The Big Kahuna

by Janet Evanovich

  Nick raised his eyebrows. “You want to sell the Kahuna?”

  Olga shrugged. “The interested party has the resources to decrypt anything, given enough time. If you don’t deal, they’ll still buy what we have to sell. It will just be for a lot less money. A third, to be precise. One hundred million dollars. Then the only thing left for Viktor to do is to clean up the mess.” She pointed at Kate. “That would be you and your friends.”

  “So, if we don’t give you the Kahuna, you’ll kill all of us,” Kate said. “And, if we do, you’ll pay us fifty million.”

  Olga smiled. “That’s the long and short of it.” She winked at Nick. “I might even throw in a bonus.”

  “I do like bonuses,” Nick said. “Kate offered to keep me out of jail as a bonus.”

  Olga pushed a hand through her red hair. “I can probably do better.”

  “Gee, as tempting as that is,” Kate said, “we’re not selling you the Kahuna so you can hand him over to some third-world dictator. I think we’ll have to stick with our original plan and throw you in a federal penitentiary for the next gazillion years.”

  Olga smiled. “I thought you might say that.”

  Five large men wearing black paramilitary outfits and carrying police batons stepped out from the shadows and stood behind her. “That’s why I brought along some friends to help persuade you.”

  “Does that mean my bonus is off the table?” Nick asked.

  “I’m afraid so.” She took a step closer to them.

  Kate pulled her gun and aimed it at Olga. “That’s far enough.”

  There was a pop from somewhere up the mountain, and the doggie bag exploded in Nick’s hand, sending chocolate mousse everywhere.

  Olga flicked a glob of mousse off her sleeve. “I have a sniper watching. Put down your gun, and let’s have a civilized conversation. You’re just making things worse for yourself.”

  Kate shot one of the men in black and dove behind the shack with Nick. The sniper fired off several rounds at the shack, and the four remaining men in black began to cautiously advance.

  “We’re going to have to make a run for it,” Nick said. “You can probably take out the idiots in black but the sniper would be a hard shot.”

  “We won’t make it ten feet before one of us is shot if we make a run for it.”

  Nick grabbed a luge cart from the stack behind the shack. “I wasn’t talking about that kind of run. On the count of three?”

  Kate looked around the shack. The four men were almost on top of them. “Three.” She jumped on the cart, while Nick launched her down the track and leapt on behind her.

  In seconds, they were rocketing down the run while the sniper’s bullets struck the cement in front of and behind them.

  “As soon as we turn the corner, we should be out of his field of sight,” Kate said.

  Nick looked back. “That’s great, but we may have another problem.”

  A bullet whistled past Kate’s shoulder. “That didn’t come from the sniper,” Kate said.

  “Nope. We’ve got company.”

  Kate turned her head for just a moment. Olga’s mercenaries were right behind them in luge carts of their own. Another bullet took out a chunk of the cement barrier just in front of Kate’s cart.

  “Now they’re starting to piss me off. Take over the driving,” she said to Nick.

  Nick put his arms around Kate and grabbed the steering wheel. Kate spun around so that they were face-to-face with her legs wrapped around him.

  “Try to keep this buggy steady,” Kate said.

  “Yeah, right,” Nick said. “Not gonna happen.” He pushed Kate’s windblown hair out of his face. “This is cozy, but I can’t see anything. Move a little to the side.”

  Kate moved to the right, took aim, and fired off a couple of rounds. Nick steered the cart around a tight corner, Kate waited for the pursuers to come into sight, and fired again, hitting the driver. He lost control of the cart, and it careened wildly, sailing over the side of the track and disappearing into the night.

  “One down, three to go,” Kate said.

  More bullets flew past Nick and Kate as they passed through a corrugated metal tunnel and out the other side.

  Kate glanced down. “For the love of Mike. Is that what I think it is poking me down there?”

  “That depends. What do you think it is?”

  Kate fired off another round of bullets. Another cart rocketed off the track, sending one of the gunmen tumbling out of sight. “Good grief. I think it’s getting bigger. It’s impossible to shoot bad guys like this. Can’t you control that thing?”

  “No, I can’t control it. Try backing off a half inch.”

