Treasure Tides

Chapter SEVEN Becki struggled to open her eyes against daylight streaming in through the window.

“Ommff,” she groaned deciding it was best to keep her eyes closed for the moment. Seriously, what had happened last night? She remembered dancing with Trevor and getting into a discussion about nights and days? No, that didn’t seem right. She wrinkled her brow as she struggled to recall the details of the previous night.

It came to her in a flash…not days and nights. Rather-- White Knights and Dark Lords! Dark Lords? Oh yes, Royce.

“Jackass,” she mumbled pulling the covers firmly over her head. Scenes from last night flashed through her mind. She frowned as she remembered Royce bodily ripping her away from Trevor just as Trevor was going to kiss her.

“Hypocritical Jackass,” she amended.

Things became a little blurry after that although… she sort of remembered seeing Landon. She would have to call him later and thank him for bringing her home. She needed coffee. Black gold was the only thing that would help this hang-over. She forced herself to throw back the covers, but she hadn’t yet worked up the courage to open her eyes.

“What an idiot,” she groaned, attempting to force her body to cooperate. There was a long list of things to be done today starting with a huge pile of laundry. She really needed to get moving. Gritting her teeth in determination, she opened her eyes and rolled her body hard to the right. Becki’s momentum was interrupted as she collided with a wall of solid muscle. Becki screamed as she sat up rapidly.

“Way to charm her, Royce,” said a sarcastic voice from the open doorway.

Royce? Where was she? Becki realized that she was not at home after all. How long had Royce been lying next to her? Watching her? Narrowing her eyes to stare more intently at him, she saw humor simmering just below the surface.

To hell with this! If he thought he could kidnap her and then laugh at her, he could think again.

Becki quickly rolled to her left. Her eyes darted to the doorway calculating the fastest escape route. To compound an already uncomfortable situation, the bimbo Royce had been fawning over yesterday was standing in the open doorway. However, today she was dressed in a short robe with a towel turbaned around her head.

Becki stopped mid-roll… her eyes wide-open now.

“You’d better start charming her, Royce. She looks ready to bolt,” said the tramp in the towel, as she pushed off the doorway and strolled gracefully away. She turned to smile and say, “I’ve got coffee made.”

Ok, maybe she wasn’t such a troll after all. However, the grinning male lying beside her was even more of a jackass than she thought. Becki fought the nearly overwhelming urge to beat him soundly about the head, neck, and shoulders. She pushed into a more comfortable sitting position as she prepared to scramble off the bed and away from Royce.

A warm hand rested on her thigh for a moment before dragging her back down into the bed. Before she could think to react, Royce was looming over her trapping her body beneath his.

‘Like a rat caught in a trap,’ as her friend Jayne always said. Only in this case, the rat was the trap! Fury surrounded Becki. She felt as though she might actually drown in the emotions coursing through her body. She began to struggle for her freedom; she had to get away! Becki wanted to go home and forget that she had ever known Royce St. John. While she was at it, she also wanted to forget the fact that her heart felt like it was breaking. She wanted to forget the fact that she had just awakened in his bed, and that the first thing her eyes focused on was his girlfriend.

Feeling somewhat fragile this morning, Becki struggled intently trying to push Royce away from her. Tears hovered incredibly close to the surface.

“Get the hell off me,” she forced through gritted teeth. She tried to dislodge him using her entire body. She arched into him several times trying to gain a few inches of freedom.

“Becki,” Royce said, in a whisper. That whisper went straight to her heart, cracking it open even further.

“Don’t talk to me! Don’t say my name, and don’t touch me ever again. I thought we covered this last night,” she said hatefully. “What did you do, Royce? Bring me back here for a threesome?”

Anger flooded Royce’s body as her words grew increasingly ugly.

As soon as she felt him tense, she should have known she had gone too far. Of course, Becki never did know when to just keep her mouth shut and had to push the envelope a little further. “Well I’ve got news for you; I don’t play in that shit. Now get off me, you sick son-of-a-bi--”

There was very little time to give it much consideration as his lips crushed hers mid-curse.

