Baited (5 page)

Kat noticed that Alexandra was busy devouring Will with her gaze. A junkyard-dog instinct bristled inside Kat, making her want to claim him again, apologize to him, even. With effort, Kat tuned in to the conversation, trying hard to distance herself from jealousy. And…good luck. She’d need it.

“Captain Will?” Chris asked. “Favorite…TV theme!”

Louis piped up. “Trivia, Captain. We’ve been whiling away the time with a bunch of silly talk.”

Wait, Kat thought. Silly talk is awesome. She caught Duke’s wan, knowing smile. He was thinking the same exact thing. Trivia had gotten them through the worst moments of the trip so far, so thank heaven for it.

Will leaned back against the wall, his pose thoughtful. “I’ve never really considered this before.”

Bull. She should’ve called him on his coyness. He loved the theme from
Wild, Wild West
. Just remembering the endearing, dorky dance he’d done when they’d watch repeats sent another bittersweet memory through her.

“I like the
Alias
song,” Chris said. “It rocks.”

This brought up a renewed burst of answers.
Hawaii Five-O. Cheers. Magnum P.I. Twilight Zone.

“Ah,” Dr. Hopkins said. “The best.
Twilight Zone
.”

“Ooooh.” Nestor lifted up a finger. “Name the
episode. The one where they’ve captured the devil and some dumb backpacker guy gets talked into letting him go, thus unleashing evil upon the earth?”

“‘The Howling Man,’” Duke and Kat said at the same time. They pointed at each other. “Jinx!”

It was
on
: a competition between her and Duke. Damn, it felt good to see him perk up a bit.

Louis even joined in. “The one where the woman is in bandages in a clinic. Everyone is making a point of how ugly she is, and when the bandages are taken off—”

“I know this one,” Eloise said, fanning herself while Alexandra yawned.

“—we see that she’s beautiful and the doctors look like pigs…”

“‘Eye of the Beholder’!” Kat got it just a split second before Duke could.

“These are before your time,” he added. “How…?”

“Wasted days in front of the TV after school,” Kat laughed. “I’ve seen them a hundred times each.”

Will laughed, too, knowing her well enough to appreciate the comment. He’d often teased her about watching too much of the tube, but he’d also known why she was in the habit. When she wasn’t with dear old dad, she’d often stayed indoors when she was young, avoiding certain kids who liked to pick on her.

Recovering from the intimate moment, she tried to ignore the flutter in her tummy.

A little less energetic by now, Duke offered a tidbit. “The one where the aliens manipulate a neighborhood into thinking—”

Kat was still distracted, so Duffy beat her to it. “‘The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.’”

Flushed and in the moment, Nestor blurted out another. “The one where the dying old man makes his family wear masks that show their true natures in order to get their inheritance, and at the stroke of midnight, when they take off the masks, their faces reveal what’s in their souls…”

The room had come to a terrible standstill.

“‘The Masks,’” Duke finally said.

Only the howl of the wind, a cold keening that breathed through Kat’s bones, kept her from shouting to break the thickening in the air.

Dr. Hopkins tried to improve the atmosphere. “The one where the tiny man with the glasses—”

Duke interrupted. “Let’s cut the bullshit. I’m dying.”

It was like he’d gently taken out a sledgehammer and knocked them all in the heads with one swing. Kat’s ears rung, her heart beat in her throat.

“Father,” a pale Eloise said, gingerly rising to her feet to come over to Duke, “let’s not—”

“Eloise,” he continued, voice trembling, “why are you and the family finally with me?”

Everyone sat in silence.

“Gramps…” Duffy began.

But Duke stopped him with one lift of a finger. “No excuses. It’s too late for that. I’d just like to know—”

He cut himself off with a bout of coughing. Kat poured a glass of water, setting it in front of him.

“Before the diagnosis, there were never any family dinners.” Another cough. Duke’s face grew uncom
fortably red. He took a sip of water and collected himself enough for his skin to turn a hard-boiled pink. “There were never even Christmas cards until you saw the light at the end of the tunnel for me.”

