Michelle C Reilly - Savage Winds

When Ana lifted her lids,

she found herself once again on the lumpy mattress. She turned her head and discovered the captain at the foot of the cot with her life vest in his hands. His eyes had done that strange color shift again and his sandy blond hair, pulled back to stream down his back, glowed almost gold.

Where did you have this made? he asked without looking at her.

Her mind swirled with the impossible conclusion she had come up with. She couldnt bring herself to believe it but decided to test her theory. I didnt have it made. My uncle bought it.

His regard angled her way. Where?

She sat up and shrugged. Probably online.

Online? He turned to her with the jacket still in his hand. I dont know this place. Where might I find online?

Ana laughed, but it came out uneasy. Anywhere youre connected to the Internet.

The man froze. Internet? He said the word slowly, emphasizing each syllable, as if he was trying to figure out the meaning of the word.

Yeah, you know that place you go to when you use your computer, phone, or whatever device to access things online. She watched him closely for any hint he was fooling her by trying to pretend he didnt know what she was talking about. There wasnt even a whiff on his sculptured features to state he understood.

Savage Winds

by

Michelle C. Reilly

Savage Times Series, Book One

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Savage Winds

COPYRIGHT 2018 by Michelle C. Reilly

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

Cover Art by Kristian Norris

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First American Rose Edition, 2018

Print ISBN 978-1-5092-1937-7

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-1938-4

Savage Times Series, Book One

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

MammaI promised you a blond, so here he is!

I love and miss you more than youll ever know

Chapter 1

Ana sucked in a deep breath through her snorkel. Kicking hard, she pushed herself just below the surface of the warm waters of the crystal clear ocean surrounding the small island of Grand Bahama. She turned her head to make sure Uncle Louis was close.

He gave her the okay sign, and Ana returned the gesture. The sun shone through the pebbled surface above them, sending fractured patterns along the sandy bottom. Small, bright colored fish darted here and there, their scaled bodies glinting with the light.

After taking another deep breath, Ana and Louis swam deeper, meandering around a bend in a small coral reef, where a school of spadefish enveloped them. Unafraid, the fish parted wide enough for her and her uncle to glide through. Ana reached out and slid her palm along the side of one. Another approached her, opened its mouth, and sucked in her finger, in search of any goodies. Often people brought hot dogs, or other types of meats, to feed the marine life during their swims. When the fish discovered she didnt have any gifts, it let go and hurried to catch up with the others.

Ana sent another glance at her uncle, checking his progress. His dark hair floated about his partially-bald head, and a big grin split his face, causing the flesh above his mouthpiece to crinkle. They floated to the surface and took another quick gulp of air from their snorkels, and then continued to the other side of the coral outcropping. Deep beneath them, she could make out the remnants of a ship that sank from an ancient battle. A spotted eagle ray jetted past Ana, its wing brushing the top of her head. She swallowed the squeal that came to her throat and spun around to watch its elegant flight through the water. It passed a few feet in front of her uncle, who tried desperately to shift backward, his eyes wide behind his mask.

Ana giggled at him and then squealed for real as two more rays flew past her, their beating wings causing the water to vibrate against her. She studied them as they chased each other.

She touched her uncles shoulder and pointed her thumb to the surface. He nodded, and they kicked upward. As they broke the surface, one of the eagle rays shot into the sky, its wings flapping in the air and its long, barbed tail whipping back and forth. With complete grace, it dove back in and disappeared below.

Holy mother, her uncle said, using his hands to spin toward her with a wide smile. I thought they were going to run into us.

Ana laughed. They were pretty close. Joy bubbled up inside her. It had been such a long time since shed been able to spend time with her uncle. The man was more like a father since hed brought her up after her parents were murdered.

She cut clean strokes through the low surf, wishing she could cut out the memories as easily. The family business had been the ultimate cause of the death of her parents. As one of the leading families in the mob, all of them were targets. It was why shed ditched them when she was still young.

Except Louis. Hed taken care of her as best he could, and she was eternally grateful to him.

Ana removed her fins and mask and walked up onto the sandy beach of the tiny vacant island where theyd parked their jet skis, while her uncle collapsed on his back, his rounded belly sticking up toward the sky. She eyed him. Lets go, lazy. I want to hustle back. Im starved.

He groaned and rolled over onto all fours, kicking off his fins. Come on, Anaelle, give the old man a break, will ya? What, do you think because you have some doctor degree and know about all them crazy creatures in the ocean, you can boss me around?

She hid her distaste at his use of her full first name. After securing her snorkel gear to the jet ski, she donned her life jacket and regarded her uncle. Ive never needed a degree to be the boss of you.

Louis barked out a laugh as he stood. Aint that the truth? He shoved his arms though his own jacket.

They pushed their jet skis out into the water and turned over the engines. Race ya! Ana yelled over the blaring noise. She twisted her hand to push the throttle to full, and her jet ski shot off. Ana giggled as her uncles curses rang out over the clamor of the engine, the words making her cheeks burn. Soon he came alongside her, and she leaned forward, keeping his yacht in her sights. Her long pony tail whipped back and forth, stinging her shoulders, and the breeze hummed in her ears.

With only about a hundred yards before reaching their boat, she finally started edging out in front. A dolphin broke through the surface in front of her, its sleek, curved body arcing over the water, and its dark eye flashing at her. Ana gasped and jerked her handles to the right, afraid of colliding with the beautiful mammal. With a slash of its tail, it dove beneath the aquamarine waves.

Her uncles exuberant hollers came to her as he blasted past her. She growled and pushed herself forward. He veered around the back of the yacht at a speed so fast she worried shed find him plastered against the hull. Ana let up on the throttle and glided at a safer pace a distance behind him. When she finally pulled up to the swim platform, she parked next to her uncles empty jet ski. She tied hers down and then entered the yawning opening beyond the platform, her wet feet slapping against the wooden slats. The area was crowded with an assortment of items, including water toys, chairs, and scuba gear often used for her uncles private parties. She searched the room and found no sign of Louis.