Treasured Secrets (31 page)

Archer's usually calm, almost angelic diving pose was gone. Instead he spun from side to side, constantly checking their surroundings. Rosalina refused to get caught up in his paranoia, so with forced determination she tried to relax. It was almost impossible with the excruciating pain in her hand. She pointed at the gold plate in an attempt to change his focus. Archer reached for his net bag and wriggled the plate out. Rosalina drew up beside him and together they studied its intricate designs.

If this plate was a piece from the Florence Calimala collection from the thirteenth century, then it was in remarkable condition with minimal signs of aging. The outer edge was decorated with pictures of castles, knights and horses pulling chariots. An emblem embossed in the centre displayed three lily flowers connected by a dotted line. Beneath that was the word
Thopia
. Rosalina tried to guess what a piece like this would be worth and had to remind herself to keep her breathing steady. One of the most dangerous things to do while scuba diving was to hold your breath.

She checked her dive watch and was surprised to see four minutes had already passed. Archer tucked the plate back into the net bag and they inflated their buoyancy vests to float gracefully to the surface. The moment they popped above the waterline, Archer filled the safety sausage with air from his regulator while Rosalina blew on her whistle. The fluorescent orange sausage, now fully inflated, stood proudly above the surface and should attract the attention of the spotters on the boat fairly quickly. To Rosalina's relief,
Evangeline
began to cruise in their direction within a minute or two.

Rosalina struggled not to wave with excitement at the approaching yacht, as this could be misconstrued as a sign of distress in the water. Jimmy expertly cruised up alongside them and Alessandro and Ginger helped them onto the back pontoon.

‘We found her,' Archer said, and Jimmy was first to come forward and clap his old mate on the back.

‘How do you know?' Alessandro asked.

Archer tugged the plate from the net bag and held it out to Jimmy. As he turned the plate over in his hands, Jimmy beamed like a grandfather presented with his first grandson.

‘This looks like a family emblem.
Magnifico
.' Alessandro pointed at the three lilies. ‘I'll look up
Thopia
. Hopefully it'll help us establish the age of the plate.'

‘We should also check the diary we found in the tomb, see if it's mentioned there,' Rosalina said.

‘Agreed.' Alessandro dashed off inside.

‘I'll go help him.' Ginger turned and practically skipped after him.

‘Well, I reckon it's beer time.' Jimmy clapped Archer on the back.

‘I reckon it is, old man, but we need the first-aid kit before that.' He nodded at Rosalina.

She cringed when she removed the glove, shocked at how gruesome the wound was. With fresh blood oozing from the six deep puncture holes, it looked much worse.

‘Bloody hell, what happened?' Jimmy's expression transformed to a worried scowl.

‘An eel.'

‘Shit,' Jimmy said. ‘I'll get the first-aid kit.'

When Jimmy disappeared into the cabin, Rosalina allowed Archer to look after her. In a matter of minutes she was draped in a plush towel, carried inside, positioned on the leather lounge with an abundance of pillows and her hand bathed in antiseptic ointment.

Her injury didn't undermine the upbeat banter of the group though, and Rosalina didn't want to dampen anyone's spirits either, so she downplayed the agony. ‘Do you think it's
Flying Seahorse?
'

‘Absolutely!' Jimmy's serious frown failed to mask the twinkle in his eyes.

Rosalina laughed. ‘In that case, I think we should celebrate.'

‘This calls for champagne,' said Alessandro.

‘I'll get something to eat.' Ginger raced off towards the galley.

‘I'm getting the rum.' Jimmy disappeared behind the bar.

And suddenly Rosalina and Archer were alone. She reached for his hand. ‘Happy?'

‘Are you kidding? I feel like I've waited my whole life for this moment.' He knelt beside her and kissed her forehead. ‘It wouldn't have been the same if you hadn't been here with me.'

The intensity in his eyes was like the facets of an expensive diamond, crisp and precious. ‘Do you realise what this means, Rosa?' His warm palm cupped her cheek. ‘We've found a treasure that's been missing for over seven hundred years.'

Rosalina leaned into his hand. ‘Your father would be proud.'

He melted a fraction and opened his mouth to say something, but Jimmy returned right at that moment.

