No changes in this one as this is Melissas expertise. bringing the action and the faster story beats with it.

Twelve

It just kept raining. Tori was actually kind of glad, feeling they both needed a little down time after the excitement of the past few days. She was curled up on the bed, with her neatly bound writing diary in front of her. A half finished poem was scrawled across one page, and nearby, a steaming mug rested on the bedside table.

Jade was sprawled across the couch, one long leg draped along it's back, the other propping up a book. She had a glass of milk nearby, and the bag of Oreo cookies sat neatly peeled open next to it. On the table, her laptop was busily working, streams of data flicking across the screen at an alarming rate.

Tori nibbled the end of her pen as she watched Jade read, her eyes tracing down the page, then pausing while long fingers turned it. She was dressed in a pair of soft cotton shorts and a t-shirt, and somehow managed to make even that seem attractively sexy.

How did she do that? Tori wondered. She cocked her head and regarded her lover with bemused curiosity. What really struck her about Jade, she realized, was just how nicely proportioned she was. Though she was tall, and her arms and legs were long, her body was also and everything just seemed to fit together right.

The white cotton showed off her tan, and as she turned another page, the subtle shift of muscle under her skin was visible to Tori's appreciatively watching eyes.

Tori sighed, and put her chin down on her arm, still feeling a little knocked out from the partying the night before. Her stomach wasn't in the mood for more than tea, and her head hadn't quite stopped throbbing. The discomfort was making it hard for her to concentrate on her writing, and besides, it was really a lot more pleasant just to lie around and look at Jade.

She had such a nice profile. Tori blinked dreamily. It was all angles and clean, sharp planes, with a nice nose and well shaped lips.

And the eyes, of course. Tori smiled.

"Tor?"

Uh oh. "Hmm?"

"What's that goofy grin for?"

"Was I goofily grinning?" Tori rolled onto her back and tugged the covers over her pajama clad body. "I can't finish this poem." She changed the subject. "I got stuck in the middle."

"What's it about?" Jade slipped a bookmark into her book and put it down, turning on her side and focusing her attention on Tori.

Ah, those eyes. Tori suddenly found herself lost in them, until the rising brow over one made her realize she was staring like a loon. "Sorry, what was the question?"

"You still feeling the rum?" Jade asked, curiously.

Tori put her head down on her arm. "Maybe." She admitted. "I just feel a little silly, I guess."

Jade got up and walked over to the bed. She sat down next to Tori and rubbed her midriff through the covers. "Want to try some toast or cereal?"

Tori curled herself around Jade instead, and rested her head on Jade's thigh. "I think I just want you." She planted a gentle kiss on the tan skin and closed her eyes.

Jade plaintively wondered if the hotel would charge for having to launder all the sentimental gooshy goop she was presently exuding. She'd never considered herself a sentimental person, but since she'd met Tori she'd felt like she was living inside a circle of perpetually adorable Golden Retriever puppies all the time.

It worried her sometimes. Jade felt parts of the image she'd always had of herself falling away and disappearing and was a little unsettling to know it was happening and be helpless to stop it.

Ah well. Jade draped her arm over Tori's shoulders and resigned herself to it. "Tell you what." She said. "Let me go get my laptop, and we can take a look at what we've got so far."

Tori reluctantly released her and sat up. "Okay."

Jade got to her feet and retrieved the device, then returned. She sat down on the bed and leaned back, resting the laptop on her thighs. Tori squirmed over and settled next to her. They both looked at the screen, as Jade smoothly keyed in a request.

"Okay." Jade reviewed her programmatic results. "What I was looking for…"

"Was a link between the piracy and DeSalliers." Tori murmured, reaching out and touching the screen. "Nice code, honey. I like that recursive parse."

"Thanks." Jade smirked at the screen a little. "Let's see what it found." She brought up two screens and locked them into concurrency, scrolling down evenly and looking from one to the other. "Six? There's been more than two dozen. Damn."

Tori was shocked. Two dozen hijackings in the area, and no one had said anything. It bordered on pointing to a definite collusion. "Are those from the police files?" She asked, pointing to the piracy records.

"You're joking, right?" Jade looked at her. "No. Those are the insurance filings." She nudged a key. "Ah. Looks like the insurance underwriters are starting to get suspicious. This one's pending investigation."

"Hm. So the hijackers will get their money, but the guy they hit might not?"

