Death instead of defeat.
Fujita admired his grandfather. But unlike him, he owed no allegiance to the Empire of Japan.
He was not samurai, not kamikaze.
His loyalty was to Chiharu Takahashi.
He’d do what she asked. Madam Takahashi did not tolerate complaints any more than she tolerated traitors to the organization. Even her precious Maiko had paid for such an indiscretion with her life. But he’d not sacrifice his life for her. There was no loyalty and honor in death.
No death instead of defeat.
He gathered his feet under him and carefully stood up as he brushed the muck from his ruined clothes the best he could. Using his muddy finger, he probed a tear in his trousers. Even walking on the saturated ground was going to be difficult.
He took a step and stopped, thinking he’d heard voices call to him from the mist.
He jerked his head around and looked. But saw no one.
The wind or his imagination?
He turned his collar up to ward off the cool breeze and trudged up the trail, careful to maintain his footing.
At the overlook, he searched out a lava boulder that looked comfortable enough to sit on. He’d be there all day, and longer if it became necessary. Below him a boat traveling slow, a hundred feet or so beyond the reef line, came into view. The vessel looked to be the right size and type. He might not have to remain there late into the night after all.
Wasting no time, he laid the gun case and the bag on the ground, removed the field glasses, and raised them to his eyes. The boat appeared large under the powerful magnification. He couldn’t see the name on the transom that had not yet come into view, but the people onboard were clearly not fishing.
They were searching.
He retrieved the satellite phone, pressed the power button to open the screen, waited, and placed a call to a preset number.
CHAPTER 49
Chiharu Takahashi stood at the window of her suite on the top floor of the Ritz-Carlton. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the view. Dreary and gray beneath the dark cloud cover, the empty expanse of ocean did little to brighten her mood.
Only the necklace draped across her hand would do that.
Until then, her mind would not let go of the two failed attempts to eliminate Jack Ferrell and his friends. With her dying breath, Maiko confessed she had told them every detail of her plan. They must not be allowed to live.
The cell phone sitting on the table behind her, rang. No jaunty tune or movie theme. An old-fashioned ringtone. She listened to it jingle two times before the call was answered.
“It’s Fujita,” Takeo said. He handed her the phone.
She pressed the cellular to her ear. “You have news?”
Fujita’s response was immediate. “They are here.”
“You’re sure?”
“I can see the name on the transom. I can’t make out who’s aboard, but I can see shadows move inside the cabin.”
“They haven’t dropped anchor?”
“No, Madam. It appears they are searching.”
“Very well. You know what to do.”
“I will do what I can. But I don’t know for how long.”
She knew the samurai code and longed for their uncompromised dedication to the lord they served.
“They must not live,” she said. “And remember, I do not tolerate failure.”
She clicked off and handed the phone back to Takeo. There had been too many botched attempts on their lives . . . too many excuses why they were still alive. She’d not listen to another one.
“Our friends?” he asked.
She faced the window and the vista of whitecaps in the steel gray water of the channel beyond. Once again she became absorbed with the view. Only this time she visualized a boat searching for her precious black diamond.
“It seems so.”
He returned the cell to the coffee table in front of the sofa. “Surely they do not know where to look. Even Maiko did not know we were able to reacquire the location signal. When I started in on her fingers, she’d have told me.”
“Do not share your gruesome details with me.” Chiharu Takahashi did not wish to be constantly reminded of Maiko’s betrayal.
“As you wish.” Takeo offered a curt bow of respect. “I only tell you that to remind you that Jack Ferrell and his friends do not know where to look for the Orochimaru. They are only searching.”
She turned and glared at him. “And they could get lucky.”
He nodded. “Sadly, that is a possibility.”
She could not imagine the unbelievable heartache of allowing the hauntingly beautiful Black Star of Africa to fall into someone else’s hands to never be admired by her again. She’d not allow herself to suffer such anguish. And she would not put her trust in Fujita’s abilities.
Not when the necklace was within her grasp.
“Have the crew onboard the salvage boat ready to go in an hour.” She needed there to be no misunderstanding of her orders. “I want you out on the water to make sure nothing goes wrong before the divers can recover the necklace. We will not wait for the storm to pass.”
“They’ll see us,” he said. “Is that something we want? To alert them?”
“By then it will be too late.” She stared directly into his dark eyes. “Do what you have to do, but I want them dead and that diamond back in my hands.”
“I will bring you Jack Ferrell’s head,” he said. “The rest of his body and those of his friends I will feed to the sharks.”
“See that it is done.”
CHAPTER 50
They all leaned close. Four pairs of eyes locked on the screen. On the monitor in front of them, a large image began to take shape.
Not a living creature.
Something manmade.
All at once, Jack realized he was squinting at the display way too hard without realizing it. But in spite of every effort not to, he couldn’t keep from narrowing his eyes at the transformation taking place on the VDU. Large and small fish came into view around and on top of the object.
