Into the Deep

“Sounds interesting.” Actually, it sounded unutterably boring and normal. But that’s what she said she wanted over two years ago during that last, heated argument. A normal life. He caught a flash of gold from a cross hanging around her neck. So, she hadn’t gotten over her religious phase yet. He hesitated before asking the question that had plagued him periodically over the years. “Are you married? Have kids?”

She wrapped her arms around her middle, a clear signal that the question was unwelcome. The muscles in her slender throat moved as she swallowed. “I’m not married, no.”

The wave of triumph that surged through him took him by surprise. She hadn’t found everything she’d been looking for when she left, then. His heart suddenly and inexplicably lighter, Ben combed a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ve got to get back and help unload the boat. But how about if I take you to dinner?”

For a minute he thought she would agree. She hesitated, her lips parting. Then she closed them again and shook her head. “I, uh, have plans.”

“Lunch, then. I’ll get someone to cover the morning dive.” He cocked his head and pasted on the smile that used to melt her resolve. “It’ll give us a chance to catch up. I want to know what’s happening in your life.”

For a moment, something darkened her eyes, like a shadow of the feelings they’d once shared. But in the next instant, a door slammed shut in her face. The polite stranger’s smile returned.

“Thanks, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She took a backward step. “It was good to see you, though, Ben. Goodbye.”

He was still trying to come up with some way to counter her obvious dismissal when she turned and walked away. Quickly, as though she couldn’t wait to get away from him.

At least she’d said goodbye in person this time.

Nikki’s back burned. She could feel his eyes on her as she hurried away. The clip-clop of her sandals changed tone as she stepped off the wooden dock and onto the street. She didn’t dare glance backward, but her ears strained to hear footsteps coming after her. Would he follow?

Please, God, don’t let him follow me.

Pain throbbed in her chest, a dull ache that she’d thought was long gone. Just like she thought her feelings for Ben had finally faded. Oh, she’d never forget him, that was a given. How could she, when his face loomed in her mind every day? But she’d really thought she’d gotten over her feelings for him. Or at least, wrapped them up and stored them in the deep recesses of her heart, where they couldn’t hurt her anymore. One look at him, and she knew she’d been lying to herself.

Which made it even more important that she get away from him. Her heart was no longer her own. It belonged to Joshua now.

And she would never tell Ben about the son he didn’t know existed.

TWO

A shadow moved just beyond the circle of light that illuminated Nikki’s patio. Her grip on her cell phone tightened. Was someone there? She sat straight up on the chaise longue, eyes searching the darkness, ears straining to hear anything out of place.

She heard nothing. Well, crickets and the distant sounds of splashing water and children’s laughter coming from the direction of the resort’s pool. But in the vicinity of her patio, everything was quiet. Peaceful. She forced her spine to relax.

“It’s beautiful here, Mom.” She settled back in her chair and continued her conversation. “Palm trees everywhere, and there’s an orange tree in full bloom right outside my patio. You should smell it.”

She inhaled the sweet, tropical scent deep into her lungs. Even though the sun had set half an hour ago, the air around her was still deliciously warm. After the harsh winter that had plagued Portland this year, Nikki relished the heat.

“I’m glad you’re having a good time, honey.” Her mother’s voice was as warm as the air. “What did you do today?”

Nikki’s brain conjured an image, but she pushed it away. She’d struggled all afternoon to avoid thinking about Ben. Her first instinct after seeing him had been to run back here to the condo, repack her belongings and catch the first flight home. She still hadn’t ruled out the possibility, but had finally decided to wait a day or so to make that decision. Tomorrow was her thirtieth birthday, so she might as well spend it as she’d planned, lounging in the sun, sipping chilled pineapple juice and losing herself in a good book. She’d be fine as long as she stayed far away from Key West Water Adventures, and Ben Dearinger.

She forced herself to speak normally into the phone. “I took a train tour of the island to get my bearings. Everything’s really laid-back. Cats everywhere, and chickens roaming free on the streets. Joshua would love it.” A pang of regret stabbed at her.

Mom’s voice became stern. “Don’t do that. You deserve some time alone. Joshua and I have a big week planned. He’ll be fine.”

I know. A tear pooled in the corner of her eye. But I miss him.

“What are you planning to do on your birthday?” Mom’s cheery voice refused to let her become morose.

She steeled her voice against any quivering. “I’m not sure yet. I brought my passport, in case I can find a cheap day trip down to the Bahamas or something.” She paused, missing her son more than she would have thought possible after only a few hours apart. “Let me talk to him one more time. I want to say good night.”

“Just a minute. I’ll get him.”

“Thanks. And, Mom?”

“Yes?”

Nikki swallowed against emotions that threatened to clog her throat. “I really appreciate you keeping him while I’m gone. Thank you.”