Jade shook her head. "No, they'll have to pay out unless they think the owner's in cahoots with the pirates just to make a claim. Most of these guys, who can buy boats like that wouldn't bother." She cross checked something. "I was hoping I'd see a correlation between DeSallier's salvage operations and the missing boats, but it looks like this is the first time his bunch have shown up in this area."

"Mm." Tori frowned. "Yeah." She rested her chin on Jade's shoulder. "Can you plot the piracies graphically?"

Jade studied the data, then she brought up a code screen and started typing rapidly, stopping only to tab to a different window and clip some data before she resumed programming. After a few minutes, she ran the program, and a new window appeared with a somewhat rough outline of the islands, the space around them dotted with ominous little plus signs. "Ain't pretty, but there ya go."

"Hmmm." Tori studied the graphic, then sighed. "No real pattern, huh?"

"Nope."

"We're hitting big nulls here, Jade."

"Yeah." Jade had to admit.

A knock startled both of them. Tori felt Jade's body stiffen, and she put a hand on her arm. "I'll get that." She rolled off the other side of the bed before Jade could protest and walked to the door, running the fingers of one hand through her hair self consciously. She peered through the peephole, relieved to see one of the hotel staff there.

"Hi." Tori opened the door and issued a inquiring smile.

"Ma'am? I have a note for a Ms. West?" The man held up an envelope.

"I'll take it." Tori extended her hand.

Reluctantly, he gave it to her. "The gentleman said to make sure Ms. West got that note."

"She'll get it. I promise." Tori pulled her head back inside and closed the door firmly. She turned and nearly jumped right out of her T-shirt when she found Jade standing silently in back of her. "Yipes! Jesus, Jade!"

"What?" Jade took the note. "You didn't expect me to be in the room? What's up with that, Tor?"

"I didn't hear you come up in back of me you grunge." Tori peered past her shoulder as Jade opened the envelope. It was standard hotel stationary, and the note was written in black ink in a distinctively strong script. "Who's it from?"

Jade's eyes dropped the bottom, then lifted. "DeSalliers." She stated briefly. "Looks like he still wants to set up a meeting to talk."

Tori read the note. "Arrogant S.O.B., isn't he?"

"I nearly knocked him on his ass outside." Her partner murmured. "I don't think he likes me much."

Ms. West.

I will leave out any polite preambles. I have business to discuss with you. I will be available this afternoon to meet with you and determine if this business can be handled between us, or will be remanded to the authorities. Be at my dockside at three.

J. DeSalliers.

"You should have knocked him on his head. Maybe it would have let some sense leak in." Tori shook her head. "Did he forget he was chasing us?" She added. "Or is this something else?"

Jade folded the note and put it back into the envelope. "Guess we'll find out." She remarked. "Though, if you're not feeling up to it…"

"Ah ah ah." Tori clapped a hand over her mouth. "Don't you even try that." She said. "You're not leaving me behind."

Blue eyes widened above her fingers.

Tori removed her hand. "Isn't going onto his boat a little risky though?"

"Might be." Jade acknowledged. "We'll have to play it by ear." She tossed the envelope down on the desk and went to the window, gazing out at the still stormy weather. Was she crazy to be doing this at all? They were away from home, and operating all by themselves. Jade wasn't stupid, and if she had to look logically at the scenario of two women executives out in the Caribbean playing with fire like this, she'd be forced to admit it wasn't the smartest idea in the world.

Damn it. Jade knew herself to be a risk taker, and she had a lot of confidence in her judgment and ability to take care of herself. But was this taking it too far? Was she just indulging her own ego?

"You know what?" Tori had wandered over, and leaned on the sill next to her. "I think we're just natural troubleshooters."

Jade looked at her.

"We're so used to problem solving, we never really stop to think about it even if the problem really should be solved by someone else."

A little unsettled, Jade turned and folded her arms. She was surprised to hear her own thoughts so eerily echoed back at her. "You think someone else should be solving this one?"

Tori kept her eyes on the horizon, and nodded slightly. She turned to face Jade. "But the people who should be might be part of the problem." She said. "That's what you think, isn't it, that the cops are in on it?"

Jade nodded. "I think they are, yeah."

"Everyone's attitude seems to be to hush it up. Let the fat and happy tourists keep coming, and if a few get hit, well, then that's okay because most won't and we need their money." Tori said. "They didn't hit us, so we could go along with that, Jade. Just take our boat, and cruise on out of here. Let them solve their own problems."

