Candace and Dirk once worked together on O’ahu, and Bane had heard the story of how Tony fell for her at a luau Dirk attended. Candace had come as Dirk’s date. “Congratulations,” Bane said. “When’s the big day?”
“I’ll show up whenever Steph tells me to. Wait until you meet her. She’s a keeper. I’d say she was prettier than Candace, but Tony would take me down.” He grinned, then thrust his hands into the pockets of his denim shorts. “Good to see you again, Bane. I wish I was going diving with you today. I’m on shop duty. You ready to go out fishing again one of these days?”
“You name the day. I want to catch that marlin that got away the last time.” Bane had always liked Dirk. In spite of Tony’s jibes about the ladies, most men liked Dirk too. Bane took the cordless phone Tony handed him and dialed Kaia’s number. Kaia answered right away.
“Hey, sis, can you get here any sooner? I dropped my plane into the water. I wouldn’t mind having Nani help me find it.”
The pleasure in Kaia’s voice dimmed until Bane assured her he was uninjured. “I’ve got a project to finish up. I don’t think I can get there in less than three days.”
“Oh well, it was only a thought. I’ll figure out something. I just appreciate you bringing her over to help search for the ship. See you soon.” He hung up then went outside, where he helped pack up the truck with tanks of oxygen, regulators, weights, and other scuba equipment. They found Eva on her stomach on the dock, staring into the water. She squealed when she found out she was going diving.
Leia had wandered off to talk to Candace. Bane handed the phone back to Tony. “So how are your latest divers working out?”
“They’re fine.” Tony looked over his shoulder at his wife, but she was fifteen feet away talking to Leia. “Well, except for one. Did I ever tell you about Shaina Levy?”
“The designer from New York? Yeah. What about her?”
“She’s here. I’ve got a big problem.” He chewed his bottom lip. “She says her kid is mine. I had lunch with her today, and she’s pushing me to get a paternity test.”
Bane raised his brows. “Is it possible?”
Tony shrugged. “Maybe. I’d like to know why she waited this long to tell me though.”
“Did you ask her that?”
“Yeah. She says the kid, Andi, has some health problems, and she needs financial help now. New York hasn’t been good to her lately. I hired her to keep her quiet, but if Candace finds out, there will be fireworks.”
“Whoa, buddy, you need to be up front with your wife. Hiding it is going to cause more problems. If she loves you, she’ll under-stand. This all happened before you even met Candace, right?”
“Everything is riding on finding this treasure, Bane. We’re living on a shoestring. I can’t afford to support some kid I don’t even know.”
Tony had always been a ladies’ man. It was a miracle he hadn’t plunged himself into deep trouble before now. “How did she get in touch with you?”
“She saw the ad where I was hiring divers and just showed up. She threatened to tell Candace if I didn’t hire her.”
“So she knew about the treasure hunt before she contacted you?” Bane asked.
Tony nodded. “Sure. I talked to her about it as much as any-one when we were together.”
“Then the first thing you need to do is establish paternity. She might just be out for money she thinks you have or are about to get. The timing seems odd.”
“You think so?” Tony’s voice was eager. “Maybe the kid isn’t even mine.”
“There’s only one way to find out. Get the test.”
Tony’s smile faded. “She said she has Andi’s DNA profile. She seems confident.”
“That doesn’t sound good. You’re going to have to step up to your responsibilities if the little girl is yours. How old is she?”
“Five.”
“How much money does Shaina want?”
“She hasn’t said, but if we find the treasure, she wants a share for Andi. I guess I can afford it if we find the ship.” Tony gripped Bane’s arm. “Find that ship, buddy. I’m counting on you.”
“I’ll do my best,” Bane said.
By the time they got to the boat, the rest of Tony’s divers had assembled on the dock. Tony told them about the change in plans, then introduced them—two men and two women whose names ran together in Bane’s head as he tried to pay attention.
“I keep telling Jermaine he’s going to be the next Michael Jackson,” Tony said, nodding toward a young man about twenty-four. Energy seemed to hum along his long limbs in an unseen melody, and he wore a gold guitar clock on a heavy chain around his neck. He was dressed completely in black, even down to his slippers.
Jermaine tossed a mesh bag full of dive gear at Tony. “Not if you have anything to say about it. You think I should stay on this deadbeat island and dive for the rest of my life. But man, I’ve got to grab the brass ring while it’s in reach.”