Heart's Passage Part 14

"Hey, Paulie," said the skipper when he answered. "Billy's here, wondering if anyone wants to go out to Heart with him for the day." She paused. "Okay." She looked at Cadie and Bill. "He's asking them. Apparently the senator has a pretty fierce card game in motion."

Cadie rolled her eyes. "She's a terrible poker player. But she can't stand losing, so they'll be at it all day."

Paul obviously replied to Jo and the skipper nodded. "Okay, mate. Have a good day." She paused again. "Yeah I will, I think. Okay, see ya." She hung up. "No takers there. The boys are climbing for coconuts." She rolled her eyes and laughed. "And the card school has settled in for the day, as you predicted. Where are Therese and Sarah?"

Jenny came up from below just as she was asking. "In their cabin, Skip," she said. "With the do not disturb sign up."

"Ah. Okay. You want to come, Jen?"

The brunette had wandered over to Billy and sat down on his knee, the big man happily wrapping her up in a bear hug. "Nah," she said. "That mob'll need lunch." She indicated towards the beach with her head.

"Looks like it's just Cadie and me, Billy."

"Cool," he said, patting Jenny's backside as she stood up.

Ken Harding was sweating like an old, fat horse. Partly that was from the climate, partly it was because he was strapped into a Queensland Police Service helicopter. There were two things in the world Harding hated more than anything. One was drug dealers. And the other was flying. Particularly when that flying was in a tiny gla.s.s-sided box with a ceiling fan strapped on top.

f.u.c.k this, he thought, wiping his brow for the 50th time since they'd taken off from Mackay. Christ, I need a cigarette. It had been an hour since his last desperate puff between getting off his plane from Sydney and waiting for the police chopper to show up.

He'd flown up on a whim. A nagging, nasty, cold slimy whim that had been burning a hole in the back of his brain for about a week.

It had been over five years since he'd last seen Jo Madison. She'd walked out of his dingy office in Sydney and disappeared into the night, as mysterious and untouchable as she'd ever been. He'd tried to keep tabs on her though. His colleagues would make fun of him on a regular basis whenever he called in a few favors to pin down her whereabouts. It wasn't like he did that for any of the other state witnesses lurking out in the real world. But he couldn't help it. He had always had a thing for Madison. A strange half-paternal, half-l.u.s.tful thing that made him care.

He didn't understand it himself. He just knew that when Marco di Santo, former henchman of Tony Martin-Madison's ex-boss-had mysteriously disappeared two weeks ago, it was time to do something.

When Jo had turned state's evidence that cold night five years ago, Martin had been the first she'd gra.s.sed up. In the barely controlled chaos that followed, di Santo had been one of the few to slip through Ken Harding's fingers. He'd kept his nose clean since then, inhabiting Martin's old haunts but never quite doing enough to warrant police attention.

But that had changed three weeks ago when someone slipped a stiletto between Tony Martin's ribs in the shower block at Pentridge Prison. He'd bled to death on the floor while a roomful of criminals looked on. No doubt most had been more than happy to see his life washing down the bathroom drain.

Soon after that di Santo had gone underground. And Harding had a hunch the two events were not unconnected.

He's eliminating the people he sees as a threat to him taking over Martin's turf, Harding thought in an attempt to keep his mind off the thin layer of perspex between himself and a 1000-foot drop. He's taken out the boss, and now he's going after the only one left who can threaten him, either by killing him or putting him away. I'm sure of it. Madison's in danger, and she hasn't exactly made it difficult for anyone to find her. d.a.m.n her.

He had never understood Madison's att.i.tude to the witness protection program. Whether it was arrogance or a death wish, her decision not to hide or change her ident.i.ty had always rankled with him. He knew she was far from stupid, so he had to a.s.sume she felt she could handle anything-or anyone-that came her way. And it was hard to argue with that. He had seen her handiwork, more than once.

But he also knew she had been out of the loop for over five years. There was no way she could know what was coming.

a.s.suming your hunch is right, Harding. This could just be a complete waste of time and di Santo is rotting under a pile of garbage in some Sydney dump somewhere.

The helicopter swung sharply towards the group of islands in the distance and Harding clutched the edge of his seat, his knuckles white with fear.

Oh Christ, I need a cigarette.

