Читать книгу In Too Deep - Kira Sinclair - Страница 12

3

“YOU KNOW WE can’t trust her, right?”

Up on deck, the early-morning air seeped beneath his thin T-shirt, making goose bumps pearl across his skin. The sun, rising low in the sky, flowed off the smooth surface of the water surrounding them. It was funny how mornings like this could remind him of similar moments he’d spent in the desert, the light glaring off sand instead.

Knox, cradling a steaming mug of coffee in his hands, shot Asher a sharp glare. “Pretty sure I said that weeks ago, right after we interviewed her.”

Leaning against the railing, Asher raised a single eyebrow. “Yeah, but you said it because you have a problem with her. I’m saying it because something about this whole thing stinks.”

“Oh, you mean like McNair slithering out from whatever rock he lives under to claim the wreck isn’t really the Chimera?”

“He wants the gold. And apparently he’s got enough connections to make a play. I don’t trust McNair.”

No joke. The man was slick and charming. The kind of perfect that made you think the veneer could crack at any moment to reveal the truth underneath.

“Avery and McNair are connected.”

“So you noticed the inordinate amount of glee McNair was woefully inept at covering when we announced she’d been hired?”

“Oh, yeah. And the way, after weeks of delays, the Bahamian government agreed to the US court’s decision, letting the paperwork sail through the minute Dr. Walsh signed on to the project.”

Knox had put two and two together, coming to an answer he didn’t like. For multiple reasons. He’d called in several favors, but none of his contacts had been able to find a concrete connection between McNair and Avery. It was there, though. He just knew it.

The whole situation left him uneasy. As if he was walking into hostile territory with no idea which direction the bullets might fly from.

Something about Avery worked under his skin, itching and irritating until he wanted to pick at it. Pick at her. Annoying her could quickly become his favorite hobby out here on the open sea with nothing else to occupy his time and mind.

It was either that or crowd her against the closest hard surface and kiss the fire out of her. Something he’d nearly done last night.

That damn robe she’d been wearing was designed to entice a man. The way it had brushed against the tops of her bare thighs, clung to the curves of her breasts...and the fact that she hadn’t put it on for that reason only made the appeal more difficult to ignore.

He’d had a hard time reconciling the vision of the woman who’d shared a beer with him and the professional, put-together executive type who had walked on to his ship hours earlier.

Avery was competent, intelligent and good at her job. But last night he’d realized she was also more complex than he’d thought and surprisingly introverted.

He was still struggling with that revelation. Considering their first encounter had involved her yelling at him for his stupidity, he would have expected that to be the last adjective he’d ever use to describe her. There’d been nothing shy about her that afternoon.

And while he’d been attracted to the cool, collected Avery, something about the small chink of vulnerability she’d revealed last night made her even more appealing.

It had been difficult walking away from her.

Knox was blaming his reaction on the three beers he’d indulged in before she arrived. Although he hadn’t even had a decent buzz going.

From his vantage point across the room, he’d watched her walk out, the roll of her hips a metronome begging him to pursue. But he’d forced himself to stay put and enjoy the party with his crew.

Asher leaned against the railing, pulling Knox back into the conversation. Hell, the woman wasn’t even here and she was distracting him. This wasn’t good.

“All I’m saying is you should drag out those rusty surveillance skills to keep an eye on her. Or, hell, that charm you’re famous for. I’ve noticed it’s been decidedly AWOL since Dr. Walsh arrived.”

“There’s nothing rusty about my skills,” Knox said, popping Asher in the shoulder.

“Keep her close.” The twinkle in Asher’s eyes and his lifted brow clearly suggesting just how he thought Knox should accomplish that objective.

* * *

“WE’RE JUST RUNNING sonar to ensure the wreck hasn’t shifted since the last time we were down. Given what happened to Jackson the first time he entered the Chimera—”

“If she is the Chimera,” Avery interjected. Knox ignored her, although the way his eyes narrowed at the edges suggested her statement had registered.

“—there’s really no reason for you to come with me.”

He had to be joking. There was no way she was letting him close to that wreck without her. Who knew what the cowboy might decide to do if she wasn’t there to rein him in? He said he had no intention of going down, but once he was on that boat away from the ship, she had no guarantee.

“Not a chance in hell.”

“Suit yourself, doc.”

Avery refused to rise to the bait. He was doing it on purpose, but she was going to be the bigger person.

They loaded the sonar equipment on to one of the smaller boats the crew kept. A half an hour later they were heading out to the location of the wreckage.

And Avery had to admit to the bubbling euphoria rippling through her chest.

She loved her job. It was amazing to help recover and preserve pieces of history that had been lost for ages. She’d seen pictures of the wreckage, haunting as it stood silent and still beneath the water.

But there was no way the photos could be as impressive as the site itself. She wanted to see it. The need was a physical pressure inside her chest, that drive to be down there with the memories and history so perfectly preserved by the cold, dark water.

There was nothing like the peace she always found beneath the surface. Something that often eluded her up in the air.

The Amphitrite was anchored quite a way from the site for safety reasons. They wanted to be well clear of the wreckage so that they minimized the potential for disturbances, especially since she rested so close to the edge of the ravine and had already shown signs of instability.