The voice on the phone softened. “It’s my pleasure to watch my grandson.” A low chuckle. “Of course, I’m going to be worn out by the time you get back. It’s been a long time since I’ve had charge of a two-year-old for a whole week.”

A clatter sounded as her mother set the phone down. Nikki heard the music of Joshua’s favorite DVD through the receiver, a cartoon about a race car. She didn’t allow him to watch it before bedtime because it got him too worked up, but apparently the rules at Grandma’s house were lax. Nikki closed her eyes, picturing him in his pj’s, hair still damp from his bath, sprawled on the floor, his brown eyes fixed on the television set.

A soft sound interrupted her thoughts. An oddly familiar sound, but out of place. She jerked her eyes open. Her gaze zeroed in on a thick bush with lush, tropical blooms that bordered the private area surrounding her patio. Its branches rustled, though not even the hint of a breeze stirred the leaves on the orange tree in front of it. The hair along her arms prickled. Was someone there?

Nikki leaped out of the chair. Muscles tense, she strained to see beyond the patio light, into the shadowy darkness. Everything was still. With an effort, she forced herself to relax. She was imagining things. Or maybe it was a cat. There were plenty of those around. No need to be alarmed.

Still, she kept her eyes fixed on the bush as she stepped inside the condo and closed the glass door.

A beloved voice piped in her ear. “Mama, Speed Racer go vvvrrrroooooommmmm!”

The strange movement forgotten, a swell of love brought a smile to her face. “He did? Tell me about it.”

She settled herself on a plush couch cushion and focused on her son’s enthusiastic retelling of the story they’d watched together a gazillion times.

But her gaze strayed repeatedly to the patio and the deep shadows beyond the orange tree.

Ben steered his bicycle through the front entrance of the Pelican Resort. He’d passed this place lots of times in the five months since he moved to Key West, but he’d never been inside. Lush foliage lined a narrow footpath beneath tall palms and mature trees with Spanish moss dripping from every branch. A half dozen two-story buildings lay scattered around the property in no discernable pattern. The randomness gave the place a casual, relaxed feel, perfect for island vacationers.

Ben hopped off the bike and walked it along the path, squinting in the dim light of decorative lanterns to read the letters mounted on the front of each building. According to the records at the dive shop, the gift certificate had been delivered to unit C-1. After a moment’s search, he found building C tucked into a quiet corner at the back of the property. Eight condos in each building, four upstairs and four down. Number one would probably be on the ground floor. A light shone in the window of a corner unit and another in one of the units upstairs.

He left the bicycle on the pavement and stepped off the path beneath the thick, low-hanging branches of a tree. Long strands of lacy moss deepened his cover. He leaned against the trunk where he had a good vantage point of the corner of the building and the illuminated downstairs window.

With hands that trembled, he pulled the note out of his pocket and clutched it with a fist. Just the feel of the paper sent shivers sliding up his spine. It had been shoved under his apartment door for him to find when he got home from work. The words were proof that his first thoughts this afternoon had been right. Nikki showing up at the pier today had not been a coincidence.

Seeing her had given him the shock of his life. It was too much to believe that a woman from his past—his Mexican past—chose Key West for a vacation, and then within hours of arriving, just happened to show up at the shop where he worked. There were a dozen dive shops on the island. Why pick his? Nikki had seemed as surprised to see him as he was to see her. And she hadn’t looked all that pleased, either. Was she in league with the Reynosa cartel? He would never believe that. Was she an unwitting pawn, then? The unsettling questions had plagued him all evening.

And then he found the note.

He raked a hand through his hair, the uncomfortable lump in the pit of his stomach becoming heavier by the minute. This was the most alarming in a recent series of disturbing incidents. A couple of months ago, he came home to find his apartment had been gone through. Nothing stolen, and nothing obviously out of place, so he’d had no reason to contact the police. But the moment he walked through the door, he’d spied evidence that someone had been there. A kitchen chair slightly skewed. The mattress on his bed almost imperceptibly cockeyed on the frame. The aspirin bottle on a different shelf of the medicine chest.

Then a week later, his car was broken into. He almost never drove the thing—nobody on the island did—so he didn’t even realize it until one of his neighbors pointed out the busted window. That time he did call the cops, because he needed the police report for the insurance company. Nothing had come of it, though. Nothing had been taken from inside the car. The investigating officer told him it was probably teenagers, drunk or high and looking for something to hock.

After Cozumel, Ben wasn’t so sure.

Now he had proof that his paranoia was founded on fact.

He snatched a handful of Spanish moss and crushed it with his fist. But what could he do about it? He didn’t like living with this jumpy, paranoid feeling, searching every stranger’s face, wondering if they were on Reynosa’s payroll, but he couldn’t risk going to the police. He’d end up as gator bait, face down in a swamp somewhere. No, it was better to mind his own business until they figured out he was no threat and left him alone.