by K D McNiven
Not wanting to be spotted, Rourke stopped the jeep and parked it off the side of the road. “You guys stay here. I’ll go see if I can determine what’s going on at the compound.”
“What happened to 'we’re a team’?” Meg blurted out.
Rourke threw up his hands. “Fine. If you want to come, please, by all means.” He turned and continued to walk toward the laboratory, not waiting to see who might be coming behind. He bristled. It seemed no matter what his intentions were, Meg apparently wanted to cross swords with him. But he determined from the get-go he would not spar with her. She had been hired as leader of the dive team and he would not challenge her decisions in front of the crew.
On the other side of the coin, Meg kicked herself. She couldn’t seem to stop herself from reacting. She knew better and she knew how catty her behavior must seem to the rest of them. She leaped out of the jeep, not to prove a point, but so Rourke didn’t go it alone, especially knowing the Purussaurus was somewhere out there. Her decision had the other two hopping out as well. They hurried their steps to catch up with her, all with rifles slung over their shoulders, just in case.
Rourke was crouched low behind a large fern, peering out across the parking area. The others squatted behind. They could see movement inside, ducking a bit lower when a Japanese man stepped out, appearing to be clearing the entrance of rubble.
“Looks like they are helping rebuild the place,” Jayden said.
“But from Japan?’ Meg replied.
“We’ve been wondering who is backing this guy. My guess is someone is looking out for his investment and has sent some men to clean things up.”
“Why the big ship?” Jayden asked.
“Why indeed?” Rourke wondered if they would actually try and transport the animals out of the area. If that happened to be the case, they would need to have the police commander block their passage. These animals were dangerous. Taking them out of the jungle would no doubt be accompanied by more death.
The man out front snapped his head up as if he heard something. He looked around suspiciously. After a pause, he looked to relax and went back to work.
“You don’t think…” Meg whispered.
“I suppose they could be lurking over the bank. Maybe that’s our cue to head back.”
As they turned to leave, the man out front caught sight of Jayden’s red T-shirt. He yelled loudly and two other men with rifles rushed out of the room. All three men started running in their direction, a round of fire cracking in the air.
Dirt and twigs exploded at Meg’s feet. She twisted her head, stumbling as her foot caught on a branch. She went down with a thud, knocking the wind out of her. The voices grew nearer. Panicked, she rolled onto her belly and positioned her rifle to get a clear shot if they continued to pursue.
The team turned back to see Meg sprawled out on the ground and saw the three men running toward her.
“Take cover!” Rourke yelled. In a flash, he broke into a dead run, his heart jack-hammering, aware of the fact Meg was vulnerable. Reaching her, he dove to the ground next to her and readied his rifle. When one of the men shot randomly into the bushes, Rourke’s finger, poised over the trigger, pulled back sharply, the blast echoing through the dense thicket.
Meg followed in suit, pumping off a couple of rounds. She heard a grunt, saw one man’s hand fly up to his shoulder, blood pouring through his fingers. He stooped over and ran for cover behind a felled tree.
“Good shot,” Rourke said, turning to look at her with a wide grin.
“Let’s hope they’re not so good.”
The two other men looked to be fanning outward with intentions of closing them in. Tossing a quick look over his shoulder he saw Jayden and Kyle high-tailing it to the jeep. Rourke had no illusions they were in great danger presently, and they needed to get out of there quickly.
“On the count of three, Meg, start running for the jeep and don’t look back.”
“But…”
“One…two…three!”
Meg took off like a rocket across the spongy ground, her heart thundering in her chest. Jayden waved her on, already firing up the jeep, preparing to get out of there as quick as possible.
“Hurry, Meg!” he yelled.
Rourke duck-walked backward toward the jeep, firing his rifle in rapid succession to ward off the encroaching men, a specter of gunfire singing past his ear in return. When he had gotten close enough to the jeep, he flagged his hand, motioning for Jayden to get moving. Dropping his rifle to his side, Rourke turned and sprinted forward, grabbing hold of the back end of the jeep and vaulting off the bumper, tumbling headlong into the back seat, onto Meg.
