Treasure Tides Part 11

"Glad I called you for the pep talk," Becki complained.

"Sorry. I'm--forget it. And--? You were saying?" Natie prompted.

"He fixed breakfast," Becki continued, "and then-- he asked me out on a date," she finished in a rush.

"That's great!" Natie cheered. "He seems like a really nice guy, Becki. I'm happy for you, and he's hot as h.e.l.l. I think you should go for it--see where things lead. The flowers were beautiful, by the way. Didn't you think?"

"I just don't know if I'm up to going through all the motions only to get hurt again," Becki confessed. "You know I have a hard time trusting men. I'm not interested in getting all tied in knots over someone who ends up being completely different than the person he seemed to be at the beginning of the relationship."

"Oh, Becki, just take it slow," Natie advised. She knew, better than anyone, how badly Becki had been hurt in the past. "Don't over-think this. Have some fun and see where things go."

"I guess," Becki said with little-or-no conviction.

"If you never take a chance on anyone, you will be alone for the rest of your life." Natie took the gloves off, so to speak. "Is that what you want?" Natie asked softly.

"Of course not," Becki answered.

"Well, then--"

"I'll think about it," Becki agreed. "Did you and Sean go straight home last night?" she asked, changing the subject. "I kind of got the feeling he was interested in spending some 'alone time' with you."

"Jonah and I have been on the road for about an hour," Natie said quickly.

"O. K...I'll take that as a no," Becki said with a smile. The fact that Natie had not immediately answered "yes" gave Becki hope. "You had better call me the minute you get home," Becki threatened. "I want the gory details."

"Alright. Well, our exit is just ahead so I need to go. I'll call you when we get home to let you know we made it safely."

"I'll look forward to it," Becki laughed. "You guys be careful."

"We will," Natie agreed. "Just relax, ok? Enjoy the unexpected...and keep me informed!" Natie insisted before she hung up.

Eight fifteen in the morning! Before today, Becki hadn't even known those particular numbers were on her clock. She might as well get in the shower since she had promised to run downtown and pick up candy for the girls. Clarissa, Leann, and Mandy were planning a sleepover with friends tonight. They didn't have school tomorrow because it was a "teacher workday".

Becki yawned. Then again, maybe there was time for a quick nap before venturing downtown. Her shift started at six o'clock this evening, and she didn't expect to get off until eleven o'clock at the very earliest. Yes, definitely time for a quick nap.

"Sean, where are we supposed to meet Kurt and Landon this morning?" Royce asked as he crested the top of the Cooper River Bridge. He had not called back immediately. After leaving Becki this morning, he needed a few minutes to let his mind clear before talking with Sean. Holding her while she slept had felt like coming home after a long journey: comfortable, natural, wonderful.

"Hi boss, I've been calling you for the last hour. I was starting to think you were going to be a no-show," Sean teased.

"Bulls.h.i.t, you know better--where and when?" Royce asked.

"Since they are meeting us here, I ran out and grabbed some doughnuts this morning. Kurt just called though and said he and Landon were running late. They wanted to stop somewhere to pick up some old maps of Charleston Harbor. We are going to compare the paper copies with the digital copies I have. From what they were telling me last night, we suspect the digital copies have been altered. Uh, how was Becki this morning?" Sean bravely asked.

"None of your d.a.m.n business," Royce said effectively shutting down the conversation before it began.

"Got it," Sean backed off immediately but a grin covered his face.

"Have you heard from Joanna?" Royce asked. "She is supposed to be in this afternoon, right?"

His sister was going to have to remove the spell currently cloaking the coin if they wanted to get this mission wrapped up anytime soon. If what Sean said was true, the digital maps they had been using might have been previously altered. That could indicate someone had gone to great lengths to hide something. Sean's computers and other techno gadgetry were vital to their mission, but sometimes you just couldn't beat plain old paper and pencil.

Entering the condo a few minutes later, Royce announced, "I'm gonna hit the shower before Kurt and Landon get here. I need you to find that sister of mine," he called to Sean as he crossed the living room, moving toward his bedroom.

"I'll see what I can do, Boss. Kurt and London should be here in forty-five minutes," Sean reminded Royce as he reached for his laptop.

With a few keystrokes, Sean activated Joanna's microchip. Each team member had agreed to the implant for their safety as well as that of their team members. Sean could monitor their individual locations and route help quickly if a mission became compromised, or one of them needed a.s.sistance. The system had proved invaluable when coordinating the movement of team members during critical situations. He was always careful not to impose in personal s.p.a.ce, so the chips were deactivated unless they were on a mission. The chip hadn't seemed to work well if the host, or team member, was submerged underwater. Who would have thought? The tracking system obviously needed some modifications. However, Sean didn't have time to work on that right now. The first item on his agenda was finding that coin!

Sean found himself thinking about Natie and her poor-excuse-for-aboy-friend. Jonah didn't deserve her. Natie was the kind of girl most guys would kill for. Sean certainly would. He had instinctively pulled her close when she began crying on the way home, and she hadn't pulled away. Natie had stayed right where she landed: at his side, their thighs touching and hands linked together like teenagers on their first date. He had been in Heaven.

