Treasure Tides Part 26

Becki released a contented sigh as she waited for her hot man to finish up for the evening. She looked forward to their hot lifetime together. Life was good. Actually, life was great.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

Royce sighed in frustration and dropped his head in his hands. Where the h.e.l.l was she? They had been looking all night...scouring the waters around her last known location.

The sun had risen an hour ago, and still they had not made any headway.

Royce dropped Becki a text message to let her know they were still working, and she might have to take the girls to the airport.

Becki had responded, Luv U B Safe. I will take care of girls.

Royce smiled and sent, Luv U2 thx.

"Royce," Landon yelled. "You need to get up here...now!"

Royce sprinted up the steps hoping to find out what Joanna had been up to. What had she been thinking? Her renegade behavior needed to stop. She was part of a team and needed to start acting like it. Unfortunately, he would have no choice but to ground her. Maybe a few weeks in an office, with nothing to do but file paperwork, would give her time to reflect on what it means to be part of a TEAM.

Royce's mind was made up as to the necessary course of action. He was even more than ready to explain to Joanna why it had come to this. As he reached the top step, Royce was stunned by what he saw; a very beautiful, very familiar, very p.i.s.sed-off Witch. Unfortunately, it was not the Witch he had expected.

She was seated on one of the captains' chairs in a deceptively relaxed pose. If the sparks shooting from her eyes were any indication of her disposition, it was going to be bad.

"Tammy," Royce acknowledged warily.

"Dad," Royce nodded toward the distinguished well-built gentleman.

The fact that his father, Aaron, was present told him the potential for disaster was imminently near. Royce was unsure whether his father was here to protect him from Tammy, or here to back Tammy up when she kicked his a.s.s.

"Son, what is going on here?" Aaron asked tightly. Royce felt the scales tipping slightly toward the probability of the latter.

"I'm not sure I know," Royce admitted warily scrubbing his forehead. "I'm working on figuring it out."

"Why is Wolf-boy here?" Tammy asked. She was obviously in a foul mood and not in the mood.

Landon stiffened instinctively and then relaxed as he wisely stifled a laugh. Joanna had called him "Wolf-boy" the first day they met. The apple obviously didn't fall far.... He had been taken aback when the distinguished pair suddenly appeared on the boat, not knowing whether they were friend or foe.

Witches were notoriously short tempered and not inclined to mingle with Were. Likewise, Werewolves did not suffer the presence of a Witch voluntarily. As soon as he scented them, he had recognized their connection to Royce and Joanna.

He had known that Joanna's mother was a Witch. However, this beauty was no ordinary Witch. In addition to being a former council member herself, this particular Witch was married to one of the most respected, heavily decorated, and highest ranking Special Ops Commanders to ever serve.

Joanna and Royce had failed to mention a few small details of their heritage. Joanna might believe she had put him out of her mind, but he would enjoy making sure she would never forget him. And then, he would show her that she couldn't live without him.

Landon cautiously approached the couple, extending his hand in greeting. "It's my pleasure to meet both of you. The name is Landon, I'm--"

"A true friend and invaluable a.s.set to this mission," Royce interrupted, moving to stand at Landon's shoulder. He stood ready to intervene if Tammy decided to be difficult. "We've been working together to locate the coin."

"What does that have to do with Jo?" Tammy asked. She had been trying to push past the block Landon had thrown up. She was very good at probing without her subjects ever knowing she had peeked inside their mind. Landon must be an extremely powerful Were to have felt the probe, much less to have been able to successfully block it.

Royce hesitated before responding, "He and Joanna... well, that's something you will have to discuss with her."

Tammy's eyes flashed. White sparks seemed to dance out of her eyes, and thunder sounded overhead.

DENIECE GREENE.

Sean's voice suddenly boomed over the radio, "Holy s.h.i.+t, Royce. Holy s.h.i.+t! It's worse than we thought!"

Royce reached for the radio clipped to his belt intending to flip the speaker off so that he and Sean could speak privately.

Tammy was instantly in front of him. Her hand rested oh-so-softly on his arm, "Don't even think about it," she commanded.

Pressing the talk b.u.t.ton, Royce answered, "What do you mean, Sean? And did you forget to tell me to expect company?" He waited anxiously for the next transmission, hoping Sean would get the message that he was not alone.

