Читать книгу Phantom Prospect - Alex Archer - Страница 10

They boarded a smaller dinghy and sped out toward the main salvage ship, which from a distance looked nothing like it was equipped for any type of recovery operation. Annja pointed at it as they approached. “That doesn’t much look like a salvage ship, Hunter.”

“That’s the point.” Hunter smiled. “We’ve learned some hard lessons since we got started a number of years ago. The number one lesson is to not let your competition know what you’re up to.”

“There’s a lot?”

“Of rival treasure hunters? Oh yeah.” Surf spray washed over them all and Hunter wiped his face. “It’s mostly minor league stuff. No one’s taking out contracts on another company or anything. But if people know what you’re planning to do, they can get a head start on jumping the claim ahead of you.”

Annja could see some activity on the deck. “Can’t you just claim the site as belonging to you?”

“Not really. You have to jump through loopholes with the nation whose territorial waters you’re in. Then there’s the question of who might own the contents, and all that stuff. If enough time has passed, it’s not really an issue, but there are plenty of ways to get hung up in paperwork.”

“Which is why we have lawyers,” Cole said.

Hunter nodded. “Amen to the lawyers. At least this time.”

Annja grinned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means his ex-wife ran him through the cleaners,” Cole said. “And she was merciless.”

Hunter shook his head. “I won’t ever make that kind of mistake again. Mark my words.”

Hunter eased the throttle down on the dinghy motor and the little boat bobbed on the waves, closing the final distance down between them and the salvage ship. Annja noted that it was about a hundred feet long and had more of the appearance of a luxury yacht than anything else.

A ladder came over the side and Cole motioned for Annja to lead the way. She found the grips and went right up, finally stepping aboard the ship. Cole came up behind her, followed by Tom, and then at last Hunter stepped aboard.

“We would have come up from the stern, but I think we might have some work going on right now so I wanted to leave it clear. If people are in the water and that shark comes back, I want them able to exit quickly.”

Annja nodded. “Fair plan.”

Hunter spread his arms. “Allow me to welcome you to The Seeker. As grand a ship as there ever was what sailed the seas.”

“Got a parrot to go along with that accent?” Cole asked. “You never could resist the urge to showboat.”

Hunter stepped back. “I am slain by your tainted barbs, dear brother.”

“I’ll bet.”

Hunter winked at Annja. “Right, well, let’s get you settled down below and then see if we can make some sense out of this whole situation.”

They entered the cabin and Hunter led them down a flight of steep stairs to the sleeping quarters. He turned as he walked. “We’re a little short of space, but I managed to find some room. I hope the accommodations are acceptable.”

He opened a wooden door and Annja saw that the cabin was more luxurious than she’d expected. A double bed stood near the porthole and a small bureau would hold her gear, the little she’d brought with her. There was a small television as well. She glanced at Hunter. “Very comfortable.”

Cole rolled his eyes. “This is probably the only worthwhile investment he’s ever made.”

Hunter sighed. “Are we going to get into this all over again? I’d rather focus on the actual reason you’re here, rather than how to make me feel like crap for some of my past decisions.”

“All right, all right.” Cole held up his hands. “Show me where I’m staying and then we’ll get to work.”

Hunter looked uncomfortable. “Uh…”

“What?”

Hunter leaned against the doorjamb. “Well, it’s just that, when I called and you mentioned you were bringing Annja along…I just sort of assumed that it was because you two were…you know…”

“Together?” Annja asked.

“Yeah.”

Cole sighed. “I don’t get my own room?”

“I don’t have any to spare. Your pal Tom is being stuffed into an old storage closet that we managed to fit a mattress into, but even that’s a stretch. And not in a good way.”

Cole took a deep breath and looked at Annja. “I apologize for this. If you want to leave, I don’t blame you in the slightest.”

Annja smirked. “Do I look like some little innocent miss you’ve got to save from the perils of man? I’ve been in awkward situations before. I’ll manage with this one.” She looked at Hunter. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Let’s not lose sight of why we’re here. If I can help out somehow, then that’s all that matters.”

Cole shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He started forward, but Annja lobbed her bag onto the bed first. “I sleep on that side. You get the porthole.”

Cole looked at the bed and then back at Annja. “I don’t do well on the porthole side.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. I just never have.”

Hunter chuckled. “That’s true. One of the first boats our dad bought, Cole there slept funny and woke up heaving halfway through the night. He blew chunks all over dad’s teakwood finish. Hoo boy, the old man was furious about that one.”

“Thanks for bringing that up,” Cole said.

“Anytime.”

Annja sighed. “All right, take the door side. But if any trouble comes through that door, I’ll expect you to be up and defending the room. If you can’t do that, I’ll take over. Just hold them off long enough for me to wake up.”