"We could."

The brown eyes glinted. "Fuck that."

Jade smiled.

"I lived the first twenty six years of my life maintaining the status quo, Jade." Tori said, in a firm tone. "I want to rock boats and make a difference. Even if that means taking a risk." She pointed at Jade, poking her in the arm. "And you, Jade West, are a natural born caped avenger no matter how much you deny it."

Jade rubbed her neck. "I'm not sure I'd put it like that." She admitted. "But I like to fight the good fight, and win it, if that's what you mean." She glanced out the window. "And I don't trust people to fix things just because they're supposed to."

"I know." Tori eyed her with gentle amusement. "I always get a kick out of seeing your login checking up on me." She saw Jade stiffen, and realized she'd caught her flat footed. "It's like passing a senior exam." She went on, quickly. "Because I know if you don't say anything to me, I did it all right."

Jade turned, her expression a mixture of consternation and sheepishness. "I trust you." She said. "You just do things so differently than I do it's…"

"Jade, we've had this argument already." Tori interrupted her quietly. "It really is okay – you're my boss, and it's your job to make sure things happen." She sensed the upset in the woman next to her, though. "I know you trust me."

"It has nothing to do with trust." Jade muttered. "I was just curious." She sighed. "I like to know how things work, so I was curious as to how you did what you did. So I went in and looked after you were all done."

Tori blinked. "You mean you weren't…."

"No." Jade shook her head. "I'm sorry you thought that."

"Oh." Tori sat down on the sill, her head cocking to one side as she absorbed this new information. "Wow."

"I checked up on you the first couple of times, but that was before you went to closure on anything." Jade said. "So if there was a problem, I could fix it. After that…no." She sat down next to Tori. "You didn't do things the way I would have, but it worked, and that's all I really care about in the long run."

Tori scratched her jaw. "Um." She cleared her throat. "Sorry for assuming."

"S'okay." Jade sighed. "It's a reasonable assumption to make about me."

They looked at each other. "I think we got a little sidetracked there." Tori admitted. "So are we going to go after this creep?"

Jade exhaled. "Yeah, I think we did get a little off course." She said. "Let's go see what he wants. Maybe we can just talk to him and cut through some of the crap."

Tori nodded. "Okay."

They both sat there for a few moments in silence. Then Tori took a breath. "So, did I…"

"You did great." Jade cut her off. "You impressed the hell out of me." She added. "Or, as your boss, I would have said something."

Tori kicked her heels gently against the wall. "I figured that. But it's nice to hear it."

Jade made a mental note, again, to work on her positive feedback. It was so easy to tell everyone when they did something wrong, and she often forgot to take care of the flip side. Bad mistake. She knew better. "Sorry I didn't take the time to let you know." She told Tori. "I'll try to do better."

Tori peeked at her. "Thanks boss."

Jade gave her a wry look, then chuckled. "Let's get dressed. We can go get you some soup for lunch."

"You're on." Tori leaned over and gave Jade a one armed hug. "Let's go be crusaders."

Rolling thunder boomed an enthusiastic response.

Tori stood just inside the door to the verandah of the restaurant, watching the rain fall. She'd managed a bowl of cream of something bland soup with some crackers for lunch and her body seemed to have settled back down to something near normal.

Jade had been very quiet since they'd left the room, though, and Tori sensed there was still a little strain between them from their abrupt plunge into the business side of their lives. There were times, she admitted privately, when she wished they didn't work so closely together.

She didn't mind having Jade as her supervisor – as far as corporate officers went, Jade was better than most in that department. It was just that as their relationship deepened and evolved, separating their lives at work got tougher and tougher on both of them.

In this case, she knew she'd made Jade feel bad about her assumptions even though Tori didn't actually mind if they'd been true. The first time she'd spotted the logon, she'd been a little unsettled, but after that, she'd watched for it with a sense of almost anticipation. 'Jade's final checkoff' became a way for her to put closure on a project and she knew once she'd seen it, she could put that puppy to bed and not have to worry about it coming back to nip her in the butt. It was a very safe feeling.

Tori sighed. Ick. Though, now that she thought about it, the fact that Jade took the time to review her techniques, evaluating them and learning how she did things was extremely flattering. However, she realized that her thinking Jade was snooping after her wasn't.