Cadie floated across Heart Reef, barely six feet above the coral heads and tropical fish. She was making no effort at all, just drifting in starfish position, absorbing every little detail she could. Jo was behind her in the lagoon made by the reef's unique natural heart-shaped formation. The current took the blonde closer to the outer edge of the reef and she caught her breath as she slid over the precipice. Suddenly the bottom dropped out from under her and the water went from crystal clear to dark indigo beneath her.

Cadie took a deep breath and dove down using her flippers to propel her down the face of the reef wall as far as she could. Fish flashed and dipped around her, filtered sunlight bouncing off their silver scales. A dark shadow pa.s.sed overhead and Cadie's heart stopped for an instant, till she looked up and recognized the shapely silhouette. There was no mistaking the long legs and fan of dark hair floating across the surface.

The American grinned around the snorkel's mouthpiece and finally listened to the burning in her lungs. She shot back up toward the surface, bursting up a foot or so from the smiling Australian.

"Having fun?" Jo asked, lifting her own mask and snorkel off her face.

"Oh, you bet," Cadie enthused. "I can't believe the colors down there. It's gorgeous! I just wish I could hold my breath for longer, and go down deeper."

"Why don't you take some scuba cla.s.ses?" Jo asked, as they started to stroke back across the reef and into the lagoon.

"I can't. I'm asthmatic. They wouldn't give me a medical clearance," Cadie replied somberly.

"Ah. Well, we'll have to see what we can do about getting you down a bit deeper somehow," Jo said. "There's a couple of mini-sub companies we could try hooking up with."

Cadie trod water and beamed at the skipper. "That would be wonderful."

"Come on. They're about to serve lunch," Jo urged and they struck out for the pontoon on the other side of the lagoon.

Several tour companies used the pontoon on a daily basis, and there were groups of tourists dotted around the large square, wooden platform. The company that owned the pontoon also provided food and anchorage. Apart from two helicopters, there were also several boats moored around the outside of the reef.

Fifteen minutes later they were dry and happily munching on a shared plateful of sandwiches as they sat next to each other, legs dangling over the edge of the pontoon.

"There's a storm coming," Jo said, nodding at the dark clouds gathering away to the south. "We should probably head back after lunch-give Billy a chance to get home before the weather closes in."

"Okay," Cadie said, gazing at the thunderclouds. "My first tropical storm. Cool." She grinned. "Um, will we be okay anch.o.r.ed at Whitehaven?"

Jo considered. "It's a little exposed. We'll move around the point onto the leeward side of the island." She looked at Cadie. "Another reason to head back after lunch."

Cadie took it all in as she chewed on her sandwich. "Jo, how long have you worked for Cheswick?" she asked the tall skipper.

"About five years," Jo replied warily, her defenses automatically rising, a reaction not lost on the blonde.

"Relax, Jo-Jo," Cadie said, patting the woman's arm. "I'm not going to dig for anything you don't want to tell me. I was just wondering if you've ever thought about running your own business."

Jo nodded thoughtfully. "Mhmm, I have," she said. "I'd love to have my own boat. I'd keep it small and aim for an exclusive market. Fully crewed and catered trips. And I'd focus on 'family' tourism."

"Family as in gay, or family as in kids?" Cadie asked, grinning at Jo.

"Ew no, no kids. Family as in gay." Jo swept her arm around the horizon. "There's so much to see out here that's different for so many people. And there really isn't a specialist tour operator who can create a safe s.p.a.ce for gays. Ron's pretty good. If a group comes along-like yours-he's happy to give them what they're after, but he doesn't specifically aim for that part of the market."

"Is that why you're our skipper? Because you're gay, too?"

Jo smiled. "No, not really. It was just the way the roster worked out. But it did make sense. And I probably would have suggested it to him if he'd a.s.signed you lot to another skipper."

Cadie studied Jo's pensive profile. "So what stops you doing it, Jo? Running your own company, I mean. Money?"

Jo glanced at the American, and smiled. "No, actually," she said, thinking of the untouched ill-gotten gains burning a hole in her bank account. She sighed. "I don't really know what I'm waiting for. I like working for Cheswick, and when I see how much stress Ron has, I don't see any reason to take on more responsibility."

"But you've just outlined how your business would be different," Cadie said gently.

Jo grinned, and began pulling on her socks and hiking boots. "I know. Shot myself in the foot there, didn't I?" She chuckled. "Perhaps I'm just too chicken s.h.i.t to take the plunge, Cadie. And maybe, too, I feel like I owe Ron a lot, and doing the best job I can for him as a skipper could be the most appropriate way of paying him back." She shrugged her shoulders slightly.

