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Holding the cable, I climbed into the rubber dinghy, and as I sat, Indiana pushed off from Rhino’s side. She started the motor by pulling out the ripcord with a smooth, powerful movement, and the dinghy glided across the water toward the yacht.
“Help me find something to secure that to,” she yelled over the din of the motor.
As we glided along, I pointed at a D-shaped ring that was recessed into the floor between the upper deck and the next level.
“Good work,” Indiana yelled. “I’ll hold it steady. You attach that carabiner.”
As she nudged the dinghy into the rusted railing of the semi-submerged yacht, I hooked the carabiner over the metal D and pulled it into place. I gave Indiana a thumbs-up and sat.
She drove us back to Rhino, avoiding the cable that had sunk below the surface behind us.
Back on board, we worked together to raise the cable and give it as much tension as possible.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked.
She leveled her gaze at me. “Pray.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You think I’m joking.” She put her hands on her hips, and her gorgeous breasts seemed to heave toward me. “I’ve never salvaged a wreck as big as that, so the drag in the water is impossible to calculate. We’ll need to go damn slow and pray that we don’t get a big swell, or that those cables don’t break, or that some asshole doesn’t want to take that yacht from us.”
That was the most she’d said to me since I’d met her.
“Thanks for explaining. Let’s hope we don’t run into any of that. I’ll give Aria a call and let her know we’re on our way. I’ll also get Levi to do a fly-over and check we’re clear.”
She flicked her long ponytail over her shoulder and marched toward the bridge.
As I peered through the binoculars, studying the ocean around us again, a loud grinding noise announced the anchor chains being hauled back onboard.
I returned to the hut where Old Smithy was still on his back, fast asleep. My phone had one bar of signal. I hoped it was enough. I dialed Aria. She didn’t answer, so I tried again. On the third attempt, she answered.
“Tyler! Do you have news?”
I filled her in on what stage we were at with Chui’s yacht. “But it’s like towing an iceberg. Any chance Levi can do a fly-over and make sure?—”
“Ah shit, Tyler,” she said. “He can’t. His wife, Billie, has just gone into labor.”
Damn. I’d heard she was due to have their baby soon.
“I wouldn’t dream of asking him now,” Aria said.
Dread inched up my spine. “I understand.”
“Ring me when you have Rosebud Wharf in sight. I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay. Will do. But, Aria . . .” I paused. What I was about to say made me sound like a rookie, but I believed it to be true and couldn’t let it go unsaid. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.
“Spit it out, Tyler. What’s up?”
I cleared my throat. “I’ve had a feeling that someone is watching us, but I haven’t been able to lay eyes on anything suspicious.”
She didn’t respond.
“I could be wrong, but I think someone wants us to get the yacht onto land.”
“That’s a worry. I’ll arrange twenty-four-hour security.”
I sucked air through my teeth. “I hate saying this, but how can we trust the security? This is too important. Can I make a suggestion?”
