Caribbean's Keeper (29 page)

He pointed at the key in her hand and smiled at her. “You keep this. You can come in or go whenever, but I’d prefer it if you just stayed right here.”

She thought for a second or two and he saw a smile grow as she tucked the key into the pocket of her shorts.

She looked at him from barely a foot away and spoke. “OK. I like your bed better than mine.” She grinned and bit at her lip.

Cole wrapped his hand behind her neck and pulled her in, kissing her quickly on the lips. “We should go.” He let go and pointed towards the door.

“OK. We should go.”

Her accent was just a bit different, and Cole figured out she was trying to imitate his voice. She was cute even when she was trying to be funny.

They walked the long way around to the parking lot, and Isabella waited outside while Cole walked back in to the lobby. He asked about the taxi and the older woman pointed out to the parking lot and nodded. Cole walked back down the tiled steps, into the midday sunlight, and over to Isabella. When he got to her, he saw a taxi pulling up from the street outside the gates. They walked over and climbed in.

Looking at Isabella, Cole whispered, “Airport.”

Isabella took it from there and the driver set off through the streets of the little town, onto the highway and towards the airport. It had been a few days since he’d driven the route with Murph, and there was much more to see with daylight. To the north, there were the highest peaks, but even in the lower part of the island, the roads climbed and descended over rolling hills and through narrow passes. The morning traffic was light and not long after they’d set off, the driver pointed towards a rental car lot.

Cole was relieved to see signs from American companies. He stood a good chance of negotiating a deal on his own. As the driver pulled up, Cole hopped out and asked Isabella to wait with the cab just in case they had no cars to rent.

Walking inside, there was a woman a few years older than Cole behind the counter who greeted him in English.

Cole let out a sigh of relief. “What can I get for a week?”

“Well, Sir, what type of car would you like?”

Cole thought for a second and replied, “Something that a girl will like.”

“So you want to impress her?” The woman laughed.

Cole shook his head, “No, not to impress, just something a girl will appreciate.”

The woman nodded and smiled, “I have a convertible, just big enough for two.”

“Yes, please. That would be great.”

Cole passed her his credit card and American driver’s license and two minutes later, he held the keys to a red Audi. Walking outside, he motioned for Isabella to come out. As she was stepping out, he gave the driver a handful of bills. Content with the money, which Cole had not counted, the driver waved as he drove off.

They walked over to the far side of the lot, and Cole clicked at different cars until he heard one chirp. When Isabella saw it, she looked back quickly at Cole to be sure it was the right one, and he nodded with a grin. Cole stepped in front of her and opened the passenger door. Isabella kissed him on the cheek and sat down. Cole walked to the driver’s side, sat down and fired it up. It was an A4, not the fastest car ever made, but it purred well enough and fit the island atmosphere. Cole put the top down with the push of a button and as he drove off the lot, Isabella sat with her head against the headrest and looked over at him happily.

Soon they were cruising beyond the built-up outskirts of Fort-de-France and passed the turn back towards the Bakoua. They’d been on the road for almost an hour when Cole crested the last hills at the island’s southern end and saw the water in front of them. Following a beach road, they stopped for some take-out food and drinks, then continued on until there were open sandy beaches. Cole parked, and they took their bags a few hundred yards further down the beach and set up under a sagging mess of palm trees. A few people walked up and down by the water, but up against the vegetation and under a palm tree, Cole and Isabella were all but alone.

Isabella took off her shirt and skirt, revealing her bikini. Cole was down to his board shorts and they walked for a bit, ending up down at the water’s edge. Beyond the small waves rolling in and crashing up to the shore, a rock of an island sat a mile or two offshore. Cole stood there looking at it, the water up around his shins.

“I get it. The diamond.”

Isabella wrapped both her hands around his arm and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. “
Oui, Le Diamant.
It’s pretty.”

