Shaw spoke. “You have yourself a deal on the freedom thing. As far as the cash goes, there is no way I’d ever give you dime, especially since you cost me four million in train equipment for your little stunt in South America.”
Shark locked eyes with Shaw, and as they held their gaze Shark felt his bargaining leverage weakening. Hell with the money, he thought, just making sure Vixen and the rest of my friends are safe is worth it. “All right, then, free my friends and I will sign your deal.”
“Very well then,” Shaw said. “We will put your friends on the first direct flight to Miami in the morning. As for tonight, just so we don’t part on bad terms, I would like you and your friends to be my special guests at the grand opening celebration of the Serengeti. Your concierge will provide you with tickets to the show and spending money should you then decide to go out and experience the real Las Vegas.”
Shaw walked back to his security detail. They formed a tight circle around him as they entered the elevator.
Shark shared one last look with Shaw as the doors shut.
Wolf approached. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Shark looked at him.
“I told you from the beginning that I was going to see this thing through to the end. I’m staying here with you.”
Shark smiled and placed his hand on Wolf’s shoulder. He was happy about having such a good new friend. He was also happy that Vixen was going to be safe. Although he hadn’t managed to get the money to save Gill’s Bar, at least his friends would be safe, and he would have his day with Old Jack.
Shark gave Wolf a sincere look. “I’m happy to have you around, Wolf. I really am.”
Wolf picked up the binocular headset off the table and put it on. He was amazed as the binoculars zoomed in on any direction he looked. He followed the strip north, his attention drawn to a photo shoot taking place just north of Caesar’s Palace. There were five beautiful models, all striking seductive poses. Wolf felt as if he was standing right next to them. I could get used to this, he thought.
CHAPTER 23
KANI Sky Chopper Five
Shark and the group returned to the comfort of the penthouse suite on the top floor of the Serengeti Casino. He immediately picked up the phone and dialed Gill, wanting to tell the old dolphin that his daughter would be coming home.
Shark let out a slight smile as he listened to Gill, who was emotional, excited, and happy, on the other end of the line.
“How is she? How is my baby?” Gill asked.
“I only saw her for a second, but she looked good, considering the ordeal she has been through. I’ll tell you one thing, you raised one tough girl, Gill, you should be proud.”
“I can’t tell you how much I miss her, Shark. I just want to hold my baby in my arms.”
“I understand exactly what you mean. I can’t wait to hold her myself.” Shark hesitated for a second. “I need to ask you to do something for me, Gill.”
“What is it? You know I would do anything for you.”
“I want you to promise, that if anything happens to me, you will make sure that Vixen doesn’t hold on. I need to know that you will help convince her to move on with her life.”
“That sounds pretty dire. Are you in trouble?” Gill sounded concerned. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Shark knew that his performance in the upcoming show was dangerous—so dangerous it could very well be his last. He knew that Vixen would have a hard time dealing with her loss and letting go.
“I expect things to get rough,” Shark said. “There are no guarantees that I will survive. But if by risking my life, I can save those of my friends, I’m more than willing to do it. I just want you to promise that if anything happens to me, you would convince Vixen to let go and move on.”
“That is a hard thing to think about, Shark,” Gill answered. “But you have my word. If anything happens, I would let her know what we talked about, and how you felt.”
“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
“You mean a lot to both Vixen and me.” Shark felt a wave of happy emotion run through his body as Gill continued. “I consider you the son I never had. You keep yourself safe, and Friday night, I want you to kick some ass.”
Shark loved Gill like his own father. “I’ll do my best.”
“We’ll be waiting for you, Shark.” Gill said. “The entire crowd at Gill’s will be waiting for our friend Shark to come home.” There was a short pause. “And thank you for everything.”
Shark smiled as his energy to seek revenge on Old Jack became supercharged. “Thanks for the pep talk, Gill. It helps a lot. I’ll see you, old man, around the tables and around the bar.”
Shark hung up the phone and stood in silence for a second, looking aimlessly at the buildings that lined the strip. My friends at Gill’s will all be waiting, he thought. All my friends except my best one, Dog Z Boy.
His moment of sad thought was suddenly shattered by the metal ping of the elevator as it stopped at the penthouse floor. Shark watched as the door opened and Vixen stepped out into the hallway. The sad tears in his eyes turned to tears of joy.
He stood for a second, just staring at her, wondering, then just hoping she was real. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. They both moved toward each other, slowly at first, then in an all-out run. In an instant, she was in his arms, locked tight in his strong embrace. Shark felt her hug him, harder than she had ever hugged him before. Her body shook in his arms. He ran his fingers slowly through her long black hair as she rested her head on his right cheek. He could feel the warm moisture of her tears as they ran down his neck. It felt good to have her in his arms, and it felt good to know she was free from Old Jack’s nasty grip.
He carried her to the couch and held her close for what seemed like an hour, all the while talking about the events of the past few months.
“I miss Dog Z Boy,” Vixen said sadly.
Shark ran his hands gently across her face as he looked into her beautiful green eyes. “I know, so do I.”
