by Jake Bible
A chain reaction of explosions filled the harbor and fire turned water to steam. The same fire turned the shark into ground meat then cooked meat then no meat as the creature was truly, and finally, vaporized.
The last of the mega sharks died on the attack, the way it was designed to go.
***
Those closest to the harbor were knocked off their feet and sent flying back a couple of meters before coming to rest in painful piles. But alive piles. Other than some lost eyebrows and enough bruises to paint the world purple, no one was seriously harmed.
Darby caught Thorne’s eye then glanced at the island guards. Thorne nodded. The look went from one member of Grendel to the next before Darby picked herself up. Everyone was onboard.
“Well, that is that,” Sterling said as he walked up to Darby, his eyes on the ocean water that was covered in flames and a thick film of what used to be shark.
That wasn’t that. The Resurrection went up as well and everyone that had gotten to their feet, dropped quickly as thousands of pieces of shrapnel ripped through the air.
Miraculously, no one caught any of the metal.
Sterling laughed as he extended a hand to Darby. She took it and was pulled to her feet. Then she yanked the pistol free from Sterling’s belt and put it to his forehead.
“We’d never trust each other,” she said as she pulled the trigger.
The back of Sterling’s head exploded out onto the few guards standing behind him. Darby took advantage of their shock and dropped them too. Gunfire once again filled the night. She emptied the pistol, reloaded, and emptied it again before she paused and assessed her situation.
“Down!” Thorne yelled at a group of guards.
The Reynolds brothers, Darren, Lucy, and Kinsey were executing the same orders. Then executing those that did not comply. When it was said and done, only about twenty guards were left alive. They were quickly secured.
“Command center,” Darby said to Thorne and limped her way to the closest Humvee.
“Keep watch,” Thorne ordered the rest of Grendel.
“We got this, Daddy,” Kinsey said. “You finish it.”
***
Darby was leaning heavily on Thorne when they burst into the command center. They’d killed the few guards that Sterling had left behind; that wasn’t much of a problem. But Darby’s leg was throbbing so much she could hear only her heartbeat in her ears.
“I knew you could do it,” Ballantine said as he lounged against the wall, free of his chair. And eating an apple. “I found the mess. Plenty of food for everyone. Are they on their way here?”
Darby stared at Ballantine then looked around. She saw Nigel dead on the ground, most of his head missing.
“I assume you took care of Sterling the same way,” Ballantine said. “Or did you let him live?”
“He’s dead,” Darby said. “Self-destruct?”
“Are you doubting my abilities?” Ballantine replied with a chuckle. “Well, most of the credit goes to Nigel there. He cracked the code and shut off the self-destruct. Then I shut him off.”
Thorne shook his head and set Darby in the closest chair.
“Now what, Ballantine?” Thorne asked. “How do we leave an island with no ship? And where do we go? We’re still wanted.”
“Are we?” Ballantine asked, smirking. “What if I was to tell you that I’ve already made a few calls and settled our records with the authorities on that matter? How’d that sound?”
“We’re not fugitives?” Thorne asked.
“Well, the legalities might take a few days to work through the system,” Ballantine said. “But, no. We’re no longer fugitives. Even better. We now have our very own base of operations to work from. No more living solely on a ship. This island can be our home and we can all do what we do best.”
“No,” Thorne stated.
“I’m sorry. What?” Ballantine replied.
“No. I’m done. My family is done. We’re all done with you, Ballantine. We’re going home.”
“Well, that’s disappointing to hear, but not surprising,” Ballantine said. He clapped his hands together. “I guess I should show you where the airfield is then.”
“The airfield?” Thorne asked.
“You didn’t think I’d bring us all here and not know how to get away if things didn’t exactly go as planned?” Ballantine asked.
“Don’t kill him,” Darby said.
“Not worth it,” Thorne said as he turned and walked out of the command center.
“I’ll be along shortly!” Ballantine called after him. “Gonna finish my apple.”
Chapter Twenty-One: One Year Later
The joint was close to half an inch thick and nearly six inches long.
