‘If you’re about to offer to buy me a full English breakfast with the gold and precious jewels we’re about to dig up from theNicholas…don’t.’ As this was exactly what he’d been going to suggest, Aleksey pursed his lips and toed the equipment they’d brought with them. Ben, on an annoying roll, added,
‘If there was anything interesting there we’d have seen itthen—wouldn’t we?’ This was not the first time he’d presented this ridiculous argument. Aleksey seemed to recall it was the first thing Ben had said after being thumped awake. It had then been repeated more than once as he’d been dragged from their warm bed with various clothes being thrown at him. Then, like a broken record, he’d been muttering it the whole way along the paths to Guillemot House. The absurd notion had been bolstered by the moron and the useless one upon their bleary-eyed appearance at the top of the stairs. He’d offered a variation of it as they’d dug out the snorkels and dive lights. He’d put his theory to Harry when they’d all four stumbled their way into the walled garden in the pouring rain. But Aleksey suspected the refrain had cemented in Ben’s weird brain when they’d hit the first massive swell upon rounding the eastern end of the island out into the full force of the freezing Atlantic squall.
Aleksey turned to face into the wind. And rain. Benjamin Rider-Mikkelsen could be so boring sometimes.
Resisting the temptation to similarly pull the very thin collar of his jacket higher, he stood and went to join Harry at the wheel, the horizontal rain now full in his face, plastering his hair and dripping down beneath his shirt to trickle, still icy, down his spine. Harry gave him a fond glance.
‘Our little genius is a very interesting lad. Did you know he was building sea thermometers?’ Aleksey nodded, not particularly getting the relevance of this to the current situation. He could see it was fucking freezing for himself.
‘Well, he’s been recording seismic activity too. Four magnitude-three earthquakes in Scilly last year.’ Aleksey’s eyebrows rose. He heard Ben mutter something behind him but tuned him out. ‘A three isn’t going to do a great deal of damageon land, of course.’
Aleksey heard the emphasis. ‘These were at sea?’
Harry chuckled, perhaps at something in his expression. ‘No tidal waves either, sir, not with a three. But…I would not rule out a smidgen of seabed displacement.’
He heard Ben rise, and he came and stood behind him, presumably attempting to use him as a windbreak. ‘You think that’s what’s happened? That’s why things are being washed up on Revival Sands now? The wreck’s been disturbed?’
Harry turned to face into the incipient storm, bracing his legs. ‘That’s what we’re going to find out, young Benjamin.The sea gave up its dead and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.’
For many reasons, this wasn’t particularly reassuring to Aleksey, not least because he’d never once heard of anything good coming from quoting Revelations. But then Ben slid his arms around him, under his jacket, pressing his powerful body tight against him, and body heat began to transfer between them. As with the holding of hands in public, this was something they’d never done with anyone else present. He stared off into the stormy ocean, pondering Ben’s transgressions on their private rules, but then pushed back against him, folded his arms over Ben’s and held him even more tightly bound.
* * *
By the time they arrived at Oasis Rock, it was well into the morning, but the light was little brighter than when they’d set off. Large swells broke up on the exposed part of the small reef, sending spray into their faces as they approached. Cautiously, Harry held the boat as stable as he could to the western side of the spear, where Aleksey and Ben had dived before. That balmy summer night of passion seemed a very, very long time ago on this cold January day. Aleksey rubbed his hands together, mimicking enthusiasm for the dive. He could see through his own pretence, so was pretty sure the others could as well.
‘It will be perfectly calm once you’re both below the surface.’ Ben’s head swivelled slowly towards him. The moron’s brow lowered as if he was actually thinking for once. ‘Warmer too, I shouldn’t wonder.’ He toed the snorkels apart, urging one towards his first diver and pushing the other to the second.
* * *
Sometime later, only colder and hungrier, no agreement had been won as to who was going to strip and swim down to the treasure. It was extremely annoying being the one who owned everything and paid for everyone—who literallyemployedthree of the people in the boat—when no one was taking any notice of him whatsoever. Harry, he’d excused from the diving, and not just because he was old and was still recovering from a broken arm. The professor, likewise, had been let off the endeavour, but only because he was generally useless. So, by his reckoning, that left two supremely fit, utterly fearless, physically indomitable volunteers. But these two fuckwits were huddled, shivering and refusing to strip.
Harry started up the engine to keep the boat clear of the rocks and suggested mildly, ‘I believe they sell proper scuba equipment at the chandlers on St Mary’s. Anyone for a small detour and a spot of brekkies?’
‘No, we’re—’ He was immediately outvoted by a show of hands as if this were a democracy. Before he could protest more, Harry gunned the engine and they headed towards the major sea lanes. He turned his head from his gloating other half and stared sourly out at the seahorses whipped up by the bitter wind. The moron, apparently watching this small disruption in paradise, enquired brightly,
‘Isn’t that the place you snogged that guy, Diesel?—the chandlers?’
Aleksey’s head swivelled slowly back towards his companions. Ben gave the moron a severe elbow to the ribs, which only raised gleeful laughter from the idiot at the success of his windup. Perhaps reading something inhisexpression, Ben explained, ‘The guy I bought your telescope off recognised me from—’ He waved his hand, vaguely attempting, Aleksey was sure, to imply polar bear and not ripped lycra.
‘Yeah, but that’s not the best bit, is it, matey?’
Gritting his teeth, Ben continued, ‘He wanted my autograph.’
‘That’s one word for it, but it ain’t the right one.’ Now in a very severe headlock, this part came out a bit muffled.
Ben tightened his hold and admitted, ‘As he was pointing out the telescope was extendable, he told me his was too and asked did I want to…try it out.’
Aleksey snorted. ‘And did you?’
Ben released his victim who began to rub his neck accusingly, attempting to show his boyfriend his injuries. Tim was huddled and miserable and very obviously didn’t care.
‘Well?’
Ben clearly heard a very slight edge underneath theisn’t this amusinggeneral tone of their conversation. He swapped seats and squeezed in beside him and replied in a quieter voice for him alone, ‘I kinda thought about it but—’
‘Oh, you have no idea how glad I am there’s a but, Benjamin.’
‘See, this is why I hesitated before I went for it. I pictured one of those line things you like and—’
