Chapter 15: Jillian

"Come here, Rufus!" Jillian waved the ball at the black dog until he bounced around barking, then threw it as hard as she could. Sand flew every direction as Rufus tore after the ball arching over the beach. She'd never considered herself a dog person, but he'd grown on her over the last year.

Zach was walking back towards her now with his metal detector swinging in front of him. He paused for a moment to stoop and dig in the sand before resuming his search. They'd been coming to the Treasure Coast of Florida most of their free weekends since Zach moved to Orlando.

Her brother, Josh, had been amazed at their luck finding colonial-era gold coins and jewelry in the sand. He had become their authenticator and broker, helping to sell what they found between his diving trips in the keys. Josh always jokingly asked what their secret was since he never found anything, but he'd never believe the truth about where those treasures had really come from.

Rufus came running back with a slobbery ball and dropped it at her feet with a sneeze. She picked up the ball and teased him with it again before lobbing it toward her husband. Following Rufus, Jillian rubbed her swollen belly with a smile. The extra money from their treasure stash helped pay for their home in a nice Orlando neighborhood and Zach's new dojo. It would really come in handy when little Zachary Taylor Junior arrived.

"Any luck?" Jillian asked with a smirk.

Zach jingled the pocket of his shorts. "So have you decided?"

"I don't wanna dress up this year. Let's just stay home and pass out candy to kids."

"That'll suit me just fine," Zach said as he leaned in for a kiss.

Rufus bounded around them as they walked hand-in-hand back to their SUV. "Victor finally called me back."

"Did he agree to hire extra security for Halloween night?" Zach asked.

"He's still convinced it was a terrorist attack." Jillian shrugged. "We did what we could. My conscience is clear."

"I wish I could be a fly on the wall when they go into the cave," Zach chuckled as he opened the passenger door for Jillian to sit.

While Zack walked around to put Rufus in his cage in the back, Jillian shut her eyes to picture the cave the last time they were there. It had taken monthly trips back to the island to sneak out all the treasure. The rotten wooden chest at the back of the cave had held a surprising amount of gold coins and jewelry.

The jewelry was easy enough to wear out, but they had to hide the coins to avoid customs. Zach had come up with clever ways to secret them in fake batteries for laptops and camera equipment. Once they got it all home, Zach had printed out a picture of it spread out in the middle of their dining room table. They'd gone back one last time to leave a laminated picture in the remains of the treasure chest for Arrais and Sean to discover.

Zach got in and started the car for the drive home. "Hey, did Victor mention if the ship was still there?"

"Yeah," Jillian laughed. "Apparently he turned it into a tourist attraction."

"I wonder if that means they'll all just show up there," Zach murmured as he backed out of the parking lot and into the street.

"I'm glad we won't be there to find out."

"I'm sure it'll be on the news if they do. Another terrorist attack no doubt."

"Or maybe you broke the curse when you killed Arrais," Jillian suggested.

"Who knows?" Zach had a thoughtful look on his face as he drove towards I-95. "You need a bathroom break before we get on the freeway?"

"I'm good," she said and took his hand.

Zach gave her the smirk she'd come to love. "You sure are."