Tuck's Treasure (3 page)

He snorted out a laugh, then headed toward the wheel.

“Well, are we?”

There was a clicking noise and then the motor churned to life.

“Answer me.”

“It’s doubtful,” he said, messing with the gears. “Hang on, land lubber and we’ll get underway.”

“Wait!” She wanted to tell him to give her a little more time to go back to the hotel and get some things, a few changes of clothing at the least. Her pack held her bathing suit and a towel, but nothing that would last her for two days at sea. The boat moved and she toppled, falling on the seat next to her.

His soft laugh infuriated her and she glared at him. “Go back.”

“Nope.” He was navigating slowly through the other boats, taking his sweet time about heading out to sea. “You were late already, and it’s not my fault you didn’t realize we’d be gone for more than a day. You’ll just have to make do with what you’ve got.”

“Jerk.” She tried to stand but he picked that moment to ease the throttle forward. The boat surged, even if it was just a little, and she fell back on the seat again. When he laughed this time she glared at him, which only made him laugh more.

“If the only reason you’re taking this trip is to annoy me turn back now. I can find other means of transportation.”

He was silent for a few minutes and she thought he would do exactly as she’d asked. Then he shook his head slowly. “Tuck sent you to me, so that’s the plan we’ll follow. Or did you have someone else in mind to help you?” He’s spoken the last sentence after a bit of a pause and she wondered if, somehow, he knew, that Max Ives had been to see her; that he, too, was after the treasure.

“I’m waiting,” he said when she didn’t answer. “If you’re keeping something from me you need to remember that we’re going out into the ocean, and I’m the captain. If I choose to make you ‘walk the plank’ so to speak, then that’s exactly what will happen. Either that or I’ll leave you abandoned on the island for someone else to find.

Unease swept through Charlene. She wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, or if he was just trying to scare her. He’d definitely done the latter; making her wonder if she’d made the right decision. Yes, she was following her uncle’s will, but if this man left her stranded…no, he wouldn’t do that.

“Just drive,” she said, making herself more comfortable in the seat. “And let me know when we get there.”

*
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*

Dylan glanced back at his passenger, then stifled a yawn. It was early in the afternoon and he was tired. Getting to the tiny island Tuck had pointed out wouldn’t take more than a few more hours, but he’d like to stop and take a nap.

When Tuck was alive, the two of them had shared time at the helm. Now it was just him, and standing this long, with just a few short breaks for trips to the head and the galley was not enough. They needed to stop so he could sit for a while, rest his aching back.

Charlene sat on the seat, ignoring the ocean around her. She’d been reading a book for the last few hours and Dylan had watched as she’d made her way through it, the pages moving from one side to the other.

How could anyone sit and read when they had the ocean to look at? The thought made him snort in disgust. The scenery here was absolutely beautiful, and to sit with your nose buried in a book was, to him anyway, a travesty.

“Are we there yet?” Those words made him smile. She’d spoken very little since they’d left, and he knew she was angry with him for what had happened that morning. That was just fine with him. He didn’t want to be friends with her. He just wanted to know what Tuck had left on the island, and if he needed her to do that, then so be it.

He’d kept his music loud all day, figuring that, at some point, she would express her discontent, ask him to turn it down. That would at least be an inroad to a discussion. But it hadn’t happened. She’d just kept her nose buried in the book and basically ignored him.

He slowed the boat, which made her fold up the book and finally look out at her surroundings. It was the first real movement she’d made since he’d asked her for the map not long after they’d left. It was obvious they wouldn’t get the best of friends. Too bad, since she was a very pretty woman. Her red hair gleamed in the sunlight and her green eyes sparkled when she was mad, which seemed to be quite a lot when he was around. That is when they were talking, and she wasn’t ignoring him. He watched as a look of awe came over her face; a look that quickly turned to confusion.

“Why are we stopping? I don’t see an island anywhere nearby. All I see is water.”

“Do you stop gas when you’re on a car trip?” He fought back a smile at the shocked look that took over her features.

“Are we out of gas?”

“No, we’re not. But I need a break.”

“Do we have enough gas to get to where we’re going?”

“Yes, we should.” He laughed when her mouth opened in shock.

“We should?”

“If we use more than I have we have sails that will work just fine. Relax, I don’t want to be stranded out here anymore than you do.” He cut the engine then moved toward the stairs.

“Where are you going?”

Stopping on the top rung he winked at her. “The galley. We’ve had snacks, but I need something with a bit more substance. Sandwiches? And chips? Are you hungry?”

Dylan went down the stairs without waiting for an answer. In the galley he pulled open the refrigerator and took out several packages of lunchmeat, some cheese and sandwich spread. When he heard her steps on the stairs he smiled. He waited until she stepped foot below before grabbing the bread.

“Food you get, service you don’t. You can make your own sandwich. That way you can control what goes on it.” She didn’t answer and he opened the package, taking out four slices of bread and spreading them two by two on the counter. “How is it that you’re Tuck’s niece, but you seem to know nothing about boats?”

“I haven’t seen Tuck in years.” She sat down on a chair, watching him intently. He spread mayo on the bread, then piled on meat and cheese, pressing them both together then putting them on a plate. He grabbed a bag of chips then sat in the chair opposite her.

“Your turn.” He took a healthy bite of food and watched as she made herself a sandwich. When she was done she sat down again and took a dainty bite. He polished off his first sandwich, then opened the chips.

“So, you have a map to the island. What happens once we get there?” He watched indecision pass over her face and knew that she had other instructions, ones that she wasn’t sharing with him. She was definitely not keeping him in the loop.