The atmosphere around the Garmin was tense. Five seconds passed. Then thirty, as they waited for the dead ship to come into view.
For a moment, it looked to him like a section of reef was rising out of the ocean floor. Then four squared corners materialized, and he recognized the form as being that of a shipping container the size of a large semi-truck trailer.
He straightened and rolled his shoulders to rid himself of the tightness that had settled in his muscles from staring. “Would have been too much to hope for to find the Orochimaru so soon, and on the first pass.”
Robert sighed. “At least we know we’ll see the yacht if we pass over it.”
Kazuko turned from the screen, meeting Robert’s gaze. “Right now that seems like a great big if.”
“True,” he admitted. “But it’s encouraging.”
“Well I, for one, can’t stare at this thing all day.” She retook her seat at the table and leaned back with her arms crossed against her chest.
Jack understood her frustration. It’d been disappointing for everyone to not see the yacht materialize on the screen. But it was way too soon for any of them to become discouraged and want to quit.
“You know how the game’s played,” he said, looking at Kazuko. “We’re only getting started here. Give it a chance.”
“Maybe I was hoping for too much,” she said.
“Perhaps we all were. But we have to keep looking.”
“I realize that. It’s just that I wasn’t all that happy with this game, as you keep calling it, to begin with.”
Dana pointed at the binoculars in his hand. “Can I borrow those?”
He handed them over without questioning why she wanted them—though he did wonder—and watched her stride out of the cabin and onto the rear deck. He followed her out and saw her sweep the ocean with the field glasses.
“See anything,” he asked.
“Not out there.”
“What is it?” he asked.
She nodded in the direction of the mountain. “Up there, a green Jeep. Could be a man crouched in the bushes about a hundred feet up from it, can’t tell for sure.”
He’d expected as much.
“Their watchdog,” he said. “That means Takahashi knows we’re here.”
She shot him a look. “You knew she would?”
He glanced up at the hillside wondering if the guy was positioned there to do more than spy on them. “I just hoped it’d take a while.”
“At least we know where he’s at. And from the looks of that Jeep, he won’t be getting out of that mud anytime soon.”
“Small consolation.”
“Your gut instinct talking to you?”
“The guy up there compounds the problem, doesn’t he?” He placed the palm of his hand on her back and started her toward the cabin door. “We’d better get inside and out of sight. He might have a rifle. I don’t want him taking potshots thinking he has an easy target.”
“You really think he’s armed?”
He and Dana stared at each other.
“No guarantee he isn’t.” He started her toward the door again. “Let’s tell Robert and Kazuko what’s going on.”
When they stepped inside, Robert appeared to be studying the images displayed on the Garmin 7612. Kazuko had her arms folded flat on the tabletop with the side of her head resting on the backs of her hands. She raised her head, and they both turned and looked at him.
Concern for everyone’s safety weighed heavy on his mind.
“We have company up there on the mountain,” he said. “Considering what’s happened, there’s a good chance he’s armed. If he is, we best lay low.”
Robert directed his attention forward. “At least until we’re out of range. If we need to make a dive on a wreck before then, we’ll position the bow so the cabin is between him and us. That’ll make it difficult for the jerkwad to get a clear shot.”
Dana looked at each of them in turn. “My God. Do you really think he’d shoot at you? At us?”
Jack couldn’t believe she would ask a question like that knowing what had happened already. And after witnessing it firsthand.
“Those assholes planted a bomb on our boat,” he said. “They climbed aboard this morning with loaded guns. You’re a professional. You know what people are capable of. What makes you think they have qualms about putting a bullet in our heads out here? Takahashi wants us dead and I doubt she cares how it’s done.”
“Guess I didn’t stop and think.” The shock slipped from her expression. “I have witnessed people’s appalling cruelty firsthand. To animals and to each other. It saddens me what a person will do. Maybe deep inside I was hoping—no, praying—we were past that now.”
Dana’s wishful thinking was getting in the way of reality, Jack thought. She’d seen one too many wounded seals left to die a horrible death . . . one too many whales with a remnant of fishing net cutting deep into the mammal’s flesh, slowly choking the life out of it. Man’s inhumanity towards man. The things he knew too well. Compassion is a wonderful quality in a person when they can afford it, and he’d not hold it against her. But she needed to remain focused.
And remember what Takahashi and her people were capable of.
There’d be no boundaries when it came to how far the Japanese matriarch would go to protect her interests. Especially when it came to recovering the Black Star of Africa.
“I’m sorry for spouting off like that,” he said, feeling a wave of guilt.
He put his arms around her and held her close. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Her fingers pressed into his back. It felt good to hold her, and he wondered if he needed comfort more than she did.
Was reality more than someone wanting them all dead? Had he become jaded? Was this when the pendulum of all the bad in his life swung too far and the ugliness would come tumbling back on him?