They were going to have to get closer eventually, but for now protocol dictated they visit the area as little as possible. They approached the site, Knox throttling down as he turned the sonar equipment on and began to take readings of the seabed beneath them. She had enough experience to read the data spilling back at them and identify the dramatic depth difference where the rocky ledge the Chimera rested on dropped off.

Her heartbeat sped as the outline of the wreckage appeared on the screen. Slowly, the equipment revealed what had brought them both there—proof that a sunken ship sat over a hundred feet beneath them.

Excitement and impatience buzzed through her system, making it difficult to sit still. She wanted to be down there, not stuck on the small boat with Knox.

Avery found herself holding her breath in a mix of anticipation, excitement and guilt.

No, she wasn’t going to go there. She had no idea if the ship below them was really the Chimera and until she did there was no sense in borrowing trouble.

Avery watched Knox work, grudgingly admitting that he knew his way around the equipment. Even if he moved at a snail’s pace while using it. Every shift of his body was deliberate—the way the muscles in his arms and legs rippled as he moved, adjusting knobs, flipping switches, staring at the readout.

The longer she sat and watched him, the more tension seemed to fill her body. The boat was small. The man was big. And he wouldn’t let her do anything.

“Let me help.”

“No,” he said, without even bothering to look up from the data.

“Come on. I’m just sitting here.”

“I told you it was pointless for you to come, but you insisted.” The so sit there and be quiet was implied by his tone of voice.

Avery didn’t appreciate that much either.

Her fingers began tapping on the edge of the boat, a rhythm she couldn’t seem to stop. She wasn’t used to watching someone else work. Being idle drove her nuts.

After several minutes, Knox finally threw her a glare. “Stop that.”

Beneath the weight of his gaze, Avery stilled. For a moment. And then she deliberately thrummed her fingers against the smooth wood again.

It might have been childish to enjoy watching the edges of his mouth tighten with irritation. But there was a part of her—a bigger part than she really wanted to admit—that delighted in knowing she could get under his skin the same way he managed to dig at her.

“Payback is hell,” she taunted.

Knox opened his mouth, she expected a string of unhappy words to flow out, but instead a slow smile bloomed across his face. It crinkled the corners of his eyes. Light and laughter flashed through them, turning the caramel color to something hot and inexplicably making her mouth water.

Leaning sideways, Knox dipped his hand into the water beside them. Cupping his palm, he scooped up a handful. Avery knew what was coming, but there was nothing she could do. Nowhere to go.

“Don’t you—”

He did, flinging the salt water straight at her. It cascaded down the front of her shirt leaving splotches over the cotton. Droplets clung to her eyelashes and the wisps of hair that had fallen down from her ponytail.

“You’re right, doc, it sure is.”

Avery wanted to yell at him. She opened her mouth to do it, but nothing came out. She wasn’t used to men playing with her. Didn’t know how to react. Especially since her entire body was responding as if he’d touched her instead of the water, flaming hot and throbbing in inopportune places.

At least she could blame her tightened nipples on the cool breeze drying her shirt.

Out of nowhere, a low buzz interrupted any retaliation she might have planned. At first it was faint enough that Avery thought maybe Knox had stuffed his cell into his pocket. But as the sound grew, the rumble quickly increasing to a whine that vibrated through her chest, she realized that wasn’t the case.

Then a small plane appeared on the horizon.

“Knox,” she said, pointing to where the speck was quickly growing.

It wasn’t unusual to see planes carrying passengers or cargo from island to island, but this one was out in the middle of nowhere.

“It’s coming in low,” Knox murmured, almost to himself. Abandoning what he’d been doing, he straightened, using a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun. “Very low.”

He flipped an assessing glance at her. It didn’t last more than a few seconds, but it was enough to let her know he somehow thought she was responsible for whatever was happening.

What the hell?

The plane buzzed past, banking hard to the right and swinging in a large arc. At a diagonal, it headed away, but managed to drop even lower in the sky.

“What the heck are they doing?”

“McNair.”

It wasn’t an answer, and yet it was. “You think he’s surveying the wreck site?” Surprise crept into her voice, although once the words were out of her mouth, she didn’t know why.

It was exactly the kind of thing McNair would do. Even thinking he had her firmly lodged in his back pocket, he wasn’t the kind of man to leave things to chance.

Or maybe he was just checking up on her.

Anxiety ricocheted through Avery’s rib cage. He needed to back off or he was going to ruin any chance she had of doing what he’d ordered.

Then something tumbled out of the back of the plane and plunged toward the water.

“Oh, my God!” Avery shouted, shooting to her feet. The boat rocked unsteadily with the sudden shift in weight. Knox reached for her hand and tugged, pulling her back down.

As they watched, a parachute popped free of the dark spot plummeting toward the water. Avery let out a sigh of relief, slumping onto her seat.

The dangerous descent slowed. Whatever had fallen dropped out of their line of sight, but there was no doubt it had hit the water.

Knox barely gave her any warning before revving the engine. “Hold on.” He cranked it high and jolted forward, speeding in that direction.

