In Deep Waters (19 page)

He stared at the monitor. "Careful, Monk."

"Don't forget, boss, I'm known for my delicate touch." Monk manipulated GOTCHA toward the artifact. "Come on, darlin'. Come to Papa."

Ben watched the mechanical arm lift the bell. A cloud

of silt rose from the ocean bottom and blurred the picture

on the monitor. As the cloud settled, he saw the artifact

in the basket. "Good job, Monk."

Kayla touched Madison's shoulder. "That looks like a--"

"It's a bell, Daddy."

Ben smiled. "Yes, it is."

Kayla's gaze met his. "Is it from the--"

"We'll know in an hour and a half when the GOTCHA surfaces." Ben still didn't want to get her hopes up. But he was going to make sure the champagne was chilled. Just in case.

It was the longest hour and a half of Kayla's life. If the ship turned out to be the
Isabella,
she would realize
her father's dream. One of her dreams, too. She held on to her talisman. For luck.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Ben as they waited on deck for GOTCHA's return.

"We still don't know what we've found." He caressed her cheek. "You haven't missed anything except documenting the site this morning, and you needed to sleep, anyway."

She smiled. "You were worried about me." "A little."

From his tone, she realized it was more than a little. Her heart filled with love for him. He would come around about fairy tales, about dreams, about mermaids. She was a mermaid.

With everything going on she'd forgotten. Or rather pushed it to the back of her mind. He put his arm around her. "It's almost time." Kayla nodded. She liked that Ben wasn't afraid to show affection in front of the rest of the crew. No one minded. No one held a grudge. Monk had told her he'd seen it coming. This was going to work. She knew it in her heart.

The crane lifted GOTCHA out of the water. The basket containing the bell hung underneath.

Her heart pounded. This could be it. This could be the bell from the
Isabella.

The men worked to get the ROV on board. A combination of white gook and saltwater poured out and splashed on the deck. Kayla stayed out of the way. She was excited to see the bell, but she didn't want to get wet, so she stood back.

Fitz videotaped the happenings, and he wasn't using a camcorder. No, this looked professional. Kayla realized the crew also wore matching orange jumpsuits with
an
Xmarks Explorer
logo. How things had changed in less than two hours.

Vance paced on the deck. He had a container, what looked like a glorified ice chest with wheels, ready for the bell. He'd been awake all night preparing the lab to receive and preserve artifacts in case they brought any to the surface.

The thought of artifacts from the
Isabella
on display at the museum sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine. This would be her way of fulfilling her father's dream. An
Isabella
exhibit in his name.
Please let this be it.

The men crowded around the bell, pushing and shoving to get a good look.

"What does it say?"

"Get out of my way."

"Can you read it?"

"Hey, I can't see."

The guys acted more like a bunch of little boys who'd found something at a playground than a team of highly skilled salvage technicians. Kayla smiled and backed away. She was worried about the saltwater still pouring out and getting everything wet. She couldn't afford to change into a mermaid in front of everyone. She wasn't about to fulfill one dream and lose another.

"Back off, boys," Ben ordered. He pulled Kayla toward the bell. "You need to see this, too."

She hesitated, torn between wanting to see the bell and her fear of the water.

"Come on," he said.

Kayla watched where she stepped and moved forward.

As she stared at the bell, a lump formed in her throat.

She thought about her father, about the pirate Luis Ser
rano and his love, Ana Delgado. Emotion rendered her speechless.

Ben's eyes brimmed with tears. "You do the honors, Kayla."

She swallowed hard. "I-s-a-b-e-1-l-a." The name was engraved on the bell. "It's from the
Isabella."

He hugged her. "You found her."

Behind Kayla a champagne cork popped. ' 'We found her."

Ben smiled. "Yes, we did."

"Daddy. I'm done sleeping. Daddy?" Madison waited for her daddy to come. She looked at the clock. A two, a one and a five.

"Time to get up." She kissed Baby Fifi's forehead. ' T like Kayla. She tells me stories and has a tail. I want a tail."

Madison slid out of bed, put on her pink life vest and connected the plastic buckles. She grabbed Baby Fifi off the bed. ' T want to be a mermaid. Do you want to be a mermaid, Baby Fifi?" Madison headed out of her cabin.

On deck, she found her pool almost empty. Most of the water had spilled out. She needed water to get a tail. That's how Kayla had done it. Madison headed toward the stern. She tried to stick her feet over the edge and into the water, but she couldn't hold on to the rail and Baby Fifi.

"Once I get my tail, I'll help you get yours." Madison set her baby doll on the deck. "Don't cry. I'll be right back."

Water splashed her. Madison stuck her foot out a little farther and--

She fell overboard and landed with a splash. She coughed and spit out a mouthful of icky-tasting water. "Daddy!"

Sounded like trouble. The frantic chatter from a dolphin made every one of Kayla's nerve endings go on alert. Fresh out of the shower, Kayla put on her panties. She grabbed her bra, but dropped it to the floor.

There it was again.

