ín the event this chip ever got into the wrong hands, it was programmed to self-detonate. We have thirty-nine hours left.µ

Ryan was the first to speak. ´Wait a minute! Are you tel ing us if we
don·t
find this Alphachip thing, the plane and everything around it wil
explode
?µ

´Yeah.µ Zane rubbed his thumb over his phone, stil not quite believing who he·d just talked to. ´That·s the word.µ

His friend flopped back in the chair he·d just vacated, looking as stunned as Zane felt.

´That·s asking us to find a specific grain of sand in a sandbox, for crap sake!µ

Á bit bigger than a grain of sand,µ Zane said dryly, walking behind the sofa to go i nto the gal ey. As he passed, he brushed his hand lightly over Teal·s hair, making her shiver, then kept going.

´You heard what the guy out there said; the chip·s in a red box.µ Like the color would make it easier to see a hundred feet under the water where everything was blue anyway. Jesus.

The entire scenario was preposterous. He was stil trying to wrap his brain around the fact that he·d just had a conversation with the president.

Which about took this situation from bizarre to surreal.

Óh, no problem finding it then,µ Teal added her two cents. Ít·s
huge
. What a relief.µ

Despite the situation, Teal·s predictable pithiness made him smile, as he was sure she intended. She watched him with big, worried, brown eyes. Zane knew unequivocal y that her entire concern was for him. For his safety. For the realization of his dream. He felt a swel of emotion tighten his throat and wanted to wrap her in his magical cape and spirit her far away from this mess. But the cape was kind of tattered at the moment, just like his emotions.

Í·m guessing we weren·t given the option of refusing?µ Ben asked, beads of sweat dotting his forehead.

Í wasn·t given that option. No. But that doesn·t mean you ³
any
of you should stay; in fact³.µ

Ín fact, we·ve already covered who·s staying and who·s going,µ Teal reminded him. Ćase closed. Thirty-eight-ish hours doesn·t give us much freaking time to argue about it. We·d better make them count.µ

Ćan we use the crane to haul out the wreckage?µ Ryan suggested. ´Much easier to search it out of the water.µ

´Yeah. My thoughts as wel . That·s what we·l have to do.
First
. If that doesn·t work«µ He held up a soda can to the group, then tossed drinks to those who wanted one. He returned to pace, slugging down his Coke as his brain worked a mile a minute.

He·d never used the crane to haul anything so unstable out of the wat er. The plane could break apart, hel ³it probably
would
break apart. But it was their best shot at finding this damned thing.

If they managed the improbable, impossible task of finding the smal container, on the bottom of a very large ocean, everything could go back to normal. If not, the plane, and the
Vrijheid
, would blow to smithereens in less than two days. Which was by far the more likely of the two scenarios.

Íf
Vrijheid
was blown to hel after she·s gone through four hundred years of currents and hurricane action, consider how far bits of her wil be flung with a monstrous fucking explosion. And while those two out there want it retrieved, I suspect they·l also be okay with it blowing everything to kingdom come. The end result is they don·t want the bad guys to get their hands on that chip again. This is a case of if we don·t have it, you don·t either.µ

Ben perched on the arm of the sofa, his face red with an excess of emotion.

This wasn·t good for his blood pressure, which added another layer of worry on Zane·s shoulders. Át least let·s bring in more divers.µ

´You heard,µ Teal drew her feet up on the sofa and circled her knees with her arms. ´That·s a big freaking N.O.µ

´There are five of us,µ Saul pointed out. Ódds are, we·l find it.µ

Odds weren·t anything of the sort, Zane knew, but he appreciated everyone having a positive attitude. Odds were very much against them. Even as a betting man, Zane didn·t like the numbers.

The door opened, and the two men came back into the salon. Ál set?µ the tal er one, who looked like a weight-lifter, asked.

