Page 9 of The Honeymoon Heist

Pike’s radio squawked just as her flash went off, Jennifer saying, “Pike, Pike, this is Koko, we’ve got a boat coming our way, and it’s moving very fast.”

Pike ran to the railing, saw the wake of a boat smaller than theirs streaming toward them, and said, “Is it the authorities?”

“I have no idea, but they're definitely coming straight at me.”

Amena saw him go into commando mode, his voice brisk and controlled, his attitude no longer relaxed. He said, “Wrap it back up. We have to get out of here.”

He helped her cinch the straps tight, then said, “We’re moving fast back down the hill. If you have to slow down, do so, but I have to be at the bottom by the time that boat arrives. Take your time, but I’m going to be moving out.”

She nodded, now afraid simply because of his demeanor, and he saw the fear, shifting back into the Pike she knew, saying, “Don’t worry. We’re going to be okay. I just have to get down there.”

And the words calmed her down, because she knew that was true. Whoever it was couldn’t compete with the man she was with. She nodded and said, “Don’t wait on me. I’ll be right behind you.”

He smiled, and said, “Let’s go then, little commando,” and took off down the path.

They reached the stairs in the cliff face and saw the boat almost to Jennifer. The stone cuts were a blur, with Pike going down them like a billy goat, leaving Amena wondering how he knew where his feet would end up at each step. The distance grew between them until he was gone, with her still halfway up the mountain. By the time she reached the makeshift stone dock, he was talking to two men from a speedboat blocking their own craft.

She avoided them, running to Jennifer, who helped her onto their boat, saying, “Let Pike handle it. Don’t say anything.”

“What’s going on? Who is it?”

“I don’t know, but they seemed a little angry.”

Jennifer went to the front of the boat and untied the bow line, waiting on Pike.

Amena looked toward the men, seeing they were young, maybe early thirties, and most definitely weren’t the authorities. They had no uniforms, and looked like they were more used to a boxing ring than a boat. She saw Pike hold up his hands, shaking his head, followed by the lead man pointing his finger in Pike’s face. Pike said something else, and the man waved his hands at their boat. Pike turned and jogged toward her.

He looked at Jennifer and said, “Guess that was a bad idea. Let’s go.”

They both jumped onto the deck, Pike got behind the wheel, fired up the engine, and spun the boat around, sending a jet of water behind as he goosed the engine, spearing the hull back into the ocean as fast as he could.

Holding on to the railing, Jennifer said, “What the hell was that all about?”

Pike said, “I have no idea. They barely spoke English, but they didn’t like us going up there.”

“Who were they?”

The wind picking up, the grotto receding behind them, he said, “They weren’t the police, that’s for sure. If I were to guess, there’s something hinky up in those hills. Drugs or something like that.”

Amena’s eyes grew large. “You think they’re drug dealers, and thought we were stealing their stuff?”

Pike inched the throttle higher and said, “Honey, I honestly don’t know what they’re doing. All I know is I’mreallyhungry now.”

She felt like it was all her fault. She was the one who wanted to go up to the cave.She’dcaused this. She had almost ruined their honeymoon. She said, “I’m really sorry. I won’t ask to do anything like that again.”

Jennifer saw her remorse and embraced her, saying, “Oh, stop that. It wasn’t your fault. It’s his.”

Pike gave his pirate laugh and said, “Sorry? I’ll be looking at art galleries in Positano for the next four days. Thanks for the high adventure!”

And she felt the love from them both, bringing back the smile to her face.

Chapter 7

Sitting at an outdoor café on Viale Pasitea, the first road that bisected the staircase heading down to the Positano lower town and beach, Buck split his time glancing at the text messaging app on his phone and staring at the exit to the staircase, his hands nervously picking up the phone every few seconds like a teenager checking for likes on TikTok.

There were two ways out of the Villa Magia hotel, and they both entailed a staircase: one going up and one going down. Miles was on the upside of the staircase, right next to the hotel exit, while Buck was down, on the first street that would allow him to see the people exiting without being seen himself.

Their contacts with the Italians had given them the names and room number of the Americans, but he was still wondering why on earth they had to do this work. They’d dropped off the painting like they’d been told, and instead of getting money, they’d received this new assignment, which wasn’t something Buck wanted any part of, not the least because he was growing weary of walking the stairs back and forth.

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