  The cart drove through a series of rumble strips and dippers on the cement track, vibrating the cart and bouncing Kate up and down in Nick’s lap. She looked at Nick. “Well, that clearly didn’t help your condition, did it?”

  “It’s not my condition. You’re pressed against the brake lever.”

  “Sure. I knew that.” She took a quick look down. “What the heck is a brake lever doing in the middle of the sled?”

  A fresh barrage of bullets zinged past Kate and Nick.

  “They’re getting closer,” Kate said. “And I think I’m almost out of ammo.” She fired her last two rounds, striking the closest of the two carts. The driver swerved violently and his cart turned sideways, causing it to roll over and over until skidding to a stop.

  The driver of the wrecked cart scrambled to his feet just as the final gunman’s cart screamed around the corner. He held up his hands moments before the two collided, sending both gunmen flying twenty feet through the air and off the side of the mountain.

  Nick braked hard, coming to a full stop at the bottom of the hill just in front of the restaurant. “That was interesting. And, by the way, the brake lever wasn’t too far off the mark in terms of . . . you know.”

  Kate extricated herself from Nick, got off the cart, and looked up the mountain. There was no sign of Olga or any of the gunmen. “Looks like Olga is going to need some new goons.”

  “It’s not over,” Nick said. “They’ll throw everything they’ve got at us now.”

  20

  Kate walked around the interior of villa nine, stepping over the broken glass covering the floor and navigating the obstacle course of turned-over furniture. Cosmo, Vicky, and Larry were gone. All that remained was the contents of their luggage, scattered throughout the rooms.

  “This is bad,” Kate said.

  Nick looked at his watch. “It’s nine o’clock. We met with Olga only an hour ago. She doesn’t waste time.”

  “Do you think she killed them?”

  Nick righted a fallen floor lamp. “No. They’re her insurance policy. She won’t harm them as long as we have the Kahuna.”

  Kate stopped and crouched down to examine a splatter of blood on the carpet. “Are you sure? Maybe she’s cutting her losses.”

  “She didn’t hesitate to offer us fifty million for the Kahuna. She wouldn’t do that unless she and Neklan stood to make big bucks. As long as they think they have the upper hand, they’re not going to risk losing their payday. They’ll probably let us sweat it out tonight then offer to trade them for the Kahuna in the morning.”

  “I think we go proactive on this one.”

  “I agree,” Nick said. “The hostess at Stratosfare said that Viktor Neklan owns a winery somewhere near Arrowtown.”

  “Do you think Olga would be stupid enough to stash them in Neklan’s house?”

  “No,” Nick said. “I was thinking that, when Olga calls, we need something to bargain with, other than the Kahuna.”

  “Like Viktor Neklan?”

  “It might be fun,” Nick said.

  “He’s surrounded by bodyguards. His home is sure to be a fortress.”

  “P
robably impenetrable.”

  Kate grinned. “We’re going to need help from someone whose expertise is causing a little collateral damage and a lot of mayhem.”

  “I know just the man for the job.”

  Kate got out her cellphone. “Yep. Dad’s going to love this.”

  * * *

  —

  Nick found a tourist map of Queenstown and the surrounding Otago region and spread it out on a table. “Arrowtown is a small historic gold-mining town about fifteen miles northeast of Queenstown. Two roads in and out. One runs along the Shotover Gorge and one passes by Lake Hayes.”

  “Did you say ‘gold mining’?”

  “The gold ran out sometime in the 1800s, but the town has managed to reinvent itself into an outdoor-lovers’ mecca. Hiking and cycling trails. Whitewater rafting. Jet boat rides down the Shotover River for thrill-seeking tourists.”

  Kate packed up the map and walked with Nick to the Range Rover. “It shouldn’t be too hard to find out where Neklan lives. There probably aren’t a lot of Czech oligarchs living in the area.”

  “Arrowtown is a small, tight-knit community,” Nick said. “It’s hard to keep a secret like that in a town with a population of two thousand. I’m sure one of the locals will know where to find him.”