So.

She heard footsteps behind her, and Jade emerged onto the porch, standing quietly as she sucked on a mint candy. Tori backed up a step and leaned against her, feeling Jade's body relax as she felt the contact. She curled her fingers around Jade's and squeezed them, and smiled a little as the pressure was returned.

"You doing okay?" Jade asked.

"Almost." Tori replied, turning her head to look up at Jade. "Are you okay?"

Jade gazed back at her with a quizzical expression, then her face relaxed into a smile. "I'm fine." She reassured Tori. "But do me a favor, wouldja?"

"Anything." Tori replied sincerely.

"Ask me next time."

Tori understood what she meant. Ask, instead of assuming. It was a key concept she thought she'd learned from Jade from the very start – she'd just seldom needed to apply it to her very straightforward boss. "I will." She promised.

"Okay." Jade gave her a pat on the hip. "You ready to go meet our mysterious adversary?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Tori felt her guts unknot as they pulled their jackets closed and zipped them. Then they walked together down the steps and into the rain. The drops hit her shoulders heavily, beating a gentle tattoo across them as she kept her head down and kept walking.

Jade threw an arm over Tori's shoulders and pulled her casually closer, turning slightly to take the brunt of the rainfall on her taller form. She focused her attention on the approaching docks, spotting the ominous form of the big black boat at the very end of them.

Her pulse picked up.

There were two men guarding the gangplank when they got there. Jade stopped comfortably short of them and put her hands into her pockets. She stared at them until they got uncomfortable, then she pulled the envelope out of her pocket and frisbeed it over to the nearer one, smacking him in the chest with it.

Ten points for style. Jade returned her hand to it's dry haven and waited.

The guard scrambled for the envelope and snatched it before it hit the floor. He gave Jade a threatening look, then opened it and unfolded the paper. After he read it, he turned away and spoke into the radio clipped to his shoulder.

Tori rocked up and down gently on her heels, taking the opportunity to study the boat. The bow near the waterline bore fresh paint, and she gauged they'd had to patch at least ten feet of the fiberglass. She chuckled silently, but looked up as she heard the guard coming closer.

"Come with me." The guard spoke to Jade gruffly. "Just you."

"Kiss my ass." Jade replied, in a pleasant drawl. "Tell your boss if he wants to talk, c'mon out here."

The guard just looked at her.

"G'wan." Jade shooed him off. "Yes or no, sixty seconds."

The man snorted, then turned away again and spoke into his shoulder.

"Don't you get a stiff neck after a while like that?" Tori whispered to Jade.

"You start doing it even when you aren't wearing the damn thing." Jade whispered back. "Like in the supermarket. There ya are, buying milk next to a guy talking to his arm."

Tori snickered." Hilarious"

Jade shook her head. "These guys are like cartoon characters." She indicated the guard approaching them yet again, his bodybuilder physique flexing like a Macy's balloon.

"Mr. DeSalliers said he doesn't have time to play games with you." The guard announced.

"All right." Jade lifted a hand. "Hasta mañana, Asshole." She turned and started back down the docks. "If he changes his mind, we're in slip 30."

"Bye." Tori waggled her fingers at the men, before she ambled after Jade. She caught up to her partner after a few steps, and they strolled along together. "So." She commented. "Now what?"

Jade glanced down at the keychain watch looped through her belt. "Give it a minute."

It really was a big game, of sorts. Tori had gotten used to the delicate and sometimes not so delicate maneuverings of the boardroom. This didn't seem that different.

"Ms. West!"

"Oo, you're good." Tori clucked her tongue.

Jade paused and looked over her shoulder, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses despite the rain. Ah. DeSalliers himself was trotting down the dock after them, his blue blazer getting spotted with rain. Jade turned fully and waited, having gotten what she asked for. "Yes?"

"Ms. West, Ms. West." DeSalliers sighed. "You know, I think we really did start off on the wrong foot." His attitude, completely reversed from the morning's was almost friendly. "All we do is keep getting more and more hostile. Can't we turn this around?"

Jade regarded him warily. How weak did he think she was? Jade could tell that not many people challenged his authority, and he certainly had never come upon a bigger fish in his pond. Because he may be a shark, but compared to him, Jade was the Kraken. That man better not try her.

