DAR SURFACED, COUGHING to clear her lungs of a hastily mis-swallowed mouthful of seawater. She swiveled around, shaking the hair out of her eyes as she frantically searched for Kerry. A moment later, the blonde woman popped up nearby. Kerry spotted her and swam over with quick, efficient strokes. The water was choppy, and the downpour made it hard to see, but she made it through the swells to Dar's side. For a moment, they treaded water and just looked at each other. Dar shook her bangs out of her eyes again and squinted through the rain. "C'mon." She stifled a cough.

"Let's get to the boat."

Between the tide, the rain, and the chop, it was a tough swim.

Kerry found herself really missing her fins as she struggled to make progress. A crawl stroke didn't do much, so she switched to a frogman style of swimming, keeping just her head above water so she could breathe. Her strength, though, started giving out when they were about three quarters of the way back to the docks, and she slowed to catch her breath.

Dar seemed to sense it. She stopped and turned in the water, then swam back to her. "What's wrong?"

"Tired," Kerry admitted. "Give me a minute."

"Hang on." Dar offered her arm, her legs moving powerfully under the waves and keeping her upright.

"No, it's okay." Kerry felt a little better. She started moving forward again. Dar stayed close by her side as they battled inside the seawall, the rain coming down harder and harder. Kerry felt Dar slow just inside the wall, and she reached out to grab onto the rocks, resisting the waves that were trying to bash her against them.

"Not much farther." Dar pointed to the rocking form of their boat, dimly seen through the rain. "Are you all right?"

Kerry felt her second wind kicking in. She nodded positively.

"Yes. Let's get over there." She pushed off the wall and started swimming, feeling the strong current fighting her, pulling out with the waning of the tide. Grimly, she pushed against it and kept at*161 Dar's shoulder with determined effort. The chop washed over her, making her eyes sting, and she tasted salt in the back of her mouth more than once. Her focus narrowed down to the chilling water, the beat of the rain, and the tall body moving just ahead of her.

Something not water brushed against her, and she felt stringy somethings trail over her body. She jerked and twisted, then gasped as a searing pain across her midriff nearly shocked her senseless.

"d.a.m.n." She held still with great effort, and felt the strings drift off, and then she started forward again, grimacing at the jolts going through her body.

Jellyfish. Kerry cursed under her breath. Just my luck. After a moment, though, the pain faded a little, and she pushed it out of her mind as she struggled on. Her breath was coming short and her muscles were burning painfully when she heard the distinctive sound of the waves slapping against fibergla.s.s nearby. Kerry looked up to see a white surface arcing over her head. She reached out and grabbed the barnacled edge of the dock as she watched her companion approach the side of the boat. With a powerful surge, Dar emerged from the water, arms extended toward the railing that ducked toward her at the last moment and obligingly slapped itself into her hands.

Dar grabbed on and hung there for a moment, visibly gathering her strength. Her wet clothing clung to her body, and Kerry saw her chest expand as she took a deep breath. Her upper body contracted, pulling her up to the railing and then over it, but Kerry could see the effort it took, and given how she herself felt at the moment, considered it a testament to Dar's very st.u.r.dy const.i.tution.

She knew she wasn't going to be able to duplicate Dar's feat any time soon, so Kerry pushed off again and stroked for the stern, the lowest part of the boat, where the dive ladder was clamped in place. By the time she got there, she heard the clanks as Dar unhooked the hatch and freed the ladder. The next thing she felt was a light sting as the aluminum tubing hit the water next to her and quickly submerged. Gratefully she grabbed onto the steps, riding the ladder in the chop until the boat dipped again, then getting her feet on the bottom step and pushing upward. Dar's grip suddenly fastened around her arm and she was unceremoniously hauled aboard the boat, landing on the stern deck in a soggy lump as Dar pulled up the ladder and closed the back hatch.

Buh. Kerry discovered that sitting still was a very good thing.

She didn't even mind the rain pelting her, rinsing the salt water off her body as she struggled into a cross-legged position. Her arms and legs felt numb and weak; she kept her head down as she rested her elbows on her thighs and simply worked on catching her breath.

Dar dropped down next to her, seemingly just as glad to just sit 162*

still. She extended her long legs out and rested her hands on her knees. "Son of a f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h."

Kerry's head lifted and she regarded her lover bemusedly. "Are you thinking maybe next time we should just go to Las Vegas on vacation?"

Blue eyes framed in a mess of dark, wet hair peered at her.

"With my luck, a computer virus would take down the entire city while we were there." Dar exhaled. "You okay?"

Kerry nodded. "Just wiped. And I think I swallowed half a gallon of salt water. My tongue is pickled." She raked her hair back out of her face. "Dar, that sucked."

"Uh huh." Dar blew out a breath. "Might as well get out of the rain." With a slight grunt, she pushed herself to her feet and gazed out past the marina entrance. It was hard to fathom what had just happened. One moment they'd been getting somewhere with DeSalliers, the next minute she'd found herself in an almost dangerous situation. Which, she considered thoughtfully, she'd actually handled d.a.m.n well.