“Ugh,” grunted Meg, his weight crushing down on her.
“Sorry.”
“Quite all right, considering.”
A few gunshots trailed after them, one striking the fender, but soon they were out of range.
“That was a close call,” Kyle said.
“Any more brilliant ideas, Rourke?” Meg asked, the words heavy with sarcasm.
Rourke chuckled, an amused grin painted on his lips. “At least we know what we’re up against. They’re not going to allow anyone to get close enough to investigate their laboratory. Whoever is backing them, has sent reinforcements to make sure of it.”
“So…now what?” Meg asked.
“We head over to the police station and inform them of what is going on. Obviously, we won’t be able to manage on our own.”
With that, Jayden steered the vehicle up to a slippery bank to an upper road that would take them into the village. The police station, a relatively small building made up of cement blocks and clay roofing tile looked nearly deserted when they arrived. Not surprising as there had only been three uniformed police officers on their past visits. Entering, they found Commander Fernando seated behind his desk, a cup of coffee in hand. His eyes flickered up when he heard the bell tinkle above the doorway to alert him to visitors.
“Mr. Wolfe,” Fernando said, taking to his feet and reaching out to shake Rourke’s hand. “What can I help you with today?”
“What else? Dietrich Laboratories.”
“We did go check out the place after you were shot,” Fernando said. “The place is a wreck. I can’t see how anyone could continue to work out of it. We even found a woman’s hand, which we have sent for a DNA test.”
Meg’s face went white. “Dr. Anna Povlov,” she said. “We had an opportunity to speak with her when we managed to get inside.”
“I’m not sure who the financier is behind Dr. Wilhelm but a ship arrived and several men came ashore and are at the compound as we speak. They just took a few pot-shots at us. Appears it is from Japan, at least that is the flag they are flying and the men who shot at us were Japanese.”
Fernando’s bushy black brows hiked. “Japan? You think they are here to rebuild the facility?”
“I really can’t be sure what their line of attack is. All I know is they are dead-set against us investigating.”
Right then they heard the sound of rotor blades beating through the stagnant air over the top of them. Without words, all of them jetted out the door, looked up and spotted a Boeing-47 Chinook, tandem-rotor helicopter, flying low. The helicopter had large cages attached, obviously preparing to make a drop at the compound.
“I believe what their intentions are has become self-explanatory,” Rourke said, still staring upward.
“You think they are going to make an effort to capture and then ship the Purussaurus to Japan?” Meg asked. “I’d be interested to know how they think they’re going to catch them.”
“With helicopters…they will probably try to net them, secure them to cables attached to the helicopter, then dropped into the cargo hold of the ship,” replied Rourke.
There was a lull in the conversation as each of them tried to imagine such a dangerous endeavor. It was Fernando’s shocking statement that broke the silence. “At least they’ll be out of here.”
“What about
endangering other people’s lives?” Meg gasped. “You’ve seen what they are capable of. Look at the demolished lab!”
“What kind of military assistance can you get?” Rourke asked.
Fernando shrugged. “We’re not well-equipped if you haven’t noticed.”
“Surely you can get help from the neighboring city? Belém is by no means a small village. Are you able to contact a military unit and have them do a flyover? At least do something that might get them to back off until we can eliminate the animals.”
Fernando stared at Rourke. “And how do you plan on exterminating them?”
“I haven’t thought it through just yet,” he admitted. “But the army must have some available weapons that would do the trick?”
“I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise anything.” Fernando walked back into the building leaving the group staring after him.
“What will we do if he doesn’t make an attempt to find us help?” asked Meg.
Rourke looked frustrated, simply shrugging. “No idea, Meg. Let’s get back to the ship and put our heads together and see what we come up with.”
The four of them drove to the shore where they parked the vehicle a short distance and then walked back to the zodiac. Pushing it out into the rolling waves, they all jumped inside and motored back toward the ship.
