Yes ! There it was-- a trail as thin and fragile as a spider’s web. She followed the trail deeper and deeper. Tackling this sort of thing alone was dangerous and exhausting. Joanna knew she should pull back, but could not bring herself to sever the thin connection. Deeper and deeper she ventured, further and further away, searching, seeking.
“ Beep--Beep!” Joanna’s laptop startled her out of the trance-like state she had fallen into. Dropping her head onto the railing, she took a moment to gather her strength. So tired. “Beep--Beep!” She knew the sound would not stop until she checked it. Sighing, she forced herself to push off of the railing and make her way to the computer. She felt a splash on her forearm and saw a drop of bright red blood. Great! Could one more thing piss her off? Grabbing a tissue from beneath a bench seat, she focused on the screen.
“Tunnel found, section three.” Royce and Landon had found a secret tunnel! Where did it lead?
“c u @ boat,” Sean had responded. They were returning to talk about the find and decide how to proceed.
Joanna had hoped for a little more time to rejuvenate before Royce came back on board. She hoped he didn’t notice the dark circles that now stood out beneath her eyes. At least her nose had stopped bleeding. She quickly stashed the bloody tissue in her bikini top.
As the men surfaced they ripped the regulators out of their mouths and celebrated. High-fives all around! Joanna had to laugh at their excitement.
“Nice going, guys,” Joanna called before hurrying below. She really needed to rest for just a moment longer. She slid into one of the benches surrounding the table and cradled her head on folded arms. She kept one ear tuned to the activity topside. If someone came down the stairs, she would jet into the head pretending she needed to use the girls’ room.
“Where’s Jo?” Sean asked stowing their gear. He grabbed a cold bottle of water and savored a long pull.
“I think she went below to bring up our lunch,” Royce said, knowing that it would be a cold day in hell when that happened. Joanna didn’t wait on anyone.
“Right, I’m sure that’s it,” Sean chimed in sarcastically.
Kurt dropped onto the deck, lying flat on his back to study the clouds in the sky. “Good work today guys. These old bones are worn out.”
“You are such a senior citizen,” Landon agreed heading below deck to grab some sandwiches. Diving was hungry work, and they were growing men.
#
Looking forward to continuing his conversation with the sexy Witch, Landon took the stairs two at a time. The smile on his lips slipped as he saw Joanna slumped over the table. He leaped from the stairs landing beside her. She was barely breathing, and a steady flow of blood trickled from her nose.
“My God,” He said scooping her into his arms to carry her to one of the bed rooms. “Royce!” he bellowed as he placed her gently on top of the comforter. “Royce, get down here!”
“The kids are at it again,” Royce groaned as he worked up the energy to move from the comfortable chair he had just landed in. Surely they could get along for five minutes unsupervised.
Landon didn’t know much about Witches, but he knew this was serious. “Joanna is unconscious and bleeding from the nose.”
“Son-of-a-bitch,” Royce said as he lunged from his chair and hit the stairs at a run.
Sean followed closely on Royce’s heels while Kurt raced toward the captain’s chair. In a matter of seconds, they were headed back to the marina at full speed.
Joanna moaned as she opened her eyes. Three men hovered over her; panic reflected in each of their expressions. Covering her face with her hands, she tried to hide tears of exhaustion as they rolled down her face.
“I’m sorry, Royce,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry. I’m so embarra--”
“You’re going to be more than sorry,” Royce jumped on her with both feet. “I’ve had it, Jo. If you can’t use some common sense, I’ll call in Tammy.” Royce’s fear manifested in rage. “I’m not going to risk you pushing your limitations. I’ll call her right now if I can’t trust you to use your head and not--”
Landon stepped in front of Royce placing his palm solidly in the middle of Royce’s chest. “Back off,” he growled.
Royce lifted a sardonic eyebrow and looked pointedly at Landon. His hand applied enough pressure to