The senator hopped out of his limo with surprising vigor, his gaze intense and unblinking. Security operatives instantly surrounded him and his attorney. Jake recognized Darius Thayer, dressed in an impeccable Armani suit, as well as grim-faced bodyguards Stanton and Fields.
Oblivious to all, Harcourt stared contemplatively up at the Harbinger. He surveyed the ship for a full minute before turning his attention to her crew.
“Dr. Takagi, I presume?” he inquired. He moved toward Amara, a paw-like hand outstretched.
“Guilty as charged, senator,” Amara said stiffly. She shook hands with him. “It’s nice of you and your men to come down and see us off. That is why you’re here, I assume?”
“Not exactly,” Harcourt replied. He turned toward Jake as if noticing him for the first time. “Sheriff Braddock, it’s good to see you again.”
“Indeed,” Jake snorted. “It’s good to be seen at all, after yesterday.”
Harcourt nodded. “As always, right to the point. You know, Jake, your single-minded directness was one of the reasons we hired you in the first place.”
“Best buy you ever made,” Jake said. “So, what can I do for you and your people?”
“Nothing.” Harcourt looked up at the Harbinger once more. “I’m here to conduct business with Dr. Takagi.”
“What kind of business?” Amara probed. She caught the ill-concealed smugness making its way across the faces of the senator’s bodyguards.
“I need your ship, Dr. Takagi. I plan on leading an expedition to subdue the beast that wreaked havoc on my town, and your vessel is the best suited for the task. At least, within a five hundred mile radius.”
“Excuse me?” Momentarily confused, Amara gaped at him for a split second before lashing out. “The Harbinger is not some oversized charter boat you can just hire. And, as for the animal you’re referring to, my crew and I have already formulated a plan to deal with it. So, if you don’t mind, I would appreciate you moving your vehicles away from my ship. Have a good day.”
“Actually, it’s my ship now,” Harcourt said. His voice had a threatening edge to it. “In fact, if I desire it, you will end up working for me.”
“Listen, you pompous creep,” Amara snarled. Ignoring his bodyguards, she stepped right in his face, her icy eyes staring him down from less than six inches away. “The Harbinger belongs to me, and to the WCS, and it will be a cold day in hell when–”
“You know, considering the early hour, your breath is remarkably fresh, doctor. How nice. As for the Worldwide Cetacean Society . . . your partners were more than happy to sell me a controlling share of your ship, and at a tidy profit, I might add.”
For the first time Jake could remember, Amara’s face had an ugly look to it.
“That’s bullshit!” she spat. “The society would never sell to someone like you!”
“Sure they would, Dr. Takagi. Not only did I pay them twice what this old bag of bolts is worth, I offered to cut them in once the beast is captured and put on display. I also absolved them from any and all liabilities, and even agreed to fund a portion of the cost of construction for the monster’s future living quarters.”
Amara was seething. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight, Harcourt. Your only son was one of the pliosaur’s victims, yet you’re in favor of taking it alive?”
“That’s correct.”
“I can’t believe my partners bought that.”
“You hit it right on the head,” Harcourt said. He stepped to one side. “At least, about the bought part. This is my attorney, Darius Thayer.”
The senator gestured toward a malevolent-looking suit. He watched with poorly disguised glee as his lawyer withdrew a set of papers from his inside vest pocket.
Smiling, Thayer stepped forward and handed them to Amara.
“Dr. Amara Takagi, this is formal notification of change of ownership. As of five o’clock this morning, controlling interest in the research vessel Harbinger, docked directly adjacent to us, now resides with Harcourt Enterprises. This includes any and all equipment onboard said vessel, as well as decision-making ability in regard to continued employment of all crew members, you included.”
Amara snatched the documents from Thayer, scanning them with furtive eyes as Willie and Joe peered over her shoulder.
Unwilling to turn his full attention from Harcourt and his escorts, Jake watched Amara with his peripherals. Despite her cool exterior, he got the impression the tall cetaceanist was more than a little dismayed by what she was reading. Knowing Harcourt as he did, that could only make sense.
