loved diving, had been enamored of the sea since she was a little girl, awestruck by the quiet solitude of blue water surrounding her.
No one had searched this particular area, concentrating instead at points northeast of their location. But she’d studied the area, the charts, the estimates, and knew where she wanted to start.
Call it a hunch, or whatever, but she’d been researching this for years. Others scoffed at her, but she’d done her homework. Anyway, that’s why she liked to work alone. She didn’t need the disdain of the scholarly types. This time she was going to find the temples. She was going to find Atlantis.
She knew this was her last chance.
Dalton stayed a bit behind Isabelle, content for now to observe her movements. She undulated through the water at a leisurely pace, her braided hair flowing behind her.
She looked like a mermaid, her body sleek and perfect as she glided effortlessly around coral and plant life. She seemed oblivious to the rest of them, at ease with leading the pack where she wanted to go. And she seemed to know exactly where she was headed. Her plastic map tied with cord to her wrist, she paused only occasionally to take a quick glance at the landmarks on it, then proceed.
It was so dark they had to rely on lights to see. Isabelle dove low, skirting the sea floor but not disturbing the sandy bottom. Finally, she halted to inspect a large, odd-shaped boulder, then motioned for Dalton, who swam up beside her. She pointed to the boulder and quickly jotted something down on the waterproof whiteboard attached to her wrist.
They spent the entire day on the dive. They surfaced, ate lunch, changed air tanks and went down again. It was tedious, painstaking work, but Isabelle was relentless, covering every inch of the sea floor and missing nothing. She noted every object that could be related to the temples and never seemed to tire in her quest. By the time the sun started to set and they had to stop, Dalton was exhausted and waterlogged, and Isabelle was clearly frustrated. They climbed aboard and rid themselves of their diving gear.
“How about a shower and change of clothes? I’ll get the cook started on dinner and we can relax,” Dalton suggested.
“Fine,” she said, not even looking at him. Her lips compressed in a tight line as she marched off to her room.
Dalton followed, smiling as he made his way to his room, stripped off his wet suit, and climbed into the shower to wash away the salt water. The day was a waste. He’d gotten nowhere, other than furthering Isabelle’s treasure-hunting goal. She’d exhibited no signs of demonic behavior, though by the time they’d surfaced at the end of the day, she seemed about ready to throw a major tantrum.
That was frustration, and understandable. The woman worked hard. And he was impressed. He didn’t really know what he expected from Isabelle, but it wasn’t what she’d shown him today.
Maybe he’d expected her to be lazy, to let others do the work while she stood on the sidelines. The intel he’d gathered on her indicated she was into hunting treasure and getting rich quick, concentrating on digs that generated fast results and a big prize, then hurrying on to the next one.
That didn’t seem like her at all, at least not that he’d seen today. She’d exhibited the traits of a born leader- tenacious, determined, and driven, and seemingly willing to stick it out until she got what she wanted.
Apparently he had a lot to learn about her, including uncovering her secrets. Because the deets on her and the reality weren’t jiving. And he didn’t like being confused.
He dried off after his shower, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, and headed back outside to wait for Isabelle.
It was time to press her, to get to know her more. . intimately. There was a lot more to Isabelle than what she showed.
He wanted to see what was written on the pages of that book she had hidden, what had upset her so much that she’d sent it flying across the room.
What made her so angry at her mother?
And why was she lying about who she was, about her sister, Angelique?
Dalton had a lot of work ahead. And very little time. So when Isabelle strolled down the gangway, he pasted on a smile. She, however, wasn’t smiling.
“Still upset?” he asked, holding a chair out for her.
She slid into it and he motioned to Dimitri, who hurried over with drinks.
“Thanks,” she said, lifting the glass and taking a long swallow of the cocktail. She set it down and relaxed her shoulders. “I needed that.”
He rimmed the edge of the glass with his fingertip. “The day didn’t go as you expected?”
“No. Unrealistic expectations, I guess. I apologize for my sour mood.”
“You thought you’d find the temples on the first day.”
She stared down at the glass. “Yes, I suppose I did. Or I wanted to. I don’t know.” She lifted the glass and drained the liquid. Dimitri came over and replaced the empty glass with another full cocktail. Dalton nodded at him.
“It’s understandable to want success right away, Isabelle.”
She stared out to sea, seemingly lost in thought. “I was certain it was right there, that I was going to find it today. Stupid, childish dream. I should have known better.”
“We’ll hunt again tomorrow.”