"Oh no," Sean groaned. "I didn't realize where they-- s.h.i.+t! I'm sorry, man. Really, I tried to distract them--"

"I can hear you, Sean," Tammy reminded him bluntly. "It would behoove you to remember where I spent the last twenty years, and whose company I kept."

Sliding an arm around his wife, Aaron said, "Now Tammy, don't be like that. He was just doing his job. He was also trying to keep you from worrying," he rea.s.sured her, casting a steely look at his son. "Sean had to follow orders; he works for Royce you know."

Tammy seemed to deflate at Aaron's words. "Right now, all I know is that my baby's missing, and these Special Forces hot-shots can't seem to locate her. If that isn't bad enough, there is a freaking Werewolf helping them try to find her!" Tammy said with tears in her eyes.

"Royce has everything under control," Aaron comforted her, "Right son?"

"Working on it," Royce a.s.sured him tightly. Moving a few paces away from the group he asked, "Sean, what do you have?"

"Well, I was scanning cams along the battery where Joanna had been earlier in the day. She was looking out into the harbor. I amplified the voice feed and went back to a conversation between a mother and child that took place just before Joanna pulled her disappearing act. Royce, the little girl is talking about seeing a s.h.i.+p in the harbor. I'm telling you man, I see nothing at all in the harbor. Then the mother and her daughter leave to get ice cream and Joanna glances out into the harbor toward Castle Pinckney. The next thing you know, she yanks off the shades and does a double-take toward the harbor. I see her mutter something... I'm trying to decipher it now...and the next thing you know, she is headed for cover, and poof, she is gone. The time-stamp was about an hour before her text message to me."

"Have him to send me the video," Tammy suggested from directly behind Royce. d.a.m.n! He had forgotten about her bionic ears.

Judging from the way Landon was rubbing the back of his neck, he heard the conversation as well.

"Well, h.e.l.l," Royce muttered. "Send me the d.a.m.n feed Sean. Tammy wants to take a look at it."

"It's on your phone now," Sean said. "I'll keep scanning and let you know if I can pick up anything else."

"Ok, let me know if you get another hit," Royce said, referring to Joanna's GPS implant.

"There's a big-screen below. Let's tie the feed into it. We all need eyes on this," Landon suggested.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

As the unlikely friends made plans, Joanna's thoughts drifted to her team mates. Sean would have contacted Royce when she didn't show for dinner. Royce would be all puffed-up in big-brother mode alternating between worry and rage about now. The team was most likely out looking for her. Checking to be sure the coin was safely contained in its protective pouch; she tucked it a little further down in her bra.

It was time to make contact with her team. Joanna still had her cell phone, but the dungeon walls were blocking the signal. She began to imagine each of their faces as she mentally initiated a communication link. Normally, Royce was the easiest to link with telepathically because they shared such a strong bond.

Watching the clip for what seemed like the hundredth time, Royce swore, "Why in h.e.l.l can't we get a visual on whatever was happening in the harbor? She is looking at something out there. I want to know what it is."

"Royce, I've looked. There is nothing out there, or if it is, it's beyond the view of the city surveillance cameras," Sean said, equally as frustrated as his boss.

Tammy, who had been strangely silent since the first clip had been displayed, sought her husband's gaze. "Something feels very strange when she is watching the woman and little girl," she spoke softly in Aaron's head.

Aaron raised one eyebrow indicating that he wanted further explanation.

"I don't know any more than that," Tammy said as she continued to speak only in her husband's head. "I can't explain the feeling, but I keep thinking I should know that woman. Joanna had such a stricken look in her eyes. She hasn't had that look since-- well, since then. Royce doesn't know, Aaron. He was missing during the time of her breakdown."

Aaron closed his eyes in mutual agony. When he looked back at his beautiful wife, she had tears in her eyes. Aaron nodded toward Royce. Without words he asked if Tammy intended to fill Royce in on all that he had missed when he disappeared.

Tammy blinked rapidly, forcing the tears from her eyes. "Not right now, Aaron. He has enough to deal with. It won't help the situation to dump that on him right now."

Aaron nodded in agreement.

