The breeze was rising as Dar started up the engines and slowly reversed them away from the harbor, making sure she was well out before she nudged the throttles into forward and swung the bow around, pointing it out toward the endless blue horizon. She settled her bare feet against the console and gave the engines gas, feeling the surge of power as they headed outbound.

Chapter.

Three.

KERRY LET HERSELF drift on the slight underwater current, watching the slanting rays of the sun filter down and touch the reef over which she was swimming. A small school of bright blue and yellow fish went sweeping by, wheeling and pausing for some unknown fish reason but giving her an excellent photo opportunity, which she took immediate advantage of.

The pale sand and darker coral outlined the colorful fish as they swirled around her, leaving her behind as they found another patch of ground to explore. Kerry watched them swim off, then rolled over onto her back and relaxed in the light green sea as she examined the reef for more wildlife.

One thing that had always surprised her was how noisy it was underwater. In a pool or in the lakes of her birthplace, the sounds were absent or muted. But here in the ocean, nearly everything made a racket. Lobsters and other crustaceans clicked against the coral, sh.e.l.ls tumbled in the underwater current, rattling along, even the sand made a swishing sound as it was moved.

Their regulators were the loudest, though. The bubbles created a low rumbling sound, and each intake of breath brought to mind the rasping of Darth Vader.

Kerry exchanged her regulator mouthpiece for the smaller one clipped to her vest and took a sip of water, rinsing it around her mouth before she swallowed, then replaced her regulator and took a breath. A clown fish approached her warily, inspecting the edge of her fin before it darted off. Then a tiny cuttlefish, almost transparent, floated in front of her mask, its fins almost brushing her nose. Her eyes focused on it, a structure so intricate it seemed like the finest blown gla.s.s.

The perfection of the universe brought its own awe, Kerry had found, and its own peace.

A soft knocking caught her attention and she looked around, spotting Dar hovering over a coral outcropping nearby, gesturing her over. She flipped lazily to horizontal and flexed her thighs, waggling her fins to propel herself through the water. Dar reached out and snagged a strap on Kerry's buoyancy compensator vest as 22*

she neared.

Kerry drifted, looking where her partner was pointing.

"Oomfp." The sound of surprise came out around a burst of bubbles. A large sea turtle was huddled behind the rock, watching them warily. A piece of seaweed hung out of its mouth and swayed in the current, and Kerry quickly brought up her camera and focused it. Just as she opened the shutter, the animal released the seaweed, poking its tongue out at Kerry as it was captured on film.

She heard the faint sound of Dar laughing as she drifted back, and they watched the turtle return to its feeding. Then Dar checked her dive computer and pointed at the time on it.

Kerry nodded in understanding. It was a shallow dive; if she looked up, the boat would only be twenty feet or so above her head.

But it was their second dive of the day, and she knew Dar preferred to stay on the cautious side when it came to bottom time. She covered the lens on her camera and clipped it to its holders on her vest, then followed Dar toward the anchor line of the boat.

Out of long habit, they paused at ten feet, where the wave action overhead started to make itself felt. The seas were fairly calm, but there was enough of a chop to keep the boat at a steady rock, and Kerry could see the dive ladder moving up and down at the back of the stern.

Like flying a plane, where the takeoffs and landings were the trickiest, in diving it was getting in and out of the water that usually presented the most difficulty. Once you were in and down, things were usually a breeze. Kerry watched Dar release her grip on the anchor line and head for the ladder, her hands reaching down to remove her fins as she approached it. She waited for her partner to grab the moving ladder and toss the fins up out of the water with her other hand before she let go of the line herself and followed.

Dar waited for the stern to dip down so she could get her feet on the bottom step of the ladder, then she reached up to the upper rung and hung on, letting the wave action pick her right up out of the water and into the late afternoon sunlight. She stepped up into the boat and shucked her tank and vest, clipping them to holders before she turned around and reached down to grab the back of Kerry's air tank as she emerged from the sea.

Kerry was no weakling, but pulling one's self and forty pounds of equipment out of the water onto a pitching boat after a long day's diving was a lot to ask, and Dar saw the quick look of appreciation she got as she pulled her partner on board. "Here, give me that." She reached over and unsnapped the catches that held the vest across Kerry's chest and loosened the inner waist strap as she removed the tank.

