Treasure of Love Read online

  “Well I’ll be damned,” Dax muttered as he stared at the computer screen. Dona looked up from her charts with a quizzical look on her face. Dax moved the ROV up and back to get a better look at the big picture.

  Dax pointed his index finger to an object on the screen and said, “Dona, what does that look like to you?”

  “I’d bet my life that’s a propeller shaft,” she said with a grin.

  “I’d bet your life too,” he responded.

  “Very funny,” she said with a smirk. “Can we get a better look?”

  Dax adjusted the joystick and the ROV slowly moved to starboard and backed away for a different angle. The way the shaft seemed to disappear into the large mound only confirmed their suspicions.

  Dax reached for the radio and said, “Base to bridge, Jack, come back.”

  “Bridge here,” Jack said.

  “Hey, Jack, I think we’ve found something. Get Brad and Mac, and get down here.”

  Jack found Brad and Mac in the galley and they quickly made their way down to the cabin. They gathered around the computer screen as Dax pointed out what he and Dona hoped was the propeller shaft of the Anna Wyoming. From his research, Dax knew that the ship had an iron hull, and although it would rust and disintegrate over time, the outline of the hull should still be somewhat visible. Dax tried to bring the ROV up to get a wider view, but unfortunately, with the daylight fading, the lights were not strong enough to penetrate to the bottom, and they simply stared into darkness.

  “Well, that settles it,” Dax said shutting off the computer monitor and looking up at Dona. “Reconnaissance dive at first light?” she asked.

  Dax nodded his head. “Let’s get the Hunter II up and secured for the night, and then let’s eat,” he said. “I’m starved.”

  “I think that’s our cue,” Mac said to Brad. “Do you need us on deck?”

  “I think Jack and I can manage,” Dax said as he winked at Jack.

  “You boys handle the Hunter II, and I’ll get everything down here secured for the night,” Dona added.

  While Dona worked down below, Dax grabbed the radio and the remote control for the ROV and headed to the deck, as Jack made his way to the bridge. When Dax reached the deck, he surfaced the ROV and maneuvered it to the swim platform so he could hook up the tether. He walked the ROV alongside the hull to the bow and connected the cable to the winch. He radioed Jack that the ROV was connected and ready to be lifted safely onto the deck. Jack joined Dax topside, and together they secured the Hunter II to its riggings for the night.

  When everything was secured, the sun was just starting to dip below the horizon, and Jack stopped to watch. Dax joined him and put his arm gently on his shoulder, and together they watched the spectacular swirls of pinks, oranges, and reds all blended together to form a perfect sunset. Jack, unable to control himself, turned to Dax and gently kissed him on the cheek.

  “What was that for?” Dax asked.

  “Oh, nothing. I just felt like doing it,” Jack said.

  “Wanna do it again?” Dax asked with a smile.

  “Maybe,” Jack said.

  Dax’s smile faded, and he started to ramble. “Well, Captain Cameron, don’t do me any fav—”

  Jack put his lips over Dax’s mid-ramble and smothered him with a long, savory kiss. Jack’s tongue fought for entry, and when Dax’s lips parted, he found solace in the warmth of Dax’s mouth. Their tongues roamed and searched each other’s welcoming mouths until they were both out of breath.

  When Jack pulled away and left Dax’s swollen lips bare, they were both panting.

  “Eureka,” Jack said. “Now I know what to do to shut you up,” he teased.

  “If all I need to do is go on a tirade to get you to kiss me, look out, Jack. Your life is about to become very confrontational.”

  “Okay, maybe I’ll rethink that statement and save us both the trouble and just kiss you more.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Dax said.

  Just as Jack was leaning in to kiss Dax a second time, Brad popped up on deck.

  “Dinner’s ready, you two.”

  “As usual, your timing is impeccable,” Jack said.

  “Oh, did I interrupt something?” he asked.

  “Nothing that can’t be continued later,” Dax said as he winked at Jack.

