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 I ll go, Joquin said, leaping to his feet. In a moment he had
vaulted back into the water. Kral rushed over to subdue Angela, who
was struggling to her hands and knees.
 It wasn t my fault! This was all David s idea! Angela shrieked
as he grabbed both of her wrists in one powerful hand. He used the
discarded sash to tie them together the same way she and David had
tied Savannah s. Poetic justice, Savannah thought as she wiped her
tears away and tried to stand.
Jewels from the Sea 99
Outside the cabin door, they heard scuffling and murmuring as
passengers gathered in the corridor, apparently summoned by the
sounds of the fight and alerted by Angela s screams. Someone began
pounding on the door.  Security! Open up or we ll break it down!
 Kral, you have to go, Savannah said, using the edge of the
bureau to steady herself.  They can t find you here.
 I don t care, Kral said. On the bed, David was coming around,
crawling to his knees and gripping his head. The bathrobe had fallen
away in the struggle, leaving him completely naked.  I can t leave
you here.
 No. She shook her head, forcing herself to stop crying.  I can
handle this. They need to see that I m alive. They need to see what
David and Angela did. Go and help Joquin find Bariah. Maybe you
can still save him.
Kral s dark brows drew together.  You want me to leave you
here? What about us?
 I ll come back to you. I promise.
Reaching up, she grabbed his face and kissed him hard. The
pounding on the door intensified, followed by a cracking sound as
ship s security began to force their way inside.
 Go, she repeated, pushing Kral away. After taking a last, grief-
stricken look at her, Kral turned and fled.
 Wait! I m coming! Savannah called, staggering across the room
to the door. She placed her hand on the knob and had already given it
a half-turn when an unexpected impact hurled her to the floor again.
Her vision blurred for a moment and then cleared just in time to see
David shove past her and follow Joquin and Kral s path over the rail.
His body hit the surface just as the door to the cabin came down in
splinters.
A crowd of people surged inside. Some paused to help her up,
while others rushed to the verandah. She got to the rail and saw
David s dark form disappear into the night, swimming furiously.
100 Cassandra Pierce
She d had no idea he was so athletic. Apparently, there was a lot she
didn t know about her alleged friend.
A pair of uniformed officials appeared on either side of her.
 Look! It s the woman who ran off, a female passenger cried,
pointing at Savannah.  She isn t dead after all!
 It was David, Savannah told the security officers.  He tried to
kill me and Angela both. Then he jumped.
A collective gasp rose from the onlookers.
 We ll never get him back now, the officer on her right said to
the one on her left.  Drowned for sure.
 Drowning s too good for the likes of him, one of the passengers
commented, to the general agreement of the others.
They stared at the water for several minutes, no doubt trying to
catch a glimpse of David s fleeing form. However, he had
disappeared. Had he really drowned? Frankly, Savannah would have
preferred the intervention of sharks. Maybe they would never know
for sure.
She was about to turn away with the rest of the crowd when the
warm breeze carried a shout from the water up to the deck.
 Hey! Down here! a familiar voice hollered.
Everyone returned to the rail and leaned over.
Jhoad and Zoeb bobbed below them in a small fishing boat,
waving excitedly.
 Look at what the tide dragged in, Zoeb called to her. He
gestured toward Jhoad. The two stepped apart to reveal a dripping,
naked David trembling between them.
Jewels from the Sea 101
Chapter 10
 Well, it was fun while it lasted. Bariah traced his feet in the
sand and plucked at the bandage on his arm, which had prevented him
from swimming for the past twenty-four hours.  She got her kicks and
soon she ll be gone. And why not? She doesn t need us anymore.
 No way, Joquin said.  She s nothing like Cyra. She ll be back.
You ll see.
 Maybe it would help if you guys had a phone installed, Zoeb
suggested.  I mean, what did you expect her to do? Lead the cops
straight here? She wouldn t do that to you. Probably thought it best to
lay low for a couple of days.
 Makes sense to me, Joquin reasoned, though his tone sounded
less confident than his words.
The story had been all over the news. Reporters described the
stolen ID and phony marriage, reveling in the dramatic return of the
woman thought dead. For months, Savannah s two supposed friends
had been drugging her, causing blackouts and headaches in order to
make either a fatal accident or a suicide more believable.
The Caribbean Dream was scheduled to depart that afternoon,
and as far as anyone knew, Savannah Godfrey would be aboard.
David and Angela, on the other hand, would remain behind in custody
while authorities settled the matter of jurisdiction for their various
crimes, including fraud, identity theft, and attempted murder.
The three of them had watched the story unfold on the TV at
Sharkey s bar, noticing the absence of their own names. The silver
blood on the floor of the cabin wasn t mentioned, either.
102 Cassandra Pierce
 They have no tests to identify it, Kral had said at the time.
 They ll never know what it was. He hadn t said much since then.
Even now, he sat on the beach with his arms draped over his bent
knees, a perfect picture of stoic misery.
 So, did you two guys come to a decision? Joquin asked Zoeb,
who lay stretched out in the sand beside him.
Their two guests exchanged glances.  Looks like we ll be hanging
around for a while, Zoeb answered.
 Yeah. We want to check out some of the local wrecks, Jhoad
added.  Plenty of pirate ships at the bottom, from what I hear.
 They re hoping she ll come back, too, Bariah grumbled.  Don t
get your hopes up, guys. Been there, done that.
A distant rumbling sound that grew steadily louder and closer
interrupted their conversation. The five of them looked at one another,
shrugging.
 Car, Joquin guessed.
 Tourists? Bariah asked with a hopeful catch in his voice.
The group rose and jogged to the front of the dive shop to see a
battered taxi pull up. They watched, breathless and transfixed, as it
rolled to a stop and the back door opened.
Suddenly she was there, dressed in a neat white linen skirt suit,
walking down the driveway while the driver circled around to take her
luggage from the trunk. Everyone rushed over to grab a suitcase for
her, though Bariah hung back because of his arm. When she saw him,
she gave a happy shriek and ran to embrace him.
 I knew they d get to you in time! she wept after covering his
stunned face with grateful kisses.  Are you all right?
Grinning, Bariah patted his bandage.  Looked a lot worse than it
was. Takes more than a creep and a broken bottle to kill me.
 Kral stitched him up by hand, Joquin said, wincing.  You were
lucky you missed that little scene. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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