Hustle (Book 1 in The Hunted Hearts) - SYTYCW Winner #action #comedy #romance

Hustle | Chapter 8

Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved

Hustle By Claire Chilton

8

The Trap

Jacob jerked awake, gasping for air. Cold sweat beaded his skin, and his heart was racing due to the dream that was still vivid in his mind. He'd been trapped at the bottom of the ocean in a small cave with his father's corpse reaching for him.

He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and tried to calm down. His heart hammered, and he could hear the echo of his pulse pounding in his ears. He shook his head. The nightmares weren't a new thing. Ever since his father went missing, he'd had some version of them. It seemed that having Ellie Phillips on board had only made them worse.

Yeah, and kissing her probably didn't help.

He shook his head, disappointed by his inability to stop kissing her. She'd gotten under his skin in the worst way possible. Her pouting red lips, her soft skin, the curves of her petite body...

Stop thinking about it!

He clenched his hands into fists, angry with his own body for wanting the enemy. It was clear in his mind that she not only knew about his father's disappearance, but she was partly responsible in some way.

She's just a low-life hustler. Never forget that!

But he had forgotten it. When he found her unconscious in the cave, she'd looked so small and helpless. He'd panicked, and the urge to save her had been so strong. Beyond reason and beyond anything he'd felt for someone before, the idea of losing her had felt like a punch in the gut. He'd dragged her out of the cave, risking his own life to get her out. The cave had totally disintegrated after he'd gotten her out. If he hadn't been there, she'd be dead at the bottom of the Pacific right now. When he brought her on board, he was certain she was gone. She'd had no pulse. She was dead for a few seconds, but CPR had brought her back.

He'd meant to tell her that, but he'd been worried about her welfare, and to be honest, angry at her for diving in a dangerous location alone. By the time she was fit to talk to, he'd found the map and realized her father had been trying to get it all along. Treachery appeared to run in the Phillips family. It made sense. He knew his father had been working with Phillips before he went missing. After his father had disappeared, Phillips had come to see his mother. The old con man had been asking about the map. Even as a child, Jacob had not trusted him.

Ellie showing up at his house now and stealing the map was no coincidence. She had to have known the map was inside the statue. The only way she could know that was if the person who put it there had told her. If his father had found the map, the only person he would have told was Phillips. It was likely that her father had told Ellie about it. Her sneaking in to steal it was more proof that her father knew what had really happened to his, more proof that she knew about it.

Resolved to not give in to her feminine wiles again, he stood up and threw open the cabin door, prepared to interrogate her for the information he wanted.

He stared into the room, and his jaw dropped open. The cuffs were unlocked and hanging on the bed frame. She was gone.

He spun around and raced up the steps to the hatch, throwing it open and tumbling out onto the deck. She was nowhere to be seen.

No, no, no!

He raced to the stern, finding only ropes trailing in the water where her boat had once been. He scanned the shoreline, looking for a sign of her or her boat, but the sea was empty.