Treasure of Love Read Free

released her hand. “Nice to meet you, Donatella.”
    “Everyone calls me Dona.”
    Jack nodded, looked at Dax, and stuck his hand in his direction.
    “Pleased to meet you, Dax,” Jack said.
    Dax looked at the outstretched hand, but didn’t move. Dona sent a quick jab to his ribs with her elbow that seemed to startle him, and he hesitantly took Jack’s hand in a very firm handshake. The kind of handshake Jack liked to call the “my dick is bigger than your dick” handshake.
    “Welcome aboard the Lindsey C ,” Jack said.
    “Thanks,” Dona replied. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
    “Let’s head down to the salon, and we can talk there,” Jack suggested.
    Both Dona and Dax continued nervously looking around the dock as they made their way below deck.
    He led them through the companionway and into a well-appointed, mahogany-lined salon with a black leather couch and two upholstered side chairs. There were built-in bookcases above the windows, port and starboard, and a flat-panel television on the wall above the navigation desk. Midship was a banquette across from the galley, and in between was a set of stairs leading to four forward sleeping cabins. Aft was another set of steps that went down to the master cabin.
    They settled on the couch, and Jack asked, “Can I get you anything?”
    “No thank you, I’m fine,” Dona said. “You, Dax?” she continued. Dax shook his head no, so Jack sat down across from them.
    “So what’s this all about?” Jack asked.
    “We are about to give you some very private information,” Dona said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a folder containing a stack of papers. She sorted through the papers until she found what she was looking for. She handed Jack a stapled document and said, “You’ll need to sign this before we can really get into details.”
    Jack quickly scanned the two-page document titled “Nondisclosure Agreement.” It was a simple, straightforward document stating that he could not disclose any information shared between them during this meeting or he would be held legally responsible. Dona held a pen in his direction, which he took and used to sign the agreement. He handed the document back to Dona, and she placed it back into the folder. Only then did Dax speak.
    “Jack, I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but Dona and I recently lost our vessel while searching for the wreck of the Sarah Maria off the coast of Cape Horn.”
    Jack nodded. “Yeah, I heard about that. That was really a tough break.”
    The look on Dax’s face tightened considerably, but he kept his composure as he continued.
    “While doing further research on the Sarah Maria , we stumbled upon some documents that allude to the final resting place of a wreck here in Alaska called the Anna Wyoming .”
    “Why does that ring a bell?” Jack asked.
    “She went down in the Lynn Canal, heading for Skagway, during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush,” Dax said.
    “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of that wreck,” Jack said. “Around here, that ship is old folklore. No one’s been able to locate her in over a hundred years.”
    “Until now,” Dax said.
    Jack tilted his head and studied Dax’s expression before Dax continued.
    “Legend has it the boilers exploded, and she went down fast, carrying a shitload of gold,” Dax explained. “But no one’s been able to find her to prove that theory. And trust me, many have tried. We now have reason to believe that we have the approximate location of the wreck and have uncovered paperwork that proves that the gold was on that ship.”
    “How much gold?” Jack asked.
    Dona and Dax looked at each other, and Dona said, “We’re not one hundred percent certain, but it could be as much as ten million dollars in today’s market.”
    Jack whistled. “That’s a lot of money. So how do I fit into the picture?” he asked.
    “We need your boat,” Dax replied.
    “Okay,” Jack said. “What’s in it for me?”
    “Half a million