Phantom Prospect

7

Outside the wheelhouse, Annja ran into Hunter. He looked her over. “Everything okay back there?”

Annja smiled. “Just a couple of dogs having a pissing contest. Nothing to get excited about.”

“If it’s happening on my boat, I want to know about it,” Hunter said. “I’ve already lost one crew member and I don’t want any more going missing. If Jax is giving you shit, you need to tell me. She’s pretty territorial.”

Annja shook her head. “Don’t expect me to come running to you like some lost sheep. I don’t operate that way. If Jax has a problem with me, then we’ll work it out between us. One way or another.”

“As long as there’s not another body to worry about,” Hunter said.

Annja frowned. “What do you mean?”

Hunter held up his hands. “I know something of what Jax came from. She’s got a history all her own. You, I don’t know about. Only what Cole told me. And that wasn’t very much. Except that he’s very fond of you.”

A stiff breeze blew across the bow of the ship. “We’re really not a couple, if that’s what you’re hinting at.”

Hunter shrugged. “None of my business if you were. But he still had no right to ask you to do what he did.”

“I don’t take it personally. It seems to be in Cole’s nature to run toward danger.” Annja looked at the swirling surf. “It seems to be mine, too.”

“Yeah? What’s that mean? You go looking for trouble?” Hunter wore an amused expression on his face.

Annja sighed. “Trouble usually has a way of finding me on its own without any help from me. As a result, I get into a lot of bad places. Crazy stuff, sometimes.”

“Like a boat looking for sunken treasure being stalked by a giant man-eating shark?”

“That’s actually a new one,” Annja said. “But it takes all kinds.” She looked toward the stern. “You and Cole talk yet?”

“No.”

“You should. The boat’s too small for any bad blood to ferment. It’ll end up costing us all in terms of our safety.”

Hunter sighed. “It’s always been like this.”

“Why?”

“Natural competition? I don’t know. Sometimes it’s just the way brothers have to be.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Annja said. “Families don’t come with instructions that read ‘must always be at odds with one another.’”

Hunter leaned against the railing. “Fact is, I need him and he knows it. I blew my inheritance on treasure hunting. It’s only been with Cole’s help I’ve actually made something of myself. That tends to grate on my ego a fair amount.”

“I imagine it would.”

Hunter sighed. “I’ll find him. We’ll get this squared away.”

Annja patted his arm. “Glad to hear it. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to have a quick nap. Wake me if the shark comes back.”

“You’ll know,” Hunter said. “The whole boat will be in a panic.”

“Does that concern you?”

“Of course it does. I’ve got a major hunt going on here. The last thing I need is people freaking out over a fish.”

“Even one that eats them?”

“They need to keep their heads in the game. Forget about the shark. It was probably a freak occurrence. Probably long gone by now.”

“Didn’t seem so a few minutes ago when it showed up on the scope.”

“We don’t know if that was the shark. Could have been something else. Maybe a whale.”

Annja raised an eyebrow. “We would have seen a spout when it breached the surface of the water.”

Hunter started to say something and then thought better of it. Instead, he pointed at the stern. “I’m going to go find Cole now.”

“See you later.”

Annja let him pass and watched him work his way down the steps to the deck. He and Cole might be brothers but there were a lot of differences between them.

Annja took a deep breath of salt air and felt herself yawn. A nap would do her some good. She made her way down to the crew compartments. The corridor led her back to her room and she pushed the door in, falling into the bed with a muffled sigh. The pillow cradled her head and, within a few seconds, she felt herself falling into a deep sleep.

As she slept, her body seemed to relax, her muscles almost melting into the bed. Annja realized that she was truly exhausted and needed the nap badly.

Until something made her start and come awake.

A noise.

She kept her eyes closed. Her stomach knotted up and she risked cracking an eyelid. She could just make out a shadowy form rummaging through her bag. The daylight had faded outside the porthole and the coming evening made it difficult to see exactly who it might be.

Annja frowned. She hated thieves. There was one way to solve the mystery and she steeled herself to suddenly surprise the invader.

