Jeff looked at other boxes. There was at least several dozens of them. "Are all these with weapons?"
"Only one way to find out!", JoAnna excitedly started opening boxes. She felt like she is on a treasure hunt!
They didn't open all of them, but out of the ones they opened, there was few more with rifles, two with explosives, and several with gold bars. One metallic box which they opened is waterproof, and it has compartments filled with smaller boxes and pouches. They checked few and found variety of colorful gemstones and number of ancient-looking necklaces.
"We found THE pirates' treasure!", JoAnna exclaimed.
"I would like to try out the Xiuhcoatl, and Felix would love the gemstones… he mentioned that he can never have enough of those…", JoAnna mumbled while her eyes darted over the boxes.
She looked at Jeff excitedly. "Can we keep it?"
Jeff rubbed his chin. He was concerned that someone is using his... cough, cough... now THEIR island for stashing obviously illegally obtained items. "My guess is that these are smugglers from Mexico. And they use this as a drop off place for their goods. I assume that they are bringing smaller batches from the mainland, and when they have a large stash here, then a large vessel comes to pick it up and takes it to byers..."
"Can we keep it?", JoAnna repeated when she realized that Jeff didn't hear her.
Jeff looked at JoAnna and smiled. "Of course, we can. It's on our island. So technically, it's ours."
They called security who arrived with a boat. About one hour later the cave was empty.
JoAnna counted fifty-four boxes in total. Forty-three wooden and eleven metallic ones. Her eyes were shining at the thought that they opened less than a third. Who knows what other treasures can be inside?! But she knows that they need to leave that place as soon as possible, it would be bad if smugglers (aka pirates) come while they are not prepared for giving them a warm welcome.
JoAnna wanted to see in person where staff is, so they all took the boat there. After unloading their newly found treasure and keeping it in one of the storage areas, they enjoyed a celebratory barbecue on the beach.
JoAnna was happy to see that Bob1 and Bob2 are there. It's always nice to see friendly faces, and Bob1 and Bob2 are her on-off personal bodyguards since the unfortunate incident with her ex-mentor.
Jesse is also present, as usually, he was sitting on the side and observing others. It seems that he is a loner. Aiden and Sarah told Jesse to watch over Jeff and JoAnna during their honeymoon. Jeff protested at first, but then agreed when Sarah reminded him that Jesse is more skilled than any other bodyguard he has currently in hand-to-hand combat, and Jesse's other abilities are a bonus. With Jesse around, chances that JoAnna will find herself in a trouble is less likely.
When bodyguards are idle, they train with Jesse. Jesse doesn't mind whenever they call him for sparing, it's something to keep him busy.
Jeff instructed people in charge of monitoring island's security to be extra vigilant if anyone approaches. Radars on the island will capture only vessels which are close to it, no more than few miles away, so Jeff contacted Aiden to ensure that they have a wider surveillance area. Aiden confirmed that Eve can assist with that.
"Don't inquire about the details. Eve will let you know if anyone is coming your way." Aiden told him dryly before ending the call abruptly. Jeff could tell that something is off with his brother, but he didn't have time to ask about it.
Jeff and JoAnna took the trail directly toward the villa and they were back in time for dinner.
After dinner they enjoyed sipping Chateau Lafite on the rooftop terrace accompanied with soft music from the background. Of course, they snuggled next to each other on the lounging chair.
JoAnna was in a very good mood. She was thinking how tomorrow they will go to that storage and open the rest of the boxes. She wants to create a detailed inventory of things they found, and then they can decide what to do with it.
"Because I insisted on a hike, we found pirates' treasure and a seashell which can allow us to hear the ocean! We should go out and explore areas more often. Who knows what else we can find?", JoAnna excitedly bobbed her head.
Jeff smiled helplessly at the thought that only JoAnna can compare 54 large boxes worth millions with a conch shell.
Suddenly, JoAnna got serious and narrowed her eyes. "What are we going to do if pirates don't come before we leave?"
Panic washed over Jeff when he realized that JoAnna wants to participate in 'pirate capture' operation, and he can only hope that pirates don't come before they leave this island. There is no way that he can suggest that they leave earlier without making her suspect that he wants to keep her out of it.
Jeff put on his best smile and extended his arm, palm up. "Mrs. White, can I interest you in a dance?"
JoAnna's face lit up. "Yes, Mr. White." She placed her hand in his. "I could dance with you until my legs start aching."
"Let's do that…" He stood up first and pulled her close to him. They started moving with the beat of soft slow music.
Jeff spoke close to her ear: "…and when your legs start aching I can help you rest by holding them up." He glanced at his shoulder mischievously indicating that as a place where her legs will rest.
JoAnna blinked few times. It took her some time to grasp the meaning of Jeff's words. This man is getting more and more outrageous!
No one ever told her that being married is so much hard work.
…
Later that night, Jeff observed JoAnna who peacefully slept next to him. He loves that she is smiling in her sleep, and Jeff hopes that he is the reason behind her smiles. On the other hand, maybe she is thinking about pirates and treasure.
Jeff thought about the day, and the fact that some smugglers are coming to the island is bugging him. He wanted to know what additional surveillance Eve is doing, but Aiden was quite unpleasant, and he does not want to call him to ask. Jeff remembered that both Aiden and Sarah stay up late, and that he can ask Sarah. She never brushes him off like his brother.
He scooted off the bed, got his phone, and texted Sarah asking if she is awake. Few minutes later, he was in the living area, talking to Sarah.
She told him that Eve is using military satellites and that she is monitoring wide area around the island.
"You will get no less than one hour heads-up for any boats or underwater vehicles. Eve is also watching air-traffic, especially for aircrafts that can land on water."
"Thank you.", hearing this explanation put him a bit at ease. He remembered how Aiden sounded strange and had to ask: "Sarah, is everything OK there?"
"Why do you ask?", Sarah cautiously inquired.
"I spoke with Aiden earlier and…"
"Did he say anything?", Sarah interrupted him.
Jeff can hear that she is nervous.
"No. But he seemed to be in a bad mood. Did anything happen?"
Sarah exhaled. "Don't worry about it. Some things happened at the wedding. We are taking care of it."
Jeff can hear that Sarah is not telling him everything, but he assumed that she does not want him to think about other irrelevant things during his honeymoon. "Let me know if you need help. We can come back home." Actually, he would like to come home. Then JoAnna will not be able to do the reckless pirate hunting.
Sarah was touched with Jeff's offer. But even if they come back, there is nothing they can do about the issue that is weighing on them. "Thanks. We got it covered. Enjoy your honeymoon."
---
If you are not reading this at 'W e b n o v e l . c o m', then the content you're reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.