Free In Too Deep by Coert Voorhees Page A

you’re flying by the seat of your pants, the plan has to change from time to time.”
    “This isn’t for real?” Josh said. He squinted at Alvarez. “We can’t put this on our résumés?”
    “Borders Unlimited is real. Your résumé will be fine.” Alvarez laughed. “But treasure hunting is expensive. Plenty of dead ends, and even dead ends cost money, so I’ve learned to get creative.” He leaned back and gestured to the room as if it proved his point. “Here we are, down in Mexico on Pinedale’s nickel!”
    I couldn’t tell if this made sense or was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard—or if it was both. “Good Deeds for us, Gold Doubloons for you?”
    Katy said, “You’re still a treasure hunter?”
    “Part time,” Alvarez said modestly. “Only part time. Treasure hunting isn’t a real dependable source of income, hence the day job.”
    “How do you know we won’t tell the administration about this?” Nate said.
    “My word against yours, of course.” Alvarez slapped his hand on his forehead as if remembering something. “Oh, and a statement I’ve already written to the ethics committee about how uncooperative you were. And the tests you cheated on, which I still have. I’m sure you’ve heard of the concept of mutually assured destruction.”
    “I’m still telling,” Katy said.
    “Teaching jobs are a dime a dozen, no offense, but there’s only one Golden Jaguar.”
    There was silence. Then Nate said, “You’re insane.”
    Alvarez ignored him and focused on me as though I were the only other person in the room. “We had plans. Things fell through. And, Annie, it just so happens that we need you to be our Plan B.”
    “What happened to Plan A?” I said.
    “We had another diver and a crew all lined up, but they had to cancel at the last minute.” Alvarez glanced at Wayo before saying, “Don’t worry about that right now.”
    “Why can’t you just hire someone else?” I said.
    “Is no time,” Wayo said.
    “Wait, wait.” Katy stepped forward and shook her head as if to clear it of the tequila haze. She walked toward the table. “Why does Annie get to be Plan B? We have skills.”
    “If he needs a cartwheel, he’ll give you a call,” I said.
    Katy shot me an icy look and leaned an inch in my direction. “I could kill you with my bare hands—how’s that for a cartwheel?”
    “Easy, now.” Alvarez smiled, trying to defuse the tension.
    “I don’t have any skills,” Josh said matter-of-factly.
    Nate hit him on the shoulder with the back of his hand. “Sure you do. You’re famous, almost. You can be a distraction.”
    “Look,” Alvarez said. “I like history and everything, but at the end of the day, isn’t there something pathetic about studying it? About teaching it? No offense to your dad, Annie. But we’re stuck in classrooms reading about people who were out there actually making history. So why not do something worthy of reading about?”
    I had to admit that he had me there. I thought of Gracia and Mimi, of the way they rolled their eyes at me whenever the subject of treasure—or even the ocean—happened to come up. The eye rolls said I was different, that I would never quite get it, whatever “it” was.
    “So I’m your Plan B,” I said. “What does that mean?”
    Alvarez nodded at Wayo before leaning in to me, and the corners of his mouth ticked up in mischief.

ELEVEN
    “ D o you know La Garganta del Diablo?” Wayo said.
    “The Devil’s Throat? As in the dive site off Punta Sur?” I nodded, feeling the warmth of excitement begin to build deep inside me but not quite ready to embrace it. Basically a narrow coral shaft starting at 100 feet deep and going all the way down to 130, the Devil’s Throat is one of the most famous dives in the world, ranking up there with the Blue Hole in Belize and Bloody Bay Wall in the Caymans. It’s deep, technical, and dangerous.
    Alvarez came around to my side of the table, suddenly more animated than