Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

When she finally blinked her eyelids open, Isla couldn’t believe how late it was. She remembered Caesar cuddling her against his body all night and a light kiss on her forehead before he slid quietly out of bed earlier. Smiling, she gathered the covers under her chin and wiggled happily in the big bed.

Her elbow touched something plush and soft. Automatically, she lifted the covers to search for the culprit. “Nado! What are you doing under the covers?”

Hugging the stuffie to her chest, Isla felt like her heart couldn’t get any fuller. Her Daddy loved her and had showed her that she didn’t need to worry about spankings. They hurt, but it had been so worth it. And now, she understood what the others said about it quieting their minds. She’d never slept so well.

After replaying the night in her mind, Isla forced herself to sit up and swing her legs over the side. “You stay here, Nado. I’ll come back to nap with you later,” she promised.

After a shower and brushing her teeth, Isla dashed into the playroom to dress and grab the map she had stuffed in her suitcase. Tucking it back into her bra for safekeeping, she left the apartment and took the elevator back to the main floor. She caught Sadie’s eye and gave her a thumbs up. To her delight, her friend applauded silently.

Laughing, Isla headed for the restaurant to have breakfast. She’d talk to Magnus afterward. Then, they could look at the map together.

Isla had planned to eat inside today but caught a glimpse of the gorgeous water and changed plans. Heading to the open-air restaurant, she sweet-talked the waiter to seat her next to the railing. Unable to keep her lips from curling into a delighted smile as she looked out, Isla searched for Caesar, hoping to see the boat out in the water.

She spotted a stranger’s boat over on the side of the bay where they had searched yesterday. A Danger Bluff security boat was headed in that direction. Wondering why, she watched the action, ordering without thinking when the waiter appeared.

“I wondered when they were going to chase them away,” a sun-kissed man said from the table next to hers.

“Chase them?” Isla echoed.

“Yes. Boats are welcome to visit Danger Bluff. You can come to the restaurant like my wife and I have.” He gestured to indicate his lovely companion.

Isla nodded at the woman before asking, “You can swim here?”

“Of course. It’s a lovely cove that’s protected from the big waves. We swim, kayak, and even paddleboard here. The only thing that’s forbidden is scuba diving unless you’re with the Danger Bluff staff. If you’re interested, Caesar leads the excursions. He’s a blast,” the woman commented.

Seeing Isla’s smile, she added, “Why do I think you already know Caesar?”

“He is fun. I’ve done a couple of dives with him,” Isla admitted before turning back to watch the action on the water. The security boat slowed as it approached the other boat. She watched a large man lift a bullhorn to his lips. Hawking.

“They’re telling the man on the boat to signal the divers to surface,” the chatty man related.

Sure enough, in a few minutes, she could see heads pop up. Hawking continued to talk to them as he maintained partial cover under the awning. From the waving arms, the interlopers were excusing their trespassing.

“Idiots. They know there’s no scuba diving here. That’s a hired boat from the next town over. They must’ve paid that boat owner a ton to get him to risk arrest to come here.”

“It looks like they’re leaving,” Isla said.

“I’d think so. Jerks. Those types will get the rest of us banned from this beautiful place,” the woman jumped in again. She signaled for the server. “We might as well have another cup of coffee. I’m not going out there until all the commotion is finished.”

“Coffee?” the server asked as he set a cup in front of Isla.

“Yes, please.”

Isla’s phone buzzed with a message, and she peeked at the screen. Caesar.

“Where are you?”

Quickly, she typed.

“I’m at breakfast watching Hawking be all badass as he chases people away.”

“I am not telling him that. He’ll have a T-shirt made with that emblazoned on it. I’m glad you’re at the resort. Stay close to the main building today.”

“I was going to visit Magnus.”

“Good girl.”

Setting her phone down with a click, she picked up her coffee cup and took a sip to disguise the grin that last bit of praise had brought to her lips. She remembered hearing that last night.

“I see that smile,” Juniper’s voice came from beside her. “Can I join you?”

“Please,” Isla waved her into a seat. “Are you out taking photos today?”

“Yes. It’s a beautiful day. Here, look through the lens,” Juniper said, passing over her camera.

Isla lifted it to her eye, and instantly, the action on the two boats came into focus as if she were swimming in the water in front of them. She looked first for Hawking to ensure he was okay before glancing over at the rogue boat. Her gaze landed on a familiar icon painted on the hull. That had to be the same boat. How many would have a treasure chest logo?

She dropped the camera slightly to stare at Juniper, who nodded and then nodded slightly at the couple next to them as if warning her not to react.