Amara folded the papers and put them in her pocket. She looked back at the senator, her expression one of cool resignation, coupled with defiance.
“All right, senator. It looks like you bought yourself a ship,” she said, standing erect with her hands on her hips and shifting her weight from foot to foot. “A fat lot of good it’s going to do you. You don’t strike me as much of a sailor, let alone a one-man crew.”
“Come now, Dr. Takagi,” Harcourt said, grinning at a chortling Darius Thayer. “Surely you didn’t think someone such as I would move on an endeavor like this without making appropriate preparations.”
“What do you mean?”
As the question left Amara’s lips, another group of vehicles approached. Barely slowing, they made their way past the heavily manned barricade. Like Harcourt’s caravan, the newcomers had a large, black-colored SUV in the lead, but were followed by four larger trucks. Three of these were flatbed tractor-trailers that carried ratcheted-down loads of heavy equipment, concealed beneath oil-stained canvas tarps. The last was a refitted military truck, the kind used to transport troops.
Harcourt gloated. “I’ve taken the liberty of hiring my own team, Dr. Takagi. Although you may be permitted to stay on as an advisor, the rest of your crew will not be needed.”
The lead truck pulled up with a harsh squeal of straining brakes and a small cloud of concrete dust. From its opened windows, the AC/DC song “Highway to Hell” blasted away at an unspeakable volume.
The music stopped.
“Listen, Harcourt,” Amara glared first at the SUV, then at the troop transport. “I don’t know what bunch of military yahoos you got your hands on, but I assure you it’s going to take a team of seasoned professionals to track this creature down and capture it.”
“Indeed it is, love,” a distinctive voice called out from the SUV. “That’s where I come in.”
Jake watched with undisguised interest as the truck driver leapt nimbly down onto the surface of the pier.
To say his appearance was distinctive was an understatement. He was Jake’s size, with a muscular build that stood out through his paramilitary-style clothing. His tattooed forearms were scarred from his knuckles past the sleeves of his black t-shirt, as if he’d been fighting in wharf front bars and back alleys all his life. Some of the healed-over wounds were highly irregular in shape, like large animal bites, and Jake couldn’t begin to surmise their origins. A few, however, were identifiable, especially to someone in his line of work.
The driver made his way to Amara, smirked, and removed his mirrored sunglasses. Besides the assortment of scars, Jake noticed two other things about him. The first was that he had the most bizarre colored eyes Jake had ever seen. They looked like burnished bronze, if that was physically possible.
The second was much more interesting. Judging from the look of shock mixed with loathing that materialized on Amara’s face, she knew the man.
“Karl, you son of a bitch,” Amara snarled and took a step forward. “I should’ve known!”
“There, there, dear,” the mustached newcomer chuckled as Willie and Joe moved forward to restrain their incensed commander. “Is that any way to say hello after all this time?”
“As you can see, Dr. Takagi,” the senator said. “I’ve taken the liberty of hiring my own expert. And when it comes to tracking down big game, Mr. Von Freiling is tops in his field.”
“Karl Von F
reiling, at your service, chap.” The black-haired big game hunter walked over and extended a gnarled hand to Jake. “And you are?”
“Sheriff Jake Braddock,” Jake said.
“Impressive grip you got there, sheriff,” Von Freiling smirked. “Oh, wait a minute . . . you’re that master swordsman I’ve heard so much about. Fantastic! You know, it’s a pleasure to meet someone who appreciates a fine blade as much as I do.”
“Really,” Jake remarked. “And you must be that jungle adventurer I saw on the news. You’re the guy that captured that big anaconda a few years ago in Brazil, the one that made all the papers?”
“Give that man a gold star!” Von Freiling grinned even more broadly. “That’s me, chap. You know, I made almost a million bucks off that bugger, if you can believe it. She was a thirty-six footer, making her the biggest snake ever recorded. Weighed almost twelve hundred pounds! And, the nasty bitch was delivered live, to boot.”