Damn him! Why did he have to be such a good kisser? As he kissed her silent, Becki momentarily forgot that she was madder than hell. Once Royce lifted his lips from hers, it all came crashing back with a powerful surge of emotion.

Becki closed her eyes and felt the fight leave her body. Incredible anger had been replaced with hollowness.

“You need to stop and listen, Darlin’, before you say something you’ll surely regret,” Royce said softly.

“The only thing I regret right now,” Becki managed, “is that I ever met you.”

“I want some answers, Becki,” Royce demanded. He was tired of being punished for a crime he hadn’t committed.

“Maybe if you actually asked the questions, Royce, I could answer them for you. And then, you can let me up, so I can go home and get on with my life,” Becki said with resolve.

“Ok, why don’t we start at the beginning,” Royce suggested. “Why did you ignore my texts and phone calls yesterday?”

Becki tightened her jaw and turned her face as far away from him as she could.

“No response? Fine! Next question… why were you snuggled up with Simmons on the dance floor when I walked in the Pub last night?” he asked, clearly pissed off.

“You’re jealous? Oh, that’s rich coming from you, you big oaf,” Becki scoffed and pushed on his chest again. She tried not to notice how the springy curls, scattered across his chest, tickled her hands; practically begging her to run her fingers through them. Right-- her fingers-- and the fingers of every other female around apparently. When pushing didn’t work, she resorted to hitting him with her fists. The blows bounced off his pecs like cotton balls.

Capturing her hands, he trapped them both in one of his and pinned them above her head effectively halting the assault. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, the move lined his body up with hers from head to toe. He began thinking about how good she felt under him, how he could get used to waking up with her every morning, and how great it would be making up after their fights. That was when he noticed she was crying.

Royce immediately released her arms and rolled off her body. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Did I hurt you?”

His apparent concern promptly turned the quiet tears trickling down her cheeks into full blown sobs. He heard the bedroom door quietly close and decided that his baby sister had, indeed, grown up.

“Becki, honey, please stop crying. I’m trying to understand what is going on here, and we’ll talk more about that in a minute. But first, I need to know if I hurt you?” He fought an internal battle. He wanted to wrap her in his arms, but judging from her recent reactions, he didn’t know whether he should or not. “You’re killing me, sweetheart. I want to hold you. Can I do that, please?” he waited stiffly for her reply.

Becki finally nodded her permission. His arms slid around her body, cradling her to him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Becki. I’m sorry.”

Becki took a hitching breath, and then blurted it out, “You didn’t hurt me, not today. But you hurt me so much yesterday. I saw you holding her hand and kissing her, laughing with her like you laughed with me earlier that morning. I’m not good at relationships, Royce. I don’t share well. I don’t trust easily either, but I had started to trust you.”

Whatever reaction she had expected from him, it certainly wasn’t the reaction she received. She felt his body begin to shake with…laughter?

He was laughing at her! She was cocooned in his arms, spilling her heart out to him with his girlfriend in the next room, and he had the audacity to laugh at her? It was too much-- it was just too much! She tried to roll away from him, but he tightened his arms like steel bands and bellowed, “Jo, get in here.”

Becki’s eyes grew wide and round as she wondered what kind of kink he had in mind. She wasn’t into sharing, and she certainly wasn’t into group sex. She tensed as she heard the door open. Suddenly the “other woman” was staring down at Becki. She looked even more gorgeous than she had yesterday. She was wearing a bikini which revealed not one ounce of flab anywhere on her body. Becki hated her even more, if that was possible.

“What do you want, Royce?” she snapped. “I’m trying to get ready to leave. Remember, we have to be at the dock in an hour.”

“Becki,” Royce said warmly, “I want you to meet Joanna… my baby sister.”

“Oh God, shoot me now,” she pleaded. Becki closed her eyes and prayed for the world to end.

“It’s nice to meet you, Becki. I’m sorry about last night. How does your head feel this morning?” Joanna asked with a friendly smile.

Royce had loosed his death grip which allowed Becki to turn and look at Royce. “Can I get up now, please?” she asked sweetly, too sweetly.

“Do you promise not to hurt me?” he asked with a grin.

“No,” Becki answered as she pushed him out of the way and swung her legs off the bed. Ignoring Royce completely, she asked Joanna, “Did you say something about coffee?”

