Back Dangerous Embrace
Chapters (30)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Treasures Lost, Treasures Found
  4. Back Cover Text
  5. CHAPTER 1
  6. CHAPTER 2
  7. CHAPTER 3
  8. CHAPTER 4
  9. CHAPTER 5
  10. CHAPTER 6
  11. CHAPTER 7
  12. CHAPTER 8
  13. CHAPTER 9
  14. CHAPTER 10
  15. CHAPTER 11
  16. CHAPTER 12
  17. Risky Business
  18. Back Cover Text
  19. CHAPTER 1
  20. CHAPTER 2
  21. CHAPTER 3
  22. CHAPTER 4
  23. CHAPTER 5
  24. CHAPTER 6
  25. CHAPTER 7
  26. CHAPTER 8
  27. CHAPTER 9
  28. CHAPTER 10
  29. CHAPTER 11
  30. CHAPTER 12

“You might remember him. He crewed the dive boat the last time you and your wife went out.”

“No kidding?” Ambuckle’s brow creased as he chewed on the cigar. “Not that good-looking young man—Johnny, Jerry,” he remembered. “Had the wife in stitches.”

“Yes, that was him.”

“Shame,” Ambuckle murmured, but looked rather pleased to have known the victim. “Had a lot of zip.”

“Yes, I thought so, too.” Liz lugged the tanks through the door and set them on the stoop. “That should take care of it, Mr. Ambuckle.”

“Add a camera on, missy. Want to get me a picture of one of those squids. Ugly things.”

Amazed, Liz plucked one from the shelf and added it to the list on a printed form. She checked her watch, noted down the time and turned the form for Ambuckle’s signature. After signing, he handed her bills for the deposit. She appreciated the fact that Ambuckle always paid in cash, American. “Thanks. Glad to see you back, Mr. Ambuckle.”

“Can’t keep me away, missy.” With a whoosh and a grunt, he hefted the tanks on his shoulders. Liz watched him cross to the walkway before she filed the receipt. Unlocking her cash box, she stored the money.

“Business is good.”

She jolted at the voice and looking up again stared at Jonas Sharpe.

She’d never again mistake him for Jerry, though his eyes were almost hidden this time with tinted glasses, and he wore shorts and an open shirt in lieu of a suit. There was a long gold chain around his neck with a small coin dangling. She recalled Jerry had worn one. But something in the way Jonas stood, something in the set of his mouth made him look taller and tougher than the man she’d known.

Because she didn’t believe in polite fencing, Liz finished relocking the cash box and began to check the straps and fasteners on a shelf of masks. No faulty equipment went out of her shop. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”

“You should have.” Jonas watched her move down the shelf. She seemed stronger, less vulnerable than she had when he’d seen her a week ago. Her eyes were cool, her voice remote. It made it easier to do what he’d come for. “You have quite a reputation on the island.”

She paused long enough to look over her shoulder. “Really?”

“I checked,” he said easily. “You’ve lived here for ten years. Built this place from the first brick and have one of the most successful businesses on the island.”

She examined the mask in her hand meticulously. “Are you interested in renting some equipment, Mr. Sharpe? I can recommend the snorkeling right off this reef.”

“Maybe. But I think I’d prefer to scuba.”