Zane nodded. Ás we·l ever be.µ He wasn·t happy about any of this. The very real possibility that the
Vrijheid
would be lost forever sucked, but more important, he wasn·t risking the lives of his team. Not for anyone. Up to and including the president. If they told him he had thirty-eight hours, he·d make sure that al of them were far the hel away if the chip wasn·t found by hour thirty -
six
. ´We·l bring the section of plane onto the deck. Easier to sear³.µ

Ńo can do,µ the agent told him.

´Visibility is down to feet right now,µ Zane pointed out grimly. ´We don·t have time for the current to settle. If you don·t want this d ³.µ

´You can·t have a Citation jet sitting out on your deck for anyone with satel ite imagery and the naked eye to see,µ the agent responded.

Shit. Ánd what·s
your
contribution to this clusterfuck?µ Zane demanded, pissed off, and not bothering to hide it.

´We·l stay on board and make sure nobody bothers you while you dive.µ

Yeah, like that was going to produce the fucking miracle they needed.

* * *

Something she wasn·t that good at, she discovered.

It was eleven A.M. on Wednesday. If the explosive device wasn·t located and brought to the surface, Zane had told al of them, they·d leave for St. Maarten by eleven P.M. on Thursday ³

tomorrow night.

Thirty-six hours.

The two men were Davis and Smiley³which he wasn·t. They didn·t have first names. Davis was short and stocky, with military short, salt-and-pepper hair, and a slight overbite. Smiley was a bit tal er and very buff. Weight lifting buff, with bulging biceps and a barrel chest and a don·t-fuck-with-me attitude. Teal was glad to know they were the good guys. They were tolerable, and best of al , they were both ful y armed.

They returned to their discreet Stingray rental fishing boat tied aft of the
Decrepit
and came back with heavy-looking duffels, which they stowed conveniently nearby in the gal ey. Teal offered them her old cabin.

´Thank you, ma·am.µ Smiley took a large³very large³gun out of his duffel, emptied a cutlery drawer into the drawer with the utensils, and slid the gun inside, then snap ped the latch closed. ´We·re working. We don·t sleep.µ

It was much bigger than the one Zane had had when he·d come to rescue her the other day.

And intriguing. She was determined to learn how to shoot one.

Maybe take the thing apart so she could see it from the inside out. ´You have to sleep sometime.µ

Ńot for the next thirty-eight hours.µ

Ŕight. Can I hold that?µ She indicated his gun in a shoulder holster.

Smiley blanched. Ńo, ma·am.µ

Too bad. ´Maybe another time?µ He gave her a pained look. Í made those sandwiches for you guys as wel . Help yourselves.µ

Ćarry on as normal.µ

´Good idea. Why don·t I just go down and take care of my engines?µ It was rhetorical and they treated the question as such. Ćan I suggest you both change into something that doesn·t look quite so « You know?µ

Davis pul ed out a pair of lurid yel ow -and-lime-green surf trunks from his duffel. Teal had to chew her smile away. ´Perfect.µ

She went on deck to let Ben know where she was if he needed her, then went down to her engine room to look at the old D398s with fresh eyes. She had some contingency plans of her own, and was happy to have a project to keep her busy.

Now al she needed were some parts.

Ben cal ed her when it was their turn to dive. Zane and Ryan had found nothing.

The four of them took turns diving al afternoon and wel into dusk, using pow erful underwater lamps. Nothing. It was depressing as hel going down and seeing the big freaking plane sitting on top of their wreck.

Bits of gold winked at them in the bright glare of the lights, taunting them from beneath the plane·s fuselage and tail. Treasure they couldn·t hunt and might lose completely.

Dinner was a somber affair. Everyone was stressed, but Teal was especial y aware of Zane·s tension. He talked less than usual. She hoped to hel he didn·t do anything stupid. Like make them al go to St. Maarten while he hovered over the
Vrijheid
like a demented mother hen.

He·d worked his ass off to find her. He shouldn·t have to be punished because some criminal stole something and was unlucky enough to crash onto his wreck.