“Sure did. Follow me,” Joanna said, leading the way to salvation.

Royce watched them walk out of his room with a grin on his face. He wasted little time in the shower. It wasn’t hard to imagine the kind of stories Becki would drag out of a more-than-eager-to-embarrass-herbrother Joanna. He grabbed a cup from the cabinet and kissed the top of Becki’s head as he passed by.

“Where’s Sean?” he asked Joanna.

“He is downstairs waiting for me. We’re going to drive separately, so you can drop Becki at her house. I’ve already arranged to have her car delivered by the time you get there. I need to go now.” She breezed out, and then moved back into the room with surprising speed. She handed something to Royce with a whisper and disappeared again.

As he looked at the stone necklace in his hand, he heard Joanna’s whisper echo in his ear, “Make sure she wears it…red jasper for protection.”

“Thanks, Jo,” He said long after the front door slammed. She would still hear him. He knew she might have grown up, but she was still his bossy sister. She would wait around just long enough to make sure he followed her instructions.

Becki stood at the window taking in the breathtaking view of the gardens.

Royce slid his arms around her and pulled her to lean into his chest.

“You can trust me, Becki. I would never knowingly do anything to hurt you.”

Turning in the circle of his arms to face him, she said, “I know that in my heart, my head is just a little thicker. I’m sorry for acting like such a bitch.”

He kissed her softly and pulled her in close for a hug. “Just so you know, the next time I see you in another man’s arms, he is going to be missing his front teeth and maybe a few other body parts before I am done with him. And you,” he continued, “you won’t like your punishment. Not one bit.”

“My punishment? Oh, Royce, don’t tease me so,” she said fluttering her eyelashes.

He swiveled her around to face the window once again and placed something around her neck. Looking down, she touched the fiery red stone dangling from an intricately woven gold chain.

“It’s beautiful, but what is this all about?” Becki asked trying to turn and face him.

He held her in place nibbling on her ear, which he knew drove her crazy. “Promise me you will wear it every day and not take it off,” he asked. “Feel free to wear something black and sexy with it tonight when I pick you up for our date. Ok?” he whispered in her ear.

How could a girl say no to that? How could a girl speak period? She nodded her head.

“We need to go. I’m going to be late.”

“Lead the way,” Becki said tucking her hand in his.

The drive to her house was glorious; there was no other way to describe it. His car was just as fast as she remembered. They rode with the top down enjoying the warm breeze blowing through their hair. Glancing over to smile at Becki every once in a while, Royce held her hand all the way home. This day promised to be perfect!

Royce pulled up in front of her house. “Don’t touch the door handle,” he warned before getting out of the car. “That’s the rule from here on out.” He walked around the car, opened her door, and offered his hand to help her out of the car.

She placed her hand in his as if she were a queen. “Thank you, Sir. You shall receive a token of my favor. A kiss, I think.”

Royce jerked her to him and kissed her right there, dipping her backward over his arm with flair. Becki came up laughing. “Ok, you are not going to blame me for being late. Go play, I will see you tonight.”

Royce insisted on walking her to the door, and he made sure she locked it behind her.

“I will look forward to seeing you in that sexy black dress,” he said through the door. Then turning, he strutted toward his bad-ass car. He felt like he was twenty years old again as he roared out of the drive way. Royce loved this car; he loved the girl, too.

#

“Where is Royce?” Landon asked as he boarded the boat. “He had to stop by Becki’s house,” Sean answered.

“Great,” Landon said with mock impatience, “he’ll be late for sure

now.”

“Looks like you brought plenty of gear, Kurt,” Landon observed.

“Did you forget how to count?”

“Nope,” Kurt responded, secretly looking forward to Landon’s

reaction to Joanna. It was time someone knocked him off his “Mr.

Irresistible” ego trip. Joanna was a far cry from the busty but brainless

variety he seemed to be drawn to lately. This promised to be an

interesting dive in more ways than one. Kurt punched in the GPS

coordinates and settled into the Caption’s chair to wait for the fireworks. Royce strolled down the dock whistling as he walked. He couldn’t

wait to see Becki this evening. If she thought dancing with that wicked

warlock was fun, wait until she saw his dance moves.

