Donovans 01 - Amber Beach

surface.
    “That’s it,” Jake said, reversing. “There’s a reef. Any closer and I’ll be on the rocks.”
    With a frustrated noise, Honor leaned farther out the window, banging her elbows in her eagerness to get a better look. The shore was still ten feet away, the fir branches were rippling in the wind, and the boat was constantly adjusting to the restless, choppy water.
    “I can’t see if it’s a—” she began. She made an odd sound. “It’s a dive tank!”
    Jake couldn’t see anything but the back of her head and the rocky shore they were drifting closer to with every passing second. He looked at the bottom and made up his mind. This would have to do for short-term anchorage. At least they were on the lee side of the island, as long as the wind didn’t shift.
    He threw the controls into reverse, backed out, then switched to neutral. “I’m going to anchor here.”
    Honor barely noticed him going to the bow, letting down the anchor, and then backing the boat off to set the hook. The engine noise stopped. She kept staring through the glasses until her eyes ached, praying that she would see her brother.
    All she saw was an on-and-off glint of metal where the dive tank lay hidden in the thicket of fir trees.
    “Kyle!” Honor called. “Are you here? Are you all right? Kyle! Can you hear me?”
    Only the sigh of evergreens and the restless slapping of water against rock answered her.
    “Do you know how to shoot a gun?” Jake asked.
    Honor backed out of the window so fast that she rapped her head. “The basics, why?”
    “How basic?” he asked.
    “The end with the hole in it points toward the target. Don’t close your eyes when you pull the trigger.”
    “That’s pretty basic.” He bent down and opened a compartment beneath the table. “How good a shot are you?”
    “I’d probably do better tying the gun on the end of my fishing line and throwing it like a lure.”
    The corner of Jake’s mouth turned up in a reluctant smile. “I’ll bet you would.” He straightened, gun in hand, and headed for the stern of the boat. “I’ll take this with me.”
    “What?” She stared at the black weapon and then hurried to follow him out into the stern. “Why do you need one?” she demanded as he shoved the gun into a waterproof dive bag and clipped the bag to the webbing belt around his waist. “Kyle wouldn’t shoot you! Why are you carrying a gun?”
    Jake looked up. There was no smile on his face. “I’m not planning on shooting your precious brother. I promised you that I wouldn’t hurt him. My word might not mean anything to you, but it does to me.”
    “That isn’t what I meant,” Honor said, touching Jake’s arm. Cool neoprene covered it. “You’re in no danger from Kyle, so why take a gun?”
    “I’m the nervous type.”
    “Damn it, Jake, what aren’t you telling me?”
    He hissed a word under his breath and looked into Honor’s angry, anxious eyes. It would be so much easier for both of them if she just trusted him. But she didn’t.
    “According to Ellen Lazarus,” Jake said, “two Russians were sent to take care of Kyle. One killer washed up dead. The other one didn’t. Feel better now that I’ve told you what I wasn’t telling you?”
    “No.” Honor’s hands fastened around Jake’s upper arms. She was shocked by the tension and strength in him. “If there’s a-a killer waiting for you, don’t go ashore!”
    When Jake realized that she was worried about him as well as her brother, some of the tension eased from his body.
    “You’re not thinking very clearly, honey. Somebody has to check out that dive tank.” He bent and gave her a swift, hard kiss. “Don’t you get worried just because I am. I’m paranoid, remember? That means no more hanging over the rail and yelling for Kyle.”
    Unhappily she bit her lip, but she didn’t protest.
    “Stay here until I come back for you,” Jake said. “If you hear gunshots, get on the radio to the Coast Guard and stay on until you see them or the SEALs coming over the swim step. Don’t try to go ashore. Okay?”
    “Can’t I help you?”
    “Sure. If you see anyone but me or Kyle, hit the boat horn.”
    “I meant coming ashore with you. I can take the cold water for a few yards.”
    “You’d be surprised how quick it gets to you. But even if you could take it, I don’t want you to leave the boat.”
    “But—”
    “Remember the night the guy trashed Kyle’s house?” Jake