Chapter 3

They rose to the surface of the water, took a breath, and dove back down. Alexis pushed herself to match Seb's pace, her muscles burning with the effort. She was at home in the sea, but she was no match for the former Navy SEAL.

Seb raised his thumb as the motorboat's roar diminished to an angry purr and pointed to the water overhead. They lifted their heads above the water and turned toward the Sea Serpent. The motorboat was idling at its starboard side. The guy on the sailboat was pointing in their direction with one hand. His other hand held her bag of cheese puffs.

Jerk.

Alexis was sure they were now far enough away to remain unseen. Their problem was how to stay hidden. The sailboats were still too far away for them to reach without being noticed, and they couldn't outrun the motorboat.

As Alexis scanned the water, a dark patch of blue caught her eye. It followed the line of the sailboats anchored in the sand. The ocean floor along the reef was filled with hills and valleys. Some areas dipped as deep as three hundred feet. Alexis hoped this was one of those spots. They'd be harder to find.

"The seafloor drops off to the west," Alexis said, moving closer to Seb. "They won't expect us to head for deeper water. They're banking on playing a game of hide and seek among the sailboats if they don't spot us before then, I'm betting they'll check out the water closer to the island before considering the ocean further out."

Now that they had her on the run, Alexis knew the men wouldn't give up their search. The man on her sailboat would watch the water around the Sea Serpent. The two men on the beach would also watch the ferry to ensure she hadn't stowed away.

Seb would be an unknown factor, but there were five of them. Once they found her, they'd believe they could deal with him. Alexis didn't want to think about what they intended to do with her.

Worst-case scenario, she'd act as bait and lure them away from Seb so he could deliver the contents of the dry box to a colleague at the University of Miami. Alexis ignored the voice in her head that told her she could be sending Seb into greater danger.

"We'll swim parallel to the sailboats and watch their progress," Seb said, turning to the dark blue blemish in the turquoise water. "When they head closer to the island, we'll leave the deep water and hide among the sailboats. If they're persistent, we'll wait until nightfall to swim to my boat."

They dove under the water as the motorboat's engine roared to life. The sound traveling through the water would warn them if the men veered away from the sailboats to check the deeper water.

If they were as cocky as the guy aboard the Sea Serpent, Alexis figured they wouldn't consider the deep water beside the snorkelers. They knew she'd left her diving tanks on the sailboat, so it wouldn't occur to them she'd be comfortable at the deeper depths without her scuba gear.

Halfway to the deep water, Seb gestured for them to surface. They took a breath and immediately dove beneath the water again. The engine was a steady, slow drone as the men searched the reef's clear water.

Once they reached the strip of blue, they came up for air and turned toward their pursuers. The men scanned the water around them as they made their way to the cluster of sailboats. They were careless, focusing most of their attention on the water ahead of them. Alexis was right. They thought they'd already won.

She left Seb at the surface to get an idea of the water's depth. At double the distance a snorkeler would attempt, she reached the bottom. It would be harder for the men to spot them, but it would have been a better hiding place if they'd had their scuba gear.

Alexis rose to the surface and swam closer to Seb. His eyes fixed on the motorboat, he followed its progress as it made its way through the water.

"This is the second time they've circled the sailboats," Seb said as they treaded water a short distance away from the line where the bright turquoise water changed shade. Not once had the men searching for them looked out toward the deeper depths of the reef. "They're attracting the attention of the snorkelers."

"They're worried the engine noise is startling the fish. For many of them, this is a once in a lifetime experience."

The Dry Tortugas, seventy miles west of Key West, was the most isolated National Park in the U.S. Private boat, seaplane, or the Yankee Freedom Ferry were the only ways to travel to the seven small islands with no amenities or Internet service. Many of the boats surrounding Garden Key were expensive rentals. It was no wonder the vacationers were annoyed at the motorboat crisscrossing the surrounding water.

"The man on the boat with the blue sail has raised his fist." Seb pointed to the sailboat at the edge of the group. "Whoever is in charge would have told the men to keep the operation low key. It shouldn't be long before they moved closer to shore. The Sea Serpent's dinghy would have attracted less attention."

"I didn't attach the motor when I inflated it yesterday. I doubt these guys would find rowing appealing," Alexis said as the motorboat changed course like Seb had predicted and went closer to shore.

She followed Seb as he dove under the water and headed to the group of sailboats.

"They're far enough away for us to make it to my catamaran without being seen," Seb said the next time they surfaced. He pointed to a catamaran in the opposite direction of the Sea Serpent, beyond the cluster of boats. "It's a better option than hiding among the boats and waiting for them to give up the search."

Alexis had estimated a ten-hour sail on the Sea Serpent to return to Key West, providing she used the motor when the wind died down. The sleek forty-five-foot catamaran would cut the time down by a couple of hours.

Seb looked at the sun shining overhead. "It's almost noon. If we traveled in the dark, we could make it to Key West by eight tonight."

He dove under the water, and Alexis followed, pushing herself to keep up. Seb wanted to reach the boat before the men decided to make another tour of the area.

