Oceans of Fire (13 page)

ALEKSANDR felt the impact of a bullet slamming into his back. He was wearing a vest, but the punch was hard enough to drive him against the churning sand. He’d had no time to take a breath before going under and he doubted if either of the Drake sisters had either. Abigail was tugging on his jacket sleeve so he followed her lead. She knew the cove better than anyone else and he had to rely on her judgment.

Just ahead of him, Abigail swam with strong, steady strokes out toward deeper water, moving among the dolphins to gain the rocks. His lungs burned and deep inside him, rage was a living, breathing entity. He had made many enemies, but to have someone shoot so close to Abigail was intolerable.

Abigail pointed to the dark shapes in front of her and tried to get past him to reach Joley. Aleksandr dragged Joley to the rocks and kept an arm firmly around Abigail. She wasn’t going to get away from him and try anything as heroic and stupid as drawing fire while he hid.

Dragging air into his lungs, he kept his head down. “Are either of you hit?”

“No,” Joley said, “and I managed to hang on to the gun.”

The waves were stronger, pushing them against the rocks, so Aleksandr braced himself and held the two women away from the water-worn boulders. “We can’t stay here. The force of the waves is going to crush us.” They were all in heavy clothing. The only thing they had going for them was the fact that the channel was relatively shallow.

Abigail nodded her head in agreement. “There’s a series of caves just over there.” She pointed to the north side of the cove. “The entrance is underwater and it takes a bit to get to them. You’ll feel claustrophobic and want to try to reach the surface, but you’re swimming through a tube of rock and there’s no way to get air. You’ll both have to take a deep breath right before we try to enter the caves.”

“Won’t we be stuck there?” Joley asked. A frothy wave poured over her head, rolling her under. Aleksandr yanked her up before she crashed against the rocks. Joley spit water and coughed, but she was glaring toward the cliffs, more mad than afraid. “I don’t want someone to wait for us in a boat or up on the cliffs. I’d rather take my chances in the sea.”

“Joley…” Abbey wiped sea spray from her face, feeling her sister’s rebellion and reluctance. Joley was stubborn when she wanted to be and this wasn’t the time.

“I’m
terrified
of closed-in places,” Joley confessed. “I panic, Abbey. I’ll never be able to do it. It was bad enough making myself use the stairs at the mill. And if we’re trapped in the cave…”

“I’m sorry, hon, I should have remembered, but the caves are safer than trying for the cove. There’s supposed to be an old tunnel that connects with Kate’s smugglers’ stairs. We’ll try to find it and use that route to get back to the main road,” Abigail explained. “It’s our only chance if they’re on the cliffs. We’re targets in the sea, Joley.” She didn’t want to mention the fact that great white sharks frequented the area, drawn by the abundance of seals. The ocean was just too rough and cold and this particular section contained riptides. With the sharks, the rocks, and the vicious undertows, heading for open ocean would be serious trouble. They had to get to shelter.

A wave slammed Abigail against the rock before Aleksandr could reel her in. The air left her lungs in a rush and she threw her arms up, trying to find a purchase with her fingers on the slippery surface.

At once a barrage of bullets knocked chunks off the rock. Aleksandr pulled her to him, locking his arm around her to bind her to his chest. “Are you hit?”

She shook her head, plunging her arm into the cold water. The back of her hand stung where pieces of the rock had flown up and struck her. “We can’t stay here. The waves are too strong. You’re going to be exhausted trying to hold us, Sasha.” Another wave was building and she slipped beneath the water, not taking chances on being crushed coming up after the wave had passed. They had to move. It was madness to stay trapped the way they were. She was furious with herself for getting Joley into such a mess. If anything happened to her… Abigail couldn’t think about it. She had to get them to the caves.

Aleksandr struggled out of his jacket. His clothes were weighing him down and he had to reserve all of his strength to keep the two women from being slammed into the dangerous rocks. He signaled to Abigail to lead the way.

“Stay close,” she cautioned Joley.

“I’m right behind you,” Joley assured her, but there were tears in her eyes. The idea of swimming into a small cave and being unable to surface was beyond terrifying to her, but she wasn’t about to hold Abigail back from safety.

