She inhaled deeply. “I did my best to convince you to make your film following our route. But it might have been the wrong thing. If you’re afraid in any way—”

He shook his head impatiently, interrupting her. “I’m not afraid. We’ve been on a dangerous route before. I’ll have myself, David, Liam and maybe a few other people I know well and trust with my life. I’m worried about you. All right, I don’t think you ought to be in that room on Duval Street. Yes, it’s Duval, yes, there are cops around. If you don’t want to stay at my house—or Katie’s house—go and stay with Katie and David at David’s house.”

“It just…it would be awkward, either way,” she murmured.

“I can ask Jay to stay, as well,” he said.

She spun around to look at him. “Hey, I can honestly be the perfect gentleman,” he told her.

“Must you always be?” she asked him.

He arched a brow and smiled. She looked quickly away, wondering what she had been thinking to speak so rashly. She stared at the water. “Good God, I’ll be on a boat again with Jay. I love him, he’s a good friend, but he drives me crazy when the contact is constant!”

As she stared into the water, images seemed to form within it. As she looked, it rippled.

Fish. Fish were always moving about.

But it wasn’t a school of fish moving. Something seemed to be rising, coming to the surface. She wanted to grab Sean’s hand and find out if he saw it, too, but she seemed to be frozen in place. She knew what it was.

The image of the figurehead. The figurehead that bore the facial features of Dona Isabella.

She turned away from the water. “All right,” she said. “Thank you. I’ll stay at your house. I appreciate the offer. I’ll move in tonight, after dinner, if that’s all right with you.”

He seemed startled by her sudden change of mind. He looked at the water.

And saw nothing.

“Perfect,” he said softly. “Shall we go in? Food is probably about ready.”

She nodded, looking up at him with her wide, beautiful eyes. They caught the opalescence of the water and sky and seemed especially hypnotic. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to give Liam a call and see what your other friends are up to now,” he told her.

“What? What friends?”

“Your crew from your movie shoot.”

Her brows shot up. “You’re going to hire us all on?” she asked.

“Well, we’re following the trail that you and Jay and your crew followed for the movie. I thought we should use everyone who was involved in the film shoot.”

She blinked and nodded.

“Is there something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, I think it’s brilliant. But it’s not as if we were all the best of friends. We worked well together but I had never met Bill Hinton or Jake Magnoli until the shoot. I’ve known Barry and Zoe through different projects during the years, but… I’m sure, though, that Jay would have information on how to reach them.”

“Don’t worry about it. Liam will find them.”

“Okay,” she said.

“Great. We’ll get on it.”

She still stared at him, wondering why she felt quite so paralyzed that night.

“Are you all right?” he asked her. “Seriously? Do you not want the others—”

“Oh, no! Of course I do,” she said.

He smiled.

She gave herself a shake. Something didn’t seem to be boding well for her, but she didn’t understand her feelings of dread. She tried to shake them off.

“Food!” she said. “I think I need food.”

He slipped an arm around her shoulders and led her in.

And the feel of him was good.

7

The scream awakened Sean like a bolt out of the blue.

He had been sleeping soundly, glad to have Vanessa under his roof. He didn’t know why he was suddenly worried about her sleeping in what should have been a fairly safe haven, but maybe it had been recent events here that had gotten him so worried. And maybe he was looking for something closer. Ass. Any fool in his right mind would want more. She reeked of beauty and sensuality.

Just having her in the house was some kind of a strange primitive pleasure.

But the scream ripped him from any thoughts except the possibility of danger, and he tore out of his own room and down the hall to where she slept in Katie’s room.

“Vanessa!” He turned the light on, seeking whatever threat she faced.

But there was nothing there. She was up on her knees, staring into the sudden light, blinking furiously. She was more than decently clad in a massive cotton T-shirt, and he didn’t hesitate to rush to her, slide onto the bed and take her shoulders, shaking her slightly, bringing her focus to him.

“Vanessa, what? What happened?”

She didn’t reply for a minute. Then her eyes focused on his and a flood of color filled her cheeks.

