Page 49 of Buck (Diver Downeast #2)

It didn’t take long for Tabitha to outline her plan to the authorities, and by the time Drew had puked up a bunch of brine and had been removed to the cutter’s deck, in cuffs while sitting pitifully next to his sobbing brother, she had possession of the five transponder units she’d requested.

“I’ll need my diving equipment,” Buck told her, as she and Spencer transferred to the sub, then stood in the tower, waiting to hear this twist of Buck’s.

“You will?” Several voices asked at once.

Buck turned to address Steve, who he knew would be making the final decisions.

“Yes. Please,” he thought to add. “I’m going to be part of the diving team bringing those boxes up,” Buck informed him, rather than asking.

Whether it was in a hands-on capacity with the evidence, or if he was the one recording the proceedings, he wasn’t going to miss out on putting a period on this Charlie-Foxtrot of events.

The first officer looked a bit conflicted, but it was Bobbie who spoke first. “You know you don’t need to, Buck,” she told him. “I’m sure these guys are fully capable.”

“I know. But this feels personal,” Buck admitted, not backing down.

“Uh, speaking of capable,” Steve cleared his throat. “Who did you say you served under?” The question indicated he was trying to get a bead on whether or not Buck was up for the job.

“Commander Billingsgate,” Buck told him without hesitation.

Steve instantly brightened. “A fine man. Exacting.”

Buck agreed. “And a good friend,” he added. “I dove for the Coast Guard for over ten years, and before that, I mucked about in the ocean all the time with my brothers. Even now, Tabitha, Spence, and I are getting ready to open our own rescue/dive company in Maine.”

“So, fully competent and certified,” Steve concurred with a nod. “That’s good to know if we ever need any civilian help in the future.”

That sentiment boded well. Maybe they could pick up a job or two with the Coast Guard.

Steve had clearly made up his mind. “I’ll be happy to add you to our team today,” he supplied. “And you Ma’am?” he called over to Tabitha. “Thank you. Your sub certainly makes our job easier.”

She shot him a smile. “Yup. Give us half an hour, and you should see all the crates’ locations pop up on your computer.”

Steve looked positively gleeful. “Then I’ll send my team, plus Buck, down with a transceiver unit and some floatation devices to bring things to the surface.

” He actually rubbed his hands together.

“Once we open those crates up and see what’s inside, we should be good to go in implementing the rest of the plans that were laid out. ”

Tabitha gave him a sassy salute, then she and Spencer tossed Buck his kit, buttoned things up, and slipped beneath the waves.

Buck turned and addressed the statement Steve had made before the pair had taken off.

“By executing the rest of the plans, I take it you mean notifying the parties standing by in Canada and Maine that they can get their warrants to take down Monsieur Provard and infiltrate a barn?” he asked.

“That’s right,” Steve concurred with relish. “We’ll wrap this whole thing up with a nice, tidy bow.”

“That’s if what we suspect is in those crates, is really there,” Buck reminded him.

“You think otherwise?” Steve questioned with a lifted brow.

“Nope.” Buck shook his head. “I think those two are guilty as hell.” He hooked a thumb over toward the cutter where the pair sat, but didn’t glance that way. He wanted to be calm for his dive, and he couldn’t guarantee that would be the case if he set eyes on Drew again.

“Then let’s get to it.” Steve signaled to his team, who’d been waiting for his order to don their gear.

While Buck suited up, four Coastie’s did the same.

Buck wanted to make sure, before he went over the side, that Bobbie was going to be okay. He crouched down beside her, bringing his face close to linger near her lips. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve always wanted to be kissed by a sea-creature,” she teased, grabbing a hold of his tank harness and dragging him down to mesh their mouths.

Buck leaned into it, then abruptly pulled back because… Shit . A hard-on in a wetsuit was not exactly something he could hide.

“Minx,” he groaned and chuckled, surreptitiously trying to straighten his dick out while talking it down.

“Hold that thought,” she purred.

“Not if I don’t want to catch a lot of shit for what’s showing. But I promise if you let up on me now, I’ll make it really good for you, later.”

Bobbie pouted, but agreed. “Fine. Rotting oysters.”

“Rotting…?”

Bobbie snorted. “It’s the smelliest, nastiest thing I can think of to make Mr. Happy, unhappy.”

But as gross as that was, it wasn’t working.

Luckily, Buck was able to render his libido from going too rampant by spending thirty seconds bent over while chanting an old childhood song about death, and worms crawling in and out. It did the trick. He was finally able to arise without giving everyone a show.

Soon after he stood up, the team of four from the cutter hit the water, getting themselves wet and attaching the bags that held the currently uninflated flotation devices to their belts.

They hung out, paddling around until their first officer would give them confirmation that all the transponders were in place.

Buck then joined the small crew, and it almost felt like old times, with jokes and taunts being easily tossed about as they gave him the underwater video camera and told him since he was the “newbie” he’d be in charge of taking the footage.