"Ugh. Thanks." Kerry pulled off her mask and scrubbed her*23 hand over her face. She could taste salt and the rubber from her regulator on her tongue, and what she really wanted was... Ah. "I love you." Her hand closed around the plastic bottle of Gatorade as she loosened her weight belt and let it drop to the deck.

Dar chuckled. "You're welcome." She dunked Kerry's camera in the fresh water bucket next to the ladder, and tossed in their masks and snorkels as well. "Can you grab me some oranges?"

"You got it." Kerry patted her face dry with a towel, then ran it quickly over her body before she went down the stairs into the cabin. She sucked on the Gatorade as she opened the refrigerator and removed a pop-top can of mandarin oranges. She took it, a spoon, and a packet of crackers and peanut b.u.t.ter and returned to the deck.

Dar had unhooked the tanks and put them into the cradles next to the compressor, and hosed down the BCs that were already hanging there. She was rinsing Kerry's regulator with careful hands when Kerry eased up next to her and b.u.mped her lightly with one hip. With a quick grin, Dar put the regulator down next to hers on the counter and took the can of fruit.

They sat down in the comfortable camp chairs on the back deck and relaxed, putting their feet up in the attached footrests as the boat rocked gently in the waves. "That was nice," Dar commented, removing the top from her can. "Not much current down there, either."

"Nmpf." Kerry shook her head, her mouth full of cracker and peanut b.u.t.ter. "Gorf. Sorry." She swallowed down the mouthful and chased it with some Gatorade. "Yeah, it felt so great just to be down there." Her eyes swept the horizon, then she got up and looked around to the front of the boat. "Especially out here, where it's just us, the sky, and the water."

Dar nodded. "We're still in the straits; we could just stay anch.o.r.ed here for tonight."

Kerry faced into the wind, listening to the rhythm of the waves.

"Or?"

"Or we could head south."

"Is there a prettier place down south?"

Dar sucked on an orange. "Not that I know of."

"Here sounds perfect to me, then." Kerry wandered back over and sat down. "How about we have a snack up front and watch the sun set?"

"Sounds perfect to me," Dar echoed with a grin. Then her head c.o.c.ked, and she glanced off into the distance. "Looks like we have company." Her ears identified the sound of engines. They grew louder and louder, until a speck resolved itself into a ma.s.sive yacht, half again as large as theirs, cleaving the water at top speed as it headed south.

24*

"Well." Kerry took in the solid black hull with red and silver piping. "How's that for posh?" The ship was flying several colorful pennants, and its bra.s.s fittings shone brightly in the sun. "Who do you think it is, Dar? Some really rich Northern type?"

"With no taste?" Dar grinned wryly. "Foreigner, maybe."

The boat roared past, its wake making the Dixieland Yankee rock vigorously back and forth for several moments. The newcomer headed toward the horizon, several figures visible on its stern deck.

"They'd better watch that draft; we're in shallows." Dar frowned, got up, and reached for the radio. She keyed it. "Black and red Giarenno headed south through the straits, do you copy?"

She released the mic, and heard only static. Her brow contracted. "Black and red Giarenno headed through the straits southbound, do you copy?"

There was more answering static, then a sharp crackling. "This is Cordon's Empire. Are you calling this vessel?" The voice was abrupt and impatient.

Dar keyed the mic. "Roger that, Cordon's Empire. This is Dixieland Yankee. You just pa.s.sed on my port side. Be advised you have less than ten to fifteen feet to bottom in the area."

There was a moment of silence before the clipped reply. "We do not need the advice. Please do not contact this vessel again."

The sound of the transmission terminating was the auditory equivalent of an arrogant slap, and Dar expended a few outraged breaths just glaring at the radio before she turned and delivered a murderous look at the retreating yacht. "You're welcome and kiss my a.s.s, Cordon's Empire," she replied. She hung up the mic and returned to her comfortable chair with a snort of disgust. "Jacka.s.s."

"Mm." Kerry licked a bit of peanut b.u.t.ter off her thumb. "Bet he didn't know who he was talking to."

Dar bit an orange slice in half and snapped it up, doing her best wild animal snarl. "I'd say I hope he bottoms, but the satisfaction wouldn't be worth the damage to the reef."

Kerry finished her cracker. "You're right," she agreed. "Tell you what-if you get the deck pad, I'll bring a bottle of something cold and we can let Mother Nature do her thing."

Dar dismissed the rude boater and willingly turned her mind to more pleasant things. She got up and rinsed out her can, squashed it in her hands, and put it into the recycling container. Then she opened the storage bench and pulled out the large double pad they liked to sit on up front and slung it over her shoulder while Kerry ducked back into the cabin.

