The Mahogany Ship (Sam Reilly Book 2)

by Christopher Cartwright

  Both Tom and James simultaneously said, “Where?”

  Sam ignored their question and got Elise back on the line. “I need you to find me the closest and fastest jet.”

  “Military or private?”

  “I don’t care, whatever’s closest. Rodriguez already has a two-hour head start.”

  A moment later, Elise said, “There’s a Citation X – it’s not a lot faster than the A380, but it’s been fitted with long range fuel tanks so at least you won’t have to land and refuel.”

  “That’s great – where?”

  “One’s currently sitting in a private hangar at Elmore airport, about twenty-minute drive from where you are.”

  “That’ll do. Find the owner for me and tell them I’m taking their jet,” Sam then sent Elise a text with the details of his flight, using Tom’s smartphone. “I’ve sent you the details where I want to go, and what I’m bringing into the country – I need you to clear everything with the required government officials.”

  There was a momentary pause, as Elise skimmed the text. “I’ll do my best Sam, but their government’s not going to be happy with you bringing machine guns.”

  “I know. Just pay their bribes, and make it happen.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Billie looked at the wall along the base of the sarcophagus for what must have been the thousandth time since discovering the looking glass. She could identify a little over half the pictographs, and all but three of the locations seen through it.

  Somewhere, on this wall, were the answers to all her questions. The questions her grandfather had instilled in her when she was just six years old. Deep inside the inner psyche of her mind, Billie knew that she was close.

  Then she saw it.

  Standing above the sarcophagus, she noticed that the pictographs weren’t just maps to direct the lens of the looking glass – they were actual maps to each of the locations.

  From where they were in the middle, the images above were in the northern hemisphere, whereas those below, were situated in the southern.

  She still couldn’t understand how they knew about them, and even recorded some that weren’t yet built at the time of this pyramid’s creation.

  Making a couple calculations, she tried to pinpoint the distance between two places that she knew, starting with the submerged pyramid, where she stood, and the pyramid of Giza. Once she’d worked it out, she found the ratio between actual distance and the map.

  Then, she measured the distance between where she stood, and pictograph of Stonehenge, and applied the same ratio. Afterwards, she calculated the known distance between Stonehenge and where she was standing.

  They were an exact match, give or take a single mile.

  Fuck me – that means I can work out exactly where Atlantis lies!

  Billie began to measure, so that she could work out the primitive distance.

  And then the alarm went off.

  “Billie, come in!”

  She jumped down and picked up the radio.

  “What is it, Veyron?”

  “Two torpedoes, coming in fast, approximately 30 miles away.”

  Shit, they found me quicker than I thought!

  They were getting smarter, or was she getting slower?

  “Copy that…”

  “You may still have time to get out!”

  “I doubt that,” Billie said and she reached into her duffle bag, retrieving a laser cutter.

  It was going to break her heart, but she had to cut the top of the round lens off the looking glass. It was the only lead that she might ever have – that’s if she even survived the next couple minutes.

  She attached the mechanical frame to the looking glass and switched on the laser. It might take a few minutes to slice through.

  While it was heating up, Billie jumped back down and grabbed her laptop.

  There was no time, for anything…

  All her work was there.

  Everything would have amounted to nothing if she didn’t get it.

  She removed the hard drive and slid it into her watertight pocket. Then she climbed back up the sarcophagus, held the laser cutter, and removed the lens to the looking glass. It could have been a beautiful blue diamond, but to her, it was much more valuable.

  A sound like thunder striking a hundred times at once, echoed throughout the pyramid.

  For a second, she thought that it was going to take the beating as the entire structure shuddered like an earthquake – and then something cracked.

  Water began trickling in from the roof.

  Slow at first, and then faster, and then water poured in with the pressure of a high powered jet, before rocks started to fall.

  She had to get out now if she was going to have any chance of survival, but she was trapped. Leaning with her back against the wall, she watched in horror as the roof above her split in two. Water, along with giant rocks, now decimated the King’s Chamber.

  Billie reached for her dive mask, and jumped through the tunnel below. With nothing to stop the pressure of the water below from rising, now that the roof of the pyramid had collapsed, water now filled the chambers below – rising with the force of nearly 500 feet of water above.

  Her hand reached for the rope ladder, stopping her before she hit the second chamber, swinging her into the middle.

  More blocks and water came down, flooding the entire pyramid with debris.

  Until nothing remained.

  *

  Aliana looked at the man pointing the gun at her. Where she’d seen an intelligent, confident, and powerful man a week ago, she now saw a child who’d never had any real friends, who was forever trying to supersede his father’s success.

  And she saw a man turned delirious with desire.

  Men, in the midst of insanity, she knew, were the most dangerous of all. He pointed towards the base of the pyramid. “Start climbing,” he said.

  “You want me to climb the Great Pyramid of Giza?”

  He pointed the gun towards her and then fired a single shot. It struck the wall behind her, shattering the face of the limestone. “I won’t ask you again.”

  She turned and looked at the pyramid above, and tried to remember the height of the only remaining wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

  It was irrelevant – with her climbing experience, the trip would probably kill Rodriguez first.