  Brad spun on his heels with Jack and Dax in tow, and they made their way to the little galley. Dinner was a pork roast Mac had put in the slow cooker that morning, accompanied by mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, and warm French bread. They ate with a renewed excitement after the day’s discovery and discussed plans for the next morning. Dax, Dona, and Jack would do tomorrow’s dive, with Brad and Mac staying aboard to man the ship. If their assumptions were true, and this was the wreck of the Anna Wyoming, they would have to leave the site and immediately report their find, in person, to the proper authorities and stake their claim to the salvage rights. They would then head right back to the site to start the salvage operation. When dinner was through and the galley was cleaned, it was nearing eleven o’clock. Brad and Mac turned in, with Dona right behind them.

  Jack looked at Dax in nervous anticipation. “Um, I’m gonna check on the bridge before I turn in. Want to take a walk with me?”

  “Sure,” Dax said. “I’ll check on the Hunter II and make sure everything is secure, and I’ll meet you on the bow.”

  “Perfect,” Jack said, and the two men made their way topside. Jack secured the bridge for the night and strolled to the bow. He stood at the bowsprit and stared out into the darkness. Dax finished checking the ROV and walked over to join Jack.

  Dax walked up behind Jack and slid his arms around Jack’s waist. Deep in thought, Jack jumped at the touch, but relaxed immediately.

  “Everything okay?” Dax whispered.

  “How did you know?” Jack said in a hushed voice.

  “Know what?” Dax asked.

  “That you liked guys.”

  Dax thought before he answered, knowing that his answer held a great deal of significance to Jack. “I guess I always knew,” he said. “But I didn’t know what it meant until I was a teenager.”

  “That’s right,” Jack remembered. “You were homeschooled.”

  Dax nodded. “Jack, have you never thought about another guy in a sexual way before?”

  Jack thought hard but said, “I can’t say that I have.”

  After a long silence, Dax asked, “So what makes you think you’re gay?”

  “I think you’re hot as hell, and I love kissing you and, well… you’re a guy.”

  “Good answer, and thanks for noticing,” Dax chuckled. “I feel the same way.”

  “You do?” Jack asked.

  “Jack, how could you not know that?” Dax asked. “But look,” he added. “If you decide that this is something you want to explore, I will do my best to take the journey with you, but you have to take the lead. This has to be your decision and yours alone.”

  “I know all that,” Jack said. “Why do you think I’ve been so apprehensive?”

  “And you have to really be sure if and when anything happens between us. I’m not a science experiment. You can’t sleep with me then throw me away if you decide you’re not gay. Are we clear?”

  Jack thought about what Dax was saying. “We’re clear,” he said.

  “So, we’re on the same page?” Dax asked.

  “I think so.”

  “Now shut up and kiss me,” Dax pleaded.

  With Dax’s arms still holding him loosely around the waist, Jack slowly turned and put his arms around Dax’s neck. “My pleasure,” he said with a grin.

  They necked like high-school sweethearts for a little while longer until Dax finally admitted, “We have an early morning. What do you say we turn in?”

  Jack raised one eyebrow and looked at Dax, questioning.

  “To separate cabins, you idiot,” Dax said.

  Jack smiled and held out his elbow. “Please allow me, sir.”
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  Dax slipped his arm into Jack’s and said, “Chivalry is not dead after all.”

  “Not while I’m still breathing,” Jack said as he escorted Dax to his cabin.

  They were so into their little game that neither of them felt the stare of distant night vision binoculars, or heard the almost-silent click of a camera documenting their every move.

  WHEN they got to Dax’s cabin door, Dax slid his arm out of Jack’s and they stood, nervously wondering what should happen next. In the past, Dax had never been shy about going after what he wanted, but this time he didn’t want to make the first move. Being several inches taller than Jack, he looked down and saw the most beautiful crystal-blue eyes gazing up adoringly and locked on his. Dax could almost see a battle raging behind them. Both lust and confusion clouded Jack’s baby blues, and it tugged at Dax’s heartstrings. If Dax pushed, he felt certain that he could convince Jack to spend the night with him, but at what cost? If it didn’t go well, it could affect the rest of their lives—for different reasons, of course. So he did nothing. It was at that very moment that Dax realized he was falling in love with Captain Jackson P. Cameron, and that particular thought sent shivers of fear mixed with excitement down his spine.