“Hi, beautiful day for a cruise,” he called to the trio on deck.

“Where’s Jo?” he asked Sean.

“Jo’s below working out a problem with our computer systems,” Sean

said absently. He was checking and double checking the coordinates in

his system. Royce chose to use a more hands-on approach and grabbed

the paper maps.

“Is Jo another member of the special ops team?” Landon asked Kurt. “Yep,” Kurt answered truthfully.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” Landon frowned.

“Let’s get this party started,” Kurt announced as he fired up the

engines, completely ignoring Landon’s line of questioning. “It’s going to

be a hot one today folks, but the water is fairly calm and visibility is

good. Hopefully, Neptune will smile on us today.”

The ride to the harbor would take a fair bit of time, so Kurt settled in

to enjoy the ride. He loved the coastline. Wildlife was abundant and

could be spotted in and out of the water. South Carolina was the perfect

place to live.

“Sean, did you consider the possibility of tunnels along the harbor?” a

feminine voice asked from below deck.

“No, I never even thought of that possibility!” he said practically

leaping down the stairs. “You are a genius, Jo. What made you think of

that? It would explain so much--”

“Joe certainly has a high pitched voice,” Landon whispered to Kurt. “Not Joe, J O E. It’s Jo-- J O, as in Joanna St. John, Royce’s little

sister,” Kurt explained.

“Damn, I thought I scented a woman. I assumed it was residual,”

Landon snapped. “Are you seriously telling me there is a woman on this

boat, heading into God knows what?”

“Here we go,” Kurt laughed as he anticipated Joanna would make an

appearance anytime now. After all, Landon had made no attempt to

hide his anger at the possibility of compromising the mission with the

presence of a woman.

Landon was somewhat superstitious. He believed that a woman’s

presence on a boat was a bad omen and made the seas angry. Of course,

he also believed that disaster was sure to follow if you stepped onto a

boat with your left foot first.

To demonstrate his sensitivity to Landon’s paranoia, Kurt was always

very careful to make a point of stepping on deck with his left foot first.

Of course, he made sure Landon was watching.

In a whirlwind of fury, Joanna stomped up the stairs. She had clearly

overheard Landon spouting superstition like an old sailor.

“Yes, Wolf,” she said scathingly with blue sparks shooting out of her

eyes. “A woman is on board.”

Royce, who had been engrossed in reading his maps, not really paying

attention to the conversation, knew that shooting blue sparks were a bad

sign.

“Kurt, what is it they say about a dog being near fishing tackle?”

Joanna asked with heavy sarcasm. “You might want to move it to the

other side of the boat,” she suggested to Landon.

Stepping closer to Joanna, Landon goaded, “A fully clothed woman is

bad luck, but a naked one can turn the tide. How far are you willing to

go to see this mission succeed, JO--anna?”

Oh, this was going to be an entertaining day all around. Kurt glanced

toward Royce to see how he was going to react to the latest comment

from Landon, but he wasn’t paying all that much attention to the

spatting couple. After all, Joanna was easily capable of holding her own

without interference from big brother.

“I’m sure that line of shit was dreamed up by a man who had trouble

getting laid, which explains why you know so much about it.” Royce decided now would be a good time to intervene before Joanna

lost all control and turned Landon into a goat or something far worse. “Jo,” Royce said catching her arm before she decided to use it for

evil. “Landon’s on our side. Where are your manners?”

“He started it,” Joanna complained as she wrenched her arm away

from Royce.

“I’m finishing it,” Royce declared. “Enough!”

Joanna knew when to retreat and just what to say to get Royce off

her ass. “Sorry, I’m just uptight today. PMS.”

Kurt inwardly groaned. Deja vu. He knew entirely too much about a

woman’s temperament in conjunction with her cycle. At one point

there had been four girls, including Becki under his roof. He had never

known what he was walking in to.

Royce, on the other hand, called her out, “Nice try, Jo, but I’m not

buying what you’re selling.”

Damn! Joanna rolled her eyes and turned to go below deck without

another word.