"Dar?"

Dar turned, to find Kerry holding up a hand with a wry expression.

"Mind giving me a tug up?"

Dar clasped her hand and leaned backward, pulling Kerry to her feet. "Wonder who he took off after?" she mused as they moved toward the cabin door and she fished in her pocket for the key.

"d.a.m.n, if we'd only had a minute more."

"Yeah," Kerry agreed. "We were close. Did you hear what he said, about his reputation? What was that all about, I wonder?"

Dar paused, holding the door open. "Want to go find out?"

Kerry looked up at her. "You mean, go out there after them?"

She watched Dar nod. "That's totally insane, Dar." An eyebrow quirked wryly at her. "Let's do it."

"Go in and change. I'll cut us loose." Dar gave her a pat on the behind, and then disappeared up onto the deck.

"Aye aye, cap'n." Kerry entered the cabin, shaking her head and chuckling bemusedly. "No one's gonna believe this," she told the empty room. They'd brought their things down from the hotel before they'd gone for lunch; their bags and Dar's laptop were resting on the table where they'd left them.

Kerry stripped off her soaking wet shirt as she continued through the cabin and into the head. She hung it up on the shower rail then added her shorts to it, tossing her sneakers into the shower itself, along with her socks and underwear. The rumble of the engines starting thrumming through her bare feet, and Kerry slipped out of the head and into the bedroom, giving herself a cursory glance in the mirror on her way to the dresser.*163 "Wow." She pointed at her reflection. "Check out the drowned rat." Her skin showed a few light sc.r.a.pes and the red mark where she thought she'd been stung by a jellyfish. It still throbbed, and she winced as she pressed lightly against the spot.

The boat moved and she grabbed quickly at the dresser, holding her balance. She waited for the turn to be completed and the bow to straighten out, then she tugged dry clothes from the dresser and slid into them. She grabbed a rain slicker from the closet and pulled it over her head, pausing to chuckle when the garment fell all the way to her knees. "Whoops." She started to remove it, then stopped in mid motion and resettled the rubberized fabric around her.

Without really stopping to think about why she'd done that, she walked to the galley and grabbed a bottle of water from the small refrigerator. Twisting the top open, she sucked down a few gulps to get the taste of the sea from her mouth, then headed for the door.

Dar settled soggily into the captain's chair, wincing at the uncomfortable dampness of her clothes. She adjusted the throttles and guided the boat away from the dock, reasoning that she could get Kerry to take the helm long enough for her to change once they were out into open water. The rain beat steadily down on the roof covering her, and Dar leaned forward to see better through the plexiglas as she guided the boat out into the channel. She turned at the buoy and nudged the engines forward, setting off after the disappearing speck that was DeSalliers' craft.

She'd barely had time to relax when she heard Kerry climbing up the ladder. Dar turned to see her lover appear on the flying bridge, dressed in a blue slicker obviously not her own. "Nice jacket," she commented as Kerry scooted under the bridge cover and pushed back the hood on her raincoat, exposing disheveled blonde hair.

"You like it?" Kerry presented her with the bottle of water and then draped her arms over Dar's shoulders. "I think I got stung by a jellyfish, Dar."

"Yeah?" Dar set their course and then turned her attention to Kerry. "Where?"

Kerry pulled up her overlarge jacket and then her shirt, exposing her belly. "There."

Dar peered at it, gently touching the angry red mark. "Does it hurt?" She looked up at Kerry's face. "Not just sting, actually hurt?"

"A little," Kerry admitted. "It's sort of throbbing. Otherwise I wouldn't have even mentioned it, Dar. I mean, I've gotten hit by men o'war before."

"Did you clean it off with anything?"

164*

Kerry shook her head. "Didn't think I needed to; do I?"

"I don't know." Dar frowned. "Did you see what kind of jellyfish it was?"

"No." Kerry sat down next to her. "It's okay, I think. It hurt a lot when it first happened, but now it's just annoying." She scanned the horizon. "What's the plan?"

Dar opened the small cabinet under the console and removed a brown bottle and a small packet of gauze bandage. "Pull that jacket back up," she ordered, opening the bottle of alcohol and wetting the gauze.

"Shouldn't you be watching where we're going?" Kerry teased gently, "instead of playing with my navel?" Nevertheless, she hiked up the fabric and the shirt underneath, sucking in a breath as the gauze touched her skin and burned. "Ow."

"Some of those stupid things leave stinging cells," Dar told her.

"Hold the wheel while I do this."

Kerry curled her fingers around the metal, keeping them on course as she felt Dar carefully clean the still-painful spot on her belly. The throbbing seemed to be getting a little worse, but she figured that was because Dar was touching it. "What are we going to do when we catch up to them?"