  Aliana then started to climb.

  Followed by several local men who Rodriguez had bribed to give him access and carry the Ark of Light.

  *

  By eleven a.m. the sun was gaining on the horizon, and the temperature was rising. Not quite as hot as yesterday’s top of 118 degrees Fahrenheit, it was already well above 100. Sam swallowed a mouthful of water, pausing between limestone blocks, and then continued to climb.

  “Are you certain he’s aiming for the top?” Tom asked.

  “Pretty sure.”

  “Because, maybe we could just wait down the bottom for him?”

  Sam ignored the question, and took some more climbing chalk out of his bag to dry his hands. Then, studying the difficult handhold above, he reached up and then swung his legs onto the next limestone block.

  “I don’t know what you’re complaining about, Tom. You can practically step up this damn pyramid.”

  More than fifty blocks above them, Sam spotted the reflection of light.

  Was it them, or had I imagined it?

  The light reflecting off the Ark of Light then glistened like a star. “Come on Tom. It’s them, and they’ve got a big lead on us.”

  *

  Aliana watched Rodriguez hold the Ark of Light up. It was approaching midday, and soon the sun would be directly overhead.

  “Put it down, Rodriguez. It’s over,” she heard Sam’s voice, from below.

  “Sam!” she shouted, in relief.

  Rodriguez fired several shots from his massive handgun, blowing apart large chunks of the pyramid’s block.

  “I have to giv
e it to you, Sam, you seem like a difficult man to kill. But, you must know, you’re too late – it’s nearly midday, and I’m about to receive all the knowledge and power of man. There’s nothing more you can do.” He stood up and raised the Ark of Light so that its powerful diamond faced the sun, rapidly approaching overhead.

  “No, you can’t!” Sam yelled.

  Aliana took a step back, and then jumped off the top level of the pyramid to the blocks several feet below.

  “Get back here, woman,” Rodriguez shouted. “Don’t you understand once I receive this power, there’s nothing you or Reilly can do to stop me?”

  With her arms still bound, she jumped down the next one.

  “Aliana!” She heard Sam’s voice in the distance. “Duck!”

  “Good bye mortals,” Rodriguez said, as the sun came into a direct line above him.

  She crouched down, taking cover as close to the block of the pyramid as she could, shielding herself with her arms over her head.

  The world above opened into the most magnificent light she’d ever seen, and for an instant, she thought that it had all been real. That Rodriguez had won; that in this instant, he was gaining all the power and knowledge of the human race, throughout time.

  Then a sound like thunder struck the top of the pyramid.

  The stunning light turned to such extreme heat that the entire capstone of the pyramid exploded.

  And then it all passed.

  The sun continued on its way, and above, there was only quiet.

  Sam climbed up the last block below her and took her in his arms. “You’re alive.”

  “Of course I am. I told you to wait for me when I dived for it, but this time you’re the one who disappeared.”

  She kissed him, and it felt good.

  Resting her head on his chest, with his arms around her, she was home, with the man she loved.

  Aliana then whispered, “What happened to him?”

  “He’s dead.”

  “Why? I thought that the Ark of Light was supposed to bring its owner omnipotent powers?”

  “Yes, but only those worthy, who could read the ancient texts, and understand when exactly to use it.”

  “And for those who aren’t worthy?” she asked.

  “Those are the fallen ones.”

  Chapter Twenty Three

  At the base of the pyramid, James was waiting for them, a luxury limousine ready to take them back to the airport.

  James asked, “So, what did it cost you in the end?”

  “What?”

  “The map. What did Jie Qiang want for it?”

  “He said that he wanted Rodriguez to get everything he’d ever wanted, and then, at that moment, have it all taken away from him.”

  “I’d say Jie Qiang would be happy for the outcome, wouldn’t you?”

  *

  Tom had been at home in California for less than a day, and already, he was keen to return to the Maria Helena. Sam and James had both told him to take some time off and enjoy himself. They’d all been through a lot over the past month.

  It was only 8 a.m. and the sun was already warm. He could go to the beach, have a surf, and enjoy the day, but he couldn’t quite relax. He’d never been very good at it.

  Matthew had called from aboard the Maria Helena to tell him that the cleanup of the hydrogen cyanide was well on its way, and that it might take a few years for the sea life to return to normal in the Gulf of Mexico – but thanks to him and Sam the place would survive.

  Tom asked again if they’d had any news of Billie’s body, and was advised that it was unlikely they’d ever find her. After all, the entire pyramid imploded under the enormous weight of the ocean, after it lost its structure.

  Death had been common enough in his life, but he’d learned to deal with it by burying himself deeper with work, not having a holiday and moping.

  It was time to go out, and do something different, he decided.

  He grabbed his wallet, glasses, and keys to his Ducati – the motorcycle’s equivalent of a Lamborghini – and opened the front door.

  And there she stood.

  “It’s you.” Tom didn’t know what else to say.

  “And you,” she replied, stupidly. “Who the hell were you expecting?”

  “You’re alive!” he said throwing his arms around her.

  She stepped forward, a little closer to his face, and said, “Of course. That wasn’t the first time they’ve tried to kill me since Sam and I started this thing.”

