10 feet Under

Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

My Jaw nearly touched the ground.

"You.... wait...you what?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Sì, I pulled you out of the damn water. You're welcome."

Geesh, talk about anger issues.

"Why? I mean, I'm the enemy, right?"

"No shit, Sherlock."

I glared at him.

"Okay, I know we both don't want to be in this sticky situation, but could you just chill for one minute and tell me why you pulled me on this damn boat?"

He held the bridge of his nose and sighed, muttering some gibberish in italian before he began to speak.

" I wasn't trying to save you, dipshit. My mate Dante got shot by one of your damn men, and he fell over. He had long hair like you. You guys were dressed similarly. I couldn't tell through the current of the water."

I Looked down at my attire. I was wearing a lacy white tank, and black high wasted shorts. How would he have been able to tell through the raging waters? He continued.

"When I realized I pulled out the wrong person, I went back and tried to find Dante. But he was gone."

He clenched his fist, until his knuckes went from red to white.

He fixed his gaze on me.

"I was planning to just throw you back over, but you were already awake. And being the nice guy that I am, I let you live. And boy, am i starting to regret that."

Hmph. Nice my ass.

I was about to make a rude comback, when we heard a voice in the distance, followed by footsteps.

"Marino! Is that you?"

He cursed under his breath. His jaw clenched, and his blue eyes went wide.

"We have to hide you. Now."

I followed his brisk cat-like stride to a large wooden door, about 8 feet tall. He ushered me inside, before stepping out and shutting the door. I turned around and gasped at what I saw.

Gold. Diamonds. Crystals. Stored miles high in wooden crates.

The sun hit the jewels at a perfect angle, causing the room to come alive in vivid colors.

But that wasn't the only thing that caught my eye.

A picture of Captain Cafarelli and grumpy pants holding the sacred crystal.

The sacred Crystal originally belonged to my great grandfather, and was a gift from the Aborigines of Australia years back. It was stolen in a brawl by Alfonso Cafarelli, the Captain's father. Anyone who returned it to it's rightful heir would receive riches untold, as well as a guaranteed marraige to The Princess of The Paradox-me. And so has it been my mission ever since: to find the sacred crystal and return it myself, so that no one would have the automatic right to marry me.

That lead me to my next question.

Why was HE standing next to Captain Cafarelli, holding the sacred crystal?

I studied the picture a while longer.

His hair was curly, but styled to perfection on top of his head. His blue eyes were captivating, and they always held a humorous glint. His smile was blindingly bright, and not a tooth out of place. Lastly, his tattoos made there way down is left arm, giving him a dangerous look.

Okay, he was hot. But that's besides the point!

I had to find the crystal and return it to its rightful owner. Just then, I heard voices approaching the door, and went to eaves drop. "And that's an order."

"Yes, my prince."

Just then the door opened, and HE came strolling in, a satisfied look on his face.

"Okay, the coast is clear."

"Why are you trying to hide me? Aren't you going to turn me in and get your money's worth?"

He chuckled.

"Sweetie, the only female that would be worth anything to my father would be N-"

He sucked in a large breath of air, and then gulped.

"You have got to be kidding me..."

He dug around in his back pocket, and pulled out a tiny leather bound booklet. He began frantically flipping through the pages, until he found what he was looking for.

" Signore, abbi pietà... You're THE Nadlynn Jarvis?"

I kept quiet.

"You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Yeah, a money hungry bastard!"

He grabbed my shoulders and glared at me, his gaze never faltering.

"I'm Marino Cafarelli. The Captain's son."

Ah, hell.