Both of which she desperately needed right now.Along with hope.Hope that she could honor her promise to her pops and also save her sister’s life.She smiled at Ethan, wanting to tell him not to bother praying, but what could it hurt?If he was kind enough to pray for Daria, then maybe, just maybe, God would listen to such a good man.If God even existed.
She started on her way, only then seeing the black Aston Martin parked beforeOcean’s Echo.A man leaned against it, tall, lean with jet-black hair and wearing an expensive tailored suit.
Camila nearly skipped with joy toward him.And Camila never skipped.The man’s perfect smile grew wider as she fell into his arms and gave him a peck on the lips.When they parted, his expression tightened as he brushed salt and sand from his suit, but it instantly changed back to Prince Charming when he looked at her again.
“Desi, come meet Briar!”Camila shouted with excitement.
Ah, Briar, the new boyfriend she’d been babbling about for two weeks.Groaning inwardly, Desi attempted a smile.It had been a long day, and all she wanted was a hot meal, a hot bath, and to curl up with a good book.
Ethan halted beside her, sizing the guy up, not as a man would a competitor or an adversary but as a shrink might study a patient.
“Desi, this is my boyfriend, Briar.The one I told you about.”
Desi had never seen Camila so…so happy… excited?There was even a twinkle in her otherwise sharp brown eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Briar.”Desi extended her hand, and he gripped it, firm, like a man in control.
His dark eyes assessed her, cold and unreadable, and despite the warmth of the sun, a chill coursed through her.
Camila introduced Ethan, and Briar shifted his gaze to him, giving her a chance to study him up close—his tailored Brioni suit, custom Italian shoes, and slicked-back hair with not a strand out of place.Sunlight glinted off his gold cufflinks, highlighting an engraving she could not make out.Beneath them, a Rolex Submariner, probably more expensive than some homes, clung to his wrist.
Camila claimed he had money, but she hadn’t said he was rich,veryrich.Unless it was all a façade?
“Briar is interested in history,” Camila said, “and he funds undersea expeditions.That’s how we met.At that Treasure Hunter’s Historical Society conference you sent me to earlier this year.”
Ah yes, the expensive one Camila threatened to quit over if Desi didn’t pay her to attend.
“So, you’re a treasure hunter, Briar?”Desi asked.“Do you dive?”
“On occasion, but mainly I allow others to dive for me.Which is what I wished to discuss with you and Camila.”
Camila winked at Desi as if they shared a grand secret, then looped her arm through Briar’s.“Let’s allow them to drop their gear and we can talk inside.”
Silvia greeted them all with a smile as they entered.“Oh my, I didn’t know you’d gone out on a dive, dear.”Her eyes flitted between Desi and Briar.“And with such a handsome man.Why are you not wet, Sir?”
Briar merely stared at the old woman as if she were an annoying gnat.Huffing, Camila drew him aside to show him one of the maps hanging on the wall, mumbling under her breath about a crazy old lady.
Desi hoped Silvia hadn’t heard because the poor woman seemed more confused than usual.“Don’t you remember we took two young men out for a dive?This man,” she thumbed over her shoulder at Briar, “is a friend of Camila’s.”A flicker of embarrassment crossed Silvia’s eyes, so Desi changed the subject.“Any calls?”
“No, quiet as a church on Monday,” Silvia said, the lines around her eyes tightening.The woman had the kindest smile Desi had ever seen.Another reason she couldn’t let her go.
After tossing her equipment into the back room, Desi approached Briar and Camila, who were still studying the Bathymetric chart of the Bahamas.Ethan stood off to the side, watching them, as if protecting.Odd.
“Now, what can I do for you, Briar?”Desi asked.
He spun to face her.“Camila tells me you found an old wreck off the coast?”
She gave Camila a venomous look.She’d distinctly told her crew not to mention anything about what she’d seen until she could verify it.
“I don’t know that it was a wreck.All I saw was some odd formations among the coral.I’m sorry Camila has wasted your time.”
“Nonsense.”Briar raised Camila’s hand to his lips for a kiss.“She could never waste my time.”He faced Desi, instantly sobering.“Regardless, I will pay you a hefty sum to take my crew down to investigate.You see, I’m very interested in eighteenth-century history surrounding the Bahamas, and if this is a ship from that era, it would greatly aid my research.”
“What research is that?”Desi cocked her head, her gut telling her something was not quite right.
“My own curiosity.However, I do plan on presenting my findings to the professor at Harvard, a personal friend of mine.”
Desi shared a glance with Ethan, who shook his head at her as if to say,Don’t do it!
