Stolen Chances by Elisabeth Naughton Page B

Conquistador had been a big ship. A thousand tons of wood and metal that would have carried her crew around the tip of Tierra del Fuego and into the Orient had she survived Atticus’s wrath. Each hour, Maren’s excitement over the project grew. Not just because of La Malinche , but because of everything else hidden down below. Especially the history.
    The first few dives were exploratory in nature and designed to give them a feel for the area. Unfortunately, Drummer and Lisa returned with little useful information. If the Conquistador was down there, she was hidden below layers of sand, mud, and coral.
    That didn’t dampen Maren’s enthusiasm any. Fighting the excitement at finally getting started, she strapped on her tanks, checked her gauges, and slid on her mask. Seeing it all on video was one thing. Seeing it up close and personal was something else entirely. As she climbed over the edge of the boat, she gave Thad the thumbs-up sign. She didn’t wait for directions or his last-minute safety checks. Today she just wanted to dive.
    Silence descended as soon as she submerged beneath the surface, the only sound the rhythmic hiss of her regulator as she breathed. A sense of calm swept through her the deeper she swam. Underwater, she didn’t have to pretend, didn’t have to talk, didn’t have to worry about anyone interrupting her thoughts or pressuring her to open up.
    She paused to watch as Thad checked his compass, gave her the direction, and headed off in front of her. His movements were smooth, only the slightest bubble trail in his wake, like a black shadow slicing through the water. He was long and lean in his wet suit, the tight garment accentuating the roped muscles, chiseled angles, and well-defined planes of his strong body.
    In the safety of the water, she was able to observe him without fear of his seeing. And watching, she couldn’t stop the memories from rushing through her mind. The first time she’d laid eyes on him, those long, muscular legs sticking out from beneath that broken-down Jeep he’d been fixing when she’d arrived in camp. The first time he’d smiled at her in the sweltering jungle heat. The first time she’d followed him through the tight passages of the underwater cave they’d been excavating.
    Looking at him now, it all seemed like yesterday. But it wasn’t. There was a lifetime between then and now.
    A school of bright blue angelfish swam by, drawing Maren’s attention. She turned, taking notice of the splash of color in the deep turquoise blue. Life erupted around her—red, yellow, and orange tropical fish peeking out from behind brightly painted coral. Starfish, sea anemones, and sea stars littered the ocean floor. Feathery plants and algae swept across the work of art laid out in front of her. So different from the cave she’d last swum in with Thad, with its tight limestone walls, massive columns, and towering stalagmites.
    She glanced up, saw Thad watching her with an odd expression, and kicked to join him. She’d get lost in her memories later. Right now, she had a job to do.
    They swam for several hours, investigating anomalies from the magnetometer that hopefully pointed to the wreckage. They checked each hillock and disturbance on the ocean floor, took photos, documented distance, and scanned the area with video so they could examine it all in detail up above.
    Checking her gauges, Maren discovered she was getting close to the end of her bottom time. She glanced at her dive watch, looked across the water for Thad, and saw he was intently checking something off in the distance. Probably nothing. The man was thorough, she could say that for him, and he wouldn’t leave before he was ready. With any other dive partner, that might have irritated her, but she knew he was meticulous about safety, so she didn’t worry about staying a few minutes longer.
    A flash to her left drew her attention. She turned and caught the tail end of a trio of dolphins streaking by. A smile