“Smile,” Isla called and took a picture of Juniper before handing the camera back to her. She might have happened to capture an image of the boat in the background as well. “I bet you never get any pictures taken of you. You’re always behind the camera.”

Juniper laughed and nodded. “You’ve got that right.”

“They’re out of here. Good riddance,” the man announced and stood. “Looks like we can get out of here now, too.”

“Enjoy your day,” Isla said, wishing them well and waiting for them to walk away. “What’s going on?”

“Magnus was watching for them. They showed up super early and played it cool for a while to see if they’d get chased away. Hawking’s been waiting at the dock to swoop in. Get it? Hawking…swoops?”

“You,” Isla said, smiling back as she shook her head at the bad joke. “What will happen now?”

“Hawking will pay a visit to that boat owner to explain the fine that will be levied on him for any future diving excursions. I would bet he’ll suggest highly that their boats don’t visit this bay for a while.”

“Here’s your food, ladies,” the server announced as he placed two plates and another cup of coffee in front of them.

“How did they get your order?” Isla asked after he disappeared.

“Some sweetheart at the computers sent it in for me.”

“That’s convenient.”

“You have no idea what skills that man has,” Juniper whispered.

Slapping her hands over her ears, Isla shook her head to fend off that thought. She’d never be able to look at Magnus again.

Juniper simply buttered her toast.

The conversation that night over dinner was interesting. Isla finally understood the importance of the talking spoon. As each person spoke, she learned more information. By the time the spoon made its way around the table, everyone knew all the important events of the day.

“Sadie, I want you to send me the names of people signing up for Caesar’s excursions,” Magnus said. “I’ll run them through a preliminary search to screen who’s headed out into the bay.”

“What’s to keep people from just swimming in? Or coming in at night?” Isla asked.

“There are some sensors, and the distance is daunting. Someone could try it, but I think we’d pick up some clue that unwanted visitors had arrived,” Magnus said, partially reassuring her.

“When’s your next day off to dive with Isla?” Phoenix asked.

“I’ve got tours scheduled tomorrow. We can go out the following day.”

“I did some work on the map that Isla let me scan. After dinner, let’s look at what I played around with,” Magnus said.

“I’m finished,” Isla blurted.

Magnus looked at Juniper to make sure she’d eaten her fill. When she nodded, he set his fork down and said, “Let’s go look.”

To Isla’s surprise, everyone clustered around the bank of monitors to see. It made sense. Treasure hunting fascinated many people. “You all want to see this, too?”

“Of course. New Zealand’s history is filled with dangerous and valiant tales of explorers. You can see monuments all over the coast,” Celeste said, smiling.

“That makes sense. It is an island. It’s so pretty here. If I were an explorer, I’d give up the sea life and stay here,” Zara confessed.

“Me, too,” Sadie chimed in.

“You get seasick on the dock,” Rocco said wryly.

“Well. There is that reason, too,” Sadie admitted with a laugh.

“So, getting back to the treasure…” Magnus drew everyone’s attention back to the map. “Given the tides, if the chest was placed in the caves and has remained safe and secure there throughout the years, this is the path it most likely would’ve taken.”

He touched a button, and a colored swath appeared on the screen from the scanned version of Isla’s map. “It could be anywhere along this line. Hurricanes have hit the coastline throughout history. If one hit this area while the treasure was on the ocean floor, it’s possible that the course has changed slightly.”

Another color appeared on the map, overlapping the first one but further south. “There are also other possible factors that have affected it.”

“Where are you going to start?” Rocco asked. “It’s possible we could use the tunnel system under the resort to reach the caves in that area to make sure it isn’t still there. I have the day off. Sadie and I were going to the beach to swim. We could do some exploring.”

“Can I come?” Isla asked eagerly.

“Of course. It’s your treasure map. But you both have to promise you’ll do exactly what I say,” Rocco warned.

“I can do that,” Isla said eagerly. She’d liked rock climbing with Rocco. He was really good at what he did.

“Me, too,” said Sadie.

“Can I come? The caves are my childhood playground,” Juniper stated.

“No.” Magnus nixed that idea. “This isn’t a sight-seeing mission. We don’t know what Rocco will find down there, and he doesn’t need more Littles to keep safe.”

Juniper sighed but nodded. “You’re right. You’ll take me exploring sometime…?”

“I will, Little girl,” her Daddy promised.

“If you find the treasure, you’ll signal us?” Celeste asked.

“Of course. We all need to celebrate if it’s sitting there waiting for us,” Rocco assured her.