“Now, Edward.” Louis was on his feet. “Let’s talk about this in private.”

He motioned toward Will and the crew, who took the hint and started to withdraw from the room. Dr. Hopkins followed. Yet when Louis gestured toward Kat and Chris, he received no such response. Kat wasn’t going anywhere. Duke was like family. He was all she had.

“Why not in front of us?” she asked.

Louis raised his chin, but Kat could tell he wasn’t brave enough to take her on.

Duke was smiling—and it was no longer the soft, lighthearted grin of the man Kat thought she knew.

“It fascinates me,” he said, sighing, “to see how people act when faced with the possibility of great wealth. From an aging businessman who’s been waiting out his father-in-law’s decomposing body—” he nodded to Louis “—to a daughter who’s shown complete apathy until recently—” a salute to Eloise, who held a hand to her chest and looked like she was on the verge of getting sick “—to the grandchildren who’ve spent a fortune they’ve never had and need a new one to keep themselves proficient in all types of debauchery.”

Nestor shifted in his seat. Alexandra straightened her spine and her eyes got watery. Duffy, however, was heating up by the moment, knuckles going white as he fisted his hands on the table.

“And,” Duke added, “let’s not forget the upwardly mobile class who might have good reason to give in to the temptation of money.”

He slid a glance to Kat, then toward the door where Will had disappeared. Her stomach dropped. This trip hadn’t been about allowing her to reconcile her feelings about her ex, after all, had it?

She flinched. Was Duke planning to set up Will by putting him in the middle of money, just to prove that Will would always choose family pride and money over her? Was he giving her just cause to shut the book on her ex?

Or…No way. Duke would
never
think she wanted his cash.

Hell, she wouldn’t believe the worst until she saw proof. She wasn’t even sure why this had all crossed her mind, but the fact that it had scared her. Duffy’s rash comments had apparently eaten away at her faith in her friend, hadn’t they?

Kat walked over to Chris. His eyes were wide. Confused? Surprised?

When she took his hand to lead him out of the room, he pulled her back to his chair, indicating he wanted to stay.

Maybe he’s more mature than other kids.

Okay. It was time to give him a little credit.

Duke paused to rub his temples. “So, really, I didn’t invite you here for adventure as much as honesty.”

Louis braced his hands on the table, attempting to seem intimidating. “What are you saying?”

Duke faced him in that gentle yet firm way of his.
“I want to know how much my family actually loves me. I want you to deserve an inheritance.”

“We do,” Nestor said. “Love you, I mean.”

All the Delacroixs nodded, backing Nestor up.

“Good.” Duke sighed, smiled. “Then you won’t care if I’ve decided to make a few changes to my will.”

“Changes,” Louis echoed.

Duffy’s voice was tight when he finally spoke. “Like what,
Grandfather?
”

“Ah. Honesty in his tone. I like that.” Duke slowly, painfully, got up and made his way over to Kat and Chris, resting his hands on their shoulders. “When I get back to land, I’ll be making arrangements to leave ninety-five percent of my holdings to Chris.”

Eloise sucked in a loud breath while Chris sat quietly. Stunned?

“And five percent to someone else who has proven that they love me unconditionally.”

Don’t say it, don’t say it, Kat thought, dreading it, craving it all at the same time.

“My good friend, Katsu Espinoza.”

And with that, Duke started to shuffle toward the door, amidst the rising protests of his family. Springing out of her chair, Kat went with him, ready to fend off anyone who confronted Duke, ready to talk some sense into him, too. Or maybe she needed some sense talked into her.

Either way, that night changed everything.

L
esson one: It’s dumb to wear flashing objects in the water, Kat thought the next day as she removed her earrings after dressing in her wet suit.

And lesson two, among so many more: Never go into the water without realizing that you are out of your element and in something else’s world.

As she stood on the starboard side of the deck next to a similarly suited-up Chris, waiting for the moment they could go back to the boat’s stern and climb into the shark-observation cage, she knew that caution was the most important lesson of all.

