Con turned a page of the journal and tapped a drawing. “Someone has that.”

“The Our Lady of Sorrows medallion,” Lizzie said, turning the page to look at it. “I bet Flynn took it.”

“I considered that,” he admitted.

“He knows that medallion is very, very valuable.”

He nodded in agreement.

“And see what a big deal he made about appointing you to watch the treasure, then blaming you for losing it? And now he’s got that medallion, and he probably has a buyer for it. He left me dangling on the dock for two hours today while he went to some meeting. I was his cover.” She tucked her knees under her, determined to get into his face to make her point. “Can’t you see that I’m right?”

“I can see the possibility,” he conceded.

“The possibility? I bet you a million dollars he’s got that medallion. If we could get on his boat tonight, we’d probably find him fondling it right now.”

“You don’t have a million dollars, Lizzie.”

“No,” she agreed, turning toward the diamond on the pillow. “But I have that.”

He looked hard at her. “Then let’s make a bet.”

“A bet? For the diamond?” She laughed softly. “Not a chance.”

“If Paxton has the medallion, if he really stole it from me and set me up, then you’re on. I’ll help you.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“You’re on your own, kid.” He stood up, scooping up the diamond in a flash so fast, she didn’t have a chance to get it first.

“Hey!”

“I’m keeping this for you.”

“You are not,” she said, practically lunging at him.

He held it out of her reach. “Lizzie, you are not safe with this in your cabin. If someone knows you have it, you could be killed for something that valuable. I’ll keep it.” As she started to protest, he held up his hand. “First of all, no one knows I have it. Secondly, I’m armed and dangerous and will kill anyone who tries to get near it.”

Her eyes widened and her jaw opened, but he stepped forward and closed it with a single finger. “Regardless of that, I am one of the good guys. Now go back to your cabin. Wait for me to come and get you in about ten minutes, and be sure you have your camera.”

“What are you going to do? Take pictures of the diamond?”

“Nope.” He finally lifted his finger, only to graze it under her chin, lifting her face a fraction like he wanted a kiss. “We’re going to settle our bet.”

“Flynn, I have to go now.”

Alita’s announcement, delivered with a poke of her fingers, pulled him out of a dream, forcing Flynn to roll over with a grunt. “So row back.”

“You would let me do that? At four in the morning?” Alita’s voice grew shrill. She was a great diver, a terrific source of inside crew information, and a fine fuck, but, Jesus, the woman could whine.

“You rowed over here at one in the morning. What difference does it make?”

“It’s just crude to do me and send me back in the middle of the night.”

He pushed himself against her. He could get hard again. Maybe.

“Can’t I just stay?” she singsonged.

For about twenty minutes. “What would Dave say when he saw you in the morning?”

She propped up on an elbow. “He’d say, ‘Lucky Flynn Paxton, gettin’ it on with the hottest diver in the business.’ ”

That made him smile. He liked her ego, and the fact that he was the beneficiary of her very active libido on this dive. He’d heard enough rumors to know someone on board always got a piece of Alita.

“Honey, I need this to be a secret.” Because Judd the Dud would have his ass for screwing the help. “Otherwise no one will talk to you, and there is some nasty shit going on over there and you are my…” He ran his hand over her rear, then worked his way up. “Conduit.”

“Nasty?” She launched up. “You’re the one who took the medallion. It really wasn’t fair to set Con up like that. He’s a nice guy.”

“Yeah, but he wouldn’t split the cash with you. I will.” He gave her boob a quick massage. “And just in case you’re getting all creamy down below over him, he’s already giving it to Lizzie, so forget it.”

She jerked back and threw the covers off. “You really can be a prick, you know that?”

“You like my prick.”

She blew out a breath and stood up. “You totally don’t get it, Flynn.”

“Get what?”

“I have feelings, too.” Grabbing her underpants, she stepped in, hopping a little on one leg, then the other, making her boobs bounce.

“I’m teasing. Come on back to bed.”

“Fuck you.”

“Precisely.” He rolled closer and reached for the lace edge of her panties. “I’ll row you home. I promise.”

She snapped out of his touch, then jerked toward the porthole. “What was that?”

“What?”

“That flash.”

“Lightning?”

She gave him a look like he was crazy. “That. Did you see that?”

He did, and it wasn’t lightning. He bounded off the bed out to the salon, onto the deck just as it flashed again.

“Motherfucker,” he mumbled. “Someone’s out there. Taking pictures of our boat and location. Shit.”

Alita was next to him in a second. “I don’t see a boat. It’s pitch-black.”

“Someone’s found us.” His stomach rolled. If their location got out, Judd would be down here in a heartbeat. That’d screw up everything.

On the other hand, he already had a buyer for the medallion, and this gig was going to be up soon.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

Do? Why the fuck did he have to do anything? Because he was the company manager on the dive and had to do something. Or act like he was.

He puffed his chest up with a deep inhale. “I’m going over to the boat.”

“They could be pirates.”

Jesus. “They could be poachers. Or someone from the state trying to figure out what we’re doing here.” Or, he hoped, some ambitious fisherman he could scare off. If not, he’d avoid them altogether. “You stay here. No one knows you’re here. Just get back in bed and stay low. I’ll check it out.”

“Are you sure?” She looked up at him, a little of the admiration he wanted to see back in her eyes.

“Of course I’m sure.” He headed back to the stateroom, on the way glancing at the cabinet where he’d hidden the medallion before she showed up. That had to go tomorrow.

He dressed, counting three more flashes. Feeling protective and strong, he gave her a kiss and headed out, climbing into the motorized raft that he hoped would make enough noise to scare them off. He moved very slowly, taking his time to close the hundred and fifty feet between his boat and the Gold Digger.

The whole time, there were no more flashes. Approaching the boat head-on to the stern, he went around the starboard side, even though he thought the flash had come from the port side. Slowly, he cruised alongside of the vessel, which looked completely still and dark. When he got back to the stern, he braced himself, but saw nothing. A few of the rafts tied up. The deck quiet. The starboard side looking completely calm.

Could it have been lightning?

He continued around the boat, reaching back with one hand to steer the raft, the motor puttering softly. Suddenly he saw some movement on the deck.

“Flynn?” a woman’s voice called.

“Is that you, Lizzie?”

“What are you doing out there?” she asked.

“I thought I saw some flashes. Thought someone was taking pictures of our location and I came to investigate.”

“Really? I didn’t see anything and I’ve been out here for a while. Maybe you imagined it.”

No, he didn’t imagine it, and he had Alita as a witness. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. He maneuvered around as she aimed a flashlight onto the water.

“There’s no one here.” The sea was indeed empty as far as the beam of light showed. She swiped over the water, all the way to the black horizon. Nothing.

“That’s strange,” he said. “Are you sure no one boarded?”

“Absolutely. I’ve been sitting out here for a while now. Can’t sleep.”