They had discovered a quaint coffee shop where they enjoyed lattes and laughed about Royce and Becki, the cousins, Natie's job, and her idiot boyfriend. Who would mess around on someone like Natie? If she belonged to Sean, he would appreciate her and spoil her as she deserved to be spoiled.

Sean was certain that Jonah had not been in their hotel room last night when he deposited Natie. He had escorted her to the door of her hotel room. With every step he took, he hated the fact that he had to walk away and leave her. He wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and--, but he couldn't. So he had settled for brushing a silky strand of blond hair from her face and gently tucking it behind her ear.

Letting his fingers glide across her face as he withdrew, he whispered, "Take care of yourself, Natie Stephens. Don't settle for less than you deserve."

Natie nodded and then whispered, "I'd better go. I still have to pack tonight and try not to wake Jonah in the process. Thank you. Thank you for the latte and the conversation and for cheering me up."

Looking deeply into her beautiful blue eyes he said, "You have my number. I'm just a phone call away if you ever want to talk."

She sighed heavily then leaned forward to brush her lips across his cheek. "It was nice to meet you, Sean Jones."

Natie placed her hand flat on his chest over his heart for a brief moment. Heaving another sigh, she turned and slipped into the room closing the door quietly behind her.

Sean had stood for a moment with his head leaning against the door feeling as if it had just closed on his heart. He heard a door slam inside the room and knew that Jonah hadn't rushed home after all.

Kurt and Landon and crossed the Cooper River Bridge driving toward downtown. Sean had returned Kurt's truck bright and early this morning. He and Landon were running late for their meeting because they had stopped to pick up some old maps along the way. They both agreed; Sean's digital maps were incorrect. Kurt and Landon had logged numerous hours boating, diving, or treasure hunting in Charleston Harbor. Their intimate knowledge of the harbor would enable them to identify even the slightest differences between the maps.

"What is your opinion of this mission?" Kurt asked Landon. "And-why in the world do you think Witches would interfere with the recovery of this particular coin? Doesn't it stand to reason they would want it to be secured with the Council?"

"Witches are funny creatures. They live by a secret Witchy code, and they look out for themselves first," Landon explained. "You know I'm not overly fond of them."

"Why is that?" Kurt asked with a frown.

"It's been my experience that regardless of how beautiful they may seem on the outside, underneath that beauty is a black heart, bad teeth, and a crooked nose," Landon said scowling, "with a big fat wart on the end of it!"

Kurt chuckled at Landon who normally had a pretty broad-minded view on everything.

"Never trust a Witch," Landon warned gravely.

"I'll keep that in mind," Kurt promised.

"You do that," Landon returned.

"We need to figure out this puzzle," Kurt said, getting back on task. "The sooner that coin is recovered, the sooner they all leave, and the sooner we can get back to our oh-so-boring-yet- comfortable life style. I'm getting too old for this s.h.i.t."

As they pa.s.sed through the streets of downtown nearing the team's headquarters, Landon suddenly stiffened.

"Turn left, now!" he said tightly. His eyes began to glow an eerie golden-yellow.

"What's up?" Kurt asked, reaching for the gun he always kept under his seat.

"We've got bigger problems than Witches, my friend," Landon announced. His voice was filled with dread, which surprised Kurt. Landon Smith was normally unshakeable.

Kurt spotted them standing in front of a large home situated on Rutledge Avenue known as the Steinwick family home. The estate had been "pa.s.sed down through several generations" of the Steinwick family heirs. Suspiciously enough, the "family resemblance" between generations was uncanny. However, the pair currently loitering in front of the stately mansion was not, in any way, related to the Steinwick family; who were all richly blessed with an abundance of red hair.

The truth of the matter was... the Steinwick brothers had been turned into Vampires centuries ago. Jeremy and Joshua returned to their home in Charleston every sixty years or so as the "new generation" of Steinwick heirs. They would settle into the community and live peacefully for an indefinite period of time. When they got bored or when townspeople began noticing their failure to age, it was time to move on. The Steinwick brothers would simply disappear from Charleston relocating to one of the many homes they had ama.s.sed through the centuries. Showing up there, too, as new heirs, they begin living the lie all over again.

The Steinwick brothers could never bring themselves to "feed from the vein" as other Vamps do. It was "terribly uncivilized" as far as Jeremy and Joshua were concerned. They "imported" their blood supply from England where a one-of-a-kind plasma center collected, processed, and bottled donated blood.

The Steinwick brothers were rumored to be heavy drinkers due to the inordinate amount of "wine" delivered to their home each month. However, they were never observed conducting themselves in a drunken or disorderly fashion. Their neighbors loved them through the centuries, and the children of each generation were always greatly saddened when the Steinwick brothers disappeared from their lives.

Since Jeremy and Joshua had relocated less than five years ago, they would not return to Charleston for at least another fifty-five years. Then one day when a new generation of mortals replaced the ones currently living in the great city, Jeremy and Joshua Steinwick would return once again to their beloved Charleston as Steinwick heirs and watch over their old friends great-great-great-great-great grandchildren for a short while.