  He stepped backwards, until she’d followed him inside.

  Then, closing the door behind her, Billie reached up on the tips of her toes, wrapped her arms around his strong neck, and an inch before reaching his lips, asked, “Did you miss me?”

  “Yes,” was all he replied, before their lips touched.

  Tom kissed her as much as he’d wanted to since their first night inside the Mayan pyramid.

  And soon the kissing turned to undressing.

  Tom pulled back for a moment, with his arms still wrapped around her tiny waist, as he admired her in nothing but underwear. They were white and cotton – nothing that suggested they were designed to be sexy – but over her tall, lithe, body and olive skin, they might as well have been intended for a lingerie model. Her body, in complete proportion, had an athletic build, with firm, small breasts.

  She looked as amazing in her underwear as he’d imagined a thousand times by now.

  Billie stared back at him, a coy and flirtatious smile below the teasing glint in her almond eyes, in response to Tom’s blatant adoration of her figure. She slid her underwear off, and said, “Did you just want to look at me, or are you going to fuck me?”

  *

  Tom rolled over with a fright.

  How long had they been in bed?

  It was dark outside. Checking his bedside clock, he saw that it was already after midnight.

  “What is it?” she whispered, rolling on her side and exposing her perfect, small, breasts. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, of course. It’s better than okay,” he replied, grinning as he stared at her again. “It’s just that I don’t know how I’m going to break this one to Sam, that’s all.”

  “Why?”

  “You know…” he hinted.

  “No, I don’t know?”

  “You two. Your history together.”

  “Did you think Sam and I were lovers?”

  “Yes, weren’t you?”

  “Christ no!”

  “But you said you and Sam had an unbelievable past?”

  “We do, and if you and I are still alive by the end of the year, I’ll tell you the entire story.”

  *

  Sam boarded his father’s Gulfstream at LAX.

  He knew what was coming and decided to head to Washington to deal with it before they came to him. Stopped at the end of the runway, the pilot increased the engine’s power in preparation for takeoff, and then shut it down completely.

  Sam stood up to find out what was wrong, but had a terrible gut feeling he already knew.

  “Your guest, Mr. Reilly.”

  “Then you’d better send her in,” Sam said, not waiting to ask who had stopped his jet.

  He remained sitting, while the woman walked along the sleek interior of the plane. Her slim, yet overriding figure taking his breath away.

  Despite his complete distrust of the woman in front of him, he couldn’t help but admit, that for one of the most powerful women on earth, she was by far the sexiest redhead he’d ever met – not that it made their meetings any more pleasant. After all, she’d expressed on many occasions how that sentiment was mutual.

  His mind quickly considered the events of the past month, and he wondered what, precisely, she was going to go after.

  Behind her strong jawbone, starry blue eyes, dark, short-cropped hair, and genuinely attractive face, Sam thought her perfect smile somehow always appeared halfway between beautiful and a constant scowl. At times, he wondered wheth
er that, too, was a mask that came with the position.

  “Good morning, Madam Secretary,” he said, standing up.

  “Sit down, Mr. Reilly,” she commanded. “Tell me, what did you find in the Gulf of Mexico?”

  So, that’s what this is about?

  He was glad his father had hidden the Ark of Light before anyone acknowledged it had even been discovered.

  “Very little. As you know, Madam Secretary, you destroyed all of it.”

  “We did?” She shook her head. “No, Mr. Reilly, I assure you, if we wanted its secrets destroyed, that stupid girlfriend of yours, Dr. Swan, wouldn’t have survived.”

  “Not you?” Sam was genuinely surprised. “Then who?”

  “Someone else who’s been closing in on our hunt for the Master Builders. And you’d better pray, you beat them to it.”

  “If they were as powerful as I’m starting to believe, we’d better all pray that our enemies don’t discover them first.” Sam laughed. “So Billie’s still alive?”

  The Secretary of Defense ignored his question, as she so often did.

  “Oh, and Dr. Swan’s not my girlfriend.”

  The U.S. Secretary of Defense smiled. Her perfect white teeth, glaring, and replied, “Yes, Mr. Reilly, we know all about your history with that girl. Do you think that by sending her there while you went in search of the Mahogany Ship, it would keep us from finding out the truth?”

  He shuffled his feet uncomfortable in the seat, and then replied, “I had hoped so.”

  “So, do you have another lead?”

  “Not yet, but I’m hoping, if Billie is alive, she will make contact soon,” he said. “Perhaps when I return from Washington?”

  “You’re not going to Washington. There’s no one there who wants to speak with you. I suggest you turn your father’s toy airplane around, and go home.”

  “As you wish, Madam Secretary.”

  *

  At 2 a.m. Billie turned up at his house. Despite the U.S. Secretary of Defense suggesting she was still alive, he hadn’t completely believed it.

  “Jesus, Billie,” he said, throwing his arms around her. “I was starting to think you were actually dead!”

  “Yeah, well, that’s what they would have liked, wouldn’t they?” she replied, quickly removing his arms from her torso. She studied his face, and then said, “Damn it, you knew they would come, didn’t you?”