On the Hunt - Page 54

Kalim hesitated for an instant, then turned and got into the driver’s seat of his Bugatti and began backing out onto the road. “I hope you’re not making a mistake, Kira. Harlan is clearly someone who likes his own way.” He gave a half shrug. “But then so do you. I’ll be in touch.”

“I’m sure you will. That’s how it’s been since the day we met. And Harlan’s shown me that I can trust him.” She lifted her hand in farewell as she watched Kalim drive back down the road toward the castle area.

Harlan had finished his call and was coming back toward her. “Belson is on his way. We’ll know something soon about that cruiser.” He asked quietly, “Okay?”

“As much as I can be,” Kira said. “It doesn’t have to be Taylor or any of his men. It could be just some college kid or treasure hunter out to have a good time and make himself a fortune.” Her lips twisted. “But neither of us believes that, do we?”

“Not bloody likely,” Harlan said. “But we’ll see when Belson and the team get here. Or I could take a couple of the barge hands as soon as they show and go over to take a look right away. That’s what I’d prefer to do.”

“No, wait,” she said quickly. “We don’t know what you’d find. You even told Kalim’s people not to go exploring.”

“Because I knew you’d insist on going, too.”

“You’re damn right.”

He slipped his arm around her waist and brought her close. “Then we’ll definitely wait for Belson. We can’t have you leaving Mack out of his first treasure hunting trip, can we?”

CHAPTER

13

Harlan didn’t get a return call from Belson until three hours later, and it was not good news. They’d delayed the dive so that they could first get the info about the cruiser. But they might just as well have stuck to their original schedule.

“No cruiser,” Belson said when Harlan picked up the call. “Not a sign of any ship. I spoke to the villagers along the shore, and they said the cruiser took off from that area about the same time you called me. I followed up with that Abdullah who was giving Kalim his information, but I couldn’t locate him. The villagers said he disappeared about the same time as the cruiser. Do you want me to continue to hunt?”

“Absolutely. And keep on doing a scan of the ocean and make sure they’re not trying to find out what we’re doing and where we’re going on the dive.”

“Will do. We’ll monitor the entire area. They won’t give you any trouble. Anything else?”

“Try to track down the name and registration of that cruiser and locate the lessor.”

“I’m on it. Good luck today.” He cut the connection.

Harlan turned to Kira. “You heard him. But we don’t need luck, do we? You can take us anywhere we need to go.”

“A little luck wouldn’t hurt. But as long as we have Mack on board, he’s bound to be a big help.” She whistled for Mack to follow her as she headed for the tent to change. “You’re going to be very impressed by him, Harlan. We’ll just have to see how the rest of it goes.”

It took less than an hour for them to board the launch barge and travel to the designated coordinates. The crew lowered three diving sleds into the water as Kira and Harlan watched.

“Are you sure Mack will be okay?” Kira asked. “These things weren’t built for dogs.”

“No, but they were designed to double as tow rigs, so that items could be placed on top of them and automatically follow other sleds they were paired with. We’ll wirelessly pair that sled with yours. Wherever you go, Mack will be right behind you on the surface.”

Kira looked at the diving sleds in the water. “You’re sure? I’m very nervous about anything happening to Mack these days. It sounds good, but what if we hit rough seas?”

“There are incredible stabilizers built into each of these sleds. Anything short of a monsoon, Mack will sleep like a baby.”

“If that’s the case, I think I might want to curl up with him. Wake me when you see anything interesting.”

“Tough luck. I’m counting on you to tell me.”

“Aw, too bad. By the way, thanks for the wet suit. It’s actually quite flattering.”

He stepped back and looked her up and down. “And it’s skintight. You flatter it.”

She felt a rush of heat on her cheeks and instantly felt foolish. She wasn’t some stupid schoolgirl, and here she was getting flustered over a few words from Harlan.

She tried dismissing the compliment with a wave of her hand. “As long as it keeps me dry.”