There were layers of light clouds on the horizon, and Dar imagined it would be a gorgeous sunset. She mused happily on that as she made her way around to the front of the boat, settling the pad down and going to the very front of the bow.*25 Kerry took out a bottle of chilled Riesling and inspected two gla.s.ses, setting them down while she put together a bowl of finger foods-cubes of cheese and pieces of fruit-and tossed in a handful of chocolate kisses and a few carrots just for color and balance.

Whistling softly, she picked up everything and carried it up the stairs, b.u.mping the b.u.t.ton on the sound system just before she went out on deck.

Soft strains of music emerged as she balanced along the edge of the boat, climbing up on the bow as Dar turned and spotted her. A smile appeared on Kerry's face as she took in the sight of her lover burnished in golden sunlight, and it only broadened as Dar came to her side, took the bowl from her, and dropped down on the pad.

While Dar stretched out to full length, resting on one elbow and crossing her long legs at the ankles, Kerry settled down cross- legged to open the bottle. A soft pop rewarded her efforts, and she put down the cork with its puller and poured Dar a gla.s.s of wine with a casually expert motion. She handed the gla.s.s over and poured her own, then accepted Dar's invitation and sat in the circle of her arm as Dar rolled over onto her back and they leaned against the slope of the boat's bow.

The sun began to slip behind the clouds, sending spears of russet through them, and Kerry found herself content to just watch, lulled by the gentle motion of the waves and a feeling of comfortable tiredness from their diving. She sipped her wine, rolling the sweet richness in her mouth, and nibbled on some cheese. She was starting to feel an emotional weight lift off her shoulders. The stress of the past month seemed to lose its grip on her, and she let her head rest against Dar as she soaked in the peace like a bit of sea sponge.

"My mother once painted a sky like this," Dar said. "I remember it... from when I was still in grade school. She had it hanging over the couch in the living room."

"Mm." Kerry tilted her head, amazed at the vividness of the color. "It's so rich. Why is that, Dar?"

"Angle of inclination." Dar exhaled. "And the moisture in the air."

Kerry took a sip of her wine as she gazed at the sky. "Or maybe G.o.d's just in a great mood," she murmured. "I know I sure am."

Her eyes drifted from the sunset for a moment. "Thank you for having this incredible idea."

Dar lifted her gla.s.s and touched its rim against Kerry's.

"Here's to us." She took a mouthful and waited for Kerry to do the same, then she gracefully inclined her head and they kissed, exchanging a little wine and a lot of affection.

The breeze lifted a little and tangled their hair together as they settled down to watch the day's ending.

26*

DAR WAITED UNTIL the sky was completely dark and the canopy of stars fit over them from horizon to horizon. It was an amazing sensation-hearing the rustle of the waves and seeing nothing but flat blackness that extended to a sparkling blanket seemingly rising out of nothing.

Kerry was curled up next to her, fast asleep. After their long day of diving and sun, that wasn't surprising, really, but Dar was glad to see her partner getting some much needed rest. Her father's death and the stress of the previous month had taken a lot out of her, and Dar intended their little trip to be as relaxing as possible.

She lifted her hand and combed her fingers through Kerry's hair, brushing it back from her face.

Kerry's eyelids trembled just a little, and she stirred, snuggling closer to Dar and sliding an arm over her stomach. Then she relaxed again, a puff of exhaled breath warming Dar's skin.

"Atta girl," Dar murmured, watching the slow rise and fall of her lover's ribcage. "You just take it easy. No getting sick." Kerry had an appointment with their family doctor scheduled upon their return, to repeat tests that not long ago had shown a dangerous rise in her blood pressure, among other things. To h.e.l.l with the company.

Both of them leaving at once was throwing ILS into chaos, but Dar couldn't care less. Given her own behavior to the contrary, Dar readily acknowledged the hypocritical nature of her wanting Kerry to put herself before work, but it was what she wanted nonetheless and she refused to apologize for it. She idly twirled a bit of Kerry's pale hair around her finger, admiring its softness. Already two days in the sun seemed to have lightened it, or maybe Kerry's deepening tan just provided a greater contrast. Whatever.

Dar watched Kerry's jaw muscles move a little, then her eyes fluttered open and the tip of her pink tongue appeared. "Hey, sleepy." She ran the tips of her fingers over Kerry's back as the smaller woman stretched.