Cadie b.u.mped Jo's shoulder with her own. "Somehow I don't think you and 'chicken s.h.i.t' should be in the same sentence, Jo-Jo," she said. "Pinning down a taipan with a twig kind of blows that image don't you think?" She nudged her again.

Jo snorted. "That was just common sense," she demurred.

"Riiight." Cadie grinned at the slowly blushing skipper until Jo finally gave in and met her gaze with a sheepish smile.

"Okay, okay." She surrendered to the compliment, and then gazed back out across the reef. Something clicked in her head and she decided to share it with Cadie. "It's almost like..." She paused, trying to find the words. "It's almost like I've been resting... recovering, in a way. There was my life before I came up here, and it was," she sighed, "complicated. And stressful. And... awful... in so many ways." She looked down as she felt Cadie's hand creep around her forearm rea.s.suringly, tiny tendrils of warmth jumping across her skin. Jo glanced up and caught warm, sympathetic green eyes gazing at her. "And I know this isn't making any kind of sense, is it?"

"It's okay," Cadie said softly. "Anything you want to tell me is okay by me, Jossandra."

Jo tingled at the way the American's soft accent caressed her name. "Mmmm," she murmured. "Anyway. When I came up here I wanted to get as far away from that life as I could possibly go. And part of that was letting go of any unnecessary stress and decision-making."

Cadie nodded. "I understand," she said. Jo looked at her from under a raised eyebrow. "Well, I kind of understand, given I don't know the details," she qualified. "You know what's really ironic, Jo?"

"What's that?"

"You're a natural-born leader. You can't help taking responsibility and making decisions. It's just what you do. I may not have known you very long, but that much is obvious. I can't imagine you taking a back seat, especially if leadership is what's needed."

Jo had to admit that was true. It had to be or she would never have gone for her master's ticket in the first place. "Mhmm. I guess maybe I feel like I'm coming to the end of that recovery part of my life," she said slowly, only realizing it as the words formed on her tongue.

Cadie smiled softly. "Feel like there's a big change in the wind, huh?"

Jo turned her head and caught the blonde's green eyes with her own azure ones. Another long moment of connection pa.s.sed between them. "I guess you know that feeling, huh?" she asked gently.

The locked gaze continued.

"Oh yeah," Cadie whispered.

Their reverie was broken by the insistent sound of Jo's cell phone. Cadie giggled as she recognized the musical tone as the theme song from a cult television show.

"Xena, Warrior Princess?" She laughed.

"Hey, I'm a fan, all right?" Jo smirked as she picked up the phone to answer it. Cadie laughed again and stretched out on the pontoon, soaking up the sun. "Yeah, h.e.l.lo?" Jo answered casually into the phone.

"J-Jo? It... it's J-Josh."

Something about the teenager's tone sent icicles of fear lancing through Jo. His breathing was ragged and his voice high and anxious. She sat bolt upright, suddenly alert. Cadie's brow furrowed at the quick change in the skipper's posture.

"Josh? What's wrong, mate? Are you all right?"

"N-no... they've got me, Jo, they-" She heard the phone roughly pulled away and the sickening, but unmistakable sound of a fist hitting flesh and bone, then a body hitting the ground.

What the f.u.c.k is going on there? she thought desperately. Her world telescoped around her as a voice from her past curled around her heart and squeezed hard.

"It's been a long time, Madison."

Marco di Santo. Jesus f.u.c.king Christ. Jo fought hard to breathe, the sudden tightness in her chest making her head swim for a moment. A long buried part of her scrambled to the surface and a cold, hard mask slammed down over the skipper's normally open face. "Marco." She knew it was her voice but she barely recognized the sound.

Cadie sat up slowly. Something very weird is happening. Whoever she's talking to is either someone she doesn't like at all or they've just given her the worst kind of news. She studied the skipper's face closely. Maybe both. The rich blue eyes that were usually so open and expressive were now pale and-Cadie shivered involuntarily-and cold. Tension washed off Jo in waves that the blonde could almost see. She was overwhelmed by the urge to comfort her somehow. Hesitantly she reached out to touch Jo's arm, but the dark-haired woman shrugged her off quickly, her focus totally on the voice at the other end of the phone.

"Did you miss me, Madison?"

