Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 53081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t. You can’t do that in front of everyone. What if they knew?”
“Little Fish, they’ve probably all had to endure something similar at one time or another. I seriously doubt you’ll be the only Little girl at dinner with a plug in her pretty bottom. I also suspect at least one or two will show up with red bottoms that make them wince. You want to add a spanking to your plight?”
She shook her head. “No, Sir.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Chapter Seventeen
Caesar was the last to hold the talking spoon near the end of dinner. “So, the plan is to go out tomorrow at high tide. If we have the entire team, minus Magnus on the boat, plus most of the Littles, we will easily look like a regular excursion. If anyone stalks us from another boat or the shore, they won’t know some of us are actually under the water looking for any hint of the treasure.”
Magnus nodded. “I’ll stay here in the basement with Juniper, watching all the cameras. Two sets of eyes are better than one.”
Sadie wiggled on her Daddy’s lap. “I got someone to replace me at the front desk for several hours.”
Rocco gripped her thigh, silently reminding her to sit still. This made Caesar suspect she either had a sore bottom, a plug, or both. Caesar knew, from the way Isla had glanced at Sadie several times, that she was wondering the same thing.
“How many of us are scuba certified?” Celeste asked. “I’m certainly not. I’ve never been willing to stick more than my face in the water. Anything deeper makes me freak out.”
Hawking kissed her cheek. “Phoenix and I have both gotten certified since we started working here. So has Zara.”
Kestrel nodded. “I’ll stay at the surface, snorkeling with Celeste, Lyra, and Sadie.”
Rocco nodded. “I will stay on the boat with Jack and watch for any possible threats.”
It was rare, but Caesar felt kind of choked up. “Thank you. All of you.”
Rocco leaned forward, keeping one arm tight around Sadie. “No need to thank us. We’re a team. We’ve all been there for each other, and we will all see this threat through to the end.”
All Caesar could do was nod as Isla wrapped her arms tight around his neck and leaned her head against his shoulder.
Phoenix lifted Lyra out of her chair and pulled her onto his lap. It seemed all of them were feeling possessive and a bit emotional. Every face was somber, and the room was rather quiet.
Phoenix cleared his throat. “I know something big is going to happen. I can feel it in the air. We all know Kingsley doesn’t assign anyone the task of protecting a Little without a serious threat following on her heels. All we can do, for now, is do this dive tomorrow and see what we can find. We all know the danger is real. We will all be cautious and observant at all times. We’ll take our time, be meticulous, and scour the ocean floor.”
“What if we don’t find a single thing?” Zara asked.
Hawking sighed. “That’s the most likely outcome, unfortunately, and I don’t know what happens next. As long as there are people out there who believe there’s a treasure buried in that cove, there will be boats in the Danger Bluff waters, scouring the sea floor, even if they have to do so in the dark of night. Treasure hunters can be ruthless.”
Caesar patted Isla’s bottom and drew in a deep breath. “Which is why it’s crucial that we find something. It’s the only way we can put a stop to the nonsense. Otherwise, we’ll be out there looking again every few days until we do.”
“What if there’s nothing to find?” Isla asked, her voice cracking. She rubbed her temples. “I feel so bad about this. If I hadn’t dug around in my grandfather’s belongings and decided to follow in his footsteps, none of this would’ve happened. No one would have ever known who took that map out of a toilet tank all those years ago.”
Caesar hugged her tighter. “Little Fish, if you hadn’t found that map and headed out on this adventure, I wouldn’t have met you, and that possibility is unimaginable. You’re my life. I’ll never understand how you got put in my path or how Kingsley could possibly know to send you to me, but you’re here now, and I’m so damn glad. I’ll never regret a thing. We will resolve this matter and live happily ever after. There are no other options.”
The remaining Littles who’d been sitting next to their Daddies climbed up on their laps so that all twelve of them were snuggled in with their loved ones.
After a few minutes of silence, Rocco said, “Am I the only one wondering what happens to us after we solve this problem? What happens to the twelve of us? I consider you my family now. I can’t fathom a world in which we all go our separate ways.” He shuddered.