Page 64 of Wild Escape

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky.

Shelby drove to the Mangrove Bay Marina and pulled around by the dock. Daphne hopped out of the vehicle, hustled around to the back, and lifted the hatch. She pulled out scuba gear and a tank, then lugged it down the dock to a 25-foot center console. She loaded the gear aboard, hurried back to the SUV, grabbed a few more items, and closed the hatch.

Shelby drove away.

By that time, JD had pulled into a parking space. From there, we had an angle on the dock.

Daphne boarded the boat, cast off the lines, and fired up the twin outboards. She pulled out of the slip.

"Where do you think she's headed?" Jack said in a knowing tone.

He drove out of the space, and we headed back to the marina at Diver Down to grab the Raptor.

I called Isabella and asked her to keep me updated on the location of Daphne’s burner phone. We’d catch up with her on the water and follow. I had a strong suspicion she’d lead us right to the dagger.

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The wind whipped across the bow, and mists of saltwater sprayed as we skimmed across the swells. The engines howled, spitting a frothy wake. With Jack at the helm, his long blonde hair fluttered in the breeze.

Isabella kept me updated on Daphne's position, and it didn't take long to get eyes on her.

We had loaded the Raptor with all kinds of tactical goodies—night vision optics, binoculars, scuba gear, and, of course, an array of weaponry in case we got ourselves into trouble. To be honest, I wasn't worried about Daphne. She didn't strike me as the violent type, even though she had a mean kick. Dane and Brock, on the other hand, were the dangerous ones.

Inmates talk. I wouldn’t be surprised if word got out that Daphne was out of jail and assisting law enforcement. Operational security within the department wasn't the best. Paris seemed to know everything that happened as it happened. She was no stranger to paying informants. I’m sure she had no shortage of takers. On a county salary, every little extra bit helps.

The sun hovered just barely over the horizon. The sky was multiple shades of pink and orange mixed with a hint of teal. It was a beautiful sunset. In minutes, it would disappear over the horizon, and the night would reign.

I kept eyes on Daphne as she headed out toward Shark Reef. She cut the engines as she arrived, and the boat slumped into the swells. Daphne dropped anchor, then peeled out of her clothes. With a bikini on underneath, she donned her gear and gave a cautious look around.

My God, that woman looked good in a bikini.

We were far enough away that I don't think she noticed us.

She put up a Diver Down flag, plunged into the water, and swam to the inky depths.

JD and I approached at a slow speed and pulled alongside the center console. I hopped over the gunwale and boarded the boat, waiting for Daphne to surface.

Jack pulled away so as not to spook her. Hopefully, she was too preoccupied searching the reef for the stolen loot to notice.

She was down about 15 minutes before she surfaced. From the water, she tossed a brick of something wrapped in plastic onto the deck, then climbed to the swim platform.

The size was different from typical kilos of cocaine or heroin. I didn't figure her for a drug runner.

Her eyes rounded when she caught sight of me.

I helped her aboard the boat. "So good to see you again. I thought we had lost each other forever.”

"Looks like fate has brought us back together.”

I grabbed the brick, pulled out my knife, and cut through it. I wasn't totally surprised to see stacks of cash. "There's gotta be a hundred thousand dollars here.”

"A girl's gotta have a little walking around money.”

"You stashed a hundred thousand dollars at the bottom of Shark Reef?”

"I don't trust banks,” she said with a shrug. “Where else was I going to keep it? My apartment?”

With accusing eyes, I asked, "Where did this come from?”