Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
She’d never opened herself up to him even though he was a good man. He simply hadn’t been the right man.
David slid in behind the wheel and turned the key. “Remember that. I play it because it goes with the car.”
Sam Cooke’s brilliantly smooth voice filled the car. “Lovable.” It was one of his early songs and one that a person who was only passingly familiar probably would overlook.
“You do not.” She stared ahead as he pulled out onto the road. “You’re a fan.”
“I like music, and I love that man’s voice. I had a professor who taught Contemporary Black History who introduced me to him. Opened my eyes about a lot of things, he did,” David said. “So I thought we could talk on the way to the airport. It’s probably best if we try to sleep on the plane. I need to hit the ground running, so to speak. It will be roughly ten a.m. when we land in Mar del Plata.”
“I’m sorry about that.” She’d made the decision to skip Buenos Aires entirely. Since they had a private plane, they could fly straight to the coast. She would have taken them directly to the island, but there wasn’t a landing strip. The island was mostly jungle, and the owner wasn’t interested in developing it past the two small towns on the coast and the tiny village in the center of the island. “I know you wanted to take the route the guy did.”
“Montez,” he supplied. “Yeah, I did want to take the same route, try to get the feeling of wonder he must have sensed when he first saw the island after that long bus ride. But the bus will still be around later. I’m afraid the island might not.”
“Is it going to explode or something?”
“Ricardo’s son is now the owner of the island. He’ll change things. It’s inevitable. I want to see the house and the grounds before Eddie renovates.” David pulled the Mustang onto the freeway and eased up to speed. “I think he’ll hold off on the renovations for a while. At least until he finds the treasure.”
That engine was purring perfectly, and she wondered how fast it could go. “The treasure?”
“You haven’t heard the story of Montez’s treasure?”
“No.” Though she had to admit she was becoming more and more intrigued by this hero of David’s.
“Wow. It’s kind of a big deal,” David murmured, obviously unimpressed with her knowledge. “Though I guess it’s a big deal in academia and treasure-hunting circles.”
“There are treasure-hunting circles?”
David flashed her a grin that threatened to make her melt. “Oh, yeah. There are treasure hunters across the globe. Mostly they look for shipwrecks or historical objects that were lost. Montez’s treasure is a contemporary thing, so it’s unique. Montez became an urban legend when it was hinted that he hid a treasure on his island. Then shortly after he died, a poem that he’d written was released, and it seems to hint that the treasure is real and it gives clues to its location.”
“What kind of treasure?” Tessa asked.
“No one knows exactly. It’s been speculated that it’s a small box that includes gold coins and some artifacts he collected. Some people think it’s a larger treasure. Montez liked to collect historical objects. Some think it’s cash. But more importantly, some believe he hid his final manifesto on the secret to life. As a biographer you can understand why I would want to read that.”
She could understand why it would be important to him. “So you want to look for this treasure?”
He nodded. “It’s one of the things I intend to do while we’re there. I’ve got an assistant who’s already on the island. He put together camping equipment for us. Well, for him and me. I certainly don’t expect you to traipse through the jungle looking for treasure.”
What did he think she was going to do? “Uhm, that’s exactly what I’m supposed to do.”
For the first time since she’d gotten into the car, he seemed a bit awkward. “I thought once we were on the island, you were off the hook. Ian told me if the island seemed safe, you would likely treat the rest of the trip as a vacation.”
Was that why he was so comfortable with her? He thought he could ditch her when they got to the island? She wasn’t about to lose the big guy’s nephew. “I’m not a big vacation girl, to tell you the truth. I would rather stay close to you and do my job.”
His eyes were back on the road. “This is jungle territory.”
“Then it’s good I brought my hiking boots.” She’d looked up the island they were going to this afternoon. It was rugged, and she was likely in for a week without her cell. The island had power and water, but cell service was notoriously bad, and there weren’t tons of cars there either. It looked like an interesting place—a place trapped in time.