"Please." DeSalliers continued. "Let's just go inside, out of this blasted rain, and talk."

The risk seemed acceptable, Jade reasoned, considering everything. "All right." She agreed.

"Great." He started to lead the way back towards his boat. "I'm sure we can come to a better understanding of each other, if we just put a little effort into it." Only then did he seem to notice Tori's continued presence. "Sorry, I don't think we've met?"

"Tori." Tori promptly extended a hand.

"Ah." DeSalliers took it and pressed it briefly. "And you are…?"

"Jade's American Express card." Tori replied smoothly. "She never leaves home without me."

Jade had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. "We're partners." She supplied succinctly.

They passed the two guards, both of whom glared at Jade as she brushed by them. Jade ignored their attitude and followed DeSalliers up the long gangplank to the deck of his boat, stepping neatly down after him onto the vessel.

Tori eased off after Jade, looking around at the big boat's deck as they moved around towards the cabin. The deck floor was covered in amazingly plush looking all weather Astroturf, and there were two more guards who were braced on either side of the deck, hands clasped behind their backs. They were big, and healthy looking, and reminded Tori irresistibly of cattle. "Moo." She uttered, under her breath.

Jade's shoulders twitched in a silent laugh.

They followed DeSalliers inside the cabin, and found a space as ostentatiously well appointed as the exterior deck suggested. It was full of dark, leather furniture and teak wood, and smelled very masculine. On one side there was a bar, complete with a ceiling mounted glass rack with pivots. Across from the bar was an entertainment center with a circular viewing lounge. Towards the rear was a spacious galley, and behind that a closed door that lead to the more private areas of the boat's cabin.

The windows were so tinted, light barely penetrated. Most of the illumination was provided by recessed fixtures near the walls, and one searingly bright beam that splashed over the dining room table, highlighting a crystal vase with a single, perfect red rose in it.

"Please, sit down." DeSalliers said, as he crossed to the bar. "Can I get you both a drink?"

"No thank you." Tori replied. She waited quietly near the door, looking around her.

Jade was circling the cabin, examining the oriental themed framed mats on the walls. "Nothing for me, thanks." She stopped in front of a small painting near the galley, leaning forward a little as she recognized the style. Her eyebrows both rose behind her glasses.

"Nice piece, isn't it?" Their host spoke up behind her. "I have a much larger one at my home. Truly captures the majesty of the sea."

Jade straightened. "Very nice." She pulled her sunglasses off and turned, chewing on the earpiece as she regarded DeSalliers. "I'll pass your compliments on to my mother."

The man froze in place. His brows contracted fiercely, giving him an almost comical look as he paused in the act of pouring himself a glass of what appeared to be scotch. "Excuse me?"

Jade gestured with her thumb over her shoulder at the small painting. "That's my mother's work." She replied mildly. "Seascapes are a favorite theme of hers."

DeSalliers put the glass down, and rested his hands on the bar. "Well, well." He murmured. "You are the veritable Pandora's box of surprises, aren't you, Ms. West?" He picked up his glass and swirled it, circling Jade. "I send out an inquiry expecting at best, some rich brat tooling about the Caribbean and what do I come up with? The Founder and CIO of the largest Gaming and Media organization in the world… Now expanding into computer services since opening a new network." He paused. "What a surprise."

Jade shrugged. "We're even. I go out tooling about the Caribbean on a simple vacation, and what do I come up with? Assholes chasing my boat, breaking and entering my hotel room, and vague, useless threats sent by courier." She countered. "What a surprise. All I was expecting was reasonable weather and a few spiny lobster."

DeSalliers sighed. "I thought we were trying to get on a better footing."

Jade spread her hands out, both of her eyebrows lifting. "I come up from a damn dive, and the next thing I know your half witted goons are chasing my ass down."

"Now, Ms. West." The man held a hand up soothingly. "I realize now we came at you the wrong way."

"You mean, after the intimidation tricks didn't work, then you decided to find out who you were chasing?" Tori commented from her spot near the doorway.

DeSalliers shot a glance at her. "Look." He apparently decided the gracious host scam wasn't working. "Let's cut to the chase."

"Finally." Jade chewed on her sunglasses again. Then she sauntered over to the nearest comfortable leather chair and sprawled in it. Tori caught the almost imperceptible signal and joined her, perching on the chair arm.