Shane flicked his lighter, put the flame to the end of the joint, and inhaled deeply. He held the hit then slowly let it out.
“Oh, yeah, that’s good stuff,” Shane said and turned to the man standing next to him. “The price is right. I’d take the whole load.”
“How?” the man asked. “This shit isn’t legit. How can we funnel this much weed into the legal system?”
“I know people,” Shane said. “It’ll take about three months, maybe four, but no more than that. Then every ounce here will be legal to sell. God bless California voters, man. You’re about to be stinking rich.”
Shane took another hit from the joint and grinned.
“And I am too,” he said.
Shane’s phone rang. He let it ring as the man he worked for and the man that sat at the table in front of what was close to sixty pounds of high-grade cannabis began to negotiate price. Shane’s job was not only quality control, but making sure that nothing went wrong during the deal. His earpiece buzzed and he frowned as he exhaled.
The com wasn’t anything close to what Shane had used when working with Grendel. A spiral wire descended from the earpiece and down to a heavy-duty walkie on his belt.
“Go for Cyclops,” Shane said.
“Boss, we have a vehicle approaching from the west access road,” a voice said. “What do you want us to do?”
“Hold on,” Shane said and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but are we expecting company?”
“No,” the man that had hired Shane said.
“No,” the man sitting across from him echoed.
Shane studied both men then nodded.
“I’ll be right back,” Shane said as he turned and left the warehouse and stepped out into the hot California sun.
There was nothing but wide-open space for miles. Desert everywhere which made it easy to see the plume of dust the approaching vehicle sent high into the air.
Shane’s phone rang again and again he ignored it. He had a job to do.
He began walking towards where five of his men had a nice, secure roadblock set up so no unwanted visitors could come and interrupt the negotiations happening inside the warehouse. Or hijack the very valuable weed. Or the money sitting in the back of the black SUV parked next to the warehouse, surrounded by five more men.
The vehicle was stopped and Shane waited for a report.
His phone rang again the same time a voice said over the com, “Uh, boss? There’s a lady here that says she’s your sister-in-law. What do you want me to do?”
“Hold,” Shane said as he twisted the power off on his walkie then plucked his phone from his belt. The caller was Unknown, but Shane expected that.
“Are you kidding me, bro?” he answered.
“Dude, you gotta learn to set a proper perimeter,” Max said on the other end of the line. “I’ve got half your guys dead to rights. You too, slacker.”
Shane looked down at his chest and could just make out a red dot over his heart. He laughed.
“When’d you get stateside again?” Shane asked.
“Couple days ago,” Max said. “Hey, you want to tell your people to stand down before they annoy Darby?”
“Sister-in-law, bro?”
“Sister-in-law, bro. Darby insisted.”
&
nbsp; “Did she?”
“Dude, she did. Said she wanted us locked together for life.”
“Did you shit your pants?”
“Still shitting, bro. Still shitting. But it’s Darby, so what the fuck else am I going to do?”
“Whatever the fuck she tells you to do,” Shane replied, laughing.
“That weed any good?”
“Shit, bro, it’s some of the best. Hoof your ass in here and I’ll let my guys know to send Darby. I can finish up here then we can go get some beers and chat.”
“Yeah. Chatting is a good idea.”
Shane paused as he turned his walkie back on. “Not liking that.”
“Just listen. Don’t judge yet.”
Shane closed his eye and shook his head.
“Whatever. Get your ass over here.”
“Already on the way.”
***
“That?” Lake said as he stared at the ship. “It’s a quarter of the size that we need.”
“But it’s what we can afford,” Darren said as he stood on the dock, his hand gripped in Kinsey’s. “Come on, Marty. We’ll need funds to finance the work too. We can’t spend it all on the ship up front.”
“Gunnar? What do you think?” Kinsey said.
Gunnar, standing on her other side, shook his head.
“It’s a piece of shit,” Gunnar said.
“Never said it wasn’t,” Darren replied. “But we can put the work into it needs.”
