Going Hard: Divemasters, Book 3 (7 page)

K
ahori gasped
as she came to. Something tickled her nose and the back of her throat. She coughed and flailed as her brain stem flashed warning signals throughout her body.

“Calm down. There’s no need to be frightened.” A warm female voice soothed some of her panic. “Those were smelling salts. Strong stuff, I know.”

Kahori blinked, trying to focus on the people surrounding her in a well-lit room that smelled slightly of lemony disinfectant. She attempted to sit up. A hand rested on her shoulder, keeping her in place. Though she wanted to swat it away, her arms felt heavy and sluggish.

“It’s just me,” Tosin said. “I’m not trapping you here. I just don’t want you to fall off this gurney and injure yourself more.”

“Where am I?” She tried to remember what had happened after she left him in the glowworm cavern. Had she hit her head on an outcropping of rock as she fled like an idiot from the pleasure he’d tried to give her?

It certainly throbbed like a bitch.

“I brought you to the
Divemaster
so Dr. Kleveno could evaluate you.” He ran his fingers lightly through her hair, thankfully avoiding the side that ached. “It doesn’t look like anything’s broken. Some of those bruises and scrapes are pretty nasty, though.”

Bruises and scrapes?
“What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” the doctor asked, sounding slightly more concerned. “You might have a mild concussion.”

As the woman prodded and poked Kahori, testing her reflexes and the dilation of her pupils with a penlight that stabbed her eyeballs as if it were an ice pick, bits and pieces began to return to her. By the time she remembered everything, her fists had bunched and she shoved past Tosin’s restraint to sit upright.

“Those bastards!” She turned to Tosin, regretting the jerk of her head when the room wobbled a bit. “Please tell me you caught them.”

He grimaced then shook his head. Negative. “Archer, Miguel, and Banks stayed behind to give it a go and fill in your dad. They’re going to bring him here when they’re finished with the hunt.”

The fact that they weren’t back already meant they probably hadn’t been any more successful in rounding up her attackers than Tosin had. Damn!

Mostly she wanted to understand
why
they’d done it.

A light knock sounded at the door. Tosin plucked her
pareu
from a plastic chair next to the hospital bed and flapped it to fling off most of the dirt and sticks. The blood would never come out. Besides, it had ripped in a couple spots. It had been her favorite. Ah well. Could be worse.

Kahori lifted her arms so he could wrap it loosely around her like a giant bath towel. It would do for the moment.

Then Tosin went to the door and opened it a crack. Even here he didn’t seem to be taking any chances with her security. Despite the evening’s trauma, she felt protected and sheltered. Immune to the fear that would probably grip her while dreaming for a while.

“It’s our captain,” Tosin said over his shoulder.

“Let him in.” Kahori shrugged. It seemed silly to make them talk through a gap in the door when she was decent and he might have information she’d like to hear firsthand.

“You’re sure?” Tosin asked. She nodded.

When he admitted the man, who was probably around Banks’ age, she smiled. Or at least she tried to. When her lips stung, she thought she might have reopened one of the cuts there. Dr. Kleveno was quick to daub some petroleum jelly on the area to keep it pliable. Kahori lifted her finger to the tender site, shocked by how puffy it was. Hey, maybe it gave her a sexy pout, she thought, trying to make the most of an awful situation. It was that or break down, and she didn’t want to go that route. It would only make her pounding headache worse.

The new arrival studied her intently as he approached. “Captain Alex,” he said in an efficient, staccato greeting that seemed as no-nonsense as the man himself. Fine silver lines in his otherwise dark hair and well-trimmed beard granted him an air of authority appropriate for the person ultimately responsible for the entire
Divemaster
. He was a little taller than average and sturdily built. He wouldn’t be easy to push over in any sense of the phrase.

Kahori knew men like Archer, Miguel, Tosin, and Banks wouldn’t entrust the ship and their own lives to just anyone. Dr. Kleveno stared at the captain as if he were a legend in his own right. Though she was easily ten—or even fifteen—years younger than the captain, Dr. Kleveno seemed awfully interested in him. She pushed her purple glasses up her freckled nose with her index finger. Possibly so she could see him better.