In fact, she added to herself, like the rules of the sea, you should never venture into life itself without realizing that you’re in over your head and you might have to fight your way out.

Last night had only emphasized that.

Oddly, the Delacroixs had kept to themselves after the outburst. Even so, Kat had lingered in Duke’s stateroom until dawn, just in case one of his relatives got the itch to harass him.

Clearly, Duke was in no shape for this drama. The inheritance confrontation had wiped him out, and after a bout of vomiting which worried Kat more than anything else, he’d been visited by the medic, then hit his berth, falling into a deep slumber. Kat didn’t dare wake him, even though there was so much to straighten out. Instead, she’d spent the night in a chair by Duke’s side, jangled by all the emotions mingling and confusing her conscience.

What was five percent of billions of dollars?

Even now, standing here on deck, she told herself not to dwell on it. She didn’t want to face that tiny seed of greed taking root, the ecstatic buzz of power and control that money would bring to her life. No more debts. A better place for her and über-roomie Tracy to live.

Respect from everyone who’d ever looked down on her.

Just as she was flying high on this fantasy, she crashed to earth again. The price for this false sense of self-esteem was Duke. His death.

Heaviness settled on her shoulders. She’d give millions just to keep her surf-days friend around.

“Kat?”

It was the first word Chris had said so far this morning. He seemed just as troubled and red-eyed as she
was after last night. Had he lost sleep after the confrontation, too?

“You ready to go first?” she asked.

“Sure.” He was distracted, moody, showing an uncharacteristic lack of excitement. Even at this young age, Chris was an experienced diver; it was one of his passions, one of the things the lonely teenager was
really
good at.

Kat was still determined to make the most of this amazing experience for him. “Think about it—three whole days out here. We’re gonna have some fun.”

“Right. Fun.” Chris fidgeted with his suit.

Kat glanced back to the stern, where the cage was being checked over. Sunlight chased away any reminder of last night’s restless weather, and the ocean itself was calm and ready to embrace them. Near the cage, the Delacroix family was keeping to themselves. Alexandra was reading the latest Harry Potter book while Eloise, swathed in layers of white, stared at the ocean from her lounge chair. Louis, Duffy and Nestor fished quietly.

In the background, Isla de Guadalupe waited, its mammoth, hunched rocks stretching under the specter of a lone gray thunderhead. Kat suppressed a shiver.

It was as if something had shifted between everyone, like plates of the earth had rubbed together and were causing a silent quake. Kat dreaded the damage that would come during the next few days.

She was so intent on considering the possibilities that she barely heard Duke greeting them in a reedy, yet cheerful, voice. When she turned around, she saw
him hugging a newly joyful Chris, who was obviously excited that Duke was up and around. Kat blinked, unable to believe what she saw. Duke barely looked fit enough to be out of bed, much less on deck.

And he was dressed to dive.

“Uh…?” She indicated his gear.

“I thought I’d give it a go. What do you say, Chris? You want to let the old man go first?”

There’s no way his health would allow him this kind of crap…excuse her,
nonsense.

“Can I talk to you?” she asked, trying to draw him aside.

“Go ahead.” Duke placed a hand on Chris’s head. That was body language for: “What I hear, he hears.”

Okay, if that’s how he wanted it. “Your doctor didn’t even approve this trip, did he? I’ll bet he doesn’t know you’re here.”

His guilty look told the answer.

“Chris, why don’t you wait by the cage?” he said.

The teen raised his eyebrows, cheeks turning pink. “But—”

“Small favor,” Duke said. “For me.”

Chris shot a miffed glance at Kat. “’Kay.” He left, looking curiously over his shoulder at both of them.

Duke sighed, leaning his frail body against the wall. “As great as that kid is, he hates being told he can’t do something.” For the slightest moment, his eyes went empty.

What was with him this morning? “I think he wants to see that you’re okay after last night, you know?”

