On the Hunt - Page 40

Yes, he had, but it didn’t make the confirmation any more palatable. “Taylor is moving fast as usual.”

“Bribery is his middle name,” Belson said. “You should hear the offers I’ve had. He knows I work for you. They’ve probably tried to bribe the other employees at the factory, too.”

“Not Hannah Bryson.”

“No, but she runs an entire engineering crew. Most of them are loyal to her, yet it only takes one Judas to blow top-secret material. Good news, though. She said to tell you that her work is done and ready for testing. Just let her know when and where you’d like your demonstration.”

“I’ll do that. In the meantime, keep Bryson and Yang, her chief engineer, safe. I don’t want Taylor to get hold of either of them. Have you had any info about Taylor’s having a possible location in this area?”

“No, but I’ve had a few solid leads about inquiries he’s made lately.”

“Follow up on them.”

“I’m already doing it.” Belson sighed. “When are you going to trust me?”

“But then you wouldn’t be able to show off how clever you are and suitably impress me. Now put Yang on the line. I want details from my factory. If it turns out as well as I think it will, this could be extremely exciting…”

Harlan was still on the phone when Kira came out into the garden thirty minutes later, but he hung up immediately. A custom-made Bentley truck was pulling up in the driveway, piloted by a young man of nineteen whom Kira knew very well. He smiled broadly as he stopped in front of Kira and stuck his head out the window. “It’s good you’re back, Kira,” he called out. “Kalim has been in a terrible mood. He hasn’t let me go down to the shore once since you’ve been gone. I can’t convince him that being a herdsman is really sissy work. I like the horses, but I’m a man who needs the ocean to complete me.”

“So you’ve told me many times,” Kira said. “Well, I’m sorry, but you’re back with the herds for a while now. So get used to it.”

“I already know.” He sighed. “Kalim sent me down to the jet to pick up both sets of luggage to take up the hills to the summer camp. I’ll deposit both in your tents the minute I drop you off. But it won’t compare to going down to the sea. Can’t you do something about it? Kalim listens to you.”

The boy looked so disappointed, she found herself saying soothingly, “Maybe we’ll be able to do a little scuba later so you can exercise that manliness you’re so proud of.” She gestured to Harlan. “Aban, this is Jack Harlan. Aban is one of the best scuba divers on the island, Harlan. Kalim used to assign him to go with me when he thought I needed an escort.”

Aban grinned. “She already had a good deal of experience. And after two weeks, she knew our waters well enough to lose me and go off by herself. She was so good that I didn’t worry about her getting into trouble, even though we’re not supposed to dive alone.”

“And he never said a word to Kalim,” Kira told Harlan. “Though I think Kalim must have found out on his own. He usually does.”

Aban nodded. “He never said anything to me. But you know he has spies all over the island. And you were valuable to him.”

Harlan was gazing at him thoughtfully. “I can see how Kalim might have been irritated with you if you lost Kira deliberately or otherwise.”

“You might have trouble losing Harlan,” Kira said to Aban. “He was a decorated SEAL. Be kind to him, Harlan.”

“There are always ways to get where you want to go,” Harlan said. “It depends if he wants it badly enough. Evidently Aban wanted you to have as much freedom as he did down under the sea or he would have been more careful.” He opened the passenger door for her. “Aban is going to show me some of the horses I’ve been hearing so much about. And he was willing to risk his boss’s wrath to give it to you. I approve enormously.” He glanced at Aban and smiled as he got into the car to sit beside Kira. “But not when it might be applied to me and my situations. Do we understand each other?”

Aban met his gaze for a long moment. Then he quickly nodded as he started the car. “Yes, we do. Very clearly. I’m totally at your disposal.”

“You didn’t have to be so stern with him,” Kira murmured to Harlan. “He’s just a kid.”

“And I want him to live a long and enjoyable life. If he pays attention to the rules, he has every chance of getting there. How long do you think he’d last in Taylor’s world? I’m surprised Kalim put up with it.”

“He likes Aban. He wouldn’t want to punish him. Aban was one of the boys he went scuba diving with in the past.”

“Then Kalim’s softer than I thought.”

“Don’t we all have our soft spots? You have Fiona.”

“And you have Sarah Logan.” He was leaning forward staring out the windshield at the scenery on the road ahead of them. “Is this another tent city like the one on Summer Island?”

“Not exactly,” she said. “Though it is a tent city. You’ve seen all the beautiful flowers and waterfalls and landscapes at Summer Island. It’s always been a place of serenity and healing. Sarah built Summer Island almost from scratch to be an animal hospital and sanctuary. She used to live and work in Arizona and commute to California, where John had his main offices. But one day, she visited Summer Island, and she fell in love. And since John was already in love with her and wanted to give her everything in the world, I guess he thought he’d start with Summer Island. Animals who’d been given up on by their vets were brought there from all over the world and were saved in surprising numbers, thanks to Sarah and her crew. The island became a mecca for researchers in the field.”

“Like you?”

“Why not? It was beautiful, and it gave me everything I needed as far as research was concerned. Hathor, Kalim’s property, looks wilder and more like a vagabond camp than anything else. Half beachy island and twisted trees and those stormy-looking mountains. The wild horses and Greco-Roman-influenced architecture add to the atmosphere, and so do the villagers, who are less dependent on technology than any of the workers at the modern clinics on Summer Island.”

Harlan nodded. “It’s also quite beautiful in an entirely different way.” He was gazing at nothing but shining gold-white sand on the road ahead, which almost resembled a mirage. Yet the sand turned suddenly to shadowy darkness as they entered the foothills of the mountains and huge boulders and tall trees surrounded them.