Kerry looked around at the empty bank with its one remaining teller. “Quiet.”

“Mm.” Dar leaned back. The bank’s outer door opened and two men came in, bypassing the receptionist and heading for the teller.

They were tall, and there was something vaguely familiar about one of them that set Dar’s mind to itching.

The man was dressed in typical island fashion—surfer-type shorts and a loose print shirt. He was wearing deck sandals and a red baseball cap, and carrying a worn bank deposit bag.

Dar frowned. A lot of people on the island looked just like this guy. So what was it? The walk? The attitude…

“Dar.” Kerry’s voice broke into her concentration.

“Yeah?”

Kerry lowered her voice to a whisper. “I think that’s one of the pirates that attacked us yesterday.”

Oh. Duh. “Guess that’s why he seemed familiar,” Dar whispered back.

They watched the man push several things across to the teller, seemingly relaxed and at ease. The teller took them and processed them, smiling at the man, apparently familiar with him.

“What are we going to do?” Kerry murmured. “If we recognized him, he’ll probably recognize us.”

Dar gauged the distance between them. “He didn’t on the way in,” she said. “Let’s just turn around and see what happens.”

Kerry shifted in her chair and looked at Dar. “Okay, but what are we going to do after that?”

“Maybe we can find out what his name is.”

“And report him to the police?” Kerry glanced quickly behind her, then back. “Dar, he’s obviously a known quantity here.”

“Uh huh.” Dar didn’t seem surprised.

The inner door opened and the bank officer reappeared. He was carrying a small box, and he looked around as he crossed back to his desk. His eyes fell on the two men. “Ah. Morning, Mr.

Chasiki.”

The man turned at his name and smiled, then his eyes slipped past the banker and focused on Dar’s face.

Uh oh. Dar thought fast, meeting his eyes briefly, then moving on, hoping she was projecting an air of profound disinterest. She’d seen the recognition as he looked at her.


Terrors of the High Seas 229

“Yeah, yeah,” the man answered the bank manager. “Great holiday, yeah?” His voice was tense.

“Very good, thanks.” The officer sat down and put the box in the center of his desk. He pulled over some paperwork and filled out a few forms. “All right, Ms. Roberts, let me just fill this out and you’ll be all set.”

“Thanks.” Dar rested her elbows on the desk and resisted the urge to turn and look at the pirate. Next to her, Kerry was leaning back with her arms folded, her back mostly toward the teller. The blonde woman looked tense, a furrow creasing her brow.

“Here you go. Please sign here” Mr. Steel indicated a space on the form. “I’ve made a copy of your driver’s license, and here’s that back.” He handed her the card.

Dar picked up the pen and studied the form, her ears cocked as she heard footsteps approaching them. They stopped just behind her, and she watched the officer’s eyes from the corner of her own, seeing them go up and over her shoulder curiously. She signed her name on the form.

“Something you need, sir?” the officer asked.

“Nah. Just thinking.” The pirate spoke from just behind them.

“Later.” The footsteps receded and the door opened, letting in the sound of wind and the street.

Dar pushed the paper back over to the officer. “There you go.”

She leaned back, feeling the tension relax from her shoulders.

“Always quiet like this here?”

Mr. Steel took the paper. “Oh, mostly,” he said. “Fridays, payday, it gets a little hectic.” He smiled, then looked curiously at Dar. “Beg your pardon, Ms. Roberts, but did you know Mr. Chasiki, the gentleman who was just here?”

Dar glanced Kerry’s way. Kerry’s eyes widened slightly and her pale brows lifted. “He seemed a little familiar,” she temporized.

“Why?”

“Oh, he was staring at you, and I was just wondering,” the officer said easily.

Dar turned and gazed at the closed door, then looked back at Mr. Steel. She shrugged. “Who is he?”

The banker shrugged back. “He’s known to be a ladies’ man,”

he said. “Bit of a rogue, but a generous one.” He handed over the box. “Here you go, Ms. Roberts. I hope you do take care and put this somewhere soon. It’s really not a good idea to be carrying it.”

Dar stood and lifted her backpack, then opened the box and transferred the bound stacks of bills to the pack. “Thanks for the warning.” She finished stashing the cash and zipped up the pack, handing him back the box. “Nice doing business with you.” She shouldered the knapsack, adjusting it around her shoulders and pulling the straps tight. “Ker?”


230 Melissa Good Kerry gave the officer a brief smile, rising and joining Dar as they headed for the door. She put a hand on her partner’s arm as they exited the bank, both of them looking left and right as the sunlight hit them. “Dar, that was creepy.”

“That was very creepy,” Dar acknowledged. “C’mon. I want to get hold of Bud and get rid of this cash before we do anything else.”

Her senses were jangling. “Last thing we need is for that Chasiki to follow us and hold us up.”

Kerry looked around nervously. “You really think he would?”

“I’d rather not find out.” Dar took out her cell phone and opened it. She dialed Bud’s number. After two rings, he picked up.

“Bud, it’s Dar.” Dar spoke into the receiver crisply. “Did you get hold of your friend?” She waited for the answer. “Good. We’re heading back to the hotel now.” She closed the phone and clipped it to her belt. “We’ll take care of that, then …”

“Seeing the pirate kinda throws a wrench into things, huh?”

Kerry asked. “At least we have his name now.”

“And he has mine,” Dar reminded her. “Kerry, I don’t know if going to the police here is a good idea.” She started walking back toward the hotel. “I just don’t know who we can trust. If we go to the cops and tell them, and they’re in on it, then what? They’re gonna want to protect him.”

Kerry sighed. “Yikes.”