Smiley walked in while they were cleaning the dinner dishes. ´We have company.µ

Teal had noticed the approaching lights out in the darkness a few minutes before. So had Zane, she was sure.

Éveryone knows we·re right over a wreck,µ Zane told him as he handed a plate to Ben to dry. ´They·l be curious. We had a crowd here before the storm. I imagine they·l be back.

And you guys wil , of course, take care of that. Right?µ he said grimly. Í won·t al ow innocent bystanders to be sucked into this mess. Go out there and get rid of them. µ

´Things have to appear normal,µ Smiley informed him, his tone even. Íf it·s the opposition trying to find out if you·ve seen anything, it would be to our advantage to mislead them into thinking this is a regular dive site.µ

Śhit.µ Zane threw the dirty water down the sink and dried his hands. ´Wel , I guess we can deal with it in the morning. You two wil be patrol ing al night?µ

´Yes, sir.µ

Zane held his hand out to Teal. Ĺet·s get out of here.µ

* * *

He was on her the second the door to his cabin locked behind them. Grabbing her shoulders Zane spun her around. Her back slammed against the door, and she was held there by two hundred pounds of hard-breathing male. He was shaking, his hands too tight, his lungs labored. He kissed her with bruising force, and Teal gave back as good as she got.

He yanked her T-shirt off, sending it flying, then ripped at his own, flinging it over his shoulder. ´Bed,µ she demanded against his throat.

Śhower.µ He pul ed down her shorts, taking her panties with them, then kicked the bunched fabric at their feet aside al without breaking the kiss. Teal·s hands went to his swim trunks, and she wrested them off his narrow hips. Śhower. Later!µ

Once they were around his knees, she used a foot to drag them to the floor.

´Much.µ

Her nails dug into his biceps as she did a little jump and wrapped her strong legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She felt his heavy shaft against her backside and shifted to get it where she needed it.

He groaned and bit her earlobe as he walked into the compact head. With blurred vision, she saw her own face reflected in the mirror. Color rode high on her cheekbones, her eyes glittered as though she were feverish. She looked lust crazed. Which she was. She couldn·t get enough of him. The feel of his hands on her, the taste of his mouth, the smel of his skin ³

the sum of him made her wild and greedy for more.

Ĺook at us.µ He turned sideways so they could see their reflections in the mirror over the sink. Ĺook how perfectly you fit my hand.µ She watched his long fingers tug at her nipple.

Saw it. Felt it. Double the eroticism. Zane·s hands were a stark contrast against the paleness of her breast.

Her gaze lifted from his hand on her fair skin, to his face.

His expression as he fol owed the path of his fingers on her breast was feral.

Magnificent.

Her heart, beating insanely fast, swel ed in her chest as their eyes met in the mirror. Tears blurred her vision as emotion fil ed her to the brim.
I love you. I love
you. I love you.

His penis, hot and thick, centered at the juncture of her thighs. He swooped in on her mouth again, taking it in a possessive claim. A pirate plundering. Teal was more than okay with that. She matched him stroke for stroke. Her hands reaching, touching, stroking, claiming treasure of her own. The kiss went on and on. With a possessive growl, he lifted her onto the vanity, his fingers digging into her hips.

Dizzy, Teal tightened her arms around his neck and thrust her tongue into his mouth. He tasted of the beer he·d drunk with dinner; his mouth, a hot furnace threatening to engulf her.

The sensations she was feeling were almost too powerful to bear. She whimpered, her entire being focused where they were joined. He thrust forward, and she came hard and fast around the spar of his penis. The climax rol ed over her, a tidal wave that never ended. His fingers tightened on her bottom as another climax shuddered through her. Teal·s heart was manic, it was impossible to drag in a breath.

She was gratified to realize³in the smal reptilian part of her brain that could stil think ³that some of the heavy breathing came from Zane. He came several times in violent pulses, his fingers biting into her ass cheeks, the tendons in his neck straining as he pumped into her.

His head dropped to her shoulder, and his sweat mingled with hers.