Kurt frowned remembering a recent conversation with Becki.... “We need to talk,” Royce insisted dragging her to the front of the

boat where they could have some privacy.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re antagonizing someone

who is trying to help us. In case you don’t get it, there’s a Wolf just

under the surface! For God’s sake, Joanna, get your shit under

control.”

“A lot has happened in the last few years, Royce. Let’s just say I’m

somewhat off men right now. I’m a little touchy,” Joanna explained

rubbing a stress knot that had formed in her shoulder. “Sorry, I’ll tone

it down.”

“What do you mean a lot has happened, Jo? What happened?” Royce

knew that it took something major to rattle his sister. What the hell had

happened while he was MIA?

Joanna smiled at her brother and patted his chest. “Nothing I

couldn’t handle. I’m fine; I’ll even apologize to the Wolf,” she said as

she walked back toward the group.

“This discussion is not over, Joanna. We’ll put it on the shelf for

now, but you and I are going to talk,” Royce assured her as she walked

away.

“She’s a Witch!” Landon whispered as soon as Royce and his sister

had moved away from them.

Kurt laughed and said, “What? Just because she didn’t fall at your

feet, you result to name-calling?”

“No,” Landon explained slowly, “I mean she’s a real Witch. Black

heart… crooked teeth… wart… that kind of Witch!”

“He’s right.”

Shit! Landon had forgotten all about Sean!

“Well, except for the black heart and crooked teeth part,” Sean

grinned. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have warts either.”

Kurt clapped Landon on the back, “Way to go, buddy.” “Joanna’s mother is a former council member; she’s also a pure-bred

Witch. The bloodline is very strong. It was only slightly diluted in Joanna

even though her father was not of pure-blood. Her powers are every bit as

strong as her mother’s now, so don’t piss her off,” Sean warned Landon. “I think it’s a little late for that bit of advice,” Landon reminded him as

he watched Joanna rub tension out of her neck and shoulder. “Look, can you give her a break? She got into a-- situation a few years

ago, and she’s doing the best she can. Royce doesn’t know about it, and I

won’t be the one telling him. Let’s just say she’s been through some shit

and leave it at that. Jo’s temper sometimes gets the better of her. She

always feels bad later,” Sean promised.

“Sounds like someone else I know, huh, Landon?” Kurt observed.

“Like the kid said, give her a break. You might be surprised.” “Um, yea, I’ll have to take your word for that,” Landon said

pessimistically.

“I’m sorry for my behavior earlier,” Joanna said as she approached. “I’ll

just claim jet lag if you’ll allow it. My mother would be appalled at my

behavior,” she confided.

“I’m Royce’s spoiled baby sister, Joanna,” she said, extending her hand

to Landon. “And you are?”

The smile that accompanied her apology went straight to his heart. He

was honest enough to admit that he had antagonized her more than he

should have. His only excuse was her eyes; they were a beautiful shade of

blue that actually sparked when she was angry. She was, without a doubt,

the most glorious woman he had ever encountered.

“Landon Smith,” he responded as he reached for Joanna’s hand. With

his trademark charm firmly in place, he brought her hand to his lips. “I’m

pleased to meet you, Joanna.”

A blush swept across her face. To the untrained observer, it would have

appeared to be a flush resulting from the attention of an attractive man. To

Royce, who was accustomed to Joanna’s temperament, recognized the

warning signs immediately. All hell was about to break loose. Royce inserted himself between Landon and Joanna. Grasping her

shoulders, he gave her a slight shake. “Jo, we have a job to do here,” he

reminded her sternly.

Joanna shook off his hold and stomped back down the stairs. Everyone

went back to their business except Landon. He watched as she

disappeared below deck wondering what he had done wrong this time.

The last thing he saw was her middle finger pointing straight into the air

above her head.

Landon chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m telling you, don’t bait her. She can be one wicked Witch,” Royce

cautioned.

“Wicked?” Landon smiled. “Sounds like fun. I can do wicked.” Royce gritted, “Need I remind you that we’re talking about my baby

sister? And while we’re on the subject, I would appreciate it if you

wouldn’t use words like naked when referring to her in my presence. I

won’t allow you to toy with her, Wolf or not. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Landon acknowledged.