“A million dollars, eh?” Still livid, Amara pulled herself away from her shipmates. “And how much is this creep paying you now, you jackass?”
“That’s an interesting story, Mr. Von Freiling,” Harcourt interrupted. “But it’s not helping with current events any. From what I’ve seen, what you’re hunting now makes that anaconda look like bait. Is your team ready?”
“Ready as they’ll ever be,” Von Freiling said. He shrugged, then whistled loudly through his fingers. “Gentlemen, front and center!”
As Jake and the Harbinger’s crew watched, eight men hopped one by one out of the back of the troop transport and moved over to Karl Von Freiling’s position.
Lined up, they were an evil-looking bunch, with every one appearing as hard and seasoned as their leader. Without exception, they were dressed in black fatigues.
Jake knew a gang of professional killers when he saw them.
There was no doubt about it.
“Mr. Stubbs,” Von Freiling called out.
“Yes, sir!” a huge mercenary barked back.
“Have the men stow all our equipment and gear on board the ship, if you please. Just hand me that list first.”
“Yes, sir.” Stubbs handed his employer a digital clipboard and moved off. He was a massive, swarthy-looking individual who was missing all four fingertips on his right hand.
As the black-clad men headed back to their truck, Von Freiling scanned his clipboard.
“Senator Harcourt, with your permission?”
“Of course. Please proceed.”
“Excellent.” Von Freiling scrolled up and down his screen with an electronic pencil before glancing up again. “Now then, where was I . . . ah yes, the crew. Amara, if you’ve gotten past your initial hostility, I’d like to discuss the dispensation of your ship’s complement.”
“My crew?” Amara’s pale eyes narrowed and she shouldered her way past Willie and Joe. “You’ve already got my ship. What exactly do you plan on doing with my crew?”
“For the most part, nothing,” Von Freiling said absentmindedly. He glanced down, double-checking some records. “Most of your crew are useless for this type of expedition. They’re interns . . . children, actually.”
“It’s a research vessel, Karl. And training interns is part of what we do. Anyway, I’m glad you find my crew so useless. The last thing I need is for any of those kids to be put at risk on one of your hair-brained adventures.”
“I said most of your crew . . .” Von Freiling’s eyes were hard and gleaming.
“Meaning?”
“Several of your ship’s complement, including yourself – Brodsky, Helm and Daniels – seem to possess skills that might prove useful to us. They’re under no obligation, of course. We’re not pirates. Naturally, they will be well compensated, should they desire to participate.”
“And the rest of my crew?”
“They stay here,” Harcourt announced from a few yards away. “Safe and sound. Transportation and lodging will be provided, of course.”
“So, how about it, love?” Von Freiling smirked. “Your guys in?”
“That’s up to them.” Amara glanced at her ship, then looked the scar-covered man up and down. “But I’ll tell you right now, there’s no way in hell you’re taking the Harbinger on some adventure junkie’s mission without me.”
“I was counting on that,” Von Freiling said, leering like a Cheshire cat before glancing at her second-in-command. “And you, Mr. Daniels?”
“Where Amara goes, I go,” Willie stated matter-of-factly.
“Actually, I’ll be going along as well,” Harcourt added.
Jake noted with amusement the surprised looks on the faces of everyone present, the senator’s gaping bodyguards included.
“What?” Stanton and Fields both sputtered at the same time.
Von Freiling hesitated. “But, uh . . . that wasn’t what we talked about on the phone, senator.”
“I agreed to fund this expedition in order to find the monster that killed my son, Mr. Von Freiling.” The senator gave his hired gun an appraising look. “I don’t recall saying I’d allow you to lead it, however.”
“But, sir . . .”
“No arguments. This is my game,” he warned from beneath plummeting eyebrows. He scratched at the jagged scar lining his jaw. “And just so you know, I checked you out after you called me. Your track record speaks for itself. But your methods are questionable, and you have an unprecedented history of violence. So, you’ll forgive my lack of tact, but with everything that’s riding on this, frankly, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Fair enough, senator. It’s your money, you’re the boss.”