"Is this a private conversation, or can anyone join in?" Royce asked sarcastically.

Tammy ignored Royce's bad manners completely. "Sean, show me the clip of the harbor."

"Tammy, I promise you I have scoured every bit of that clip. There is nothing out there," Sean said. He didn't want to waste time looking at something that could not possibly help them find Joanna.

"Sean, dear, have I ever told you that I'm a Witch?" Tammy asked sweetly.

s.h.i.+t! Was this a precursor to her turning him into a toad...or worse?

Knowing when to fold, Sean answered promptly, "Yes, Ma'am, I'm loading the clip now."

"Thank you, Sean. You are a good man," Tammy praised, "And, darling, you know I would never turn you into a toad. I love you too much," she continued with a sparkle in her eye.

Sean laughed. Of course she would read his mind when some stupid thought was churning through it. He knew Tammy would never hurt him; he was like family. Like all families, they got on each other's nerves from time to time.

As the clip flashed onto the big screen, Tammy gasped, "Oh, my G.o.d!"

Aaron knew that whatever Tammy had seen on that TV screen was not visible to any of the others. He also knew it had shocked her deeply, which was disconcerting because Tammy was not easily shocked.

A low growl sounded from nearby drawing everyone's attention.

"What in the fu-- uh- h.e.l.l was she thinking?" Landon bit out furiously, remembering mid-sentence that there was a lady present.

"I don't know," Tammy said hollowly with her eyes glued to the screen in front of her.

"Uh-- some help here you two. We aren't all blessed with supernatural talent," Royce complained.

Ignoring him, Landon moved closer to Tammy, "Is that what I think it is?"

"I'm afraid so," Tammy whispered. "What are they doing here?"

Aaron had been kept in suspense long enough. While they might ignore his son, they would not ignore him.

"Tammy," he said harshly, bringing her attention to him. "Kindly explain to us what you are seeing," he asked in a milder tone.

"I'm sorry," Tammy apologized immediately. "I-- it-- well--" she struggled to put together words to explain that which was inexplainable.

"What she is trying to say," Landon b.u.t.ted in, "is that Queen Anne's Revenge is anch.o.r.ed just off Castle Pinckney, and in that clip...Joanna just boarded her."

"Are you telling me there is a s.h.i.+p out there that we can't see?" Royce asked incredulously. "And that my sister has been taken on board?"

"She wasn't exactly taken on board, Royce," Tammy said drearily.

"That's right, buddy," Landon said, seeming to grow angrier each time he watched the video. "Your sister just voluntarily boarded a d.a.m.n pirate s.h.i.+p."

"If Queen Anne's Revenge is out there son, you've got more than just an invisible s.h.i.+p. That s.h.i.+p belonged to Blackbeard, who died in the seventeen hundreds," Aaron said with dread.

"There's another s.h.i.+p approaching...the Ranger. Who's s.h.i.+p is that, Aaron? They are boarding Queen Anne's Revenge," Tammy said urgently. "Aaron, they're shooting crew members!"

"The Ranger belonged to Charles Vane," Aaron said, giving Royce a hard stare...the kind that meant big trouble.

Not one to let anything get by her, Tammy arched her eyebrow at her husband prompting, "The s.h.i.+p belonged to Charles Vane...and?"

"He was famous for his cruelty," Kurt said softly, watching Landon's every move.

Tammy's eyes suddenly widened as she caught her breath.

Aaron was beside her in an instant. "What do you see?" he asked quietly.

"They are carrying her. She is unconscious. G.o.d, Aaron. I have to go." Tammy turned tear-filled eyes to her husband, "She has blood all over her head."

Landon clinched his fists and struggled to contain his Were. "Castle Pinckney," he growled.

Landon's eyes had already turned yellow. His canines began to drop... and then he threw back his head and howled.

"Oh, that's not good," Kurt said, as he ran topside. "Hold onto something," he called firing up the boat. Soon they were moving toward Castle Pinckney at top speed.

Royce muttered, "What did he mean...that's not good?" He looked at his father saying, "This day just keeps getting better."

Tammy, who had previously been watching Landon with caution, responded to Royce, "He called in the Pack," she said gratefully.

"Oh, that is indeed...not good," Royce seconded.