Page 24 of Wild Tempest

We’d worked with her before on a salvage operation. She was currently in the process of restoring the loot from the last pirate ship we had discovered. It was a painstaking process to restore the old cannons recovered from the Spanish Galleon.

"A crew was lost at sea,” I said, trying to guilt her.

"I'm well aware of the situation. It's the talk of the town."

“Do you know Paul Stockton?"

"I know Paul. It’s a small community. Not well. But in passing.”

"Can you think of a good reason why he might shoot his best friend?”

"Crazy things happen at sea. You know that. Throw in the promise of riches, and sometimes morality and better judgment go out the window." She paused. "Nothing good has ever come of chasing down the Almaz Morya. I've known several people who’ve tried. It didn't end well for them. I'm not necessarily one to believe in cursed ships, but that vessel might be the exception.”

"Think of this as a search and rescue mission. I don't think the Avventura is fit for the mission, and the Raptor is too small.”

"I thought the Coast Guard gave up the hunt," she said.

"They did.”

"So, you're just going to take up where they left off?”

"Something like that.”

"And you want to borrow one of my boats?” She was on to me.

"Well, now that you mention it…”

"No. Absolutely not. I'm running a business here, Tyson. I need my boats on the water, making me money.”

With her share of the loot we had recovered from the wreckage of the Royal Revenge, Demi didn't ever have to worry about money again.

"You're making excuses," I said, calling her out.

"You're damn right I am. I don't want anything to do with that vessel.”

"I'm not asking you to go along. Just let me borrow a boat. I'm good for it. It's for a good cause.“

She groaned. "I really need to learn how to say no to you."

I grinned. "Don't feel bad. It happens. What can I say?"

After an exhale, she said, "You can take the Titan Deep. That should be more than enough for what you're hoping to do. I want it back in one piece.”

"You're a doll," I said.

"Just so you know, the word is out. There are a couple of other salvage crews out there looking for the Morya. With that kind of money at stake, these people will do anything. That's what you should be concerned with.”

"I'll keep eyes in the back of my head," I said.

“Are you sure you want to do this? Looks like we’re going to be in for some pretty rough weather.”

16

The Titan Deep plowed through the sapphire swells, heading out to sea. With a bright red-orange hull and an arctic white superstructure, the 30-meter salvage tug had a crane at the stern and a towing wench. Equipped with oil booms, pumps, patching material, dive gear, portable generators, welding machines, and air compressors, it could handle just about anything. It may not have won any races, but with 60 tons of bollard pull, it had more than enough power. With ample crew quarters, a state-of-the-art galley, and enough supplies to last a month at sea, we were good to go.

Of course, we took our usual complement of tactical gear—AR-15s, extra magazines, flash-bang grenades, smoke canisters, night vision optics, the drone, and possibly an illegal RPG-7 and a few grenades. I can neither confirm nor deny.

Gulls drifted on the breeze at the stern of the ship as the boat left a frothy wake.