He didn’t give them any crap. He understood the closeness of a team who’d been diving together for so long, and wouldn’t mess up their dynamic.

Did Buck miss the Coast Guard? Sometimes. Was he happy with his new life as a civilian? Absolutely.

It was Bobbie, however, who had sealed the deal on being a landlubber. Sure, starting up a company and diving with his brother was going to be awesome, but having this woman by his side was going to make him a better person, by far.

Before he’d separated from the Coast Guard, he’d been emersed in the military tradition for far too long; eschewing a personal life.

Now, he’d be part of a family again.

And soon, maybe, he’d be making a family of his own.

That thought made him shiver; giddy with anticipation, but he was getting ahead of himself.

Any life with Bobbie in it was going to be an adventure from here on out.

The call came in from the sub not five minutes later, that all five cases had been located and tagged.

Steve tossed his officer-in-charge the handheld transceiver, and with thumbs up all the way around, the five divers expertly deflated their buoyance compensators and exhaled. Inclining their bodies, they went into a controlled descent.

The woman heading the team led them directly to the initial crate, where the first set of floats were attached, inflated, and the bundle sent up.

The team repeated that action four more times, with Buck catching it all on video so there would be no doubt exactly where the contraband had come from.

In that regard, after locating and sending the last crate skyward, the five took the requisite safety stops on the way up, broke the surface, then went straight to the ladder of the cutter, beckoning Buck to follow.

He got it. More footage would be needed as the crates were opened.

While they’d been under, Steve, Bobbie, and even Tabitha and Spencer had switched locations over to the cutter, and they were all standing on deck, along with a few more people who were clearly border patrol and Canadian authorities.

Luckily, Drew and Jeff were nowhere to be seen, which was a good thing. Buck didn’t want either one of those miscreants anywhere near Bobbie.

“This looks like it could be quite a haul,” Steve emoted, clearly enjoying himself.

One of the border patrol people agreed. “It sure seems like it. But now it’s time to see exactly what’s been being sent across our boundaries illegally.”

Buck watched Bobbie chewing on her bottom lip, but she had to know she wasn’t in any kind of trouble.

“It’s okay,” he mouthed to her, and she nodded.

Everyone knew she’d been used by her siblings, and with the way things had unfolded, there was no need, now, to even take her into bogus custody. The authorities had their perps, and Bobbie was in the clear for being key to taking them down because they’d made it look like a routine customs stop.

One of the border agents procured a crow bar and was prying open the first case.

“Beer,” he said as he peered in. “But it looks like it’s only one layer deep. The bottles are sitting on shredded cardboard.” He began handing the brew to other hands who were standing by, then removed the soggy packing material, throwing it to the deck.

Underneath, were…

“We’ve got it,” the man’s voice rose triumphantly while Buck filmed the whole thing.

Beneath the single layer of bottles, were row upon row of neat plastic packaging filled with off-white powder. Even not having proof of what kind of drugs they contained, it was enough to get the rest of the ball rolling.

Steve made a call as the other cases were pried open, then turned to everyone as he hung up.

“Warrants are being procured as we speak, and this whole thing should be wrapped up within the next hour or two. Good job, everyone.”

Cheers went up from the various crews, then the Border Patrol agents—with the help of several Coasties—transferred the contraband from the cutter to their ship. They’d be in charge of the investigation from here on out.

Good riddance .

Buck never wanted to see those crates or Bobbie’s brothers again, but…

He couldn’t have all his wishes come true.

There’d be a trial and Bobbie would inevitably have to testify.

Which meant Buck would have to suck it up, because nothing would stop him from being by her side while the two Follsters got put away.

Bobbie came over and snugged up close to his side. “It’s all over then?” she asked.

“Pretty much,” he agreed.

She squinted up at him in the sun. “Does that mean we can leave?”

“I don’t see why not,” he returned.

“Good. Because I’ve already talked to Tabitha. She and Spencer are going to take the sub back to home base, which means…” She batted her eyelashes.

“…it’s just you and me on the Small Dream,” Buck finished.

“Mmm, hmm,” she confirmed, leaning closer. “And someone promised me that if I was patient, a little ‘something’ might be on the table.”

“A little something?” Buck quipped, kissing her on her neck and inhaling the fresh, ocean scent that clung to her skin.

“I think we can do better than that, and… on the table, on the deck, in the bed…we can manage things anyplace you like. If you think you’re up to it. ” He glanced worriedly down at her leg.

“Oh, I’m up to it, alright. Don’t think I’m going to let you off on a technicality,” she snarked, then wove her fingers into his harness for the second time today.

“And…we may have to leave some of this on,” she whispered in his ear before running her fingers nimbly across his crotch while nipping his lobe.

And… yup .

Once again, he had a problem with his close-fitting wetsuit.