Heather Graham - The Vision

“How many times do you think we’ll have to listen to this speech?” someone murmured softly. Thor looked around. Jack Payne was shaking his head.

“As many times as Professor Sheridan wants to give it,” Marshall said, staring at them. “We’re being paid by the state,” he reminded them. “Money raised mainly by the efforts of Professor Sheridan.”

Thor leaned forward to speak at last. “We took more than simple pirate history into account while plotting our coordinates. When the ship sank, remember, half of what is land today wasn’t then. The area has been dredged, filled in, blown away and literally remade by the army, the navy—and Henry Flagler. When he was building his railroad, they didn’t have a place for a depot, so he told them to make one. All that has been taken into account, along with weather charts and the tidal phenomena over the years. One of the main points we need to remember is that our ship’s probably broken into many pieces, most of them entirely unrecognizable without careful scrutiny. And she’s probably spread out over a wide expanse of ocean floor.”

He was pleased to see that he’d captured their full attention. And they remained riveted when Sheridan spoke again.

“And the state will take full possession of the find, with each of you receiving a percentage,” he reminded them.

Marshall rose suddenly, arching a brow to Thor. He nodded, knowing what Marshall was about to say. Sheridan had advised them both of the plan. For some reason the man seemed very wary of the divers he had chosen. He wanted the two crews mixed up, so there wouldn’t be any chance of one group hiding anything from the other. Sheridan was not a trusting soul. The names had been mixed in an old bait bucket last night, to be drawn at random this morning, before the meeting.

“We’re mixing up the crews today. We’ve done it by lot, so there’s no complaining—there shouldn’t be complaining, anyway. We’re all in this together. So forget your old buddy system, because you’re getting new buddies. Here’s the roster for today. Bethany, you’re with Zach. Vic, you’re with Lizzie, and I’ll be the man on deck. Alex, you’re teaming up with Jack Payne, and, Gen, you’re with Thor. Preston will be staying topside.”

He was going to be working with Genevieve?

That was something Thor hadn’t known. Great. Just great.

Well, at least he could quickly dispel the notion that she was seeing dead people smiling at her in the water.

“We’re retracing ground we’ve been over where the sonar has indicated there is metal somewhere beneath the water. We may find a lost diving watch from last weekend, but hey, we’re looking for a needle in a haystack, so…everyone ready?” Marshall asked.

If he was unhappy, it certainly didn’t seem Genevieve Wallace was thrilled with the arrangements for the day, either, Thor noticed.

But as they walked, heading out for the boats, Jack Payne slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Should I grab that equipment bag for you?” he offered.

“Jack, I’ve been hauling my own gear forever, you know that,” she said, but she smiled at him as she picked up her own bag and they all made their way down to the docks.

So he was partnered up with her, Thor thought.

He still felt the uneasy sensation of waking to the strange noises, then seeing her, soaked, salty and wearing seaweed in her hair.

She was a wild card, no doubt about it.

So why the hell was he so damned fascinated with her?

On shore, fine.

In the water?

He shook his head.

It was going to be one hell of a day.

Neither Genevieve nor Alex had been on The Seeker before, and Thor couldn’t help a moment’s pride when he watched them survey his boat. She was nice, with a great cabin, powerful motors and a large dive platform, allowing for easy exits and access.

He took the helm himself as they headed out. Lieutenant Preston was at his side. “Sheridan’s a jerk,” he said above the roar of the motor.

Thor shrugged. “He’s all right. He’s just really passionate about history, I guess.”

Preston snorted. “Yeah, but did you see his face when Genevieve knew something he didn’t? Thought he was about to have a stroke. I guarantee you he’s on the phone right now to some grad student, reaming them out for missing a cross-reference.”

Thor shrugged. “Hey, finding the ship is the important thing, right?”

“Man, she’s nice,” Preston murmured then, studying the console. “There a second helm in the cabin?”

“Yep.”

“Radar, sonar, GPS…she all but drives herself, huh?”

Thor turned, aware they were no longer alone. Genevieve was standing behind him, wearing her wet suit. Beyond her, the other divers had already attached their buoyancy control vests to their tanks, and tested their regulators and air, ready for the water when they reached the reef.

Gen had a touch of challenge in her manner. “Great boat,” she told him seriously. “I’m really going to enjoy it.”

He had to smile, then glanced down at his instruments to hide his pride. Marshall was leading at the moment, and in fifteen minutes, they would be dropping anchor and tossing out their dive flags.

“You’re point man,” Thor said to Preston, who nodded. Thor headed back to don his own gear. One of his fellow divers had already taken care of his BCV and his tank. Nevertheless, he checked out his regulator and air, along with the security of his tank.

“Don’t trust me, eh?” she said softly, next to him, sliding down on the seat to secure her vest.

“Never trust anyone when you’re getting into the water,” he said.

“Don’t worry. I don’t. But if you’re with any of us, that’s all you have to do. Final checks. We take care of each other.”

He felt his teeth grate. Was she suggesting that he’d never dived with anyone trustworthy before?

She stood, balancing perfectly with the weight of her tank. Preston hurried up behind her, but she was already moving. “Hey, we’re partners!” Thor called after her.

She waved. “I’ll be hanging at the surface. Waiting. Take your time,” she added sweetly.

Sweet? Like hell.

He was quickly ready, stepping off the dive platform to land beside her in the water before sinking slowly.

Ten feet away, Jack and Alex gestured, indicating their parallel paths.

Thor believed strongly in the methods they’d used to determine the location for this search, but down here now, their depth a little over fifty feet, he wasn’t at all certain they would make a discovery. They were a little west and south of the customary beaten dive areas, but they might as well have been pleasure divers off any tour boat. The reefs were majestic here, dangerous for anyone who didn’t know the path to navigate through them—or forced onto them in the midst of a roaring storm. There were areas where the coral outcrop—with its rich abundance of life—gave way suddenly to greater depths, and then fan coral would suddenly shoot sharply toward the surface. The colors seemed brilliant today. Purple fans, then a riot of fire coral. Blue-and-yellow tangs. Clown fish. A huge grouper…a lone barracuda. Something seemed to glisten in the sand deep below, and he propelled himself past the coral and downward.

The object was covered in sand. He dug, adrenaline racing through him. His fingers curled around the object, and disappointment washed through him. There was nowhere near enough sea growth on the object for it to have been in the water any length of time.

He had found someone’s lost dive knife. A nice one, actually. But definitely new.

He looked back, ready to let his dive buddy know it was nothing. She was right behind him, as ever, perfectly still and buoyant. She nodded her understanding.