"Mmmm..." Kerry rolled over and gazed up at the night sky.

"Oh, that's gorgeous," she murmured. "Look at those stars. There must be a zillion of them."

"Mmhm." Dar eased onto her side and wrapped her arms around Kerry, gazing at Kerry's profile. "Beautiful."

Kerry felt the attention and turned to meet Dar's eyes. She still felt sleepy, and a little bemused at having dozed off over their little snack, but she had no real desire to do much about it other than snuggle back up against Dar's warm body and return to her dreams.

She lifted a hand and stifled a yawn. "Think I overdid it today."

Me, too, Dar concurred in wry, silent agreement. "How about a shower and an early bedtime," she suggested.

"Ooo." Kerry found the idea very appealing. "Yeah, I like that." She laced her fingers with Dar's. "We could have some hot*27 chocolate. It's a little chilly out here."

With a smile, Dar lifted herself to her feet and offered Kerry a hand up. They walked together single file around the side of the cabin and down into the stern. Dar turned on the outside lights and reviewed their gear. "I'm going to pull in the buoy. Meet you inside."

Kerry unexpectedly circled her with both arms and gave her a big hug. "Me and some hot chocolate'll be waiting." She released Dar and gave her a pat on the side, then eased through the cabin door.

Dar chuckled softly to herself as she walked to the side of the boat and pulled in the buoy line, then secured the orange buoy to the side of the boat and removed the upright, flexible pole that held their divers flag. The flag indicated to anyone pa.s.sing by that there were divers under the water, possibly near the surface, and theoretically the boaters would give the spot a wide berth.

However, as in coastal areas where manatees lived and signs to that effect were posted, adherence to the rules varied from ship captain to ship captain, and if you were in an area used by numerous pleasure boaters, you took a risk. Dar herself had a small scar on her back from when she was younger and a miscast shark hook had snagged her and almost pulled her air hose from her first stage.

Out here, there wasn't much chance of that kind of problem.

Dar fastened the flag into its catches and cast an eye around the stern, checking to make sure everything was in its place. She nodded in satisfaction and entered the cabin, closing the door behind her. Kerry was in the small galley, busy with the cocoa tin, her dark purple swimsuit outlining her body nicely. They had the hatches open, so the night breeze was blowing through, cooling the place off without them having to actually run the small air conditioning unit with which the boat was equipped.

"Everything shipshape, cap'n?" Kerry asked, looking up at her with a mischievous grin.

"Argh." Dar made a quasi-pirate noise. "I'll duck into the shower first."

Kerry continued her task. "We could try getting in there together."

Dar snorted, shaking her head. "Not even if we were Barbie dolls." She entered the head and flipped on the light, stripped out of her suit and hung it on one of the hooks on the back of the door.

They had gotten tubes of body soap, conveniently able to also hang on hooks, and she squeezed out a generous amount of apricot scented wash as she turned on the water and stepped under it.

It felt very good to scrub the salt spray off her skin. Swimming in the sea was interesting, and often refreshing, but the minerals in 28*

the water made a shower afterwards something she always looked forward to. It also helped prevent sea lice. Dar loved marine life in all its forms, but she drew the line at providing a home for it on her person.

Dar rinsed her hair, then stepped out from under the shower and toweled herself off. She opened the tiny medicine cabinet and removed a gla.s.s bottle, unscrewed the top, and pulled out the dropper and filled it. She tilted her head and let several drops fall into her right ear, then did the same with her left. Ear infections weren't something she much liked, either, and the drops would dry out her ear ca.n.a.ls and help prevent infection.

She tucked the towel around her body and sauntered back out into the cabin. "Next." She traded places with Kerry, who slipped past with a grin. Dar relaxed against the counter as she waited for the water to boil, reaching up and turning on the marine radio to listen to the weather reports.

Funny, how the crackling of the radio and the sound of the shower are so similar.

The water kettle hissed. Dar turned and picked it up, then poured water over the cocoa mix in the cups on the counter. The scent of chocolate enveloped her and she grinned, stirring the foamy liquid with a spoon to make sure it all dissolved. She retrieved the milk from the refrigerator and put a little in each cup.

She was just adding an artistic dollop of whipped cream when Kerry emerged and wandered over, the fresh scent of apricot rising from her skin.

They dressed in T-shirts and sat down together on the couch in the living area, putting their feet up on the bolted down table.