Cole walked out until the waves smashed against his chest. He wasn’t more than 20 or 30 yards offshore, but he could feel the wind filling in around him. He walked just a bit farther and ducked under the next wave. Resurfacing past it, he was now in deeper water. There must have been a fairly steep shelf, because the water moved around him in ways he hadn’t felt for some time. As the next wave lifted him up, he saw Isabella still standing waist deep. He waved at her and she waved back. As the wave passed, she disappeared again and he was alone with the ocean. He took a deep breath and dove down to the bottom, now about 15 feet below him.

The water was noticeably cooler, almost cold at the bottom. He opened his eyes and swam a few yards back towards shore. The salt stung his eyes, but he could see the shelf in front of him a few more yards inshore. He paused for a moment, letting the cool dark water embrace him, before pushing off the bottom with his feet and rocketing back up to the surface. Taking a deep breath at the surface and feeling entirely refreshed, he swam hard to catch the momentum of the next wave and rode along with his body until the whitewater overtook him and the wave passed. He could stand up again and walked back towards Isabella.

Isabella splashed at him with her hand and asked, “Why do you do such things? You scare me.”

Cole walked closer and picked her up. He thought,
If she only knew all the things I’ve done.
He didn’t want to disappoint her, or scare her, or hurt her—but he knew himself well enough to worry that he would.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. The water just feels too good not to jump in.”

As they walked back up the beach to their spot under the tree, Cole looked back beyond the waves and saw the wind dancing up and over the crests, kicking salt spray over the tops. It was good to be with the sea.

They ate their sandwiches, drank their beers, and walked some more down to the far end of the beach before swimming again. Cole didn’t leave Isabella this time, but he never entirely shook the thought of how the water had felt at the bottom beyond the waves. Either way, he was happy to play in the shallow water with Isabella. When they were good and tired, they went again back to their spot under the palm tree. It was now the latter half of the afternoon and the beach was almost abandoned.

Isabella was laying on her back on a towel. The sun had started to walk its way down over the hills to the west, and under the shade of the trees, it was dark and cool. Cole was laying on his stomach, propping his shoulders and head up with his elbows.

Looking at Cole, Isabella reached down to the string knot on her hip that held her bikini bottom together, tugging at it until the knot loosened. Cole shifted his elbows and pulled himself in closer to her. With her other hand, she untied the knot on the other side then pulled Cole on top of her. They kissed and laughed. She brought one knee over and rubbed her leg against Cole while he loosened the knot tying his board shorts together. They kissed more and Cole looked up to check that no one was on either end of the beach. They were all alone.

Isabella ran her fingers through his salty hair and pulled his attention back to her. By that point, he didn’t care if anyone was walking on the beach. Her lips were salty and he kissed at drops of water on her neck. They were wrapped up in each other and by the time they were through, the sun was an afterthought below the western horizon. There was still some twilight, but it too would soon fade. Tired from their time in the water and under the palm tree, they collected their things and made their way back to the car.

Driving back to the Bakoua in darkness, Isabella rested her left hand on Cole’s thigh and her head against the headrest. With the wind, her hair was the same curled and beautiful mess that Cole had admired their first night together. Cole powered through the ups and downs of the winding mountain roads, enjoying the drive and Isabella’s company.

Back at the Bakoua, they made their way to Cole’s room, settling into the same chairs from the day before to watch the moon come up. The easterly breeze blew with force, and after a day in the sun, it was chilly. As the first stars popped out, Isabella shivered. He smiled at her and motioned to go inside. They took a hot shower, washing the last bits of salt off their faces and dried off before crawling again under the sheets. Cole was in high spirits as Isabella wrapped her arm around his chest and tucked her head into and against his chest.

Chapter 14 – HITRON

OVER THE NEXT two weeks, Cole took Isabella all over the island when she wasn’t working. At one point, he asked her to quit working altogether, but she refused. Disappointed, he still admired her work ethic, and her even more because of it. And so, on the days she was free, they drove across the island to the east side and spent evenings at quiet bars tucked up against forgotten beaches. Cole had taken a liking to the rum punch and enjoyed the different variations of it at the bars along the way. They spent one afternoon roaming through Saint-Pierre on the northwest coast, picking their way through the remains of a city where nearly 30,000 people had died in the early 20
^th
century when a volcano had erupted. The beaches were still a dark and almost black sand, evidence even after more than a century of the destruction that had roared downhill from Mount Pelee, on the peak that towered over the town.