Jo swallowed hard. Flashing visions of that dark back-alley nightmare flickered across the back of her eyes as she tried to focus on what the sc.u.mbag was saying. What has he done to Josh? Where did he come from? She felt a trickle of sweat at the back of her neck. Think, Jo. Clear your mind and think.

"Back to your old tricks, Marco?" she asked coldly, feeling her dark persona settling into place like a well-worn favorite overcoat. Scary how easily that came back. "Hurting the young and the innocent to get what you want?"

He laughed, an evil sound low in his throat that made the hackles on the back of Jo's neck rise. "You always were a mouthy b.i.t.c.h," he growled. "But this is the end of the line for you, you treacherous slag. Get yourself here, and give yourself to me, Madison, or this young pretty boy you keep will find himself getting uglier piece by piece."

She kept silent, not wanting to give him any satisfaction. Instead she hung up. For a few seconds she sat calmly, gathering her thoughts into an embryonic plan. Jo tasted bile in her mouth and she knew she was afraid. Enough, she told herself. There's a time for fear, and there's a time for action. And now is the time for action.

Cadie continued to watch quietly as her friend struggled with something. Jo was in another world now, she could tell. I get the feeling the dark, mysterious past just jumped up and bit her on the a.s.s. She said it was awful. If that look on her face is anything to go by, she was understating it.

Suddenly Jo came to life, as if she'd just made a decision. Without a word she sprang up and started striding towards the helicopter, which was parked on an adjoining pontoon. Cadie scrambled to catch up.

"Jo!" The skipper kept walking, her steps long and purposeful. "Jo!" Cadie reached forward and grabbed the taller woman's elbow. It's like she doesn't even know I'm here, the blonde thought.

Jo blinked at Cadie unseeingly, not recognizing her for a moment. "What?"she asked roughly.

Cadie stopped uncertainly. "What's going on Jo? What's happened?"

"I have to go," Jo replied curtly. She looked around the pontoon until she found the chopper's pilot, who was chatting up a pretty tourist boat hostess. "Billy!" she yelled. He looked her way. "C'mon on, I've got to go!"

He waved at her and turned back to the girl, continuing his line. Jo strode over to him and grabbed him by the arm.

"I'm not kidding Bill," she muttered menacingly in his ear. "We have to go...now!" She let him go at the startled look on his face. "Seriously. I've got an emergency."

"Okay, okay, Jo. Jesus. I was just saying goodbye."

"You can say goodbye another day. Come on."

The big man looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face, but followed, trusting her enough to know she meant what she said.

Cadie met them at the helicopter. "Where are we going, Jo-Jo?" she asked quietly, as Bill walked around the chopper, doing his pre-flight checks.

"You're not going anywhere," Jo replied gruffly. "I'll get Billy to come back to take you to the Seawolf, after he's dropped me off."

Cadie shook her head. "Jo, look at the sky," she gestured back over her shoulder at the increasingly menacing line of thunderheads. "You said yourself there wouldn't be enough time for Billy to get back if we didn't leave for the boat straight after lunch."

Jo knew the blonde was right, but the last thing she wanted was Arcadia Jones anywhere near Marco di Santo and his ilk. And right now, she knew, she herself was one of his ilk.

Bill fired up the engine and the chopper's rotors started to turn. Jo turned and glared at the shorter American, the downdraft whipping her hair around as she held open the door to the craft's main pa.s.senger compartment.

"I don't have time to debate it with you, Arcadia," she said, more harshly than she intended. "Get in. After Bill drops me, you two can go wherever you need to go. But you're not coming with me, okay?"

Cadie tried to ignore the stinging hurt, but climbed into the helicopter without further argument. She strapped herself in and watched as Jo did the same in the seat opposite her. Most of the s.p.a.ce in the back was taken up by the rescue equipment Billy had installed-a cable winch and reel, lifejackets, harnesses, and a large first aid kit. Jo pulled on a headset, and Cadie did as well, plugging herself into the same audio channel as the skipper and the pilot. They lifted off.

"So. Where to, Skipper?" Billy asked.

"My place, Bill. As fast as you can." Jo looked at Cadie, wishing like h.e.l.l she had stayed on the pontoon.

The American almost flinched under the cool, distant gaze from those pale chips of ice. She's gone somewhere I can't even conceive of, thought the blonde. She felt a stab of fear, wondering what was ahead. It's certainly never dull wherever she is. Well, wherever that is, I'm going too, she resolved, setting her jaw.