Without warning, the wind rushed past them, heading from the sea to the cliffs, a fierce, howling gust of anger. Water spouted into the air, several whirling geysers. White foam capped the waves and debris from the sea was hurtled through the air onto land. The waves crashed high against the cliffs and splashed upward as if seeking prey. Seagulls screamed, gathering in the sky from every direction, and began to dive-bomb the cliff, plunging fast, straight downward, long wicked beaks stabbing at something moving fast along the top.

Joley and Abigail exchanged a long look. Both began to smile.

“Let me in on it,” Aleksandr said, trying not to gasp as another wave nearly slammed all three into the rocks.

“Hannah woke up and she’s royally pissed,” Joley said. “Let’s go while our hit man is otherwise occupied.”

“That’s definitely got a touch of Elle in it,“ Abbey said with satisfaction. ”The seagulls are Elle’s work. Hannah likes drama, but Elle goes for the throat.“ She dove under, kicking strongly to take her along the bottom toward the northern side of the cove.

Joely followed her, Aleksandr close behind. They stayed in communication through touch. The water was cold and Aleksandr feared hypothermia would set in before any of them realized it. Both Joley and Abigail were shivering continually although neither appeared to notice. He knew the adrenaline pumping through them would be giving them a false feeling of warmth.

He felt the brush of a larger body and was aware the dolphins were close as they swam along a shallow channel. Just as he was certain his lungs would burst, Abigail rose to the surface and drew a deep breath of air. Her anxiety was plain as she regarded her sister.

Joley’s eyes were wide with horror. Aleksandr caught her to him. “Listen to me.” He kept his voice gentle. “You can do this. When you feel panic because of the smallness of the space, concentrate on something else. Use lyrics of songs or poetry. Make up a song, and remember you are not alone. I’ll be close enough to touch.”

“I’ll be in front of you, Joley,” Abigail reassured her, “and I’d never leave you.”

Joley regarded them both for a moment, then nodded. “I’m ready.”

“A big breath,” Abigail cautioned and once more went under.

Aleksandr shoved Joley ahead of him, propelling her through the cold waters into the underwater cave. His shoulders scraped as he went through the entrance. Abigail had been right when she said they might feel claustrophobic. Every instinct told him to get to the surface. He could feel rock above his head and on both sides. Worse, he couldn’t turn around. If he felt that way, he knew Joley must be going through hell. He brushed his hand along her leg several times to reassure her. He concentrated on ensuring she made it through the watery darkness.

Abigail was aware time was running out on them. They’d been in the water too long and her body was becoming sluggish. Joley rarely went swimming in the ocean and she would tire easily. Abigail pushed herself, stroking through the disorienting tunnel to emerge in the small interior cave at the end. Her head broke the surface and she gasped for air even as she reached back to pull Joley up. Joley coughed and clung to Abigail as Aleksandr joined them.

Aleksandr helped both women out of the water. It was so dark that they had to feel their way to the water’s edge to pull themselves onto the dry rocks. Fortunately, without the steady wind, it was a little warmer in the cave but Aleksandr was worried about both women. They were shaking uncontrollably. “We have to get you somewhere warmer,” he said. “We need light to see what we’re doing.”

“There used to be a torch on the north wall,” Abigail said, her teeth chattering. “A lighter was kept right under it, on the ground for any divers using the cave. It might still be there.”

Aleksandr felt around until his hands encountered the torch. At the base lay the lighter. “Does everyone know about this cave?” He lit the torch to illuminate the small grotto the ocean had carved out of the rocks.

“Only a few divers and history buffs. I haven’t been here in about five years, not since I did my research on the dolphins in this area.” She rubbed her hands up and down Joley’s arms to try to provide her with some warmth. “I’ve never used the stairs out of here, but I know the tunnel was intact five years ago.”

“How come I’m the only one who doesn’t know these things?” Joley asked. “I grew up here—you’d think I’d know about things like hidden caves.”

“You were too busy singing, which is a good thing since you have a beautiful voice,” Abbey pointed out, kicking at the small rocks she was worried Joley might stumble over. “Over here, Sasha. Can you bring the light?”

“And you spent all of your time in the sea,” Joley said. “Aleksandr, thank you for helping me in the water. I didn’t like not being able to see. For a moment I thought I’d have a heart attack and then you touched my leg and it was all right again.”