Soon Alessandro and Ginger joined them and the celebrations began.

***

Nox was at the point of strangling something, and with Brother Bonito's constant complaining, it took all of Nox's restraint not to make the pathetic priest the object of his anger. So far they had covered nine islands and hundreds of empty ocean miles and found absolutely nothing. Three days of aimlessly searching.

Nothing.

Finally, late on the fourth day, when the ache in his head was almost at exploding point, he found them. Nox had no doubt it was divine guidance that led him to the million-dollar yacht. She was so tucked away that any normal man would have missed her. He had just left the Anafi marina and was travelling to Santorini when a voice told him to scan the horizon. And there she was. The yacht was near a secluded beach, but he dared not get too close. His advances would not go unnoticed.

The high-powered binoculars brought the yacht up close and once again fortune shone on him. As he watched, two people in scuba gear climbed aboard
Evangeline.
Nox identified Archer and his friends as they passed around an object that flashed in the sun like a SOS signal. Seconds later they were clapping and dancing,

They had located the treasure. His treasure.

‘They found it. Now we just need a way to ruin the party. We make our move tomorrow.' He smiled at Brother Bonito, but the absent expression on Bonito's face gave no indication he'd heard him. Nox glared down at him with frustration. His apathy had become unbearable, but Nox had to resist the urge to eliminate him. He needed him for one more thing, then the gods would decide his fate.

Rosalina was disappointed when it was decided that Archer and Jimmy would do the first dive of the day. Their plan was to mark out the final resting place of
Flying Seahorse
. She wanted to be with them, wanted to share the joys of removing precious pieces from the soft sand. But the choice was no longer hers. The consensus was she needed to keep her wounds out of the water for at least twenty-four hours.

The day was perfect for diving — clear blue sky, a gentle whisper of breeze, and the warm weather kept the water temperature at a pleasant twenty-four degrees. This depressed Rosalina even more.

Archer slipped his mask around his neck and leant in to kiss her. ‘I wish you were coming.' He must've sensed her frustration.

She pulled her best sad face and he cupped her cheek. ‘There'll be plenty more to find, babe. I promise to leave some for you.'

‘Ha.' She slapped his chest. ‘Be careful and stick together.'

Archer jumped in first and popped up within seconds to give the
all clear
signal. Jimmy was in moments later and they glided below the water. Rosalina sighed, and with nothing more to do for the next forty minutes or so, she put her sunglasses on, removed her T-shirt and flopped into a deck chair. ‘Might as well work on my tan,' she said to Ginger.

‘Not me,' Ginger replied. ‘Five minutes in the sun and I'll be as red as a lobster.'

‘Will you be all right here?' Alessandro clearly wanted to stick with Ginger.

‘Sure. You kids head on inside. I'll watch out for Arch and Jimmy.'

Ginger and Alessandro held hands as they walked from the dive deck and disappeared inside. She couldn't believe how quickly they'd become a couple — she just hoped Ginger was legitimate in her affections. It was pretty easy to get caught up with the fancy yacht and the exotic travel. Yet even with that inkling of doubt teasing her thoughts, she couldn't deny how lovely they seemed together. She was pleased for Alessandro. He deserved to find happiness in love.

Rosalina made herself comfortable, adjusted her bikini and placed her good hand behind her head as a pillow. Her wounds throbbed. The pain had kept her up most of the night, despite the amount of champagne she'd consumed. They'd all drunk a lot and partied until the early morning hours. She was surprised Jimmy even woke up this morning after the amount of rum he'd consumed, but before she'd finished preparing breakfast, he'd bounded into the kitchen like a puppy at mealtime. Jimmy was a good man and Rosalina knew he'd look out for Archer down there. She was jealous, though.

The sound of the small waves lapping at the side of
Evangeline
was therapeutic, as was the slight breeze that took the edge off the warm sun. She checked her watch. Five minutes had passed and she pictured Archer and Jimmy already kneeling on the bottom of the ocean, digging in the soft sand.

A shout over the stern caught her attention. She looked over the railing to see a small boat heading directly towards them. It was barely thirty metres away and the driver was waving madly at her. She stood up and quickly pulled her T-shirt back on. Looking over her shoulder she hoped to see Alessandro or Ginger, but she was alone.