  AS JACK looked up into the dreamiest hazel eyes he’d ever seen, he realized just how much he wanted Dax. But something, or someone, held him back. He knew that once he stepped into Dax’s cabin, there was no turning back. Could he do this? He wasn’t sure. Yes, he wanted Dax—hell, he even needed him—but was it lust, or was it more? He couldn’t use Dax as an experiment. He had to be sure. Not yet, he thought. Not until I’m sure.

  Instead of opening the cabin door, he rose up on his toes and placed his lips against Dax’s. The waiting lips were warm and supple and opened for him without delay. Jack’s tongue teased at the taut flesh of Dax’s warm, sweet mouth. His hands moved to grab Dax’s dark head, feeling the silky hair slide between his fingers as his tongue slid between his lips. The heat was building, and Jack knew if he didn’t stop soon, he wouldn’t, so he withdrew and once again gazed into Dax’s sultry eyes. He moved his mouth to Dax’s ear and whispered, “Good night, Dax.”

  Dax responded in kind, then slowly opened the door and retreated to his cabin. When he closed the cabin door, Jack placed his palms against the door, as if trying not to break the connection, but it was too late. He fought the urge to slam his palms against the door until Dax opened it and allowed him to enter, but instead he lowered his head in frustration. He took a deep breath and then stepped away from the door and retreated to his empty cabin.

  Dax sensed that Jack was still standing outside his door and imagined his palms coming up and resting against it. He slowly placed his hands where he imagined the other man’s to be and held them there until he heard Jack’s footsteps fade into the salon.

  Chapter 7

  DAYBREAK came very early, and everyone started the day with anticipation of what was to come. Brad and Mac were up first and had breakfast going when, one by one, the rest of the crew joined them in the galley. Throughout the idle chatter of their normal breakfast conversation, they went over last-minute details about their day. Immediately after breakfast, Brad and Mac left the galley to prepare the dive equipment while the others stayed behind to clean and discuss the underwater conditions and strategy for the dive.

  “Once under the surface,” Dax explained, “we’ll start our dive at what we hope is a propeller shaft and go from there. According to Jack’s reading yesterday, the deepest part of the dive would be no more than thirty-five feet, and as you know, that eliminates or greatly reduces the risk of decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, or oxygen toxicity.”

  They all nodded in agreement.

  “Normally,” Dax continued, “the shallow depth would allow us to remain under the surface for a much longer period of time, but because the water temperature is hovering between thirty-nine and forty-one degrees we will be very susceptible to hypothermia and will need to closely monitor our body temperature gauges and limit our dive to about forty-five minutes.”

  “I know your first objective is to identify the wreck, but if you do that, what are the other objectives for this dive?” Jack asked.

  “You’re right, Jack,” Dax said. “The first dive will be to determine if this is indeed the Anna Wyoming. If we’re successful in that task, then we’ll try to determine what condition the hull is in. In turn, that will dictate how we proceed.”

  “Forgive my ignorance,” Jack said, “but how so?”

  “Well,” Dax shared, “if the hull is breached, once we have our salvage rights, we’ll start by laying down a baseline grid and then do multiple dives to document the site with video, still digital cameras, and basic sketch-mapping techniques before we start the excavation. If the hull is intact, we know that everything on board is contained within its walls, and in that case, we’ll use low-impact underwater explosives to open the ship’s hull for entry and salvage.”

  “Got it,” Jack said.

  “Now, once inside the hull,” Dax explained, “we go directly in search of the cargo hold. According to the documentation we found, the valuable mystery cargo was being kept in the cargo hold in the center hull of the ship.”

  “Is that typical?” Jack asked.