It was possible . . .
“We unknowingly stumbled into the middle of Madam Takahashi’s dirty little scheme,” he said in an empathetic tone. “We agree that it’s doubtful she wants us alive to testify against her, even if she recovers the diamond before we do and returns to Oahu. So we’re doing what we feel will ensure our safety. Whether it will or not remains to be seen. But know that having you here with me makes me all the more determined to end this in the best way possible for all our good.”
She brought her mouth up to his ear and whispered, “I love you, Jack. Remember that.”
He eased her out of his grasp. “And I’m falling in love with you. That’s why we’ll make this plan work.”
“Falling in love,” Kazuko said. “It appears to me you fell.”
Jack felt his face heat with embarrassment. But then he was glad his feelings for Dana were out in the open for his friends to see, though he doubted it was news to Kazuko. “Okay, now that you’ve had your fun, let’s get back to business. I assume nothing of interest has shown up on the Garmin?”
“A lot of interesting junk down there.” Robert grinned. “But no fancy motoryacht.”
His smile didn’t escape Jack’s attention. Robert knew him probably better than anyone. They’d been to the fair and seen the bear together more than once. Looking at him now, Jack could easily imagine the myriad of sordid thoughts running through his friend’s mind.
“That smirk you have. I suppose that is for my benefit?”
Robert chuckled. “Just thought I’d throw it out there and see what stirred.”
“As if we don’t have enough shit going on without you doing that.” Jack motioned at the fishfinder. “Point your nose at that screen and stick to business.”
Robert grinned and refocused his attention on the monitor. The smirk was still there. “Don’t think you’re so special,” he said. “Kazuko and I knew you were in love with her before you did.”
“That’s not surprising.” Jack glanced at the women. They’d talked plenty.
Dana slid into the booth on the opposite side of the table from Kazuko, both of them trying to look innocent. But all they managed were sheepish expressions he could see right through.
He left the three of them to their little game and closed the blinds on the windows facing the beach. “There’s no reason to take any chances.”
“You think he can see inside from up there?” Dana asked.
“Doubtful. But he might be desperate enough to shoot at shadows. Especially one that moves.”
CHAPTER 51
The first shot came less than a minute later. Jack ducked instinctively. He heard the report but not the impact. The shooter had missed the boat entirely.
A second shot. Again, no sound of impact.
Dana and Kazuko heard the shots too. They both slid from the booth, dropped to the deck, and squatted next to each other.
“Dammit,” Robert said from the helm. “Did he miss?”
Jack played back the gunshots in his mind. The first one caught him by surprise. And he wasn’t totally prepared for the second. He slowly straightened and directed his attention to the window next to his head. The crack of light between the blinds and the glass revealed nothing.
“I think so.”
A second later, three more shots resonated from the cliff. One right after the other. A semi-automatic, not a bolt action.
He tensed, counting them off in his head.
“A large caliber long gun,” he said, looking at Robert. “I’m only guessing but I’d say a semi-automatic .308 of some kind. But he still hasn’t hit anything that I know of, so I figure it’s not a long-range sniper rifle.”
Robert kept a tight grip on the wheel. His gaze kept shifting from front to back. By all appearances he was making every effort to keep
his boat on course.
“We’re lucky then,” he said. “Let’s hope his aim doesn’t improve.”
Jack decided to take a chance. He duck-walked aft.
“Careful,” Robert called after him.
Jack stopped at the door and peeked outside, all too cognizant of his friend’s warning. The left side of his face was exposed, but it was the only way he could see the tanks he’d borrowed from Kimo. He was certain he’d have known if they had been struck by a bullet. Most likely they all would. Pressurized air does not react well to a sudden puncture. Still, he had to be sure.
The aluminum bottles clanked together with the rise and fall of the hull, but they were in one piece.
Finding them still lashed to the starboard gunwale, unharmed, he let out a long sigh of relief and settled back on his heels.
It was the first time he was thankful for rough water.
“The shotgun won’t do any good at this distance,” he said. “The mini-14 either. We’ll just have to keep going and put some distance between us.”
“We can always hope he runs out of ammunition,” offered Dana.
“That, too.”
He kept to a crouch and hurried back to his spot by the portside window. They all seemed to be waiting for the next shot.
Time couldn’t pass any slower.
Jack was antsy. He wanted to do something. Maybe fire a volley of .223 bullets in the direction of the shooter on the hillside. Keep the asshole’s head down. Discourage him from taking potshots at them.
Something.
Suddenly, a bullet blew through the salon wall and thudded into the wood on the back of the booth.
Everyone hit the floor.
Jack lay there with his arm draped over Dana, holding her close. The boat lurched in a swell. The sea taking charge.
Seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness.
Robert scooted to the helm and raised up just enough to put them back on course.
Jack moved to a crouch and grabbed the mini-14. “I don’t know about you guys but I’ve had enough of this shit.”
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