“Oh, God! I am so sorry. I never thought that I…that I screamed aloud,” she said.

She was shaking. He pulled her toward him, leaning her against him where he sat on the bed. “It’s all right. What? A nightmare?”

“It used to always be the same. Now it’s changing. First, I just saw the heads in the sand. Then they began talking to me. Asking me how and why I let it happen. Travis wants to know why we didn’t even look for him. Georgia wants to know why we didn’t believe her when she screamed about monsters…and now…”

“Now?”

“Now, on top of Travis and Georgia, I keep dreaming about Dona Isabella. It makes me think that I am losing it and I certainly had no right coming here and getting you and David involved. Except that, of course, I don’t think these nightmares will ever stop if…if there can’t be an answer somewhere out there.”

“Hey!” He found himself smoothing back her hair. “It’s all right. I understand. And David and I aren’t coming into this blindly. We know what happened. We consider ourselves worthy of the task, honestly. We’re good at what we do, and we know how to defend ourselves. Liam is a cop, and he’s coming. We’ll stack the decks with the right people, Vanessa.”

She looked up at him. “How? You were saying that you weren’t getting exactly what you wanted, so many of your friends were already involved in projects.”

“It will happen. I’m going to try to recruit old Marty, and maybe even Jamie. It will be fine. Tomorrow, we’ll do some more shooting on the reef with the four of us working and see how it falls out.”

“Lew will come to the beach again. He was there, and he saw,” she said.

“Lew…?”

“Our Bahamian guide,” she said.

“Of course,” he said. “David has already sent ahead to the Bahamian government, getting film permits and letting them know our location plans. We’ll soon need a list of the crew, though I believe he’s submitted certain names already…. Listen, about your screaming…”

“Yes?”

“Never be afraid if you scream in the night here. We’ve had our share of fear and dread, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of when it regards fear,” he said.

He wanted to melt into her being suddenly. Those eyes. Huge and blue and staring so trustingly into his.

Great. When holding her made every sexual instinct in him scream away in silent agony.

Yes, come to my house, it will be perfectly safe! he mocked himself.

She smiled.

“Do you want me to stay here? Until you fall asleep?” he asked her.

“Oh, I really couldn’t ask you to do that,” she said, offering a small laugh. “And I’m sorry. It is embarrassing. I am competent! And you’ll never believe that if I keep screaming in the middle of the night.”

“Apples and oranges,” he assured her.

She smiled again. “Stay,” she said.

“Your wish, my command,” he told her. “Well, for tonight, anyway.”

That brought a true smile to her lips. She crawled up to one side of the bed. “Really awkward, huh? I was about to plump the pillow, asking you to come up. But that would be rather…oh, God, the whole situation is very…”

He laughed. “Premature. That’s all. Quite frankly, every time I see you, I’m more under some kind of a spell. I’m fascinated with your knowledge and talents. And there’s the simple fact that you love the water as much as I do. Then again, it could be how beautiful you are. God knows, you’re probably vibrant and vital when you sleep. Stop me if there’s someone in your life and I’m going on ridiculously,” he said.

“There’s no one in my life. Dating is really out of the question when you’re the wrong kind of screamer,” she said dryly.

He laughed and moved up to the pillow. He drew her head down on his chest. “Sleep, my dear, in comfort, I hope. You’re safe from the evils of the world—and me—for the night.”

“I think you might be too good to be true,” she whispered.

“Oh, nothing is that good, and certainly not me,” he assured her gruffly.

He smoothed her hair. It felt like silk.

He felt her breathing against him. Felt her warmth, her form, close to his.

A sense of longing filled him. Not just the burning need for sex she could create.

Longing. For something more.

Tonight, he would be content.

Thank God, she didn’t scream again. Waking, Vanessa opened her eyes and realized that she was sprawled atop Sean. For a moment, she didn’t dare move, and then she did so. He was awake, watching her. She flushed and winced.

“I’m so sorry. Did you sleep all right?” she asked him.

“Beautifully,” he assured her.

“Thank you for staying with me.”

“My pleasure.”

“Sure.”

“Well, it could have been greater pleasure,” he teased.