Page 51

Thirty-Nine

Huck

The storm passes through during the night.

Stella sleeps with her head against my chest, one leg thrown over mine, and I run my fingertips over her soft hair and skin.

The gesture probably seems absentminded, but I was starved of her so much over the last year that I’m intentionally trying to satisfy my desperate need for contact with her.

All of this feels right, good…It can’t be wrong.

I make a decision…maybe I’d already made it back when I decided to come on this trip, or even before that when I’d written The Fortune Files .

I’m not going to let anything come between us again.

It doesn’t matter what happens. I’m in this, fully and for real.

Once I admit this to myself, I fall asleep instantly despite the howling wind and the rain whipping against the glass door to the balcony and the whir of Stella’s gentle snoring.

···

In the early morning light, the storm damage appears to be minor. The streets are scattered with palm fronds and other detritus and there’s some minor flooding on some of the low-lying areas, but other than that, everything is pretty much unscathed.

The Lucky Strike is right where we left her in the harbor, a little messy but no worse for wear.

Stella and the rest of the crew take care of the more critical checks of systems and drains, and then she and Zoe head to the market for some provisions while I clear the debris from the deck.

Teddy joins me where I’m neatening some gear.

He’s still wearing the clothes he had on yesterday on the boat and his hair is greasy even though all the rooms at the resort had luxurious showers.

Deep purple shadows beneath his eyes suggest he hasn’t slept.

Maybe it was the partying on Duval, or potentially something else that I don’t want to consider…

it seems not everything came through the storm unscathed.

“How’s the research going?” he asks sharply.

The antagonism in his tone catches me off guard even though I should’ve been expecting it. I decide to play it cool.

“It’s going alright,” I say. I’ve filled two spiral-bound notebooks with notes for my new Blackbeard-inspired book, ideas for the plot and various scenes, technical lingo, snips of dialogue, but I don’t want to tell him this.

The muscles in his jaw tense. He nods. “Did we give you enough material?”

“It’s been an incredible experience so far,” I say.

“But you’re probably just about ready to go back and start writing now, right?

I mean, it’s only going to get stormier in the season, and how much tagging along do you really need to do to write a book?

That’s what Google is for, am I right?” He laughs, but I know Ted, and this isn’t his real laugh.

It’s tight and hostile…practically a warning shot across the bow.

I play dumb. “Sure, but I thought I was staying the full month with you guys? That’s what we agreed, right?”

“Okay, but we found the San Miguel so…”

“Exactly, why would I want to go now? It’s so exciting discovering new relics each time we dive. Did you see that emerald? And Stella still needs to find the Heart diamond.”

“Yeah, totally. I’m just thinking of how much we have to get done in the remaining time.

We really don’t have room for a rookie on our dives when we need to move quickly and the weather’s all over the place.

Low visibility, strong currents, those things require a certain experience level, and you’ll slow us down.

Plus, you’re taking someone’s spot when you go because somebody has to stay up top for safety. Zoe hasn’t even gone out once.”

“Well…” I run a hand through my hair, trying to think how to respond. I don’t want to give Zoe’s secret away. “I’d be glad to make myself useful in a different way.”

“I bet.”

I sigh. This comment is less shot-across-the-bow and more like a direct hit. We’re not talking about me slowing down the treasure salvage or not being a skilled diver anymore. I really didn’t want to do this.

“Look, bud, if you have something you want to say to me, just go ahead and fucking say it. I can handle it, I assure you.”

“Can you, though? Handling criticism’s never really been your forte, Henry .”

This is a low blow and Ted knows it. Better than most people. That doesn’t stop him from forging ahead; in fact, it’s probably the reason why he said it. “You’re in the way here. I don’t know what more I can say on the subject.”

And there it is. I’m in the way. I’m in his way.

I’m not sure why he says this. Maybe knowing me and my history makes him think I’ll just bend to this. I’ll give in. I’m not even nothing, I’m an obstacle, worse than nothing. I hate this feeling. But he knows that, and he’s using that knowledge to try and control me, which pisses me off.