Hunter and Cole looked at her.

“What?” Annja asked.

“That sort of thing happen to you before?” Hunter asked.

“You’d be surprised,” Annja said. “A lot of things have come through my bedroom doors over the years and not all of them have been good. Or even remotely pleasant.”

Hunter glanced at Cole. “That’s some roommate you scored for yourself there, bro. Best of luck making it through the night.”

Cole nodded slowly. “I might need it from the sound of things.”

Annja clapped her hands. “No use dwelling on it. Just that my work has exposed me to a lot of potential risks is all.”

“And here I thought you were just a mild-mannered scientist with an outdoor streak,” Cole said.

Annja grinned. “And I used to think you had some common sense rattling around in that skull of yours.”

Hunter frowned. “Oh, no, don’t you tell me he’s swimming with great whites again.”

“He is.”

“Jeez.” Hunter shook his head. “Dude, how many times have I told you that’s not a good idea?”

“It’s fine,” Cole said. “I’ve done it a few times now and there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Famous last words.”

“Annja was there on my most recent swim,” Cole said.

Hunter glanced at her. “You were? You let him go and do it?”

“Hey, I had no clue anything of the sort was going on. We were in the cage, he motioned for me to get back on to the boat so I did. Next thing I know Jacques Cousteau there is off trying to catch a ride on a giant dorsal fin.”

Hunter looked at Cole. “You’re trying to ride them now?”

“It was a thought.”

“Yeah, a bad one. How in the world can you think that grabbing a dorsal fin on a shark is a good idea? One wrong move and you’ll end up down their gullet as a noontime snack.”

Cole shook his head. “Not going to happen, Hunter. I’ve researched this. There’s no danger provided I keep my wits about me.”

“Did you chum the waters this time?”

“I need a way to attract the fish.”

Annja looked at Hunter. “Sounds like you’ve been witness to his swimming with sharks before.”

“Yeah, I saw him do it. Damn near scared me to death. He didn’t tell me he was going to do it until he was actually in the water with them without a cage. I’d had no time to prepare or be ready in case he needed help.”

“If I needed help,” Cole said. “There would have been nothing you could have done. It would be too late.”

“Yeah, well, forgive a brother for wanting to help out in case of emergency. It’s not like I love you or anything.”

Cole smiled. “You’re a pal, really. And I know your heart is in the right place, but it’s not necessary to get all worked up over this.”

“Not necessary?” Hunter sighed. “Look, dude, I’ve already lost one man to some type of giant shark swimming around in waters where it’s extremely rare. I don’t want to have to bury my own flesh and blood because of some foolish act.”

“You think it’s foolish?”

“I think we might both have some unaddressed issues that makes us do reckless things,” Hunter said.

“You with money,” Cole said.

“And you with your life,” Hunter replied. “Tough knowing which is worse, huh?”

“At least you two aren’t beating the crap out of each other like some other brothers I know,” Annja said. “The fact is, it’s risky stuff swimming with apex predators. I think we all know that. And hopefully, Cole will keep his focus when he does and we won’t need to figure out how to put all the chewed-up bits of him into a trash bag for the funeral.”

Cole laughed. “Colorful.”

“I like her,” Hunter said. “She’s not afraid to give it back to you, huh?”

“Or anyone else,” Cole said. “You’d do well to remember that.”

“I will.” He looked around the cabin. “All right, you guys want to rest? Catch a nap or something? I can arrange for lunch in about an hour if you want. Just let me know.”

“I’m ready to go, actually,” Cole said. “Let’s get to it.”

Annja took a breath. She could have used a nap. Plane travel sometimes made her weary. But since Cole had jumped the gun, she wouldn’t miss the chance to get started.

“I’m good,” she said.

They exited the cabin and Hunter led them back topside. “I’ll introduce you to the rest of the crew.”

“How are they handling the death?” Annja asked.

“As well as can be expected,” Hunter said. “Given that Jock was a bit tough to get along with due to his work ethic and the fact he used to clean them all out with his poker face, there’s a lot more sympathy than I might have reasonably expected.”

“Anyone quit the project?” Cole asked.

“Nope. The promise of fortune is too great to scare anyone away just yet.”

“And competitors?”

Hunter shook his head. “So far, so good. We’ve kept the search pretty well buttoned up and haven’t seen another ship in days.”

Cole nodded. “Good.”

Bright sunlight greeted them as they emerged from below-decks. Annja looked up into the clear blue sky and smiled. Being on the ocean was always invigorating.

“Hunter!”

They turned as a young girl came rushing up to them. Hunter frowned. “What’s up, Holly?”

“Got a blip on the screen again.”

“Blip?”

“That thing—the shark? The captain thinks it’s back again.”