‘Help,' the helmsman in a black peak cap called.

She walked to the railing as the small boat approached the dive platform.

‘Help. My friend's hurt, really bad.'

Rosalina saw the second man now. He was in the back of the boat, covered in blood and barely moving. ‘What happened?'

‘He was trying to fix the propellers and…and I think he's nearly lost his arm.' The man in the cap's voice was a barely decipherable high-pitched squeal.

Rosalina glanced over her shoulder, but still no Ginger or Alessandro. ‘Let me get help.' She turned and raced up the steps, taking two at a time.

‘Alessandro! Ginger!' She sprinted through the yacht and found them in the kitchen. ‘Quick, I need the first-aid kit.'

‘What happened? Is it Archer, Jimmy?' Alessandro was already striding towards her.

‘No. A couple of guys have come over in a boat. One of them is badly hurt.' Rosalina grabbed the first-aid kit and dashed out the back of the boat and down the stairs to the dive deck. Alessandro and Ginger were right behind her. A trail of blood led them to the injured man who was now alone on the dive deck, flat on his back, blood all over his arm and stomach. She knelt at the wounded man's side and Ginger and Alessandro joined her.

‘Don't move!'

The booming voice behind her made her blood freeze. She knew exactly who it was before she turned around and saw the man who occupied her nightmares on the deck above them. His stance screamed authority. He pulled off the peak cap. His bald head was an angry red dome. Her anger was replaced with fear when she saw the barrel of a gun, pointing straight at her.

The man who had pretended to be wounded jumped up from the floor and flashed a large knife as he eased away from them.

Rosalina's mind screamed.
How the hell did this happen?

Alessandro stepped in front of the two women. ‘What do you want?'

‘I want what is rightfully mine. You!' He pointed at Ginger. ‘Tie them to the railing.' He tossed a roll of rope towards her.

Ginger's eyes were wide; the whites were prominent. Fear was written all over her features. Her fingers trembled as she looped the rope around Rosalina's wrists. She then moved to Alessandro, but in a move that made both women gasp, he let out a primal scream, pushed off the railing and lunged at the priest holding the knife. Alessandro was fast. Faster than Rosalina had ever seen him move.

Ginger shrieked as Alessandro swung his fist at the man, but the man ducked just in time and Alessandro missed and stumbled to his side. The man lunged with his hand forward, the blade flashed in the sun and then it disappeared. Alessandro's howl was the most sickening cry of agony Rosalina had ever heard. Alessandro fell to his knees and groaned as he rolled sideways to the floor.

‘Alex!' Ginger raced to his side.

Rosalina knew it was bad before she even saw the blood on the knife when it clanged to the floor. The ropes bit into her wrists as she tugged against them.

The man with the fake injuries backed away, shaking his head. The whites of his eyes accentuated his shock. ‘I'm sorry, it was an accident.'

‘What did you do?' Ginger jumped to her feet and lunged at him. In her crazed anger, she knocked him over the railing. He tumbled overboard but still managed to clutch onto a railing of the smaller boat with one hand. He dangled there for a brief moment, then with incredible strength he pulled himself up. Rosalina wrestled with the slackening ropes and watched on helplessly as the man climbed back onto his boat, started the engine and pulled away.

‘Come back here!' The crazy priest, still on the deck above her, gripped onto the railing as he yelled at the disappearing boat. He aimed his gun at the boat and shot off two rounds. The noise was louder than anything she'd ever heard. Rosalina couldn't tell if he'd hit his target, but she assumed he hadn't when seconds later the boat accelerated and powered away.

‘Alex, Alex, stay with me, honey.' Tears streamed down Ginger's cheeks as she knelt at Alessandro's side.

‘I'm okay.' The sound of his voice belied his words.

Rosalina clenched her jaw as she looked up at the madman still on the upper deck. ‘You bastard! Look what you did.'

The priest ran his hand over his pale, barren scalp. His eyes were pure evil. ‘Get him up. I want all three of you up here. NOW!'

‘We can't move him.' Her eyes fell on the first-aid kit, just a metre or so away. ‘He needs —'