A smile fought its way onto Duke’s mouth, but
something still hung behind. Something like yesterday’s mournful wind.

The looming threat of his death iced between them. So did the ugliness of his family life.

“So what’s up with you?” she asked.

Duke’s expression changed to one of pure innocence. “I feel fine today, so I’m going to face off with a shark. It’s something I want to do before plunging into the great hereafter.”

She ignored the implausible scenario, then took a breath, going for it. “About what you said last night…about Will…”

“Remember what I said about you deserving a chance to close your file on him and move on?”

“So you put him in a position where he’d be tempted by wealth? Did you want me to see what he’d do and finally swear off him when he failed?”

A soft smile. “It’ll be interesting to see what happens after he hears about the changes I want to make.”

Her five percent. “I need to talk to you about that—”

“Don’t refuse the possibility, Kat.”

She clamped shut her mouth in shame. She hadn’t necessarily wanted to refuse—she’d been aiming for more of an explanation, actually.

Dammit, what was happening to her? Was Duke playing mind games with her, too? After all, he’d said he was only
thinking
about changing his will, right?

“Duke, we need to sit down and hash out a lot of things. Okay?”

He smiled, and Kat sighed, giving in to him. Charmer. Then he nodded at someone behind her.

“Morning,” he said, chipper as could be.

Kat turned around to find Alexandra and Eloise staring at Duke in his wet suit.

Eloise spoke. “Chris told us you’re diving.”

The teen appeared next to Alexandra. “Sorry, Gramps. They don’t want you to do it.”

Duke chuckled. “It’s not like it’s going to kill me.”

A loud argument followed. It was passionate enough to create a scene, drawing Dr. Hopkins and most of the curious crew. Kat pictured the shark cage all by its lonesome, twiddling its aluminum bars and wondering what the holdup was.

When Will made his way to the front of the crowd, Kat’s blood gave an excited, wary leap in her veins.

“I won’t be responsible for sending you into that cage, Mr. Harrington,” Will said.

“It would be worth your while.” Duke made the international sign for cash with his fingers by rubbing them together.

Grunting, Will just shook his head and planted his hands on his hips. Even though he had his eye on the big pie in the sky, he apparently had pride in his reputation, also.

Still, too much of it, Kat thought. Pride was responsible for his quest for redemption. Pride was why they couldn’t be together.

By now, Duffy, Nestor and Louis had filtered to the back of the crowd, tellingly silent. Kat wondered if they agreed with Eloise and Alexandra about keeping Duke
out of the cage or if they wouldn’t mind seeing a speedier demise out of the older man.

“Bottom line,” Will said, “is that I’ll dismantle that cage before I let you get into it.”

With that, he headed toward the bridge.

“You’re missing a good opportunity,” Duke said.

With surging admiration, Kat watched Will disappear, a warm smile on her face. When Duke caught her eye, she lifted her brows, just like she was saying, “So much for him giving in to money.”

But when his visage clouded—frustration at being proved wrong?—she stopped smiling, feeling a little owned.

Manipulated.

It riled her temper, her need to find a way out of the net she’d found herself tangled up in.

Cool yourself, Kat, she thought. Losing it isn’t going to help at all.

“Let’s just go watch Chris from the flying bridge,” Kat said to Duke, offering him a graceful way out.

“Hold it.” Nestor cleared his throat, reminding everyone of his presence at the back of the crowd. “I say we postpone the dives for a spell, just until we straighten a few matters up.”

But Chris was already on his way toward the cage, pulling Dr. Hopkins along with him. Thank God seeing Duke had brought his verve back.

“Let’s go!” the boy yelled.

“Not yet,” Louis headed off after them.

Nestor took off, too, unsuccessfully urging Chris to come back.

Arms folded over his chest, Duffy watched the chase, then followed his father. The various gathered crew members traded jaded looks, probably used to the drama of the wealthy, then went back to their jobs.

That left Duke, surrounded by disapproving women.

