Shadow Zone (35 page)

His eyes were intent, his lips full and slightly parted. She could see the whiteness of his teeth against the tan of his skin.

That first taste
.

That phrase was resonating within her as she remembered how she had tasted him, touched him, brought him to her.

The sun was hot on her face and throat, and her body was remembering too much. Lord, it was tempting. Why not give in just one time and take what she wanted? But she knew herself, and that wouldn’t be enough. She forced herself to pull her gaze away and turned back to look at the sea. “I don’t think so. I believe I can find—”

“Where’s Melis?” Aziz had burst out of the door leading belowdecks to the lab. His face was flushed, his eyes blazing. “I’ve got to see Melis.”

Kirov sat up straight. “She’s over there with the dolphins. Is it what I’m thinking?”

“Hell, yes, I’m a genius.” He was hurrying toward Melis. “I’ve found it. I can destroy it,” he said over his shoulder. “She’s going to be over the moon that she didn’t take a sneezing cat instead of me.”

“Sneezing cat?” Hannah followed him. “What does that have to do with—”

“Private joke.” He was focused on Melis. “I’ve got it! We’re golden, Melis!”

Melis whirled to face him, her face luminous. “You’re sure?”

“I destroyed three samples in a four-hour period. The alga bit the dust.”

“Those samples were tiny. How long will it take to produce enough to kill off a sizable amount?”

“That’s not so easy. I’m in the early stages.”

“How long?”

He shrugged. “Six months to a year.”

“Damn,” Kirov murmured. “In six months, there’s no telling what damage could be done to the coastlines.”

“It’s the best I can do. I may be a genius, but I’m not a miracle worker. Just stop it from happening until I can—”

“Just stop it from happening. Easy to say,” Hannah said. “We don’t even know how close Gadaire is from being able to launch an attack on the coasts.”

“Eugenia will be able to tell us,” Kirov said.

“When she calls,” Hannah said. Back to square one. Everything depended on what Eugenia could find out from Lampman.

Dammit, Eugenia, call us.

CHAPTER
17

They didn’t get a call from Eugenia until nearly seven the next morning.

Hannah tensed as Kirov’s phone rang.

He nodded as he checked the ID. “Eugenia.” He put the call on speakerphone. “It’s about time. We’ve been waiting very impatiently. Hannah is tired of basking in sun and sea.”

“Better than here. It’s been raining buckets for three days.”

“Are you safe?”

“Yes, we’re fine and so is Lampman. Though he’s a little shaken at his brush with the real world of Vincent Gadaire.” She paused. “So shaken that he can’t stop talking. He was dazzled by the thought of all the money and power that Gadaire dangled in front of him, and I was forced to point out that he would probably be dead within the next few months. I would have called you yesterday, but I had to phone Lampman once he was settled and get every detail.” Her tone became brusque. “It’s dirty. Very dirty. Gadaire has got a deal to seed the coast of India with TK44 alga. Environmental Armageddon.”

“Dear God,” Hannah said.

“But his clients want a demonstration. He’s chosen a small village on the east coast. There’s a large lake at the mouth of the Daya River. Chilika Lake. It’s a very popular tourist destination, and it sustains over a hundred and fifty thousand fisherman from villages all over the region. He’d planning on dumping a large batch of the TK44 alga there and destroying that area to show his clients it can be done.”

“When?”

“Right away. He’s greedy and wants to score the bigger deal.” She paused. “But science takes time when you’re dealing with alga. He’s not willing to wait for Lampman to grow his own stock. He’s going after Marinth.”

“No!” Hannah tried to regain control. “How could he? There’s no way that he could access that alga bed.”

“Nedloe Rentals out of Grand Cayman. Minisubs that Iran sold to Nedloe when they brought out their new models. Nedloe promptly sold them to Sodkar Rentals in Somalia. At great profit since they have the pirate contingent operating out of there. Sodkar rents out the subs and trained pilots as a package. The subs aren’t nearly as sophisticated as yours, Hannah, but adequate for farming the alga beds.” She paused. “And for defense. The Iranian Navy didn’t sell them the weaponry that went with them, but I’m sure that Sodkar added their own brand.”

“Shit.”

“Gadaire doesn’t intend to be stopped. He hired enough subs and crews to make an all-out effort. Lampman said he’s going in fast and combing those beds, then getting out. He’ll go direct to India and drop off his trove.”

