Trading Secrets by Jayne Castle Read Free Book Online Page A

however. Matt accepted the fact philosophically. He also
     knew that it was important for some reason to keep up the ritual
     of having his laundry professionally done. Such small acts formed
     links, however tenuous, with the future. They implied that there
     was, in fact, a future.
    As he came down the side of the cliff and walked out onto the
     sparkling white, sand, Matt lost sight of Sabrina. It was possible
     to see to a considerable depth when one was standing high above
     the water, but down on the level the advantage was lost. He
     scanned the small cove and after a moment was rewarded by the
     sight of Sabrina surfacing once more to clear her tube and mask.
     Apparently she wasn't a very experienced diver. Another reason why
     she shouldn't have sought out a lonely place such as this to go
     fish watching.
    Matt kept an eye on the orange tip of the snorkel as it glided
     along the surface. Keeping it firmly in sight, he went to stand in
     the shade of the cliff. Even a few degrees of coolness were
     welcome. How long would Sabrina stay in the water? And what the
     hell was he going to say when she emerged and saw him waiting for
     her?
    His first thought was to give her a lecture on the dangers of
     diving alone, but belated common sense warned him it might not go
     over well. He watched the tip of the tube dip below the surface
     again. When she finished the dive, she'd probably have to surface
     completely to clear it. Maybe he could start off the conversation
     by offering to show her how to clear the tube while keeping her
     face underwater.
    "Damn it, lady," Matt groused, stepping out of the shade to walk
     toward the water. "Come on out. You've been in there long enough.
     I want to talk to you." Down she went again, and he waited
     impatiently for the snorkel to reappear.
    When it didn't, Matt felt the first prickle of uneasiness. During
     the time he'd been watching her, he'd unconsciously been keeping
     track of the duration of her dives. They rarely lasted a full
     minute. He knew without having to glance down at his watch that
     she'd been under longer than a minute this trip. He'd done enough
     diving to know that an inexperienced swimmer could get into
     trouble quickly around a large reef. Eyes narrowed against the
     bright morning light, he moved right to the edge of the gently
     lapping waves. Still no sign of the orange-tipped snorkeling tube.
    "Well, hell." There wasn't time to wait and see if perhaps she
     had simply worked her way around to the far side of the reef.
     Picturing the worst, Matt yanked off his boots and shirt and loped
     into the soft, foaming waves.
    He headed toward the point where he had last seen the tube,
     hovering on the surface of the water and peering down into the
     crystal depths. Below him small fish darted about in nervous
     schools and the ancient encrustations on the reef promised
     tantalizing mysteries. Some of those mysteries, Matt knew, could
     be exceedingly dangerous. There was no sign of an overly
     adventurous lady diver, however, and he could see all the way to
     the sandy bottom.
    Forcing himself to deal with the situation in the calm,
     relentlessly logical fashion that in another life had been one of
     his trademarks, Matt began searching the area in a systematic
     pattern. He had some time, he told himself as he fought down the
     anxiety. She'd only been under about three minutes.
    The seconds ticked past with an inexorable swiftness that began
     to lay a foundation for panic. Matt pushed himself, broadening the
     search pattern as rapidly as possible. There was no sign of her
     pale skin against the dark gloom of the reef. Perhaps she had gone
     around to the other side. Could she have slipped around the far
     end without his noticing? It was possible.
    Damn it, he'd strangle her if she was cheerfully swimming around
     on the opposite side while he frantically hunted for her over
     here. Matt lifted his head and struck out for the tip of the reef.
     It