On the Hunt - Page 67

“Mack is going along?”

“Kira may have a use for him. When I spoke to her, I think her intentions were a little blurry about whether it was me who was going to use him, or if she intended to do it herself. All she was sure about was that Mack could be a help. But then she believes Mack can walk on water anyway. However, we wouldn’t want to disappoint her, would we?”

She shook her head. “Kira is really smart. She must have a good reason.” She reached out and took Mack’s leash from him. “And I’ll probably be able to give you sketches of Taylor’s men who were on the cruiser. I was careful to study everyone I saw after I regained consciousness. Would that help?”

“It might. Anything you saw or heard may help.” They were at Kira’s tent now. Harlan opened the flap and gestured inside. “I’ll call Belson and we’ll gather all the information we can from him about the location of that damn cruiser, then we’ll start planning how this is going to go down. Let’s all get to work, shall we?”

CHAPTER

16

The cruiser was no longer moving across the water.

Kira had been almost certain that the cruiser had stopped over an hour ago, and she thought she’d heard activity outside on deck.

They must have arrived at their destination near the coral reef. She had barely come to that conclusion when she heard the lock turn and then the door was thrown open.

“Welcome to my home away from home,” Taylor said mockingly. He tore open the package he was carrying to reveal a navy blue wet suit. “I brought you a gift. You might need it paddling around in the Mediterranean tonight.” He took her arm and pulled her out on the deck. “But first I wanted to show you my beautiful coral reef. And I would defy anyone to find either this cruiser or anything else that I choose to hide in this jungle.” He threw out his hand to indicate the dense foliage surrounding them. “That’s why I ‘liberated’ this reef from the families who lived here before I took it over. It took me only a week or so and two deaths of family members before the others ran like rabbits. Of course, one of the deaths was a grandfather that the others revered. I always pick and choose in these cases.”

“I’m sure you do.” She kept her face expressionless. “And I’m equally certain that they were so terrified, they decided never to return to their homes. So you’ve found a safe hiding place for your cruiser and for any guests you might decide to bring here.” She met his eyes. “But since you’ve chosen to bring me, I’d bet that I can find my way around this reef of yours. For that matter, so would any experienced tracker. It would only take skill and determination. Jungles are difficult but not impossible. Though you appear to have tucked this cruiser neatly in all this jungle brush, and you probably have a good many men stationed and ready to intercept any interlopers.”

“Yes, quite a few,” Taylor said. “Eight to be exact. And they all realize what will happen to them if they don’t do what they’re supposed to do about uninvited visitors.”

“What a shame,” Kira said mockingly. “Just think about what a tragedy it would be if you lost such a talented bunch of hooligans. You might have to face a real threat all by yourself.”

His lips curled. “You think you’re so clever. You’re nothing. Though I may decide to play with you for a little while to keep myself amused. Yes, I believe that might be the thing to do. But first, I think it’s time for you to do your duty and give Harlan that call you promised to make.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I want that sled as soon as possible. Tell him to arrange to air-drop the sled into the sea.” He handed her the phone. “Call him and tell him that he’s to send you the sled by midnight tonight. After you finish, hand me the phone and I’ll give him exact directions where to drop it so it will be easy for me to retrieve. If he fails to do as I wish, he won’t get a second chance. You’ll not be of any use to me without the sled, so I might as well dispose of you.” He smiled. “And that will at least give me the pleasure of knowing I cheated Harlan by making sure that he’ll never have you as his mistress again. If he tries to go after the treasure on his own, I still might have a chance to steal the sled and go after him when he tackles those caves.”

“Not much of one,” Kira said. “You need me, Taylor.” She started to dial the phone. “And you need the sled. I think I almost convinced him before to send it to me. Just give me a chance to persuade him.”

“We’ll see,” Taylor said. “No tricks. I’ll be listening.” He turned up the volume. “Go ahead, Kira. Let’s find out if he’ll give up that sled to you. It’s not only the treasure, it’s the sled itself. Any invention Harlan brings out on the market is worth a substantial fortune. That’s why I killed his brother. I couldn’t resist the temptation to claim his latest invention as my own. If he does give it up to you, it will prove that he cares something for you. Which will mean that you’ll have a certain value to me. It could save your life.”

Kira shook her head. “You’re lying. It didn’t save Colin’s. He thought you were friends, and you killed him.”

“The situation was different. He caught me off guard. Though it didn’t really matter. Make the call.”

Harlan’s phone was already ringing. Then he answered.

“Harlan? It’s Kira,” she said. “I told you that I’d call you back. We talked about the sled. Taylor is very eager to have it. He’s listening now.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Harlan said sarcastically. “He appears to lust after everything I own. Including you, it seems. Is he treating you well?”

“He’s treating me as you’d think Taylor would treat me. He wants what he wants. I guess you’ve found out that the cruiser has been moved? He’s sure that the cruiser and all his other possessions have been tucked away in a jungle where you’ll never find them. I told him a good tracker would be able to surprise him. Just as I managed to do in Colorado. He’s frowning at me now, so I’d better ask you to please send me the sled. It appears to be my only value in his eyes. He’s not an individual who cares about anything else. Certainly not like family. I was just thinking about Abdullah and how much those villagers cared about him before he was killed. He was kind of like the grandfather of that entire village. His relatives must have felt as if they’d been deserted when Taylor murdered him. Taylor would never have been able to comprehend a relationship like that. He definitely couldn’t understand how you felt about Fiona. That was why I had to get her away from him.”

Harlan shook his head. “Oh, he understood. That’s why he took her. He needed a weapon to use against me. You were foolish to go after her. It was bound to turn out badly.”

“I couldn’t do anything else. So why didn’t you agree to give me the sled and let me try to save her? You do care about her. All I have to do is use the sled to retrieve the treasure and then turn it over to Taylor. You don’t have to be involved at all. I’ll return the sled to you and that will be the end of it. You get your invention back, and I have the jewels to give to Taylor. Everyone is happy.”

“You might not be happy,” Harlan said. “He could turn on you at any time.”

“But he won’t, if I can give him more coins for his cookie jar. I might have to offer him another treasure if he’s not content with this one. But I’m willing to do that.” She added coaxingly, “Give me the diving sled.”

“Why would I want to do this when I’ve already given Taylor so much?”

“Do it for me. I’ve already given Fiona safely back to you.” She paused. “I didn’t mean to worry you, but Taylor keeps threatening me. I know you don’t want him to hurt me, but you might have to give in on this one point to keep me safe. I don’t believe you’d want to have anything happen to me.”

“For God’s sake, no,” he said violently. “I’ll take care of you, Kira.”

“I thought you would. Now I’m going to turn the call over to Taylor, and he’s going to give you directions. I hope to see you soon, Harlan.” She handed the phone back to Taylor. “I told you Harlan would go along with it,” she said softly. “He only needed to be nudged a little.”