Written in the Stars (15 page)

And then his ring started feeling too tight. What the hell? Why would his finger suddenly
swell? Now that was annoying.

Trying not to let it bother him, Morgan worked for a few minutes more but found nothing
to make him want to stay. About to give it up and return to the Sea Rover, he realized
he wasn’t alone. A large shadow was coming straight toward him through the water made
murky by the sand he’d disturbed. Certain that it was a shark, he wasn’t overly concerned,
not until, from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of another shadow arrowing
his way. And a third from the other side. The shark wasn’t alone. It had friends,
and they all seemed too interested in him.

With the damn ring feeling even tighter, he backed off and kicked his flippers, at
the same time inflating his BC to bring him more quickly to the surface.

The sharks moved faster.

The three tiger sharks bore down on him, and for the first time in his life while
diving, Morgan knew real fear, had to remind himself to keep breathing, to move smoothly,
to not give the sharks reason to attack. He slipped his dive knife from the sheath
belted to his thigh and prepared to defend himself.

The predators circled him as he rose through the water. The circle grew tighter and
tighter, and he could sense them preparing for an attack. Though he could see daylight
shimmering overhead, the surface was still some distance away.

And then the biggest of the sharks lunged for him. Without thinking, Morgan struck
out, not with his knife hand but with the bared one. He caught the attacker in the
nose. The contact ignited something unexpected. A hot, sharp current jolted up through
his arm into his teeth and made the shark jerk back.

As if shocked, the predator stopped dead in the water, froze for a few seconds before
spinning around. Then like a bullet from a gun, it shot straight away from him.

The other two predators followed suit.

Leaving Morgan limp with relief and more than a little puzzled.

What had just happened?

Still holding the dive knife he hadn’t used, he finished his ascent with all senses
primed for more trouble.

What the hell had just happened?

How had he created what had felt like an electrical shock by hitting the shark in
the nose? And he’d drawn his dive knife. Why hadn’t he used that? It was as if his
arm had acted of its own volition. An instinctual move? Or had something… someone…prompted
it?

Chapter Fifteen

Morgan surfaced and hoisted himself onto the dive platform and just stood there until
his world righted itself. His divers were sitting on deck eating lunch. Two were deep
in some conversation, the third was listening to music via earphones. Still off-kilter,
he removed his mask and flippers.

Coming to the rail, Emmett told him, “Food’s on the galley counter,” then seemed to
take a better look. “Something wrong?”

“I was almost bait for a trio of tiger sharks.”

The old man swore and joined him on the dive platform. “Let me help you.”

Morgan released the catches of his buoyancy-compensator vest and the first mate relieved
him of the weight of the tank.

“What happened down there?” Emmett asked.

As he removed his wet suit, Morgan told him about the scare, leaving out the part
about the jolt he’d felt when he smacked the shark in the nose.

“Sounds weird to me. Usually if a diver runs into trouble with a shark, it’s because
the shark was nearby. But you say these guys came at you out of nowhere?”

Morgan nodded. “Seemed odd to me, too.” Then again the whole incident had been odd.
He started to gather up his equipment.

“I’ll take care of the gear. Go get yourself some chow.”

Morgan grunted, boarded the boat, and went below. He was too disturbed by what had
happened to feel like eating; nevertheless, he loaded up his plate with beans and
chicken. Maybe the sensation of stepping out of his depths would pass.

As he ate, he went over the entire incident in his head and remembered the ring feeling
too tight. Not anymore. He pulled it off his finger and stared at it. Ever since he’d
found the ring, strange things had been happening to him. He thought about glimpsing
the dark-haired woman, about feeling foreign emotions, and hearing voices in his head.
About the voice he’d heard on the dive. Had its owner saved him?

Morgan wasn’t one to believe in magic.

And yet…

Though it seemed beyond belief, he muttered, “Was it you?”

“Was it who?” Emmett asked, stepping into the galley. “You’re talking to that ring
you found the other night? What’s going on, Morgan?”

Morgan sighed. “I didn’t tell you everything. When I smacked the shark, I was wearing
this.” He indicated the ring.

“And—”

“And this big jolt shot up my arm. It was as if I zapped the shark with a live wire.”