Adrenaline flooded her system. Annja checked to make sure her sword hung where she could pull it out if need be. It was ready, hanging in the dim mist that waited between her awake and dream worlds.

Annja steeled herself and then, with a shout, she came fully awake and launched herself off the bed.

She felt something crash into her from behind. A bright explosion of stars caromed around her head as tears flew from her eyes. Blackness rushed to greet her and Annja sank back onto the bed, consciousness already a vague memory somewhere far off in the recesses of her mind.

“ANNJA?”

Annja opened her eyes. The bright light made her wince. “Ouch.”

“Kill the light.”

Darkness returned and Annja blinked her eyes open again. “What the hell happened?’

“You tell us.”

She recognized Cole’s voice. “I was napping. I heard something. Someone was in my room. I was going to surprise them and, when I did, something or someone else clocked me from behind. That’s the last thing I remember.”

Hunter growled. “This isn’t good. A shark attack and someone attacking a guest on my ship. All within two days.” He paused and looked at Cole. “We can’t afford this kind of distraction.”

“I know it.”

Annja put a hand to her head. “Any chance I can get some water?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Cole handed her a glass of something cold. “Take it slow, though. That’s a nasty bump you’ve got on your head.”

Annja ran her hand over the growing bulge on the back of her skull. “Concussion?”

“Can’t really tell. Maybe a mild one.”

“Add it to the scorecard,” Annja said. “I’ve had more than a few in my time. Every time I do, it only reminds me how much they suck.”

“Are you nauseous?” Cole peered into her eyes. “You might be sick.”

“You get any closer and I will definitely.”

Cole leaned back. “You can’t be that badly injured. Your sarcasm has remained intact.”

Hunter chuckled. “You always did have a way with the ladies, bro.”

Annja took a sip of water. The cold liquid hit the back of her throat and she winced. Her stomach rolled once or twice but she fought it back and swallowed the water. When she was done, she handed the glass back to Cole.

“Who did this?” she asked. “Was it Jax?”

Hunter shook his head. “Couldn’t have been. She was in the wheelhouse, remember? It wouldn’t be like her to come down here and take you out.”

Annja nodded slowly. “Fair point. I don’t think she’d mind just going straight on at me if she felt the need.”

“That’s more her style,” Hunter said. “I’ve seen her hold her own in a bar fight outside of Norfolk, Virginia. That chick can rumble with the best of them.”

Cole sat down in the small chair. “So, who else is on the ship that would want to see Annja get hurt?”

Hunter sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, are we assuming that Annja was the actual target?”

“I seem to have been,” Annja said. “As my skull will testify.”

Hunter smirked. “Not what I meant. Obviously, you got injured. But were you the primary target? Maybe they were after something that you have and you just got in the way. I don’t think it would be too hard to see that, if they wanted you dead, they could have easily killed you without much effort.”

Annja frowned. Hunter had a point. She would have been incapacitated and an easy mark if they’d really meant to harm her. So what did they want? What did they think she had that could prove useful to them?

She shook her head. “I have no idea what they could have possibly been looking for.”

“Only because we don’t know who they are,” Cole said. “Maybe they think you have something. Did you bring anything with you?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know.”

Annja gestured for the glass and Cole handed it back to her. She took a longer sip this time. “Listen, you guys are the ones running this operation. Apparently, I haven’t made some people very comfortable. Maybe the best thing would be for me to leave.”

Cole shook his head. “Unacceptable. I invited you to come along with me. I need you here.”

“You don’t actually need me,” Annja said. “Fish aren’t really my specialty. I’m more into digging in sandboxes, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I appreciate that,” Cole said. “But your perspective is what’s required. Someone who thinks outside of the box.”

Hunter nodded. “Cole’s right. We don’t know what it is that we’re dealing with. Could be a shark, could be something else. But the presence of people meaning you harm on this ship is an indicator that something bigger might be going on here. That means trouble any way you look at it.”