“Can you fit the equipment in there?” Kinsey asked, ignoring Darren.
“Yeah,” Gunnar said. “Most of it.”
“Bad idea, D,” Lake said. “Not the right boat. Popeye and Cougher will never agree to work on this hunk of junk. We keep looking.”
He turned to walk away then froze. Kinsey, Darren, and Gunnar frowned then turned as well to see what he was staring at.
“Hi, guys,” Ingrid said, her thumbs hooked into the straps of her overalls as she stood on the dock a few feet away. “How you guys been?”
Kinsey let go of Darren’s hand and rushed forward, wrapping Ingrid in a huge bear hug. Then she pushed away.
“What’s wrong? Who died?” Kinsey asked.
“Just because Ingrid is here, doesn’t mean someone died,” Gunnar said as he took his turn hugging the woman. He pushed back also. “But who did die?”
“No one died, guys,” Ingrid said. “Can’t a girl come see some old friends?”
“Okay, so no one died,” Darren said, hugging her as well. “But you aren’t here on a friendly visit. What’s up?”
“Oh, it’s a friendly visit,” Ingrid said, lying horribly. Everyone frowned at her. “Okay, well, yes, there may be an agenda to the visit. There’s something you need to know.”
“What? What’s happened?” Kinsey asked.
“Nothing bad,” Ingrid said. She glanced around. “I can’t really talk about it here. Can you come with me? We can go have some beers and chat.”
“I don’t drink,” Kinsey said.
“And I don’t drink because Kinsey doesn’t drink,” Darren said. “And because it keeps me from getting angry and picking fights in bars.”
“That has been nice,” Gunnar said.
“You buying?” Lake asked.
“Not me, no,” Ingrid said. “But drinks are on the house.”
“I’m in,” Lake said and flipped off the ship behind. “But not for that piece of crap. New boat, D. New fucking boat.”
***
“Thorne,” Thorne said as he answered his phone. “Who the hell is this and why do you keep calling?”
“Hey, Uncle Vinny,” Max said. “Nice to hear your sweet, soothing voice.”
“Max? What’s wrong?” Thorne asked as he caught sight of the closest exit and pulled off the interstate.
“Nothing’s wrong, Uncle Vinny,” Max said. “Just thought you might want to join me and my new wife for a drink. We’re in town.”
Thorne turned right at the exit’s light then pulled into the first parking lot and glanced in his rearview mirror.
“Are you driving the silver Jeep?” Thorne asked.
“Dammit, Darby!” Max said. “He spotted us!”
There was some mumbling in the background.
“Oh, my bad, she wasn’t trying to hide,” Max said.
“Max, what is going on?” Thorne grumbled.
“Just needing to have a drink,” Max said. “Did you not hear the new bride part? Shane’s gonna be there. Kinsey too. Hell, even Ditcher and Gunnar. A little celebration.”
“Uh huh,” Thorne said. “Where?”
The silver Jeep drove by and Max waved from the passenger seat.
“There happens to be a nice little spot only a couple miles from here,” Max said. “Oh, now I see why Darby wasn’t hiding. She got you to pull off at this exit. Nice work, babe.”
“Max?”
“Yeah, Uncle Vinny?”
“Is Ballantine going to be there?”
“What was that? The reception is breaking up. See ya at the bar! I’ll text the address!”
The phone went dead.
Thorne grumbled and growled until the text chime sounded on his phone. He looked down and glared at the address. Then he put the car back in gear and drove out of the parking lot, the GPS directing him to the bar.
***
“Where is he?” Thorne snapped as he walked into the bar. He didn’t look surprised that there was no bartender or music or signs that the bar was open for business. Especially considering who was walking towards him.
Ballantine held out his arms.
“Vincent!” he said. “You are looking great! A year’s rest has been good for you!”
“A year away from your ass and your bullshit has been good for me,” Thorne said.
“Hey, Daddy,” Kinsey said as she cut Ballantine off and moved in for a hug.