"Okay." DeSalliers adapted again, taking the chair across from them. "Here's the deal." His entire attitude had changed, becoming tough and businesslike. Almost like Jade, in fact. "I have a piece of ocean that I own the rights of salvage on. You dove that piece of ocean, and removed something from it. I want it."

"Okay." Tori took the lead. "First off, you didn't mark the salvage site." She ticked off her fingers. "You didn't post a buoy, you didn't put up a diver flag, and there were no tags on the wreck."

He took a sip of his drink. "We were about to."

"What's so important about this wreck?" Tori asked. "I saw it. It's an old fishing freighter with more coral than steel."

"That's none of your business."

"Then." Jade picked up the conversation. "For your records, we picked up a conch shell and brought it topside. You don't have salvage rights on marine invertebrates or their calciferous exterior structures."

The man's fingers drummed nervously on his knee, which jiggled slightly with tension. "I'm very sorry." He remarked quietly. "But I don't believe you."

"Why?" Tori asked suddenly. "Excuse me, but what the hell would we care about marine salvage? We're nerd sport divers." She stood up and paced. "That's what I don't understand about this entire scenario. What makes you think we give a rats patootie about whatever junk you're searching for?"

DeSalliers gazed at her through hooded eyes. "Who are you?"

Jade leaned forward and caught his attention. "What are you looking for?" She asked, in a low, vibrant tone. "If it's what we took from the sea, we'll tell you."

His dark eyes bored into hers. They stared at each other for a long moment. "I can't tell you." DeSalliers finally said.

Jade started to get up. "Waste of time."

"Ms. West." He also stood, and held a hand up. "I mean it. I can't tell you. Not won't."

"You don't know what it is." Tori realized. "You have no idea what you're looking for, do you?"

DeSalliers relaxed back into his chair with a disgusted sigh.

Jade settled back and crossed her ankles. "I'm not getting this." She shook her head. "How the hell can you stake a salvage claim on an unknown object?" She asked their host.

He rubbed his temples. "Did you ever get hoisted on your own petard, Ms. West?" He inquired. "Hung out to dry by your own reputation?"

Jade considered the question. "No." She replied. "Not yet, anyway."

Tori walked over and knelt next to his chair, resting her arm near his. "Talk to us, Mr. DeSalliers. Tell us what the heck is really going on. Maybe we can help." She gave him a quiet, sincere look. "We're better friends than enemies, believe me."

He hesitated, then took a breath.

The door slammed open, and one of the guards rushed in. "Sir! Sir! He's out there! They're diving the wreck!"

"Shit." DeSalliers jumped to his feet. "I'll kill that little bastard. Cast off!" He started to leave the cabin, then apparently remembered his guests. "Sorry. Hope you enjoy the ride."

Jade and Tori were both on their feet and heading for the door. DeSalliers popped through it before they could reach it, and the guard slammed it shut, facing them with an air of muscular menace.

"You ladies better sit on down." The guard said, gruffly.

Jade handed Tori her sunglasses. "I suggest you move." She replied to the guard in an even tone. "We're leaving."

"Sitdown." The guard repeated, pointing.

Jade advanced on him. "Move." She pinned him with an ice cold gaze.

"Lady, I'm gonna break your ass if you don't sit down." The guard told her.

"Try it." Jade didn't miss a beat. She felt her body react to the danger, adrenaline kicking in and bringing a surge of blood to her skin as she came up over her center of balance. The guard was twice her size, but in that moment she could have cared less. He was between her, and safety for her and Tori.

He was moving.

The boat engines rumbled to life. Jade's hands flexed, and she let the dark energy inside her uncoil as she started for the door.

The guard reached for her, cursing. They grappled briefly, then he threw Jade against the wall, coming after her as she bounced off it. His hand extended towards her, his other one curling into a fist.

Jade grabbed his hand and swiveled, lashing out with a side kick that caught him right in the jaw. His head snapped back and she jerked him off balance, then whirled and levered him over her shoulder, throwing him to the floor. With a snort, she grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, as Tori hopped over the stunned man and joined her.

They looked out to see the dock receding, blue water between them, and it. Two guards were scrambling towards them. "Feel like a swim?" Jade asked, already starting for the stern railing.

"Anywhere you go, I go." Tori dodged an outstretched arm and they both bolted across the deck, hearing DeSallier's yell behind them as they leaped to the railing then dove off together into the churning water.