Chapter Twenty
⁂
Dr. Wilhelm had already spent hours trying to recover instruments and machines that had been mangled by the Purussaurus as they had charged through the lab’s interior. Ramon and Aberto were just outside working beside the Japanese team Daisuke Nakamura had sent— his way of making sure his investment remained intact.
It didn’t surprise Wilhelm when his phone chimed and saw Daisuke’s name light up on caller ID. Even though he understood Daisuke’s concern, irritation spurred him like a cowboy riding a bronc. He had enough to do without having to give a minute to minute account of what he’d accomplished since his men’s arrival.
“Daisuke, how good of you to call.” Wilhelm did his best to hold off his annoyance, but could still hear the sharp pitch of his own voice echoing back.
“I assume my men made it there without mishap?”
“Indeed, they did. They’re working hard patching up the damaged areas, so I can get back to work.”
“What I wanted to hear,” Daisuke’s heavily accented voice answered back. “I’m going to fly out later this afternoon and bring along a new assistant since Miss Anna Povlov is no longer there to help you.”
Wilhelm’s throat constricted. The mention of Anna’s name awakened his senses. He remained brokenhearted—somewhat at a loss without her cheerful countenance and playful smile. He longed to savor the curves of her soft body molding against him as she snuggled into the crook of his arm—the passionate kisses she aroused in him after a long day’s work.
Adding fuel to his already heated mood, was Daisuke’s notification he would be joining Wilhelm here at the compound. The last thing he needed was someone hanging over his shoulder. His facial expression deepened at the mere thought. Wilhelm hadn’t dismissed the essential need to get on top of his experimentation again, but he had needed the time to grieve—as if Daisuke would know anything about that, the cold fish. His nostrils flared with annoyance the more he chewed on the idea. He didn’t want to deal with someone dogging his every move and pushing him continuously. He had always worked satisfactorily on his own and had done just fine thus far.
“Did you hear me, Wilhelm?”
His voice jarred him from his thoughts. “Y-yes. You are flying out later today and bringing another assistant to work with me.”
“I’m excited to see the compound,” he said. “And, I’m hoping you’ll be able to dig right in no later than tomorrow? You have commitments, you know?”
Already, Daisuke was pushing his weight around, and he hadn’t even arrived yet. Wilhelm grit his teeth. He determined once he fulfilled his contract, he would pack his bags and head back to Germany—work with renowned scientists who didn’t have to tolerate this kind of dominance.
He recalled the moment when the project first came to fruition how excited he had been. No other scientist had ever succeeded in reproducing live dinosaurs! This was to be his moment in history, or, so he’d thought. Now he realized he had become a mere puppet in the hands of wealthy entrepreneurs who had nothing better to do with their money than use it to control people. But what had he expected with that much money involved? Where he’d once perceived his accomplishments as extraordinary, he now despised them—despised the Purussaurus for having killed Anna. It was hatred…yes, sheer, raw, hatred coursing through his veins right now. To add to his dilemma, the police were obviously starting to snoop around, wanting him for questioning.
As he walked stiff-shouldered toward the lab he could see steel reinforcements had already been put into place along the front. Building equipment was being brought to shore and driven to the compound for them to keep erecting the exterior wall. All the timber was doubled in thickness to hold off the Purussaurus, even though since their last rampage, they seemed to have stayed outside the perimeter.
By late afternoon Daisuke, as promised, had driven up to the front entrance. He did not immediately come in, rather surveyed the damage, walking around the compound introspectively. Back at the steps, he picked up Wilhelm’s assistant’s suitcases and hurried inside. Because the front had yet to be sealed up and the hot air hung heavily in the room. Daisuke pulled his dark sunglasses off his nose. He lifted his gaze when he saw Wilhelm moving freely about on the second floor, and took the stairs to make introductions. One step into the lab, Daisuke embraced the cool flow of air coming from the air-conditioning overhead. He soaked it in as his shirt was drenched in sweat already.
