Page 26 of Under Pressure
He had Sean’s regular diving crew now, Mack and Liam, which was why he was stuck with these bozos. Mack and Liam, the Scottish brothers, were currently debriefing their captain about an overeager interest in the treasure on theRey Del Mare.If Ryker was right, the treasure was worth millions of dollars of his family’s crown jewels and other prized possessions. Technically, if they found it in American waters, America had the right to it, which was why Ryker and the guys were hoping to find it in maritime waters. That way they could send it back to Isola, which was in desperate need of the cash, and a chance to save face.
Their team’s C.O. was a good man, but he had a lot of pressure to deliver on this. The powers that be seemed to beunder the impression that by helping Ryker, they were owed something, and expected payment.
You wouldn’t know it to look at Ryker, the once prince turned barber extraordinaire, but he had millions of people on Isola de la Famiglia counting on him to come through—including his cousin the king. The weight of that responsibility hung heavy on Ryker’s shoulders. It also didn’t help that someone had tried to kill Ryker, giving him the perfect opportunity to fake his death, which is why he’d ended up in their care in Diamond Cove, Florida.
It was also why they couldn’t contact Isola’s Navy to come look for the treasure. Only Ryker knew where that treasure was and they didn’t know who was responsible for the attack on his life. Which is why finding the treasure fell on them.
They headed to the mouth of the bay, and Sean couldn’t help but notice that their little adrenaline-seeking, cliff diver had beat them there and disappeared behind the rocks.
They came around the corner, and she was already on the beach, squeegeeing out her short, light blond locks. They were about fifty yards away from her, but that didn’t stop Knox from reclining back in his seat and saluting her.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Knox called out. “Great dive.”
She smiled and waved, and Sean did a double take as a flash of déjà vu hit him. Something in her movement was so familiar it called to him. By the time he turned back for a better look, the woman was already running up the wooden stairs that led to the lighthouse at an impressive clip. The feelings of familiarity faded as he watched her disappear around a bend.
“You okay there, Sean?” Gray asked. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
Sean pushed down the uneasy feelings trying to engulf him and forced a grin. “Only your pale chest.”
Gray pounded his chest. “It’s called ivory. Or so my sister tells me, thank you very much. And you’re one to talk. Do you ever put a shirt on?”
Sean glanced down at his own bare chest. “You want me to cover up all this?”
“Yes!” Knox and Gray chorused in unison.
“At least my skin doesn’t reflect the sun.” Sean grinned.
Knox stood and whipped his shirt off his head. “Please,” he said, pointing to his dark chest. “You should be so lucky.”
Gray laughed.
“I’ll have you know I was going to be an underwear model,” Sean said, surprising himself at the memory. Underoos. Wonder Woman Underoos.
“Yeah, right.” Knox slapped the air.
He shook himself out of the past. “No, really.” Sean smirked and pulled into his spot at the dock.
The guys hopped off and tied up the boat. Sean grabbed their stuff.
A family of five passed by. The mom pointed them out to the kids.
“Thank you for your service,” the dad said.
The kids echoed their dad’s words.
“You’re welcome.” Gray gave the kids one of his rare smiles—the one that had people comparing him to a young Chris Hemsworth. Think cameo in Star Trek, not Thor.
The harbor master saluted them. “Thank you for your service, Marines.”
Gray gritted his teeth, but Sean quickly jumped in. “You’re welcome. But we’re Navy.”
The guy kept going.
At the dock, a couple of women jogged past. “Thank you for your service.”
The three men came up short. Okay, this was weird.
“You’re welcome,” Knox drawled as he watched the women jog off. “Not that I mind, but what’s going on?”