I narrow my eyes at him. “The way I see it, you’re more of a liability than I am.”

“Are you fucking for real, man? I’m a liability? I’m not the one who had a panic attack when I went snorkeling in five feet of water.”

“No. You’re the one that put both Stella and Gus in danger because you ignored all safety precautions, went way too deep, got yourself narc’d, and then ran out of air. But sure, think whatever you want about me.”

“That kind of thing happens in our line of work—we have to push limits. If you had any experience, other than sitting behind a screen trying not to get your feelings hurt, you’d know that.”

“Nope. Sorry, Ted. You were reckless. It shouldn’t have happened and we all know it.”

“Jesus, I never should’ve let you come. And I wouldn’t have if I didn’t feel sorry for you about your dad dying after you unleashed on him and your fiancée leaving you, and yeah, I still felt bad about what happened in high school, which you knew.

But I think I’ve paid my debt, don’t you?

I mean, you did get the idea of Clark Casablanca from me. ”

It’s a half-truth—we’d created Clark together one night on the roof when we were teens. A vague idea of a man who was everything we hoped we’d be someday.

“Ted, c’mon. We both know that’s not why you let me come, and my debt is paid too.”

“Yeah, fine. At least now I know my mistake and am in a position to fix it. We found the treasure, so we don’t need your money anymore. You can just pack up your little notebooks and your laptop and go.”

“I don’t want to.”

Teddy looks at me, incredulous. “Why? Because you figured out a way to weasel back into everyone’s good graces, or is the sex with Stella just that good that you don’t want to give it up?

Don’t look at me like that. You think we’re all idiots, like it wasn’t totally obvious that you booked the honeymoon suite for the two of you last night just so you could get laid. ”

“You’re out of line, Ted. I honestly can’t believe you’re acting like this.

You know what’s between me and her isn’t like that—it never was.

You and I haven’t been tight in a long time, that’s true, but we were good friends once.

And Stella? You guys are practically family, but you’re talking about her with such fucking disrespect.

You make this about money—you can’t just buy your way out of things and treat your friends like they’re your employees.

You don’t get to fire me because you suddenly are back in the black. Grow up.”

“We were never friends. You were just some guy who I had to drag around because you couldn’t make any friends of your own. If I didn’t feel bad about the pond, I never would’ve let you come along.”

“Did you even tell your friends that you made a bunch of bad investments and burned through your entire trust fund?” Ted doesn’t answer, but his entire body goes rigid.

It’s enough to tell me that he must not have known that I knew.

“The thing I don’t understand is how the four of you proclaim to be so close and yet none of you tell each other the truth. ”

“Fuck you, Sullivan. You act so superior, like I should be freaking grateful to the magnanimous New York Times bestseller who funded the trip when I had a rough patch. It wasn’t that long ago when you were the loser who had to hide from the entire world so you didn’t have to hear how big of a failure you actually are, but yeah, sure, I’m so lucky that I have such a generous old pal who deigned to help me out. ”

It takes all of my energy to control my volume. “You know, I was happy to help and it felt good to be able to give something in return for this opportunity. But I didn’t do it for you. I did it for her.”

“You know what? Your dad and Vanessa were right about you. You are nothing. You think Stella won’t realize it too?”

Ted’s cruelty would’ve taken me out before. But he’s wrong. Stella knows exactly who I am.

“All of this, the book, the trip, everything…it’s all for her. Because I love her…I love her, Ted, and it doesn’t matter to me if you hate me. I only care what she thinks, and I think she loves me too—”

That’s when Ted hits me.

I don’t remember him being much of a fighter in our school days, but he’s older now and has packed on some muscle and a lot of rage, which he fully channels in my direction.

Maybe that’s why when his right fist connects with my jaw, I’m positive that I see the aurora borealis before I pitch over the edge of the boat into the harbor.