“You’re saying the power came from the ring?”

He guessed he was because he couldn’t think of another explanation. “Crazy, huh?”

“Heard crazier. I’ve lived around the islands all my life, you know. Lots of superstition.
Lots of spells cast, both good and bad. I’ve seen people with fetishes, mojo bags,
Voodoo dolls. And they all worked at times.” Emmett sat opposite Morgan and threw
what looked like an outline of man cut out in black felt about three inches long.
“This is crazy, too.”

“What is it?”

“Gris-gris. Found it in one of your vest pockets. Look inside.”

Morgan picked up the object made of felt, aware of something hard inside. Widening
the opening on one side, he shook out the contents covered with what looked like gunpowder—a
small strip of folded paper and a very large tooth.

“Tiger-shark tooth,” Emmett muttered.

Morgan started. His first mate had been around these waters all his life, so he would
know. Morgan opened the folded paper and sucked in his breath at what was written
there: Morgan Murphy.

“Looks like someone put a curse on you.”

Morgan shook his head but he couldn’t deny it, couldn’t say he didn’t believe it could
be possible, not after what he’d just experienced.

“So how did that gris-gris get in your vest pocket?” Emmett asked.

“You got me. Could someone have sneaked onto the Sea Rover and planted it during the
night?”

“Not without me knowing. I slept on deck last night and I wake up at every little
noise. Besides, the sneak would have to know which equipment was yours. Who’d want
you to run into trouble anyhow?”

Morgan thought back to what happened right before entering the water. “I saw the Ward
woman run out of air and gave her my spare hose. I brought her up and to the salvage
boat.”

“Saw you bring the woman up…and saw Foley shove you around, too.”

“Foley grabbed me by the front of my BC vest to get me away from Cordelia.” Morgan
replayed the incident in his mind.

“Coulda been him. Or that island woman you banged into.”

Morgan couldn’t say if one of them had actually done it. “I was angry but also distracted,
worried about what happened to Cordelia.”

If someone at the dive site had actually used Voodoo against him, Cordelia could be
in real trouble.

…

Innis was glad to be rid of Morgan Murphy. Surely the pirate wouldn’t be coming back
at Cordelia. Not after an encounter that would scare the living daylights out of any
man. Using binoculars, all he’d been able to see were shadowy shapes circling Murphy
below.

Watching his second string teams go off the diving platform to continue the search,
Innis thought that he’d waited too long for this. Twelve years too long. He and Cordelia
never should have been separated. She’d been his from the first moment he’d met her.
He’d always known it. This was his opportunity to convince her that destiny had brought
them back together after what seemed like an eternity.

If only he’d rescued her before Murphy had. Then he’d be her hero.

“That man,” Brigitte said, coming up behind him, “he got some kinda magic of his own.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You think them sharks went after him on their own?”

Innis started. “What did you do?”

“I helped you, cher. You want the woman, yes?” Smiling, she shrugged and walked away.

His heart thundered as he stared after her, but he pulled himself together when Madelyn
crossed over to Foley’s Treasure.

Her expression showed her concern. “Innis, what happened?”

A little stunned, he swallowed hard. “Cordelia’s air gauge stuck. Don’t worry. When
we go down again, she’ll have a new one.”

“I didn’t mean that exactly.”

“What then?”

“She’s upset about something else. I know my daughter. I simply can’t get her to open
up until she’s ready. I thought you might be able to clue me in.”

Cordelia had gone over to the Evening Star, saying she needed some time alone to think
things through.

About him?

“Murphy fed her a line about some partnership last night, then threw it back in her
face today.”

“Oh.” Madelyn’s brow drew into a deeper frown. “No wonder she’s so upset.”

“She’s afraid he’ll be the one to find the mother lode and then we’ll be out in the
cold.”

“That must be it.”

Though Madelyn didn’t meet his gaze. Instead she looked over at Murphy’s craft as
if it could give her the answers she wanted.

Innis’s stomach knotted, and he flashed on that kiss he’d seen Murphy force on Cordelia.
Surely she couldn’t be fooled by that damn pirate. Surely Murphy’d had enough and
would be gone for good before he had another chance at her.

