The Flaming Wreck — E. Chris Ambrose

The wealth of a lost pirate ship could save the local whales, or line the pockets of a mercenary crew out who don't care who they have to kill for their next score.Nigel Rowe and his new bodyguard think they've earned a few days at the beach, the chance to hear tales of pirates and take an eco-cruise with a local conservationist. Even the coming typhoon can't dissuade them, though perhaps it should have...Just as Nigel's connecting with a soulful gray whale, a boatload of bad boys takes a spill, narrowly dodging the gentle giant, and sending Nigel and Devi diving to the rescue. Forced to shelter with the shady crew, they tell stories, sing songs, and try to work out what these men were doing out in in the waves in their rented boat. Nigel's got no idea the crew have learned about the price on his head—and the pirate wreck the storm may have revealed.When a man Nigel befriends turns up dead after their beach bonfire, Nigel's at odds with Devi as he believes the crew have murdered their own, while she yearns for the company of people more like her: strong and dangerous. A fortune lies beneath the sand, and a turtle shell may show the way—if Nigel can stay alive long enough to find it!