Dar finished her task and gently pulled Kerry's shirt down, then arranged the rain jacket over it. "Just watch," she said, giving Kerry a little pat on the side. "Maybe we can maneuver him into revealing what his game is."

"I hope so." Kerry sat down with a sigh.

Dar glanced at her. Kerry's profile seemed tense, and she could see tiny creases around her eyes. "Hey."

Kerry looked over, her green eyes visibly bloodshot. "Hm?"

"We don't have to do this."

The blonde woman c.o.c.ked her head. "Huh? I thought you wanted to go after them."

"You don't look so hot."

Kerry swallowed, her brow contracting. "I'm fine," she insisted.

Dar looked doubtfully at her.

"Dar," Kerry's voice took on a hint of impatience, "I'm not a little kid."

"I didn't say you were." Dar fiddled with the controls, fidgeting over the throttles. "I'm just wondering if being out here chasing down a nutcase in the rain is such a good idea," she said.

"Maybe we should just drop it, Ker."

Kerry propped one bare foot against the console and studied it.

She could hear the upset in Dar's voice and knew she was at the root of it. "I think..." She paused, and really considered her words. "I think if we'd dropped it at the very start, that would have been okay."*165 Dar watched her out of the corner of her eye.

"But now, I think we have to see this through. You know?"

Kerry said. "I don't like the idea of running away, and if we just ducked out now, knowing what we know, then that's how I'd feel."

"Mmph," Dar grunted grudgingly. "This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation," she grumbled. "For both of us."

Kerry reached out and circled Dar's arm with her fingers. "Do you want to stop?" she asked with quiet sincerity. "Sweetheart, if that's what you want, we'll do it." Her hand tightened slightly.

Dar fastened her eyes on the horizon, pondering in silence for a very long minute. She felt torn between her desire to know the truth, and her equally powerful desire to protect Kerry.

"Dar?" Kerry uttered softly.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we compromise? Let's not follow them. Let's circle around the other side of Charlie's island and watch from behind that point on the west side. "

Dar adjusted the throttles a little. "And?" She probed the idea cautiously.

"That way, we don't force a confrontation, and we can just sort of satisfy our curiosity," Kerry reasoned. "And if there's nothing going on, we can...um..." she plucked gently at Dar's damp sleeve, "get a lot more comfortable downstairs."

It was an acceptable plan, Dar decided. "Okay," she agreed. "I can go with that."

"Cool." Kerry grinned briefly. She slid over on the seat and leaned against Dar's damp body, laying her head on Dar's shoulder.

The throbbing from her sting seemed to be getting worse and she now had a headache, but she reasoned that it was nothing a little relaxing in Dar's proximity couldn't cure.

The boat shot on in the rain, now in a curving path that left DeSalliers to disappear over the horizon.

THE SECOND TIME she felt the chill, Kerry realized something was wrong. Despite the protection of her rain slicker, she felt cold, and her throat seemed to be closing, making it hard to swallow.

She debated trying to ignore the feeling, but her better sense intervened. "Dar?"

Her partner looked quickly at her. One hand lifted and touched the side of her face. "You okay?"

Kerry's lips twitched. "I don't think so. I feel kind of lousy,"

she admitted. "I'm cold and my throat hurts."

Dar put a hand on her forehead and cursed. She turned and surveyed their surroundings with anxious eyes. They were nearing the north side of Charlie's island, but otherwise they were in a large 166*

patch of quiet, empty sea. She slowed the engines and then stilled them, checking the depth meter as they drifted.

"Wh..." Kerry stopped, finding it a little hard to breathe. "What are you doing?" She watched Dar work the boats controls, and realized suddenly her hands were shaking. "Dar?"

"Need to get you below." Dar spoke quietly, a world of tension in her voice. "I'm going to drop anchor." She did exactly that, and the rattle of the deploying anchor was suddenly loud as she cut the engines. "C'mon. I've got a kit downstairs I think we're gonna need."

Kerry wasn't really sure what was going on, but she stood, holding on to Dar's arm when her knees suddenly threatened not to hold her. "Oh boy."

"Hang on to me." Dar clasped her around the waist, and guided her to the ladder. "I think you're having a reaction to whatever stung you."

"Oh." Kerry shivered, feeling like she was trying to breathe underwater. "My throat...feels kinda thick." She saved her breath for climbing, feeling the utter security of Dar wrapped around her.

"Feels funny." They reached the deck and Kerry's legs buckled under her. "D..."

"I've got you." Dar picked her up and carried her into the cabin, kicking the door open and taking Kerry from the confusion of the rain and warm air into the cool quiet.

Kerry sucked in air, hearing the rasp in her own breathing, and it occurred to her suddenly that she should be scared. She felt the cool fabric of the couch against her lower legs as Dar put her down.

"D...Dar?" She clutched Dar's arm in shivering fingers as she felt Dar slide a pillow under her head, propping her up a little.