At that pretty little village that would be dead within days of Gadaire’s visit. “When is he planning on hitting Marinth?”

“Lampman thought he was there now.”

Hannah was stunned. It was sickening to think of Gadaire already raping the waters with which she had become so familiar.

“We can’t let him do that.”

“Then work it out. We’ve stashed Lampman in a safe place, and Charlie and I are on our way to you.” She hung up.

Kirov gazed at Hannah as he pressed the
DISCONNECT
.

“There’s your answer.”

“It will kill Melis. Those bastards in her Marinth.”

“Then the answer is to get them out,” Kirov said. “And that means heading for Marinth. How far away are we?”

“About seventy miles.”

“Do we have a base? Is the
Copernicus
still in Marinth waters?”

She nodded. “And we have
Conner Two. Conner One
is still under repair.” Her hands clenched. “But even if we had both of them, they have no weapons. They could be blown out of the water if they try to intercept those subs.”

“Then we’ll have to find a way to lure them to the surface.” Kirov raised his phone again. “I’ll arrange for a helicopter to pick us up.” He started to dial. “Damn, that will take time to get here from Las Palmas.”

“Yes.” Lure them to the surface? Difficult if not impossible. There had to be a better way. Think, dammit. She was in such a panic that was almost impossible too.
Conner Two?
Any way to use—

She stiffened as it came to her.

“Hang up.” She reached for her own phone. “I’ll get a helicopter. I’ll get a whole damn armada.” She was dialing quickly. “I hope.”

Ebersole answered on the third ring. “Is this good news, Hannah?”

“Maybe. Are those minisubs you want me to modify still in the Canary Islands?”

“Yes, they’re still at Las Palmas. I persuaded AquaCorp to be patient. I knew that you wouldn’t want anyone else to do the changes. It was only a question of your getting over that first irritation.”

“How clever. You’re right. I’ll do the modifications. I’ll even supervise a trial run before I start them.” Dear God, and what a trial run it will be. “But on my terms. I don’t have much time. I want those subs on their way to the
Copernicus
right away. I’ll meet them there. Who’s in charge?”

“Lieutenant Dalgo.”

“Tell him I’m the sole authority once he reaches the ship.”

“No problem.”

“And I want an AquaCorp helicopter to pick me up on the
Fair Winds
within the hour. I’ll text you my GPS coordinates as soon as we hang up.”

“I’ll send my own helicopter.” He paused. “You can see we’re ready to cooperate in any way. I’m glad that you decided to help us out, Hannah. You’re going to make me look good at the head office.”

“That’s not my main goal in life, but in this case I may not mind your taking credit. Get moving, Ebersole.” She hung up.

Kirov was laughing. “I’ll be damned. We may just have a chance.”

“No chance about it. We’ll do it.” She had to believe that. “And after we do, Ebersole will probably have me thrown in jail and toss away the key.”

“Trust me. I’ll break you out.”

And he would, too. “That’s comforting.” Comforting and warm and making this lonely decision easier. “Now we’ve got to decide how to do this. That AquaCorp helicopter will be here before we know it.”

“I’m already working on it.” He looked at Ronnie, still playing with the dolphins. “I think you have some prep work to do before we take off. Melis . . . and Ronnie.”

“Right.” She was already heading toward Melis. “Neither of them is going to be easy. They’ll both want to go with us . . .”

Thirty minutes later, she watched Ronnie climb on board. She had been right; persuading Melis to stay here and away from the trouble zone had been almost impossible. Only the fact that someone had to keep Ronnie safe had made her finally acquiesce.

“Did you see me? Pete and Susie are awesome. Did you know dolphins can hear from a distance of—” Ronnie’s eager smile faded as he saw Hannah’s expression. “Something’s wrong.”

“Yes, and no.” She had promised to be honest, and she wouldn’t lie. “We’ve got a problem with men who are trying to steal something in Marinth. But we can go after them in one of my subs and stop them.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No, you know how small those subs are. You have to have technological knowledge to operate them. You don’t have that knowledge yet.” She added quickly, “You will soon. That’s one of the first things I’ll teach you when you come back this summer. But you can see that it’s not possible now.”

He slowly nodded. “Then I’ll be surface support like Dad was sometimes.”