“Yes, I am.”
Jake watched as Fields moved close to Harcourt. “Uh, Senator, if I might have a word with you in private?”
Behind them, Von Freiling’s men struggled to push a large crate marked with red warning symbols up the Harbinger’s straining gangplank, tearing ragged splinters from the thick wood as they went.
“Save your breath, Fields. I won’t need you for this. You, Stanton and the rest of the team will remain here in Paradise Cove until my return.”
“What?” Fields bristled. “Senator, that’s completely unacceptable. It’s out of the–”
“You disregarding my orders is what’s out of the question.” A thread of spittle bisected Harcourt’s chin and he wiped it with the back of one hand. “You’d do well to mind your place, sonny. Or, you and your associate will end up spending the winter doing perimeter surveillance guarding a senile senator I know in Alaska!”
He appraised the grim expression on Fields’ face, then turned toward a visibly amused Karl Von Freiling. “Now then . . . what about the subs?”
“We only have one,” Amara interjected. “And it’s badly damaged. I don’t think you’ll be able to use her for–”
“They’ll do the job,” Von Freiling said directly to his employer.
“Very well,” Harcourt said, nodding. He stared up at the swaying William. “Have your men ditch their damaged craft, and load ours onboard.”
“Excuse me?” Amara’s aquamarine eyes flashed angrily back and forth between the two men. “What did you just say?”
“Sorry, love,” Von Freiling said. “But I’ve brought a pair of submersibles specifically designed for this kind of thing. Your old fashioned clunker isn’t needed.”
Amara looked like she was ready to explode. “The William is a twelve million dollar piece of equipment! What the hell are you going to do with it?”
“Please calm down, Ms. Takagi,” Harcourt said. Stanton and Fields moved next to him.
“Calm down?” To her credit, Amara held her ground, waving off Willie and Joe as they tried to rein her in. “So, tell me, what you are going to do, Karl? Dump our mini-sub in the harbor?”
“Not a bad idea,” he said, sneering over the politician’s shoulder. “But, as luck would have it, Senator Harcourt told me on the way over he approved the use of one of our flatbeds to transport your craft to whatever sto
rage facility you deem acceptable.”
“I’ll stay behind and take care of the William,” Joe Calabrese offered. He shot Von Freiling an unfriendly look before turning to Amara. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s shipped carefully and in good shape by the time you get back.”
“Thanks, Joe.” She glowered at Von Freiling, exhaling through flared nostrils. “And for the record, if anything happens to my sub while it’s being loaded or transported, I’m going to sue you. You and your benefactor.”
“Whatever you say, love.” Von Freiling winked as he reached for his radio.
“You know what? I’ve had it with this bullshit,” Amara’s lips quivered with pent-up rage as she whirled off, her shipmates in tow. She stopped a few paces from Jake and turned to her colleagues. “Willie, go back onboard and warn the crew about what’s going on, please. I don’t want a panic. And keep an eye on those soldiers, will you?”
“Ya got it.” Willie turned and made his way back up the gangplank with quick strides.
Still watching from the pier’s edge, Jake walked over to Amara as she conversed with Joe Calabrese. “So . . . I guess this little ‘development’ pretty much screws up your game plan, huh?”
Amara looked irritably at him. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
Jake followed her gaze upwards. High on the Harbinger’s deck, two of Von Freiling’s troops looked over the portside crane that supported the William. Despite being out of hearing range, it was obvious they were arguing over how to lower the damaged submersible onto the pier below.
Amara shook her head. She patted her pockets and snorted irritably. “Damn, my cell’s in my quarters. I’m going to go find a landline and give my partners at the WCS a call. That’s what I’m going to do, Jake.” She spun toward Joe. “In the meantime, I’d like you to keep an eye on the William until I get back – starting with unloading her, before those yahoos damage her beyond repair.”
KRONOS RISING: After 65 million years, the world's greatest predator is back. Page 39