By the time he finally turned the car back in, both he and Isabella were exhausted. They spent the next two weeks eating at restaurants around the marina and evenings passed by as the two of them sat on the veranda and watched stars come out. Most nights, Isabella asked for a bottle of wine, and while Cole never could enjoy the taste nearly as much as rum, he obliged and the two of them worked through a bottle almost every evening.

Each day, Cole picked up bits and pieces of French and Isabella practiced her English. Conversations went on for hours and Cole relished the tranquility. He couldn’t help but be happy when she would say something to him in French for him to repeat. When he did, she giggled and shook her head, hardly ever telling Cole what he’d actually said. Some nights ended before midnight, but many others went into the early hours of the morning. With a moon crossing the sky above them and the ever-present easterly breeze, Cole was content each night to sit until the morning and take in all he could. Most nights, though, Isabella gave him some hint when she wanted to call it a night.

Sometimes it was obvious. She’d get up from her seat and sit on Cole’s lap, kissing him and pulling at his shirt. Other nights it was more subtle. She’d be quiet for a bit longer than usual and by the time it caught Cole’s attention, she was looking directly into his eyes and he knew she wanted his affection. He never knew what it was that turned the tide. Perhaps it was the things he said in French or perhaps it was nothing, but most often Isabella led him back into the room, turned the lights out, and crawled on top of him.

Well into his second month in Martinique, he awoke one morning to find Isabella already dressing herself for work.

“You know you should just quit, right?” Cole’s eyes were blinking as he shook the last bits of sleep away.

Isabella, pulling on her shoes, replied, “I promised them I would work the summer. It would not be fair. Besides, what would I do with all that time?”

“Stay in bed with me for starters.” Cole grinned.

“I’ll be back in your bed soon either way.” Isabella flashed him a smile and adjusted her shirt before turning to walk out the door.

“Oh, Cole, your phone is blinking. There is probably a message for you. Call the front desk. I will see you tonight,
mon amour
.” With that she walked out and the door closed behind her.

Cole rolled over to see the phone and indeed there was a small blinking red light. It took some time to figure out how to play the message, but eventually he found the right button. His heart skipped a beat when he heard it. It was David. In so many words, he wanted Cole to get in touch with him. Cole sat for some time thinking about it. In every way, he was happy to have put Panama behind him and did not want to return, especially now.

He went for breakfast to think it over. With a few cups of coffee, he mulled over his options. There really weren’t any. Cole knew David would track him down wherever he ran, no matter how remote of a corner in the Caribbean. Perhaps David had a compromise in the works, but Cole had no idea. What he knew was that he’d have to get in touch with David to find out. Moreover, while Cole hated to admit it, the past two months had eaten up the majority of what severance he had left from the Coast Guard.

Returning to his room, he sat on the bed and reluctantly dialed.

David picked up and said, “Hello?”

“David, it’s Cole, returning your call.”

David sounded genuinely happy to hear from him. “I think the weeks have been good to you, Cole. How have you been?”

“Good, yeah. Thanks for the advice. Martinique is something else.”

David switched to business. “Like I said, Cole, we just needed some time to let things quiet down. I’ve got some work for you if you’re interested. It’s in your neighborhood, too. I assume you want to stick around there for a while.”

Cole thought for a second before replying, “Yeah, the island vibe is a bit easier on me than Panama City. What’s the job?”

David laughed. “Driving a boat my friend, what else?”

Cole felt butterflies forming in his stomach. “Where to?”

David laid out the plan. “You’ll get a ride out to one of our boats around sunset. It’ll be an hour or so offshore. Once the sun goes down, you run it up to Saint Croix and call it a day. And Cole, this is a fast one. You’ll make forty knots easy.”