Page 130 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

I laughed, but Ace was right. Would Jake be angry that I’d brought him here? Maybe. But we also had the King’s key, and I hoped that treasure would trump my oopsies in the past.

When Jake saw me, his eyes grew wide, and he motioned toward someone I couldn’t see. Probably one of his merry men. As we approached, an extra-large steel cargo door lifted. It turned out to be a secret wharf built into the side of Gitmo.

“Ease her inside. It’s plenty deep enough.” Ace instructed.

Three piers extended outward from the mainland. In the third one floated Fredericka’s minisub.

“How come I didn’t know about this landing area?” I made a swooping motion at the dock with my hand.

“Because, hon, you don’t have a watercraft vessel.”

“And how do you know about it?”

“Because I’m nosy.”

Max glided the ship inside. Two men in black stood ready to tie the ship off. I assumed under the water were the same magnetic landing pads that attracted our vessels to the right spot.

A set of stairs led down to water level from a door in the top right of the building. Jake stood below us on a floating dock, staring up. Mouth open, eyes wide.

“Holy ship!” He shook his head like Tinkerbell had flown out of the ship and sprinkled fairy dust on him. “This is the biggest effin’ vessel I’ve ever seen.”

He was making good on his no-cussing promise.

“It’s cool, right?” I grinned down at him.

I met him on the pier, followed by Ace and Max. After introductions were made, Ace took Max on a limited tour of our base.

I turned toward Jake, pushed wet hair away from my face. “Are we good?”

He pulled off his suit jacket and hung it over my shoulders. “I’m not in chains, so yeah. But Potts wants a word with you.”

“Thanks,” I said, pulling my arms into the jacket and securing it over my soaked clothes. “What about Itty and Fredericka?”

“Fredericka’s still in lockup. Itty mysteriously vanished. We found her at Fantasyland sitting in her house drinking tea with Victory and swearing she couldn’t recall visiting Gitmo.” Jake chuckled. “Victory vouched for her alibi. General Potts was so infuriated he gave up the interrogation and let her go.”

“Is he debriefing Marco?” I asked.

“No.” Jake rubbed the back of his neck. “Marco didn’t return to Gitmo.”

“Where is he?” I sucked in air. “Did something happen during his jump?”

Jake lifted his hands in a calming manner. “Al saw him jump to New York on the travel screen. I assume he’s touching base with Angel.”

I laughed, releasing my worried breath. “Family first. Isn’t that what you’ve always said?”

“No. That’s what you always say. Anyway, she’ll tell him the news of our engagement, and he’ll turn up later to tell me all the ways he’ll break my neck if I hurt her.”

“Then, y’all will bro hug, and he’ll welcome you into his family. He knows how much you love her.” I cocked my head. “Do you think Potts will take my key for breaking out of jail?”

“General Potts is beyond mad that you escaped, so unless you have McGregor tied to the main mast, there’s a chance you’ll be grounded.” He paused, then looked hopeful. “You don’t, do you?”

The thought of Caiyan tied to the main mast in his sexy pirate garb made my southern hemisphere heat. “Nope. I wasn’t lucky enough to catch him.”

Jake glanced up at theSea Storm. “Potts will be pleased with the new traveler and impressed by this massive vessel. He might even let Fredericka out of jail.”

“If you think that’s impressive, wait until you see what I’ve got in the hold.”

Forty-Three

---