The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

an island like Amethyst is temporarily swamped with strangers," Kate said slowly. "It would be easy for someone to conduct some illegal activity and then leave with no one the wiser."

    "Max and his pals arranged to sucker these pirates into using the hidden dock inside the castle as a temporary storage facility for the illegal shipments. They fell for it. Tomorrow when the ship arrives the boss man is supposed to hit the island and head for the castle where Max and some of his buddies are going to be waiting for him." Jared was at the door.

    "Wait, where are you going?"

    "To find Max. As far as I know the government people are coming in on a private plane tomorrow. There shouldn't be anyone hanging around that castle now. But apparently someone is. Jeff Taylor, if you're right about what you saw."

    "You're going to tell Max something's happening there?"

    "Right. This is his operation. He should know why Taylor is involved in this. I want an explanation. I don't like being kept in the dark."

    "I know exactly how you feel."

    Jared gritted his teeth. "I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?" He was halfway out the door but he halted abruptly and looked back at her, his eyes intent. "Kate, listen to me. I may be busy for a while. I don't know what's going on or what's going to happen next. But if I'm not back in an hour, I want you to call Sam Finley on Ruby, you understand? The number's in the card file on my desk."

    Kate was feeling more uneasy by the second. "It would take him a long time to get here."

    "With any luck we won't need him at all. Max probably knows what's going on and has everything under control."

    "You don't believe that or you wouldn't be acting like this. Jared, I'm worried."

    Jared came swiftly back into the room and caught hold of her arms. He pulled her close and kissed her hard. When he raised his head, his silvery eyes were gleaming. "Just stay put and try not to get into any more trouble, okay? I should be back soon."

    "I don't like this. Not one bit."

    He flashed her a brief grin. "Look at it this way, if you hadn't gotten so curious, we'd still be out there fooling around on the veranda at this very moment. Any way you slice it, it's all your fault."

    "Don't you dare blame this on me."

    "Why not? Things were so calm and peaceful around here until you showed up. Nothing's been the same since you hit the island." Jared headed back to the door. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

    "Jared, wait, I'm not sure this is the right—"

    But it was too late. He was gone, closing the door firmly behind him.

    Kate dressed slowly, her mind churning. She didn't like any of this, and most especially she had not cared for the gleam in Jared's eyes as he had walked out the door. There was enough pirate in him to enjoy this whole thing, she decided, even if he was one of the good guys.

    And of course he was one of the good guys, she reflected, aware of a definite sense of relief. Her pirates might walk close to the line at times, but they always managed to redeem themselves. They adhered to their own codes of honor. When the chips were down, you could count on them.

    When she had pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt she went to stand out on the veranda. Her insides were knotted with tension. She wondered if Max was in the bar as usual and if Jared was talking to him at that very moment. Would they head for the castle? Would Max try to contact his superiors? Or would he and Jared try to take matters into their own hands?

    That last possibility sent a jolt of alarm through Kate. She could just see Jared doing something like that. And if Max was in the business of dealing with modern-day pirates, he'd probably go right along with the whole stupid idea.

    At the very least, they'd go up to the castle to check out the diving equipment and see what else they could find.

    Kate's uneasiness grew. There was always the possibility that Jeff Taylor was at the castle himself by now. If Max and Jared walked in on him, there could be real trouble. Unless, of course, Jeff, too, was one of the good guys. But who would know until it was too late?

    Kate came to a decision and headed for the door. The sensible, logical thing to do was call Sam Finley at once. Just in case.

    She made her way quickly through the gardens to Jared's house where she found the lights on and the door unlocked. No one ever bothered to lock doors on Amethyst, she had learned. She let herself into the hall.

    "David? Beth?