After a tense hesitation, he nodded, his grin sheepish. “Hell, I tried.” Then, growing serious, he turned to Eloise and Alexandra. “Thank you for the concern.”

As Kat led him away, she noted Alexandra’s pleased expression: The almost-hidden relief of someone who’d positioned her chessboard queen in a very strategic square.

Before they’d momentarily left their posts to witness all the hubbub, Larry the dreadlocked and Tinkerbell had eased the cage into the water. So, it was just a matter of getting Chris into the last of his gear, linking him to the “hooka regs”—long-hosed regulators that were connected to oxygen tanks on deck—and helping him inside. Since everyone had been prepped on safety, everything was a go.

As the cage was lowered a couple of feet below the surface, Kat leaned over the flying bridge’s railing with Duke and Dr. Hopkins, who had joined them. The clear water gave them an eagle’s-eye view of the ocean and cage; they could see Chris holding an underwater video camera, see the bubbles gushing upward with his breaths, see the chum—fish scraps, oil, guts, blood—spread into the ocean to attract sharks.

When the first creature, then the second, appeared,
Kat grabbed Duke’s arm, on edge. All that was protecting Chris from a set of dagger-sharp teeth were the cage’s bars and the knife that cage-divers wore strapped to their thighs.

The sharks began to take passes at some tuna bait.

“Would you look at that,” Duke said.

Dr. Hopkins laughed. “Every time I see them, I can’t help feeling like it’s my first time.”

A ten-footer glided past Chris and the cage. Previously, the doctor had explained that the sharks were conditioned to accept the tourists, but that didn’t guarantee safety—not by a long shot.

You never know what a shark is going to do, she’d told Kat on their first day together. We’ll be in their territory, their world, and they own it.

Never forget that.

“It’s always good to give them some healthy respect,” Dr. Hopkins added, “but as I’ve told you before, even though sharks have been around for thirty million years—and they haven’t changed much in that time, either—we still don’t know a whole lot about them. They still pull the unexpected. For instance, we can be outside of the cage in the water, and never be attacked.”

Kat’s stomach flipped. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. In fact, shark attacks in the United States are less frequent than homicides or auto deaths. You’d never know it by the kind of attention the media gives them though, would you?”

Duke straightened up, creaking with the effort. “Judging by the news, the sea is full of jaws.”

Without much energy, he squeezed Kat’s arm as he left the flying bridge, saying something about a nap, while the women chattered and watched Chris. From all the doctor’s information these past couple of days, Kat felt confident about her own dive. She wasn’t as afraid of these predators half as much as she’d been back in San Diego, where surfing myths about man-eating sharks ruled the day.

By this time, the ten-footer had started to “test” the cage bars, as Dr. Hopkins explained. Its teeth had been scraping the aluminum with every pass and, now, it had graduated to biting the cage.

“When this happens to you,” she said, “just remember that it’s trying to determine what the cage
is.
”

“Or if it would make good grub.” Kat wondered if Chris had peed in his suit yet. But she had to hand it to him; he looked real collected down there all by himself.

Seconds later, one shark had left, but the ten-footer was still hanging out, going back to eat more chum.

When it finished, it tested the rope that connected the cage to the boat—the lifeline. Kat gasped.

“Is that okay?”

“It’ll realize the rope tastes awful.”

But then it happened.

The ten-footer gave a powerful yank on the lifeline.

“Tell me
that’s
okay, Doctor.”

Dr. Hopkins backed away from the railing, gazing at the water. She started to walk toward the stairs with Kat.

Tinkerbell started yelling at Larry.

The shark wrenched on the rope again.

Chris’s cage began to float…underneath the boat. A trail of bubbles spurted out of the top. His breathing had gone erratic.

Kat took off down the stairs, Dr. Hopkins on her tail.

Grasping for breath, she came to stand by Larry. He’d retrieved another lifeline and was ready to throw it toward the cage for Chris to grab.

“Is that going to work?” Kat asked.

A jagged voice cut the air. “What’s happening?”

Will. Calm, in control, green-blue eyes blazing.