Thorne hugged Kinsey, but his eyes stayed on Ballantine. Then the eyes started studying the room.
Darren was sitting at a table with Lake and Gunnar. Max, Shane, and Darby were at another table. Lucy and Ingrid were at a third table.
“Almost everyone is here,” Thorne said.
“The rest will join us once we’re underway,” Ballantine said.
“Not going anywhere with you,” Thorne said. “Our time together is done, Ballantine. Last time I saw you was supposed to be the last time. Ever.”
“Yes, well, you know how life goes, Vincent,” Ballantine said, finally giving up on the hug he wasn’t going to receive. He returned to his seat at the table with Ingrid and Lucy. “There are always unexpected surprises.”
“All surprises are unexpected,” Darby said. “That’s why they’re surprises.”
“Yes, very true, Darby,” Ballantine said. “And again, thank you for taking time out of your honeymoon to help with this.”
“We said we’d help get everyone together,” Max said. “You haven’t pitched us on the job yet.”
“Can I go ahead and say no?” Gunnar asked, raising his hand.
“You’ll want to listen,” Ingrid said. There was excitement and sadness in her voice. “Trust me.”
Gunnar put his hand down.
“Take a seat, Vincent,” Ballantine said, gesturing to an empty chair next to Shane.
Thorne hesitated then sat down.
“You part of this?” he asked Shane.
“No clue what’s up, Uncle Vinny,” Shane replied.
“Let me change that for you,” Ballantine said as he addressed the group.
He opened a laptop that was on the table and pressed a key. A holographic image came up of what looked like the ocean floor.
“If you look here and here, you will see some very strong currents,” Ballantine said. “These currents sit off the coast of my island.”
“Our island,” Ingrid said. “Everyone’s island.”
“Yes. That,” Ballantine said and nodded at Ingrid. “We’re so communal these days.”
Ballantine pointed a
t the image and swiped his hand left. The view changed to a different image then pulled out and angled up to reveal a coastline.
“Those currents lead to this area of land here off the coast of Australia,” Ballantine continued. “That is where someone discovered our long lost Toyshop a few months ago.”
“The Toyshop? It wasn’t destroyed?” Gunnar asked.
“Sank, not destroyed,” Ingrid said.
“Sank, not destroyed,” Ballantine echoed. “It wasn’t until a week ago that I was contacted regarding the recovery of the Toyshop. The person that contacted me is in the business and does not have the nicest reputation.”
“So?” Darren asked. “We’re out, Ballantine. We all chose to get out.”
“Not all of us,” Ingrid said.
“Which was your choice,” Darren said. “A not nice person in the business found the Toyshop. What does that have to do with any of us? It’s your problem, Ballantine.”
“That would be true if there weren’t extenuating circumstances,” Ballantine said. “Ingrid?”
“Ballantine, I think I am reading the room,” Thorne said. “There is nothing you can say that will convince any of us to come back and work for you.”
“You are right,” Ballantine said. “That’s why you won’t be listening to my plea.”
Ingrid pulled the laptop to her. She pressed a button and the bar’s speakers came to life.
“Hello? This on? Hello?”
“It’s on, dammit. Just talk. We don’t have much time!”
“I want to make sure it’s on.”
“Dammit, Moshi! I said it’s on!”
“Okay, chill out, asshead.” Moshi cleared her throat. “Okay. Not much time. Bad asshole has us captive. We got lucky and maybe get this message to you. If you hear this, please come get us. We’re not dead.”
“They know that because we’re talking!” Carlos snapped. “Oh, shit. They’re coming. Put it away! Put it away!”
The message ended and Ingrid killed the speakers. Ballantine smiled at the wide eyes and open mouths that faced him.
“As you know, Delana Paz and Tom Thomas survived,” Ballantine said. “I have Delana on this, but Tom is more suited to working with Ronald, Boris, and Dr. Morganton. Delana is good, but she is only one person and the few guards I have hired for island security are neither trained nor physically capable of handling a task this dangerous. But all of you are. Every last one of you.”
