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Coop looked toward the vault, which dangled lopsided above us as it drifted away with the current. The lifting balloons were basically upside-down buckets that had continued to suspend and slowly lift the oversized load, but Coop’s bucket had lost air when he’d dropped.
I followed his gaze as he looked to where the wreck had been. Below us the water was cloudy from the explosion and the Esmeralda was gone. What hadn’t been decimated had dislodged from the coral ledge to plummet another hundred meters down.
My heart collapsed like it’d been kicked in. My chest went from heaving to deflated as tears pearled in the corners of my eyes. Had the sudden rush of emotions come from nearly seeing Coop die or knowing the Esmeralda was finally gone? Anything left of Omar Zaki would erode away, but so would all that remained of my father.
Coop gently curled his fingers over my hand, his fingers entwining with mine. I turned my attention back to him.
“Ignore and override,” he told me. “Let’s finish this.”
Keeping our fingers intwined, we strong kicked our way back to the cockeyed vault as it crept its way unmanned to the surface. With a squeeze to my hand, he let go and resumed his post on one side of the vault while I took the other. He added additional air to his side until the vault balanced, then we began to add air simultaneously to the balloons until both sides ascended in unison.
The helicopter hovered above us as we broke the surface. The rotating blades were too high above to do more than stir up a heavy mist, but the thin, wet shears added to the challenge. Coop used hand gestures to request the line be dropped. I glanced over to Jim at the tender to gauge his reaction, as this would be the first sign of our original plans going astray. It was hard to tell from the distance, but my stomach churned seeing he was on the radio to someone who must’ve being using a different comms channel than we were.
I returned my attention to balancing the vault as Coop worked quickly to clasp all the straps to the wench hook. I had to be mindful of my finger placement, or they would get crushed as the webbing slackened and snapped tight from the motion of the surface waves. Coop motioned me back, then flashed a hand signal up to Nik. The helo lifted. Squealing, the web belts stretched taunt. I feared they’d snap as the vault slowly breached through the surface, but like something out of a dream, up into the sky it went.
I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. After twenty-two years the world’s largest emerald, and the biggest threat to uncovering my secrets, had become airborne and headed home. But just as the treasure hung in limbo, so did so much more.
Jim gunned the tender, aiming it our direction.
As he flagged Jim in closer, Coop removed his mouthpiece to talk privately with me. “We’re just going to play it cool. We don’t know who’s involved in this. Just trust me, okay.”
I nodded.
After cutting the engine, Jim came to the swim deck to help me aboard. I handed him my fins first, then took his help as he hoisted me out of the water. I’d started stripping off my gear when I heard the shot. Before I could even comprehend what had happened, Jim jumped back to the controls and fired the engines to life.
I screamed, trying to rush to Coop’s aid, but Jim grabbed my arm with bruising force.
“You’re safe now,” Jim assured.
I stared at him in horror. “Safe from who? We have to go back! Coop needs help! He’s going to drown!” I struggled to free myself, but my body was exhausted from the dives and Jim’s fingers were like claws digging into my flesh.
“Ma’am, you need to calm down and listen to me. Chief Hayes just notified me that Coop and his team have targeted you and the emerald. You were in danger. We all were.”
“No!” I repeatedly wailed as I kept my eye on Coop’s lifeless body drifting on the ocean surface until it was a blur. This was all wrong. There was no way it was true. All my doubts about Coop had vanished, I didn’t even care what had happened with Alvarez. Alvarez deserved it and we’d figure out how to handle the repercussions together. Wait. How did Jim know about the emerald?
I wheeled back to him, wrenching my arm from his grip. “Hayes? Scott Hayes told you Coop was trying to take what?”
“The Ozma Emerald.”
How did Hayes even know about the emerald? I’d purposefully been vague with the details of what was to be brought up.
“The helicopter extraction was all part of Coop’s plan to transport the emerald away from Marakata. You’re safe now.”
Safe?Oh, I was so far from safe. And from the dopey explanations Jim was throwing my way, so was he. Hayes had played him for a pawn.
“We’re to go back to the Zamarad and wait. You’re going to be fine. I’m going to take good care of you.”
My fingers trembled and tapped. I gazed back, but it was too far to jump in and swim to Coop. I forced myself not to think the worst.
Over the comms I heard Hayes calling the shots with Colt and Wolfe. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed up a sat phone and called him privately. “Scott, it’s me, I’m on the tender with Jim, heading back to the Zamarad.”
“Zee, thank God. I’ve been so worried Jim would be too late. I know you trusted Coop, I know you were aware of his involvement in the Alvarez sitch down in South America, but he orchestrated all of this just to get the Ozma Emerald.”
My gut felt kicked in. Hayes’ betrayal coursed through my veins like a dark, staining ink. But I steeled myself. I’d break down, fall apart, mourn my loss of everything later. “Give me the SITREP.”
“We’ve got it under control. I have all hands on deck for this. Just sit tight and we’ll get you home safe.”
“Thank you, Scott, I don’t know how I’ll make this up to you. I don’t know how I could’ve been so foolish…” The words burned like poison in my mouth. I just couldn’t believe Hayes had been behind this. I’d seen the signs…I just hadn’t wanted to believe that someone I’d trusted for so long could do this.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Zee. Michael Cooper was one of the best. He used you. Played on your emotions. But neither he, nor his team, will get away with this. I assure you, I have everything under control.”
Nothingwas in control. Not my breathing, not my heartbeat, and not my mind. But I dared one last question, needing to know just how far Hayes was willing to go. “And Zaki? They haven’t gotten to him, have they?”
“No. OZ is fine. In fact, I just touched based with him.”
“And what did he say?”
“He’s given me full authority to pursue this with whatever means necessary.”
Of course he has.My breath stuttered out as I fought to stay standing. “Whatever means necessary…” Like killing Coop. Killing whoever threatened the empire. The realization iced over my heart so fast, it felt like every vein in my chest had expanded and cracked. “Then that is exactly what we have to do.”