  “Not really,” Dona said. “But if the amount of gold rumored to be on board is accurate, the purser’s safe would not be able to contain such a large sum, so the cargo hold would be the next logical spot.”

  Dax took over again. “However, also according to our records, the purser’s safe is holding some valuable contents, and we certainly won’t leave it if we can help it.”

  “Months of research,” Dona added, “has given Dax a very detailed layout of the ship, and we know approximately where the cargo hold should be and therefore where we should start the search.”

  “Any other questions?” Dax asked.

  “Nope,” Jack said. “I’m good.”

  “Then let’s get this show on the road,” Dona exclaimed.

  WITH a game plan and lots of excitement, they headed topside to suit up. When they reached the deck, their equipment was ready and waiting for them. Like good divers always do, they checked and rechecked Brad and Mac’s work, making sure their buoyancy vests—better known as BC’s—and regulators were attached properly and everything was in perfect working condition. The special dry suits designed to help keep them warm were difficult to get into and required a great deal of effort and time, so an hour quickly passed before they were ready for their descent. They made their way to the swim platform and put on their fins. Brad handed each one their full face masks, which included digital ultrasonic transceivers allowing them to communicate with the boat and each other under the surface with excellent voice clarity. Brad and Mac each carried a handheld radio receiver so they could communicate with the underwater team at all times. The three divers stood on the swim platform and, one by one, jumped into the cold Alaskan waters. When each had given the diver’s universal “okay” sign by touching the top of their heads, they deflated their BC’s and started their descent.

  Dax had made hundreds of dives in his career, but each time he dropped below the surface of the water he was amazed by the sensation he felt and the things he saw. Today was no different; the aqua-colored water was clear as a bell and visibility was at least twenty to thirty feet. It appeared that the area surrounding the wreck was partially protected by a reef complex that provided a limited shield from the strong currents, but also provided an array of colorful fish and other sea life that made the reef their home. They swam along for the next twenty-five minutes in the shallow depths of fifteen to thirty feet, depending on the stage of the tide, and after swimming the length of the area several times, Dax finally said, “Well, guys, I feel certain we have a wreck here.”

  “I agree,” Dona said. “But is it the Anna Wyoming?”

  “Too soon to tell,” Dax responded. “I don’t see any visible evidence yet, but some of the characte
ristics of the site point in that direction.”

  “Like what?” Jack asked.

  “For starters, the bow and stern are pretty badly beaten up, and based on the weather conditions on the night she went down, she would have taken a major beating along the reef system, so that supports our theory. In addition, what we assumed was a propeller shaft from the surface is indeed just that, and is about the length and size of the shaft that would have been on the steeple compound engine aboard the Anna Wyoming.”

  Dona gestured to another section of the site and added. “We know that the Anna Wyoming had a double-bottom iron hull, and there appears to be parts of that hull exposed over there. And those mounds to the left appear to be pieces of machinery attached to the base of one of the remaining steel masts. And lastly, her bow is pointing toward the north, and pieces of her iron plates are sticking out of that offending rock that juts nearly to the surface.”

  Dax took over again. “All these findings, combined with the fact that, when you look down from above, you can get a clear outline of the ship’s orientation—and her length appears to be approximately the same length of the Anna Wyoming—gives us a pretty good idea that we are right on track. Whatever this ship’s history, it’s pretty obvious that she went down in very similar conditions and circumstances as the Anna Wyoming. And lastly, I can’t see any signs that the interior hull is breached.”

  “Is that good or bad?” Jack asked.

  “Sometimes it works in our favor, and sometimes it works against us,” Dax said. “It’s just too soon to tell.”

  “Wow, I’m really impressed,” was all Jack could say. “You guys know your stuff.”

  “Thanks,” they responded simultaneously.

  “Now can we get out of this freezing water?” Dax asked.

  “I’m with you,” Jack answered.

  “Lightweights,” Dona mumbled as she rolled her eyes and started to swim in the direction of the boat. Dax and Jack exchanged a quick smile, then followed closely behind her as they began their ascent.