“I did pretty well with the military, but not well enough to retire the way I’d like to. But my time is my own. I’m doing consulting work now. Because of my work in the service, I made some good contacts. But I needed a break, so I found this place on the Web. Seemed ideal, and so far, it has been.”
Seymore was leaning on the bar, looking across the lagoon. Everyone was gone, but Seymore was staring as if someone was still there. Someone with features so delicately and perfectly proportioned that she was beautiful when totally drenched, devoid of all makeup, her hair showing touches of its radiant color despite the fact that it was heavy with sea water.
Despite himself, he felt a rise of something he didn’t like. Anger. Jealousy. And an age-old instinct to protect what was his. Except that she wasn’t his anymore.
He had no rights here, and when he had first seen Alex this morning, after the initial shock in her eyes had died away, they had been narrowed and hostile each time they had fallen on him.
He lowered his head for a moment. You were the one who filed the papers, sweetie. Not a word to me, just a legal document.
I didn’t come here because of you, he thought.
Okay, that was a lie. There had been no way he wouldn’t show once Alicia’s message had whetted his curiosity. He had come expecting to find Alicia Farr, even though, after he had returned her call and not heard back, warning signals had sounded in his mind. He wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t here, but he was worried.
And now he was feeling that age-old protective-instinct thing coming to the fore with Alex again—whether he did or didn’t have the right to feel it. He told himself it was only because he was already on edge over Alicia. And anyway, maybe nothing was going on here. Maybe Alicia had made other arrangements and gone off on her own.
Or maybe someone was dead because of something going on here.
Unease filled him again.
Whatever had happened between Alex and him, the good and the bad, he couldn’t help the tension he was feeling now. Especially where his wife was concerned. Ex-wife, he reminded himself. He wondered if he would ever accept that. Wondered if he would ever look at her and not believe they were still one.
Ever fall out of love with her.
Impatience ripped through him. He hated fools who went through life pining after someone who didn’t want them in return. He hadn’t pined. His life hadn’t allowed for it.
That didn’t mean that she didn’t haunt his days, or that he didn’t lie awake at night wondering why. Or that he didn’t see her and feel that he would go after any guy who got near her. Or that he didn’t see her, watch her move, see her enigmatic sea blue-green eyes, and want to demand to know what could have been so wrong that she had pushed him away.
All that was beside the point now. Yes, he had come here to meet Alicia. But he had come to meet Alicia because of Alex.
And now he was going to find out what was going on. Alex, of course, would believe that he was here only to find Alicia, to share in whatever find she had made. In her mind, he would be after the treasure, whatever that might be. Wanting the adventure, the leap into the unknown. No, she would never believe his main reason for being here was her, to watch over her, not when the danger wasn’t solid, visible…
“Well,” David murmured, swallowing a long draft of beer before continuing. “So you had a bad breakup, huh? They say you’ve got to be careful after a bad divorce. You know, watch out for rushing into things.”
“Yeah, well,” John told him, a half grin curving his lips, “they also say you’ve got to get right back on the horse after you fall off. Besides, I’ve been divorced about a year. You?”
“The same. About a year.”
John Seymore studied him, that wry, half smile still in place. “I admit it. That’s half the reason I wanted to buy you a drink. I know you were married to our dolphin instructor. Her name and picture were in one of the articles I read. I guess I wanted to make sure I wasn’t horning in on a family reunion.”
David could feel his jaw clenching. Screw Seymore. Being decent. Man, he hated that. He leaned on the counter, as well, staring out across the lagoon. “We split up a year ago,” he said simply. “Alex is her own person.”
What the hell else could he say? It was the truth. He could only hope his bitterness wasn’t evident. Yet, even as the words were out of his mouth, he felt uneasy. He was, admittedly, distrustful of everyone right now, but this guy was suspicious of him, too. Here was an ex–navy SEAL, a man who knew more about diving than almost anyone else out there, at a resort where the facilities were great for tourists, but…a man with his experience?
A thought struck him, and he smiled. He was an honest man, but maybe this wasn’t the time for the truth.
“Well,” he said, “as far as she knows, she is, anyway.”
“What does that mean?” Seymore asked him.
David waved a hand dismissively. “That’s one of the reasons I’m here. There’s a little technicality with our divorce. I wanted to let her know, find a convenient time for us to get together with an attorney, straighten it all out. But, hey…” He clapped a hand on Seymore’s shoulder. “It’s fine. Really. I think I’ll go take a long hot shower. I’m beginning to feel a little salt encrusted. Thanks for the beer.”
Seymore nodded, looking a little troubled. “Yeah, I…I guess I’ll go hit the shower, too.”
“My treat next go-around,” David said. Then he set down his glass, turned, and left the Tiki Hut.
It was definitely a body. Alex and Laurie could both clearly see that, despite the seaweed clinging to it.
Alex started to rush forward, but Laurie grabbed her arm. “Wait! If she’s dead, and you touch her, we could destroy forensic evidence.”
“You’ve been watching too much TV,” Alex threw over her shoulder as she pulled free.
But she came to a halt a few feet from the body. The stench was almost overwhelming. It was a woman, but she couldn’t possibly be alive. Alex could see a trail of long blond hair tangled around the face.
She had to be sure.
Turning, taking a deep breath and holding it, Alex stepped forward and hunched down by the woman. She extended a hand to the throat, seeking a pulse. A crab crawled out of the mound of seaweed and hair, causing her to cry out.
“What?” Laurie shouted.
“Crab,” Alex replied quickly. Bile rumbled in her stomach, raced toward her throat. She gritted her teeth, swallowed hard and felt the icy coldness of the woman’s flesh. No pulse. The woman was dead. Alex rose, hurrying back to Laurie.
“She’s dead. I’ll stay here, you go for help.”
“I’m not leaving you here alone with a corpse.”
“Okay, you stay, I’ll go.”
“You’re not leaving me here alone with a corpse!”
“Laurie—”
“She’s
