Page 383 of The Romance Adventure

Can’t help it. I love this woman. Wearing a warm smile, I lift and lower my shoulder. “I’ve dodged a few details myself.”

The truth is so close to the surface that I can taste it. I’ve never revealed to a single person my identity with the agency. I’m a member of the McGregor family, a deep diver, pearl hunter, and surf bum. I dabble in treasure-seeking when the mood strikes and the bounty looks big. My associates think I’m a lovable loser who’s willing to trade information for cash.

They don’t know that I’m the one collecting it, going to great lengths to break up a major criminal enterprise. And I can’t help but wonder if Jolie is doing the same thing. Or she could be part of a black operation, not attributable to any one agency. There are so many unknowns, except one: we love each other. At least that is true. Hopefully, the rest won’t come between us.

My phone buzzes with a text. I’m inclined to ignore it and see how deep Jolie and I can dig, but it’s Royal calling a family meeting.

An hour later, we meet him in Chip’s office. The treasure chest sits on the desk. The key is in my pocket, and if my wife and I weren’t trying to figure out each other’s legit identities, and how to love each other despite not knowing that, I’d have opened this thing last night.

Some matters are more important than gold crowns.

Royal paces in front of the window as the others filter in. The space always seemed small with Chip seated behind the desk, but it’s somehow less so even when the eight of us gather around it.

“You got the chest,” Royal says.

“And the key?” Ryan asks.

I hold it between my fingers.

“Yesterday was a shot across the bow. Someone else is looking for the contents of this box,” Royal taps the top.

I flick my gaze to Jolie. She reveals nothing.

“What do you mean a shot across the bow?” Isla asks.

Magnus explains what happened, but assures everyone that we’re safe. He had someone he knows look into satellite surveillance of the area so we could ID the boat. Nothing yet, but it’s not a dead end. Through my connections, I’ll see to it that whoever chased us will be taking a long swim.

Ryan rubs his hands together. “Okay, enough chit-chat. Let’s open this up.”

I lift the lion’s head to reveal the keyhole, but it’s off-center. Frowning, I examine it closely. The scent of citrus blossom fills my nose as I move to slide the key in.

Jolie says, “No, wait.”

“Wait?” my brothers chorus.

She shakes her head frantically, shoving my arm aside. “It’s a false keyhole.”

I look at her sharply, then turn back to the chest and examine it again. Sure enough, the metal around the keyhole is more of a cover plate.

“What’s a false keyhole?” Harley asks.

“If you insert something in it, the contents of the chest will self-destruct.”

I shoot Magnus a She knows more than you’d expect for a real estate agent, huh? look. I asked him to use his resources to look into her, but he didn’t return anything bona fide.

I carefully remove the metal cover to reveal two keyholes. There’s a great debate about whether my single key operates both, one at a time. We speculate about combinations of trying to unlock the chest, but we’re afraid it could destroy the contents.

“So, we need a second key?” Lally asks.

Royal looks around. “I’ve been through all Chip’s things. The safes, everywhere. No second key.”

Ryan asks. “Where’d you get the first one?”

“Chip.” I tell them about how he pressed it into my hand shortly before he passed.

“What about the Salty Skeleton? Is that a skeleton key?” Isla asks.

I smirk. “It’s not a key.”