I swallowed, forcing the lump out of my throat. I had not gotten him back just to lose him. “Damn it, Jenks,” I said as Jax started the alphabet song again. “There’s got to be a spell or a charm…”

“There isn’t.” Finally he met my eyes. They held a deep bitterness, touched with anger. “It’s the way it is, Rache. I don’t want to leave you helpless. Let me do this. He won’t let you down, and I’ll feel better knowing he won’t be working for Nick or the likes of him.”

Miserable, I sat beside him, wanting to give him a hug or cry on his shoulder, but apart from that time in front of Terri at the grocery store, he had always jumped when I touched him. “Thanks, Jenks,” I said, turning to the pages before he could see my eyes swimming. There was nothing I could say that wouldn’t make him and me feel worse.

His grip shifted in Rex’s fur, clearly wanting to change the subject. “What do the boat rentals look like?”

Taking a breath, I focused on the time-smeared print. “Okay, but there’s still the problem of noise.” He looked blankly at me, and I added, “It would be stupid to think they don’t watch the water, and it’s not like we can just boat up to the beach and not expect to be seen. Even at night there’s noise. It carries too well over water.”

“We could paddle across,” he suggested, and I gave him a telling look.

“Ah, Jenks? It’s not a lake, it’s a friggin’ freshwater ocean. Did you see the size of the tanker going under the bridge when we came into town? The wake from it could tip us. I’m not canoeing it unless your name is Pocahontas. Besides, the ambient light will give us away, first-quarter moon or not. To expect fog is ridiculous.”

He made a face, glancing at Jax and clearing his throat to get him to start singing again. “You want to fly it? I lost my wings.”

“We’re going to swim it.” I flipped forward a few pages. “Underwater.”

Jenks blinked. “Rache, you gotta stop using that sugar substitute. Under the water? Do you know how cold it is?”

“Just listen.” I found the page, and after taking Rex off his lap, I dropped the book onto it. It was my turn to hold the cat. She wiggled and squirmed, settling as the warmth of my hands covered her. “Look,” I said, charmed when Rex patted at my swinging bracelet. “They have scuba diving off the wrecks, charm enhanced so you don’t freeze to death. The water’s pretty clear here despite the current, and since they’re privately owned, you can take whatever you want off the wrecks. It’s a poor man’s treasure-hunting excursion.”

He snorted. “I’ve never been swimming, and unless you took a class I wasn’t aware of, you don’t know how to dive.”

“Doesn’t matter.” I pointed to the half-page ad. “See? They’re licensed to take you out regardless of experience. I’ve heard of these things. They teach you enough so that you don’t kill yourself, then you go out with a guide. Once you sign that release form, they’re off the hook except for gross negligence.”