Undertow Read Online Free Page A

Okay, where were we?µ
    Back to business. Good. Zane glanced over at Teal. She snored. It was quite ladylike, but there was no doubt that the sound she made while she slept was a snore. He shared an amused glance with Nick. His brother mouthed the word
    Ćute.µ
    Zane shook his head and muttered under his breath, Ás a sea urchin.µ
    Ókay, Ace³µ Logan turned his attention from Diego to Zane, ´you have the floor.µ
    Ćonsidering we·ve lost more than fifteen percent of our audience, I·l make it fast.µ Zane leaned back in his chair and smiled. ´Four years and the Vrijheid was in our own backyard this whole time.µ His brothers had both had huge discoveries in the last year while Zane had searched in vain for his own. It was a matter of pride.
    Hel , it was a matter of the ten-thousand-dol ar bet they made every year. Brother with the largest haul in twelve months would take over the CEO title and perks for the next year and cash in on a ten-grand wager. Logan had been CEO for five years. Time to dethrone him.
    Competition was standard operating procedure in the Cutter clan. It was al good natured, but stil fierce and a point of pride between them. There were two months left and the treasure he anticipated claiming from the virgin wreck, Vrijheid, was head and shoulders above anything they·d scored to date. He was a shoe-in to win, if he could get there before the storms shifted the sands, and if he could keep his engine firing on al cylinders until he ordered a new one.
    Śometimes what we·re looking for is right under our noses.µ Logan rotated his head to ease the tension in his shoulder. The sun was sinking into the horizon, leaving the room in shadows. They·d been talking for a couple of hours. Zane loved his brothers and respe cted both Brian and Diego. But he·d rather be out there on the glassy, aubergine -colored water than sitting inside.
    Nick got up to grab a beer out of the refrigerator in the corner, held up the Stel a, and took orders. He returned with several chil ed bottles and handed them out. ´Who·re you taking with you?µ he asked.
    ´The Berlands.µ Maggie and Ben had dived with Zane dozens of times and were always his top pick. Maggie, a marine archeologist, was also a damn fine diver. Ben, a retired schoolteacher, had fol owed his wife·s love of the sea to the islands thirty some years ago.
    ´Timing·s good. We have a month or so before the weather turns to shit, and Catherine and Liz·s baby is due next month. Maggie and Ben didn·t want to be on the other side of the universe when their second granddaughter arrives.µ

    Śtil good with that?µ Nick asked, lifting the bottle to his mouth and pausing before drinking.
    Í just made the deposit,µ Zane reminded him easily, shooting a quick glance at his mechanic curled up awkwardly in the chair between Nick and Diego. None of her business.
    It wasn·t his secret. The Berlands· daughter, Cat, and her partner Liz, already had a daughter via in vitro, using Zane·s sperm. Now it was Liz·s turn to have a baby. ´You should go see them before you hare off again. Meet Jessie,µ
    Zane told Nick, who·d been gone before the couple·s first daughter had been born.
    Śhe·s a little princess. Damn cute kid.µ
    Í can·t imagine you having a daughter, let alone two.µ
    Í don·t. Cat and Liz do.µ His middle brother reminded him of the Wild Man of Borneo.
    Nick had a little sideline that probably accounted for his appearance. Zane quirked a brow.
    Ńo barbers in Nam?µ
    Nick looked fit and happy and deeply tanned from his voyage. Ńo time.µ Their eyes met briefly.
    Yeah. Zane got it. Nick had been doing a little something else between dives.
    Stil , once you were immersed in bringing treasure back to t he surface, you didn·t give a shit about minor details like haircuts and shaving. And if a man had a sideline ³that also explained the unkempt look.
    ´Who else?µ Logan asked, not looking up as he scribbled something in a notebook. He looked