"No one would question a sailboat heading over to Loggerhead," Alexis said as she stepped onto the catamaran's swim platform. Most of the boats would make their way to the island three miles away to see the shipwrecks and marine life during their visit. "We could go to Key West from there."

Seb was already weighing the anchor, so they could be on their way. Alexis removed her fins and threw them on the deck before checking the mainsail. Within minutes, they were underway.

"I'll feel safer once we're on the open sea," Seb said as they approached Loggerhead. They hadn't been followed, but Alexis knew Seb wouldn't leave the reef until he was convinced they were traveling alone. "I can handle the boat by myself. Why don't you take a shower? Use my cabin on the starboard side. The shower is bigger. Once we've put a few miles between us and Loggerhead, I'll set the autopilot. We have a lot to discuss."

"I have nothing to change into." Seb's catamaran was a luxury item and Alexis was sure it'd be heavenly to relax under a stream of hot water, but getting back into wet clothes had never appealed to her. She'd pass.

"I'll wash whatever you're wearing under your wetsuit and throw it in the dryer. You can wear one of my t-shirts while it dries."

"I've practically lived in my wetsuit for the past three weeks. I will not turn down the opportunity to be dry and lounge in the afternoon sun," Alexis said, going to the cabin.

Five minutes later, she was under a hot stream of water, rinsing the salt water out of her hair. Alexis hadn't been exaggerating. Knowing the dangers of hypothermia, she'd tethered herself to the sailboat the entire trip across the Atlantic. A dip in the Atlantic Ocean during a storm without her wetsuit on could have ended her solo voyage.

Alexis reached for Seb's Bulgari shampoo. It wasn't the first time she wondered why she'd felt immediately at ease with Seb when Finlay had introduced them. Having a man camp out on the couch in her apartment in Paris should have been unnerving. The whole situation should have made her a wreck.

Taking down an international human trafficking ring may have been a normal day at the office for Finlay and Seb, but it had been a first for her. To Alexis's surprise, she'd handled the unexpected challenge as if it was as normal as making breakfast in the morning.

Growing up, she'd been the kid holding up the gym wall during school dances. The friends she'd made were more concerned with her handing over answers to assignments than spending the weekend hanging out. She'd learned to expect a hidden agenda when anyone was kind to her, and still had the same expectation.

It took her a long time to get to get to know someone. So Alexis didn't understand why she felt comfortable with Seb. While she shampooed her hair, she puzzled over it and then dismissed it as one of those mysteries she'd never solve.

Alexis didn't spend long in the shower. Accustomed to sailing with a crew, water conservation had become second nature.

As promised, one of Seb's t-shirts was lying on the bed. He'd also laid out a pair of board shorts with a tie waist. The material gathered around Alexis like a full skirt. She pulled the t-shirt over her head. Alexis was sure it would have molded itself nicely to the muscles along Seb's chest, but it was huge on her. The shorts just peeked out from underneath the tee.

She grabbed her waterproof waist pouch off the dresser. Alexis could make out the sound of the spin cycle on a washing machine as she left the cabin.

"I washed our wetsuits and hung them to dry in the port bathroom," Seb said, placing two plates with sandwiches on the galley table. A plastic container of veggies and one of fruit were in the middle. "Beer or a cola?"

"Cola, please," Alexis said as she sat and placed the waist pouch on the table, off to the side. Anything alcoholic would put her to sleep. She hadn't slept well the past two nights and was exhausted.

"I'm not big on doing dishes, so I hope you're good drinking it out of the can." Seb set the can of soda in front of her and took the seat across the table.

"Can is fine," Alexis said and took a sip before asking him the question that had occupied her thoughts since her arrival at Key West. "How did they find me? Other than talking to Finlay and leaving a couple of messages on my assistant's answering machine, I spoke to no one."

"We led them to Key West and Bahia Honda Key. The guys at Garden Key were unexpected," Seb said, placing a handful of veggies beside his sandwich. "We didn't have enough information to know who we were dealing with. So we made it obvious Finlay was going to meet you and sent them on a wild goose chase while I waited for you at the Dry Tortugas. Finlay came up with the red swimwear warning sign. We were confident you wouldn't approach her or Pavlo. Shadow Defense team members are following the men we spotted. So far, we've learned nothing other than they're out-of-town muscle."

"That doesn't explain their presence at Garden Key," Alexis said, already halfway through her sandwich. She was starving after being in the water for so long.

"They shouldn't have known you'd be there. I was on an op overseas and flew directly to Miami. The catamaran belongs to a friend." Seb stopped eating and fixed his gaze on her, no longer smiling. His expression grew serious. "If it was me, I'd have used satellite to locate your sailboat. Maybe even followed your voyage across the Atlantic. If I'm right, you're being pursued by someone with money and resources. So, why sail when a plane would have been quicker?"

Alexis pushed her plate with her half-eaten sandwich to the side, no longer hungry. Her head said she was making the wrong move and should hand everything over to the FBI. Loyalty said she could ruin the career of a man she highly respected if she did.