“I was happy to help.”

Abigail fell silent, staring down at something Joley couldn’t see. “Aleksandr. You’d better take a look at this, because I think it’s real and I don’t want to touch it.”

He came up beside her, real and solid, his body brushing hers. “What is it, Abbey?” His arm slid around her and he drew her beneath his shoulder. “You’re freezing.”

“You’re wearing a vest.”

“Which was a good thing, otherwise I’d be dead.”

She turned her head sharply. “You were hit? Where? Let me see.”

The anxiety in her voice turned his heart over. “It’s nothing,
baushki-bau
, a bruise, no more. What have you found?”

“I don’t know. Take a look.”

Aleksandr crouched down to examine the necklace that had apparently been unknowingly dropped and was now half buried in rubble. Abigail took the opportunity to look at his back. There was definite evidence of a bullet hole in the vest he wore. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She pressed a hand over the small hole and glanced at Joley. “I’m sorry, hon, I should never have asked you to come with me.”

“Are you kidding? Aunt Carol is right. This is the adventure of a lifetime. We need pictures to put in our albums!” Joley tossed her wet hair and managed a smile through her chattering teeth. “How often do hotshot hit men from Russia try to kill you?”

“It couldn’t have been Prakenskii,” Aleksandr said as he carefully dug the necklace out of the rubble and lifted it reverently.

Joley put her hand on her hip. “Don’t kill the fun here, Aleksandr. I’m trying to look on the bright side.”

“You’re turning blue, Joley. Let’s get moving,” Abigail said. “Why couldn’t it have been Prakenskii? How many people are running around trying to shoot at us?”

“Evidently more than one.” Aleksandr sounded vague. Distracted. “It wasn’t Prakenskii or we’d all be dead.”

“Good to know,” Joley said. “I want to go now. I’ve had enough drama for the day. I haven’t even had a cup of tea yet and people are shooting at me. I’m calling it quits. Find the stairs because I don’t want to swim back through that black hole.”

“The entrance is right over there.” Abigail gestured, but her attention was on Aleksandr. “Just beyond Sasha. What is it? That thing is real, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Aleksandr let his breath out slowly, staring down at the piece of history in his hands. “At least I think it is. I think it is a necklace that has been missing for years. In March 1917 Czar Nicolas II abdicated the throne of the Russian empire and a provisional government was set in place.” The reverence spread to his voice. “The czar, his beloved wife, Empress Alexandra Feodrovna, and their five children were deported to Siberia. It was said that they had a small collection of jewels the czar kept for his wife. In 1918 the entire family and four of their faithful retainers were secretly executed.”

“Well, of course I’ve heard the story,” Abigail said, the back of her neck beginning to prickle. She and Joley exchanged a long look. “What does that story have to do with this necklace?”

Aleksandr straightened up, the heavy jewels in his hands.

“It’s rumored Nicolas commissioned a very special necklace for Alexandra before they were wed. In fact, she had refused him at some point because she had been made to feel less than welcome in Russia. The necklace was made of only the rarest and most perfect stones and was intended to show Alexandra how much the czar loved and admired her.”

“Is that true?”

He shrugged. “Until now, the only proof I’ve ever seen that the necklace existed was a small painting. And that painting was stolen from a collection about four years ago. There were so many rumors that the necklace surfaced here or there, but no one actually could ever find the piece. You have no idea how many national treasures have been taken from our country. Pieces of our history that belong to our people.” He shook his head and turned to look at them. “We were on the trail of artwork. If this is authentic, it is a find beyond anything I ever dreamed. This is a priceless treasure.”

“But how would it have gotten in this cave?” Abigail asked.

“I think that’s a very good question.” The two shivering women caught Aleksandr’s attention. “Forgive me, we must get you somewhere warm.”

“We’ll have to take the torch because we don’t have a flashlight,” Abigail said. “Come on, Joley, just a little bit more and we’ll be warm.”

Joley followed her sister to the entrance to the stairs. “You want me to go up that?” The steps were cut into the cliff itself, very narrow and steep, winding upward into the rock. It was dark and the overhead ceiling dripped in places and hung ominously low in others. She stepped back, shaking her head. “I’ll face the hotshot hit man.”