Joanna was beautiful, bright, and fearless. Royce needn’t worry; it

appeared that she was quite capable of taking care of herself. Landon

glanced toward the passageway to the cabin below and muttered, “I’m

probably the one at risk here.”

No matter how quietly it was uttered, Kurt heard Landon’s statement,

loud and clear. Smiling, he pondered the impending fall of the mighty

Landon Smith. Kurt wondered how long it would take for his friend to

realize that trying to charm Joanna was the equivalent of waiving a red

flag in front of the proverbial bull. Considering the confused look on his

friend’s face at this moment, it might take him a good while. “Look alive mates. Land ho!” Kurt said. He was suddenly in an

extraordinarily jovial mood.

As the Battery drew closer, Seth and Joanna finished up below and

then wondered around the deck.

“What is that place?” Joanna asked, pointing to an overgrown

structure situated on an island resting in the middle of Charleston

Harbor.

Landon answered “That’s Castle Pinckney. The government built it

in 1810. During the Civil War it was used as a prisoner of war camp and

after that an artillery position. It’s built in the shape of a horseshoe. The

Ghosts of Castle Pinckney was written by a guy who grew up out there, E.P.

McClellan. He had some great stories. Everyone still talks about the

ghosts there.”

Unable to hold back a shiver, Joanna reached out to touch Landon’s

forearm as he leaned on boat’s railing next to her. “You need to stay

away from that island, Landon. It’s not for your kind. There is

something-- I’m not sure…” she paused unable to identify the feelings

assailing her. “Just stay away,” she urged as she turned and walked away. Landon glanced meaningfully at Kurt, who smiled and shrugged.

Talk about a red flag in front of a bull, Joanna would have been better

off to keep that last part to herself. As it was, she just guaranteed Kurt

and Landon a trip to Castle Pinckney in the near future.

“We’ll drop anchor here,” Kurt said. “Sean, where do we start?” Sean pointed to several different areas on the map, “I’ve marked the

areas that are inconsistent with the digital copies. There is no way we

will get them all checked out today, but if we split up, we can make more

headway.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Royce acknowledged.

“Jo, you stay here on the boat and see if you can catch a signal. The

coin hasn’t beaconed in several months, so it’s unlikely. However, you

won’t have as much background interference on the water which should

work in our favor. Landon and I will take this area,” Sean said, tapping

one of the highlighted areas on the map. “Royce and Kurt will take this

section,” he said, pointing to another area close by.

Kurt took over the conversation, “We’ll use a jackstay search pattern.

I’ve stowed the anchors in the rear compartment and ropes are already

attached. We’ll drop the anchors at opposite ends on the eastern most

side of our assigned sections. Follow the rope from one anchor to the

other. Stay together and let the rope slide through your fingers. When

you get to one end, move the anchor a few feet to the west and then

swim back to the opposite anchor. It’s a tedious process, but if

something is down there, we should find it.”

“Put these on, guys,” Joanna appeared holding up tiny ear buds. Landon looked at her like she was crazy. “We won’t need to listen to

music down there, Joanna.”

“Smart ass, they are not going to be connected to an Ipod. They will

let me keep track of you down there and let me communicate with you

in case of an emergency. As soon as you put them in your ear, they will

conform to the shape of your ear canal and become waterproof,” she

explained. She handed them a second gadget which closely resembled a

wrist watch. “Put these on, too. They will allow you to communicate

with me as well as each other. It works just like texting,” she said, typing

something on her laptop.

Landon’s wrist vibrated and he looked at the screen. Jackass displayed

on the backlit screen. “Nice,” he said, responding with a text of his own. n ur dreams wolf boy Joanna countered via her keyboard.

He turned his gaze toward Joanna and continued to wait patiently

until she looked at him. She finally turned her head in his direction

almost against her will.

“Count on it,” Landon assured her.

#

Joanna’s eyes were glued to the screen in front of her, monitoring both teams of divers as they scoured the bottom of the harbor. She had taken a break from trying to figure out how to lift the cloaking spell on the coin. She had made very little headway, and the process was draining. However, there were still some things she wanted to try.