“I’m not going to need that support. This is going to be a very fast operation.” She paused. “And I need you here to protect Melis and the dolphins. Just because you can’t go out and slay the dragons this time doesn’t mean that there isn’t work keeping the home fires burning.”

“Is Kirov going with you?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’ll be safe.” He looked back at the dolphins arcing out of the water. “Are you sure you want me to stay and take care of Melis and the dolphins?”

“It would be a great favor,” she said quietly. “Melis has a great crew, but she likes you with her. She feels comfortable with you.”

“I like her. Will she trust me to take care of her?”

He was so solemn, so adult, in his child’s body.

“Yes, I think Melis will trust you.”

“Good.” He gave her a faint smile. “It’s going to be pretty boring. You come back soon and listen to Kirov.”

She gave him a quick hug. “You won’t be bored. Pete and Susie will keep you entertained. We’ll be back before you know it.” She got to her feet. “Now you go back to the dolphins. I’ll go tell Melis that you’re going to stay with her. Then I have to throw some things together. That helicopter should be here anytime to pick us up.” She paused. “Thank you for understanding, Ronnie.”

“You didn’t lie to me.” He looked up as the sound of a rotor pierced the silence. “There it is. You’d better hurry, Aunt Hannah.”

Melis was watching the helicopter descend as Hannah approached. She turned. “I still don’t like this, Hannah. I’d rather be with you.” She held up her hand. “I know. Ronnie. Don’t worry, I’ll keep
Fair Winds
far away from Marinth. We’ll stay right here on the Atlantic-Tenerife sea-lane and I’ll be able to zip over to Las Palmas at the first hint of trouble.”

“Good.” She squeezed her hand. “Kirov and I won’t let this happen, Melis. We’ll find a way.”

“I know.” She turned as Kirov joined them. “Take care of her, Kirov.” She smiled. “Or you’ll have to answer to Ronnie.”

He watched the helicopter descend. “Heaven forbid. The mere prospect terrifies me.”

Hannah could see the crew gathered on the deck of the
Copernicus
as the AquaCorp helicopter carefully descended. It was good to see those familiar faces. Captain Danbury, Matthew, and Kyle were front and center of the welcoming party.

“No minisubs yet,” Kirov observed, scanning the waters surrounding
Copernicus.

“They’ll be here. It takes longer to dispatch a fleet of subs than it does one helicopter.”

The crew was stepping back as the helicopter stirred a tornado of wind that blew their hair and clothing into wild disarray.

“It’s about time you got back here,” Matthew said as he opened the helicopter door for her. “Just skip off and leave us with all the work.”

“I’ve always been a slacker.” She jumped out. “This is Kirov. Introduce him to the team, will you?” She turned back to the helicopter pilot. “Thank you. You were very prompt. I may need you again so stay available. I’ll call you.”

“My pleasure, ma’am. I have orders to be at your disposal.”

She turned back to Kirov as he took off. “I’d rather have had him stand by on the ship, but we can’t risk him hearing things he shouldn’t and reporting back to Ebersole.” She looked out at the tranquil blue waters off the bow. “It’s so still. It seems impossible that Gadaire’s subs are somewhere down there. Maybe they haven’t arrived yet.”

“Verify.” He turned to Captain Danbury. “Send a man out in a small craft. There has to be a central supply-and-control ship in the immediate area. Tell him to take all care and report as soon as he spots it.”

“Yes, sir.” Danbury turned crisply, then stopped short. He looked at Hannah. “Is it okay?”

She smiled with amusement. She had never seen Danbury react that quickly and politely to anyone. It had to be the invisible air of command that surrounded Kirov. “Do as he says.”

“I’m feeling very second mate,” Kirov said. “It’s most unsettling.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Not likely.” He moved over to the rail. “How many of your men will be capable of operating the minisubs?”

“Out here? Only Matthew, Josh, and me.” She frowned and called to Matthew. “I don’t see Josh, Matthew.”

“You know Josh. He always goes off on a toot after a spell at sea. He didn’t know you’d be wanting him. He’s in Las Palmas. I’ll give him a call, and he’ll be speeding back here.”

“Don’t bother. He’ll be too late. We’re moving fast.” She turned back to Kirov. “It appears to be just Matthew and me. Kyle can take second position in Matthew’s sub.”

“And I’ll take second position in yours.”

“You’ve not been trained.”