Dar shook her head as they crossed the street and headed for the long climb up. They’d walked for just a few minutes when Dar heard footsteps behind them. She used an appreciative look around to glance behind her, and sure enough, two men were meandering up the slope after them. “Son of a bitch.”

Kerry looked. “Cripes,” she muttered. “Maybe they’re not following us, Dar. We could just be a little paranoid.”

True. Dar swerved, and the smell of coffee and hot dough hit her. She pulled Kerry into a shop they were passing and went over to the counter. “Two johnnycakes and two coffees, please.”

The man behind the counter handed both over readily, accepting Dar’s cash and giving her change. Dar picked up one of the cakes and handed Kerry the other, then took her coffee. She strolled casually to the entrance and leaned against it, waiting.

Kerry eased up behind her.

At first there was only silence. Then abruptly, the two men passed the shop, talking casually to each other and not giving Dar so much as a second glance.

Kerry released her held breath and took a bite of her cake.

“Mm,” she murmured.

“Good call,” Dar complimented quietly. “C’mon.”

They eased out of the shop and continued up the stepped street. “This would be a great morning workout,” Kerry Terrors of the High Seas 231

commented, almost dizzy with relief.

“Oh yeah,” Dar agreed. She finished her cake and dusted off her fingers, then took a sip of the coffee. “Ugh. Gross.” She stopped dead and looked for a garbage can.

“I was wondering when you’d realize you took it from there without any cream or sugar.” Kerry smiled. “I figured we were going to toss the stuff in those guys’ faces. I never dreamed you’d try to drink it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dar disposed of the offending beverage and resumed her climb. She was still uneasy, and the inn at the top of the hill seemed a very long way off. Three-quarters of the way up, she heard footsteps again. She glanced at Kerry, and they both looked around. Six men were coming up after them. They looked at each other. “Race ya,” Kerry murmured, increasing her pace to a jog.

Dar followed suit and they powered up the steps. They heard the men behind them speed up as well. Twenty more steps to go and they’d be at the inn level. Ten, and they heard the men catching up. Five, and Dar could hear the heavy breathing. Then they topped the steps and were in front of the inn. Dar spotted Bud waiting in front of the door for them and she headed in his direction, Kerry sticking to her like a flea on a dog.

The steps behind them stopped. Dar slowed her pace and risked a glance behind her, only to see the men clustered at the top, apparently in an argument. Bud watched the two women curiously as they approached, cocking his head as they pulled up next to him.

Bud looked past them to the men. “What’s up?”

“Tell you later,” Dar said. “Let’s go inside.”

Bud was staring over her shoulder, his eyes narrowed. Dar turned to look, but the six men were melting back down the stairs and were out of sight a moment later. She glanced back at Bud.

“You know those guys?”

Bud looked at her.

“Let’s go inside,” Dar repeated.

CHEAPSIDE GUIDO WAS waiting as they entered the lobby.

He spotted Bud and nudged the big gorilla he had with him, then his eyes fell on Dar. A disagreeable smile crossed his face as Dar, Kerry, and Bud reached them. “Bring your girlfriends? You switched sides, there, Buddy?”

“You want your money? Then shut up,” Bud replied gruffly. He indicated a small side room with a couple chairs in it.

“Oh, so now you’re telling me to shut up?” Guido snorted.

“You little horse’s ass.”

Dar was already very much on edge. Her temper was at the 232 Melissa Good breaking point, and for a moment she felt all better sense leave her as she stalked toward the nasty, greasy man. She’d only taken two steps when she felt a hand gripping her shirt from the back, and then an even firmer grip on the back of her shorts.

“He’s not worth it.” Kerry spoke in an almost normal tone.

“You’ll just get your hands dirty, and it’ll take a week to wash off the stench.”

Guido spun and looked at her, then tilted his head up and found Dar’s set, angry face confronting him. He looked like he very much wanted to laugh, but a second look convinced him to just walk into the room behind Bud. “Figures you have girls protecting your pansy ass.”

Bud went stone-faced. “You got the papers?”

“You got the money?” Guido tossed back at him. Bud looked at Dar. Guido turned. “Oh, right. Well, chickie, I don’t take no friggin’

Platinum cards.”

Dar studied him, then she unhitched the pack from her back and set it on the small table in the room. “You’re right,” she said to Kerry. “Definitely not worth it.” She pulled out several stacks of hundreds and tossed them at Guido. They hit him in the chest, and he grabbed at them. She pulled out three or four more stacks and chucked them as well.

“Hey!” Guido lost one and it bounced off the floor. “Cut that out, freak!”

Dar whipped the final two stacks at him. They hit him in the face. She turned her back on him and zipped up her bag, trying to let her raw nerves settle before she had to turn back around and continue the conversation. She heard the rustle as he captured the bound bills.

“Where’s the papers?” Bud asked in a toneless voice.

“Hold on to your pecker. You should be usta that,” Guido muttered. “I gotta count this.”

Dar turned and sat down in the nearest chair, her knees finally giving out as the adrenaline stopped pumping. Kerry settled on the arm of the chair and Dar curled a hand around Kerry’s knee, the touch soothing her nerves. Guido had given his muscle man most of the stacks, and he was laboriously counting one. The thug was watching Dar with a dour glare.

Bud sat down in one of the other chairs, mostly focusing his gaze on the floor.

Kerry put a hand on Dar’s neck, her fingers working gently at the rigid muscles. She could almost feel the vibrating tension in her partner, and though she completely understood Dar’s silent rage, she’d been called worse by far better than that little greasy punk.

“If you’re going to have to take your shoes off for that, let me know so I can get the window open,” she remarked casually.