Landon had turned out to be an unexpected pain in her ass. He was clearly used to brainless twits fawning all over him. “Count on it,” he had said. Unfortunately, Joanna had learned long ago that the only thing she could count on from a man was pain and heartache.

Leaving the computer set in “alert” mode, she walked to the railing where she and Landon had stood a short while ago. As soon as she touched him, she had felt a premonition of sorts. It was fuzzy and unclear, but she sensed danger.

Castle Pinckney sat in the distance while Joanna tried to imagine it as it had once been. Suddenly, she felt as if someone or something was trying to communicate with her. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on searching for whatever was out there. It was an elusive sort; she couldn’t quite push close enough to mentally connect. As she concentrated more intently, blocking out the world around her, she felt herself being drawn toward something unexplainable. Smack! Joanna felt as if she had physically run into a wall of concrete.

Someone needed her. They were trying to tell her something important, but there was an invisible force blocking the communication in some way. She pulled on all of her energy searching for a way around the roadblock.

Yes ! There it was-- a trail as thin and fragile as a spider’s web. She followed the trail deeper and deeper. Tackling this sort of thing alone was dangerous and exhausting. Joanna knew she should pull back, but could not bring herself to sever the thin connection. Deeper and deeper she ventured, further and further away, searching, seeking.

“ Beep--Beep!” Joanna’s laptop startled her out of the trance-like state she had fallen into. Dropping her head onto the railing, she took a moment to gather her strength. So tired. “Beep--Beep!” She knew the sound would not stop until she checked it. Sighing, she forced herself to push off of the railing and make her way to the computer. She felt a splash on her forearm and saw a drop of bright red blood. Great! Could one more thing piss her off? Grabbing a tissue from beneath a bench seat, she focused on the screen.

“Tunnel found, section three.” Royce and Landon had found a secret tunnel! Where did it lead?

“c u @ boat,” Sean had responded. They were returning to talk about the find and decide how to proceed.

Joanna had hoped for a little more time to rejuvenate before Royce came back on board. She hoped he didn’t notice the dark circles that now stood out beneath her eyes. At least her nose had stopped bleeding. She quickly stashed the bloody tissue in her bikini top.

As the men surfaced they ripped the regulators out of their mouths and celebrated. High-fives all around! Joanna had to laugh at their excitement.

“Nice going, guys,” Joanna called before hurrying below. She really needed to rest for just a moment longer. She slid into one of the benches surrounding the table and cradled her head on folded arms. She kept one ear tuned to the activity topside. If someone came down the stairs, she would jet into the head pretending she needed to use the girls’ room.

“Where’s Jo?” Sean asked stowing their gear. He grabbed a cold bottle of water and savored a long pull.

“I think she went below to bring up our lunch,” Royce said, knowing that it would be a cold day in hell when that happened. Joanna didn’t wait on anyone.

“Right, I’m sure that’s it,” Sean chimed in sarcastically.

Kurt dropped onto the deck, lying flat on his back to study the clouds in the sky. “Good work today guys. These old bones are worn out.”

“You are such a senior citizen,” Landon agreed heading below deck to grab some sandwiches. Diving was hungry work, and they were growing men.

#

Looking forward to continuing his conversation with the sexy Witch, Landon took the stairs two at a time. The smile on his lips slipped as he saw Joanna slumped over the table. He leaped from the stairs landing beside her. She was barely breathing, and a steady flow of blood trickled from her nose.

“My God,” He said scooping her into his arms to carry her to one of the bed rooms. “Royce!” he bellowed as he placed her gently on top of the comforter. “Royce, get down here!”

“The kids are at it again,” Royce groaned as he worked up the energy to move from the comfortable chair he had just landed in. Surely they could get along for five minutes unsupervised.

Landon didn’t know much about Witches, but he knew this was serious. “Joanna is unconscious and bleeding from the nose.”

“Son-of-a-bitch,” Royce said as he lunged from his chair and hit the stairs at a run.

Sean followed closely on Royce’s heels while Kurt raced toward the captain’s chair. In a matter of seconds, they were headed back to the marina at full speed.