“Which means,” Cole said, “that we all must make sure we have one another’s backs.”

“And not get on one another’s nerves,” Hunter said.

Annja smiled at them. “Nice to see you guys have made up.”

“We never stay mad at each other for long,” Hunter said. “Must be a brotherly thing.”

“Whatever,” Annja said. “Just so long as neither of you is plotting the untimely demise of the other, I think we’ll be okay.”

Annja finished the water. “So, where do we go from here? I’ve still got a killer headache. And there’s a fan of mine on board the ship apparently.”

“You rest,” Cole said. “Leave this other stuff to me and Hunter for right now. We’ll start checking things out, seeing where folks were earlier.”

“You don’t know when this happened, do you?” Hunter asked.

“Only that it must have been late afternoon or early evening. I couldn’t make out too much. The lighting was dim.”

“A good hit you took there,” Cole said. “You’ve probably been out for a few hours, then.”

“You feel okay now?” Hunter asked. “One of us can stay with you if you need us to.”

Annja shook her head. “I’ll be fine. And besides, I think you guys have some more important work to do than babysit me.”

Cole stood. “We’ll be back later to look in on you. In the meantime, lock the door behind us and don’t let anyone in. We’ve got to check on Tom, anyway.”

“Why? What’s wrong with him?”

“Seems like lunch didn’t sit well with him. He’s been vomiting and on the toilet ever since. Might be a touch of food poisoning. Anyway, he’s down for the count right now. But I want to make sure he’s all right or see if we need to evacuate him back to the mainland.”

Annja tried to stand and the room spun. “Whoa.”

Cole caught her. “You okay?”

Annja took a breath. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.”

Hunter and Cole left the room. Annja slid the bolt in place and then collapsed back into bed. Her head throbbed.

Despite what Cole and Hunter had said, Annja couldn’t help feeling like someone on the boat wanted her gone.

But why?

8

When Annja awoke, darkness shrouded the cabin. Mercifully, her head had ceased throbbing and her stomach seemed to be relatively stable. Her throat was dry, however, and she wanted to get some fresh air. Cole was sound asleep beside her.

She made her way to the door without fainting and opened it slowly. She was unsure what to expect on the other side. The boat was quiet and lolled gently, anchored as it was.

Dim red lights illuminated the hallway leading out to the stairs. Annja padded down the walkway until she came to the steps and started up them. She could already feel the wind washing over the boat and her skin. Goose bumps broke out along her hairline and she shivered slightly as she crept higher.

Her stomach didn’t hurt and Annja felt somewhat secure as she crept along the walkway toward the wheelhouse. The salt air refreshed her. Waves lapped at the sides of the ship and she felt some of the spray wash up on her skin.

Annja felt good. She kept her hands along the railing, however, just in case she felt faint, aware that she was still recovering from the concussion she’d received earlier.

A weak yellow light came from the wheelhouse. Annja moved toward it. Maybe she could have a word with Jax about what happened earlier. Annja didn’t like bad blood if she could avoid it. But if she couldn’t, then she’d just have to deal with it another time.

She took a deep breath and swung the door to the wheelhouse open. But Jax wasn’t there.

Hunter was.

“Hey, you.”

“Hey.” Annja glanced around. “No Jax?”

Hunter smiled. “Even the captain needs sleep sometimes. I gave her the night off so she could crash. She’s been pulling hard since the attack.”

“She close with the victim?”

Hunter shrugged. “Don’t really know. Jax has a way about her. She can get guys if she wants ’em. Or she can turn ’em off like a light switch. I’m not sure how she felt about Jock. Or how he felt about her, for that matter. Not that that would have been an obstacle per se. Jock had a thing for anything with breasts.”

“Nice.”

“Sorry.”

Annja shrugged. “Forget it. I know how guys think. You’re honest and I appreciate that.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Better.” Annja glanced around the wheelhouse. “I thought I’d come topside for a little air.”

“Always clears my head, too,” Hunter said. “You want a drink?”

“What have you got?”