Trying not to grin, Kahori peeked at Tosin. He was glancing between the two crew members with interest. Meddling matchmakers on Aitutaki would have hooked those two up in a second.

When the captain held out his hand to Kahori, she shook it. He held her in a surprisingly gentle grip. She figured her torn nails and bruised knuckles had something to do with his overabundance of caution. Either that or she looked like the kind of woman who required a delicate touch.

Compared to Waverly, Sabine, and Dr. Kleveno, Kahori wasn’t sure she stacked up to the strong females he was used to, though she planned to change his mind. “Nice to meet you, though I wish it were under different circumstances.”

“I have a feeling we would have been introduced to each other soon enough no matter what.” He looked pointedly at Tosin, who had parked himself at her side like a guard dog. Then Captain Alex asked, “If it’s not too upsetting, can you tell me anything you remember that might help identify the people who hurt you? Either of you, really. The guys radioed in. They could use direction.”

“When I ran up, I heard one of the guys threatening her. They were interrogating her.” Tosin punched his fist into his opposite palm. “I couldn’t quite hear it all. More of their tone than the specifics, really.”

Her memory was still sort of foggy, but his nugget of information jogged her recollection. “They kept asking me where
he
was. Where the
good stuff
was, too. They also called me some kind of insult when I couldn’t figure out who or what they meant. It sounded like
yariman
,
which isn’t a Māori word or one in any of the Cook Islands dialects that I know.”

Captain Alex tensed, his face turning purple. He didn’t look at her when he explained, “It’s Japanese for slut.” When Tosin shot him a bewildered look, the guy shrugged. “I was stationed in Okinawa for nearly four years during my time in the Navy.”

Kahori shuddered. “I guess that makes sense. Tosin’s right. They did threaten me. They said something about getting what they were owed, even if it meant…uh…selling me.”

There really wasn’t a more polite way to say that they’d planned to whore her out to rapists, was there?

Tosin growled. He breathed hard, reacting more strongly than she would have imagined to that bit of news.

“I’m sure they were only bluffing.” She patted his forearm. “Trying to scare me.”

Which had worked, by the way. Though she didn’t intend to highlight her cowardice for them.

“Have you had dealings with any Japanese buyers lately?” Captain Alex asked her.

“Thanks to modern technology, I do ship all over the world. We send out orders once a week. I don’t remember there being any to Japan in the past month or so, though. Nothing major for certain.” She shrugged halfheartedly. “It has to be some sort of mix-up.”

“That’s a hell of a swing and a miss if so.” Tosin wrapped his arm around her and scooted her closed to his side. “Regardless, no one’s getting near you again. I swear it.”

Kahori leaned against Tosin, closing her eyes. All she really wanted was to lie down somewhere dark and comfortable until her
pāpā
arrived, hopefully with some explanations.

“Can I take her to my cabin now? Is it okay for her to sleep?” Tosin asked Dr. Kleveno, who nodded.

She spoke directly to Kahori when she said, “Unless you’d prefer to stay in here. We have rooms set up for the people en route to participate in Sabine’s trials.”

“Thank you.” She appreciated the out ,though it wasn’t necessary. “I’d rather go with him.”

“I don’t blame you.” Dr. Kleveno grinned. “I would too if I were you. The offer stands if you change your mind. There’s room and I can keep an eye on you. Otherwise, I’ll come check on you in a few hours and bring your next dose of painkillers.”

Then she turned to Tosin. “Don’t let her get out of bed unless it’s to use the bathroom.”

“I can do that.” He nodded, taking his caretaker duties very seriously.

When Kahori would have hopped down, Tosin scooped her into his arms instead. Captain Alex opened the door so they could pass. “I hope you’re feeling better soon. It pains me to admit it, at the risk of overinflating their egos, but these kids have excellent taste in women. You’re going to fit right in here.”

Kahori winced. She wouldn’t be onboard long enough to become integrated into their gang. Why did that thought upset her? The captain’s compliments meant a lot in any case. “Thank you.”

She tried to stay alert as Tosin carried her through the ship. It was gorgeous. Beyond anything she could have imagined even after the luxurious hotel stays she’d splurged on every once in a while for her business trips.