For the first time since meeting her he wondered if this was some sort of sham. He hadn’t called the lawyer to check her out. She could have been sent by Ives, to take her out on a charter, then scream rape or some other disgusting idea when they got back to shore. That could possibly land him in jail, ruin his business and leave everything open to the greedy Ives.

He wanted for her to answer and when she didn’t he started in on his second sandwich. He took two bites, then said around a mouthful of food, “Spill it.”

Unlike him she waited to speak until after she’d swallowed her food. “Spill what?”

“What else did Tuck give you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He finished his second sandwich, then stood up to make another. “You expect me to believe that Tuck gave you a map to the island with no other directions? Did he just expect us to roam around until maybe, just maybe, we found wither X marks the spot?”

“How would I know what he thought? I didn’t know him that well, remember?”

Dylan finished putting together his third sandwich, then stood at the counter, staring at it. She was lying to him, and it pissed him off to no end. He waited for a few minutes, giving her the chance to say something. When she didn’t he picked up his sandwich and sat down, taking a huge bite.

They finished their meal in silence, and then sat there, looking at each other. Finally, after a few, long moments, he lifted his chin slightly. “Tell me what else Tuck left you.”

“He left me the map.”

“Okay, I’ll go for that. But the map included instructions as to where to go once we got to the island, didn’t it?” Her face was so expressive. She couldn’t hide the fact that he’d hit the nail on the head. Still, she didn’t tell him anything, which didn’t surprise him.

“Tell me what it said, or I’m turning back. You will have wasted a day, and then you’ll waste even more time looking for someone else to take you on your little treasure hunt.”

Indecision played over her features, and only when he stood did she say, “Fine, I’ll tell you. Sit down.”

He sat back down and crossed his arms over his chest, giving her what he hoped was a scathing look. In actuality he was enjoying himself. Being at sea was great fun, and he didn’t have any fishing charters scheduled until next week. That meant he had a few days to spare. Why not spend them with a beautiful woman. Unless that beautiful woman meant him harm, that is. If she did it was best to find out right now.

“Well?”

“The map indicates that the treasure is buried under the largest tree on the island.”

He snorted out a laugh. “Did you bring a shovel?”

“No, I figured you…”

“Would have one on the boat,” he finished for her. “Why would I have one on the boat? Why do you need a shovel at sea?

He did have one, but there was no sense telling her that. He was way too much fun playing with her now.

“For digging in the sand? Tell me you…”

“Yes, I have a shovel.” He sat forward, clasping his hands together and putting his elbows on his knees. “Has it occurred to you that this island might be huge? How are we going to decide which tree is the largest? Tuck’s been telling this treasure story for ten years. Trees grow, you know. One of them might have overtaken another and become the largest tree. Have you considered that?”

“No, I have not.” She took a drink from her water bottle.

“Can I ask what you do for a living?”

“I’m a teacher,” she replied. “Not that it matters.”

“It matters, yes. If your students don’t think things out, do you give them a lecture?”

She shook her head, either in disgust at his statement or anger that he was reprimanding her, he wasn’t sure. The movement made those gorgeous curls of hers move. He felt his body stir and fought to overcome it. Getting involved with Tuck’s niece wouldn’t be a good idea.

“You’re not my teacher,” she said softly.

“While we’re out here I am,” he replied. “You should have let me see the whole map instead of keeping me in the dark. I’m in charge out here and I don’t want you to get ideas to the contrary. Understand?”

“I suppose the appropriate response would be aye-aye captain?”

“That’ll do,” he said, standing up and moving toward the head. “We’ll get underway in just a few minutes.”

He shut the door behind him, did his business then washed his hands, pondering the woman who was sitting on the other side of the door. The fact that she’d withheld information from him made him more suspicious of her than he’d been earlier, even when he’d thought maybe, just maybe, she’d been sent in my Ives. Of course he knew that Tuck had a niece, and that her name was Charlene.

But he’d never met her. Ives could have done his research, found out that such a person existed and then sent in someone to impersonate her, just to make things harder for Dylan. Tuck and Ives had hated each other, and the longtime rivals had fought for control in the charter business for a long time. Dylan wouldn’t put it past Ives to think up something just like this to cause problems.

Still, he didn’t know if that were the case or not, and it would be better for him to be nice to her, to keep things on the up and up until he figured out what exactly where things were going. He opened the door to find her standing with her back to him. She stood at the sink, rinsing out her bottle, or refilling it, one of the two.

Her backside provided an enticing view and he felt himself stir even more than he had earlier. All it would take would be a few steps and then…

Dylan walked toward her, put one hand on her hip and bent her slightly before she even realized what was happening. He lifted his hand and let it fly. It landed on her bottom, the sharp crack giving him a feeling of satisfaction.

“Hey!” She tried to get away but he applied enough pressure to keep her in place, despite her squirmings. His hand came down again, and again and again, the sound of the swats reverberating loudly in the small enclosed space. The boat rocked under them and he delivered three more, smiling as she started to cuss him, calling him names that would make even sailors blush.

When he reached ten swats he stepped toward the stairs, then turned back toward her. “That was for lying to me about the map. Make sure that, from now on, you tell me the truth.”

He went topside, smiling as her creative, angry words continued to follow him up the stairs.

*
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*

Charlene rubbed her bottom, angry flooding her senses. How dare he! Had he really just…spanked her? What made him think he had the right to lay his hands on her? If he was angry that she hadn’t let him in on the other part of the map he should have said so, not raised his hand to her bottom.