Hunter handed her a flask. “A little whiskey. It’s aged. Got a taste of peat in it, if you like that sort of thing.”

Annja took a sniff and then a sip. The smooth whiskey flowed down her throat and she took a deep breath. “Wow.”

Hunter took the flask back from her. “Don’t tell Cole. He’ll kill me if he finds out how much this stuff runs me. But why waste money on crap if you have a chance to get the good stuff, right?”

“I guess.” Annja felt the whiskey hit her hard. “That’s some potent stuff.”

“Keep you steady, it will,” Hunter said. “And I’ve used it to do just that on some stormy nights at sea.”

“You had many?”

Hunter nodded and took a deep drag on the flask. “Once or twice. We were off the coast of Florida when a gale blew up and knocked us sideways. We were cresting fifty-foot waves, crawling up one side and diving down the other. They were like mountains, you know. Fifty feet doesn’t sound like much until you actually get out in the thick of it in a twenty-foot boat.”

“You were in a twenty-footer?”

Hunter grinned. “First and last time, mind you. I came back and resolved never to sail anything less than a hundred foot.”

“Those waves must have been terrifying.”

“They were. I had to keep the ship on course because any mistake meant we’d have been swamped and gone before anyone knew we were there. A storm like that, they don’t roll up all that often.”

Hunter switched the radio on and Annja heard smooth music roll out of the speakers. He adjusted the volume, then took another sip and offered the flask back to Annja.

Annja shook her head. “I should stop. The booze and my concussion probably won’t get along that well.”

Hunter took the flask back. “Good point. Hang out, though. I can use the company.”

Annja leaned back against the wall and watched him. He had the same type of chiseled face that Cole had. But Hunter had strong limbs that seemed longer than Cole’s. Cole’s upper torso was more compact while Hunter’s reminded her of a languid jungle cat stretched out on a rock in the sun.

“How’d you get into treasure hunting?” she asked.

Hunter shook his head. “Not exactly the type of thing you go to school for, is it?”

“Nope.”

Bars of music filtered out of the speakers, while Hunter closed his eyes in appreciation of it. After a moment he looked at Annja. “I could say it’s all because of a girl.”

Annja smiled. “Oh is it?”

“Yep. I fell in love with a girl in college and flipped out of my mind over her. Spent the summer chasing her all over the Caribbean. We jumped from island to island on my dime, just having a blast. Sleeping on the beaches, making love, drinking our brains into a permanent pickled state. Youth’s a crazy thing, you know?”

“I guess.”

Hunter eyed her. “Yeah, I don’t suppose my experiences as a kid are universal or anything. I can see that.”

“So go on.”

Hunter shrugged. “I came across this boat anchored in the blue of the Caribbean one day. There were a couple of guys in the water. Real island dudes. The boat represented every dime they had in the world and they were out there diving off this patch of sand. We happened to sail up at just the right moment.”

“Right moment?”

Hunter took another sip. “You believe in serendipity?”

“Depends, I guess.”

“Well, these guys had come across a sunken Spanish galleon filled with chests of gold. I was there when one of the divers broke the surface of the water holding a single gold coin in his hand. I’ll never forget how the sun caught that gleaming yellow coin and made it look as brilliant as the brightest star in the sky. It blew me away. I wanted that joy of discovery. And I wanted all those riches.”

“So, that was it? You shelved the college life and threw your lot in with those guys?”

Hunter chuckled. “Those guys wanted nothing to do with me. Right after we came upon them, one of the guys still on the boat pulled a pistol and told us to sail away or they’d kill us. Treasure hunting’s a dangerous gambit sometimes.”

“Certainly seems to be.” Annja shivered as a cold breeze blew through the wheelhouse. “So, how’d you get started?”

“I spent a lot of my own money—hell, all of it—on a boat and top-of-the-line equipment that I had little clue how to operate. I was a fool and a cocksure one at that. I thought that my money could make everything go right when all it did was foul it up even quicker than if I’d been broke.”

“How so?”

