over one hundred years. This hole has a pretty straight drop thirty meters max before it turns. If Sophia’s father dropped it in, as we think, it should be right there at the bottom, maybe under a light layer of sediment. We’ll fan the sand, but if we don’t see it right away, it’s not there.”
“Tanks are ready,” Shane said.
They’d rigged a rope-and-pulley system around the trunk of a nearby palm so they could lower the tanks into the cave. Lisa and Rafe would rappel in and then dive. A rock ledge along the right side of the pool would give them a place to gather equipment and suit up. Shane wandered to the palm to check the ropes while Lisa and Rafe finished gathering their gear.
Lisa pulled up the zipper of her wet suit. “You know the rule of thirds, right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rafe muttered. “Keep two-thirds gas in reserve for the way out. Got it.”
“Are you sure about this? If you’re uncomfortable, I don’t want you going down. Shane can—”
“I’m fine,” he cut in. The woman had been harping about his diving all morning. He was on the verge of telling her he’d worked Navy salvage in the service. Granted, it hadn’t been in a cave, but he knew a thing or two about diving and he’d been trained in all its aspects. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought she didn’t want him to go with her.
He glanced up to tell her to quit being a mother hen, and that’s when he noticed the unease on her face. Was that worry in her eyes? It wasn’t something he was used to seeing.
It was then he remembered the other guy. The one in Mexico she’d taken a second chance on. The one who’d died in a scuba accident.
She was scared.
His frustration ebbed, and he leaned over and kissed her, wanting to clear her head. He didn’t need her worried about him when they were diving. He needed her mind on something else, so she could focus. “You ever think about adoption?”
“What?”
He snapped on his harness and smiled at how one simple question could throw her so off-kilter. “Lotta kids need good homes.”
She looked at him like he had a third eye stuck in the middle of his forehead. “No one’s going to give me a kid, Slick. I’m a thirty-eight-year-old single woman who travels because of her career.”
He shrugged. “Lots of women are having kids later these days. And adoption laws aren’t as strict in Puerto Rico. Especially if you’ve got dual citizenship.”
Her cheeks paled. “Wh-What?”
That did it. Gave her something else to chew on. Rafe’s smile widened. He loved when she went speechless around him. “Come on, querida. We need to make tracks.”
Rafe gripped the rope, nodded at Shane to tell him he was ready and started his descent. When he was five feet over the water, he kicked his legs to propel himself to the rocky ledge of the pool.
He unhooked the harness and waited while Lisa made her descent. As she did, he took a look around and breathed in the damp air. The scent of earth was strong down here. Sunlight filtered through the roots and vines near the opening of the cave above, giving the room an eerie dark quality Rafe wasn’t wild about. He figured one good earthquake was all it’d take to bury them alive, and he said a quick prayer that wouldn’t happen while they were down here.
Stalactites hung from the ceiling in the dim space. Sediments created swirling patterns in the massive structures. Lisa probably knew the name of every single cave formation. If he asked her, he could get a crash course in geology.
He decided not to ask. He didn’t want to be down here any longer than necessary.
She landed on the rocks next to him and unhooked her harness. “Off belay,” she called back up to Shane.
“Belay off,” Shane replied. “Look out below.”
Shane lowered the tanks into the cavern. Rafe tugged them to the platform, and Lisa unhooked the ropes. They worked quickly, suiting up and readying for the dive without talking.
Shane’s head popped over the side when they were almost finished. “Sixty minutes. Check your watch and keep an eye on your gauge.”
Lisa frowned up at her brother. “I’ve got it. You just watch for unexpected guests.”
Shane disappeared over the edge, grumbling something they couldn’t hear. Lisa turned toward Rafe. “Are you ready?”
As ready as he’d ever be. He nodded.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, let’s get down so we