“Wilhelm,” Daisuke greeted, thrusting his chubby fingers forward, a lop-sided grin on his thin lips. His well-rounded belly, coupled with his multiple diamond and gold rings reflected his opulent living.
Reluctantly, and sour-faced, Wilhelm took his hand with a tight grip, his eyes straying to his new assistant. She was petite and quite lovely, her raven hair piled high on top of her head. Dressed in a white button-up blouse, below-the-knee brown tweed skirt, and black heels, she presented a flawless but modest image.
“This is Dr. Fumiko Takahashi. She will be assisting you in your work from now on.”
“Kon'nichiwa isha Takahashi,” Wilhelm welcomed her in his limited Japanese, reaching his hand out. She shook it but did not look into his eyes. Instead, she looked downward meekly, as if not worthy to stand before him.
“Good morning, Dr. Dietrich,” She replied in perfect English and nodded her head in response.
“She will do whatever she is asked to do,” Daisuke said. “Whenever and however you would like.”
Daisuke’s meaning was well taken. Wilhelm saw Fumiko’s cheeks blush. Clearly, she had to do whatever she was told for fear of severe reprimand from Daisuke. Wilhelm had never liked the man, but now, watching him belittle the frail woman standing in front of him, he despised him even more.
“Perhaps you can show us to our sleeping quarters?” he said.
Without a word, Wilhelm stooped and grabbed hold of Fumiko’s suitcases, motioning with his head for them to follow. They walked down a long corridor, then through double swinging doors into yet another hallway. They passed several doors before Wilhelm stopped before one. He swung the door open to reveal a king-sized bed, topped with a gray bedspread. Piles of pillows stacked up against a walnut headboard and a tapestried carpet was spread across the wood-planked floor, the walls egg-shell white.
“This will be your room, Daisuke,” Wilhelm said flatly. “There is an en suite through the double-doors.” He pointed his finger.
“This will do. I’ll expect dinner at eight o’clock sharp.” He walked through the door, closing it behind him.
Two rooms down, Wilhelm stopped and once more opened the door. He ushered Fumiko inside, into a smaller, more feminine room
and placed her luggage at the end of the bed. When he turned to leave, he stopped surprised when he caught sight of Fumiko unbuttoning her cotton blouse. She reached out to grab his fingers, placing them on the soft curve of her breast. Still, her eyes remained on the floor, apparent to Wilhelm this was an ingrained response.
Wilhelm’s hand moved to cup her chin. Compassionately, he raised her face and for the first time, their eyes met—wide doe-eyes filled with dread and fear. “No,” he said softly. “Only if it is your desire to have me, Dr. Takahashi. My room is next door. Then and only then. You are my new assistant. A doctor with credentials to bear out your hard work and dedication. Your only duty is to help me out in the laboratory. Understand?”
She nodded, relief washing over her. Her stiff shoulders relaxed. “Th-thank you, Dr. Dietrich.”
“You may call me Wilhelm.”
Her voice was brittle. Small. “And you may call me Fumiko.”
As Wilhelm made his way back to the lab, anger bubbled up inside of him. Fumiko's gesture made it clear she had been instructed to take care of his sexual needs. Wilhelm would have no part in it. Obviously, Daisuke was used to a different sort of man, one who had no regard for women. Wilhelm decided right then and there, if Daisuke did anything to this young woman, he would pay dearly for it. He would not tolerate such revolting behavior. Not on his watch!
The next morning after a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast brushed with a liberal gob of blackberry jam Wilhelm had stowed away to satisfy his sweet tooth, and fried potatoes, he went back to work. There was constant clanging and pounding as the workers reconstructed the laboratories mangled frame.
Peculiar, Wilhelm thought. The Purussaurus had been unusually quiet as if they’d slipped out further into the rainforest. In fact, since their rampage, he’d not seen one. Not even at feeding time. His white brows drew into a frown. They had never strayed. Not once. So, where were they? As if reading his mind, Daisuke marched through the doorway, his face looking grim.