Joanna moaned as she opened her eyes. Three men hovered over her; panic reflected in each of their expressions. Covering her face with her hands, she tried to hide tears of exhaustion as they rolled down her face.

“I’m sorry, Royce,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry. I’m so embarra--”

“You’re going to be more than sorry,” Royce jumped on her with both feet. “I’ve had it, Jo. If you can’t use some common sense, I’ll call in Tammy.” Royce’s fear manifested in rage. “I’m not going to risk you pushing your limitations. I’ll call her right now if I can’t trust you to use your head and not--”

Landon stepped in front of Royce placing his palm solidly in the middle of Royce’s chest. “Back off,” he growled.

Royce lifted a sardonic eyebrow and looked pointedly at Landon. His hand applied enough pressure to force Royce to move back a step.

“She is sick,” Landon said softly. “Now is not the time.”

Joanna couldn’t believe Landon had intervened to stop Royce from verbally taking a piece out of her. She was too tired to give it much consideration as she slipped quietly into a deep sleep.

Taking a step back, Royce scrubbed his face with both hands. What the hell had happened? He looked at his sister lying deathly still, her face frighteningly pale and streaked with blood and tears.

Several minutes had passed. Both men silently watched Joanna, as if to confirm that she was indeed still breathing.

“Her heart rate has returned to normal. It was very sporadic for a while. And her body temperature has risen substantially. Its ninetyseven degrees right now but still on the rise,” Landon reported.

“How do you know all that?” Royce asked. Mystified by what he had just heard.

Landon shrugged. “Heightened senses-- I’m a Wolf, remember?” he said with small grin.

“Oh, yea, that,” Royce nodded. “I was out of line earlier. I, uh-appreciate you stepping in, although I was tempted to kick your ass for it.”

“Again,” Landon began drearily, “I’m a Wolf, remember?”

Royce laughed. “Don’t you worry; I’ve got ways to deal with that,” he assured Landon.

Sean appeared in the doorway. He had gone to see how much longer it would be before they reached the marina.

“We’re within five minutes. What’s the plan?” Sean asked, referring to Joanna.

“I’ll let her sleep and bring her home when she wakes up,” Landon offered. “She’ll probably be out for a while.”

After a long look, Royce agreed to leave Landon with Joanna.

“I’ll take care of her. She’s safe with me,” Landon promised her brother.

“If I doubted that for a minute, you wouldn’t be anywhere near her,” Royce assured him. “One word of warning though,” Royce continued with an evil smile, “she may be a tad irritable when she wakes up.” With that being said, he turned and climbed the stairs. Landon heard the sonof-a-bitch whistling as he helped unload their gear.

#

“She’ll be fine with Landon; he wouldn’t let anything happen to her,” Kurt reassured Royce as they carried the last of the air tanks to the truck.

Royce offered Kurt his hand saying again, “I know, or I would never leave her with him.”

Shaking Royce’s hand Kurt continued, “Now, I’m not sure he is safe with her.”

“You may be right,” Royce laughed as he agreed. Turning to find Sean, Royce called, “Let’s go. I have a date tonight and I don’t want to be late!”

Kurt shook his head as Royce and Sean roared out of the parking lot. He walked back to the boat and glanced at his watch. He had close to an hour and a half to get things done before he needed to pick up the girls for dinner.

Kurt wished he could check in with everyone at home, but his cell phone had just died. Clarissa had lost her cell phone charger, so she was using his. He had accidently run over his car charger after it had fallen out of his truck a couple of days ago. Consequently, there was no way to recharge his phone until he got home. Becki was off work today and would take care of anything that came up, but he would call them when he got to the shop, just to be sure.

“You ok, bud?” Kurt called down to Landon.

“Yea, I’ve got it covered down here. I’ll catch up with you this evening,” Landon said quietly.

“Ok, the girls and I are going to go out to eat tonight. They leave for Indiana in the morning.”

Kurt would miss his girls, but he needed to know they were safely tucked away from whatever craziness was in progress here.

“Ok, catch ya later,” Landon said, his attention being pulled once again to the woman sleeping nearby. Sean had warned that Joanna would wake up with the mother of all headaches. He had aspirin ready for the minute she began to stir.

* * * *