Vixen nestled her head into Shark’s neck. Shark knew it was her special place, where she felt comfortable and safe.
“I never want to leave you again,” she said.
Shark reached down and slowly lifted her head up to look at him. “I have to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve arranged for you, Frenchie, and Cahira to leave on the first flight out tomorrow morning. You are going home to Gill.”
“I don’t want to go,” she said defiantly. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“You have to. I need to know that you are safe.”
“But the show, it’s dangerous. You could be hurt, or worse.”
“I’ll be fine. You have to go. I don’t know exactly what Shaw is planning to throw at me during the show. I have to be prepared in case it’s more than he’s letting on. I need to have a clear head, and the only way for that to happen is to know that you are safe.”
Vixen had a concerned look on her face. “I don’t want to go.”
“You have to,” Shark said strongly.
She looked at him with wide, watery eyes and hugged him. “If that’s what you want, then I’ll honor your wishes. I know I’ve caused so much trouble already. I don’t want to cause any more.”
Shark grabbed her and gave her a light shake while looking deeply into her eyes. “Listen to me. I don’t care what kind of trouble you cause. I wouldn’t change one thing about you, not a single thing. You just go ahead and keep causing all the trouble you can. I’ll always be there to rescue you. I love you, Vixen, I always have, and I always will.”
Her watery eyes filled with full-blown tears. “T love you, too.”
They hugged and shared a long, passionate kiss. As their lips slowly parted, Vixen looked up, into his eyes. “ We have tonight then?” she asked.
“We do have tonight,” Shark answered. “We’ll all go out and watch the fireworks, and after that, I will t
ake you dancing.”
“Dancing, you promise. You never dance!” She sounded excited.
Shark held her close as they shared another long gaze. “I plan to do a lot of things I never did before.”
Vixen smiled as she gave Shark another strong hug. “I have to get ready. What will I wear?”
“There are closets full of clothes in the other rooms. I’m sure whatever you choose will look perfect.”
Vixen was happy. “I’ll check with Cahira to see what’s in her closet.”
“That’s great.” Shark watched Vixen walk out of the room. He heard a knock on the door and looked up to see Wolf.
“Sorry to bother the two of you,” Wolf said.
“That’s all right. Vixen is looking for a dress. What’s up?”
Wolf walked into the room and turned the television on to channel five. “You have to watch this.”
The television screen showed a reporter standing outside the Serengeti Casino. Shark watched and listened.
“We are here on the Las Vegas Strip, bringing you live coverage of the most anticipated casino grand opening of the millennium. As you can see behind me, the Serengeti Casino is the largest man-made structure ever built. Its hotel boasts a staggering fifty thousand hotel rooms, its casino floor is three times the size of its nearest competitor, and its amphitheater covers an enclosed area of 1.5 miles. Any talk of a recession in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, is not evident here.”
Shark watched as the report showed footage of the massive complex. There were shots of the casino, the rooms, and a look inside the amphitheater. It was immense, with rivers, hills, plains, and trees. It looked like it was sliced right from the middle of the African savanna.
The camera view returned to the reporter. “Three days from now, the Serengeti will also play host to the grand opening of its amphitheater with its show, Predators and Prey. The show will give its estimated five hundred thousand spectators a firsthand, live-action view of the struggles for survival that take place on the African plains. In other words, folks, spectators will receive a front-row seat to witness death in both its natural and unnatural form. Not since the days of the old Roman coliseums with their grand gladiatorial spectacles has such an event, focused on slaughter, been orchestrated for the mere purpose of human entertainment.”
Shark looked closer at the television, shocked, as video footage of him appeared on the screen.
“The star and main attraction of Predators and Prey is the one and only great white shark known to exist in captivity. The shark was spotted here earlier today inside the Serengeti and also outside the Sky Tower Restaurant. The shark’s rarity makes it not only an endangered species but also a large promotional draw for the show.”
The video footage showed Shark and Wolf pushing through the crowds of frenzied paparazzi.
“As spectators will learn this Friday night, most land predators kill by digging their claws into their victims to hold them down as their fangs give a death blow to the wounded prey. But the great white shark is one of the only predators that will bite right through its prey with its massive jaws and razor-sharp teeth. Surely, any animal matched up this Friday night to fight the shark, nature’s ultimate killing machine, must be acutely aware of the dangers that will be lurking in the shadows of the Serengeti.”
Shark watched the screen as it switched to a helicopter view of a two-mile long line of animals walking through the desert. There were zebra, gazelle, wildebeest, elephants, lions, and cheetahs.
“As you can see in this aerial footage obtained last week by KANI Sky Chopper Five, a caravan of thousands of animals was led through the desert from the train depot in Williams, Arizona, to Las Vegas. The animals were led on a forced march over one hundred-plus miles through the scorching heat of the Mojave Desert, to what for some will be their demise inside the killing fields of the Serengeti Casino.”
