Aurora's Gold by K. J. Gillenwater

Author:K. J. Gillenwater [Gillenwater, K. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-11T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Nate waved. An insincere smile on his face. I had an empty feeling in my stomach. He was the last person I wanted to see out on the water today. Couldn’t he go dredge somewhere else?

I ducked my head and got back on the radio.

“You are definitely on the gold.” The good news first. “I even found a couple of pickers.”

Ben whistled. “Well, hot damn.”

“But we’ve got about three or four boats setting up shop nearby.” I hesitated to tell Ben about Nate. What good could possibly come of it? I needed Ben in a positive mindset, and Nate had clearly set him off the other night. “They might try horning in on our streak. Let me know if anyone gets too close.”

“Aye-aye, captain.” He paused and then grunted. “Oh, heck, yeah.”

“What you got?” I looked out across the water at the Rough & Ready anchoring south of our position. The direction Ben had been headed. Those bastards. Nate could read the positioning of the Alaska Darling and the run of the air hose and water lines to make an educated guess as to where my diver would be. Plus, he knew my dad’s methods. Easy enough to pick up on where the gold might be.

“Mega boulder. Just flipped it.”

“Sweet.” I did my best to keep my voice light, unaffected by the rivals about to suck up our gold. “I think you’ve got it, Ben. Can you keep it up for a few more hours?”

“No problemo.”

The sight of Nate Frazier had set me off in a bad direction mentally. Old friendships had been ripped apart. Out here on the Bering it was every man for himself. Nate didn’t care if he destroyed my father’s business. He’d set course on a path of revenge for some unwritten promise I’d never heard of. He felt he deserved half the business but had nothing to back it up. All based on feelings and his own need for payback. My father chose me over his long-time business partner, and Nate had a very large chip on his shoulder about it. A dangerous chip, perhaps.

My phone rang. I pulled my gaze away from the Rough & Ready just as Nate was suiting up for a dive.

The hospital again.

“Hello?” My hand trembled.

“This is Dr. Leskiv. The nurse told me you’d only be available by phone for a few hours today. I hope I didn’t call too late.”

“You’re fine. This is perfect. How’s my father doing? Can you tell me anything?” I turned away from the Rough & Ready to focus on the conversation. “This morning the nurse implied that they’d need time to assess his consciousness.”

“Although your father is currently unable to speak with you, I wouldn’t be alarmed. He’s slowly coming around. These things take time. He went through a major trauma.”

Tears welled up and blinded me. “That such a relief to hear.” I had trouble finding words. “Will he be fit for surgery?”

“We’re going to do the work up later this afternoon. Once he’s more lucid.

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