More chatter. She felt almost connected to the dolphin, but that made no sense. Unless it had something to do with her being a mermaid. No, she was imagining a nonexistent bond.

The noise got louder.

The dolphin wasn't happy. It sounded...troubled. Concerned. Worried. Kayla wasn't sure how she knew that. If only she had a clue what the dolphin wanted, but the communication was emphatic, not telepathic.

Maybe the dolphin was hungry or lonely. Whatever the reason, Kayla's uneasiness increased. She had to get on deck. Now.

She left the bra on the floor, pulled on the orange jumpsuit the crew had given to her the day they found the
Isabella
and slipped on her shoes.

She hurried outside and bumped into Wolf. The burly man furrowed his brows. ' 'Have you seen Madison?' '

"Not since lunchtime." Kayla glanced at her watch. "Isn't it still her naptime?"

"I went to wake her up early to see a school of dolphins, but she wasn't in her cabin."

Worry flashed through Kayla. She was overreacting. Madison knew the rules. She was supposed to stay in bed until someone came to get her. "Ben must have gotten her."

"Maybe." Wolf didn't sound convinced, and the dol
phin was sounding more agitated. "I'm going to find Ben."

"I'll look around."

"She might leave her cabin, but she wouldn't go on deck by herself."

Kay la nodded. The dolphin's chatter was getting worse, more insistent. She had trouble thinking straight. "Do you hear that?"

"What?"

"Nothing," she said.

But as Wolf headed inside, she knew the dolphin was trying to tell her something.

Why didn't a handbook come with the tail? Or a few classes in Mer 101? The stories her father told had left a large gap in her mer knowledge. And she didn't know who could teach her what she needed to know.

A dolphin jumped out of the water. Kayla's concern rose. He jumped again. No need to rationalize her feelings. Something was definitely wrong. She ran toward the dolphin. The sight of a doll near the rail made her skid to a stop.

Baby Fifi.

An all-consuming emptiness grabbed hold of her and refused to let go. Kayla couldn't move; she couldn't breathe. Her entire focus was on Madison and where she might be. A lump burned in her throat. She tried to swallow around it but couldn't. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back. She couldn't cry. She had to help. She had to do something.

"Madison!" Kayla called. And called again.

The dolphin slapped his nose against the water.

"I understand," Kayla said. "She's in the water."

She scanned the horizon but couldn't see anything. If
Madison wasn't wearing a life jacket...a sinking feeling in Kay la's stomach threatened to overwhelm her.

"Madison!"

Nothing.

Find her.

Kayla wasn't sure where the feeling came from. Herself or the dolphin. But it was strong, powerful. Yet she stood frozen. Afraid for Madison, afraid for herself. She was a mermaid, but she didn't know what that meant. How could she find Madison?

Uncertainty wreaked havoc in her mind.

But Madison needed her help.

So much was at stake. She'd finally found a place where she belonged. A family. A man to love. The truth would ruin it. The truth would change...everything.

Save her.

The feeling intensified. Overpowered Kayla. She stared at the dolphin. More chatter. She recognized something in the dolphin's dark eyes--compassion, understanding, concern. Kayla kicked off her shoes. They clattered to the deck.

She had to find Madison.

Kayla grabbed the railing.

How would she do this?

The sound of heavy footsteps and frantic calls for Madison from Ben and the rest of the crew filled the air. The jagged pain of their panicked voices was like a knife to Kayla's heart.

How could she not do this? She climbed over the railing.

"Kayla!" Ben ran toward her. "Stop!"

"I found Baby Fifi on deck," Kayla explained. "Madison's in the water, Ben. I don't know how I know..."

Silence.

It was as if time had stopped for that instant.

She saw the exact moment the news hit Ben. Blood drained from his face. He looked out at the ocean. The pain on his face told Kay la he didn't see anything but water. He grabbed the rail and started to hop over until Wolf pulled him back.

Ben fought the big man. "Let me go."

"No," Wolf said.

"She's out there." Ben's anguish brought tears to Kayla's eyes. "Alone."

"Forget it, boss."

Ben punched Wolf's arm, but the big man didn't let go. "I have to find her."

Oh, Ben.
Kayla ached for him. For the pain he must be feeling at this moment. Part of her wanted to comfort him, to hold him in her arms and take away his pain. But that's not what he needed. He needed his daughter back.

Wolf hit Ben's jaw and he fell to the deck. Monk and Zach held him down. "Use your head, Ben."

He stopped struggling. A sense of purpose replaced the panicked expression on his face. "I'm okay."

The men continued to hold him against the deck.

"I won't jump." They released him and Ben stood. "Let's get the boats in the water. Move. Move."

As the crew went into action, Ben held out his hand to Kayla. "Come on."

Her heart filled with love and respect for the man in front of her. Before she could explain, she heard the curses from the other men. The yelling, the accusations, the fear. One boat wouldn't start. The other couldn't be launched. Total chaos.

"I don't have time for this, Kay la. Give me your hand."

Kayla knew what she had to do. Forget about Ben. Forget about fitting in. Forget about keeping her secret. Madison was the only thing that mattered.