The screen showed a shot of Shaw’s assistant, Jones. The caption read: Serengeti Casino Spokesperson. “We are excited to bring a show of this caliber to a city famous for its world-class entertainment. We expect the animal trek that delivered over nineteen hundred animals to the Serengeti Casino from the train depot in Williams, Arizona, to be a weekly occurrence. The Serengeti show Predators and Prey will not hold back and will give the audience exactly what they are paying money to see—the live hunt and kill between predator and prey. We expect with the numbers of predators that we will set free on the amphitheater’s floor during the show each week that spectators will witness over one thousand kills. The animal inventory lost to predation will be replaced weekly by Serengeti stocks from our private game reserve located outside the South American town of Matadore. We anticipate with our breeding program to have enough animal inventories to run the weekly show for at least the next twenty years.”
The video footage went back to a wide shot of the reporter and Jones.
“Wow,” the reporter said as he looked at Jones. “Those are some big numbers. Let’s see, you said at least one thousand kills per week for the next twenty years.” There was a short pause as the reporter did the math in his head. “We’re talking somewhere in the neighborhood of slaughtering over one million animals. Is that correct?”
Jones looked at the reporter. “Yes, that is a fair estimate. It could increase if we decide to move to bi-weekly performances during peak tourist seasons.”
The reporter raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jones, then turned to face the camera.
“It is no secret that this show is controversial. It has polarized groups around the world, some pro-slaughter for entertainment and some against. In any case, the show is expected to go on in front of a sold-out crowd of five hundred thousand spectators, which will make it the largest indoor show the world has ever seen.”
The camera zoomed in for a close-up on the reporter as he gave his summary.
“One thing is certain, whether you believe the show is right, believe it is wrong, or even if you are indifferent, the drains below the Serengeti Casino will flow with rivers of blood this Friday night.”
Shark looked at Wolf. “These people are out of their minds.”
“I know what you mean,” Wolf said. “None of it seems right.”
Vixen stepped into the room as Shark turned off the television. He felt glad she did not see the story; it would only have made her worry. Vixen was smiling as she did a quick twirl in a sexy black cocktail dress; her incredible beauty radiated.
“Do you like?” she asked as she smiled at Shark and Wolf.
Wolf nodded his head yes.
Shark walked over, picked her up and swung her in a circle. “I love it. You look beautiful, and you’re my girl.”
Shark and the rest of the group were all ready by 11:00 p.m. Shark led the entourage down a hallway to a door that led to the giant rooftop terrace of the Serengeti. He handed an usher the tickets for the group and followed behind as they were led to a table. It was positioned next to the rooftop’s railing and provided an incredible view of the Las Vegas Strip.
Shark ordered a round of drinks for the table, then watched the glistening lights of the strip twinkle like distant stars on the desert horizon. As he sipped his cocktail, he watched the picture-perfect, clear Nevada sky explode with fireworks; he looked over and noticed their magical colors reflecting in Vixen’s gorgeous green eyes.
Old Jack stood on a raised deck just above Shark’s table. Unobserved, he watched as Shark and Vixen laughed and kissed.
“Enjoy yourselves now,” he whispered to himself. “Kissy, kissy, hug, hug. Come Friday, Shark, you will be my prize and the world will know that Old Jack was the one that killed you. Mama is going to be proud.”
CHAPTER 24
The Long Goodbye
The morning came quickly. Shark looked at Vixen, who was wrapped tightly in bright white sheets. He bent over, kissed her on the side of her head, and whispered, “Time to go, sleepy head. We have to get you on that plane.”
Vixen turned and looked up at
Shark. “Is it time already?”
“It is,” Shark said softly. “Wolf and I will take you all to the airport to make sure you get on the plane safely.” He bent over and kissed her lightly on her forehead. “I’ve got to run downstairs. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Shark exited the lobby and was again swamped by photographers. The Masai warrior security guards approached and provided protection for Shark as he walked through the lobby and entered the gift shop. He looked around and spotted it. It was there, just as he had ordered. Shark picked it up and held it in his hands. It was a beautiful pool cue, adorned with jewels and golden inlays; a section of the butt was hand carved with an intricate design and his personal inscription. “Vixen will love it,” he whispered to himself. I might not have been able to give her the treasure found, he thought, but this cue will be a great second choice.
Shark watched the crowds of people as the limo approached McCarran International Airport and stopped outside Terminal 3. The driver opened the rear passenger door. Shark, Wolf, and the three ladies stepped out. Shark looked over and noticed Vixen looking down at the package in his hand.
“What is that?” she asked.
“It’s something for you.”
She smiled. “You bought me a present.”
“Yes, I did.” Shark handed Vixen the package. “Open it.”
Shark felt excited as Vixen undid the wrapping. He watched a large smile form on her face as she noticed the beautiful, black leather pool cue case. She looked up at him, her smile growing wider, then unzipped the case and pulled out the cue.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “One of the most beautiful cues I’ve ever seen. But why?”
“I wanted to give you that treasure I found in Fiji, but I failed,” Shark said sincerely. “I wanted you to have something personal from me, something that we share a common interest in, something to remember me by if anything should happen. I bad it inscribed with a special note from me to you.”
Shark & The Wolf: Predators and Prey Page 18