“I can’t believe that Archer—all of you—have pockets deep enough to own all this, and yet he chose to buy Waverly a ring from my shop. Now I get why he asked you about whether he was doing the right thing by not opting for a more traditional stone.” She sighed. “He could always give her my ring for her birthday or Christmas or something and pick up a mega-diamond worthy of a billionaire’s wife.”

“Believe it or not, he’s not like that. Waverly isn’t either.” Tosin laughed. “None of us are. I hope it doesn’t disappoint you that I might technically be rich, but I’m still a poor slob at heart. That ring is perfect for her. You’ll see when he gives it to her.”

Kahori winced. “Yeah. You’ll have to videotape his proposal if you can. I’d love to see it.” Because surely they’d be long gone before he popped the question.

In fact, after today, maybe they’d be departing sooner than scheduled. She wouldn’t blame them for leaving this mess in their rearview mirror. If megayachts even had rearview mirrors.

Staying silent, the craftsman in her settled for observing the fine woodwork and blown glass waves that enhanced the interior of the space as they made their way to the other side of the ship where the owners’ quarters were. Right about the time she suspected Tosin had walked halfway back to Aitutaki, he stopped in front of his door and keyed in a code.

Unlike Dr. Kleveno, he didn’t ask her where she wanted to sleep. Which was fine by her.

If she was being honest, she couldn’t stomach the thought of being alone when she drifted off. Didn’t care to wake up by herself in an unfamiliar place, either.

He set her on her feet long enough to slip the
pareu
from around her and toss it into a wad in the corner of his enormous quarters. She didn’t blame him. It horrified her that she might stain something in his gleaming, pristine personal space. The linens on the enormous bed were the same steel blue as his eyes. Drawings of fish and sea creatures hung in shiny metal frames, and the modern shelving around the desk held an assortment of orchids and nanogardens.

It immediately felt like a place she could be comfortable.

Ridiculously so.

Though he kept the blackout curtains closed for now—
thank you
—she’d bet there was a spectacular view out the wall-to-wall windows opposite the bed. Tosin peeled back the thick comforter and helped her settle creakily in the plush nest. Though not in too much pain, she felt like a hundred year old elder.

It didn’t surprise her when he tugged his shirt over his head, then tucked his thumbs in his waistband and shoved his shorts down with a single slick movement. In the dim light, she couldn’t see as much of his spectacular body as she wished she could.

Tosin took his fancy watch off and placed it neatly on the nightstand. She was surprised to see the bracelet he’d bought from her shop lying next to it.

He picked it up and ran his fingers across the intricate carvings she’d slaved over for an inordinate period of time considering the set wasn’t a big-ticket item. Then he sat on the edge of the mattress and held it out to her, along with his wrist. “Can you put it on me?”

She flexed her fingers a few times and found them less stiff than they’d been before. Dr. Kleveno must have slipped her some anti-inflammatories. “Sure.”

It took her a couple of tries but she managed to fit the black pearl knotted on the end through the leather loop that held it closed. He smiled as he looked at her work adorning him. “I like having this reminder of you on me. I’m not planning on taking this off any time soon.”

If Kahori had been a bolder woman, she might have asked for him to put the matching one on her. But she was afraid he might misinterpret that as some kind of commitment, when really she was thinking about a memento of their liaison that she could take out and sigh over after he’d left her behind.

“Mind if I snuggle with you while you rest?” He grinned. “Don’t tell the guys, but it’s right at the top of my list of favorite bedroom activities.”

Kahori snorted then patted the bed beside her. “Yeah, right.”

He laughed, but he did seem content as he cradled her against his chest. The lulling thump of his heartbeat helped her settle down. At least until she looked at where her fingers rested on his rib and realized he hadn’t escaped their earlier fiasco unscathed. A huge bruise marked the spot that had intercepted that final punch.

If he hadn’t shown up right then…

Kahori leaned over and placed a light kiss over the damaged area. “I’m sorry.”

“That is in no way your fault.” His tone turned icy. “I won’t let you blame yourself for something some fuckface did.”

“I shouldn’t have run from you. Will you let me explain?” She couldn’t believe she was offering this part of her—so personal, something that shamed her. But he deserved to understand. It was all she could offer despite everything she wished she could give him.