On the Hunt - Page 68

Taylor grabbed the phone. “And I’m very good at nudging. Hello, Harlan,” he said harshly. “Take these notes down. I want that diving sled by midnight, and no one can follow you if you want Kira to live.” He rattled off the directions. “Understood?”

“You couldn’t be more clear,” Harlan said. “But if you touch Kira, I promise you won’t live to see that treasure.”

“The hell I won’t,” Taylor snarled. “I think I’m going to have to make her see how wrong she was about my little hideaway during the next few hours. She’s very proud of herself that she managed to hunt me down in Colorado. Let’s see if she can make her way through this jungle without getting her throat cut by one of my men. If she’s lucky, she just might survive it.” He cut the call short before turning back to Kira. “Harlan thought he could protect you just by threatening me? What a fool he is. Before this day is over, I’m going to be in a position to take him down.” He pushed her toward the ramp. “Now it’s time for you to take a little walk through my Garden of Eden and see if you come out of it alive. You’re probably wanting to see if you can find your way around the reef in case you decide I might prove a danger to you. I’ll give you a shot at it. I’ll even give you a weapon to protect yourself. Do you believe that will be enough to keep you safe from those eight guards who will be very eager to slit your throat? Suppose I give you two hours to stroll around, and if you make it back to the cruiser alive, I’ll let you rest for a while before we go pick up that sled.”

“How very kind of you,” Kira said. “But do I have to remind you that if you don’t have me to drive that sled, you’ll have a very rough time getting that treasure? Is it worth it sending those guards of yours after me just to frighten me?”

“But will they frighten you? You weren’t frightened up in the mountains that night.” He snapped his fingers. “That’s right, you had Harlan to protect you. It made me very angry that you’d use him against me.” He took the knife out of the holster at his belt. “Don’t move, Kira. I’m very good with a knife, but I wouldn’t want to damage you. You’re right, I have to worry about you driving the sled.” He threw the knife, and the blade pierced the wall next to her. “You see? Very good. Now take the knife and I’ll see you in a few hours.”

She drew a deep breath as she grabbed the handle of the dagger and ran down the ramp to the pier. “You’re probably going to worry more about those guards than I will,” she called back to him. “Every time you think of losing that treasure, you’ll want to go after me and protect me yourself.”

“You don’t know that!”

“But I’m betting it’s true. You’re a greedy bastard.” She was off the ramp now and running into the jungle as she slid the dagger into the waist of her pants. She had no idea if she was going to use it, but she might if it was a question of saving her own life. “I’ll see you back here later, Taylor.”

She heard him cursing as she ran down the trail. She stopped as she reached a bend to catch her breath. Taylor had been right about her planning to scope out the entire reef if she could, so that she’d be able to give exact directions to Harlan if it became necessary. She’d already tried to give him at least a hint about which area Taylor had chosen to move the cruiser. Eight guards, he had said…

Now she had to locate where those guards had set up their stations. But first she had to quickly familiarize herself with the reef itself.

Move swiftly but quietly.

Pay attention to all the trees and shrubs…

Particularly the upper branches of the trees. There could always be snipers.

Watch out for footprints of the enemy.

Seek out one of those guards, take him down, and search him for anything she could use to help her send a message to Harlan.

Finally, keep to the rule she and Mack lived by when they were on the hunt.

Keep alert every single minute…

Harlan started to dial Belson the minute he got off the phone with Taylor. “I just finished talking to Kira.”

“How was she?”

“How do you expect her to be?” Harlan said harshly. “It was clear Taylor was pulling the strings. She even put him on the line to give me directions where to drop off the diving sled. But she also managed to give me a few hints about her location. It’s an island or reef and has enough jungle foliage to hide the cruiser and probably another hideout or safe house. She kept talking about Abdullah and how Taylor had no feeling for family; there was something about how Abdullah was probably looked on by his villagers as a grandfather figure, but Taylor wouldn’t have understood that.”

“‘Grandfather’?” Belson repeated. “What the hell?”

“Don’t ask me. Kira was doing the best she could.” He leaned wearily back in his chair. “It was clear she was walking a tightrope. Taylor was practically breathing down her neck. Just look for a reef or island with jungle, brush, and foliage that could hide that cruiser. It’s probably not too far from Hathor, Kalim’s island.”

“And the grandfather?”

“That’s up to you to make the connection. All I know is she was trying to tell me something. I’ve got to find out what it was before that bastard kills her.” He pushed back the chair and got to his feet. “But right now I’ve got to arrange to move that sled onto a helicopter and get that drop to Taylor by midnight.”

“Okay, I’ve got it,” Belson said. “I’ll find out where that blasted hideout is located. I promise I won’t let you down.”

“It’s Kira you’d be letting down,” Harlan said. “We can’t do that, Belson, I don’t think I could take it. We’ll give Taylor that sled and then we’ll find a way to take it away from him and keep her safe. She’s given everything she could. Now it’s our turn. I can’t let him touch her.”

“I don’t believe that you’d allow that to happen. Particularly with me on your side,” Belson said. For once, his voice had no hint of his usual dry humor. “I’ll get back with you ASAP.”

The guard was just behind Kira!

She ran faster!

She was almost back to the cruiser now. But she heard the crash of the guard’s boots in the brush behind her. He’d been the last guard she’d run across as she’d been checking out the row of launches in the boatyard, which was only a few miles away from the cruiser. But he’d been more alert than the other guards—he’d definitely seen her, and she’d had to take off at a dead run. She’d managed to lead him on a race for the last couple of miles, but he was gaining on her. Instinctively, her hand closed on the handle of the dagger.