“On my first dive I lost two people. Couldn’t be helped. The wreck we dove on shifted and crushed them. There was no way to help them. You’re not moving tons of rusted steel no matter how strong you think you are.”

“Oh, my God.”

“Yeah. And that venture cost me a lot more than I thought it would. I came back to the States and found myself facing a lawsuit from the families of the deceased. That pretty much wiped me out.”

“But you kept going.”

Hunter smiled. “You know what it’s like to want something so bad that you can’t even fathom it ever being wiped out of your soul?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s how it was. I just couldn’t give it up. As much as I tried—and I did try. I went back to school and even did a year of law before I bugged out. I just couldn’t get that image out of my head of the diver breaking the surface with the gold coin in hand. I’d wake up in a sweat and know that it could be me.”

Annja shook her head. “You’re obsessed.”

Hunter grinned. “Some guys, they obsess over women. Some over work, some over other things. For me, it was the dive. The lure of the treasure wouldn’t let me go. I was caught in the spell.”

“So you went back.”

Hunter nodded. “Yeah. I did a lot more research than I’d done before. I found some smaller wrecks, thinking that if I could get started on something more in line with my limited experiences, then maybe that would be the best way to go about it.”

“Did it work out?”

“My second dive was better. It still wasn’t great, but at least I was getting my feet under me. I had only a little bit of money but I managed to make back my investment by scavenging the bits I was able to bring up from the ship.”

“What sort of ship?”

Hunter laughed. “It was an old landing ship that the Navy had scuttled years earlier. I found someone to buy the scrap metal off me. It wasn’t much—most of the metal had rusted away—but I made back the investment. And it helped fuel my desire even more. While I was doing that salvage job, I was already planning my next outing.”

Annja took the flask from him and helped herself to the whiskey. She could taste the peat now, and Hunter was right—it was very good whiskey indeed. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I heard about a Dutch trading ship that vanished along the coast of Brazil. I went after it.”

“Brazil? Did you have to wrangle permits?”

Hunter shrugged. “I was still making mistakes back then. And one of them was the idea that I felt I could operate outside the law. I hooked up with a local criminal type who insisted that the permits would be arranged with a simple bribe.”

“Something tells me that wasn’t the case.”

“Yeah,” Hunter said. “Who’d have thought it? I flew into Rio and found myself under arrest for piracy of all things.”

“The guy double-crossed you.”

“I was carrying ten thousand in cash,” Hunter said. “All part of the bribe, of course. They busted me on that. I had to do six months in jail down there.”

“Wow.”

Hunter took a deep breath. “You know what jail’s like in Brazil?”

“I haven’t had the pleasure. No.”

“It’s hell,” Hunter said. “The prisons are run by the gangs, and just trying to survive takes every ounce of courage and endurance you have. I was one of the lucky ones. They thought I was a fool and didn’t bother with me. And by the time they realized that my family had money, Cole had figured out a way to get me out of there. Thank God.”

“He never mentioned that,” Annja said. “I’m kind of surprised he didn’t.”

“Yeah, well, I suppose that’s one of the things he’s not very proud of his brother doing, you know? No one likes to talk about the troubled child gone astray.”

“You weren’t astray,” Annja said. “Just trying to find your way. It could have happened to anyone.”

“But it happened to me,” Hunter said. “I’ve been trying to live it down ever since.”

“You’ve got Cole helping you now, though.”

Hunter nodded. “And it’s great that he is. His money has helped make this operation profitable. But I guess I’ve always regretted not being able to do it all myself.”

“Isn’t it better this way?”

“Maybe.” Hunter switched off the radio. “But there will always be a part of me that wonders if I could make it on my own. I would have gotten out of that jail eventually.”

“The guy who double-crossed you would have had you killed before you were free.”

Hunter looked at Annja. “You think?”

Annja tried to smile but it came out wrong. “I’ve met men like that before. They operate on strict rules and one of their rules is that you never let someone you victimized live. It just means they’ll come back for you. No one wants to spend their life looking over their shoulder.”