"What the h.e.l.l are they doing here?" Landon growled as he grabbed his cell phone and pushed the ICE (in case of emergency) b.u.t.ton. He had set up that contact as a joke, but this situation was far from funny.

Kurt listened as Landon ordered, "Get the pack together!" Judging from this side of the conversation currently taking place, things were serious.

Kurt dug a little deeper under the seat and pulled out a black satchel, his little emergency supply kit of sorts. Wooden stakes, led bullets, a flare gun, and a collapsible cross-bow.

Landon's eyes were glowing. His breathing was heavy as he struggled to restrain the Wolf pushing to escape.

"Yes," Landon continued talking on the phone. "I've seen two of them. No, I don't know yet."

Kurt pulled a bundle of arrows out of the secret compartment under his dash.

Landon seemed more agitated, but Kurt didn't know whether to stay close to the Steinwick mansion or high-tail it out of the area.

"I don't know that yet either. I'm not sure how many are here. Send three delegates to my house. I'll say they're friends visiting from out of town. Tell them their priority is the safety of Kurt's family. Tell the rest of the pack to stay out of sight until I figure out what is going on. Absolutely no Wolfing around, or they'll have me to deal with, understood?" Landon barked, literally, and then disconnected the call.

When the conversation ended with a bark, Kurt knew the situation was even worse than his initial a.s.sessment.

"Vamps, I a.s.sume?" he asked already knowing the answer; it was the only reason Landon would be so worked up.

Uttering the word seemed to fire Landon's Wolf up even more, and soon he was fighting a full shift with every ounce of his strength.

"Yes," Landon snarled. His fangs began to descend. Shifting into a Werewolf was not something he wanted to happen in the middle of town, especially not in broad daylight.

"Get me away from here. Quickly!"

As Landon struggled to keep the Wolf at bay, Kurt sped down side streets and alleys to get his friend away from the hot-zone. Vamps in the city had taken them both by surprise, and Landon's Wolf was not inclined to tolerate trespa.s.sers.

"We need to get this s.h.i.t cleared up...and I mean fast," Landon spoke as soon as he could. His breathing had returned to normal; his fangs retracted; and his eyes were returning to the blue pools of color that ladies seemed to find so mesmerizing.

"When will your friends be here?" Kurt asked tightly. He was mentally stepping through the girls' schedule. He would most likely have to send them to his parents' house in Indiana for a visit. He would like to send Becki as well, but she was a little more difficult to remove without suspicion. Becki would definitely be more difficult to remove without a fight.

"Everyone will be in place within the next two hours," Landon a.s.sured him.

Sean answered the door as Kurt and Landon arrived for their scheduled meeting even later than expected.

"Hi Sean," Kurt said. "Are you ready to get down to business?"

"Yes, Sir, Royce is just finishing up on a phone call. He'll be out shortly."

As the men moved into the living room where Sean had set up his computers, they tried not to listen to Royce's private conversation.

"Ok, babe, I'll see you soon. I know, it's been too long. Yes, two years too long. Be safe. We'll catch up as soon as you get in town, maybe over lunch. I love you too, sweetheart... can't wait to see you," Royce said with a smile as he entered the living room. "Hey, I need to go," Royce said as soon as he spotted Kurt and Landon. "We'll talk later."

"Could I interest you in doughnuts or coffee?" Sean offered, oblivious to the fact that Kurt and Landon had just heard Royce speaking words of love to someone on the phone. It was obvious that "someone" had not been Becki.

"Good morning, Gentlemen," Royce said offering a handshake to his guests.

Both men stood glaring. Neither made a move to accept his hand. They looked as if they would tear him apart within the next few seconds.

Sean noticed the body language of their visitors and suddenly realized what they had overheard.

"Royce was just talking to his sister, who is on her way here to help with the mission."

Both men relaxed simultaneously, and Kurt accepted Royce's outstretched hand. As Royce turned to shake hands with Landon, he saw remnants of yellow specks in Landon's eyes.

"We all ok here?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes," Landon rea.s.sured him, "we ran into some trouble on the way here. Do you know why Vamps would be showing up in town?"

Royce stiffened and bellowed, "Sean, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"I've got it, Boss. The indicators report two new Vamps have entered the city, but nothing is showing up on V-Scan. They don't have even a trace of unprocessed human blood in them. For all we know, they could be vacationing."

"Vamps don't 'vacation' in Charleston, Sean; this is Moultrie Pack territory," Royce said tightly. "Landon, have you notified the Pack?"

"Yes, I called it in on the way here. Everyone is on high alert, and backup is in route."

"Have you considered getting the girls out of the city until this is over?" Royce asked Kurt.

"Yes, I'll send them to Indiana for a while. They're overdue for a visit with the Grandparents anyway."

"Let's take a look at these maps," Landon suggested moving towards the couch and large coffee table littered with pens and drawings.

Sean quickly swept the clutter aside and settled down to compare the paper maps to his digital copies.

"Right here," Landon said pointing to an area of the harbor on his maps. "This area has been altered in your digital copies."

Sure enough, there it was! It was a more significant alteration than the men had initially a.s.sumed.