…

Had Morgan messed with her gauge as Innis had hinted? Cordelia had had a moment’s
doubt about Morgan’s intentions, but when she’d seen the vulnerability in his eyes,
she hadn’t been so certain. Morgan had saved her life. Surely he hadn’t put it in
jeopardy to play hero.

Pacing the length of her cabin, she wondered why he’d given up so easily. Why he hadn’t
fought Innis’s accusation? She wished that he would have, but his complex nature—his
pride—would probably make him do the exact opposite of whatever it was that she wanted.

There was more to Morgan than was apparent. She needed to understand him. In what
ways had he been molded by that lifetime of experience her mother had thought was
so significant?

If only she knew more about him.

The media loved treasure hunters. Successful ones even more so. She’d seen and read
interviews featuring him half-a-dozen times.

How far back did the stories go?

One way to find out. Sitting at her desk, she turned on her laptop and did a search
on sunken treasure hunters named Murphy.

The first few pages were links to stories about Morgan over the past decade or so,
after he’d set off on his own. She scanned stories about his success bringing up booty
in the Caribbean a few years back. Nothing in them revealed any more about the man
until she got to an article with a photo of him with his parents, Daniel and Jane
Murphy. The older Murphys waxed poetic about their ambitious and talented son, who
had just made that valuable find. Apparently the first thing he’d done with the money
was to buy a brand-new home for them. The second was to buy a motorcycle for himself.

Having always put her own parents first, Cordelia recognized they had that in common,
something she never would have guessed.

Something that made her respect him.

She changed the search to his father. The results on Daniel Murphy took her further
and further back in time. Another family photo, parents and three kids, the girl crying
in her mother’s arms. Morgan must have been sixteen or seventeen. The anger in his
expression made him look far older.

The story headline: “Treasure Hunters Lose All.”

The article detailed the allegations that multimillionaire Brian Croft had made a
handshake deal with the Murphys to find a sunken ship on which he had good information.
According to Morgan’s father, Croft had promised to pay all equipment and crew expenses.
But as it happened, the search for the sunken ship hadn’t panned out, and Croft refused
to pay the expenses of the failed expedition. Morgan’s parents took Croft to court,
but since there was no written agreement, it was their word against that of a very
wealthy man. Croft claimed that part of the agreement was that the expenses were to
have been paid from the treasure, but since there was no treasure, his obligation
was done. The Murphys claimed that stipulation had never been brought up. The judge
ruled in favor of Croft.

Morgan and his family lost their home and were left destitute.

Obviously, a man as wealthy as Brian Croft could have afforded to pay for the expedition
no matter the outcome. It was obvious to Cordelia that he chose to financially ruin
a family because he didn’t get what he wanted.

Sorrow filled her.

No wonder Morgan had bought his parents that new home.

No wonder Morgan had such an attitude.

This business had devastated Morgan’s family, and yet he continued working it, albeit
in such an aggressive, coercing way. He obviously had a softer side, but he wouldn’t
let anyone see it. Because he feared that someone might victimize him?

Did he think she would do so?

Certain that it was doubtful she would find information closer to the bone about Morgan
than that, Cordelia sat back in her chair and closed the lid on the laptop.

Had she been unfair to him earlier, questioning him about his intentions? Maybe. She
knew Innis didn’t like Morgan, undoubtedly the reason he held the treasure hunter
suspect. But there had been no proof that anyone had tampered with her equipment.
The gauge sticking may have been nothing more than inexplicable bad luck. Morgan had
walked away rather than having to justify himself.

She couldn’t leave things like that between them.

She wouldn’t be Morgan’s Brian Croft.

Facing Morgan might be uncomfortable, but it was necessary. She would do so the next
day. He’d made her an honest offer of partnership, and though he’d pressured her into
accepting, she felt honor-bound to at least talk to him about it, even if the idea
made her uncomfortable. She would have a difficult time keeping on track when the
man in question could so easily distract her.

No other man had ever made her feel so truly alive. So thoroughly connected when they’d
kissed.

She tried convincing herself it had been the chain between their hands that had electrified
her. The treasure itself had seduced her.

So why didn’t she believe it?