Gripping the edge of the boat, Avery closed her eyes against the spray of water whipping into her face. The boat bounced on the waves, sending her stomach jolting up and down between her throat and toes, until she felt as if her insides were jumbling together. Adrenaline surged into her already spinning system.

It didn’t take them long to reach the object, five minutes at the most. But the Amphitrite was no longer on the horizon. They were surrounded by nothing but open sea on all sides, which normally wouldn’t bother her.

Except someone had dropped something into the water and the parachute suggested it was intentional.

For the first time since everything had started, Avery began to question why they were chasing after whatever it was.

A huge wooden box came into view. The parachute stretched out across the water like a colorful oil slick. On all sides were inflated tubes keeping the cargo afloat.

Avery was getting a really bad feeling.

“Uh...remind me why we raced over here?”

Knox flashed her one hell of an untamed glance. It had the pulse fluttering in her throat with a mixture of lust and excitement.

“Because, doc, I’m a SEAL and we don’t run from trouble, we barrel toward it.”

“Fabulous, but could you do that when I’m not around?”

His mouth hardened, but he didn’t respond. His focus was entirely on the box in front of him. He slowed the boat, circling the box, stirring up a wake that rocked both it and their boat.

Knox maneuvered close and then cut the engine, floating the rest of the way until the side of their vessel bumped gently against the roughly hewn wood.

“It’s probably a drug drop.”

Avery’s eyes slid closed, her stomach clenching tight. Not the words she’d wanted to hear, but not altogether surprising. “Then we should leave and call the Coast Guard or something.”

“Coast Guard doesn’t have jurisdiction out here.”

“Then let’s call whoever does.”

Knox was shaking his head before she’d even finished the sentence. “By the time they get here this shipment will be long gone.”

“But they’ll know where to look next time.”

He ignored her statement. “Do you see that?” He pointed to a tiny object affixed to the side of the box toward the top. “Homing beacon.”

Beautiful. So whoever was coming to pick up the box had a device to lead them straight there. “So we’re just going to what, wait for them to show up? Knox there are two of us and we’re unarmed.”

“I know,” he said, his voice tight.

Jumping in front of the wheel, Knox cranked the engine. He scanned the horizon, even as he began to maneuver away.

“Hang on. I’m getting us out of here.”

Avery’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the seat. Her heart pounded so fast she could feel the whoosh of blood as it sped through her veins. She wanted the boat to be going just as fast.

But before Knox could steer them away, a loud humming sound rolled across the water. Unlike the plane, it didn’t build quietly but went straight from low to roar.

A black boat streaked across the water, heading straight for them like a bullet.

“Dammit,” Knox breathed out.

Avery felt her eyes widen with fear and disbelief. How had her day gone so completely sideways? They were supposed to be playing with sonar, not dealing with drug runners.

The boat approached quickly. Low and sleek, it cut through the waves at a speed that boggled the mind. It screamed up beside them, throwing spray that coated her skin in seawater and sandwiching their vessel against the box.

The engine cut out suddenly, and a lazy drawl came from the other boat.

“You appear to be lost.”

The man speaking had bronzed skin and gleaming white teeth, along with an American accent, insolent smile and sharp eyes. He stood in front of a group of men who didn’t bother to hide the guns pointed in their direction.

Avery glanced over at Knox. Gone was the guy who’d splashed water on her earlier, slapped a beer into her hand last night and made inappropriate comments about her sleeping attire.

The person glaring at the men in the boat next to them was a soldier. One who’d put his life on the line multiple times and would do so again to protect his friends and family. Maybe even her...

A shiver of awareness and apprehension rocked through Avery’s body.

Knox’s jaw was tight, his eyes alert and watchful. But none of that came through in the languid words that slipped through his lips. “That’s funny, I was going to say the same thing about this box. I’m guessing you’re the owner.”

The leader shrugged his shoulders. “I am.”

Moving carefully, Knox positioned himself so that he was in front of her, making himself a target for the weapons trained their way.

“Well then, I suppose it’s a good thing you showed up to retrieve it. Saves me the effort of hauling it back to my ship.”

The guy on the other boat laughed, throwing his head back as if Knox had just told the most amazing joke. The sound grated against Avery’s already frayed nerves.

This was not going to end well.

And there was nothing she could do about it. She was trained in Muay Thai, something she’d begun when her family lived in a small village in Thailand during one of her father’s archaeological digs. But that skill was useless with them occupying separate boats. Muay Thai required close contact...their guns, not so much.

That didn’t stop the adrenaline from flooding her system. Or the involuntary way her body adjusted, muscle memory taking over and preparing her for a fight she really didn’t want.

Her movement caught the drug runner’s attention. Shifting on his feet, he peered at her around the wall of Knox’s body. The grin he sent her was wolfish.

She’d seen that expression before, on a different face. One she tried not to think about because that night had altered her life...and her sister’s.

But there wasn’t time for those memories right now.

Standing slowly, Avery filled her voice with determination and said, “Take the cargo and let us leave.”

The man’s grin widened. “I think it’s adorable you believe you have any say in what’s going to happen next.”