  Kate left the hotel grounds, drove back through Queenstown, passed the airport, and continued along the main highway. To her left, Lake Hayes sparkled under the moonlight. To her right, snowcapped mountain peaks were visible. After ten minutes of driving, Kate entered the little village of Arrowtown.

  “I’m meeting Dad in the historic district,” Kate said, lost in a maze of tree-lined residential streets. “See if you can find it for me.”

  Nick looked at the Google map on his cellphone. “Take the second left onto Buckingham Street. It’s the main road passing through the village center.”

  Kate turned left and cruised down a street lined with tiny nineteenth-century miners’ cottages that had been restored and converted into galleries, bars, restaurants, and shops. The shops and galleries were dark, but groups of people milled about the small but chic restaurants and bars, occasionally spilling out into the streets.

  Nick pointed at a stone building to Kate’s left. “There’s a black Range Rover parked in front of that wine bar with the blue door. I’m guessing it’s Jake.”

  Kate and Nick parked next to the SUV, walked through the antique double doors into the bar, and paused to let their eyes adjust to the dim lighting. They scanned the stone and wood-paneled interior and found Jake and the Kahuna standing at the bar.

  Jake motioned to Kate and waited for her and Nick to join him. “I tried to get him to stay in the safe house, but he insisted on coming along,” Jake said, pointing to the Kahuna. He shrugged. “I figured he’s got the right.”

  “They shot my son, stole my company, tried to burn down my farm, blew up a mountain attempting to kill me, and now they’ve kidnapped my wife. I think I’ve got karma on my side.”

  “You got that right.” Jake looked around to make sure no one was watching, opened his backpack, and let Kate and Nick peek inside. It was loaded to the brim with C4 plastic explosives. “I appropriated these from the CIA safe house you stashed us in.” He zippered the backpack closed. “Ka-boom. Instant karma.”

  “Holy crap,” Kate said. “You have enough to destroy an entire city block. You promised to show some restraint on this mission.”

  “I promised not to shoot anybody.”

  Kate held up her hand. “You killed a guy with a library bookcase and blew up half of Kalalau Valley.”

  “But I didn’t shoot anybody,” Jake said. “Okay, I shot down a helicopter, and there may have been three to four bad guys flying in it at the time, but technically I didn’t shoot any of them.”

  Kate sighed. “Maybe you, the Kahuna, and your big bag of explosives should wait in the SUV while Nick and I try to do some detective work and see if anybody in the bar knows where to find Viktor Neklan’s place.”

  “Good idea,” the Kahuna said. “We should probably guard all the guns Jake brought with him from the safe house anyway.”

  “Good grief, Dad. Exactly how many guns did you bring?”

  “I was in a rush. I didn’t count. How many do you think can fit in the back of a Range Rover?” He looked at Kate. “Maybe we should wait outside.”

  Kate watched Jake and the Kahuna leave the restaurant. She grabbed a barstool next to Nick and waited until the bartender approached them.

  “What can I get for you?” the bartender asked.

  “We’re interested in trying some of the local wines,” Nick said. “Are there any made right here in Arrowtown?”

  The bartender reached behind him, grabbed a bottle, and poured glasses for Nick and Kate. “This region has some of the best wines in New Zealand. Most of them are made nearby in the Gibbston Valley, like the one you’re drinking. There are a couple vineyards near Arrowtown as well, but the biggest one doesn’t sell commercially anymore. It was bought a couple years ago by some Czech billionaire who doesn’t need the money and just thought it would be cool to own a winery.”

  “He sounds like a jerk,” Kate said.

  “Understatement of the year. Nobody around here can blimmin’ stand him.”

  “Where’s his winery?” Kate asked.

  “Just to the left before you get to Shotover Gorge. He has a ten-thousand-square-foot house and fifty hectares of vineyards that overlook the canyon and river.”

  “Sounds beautiful. Can the public visit?” Kate asked.

  The bartender laughed. “No way. The guy who owns it, Viktor Neklan, is completely paranoid. The place is crawling with security. Cameras everywhere. You couldn’t drive past the gate at the highway without being stopped . . . or shot.”

  Nick finished his wine and dropped a generous amount of money on the bar. “Thanks. Wish we could stay longer, but we’d better be going. We have a big night ahead of us.”

  “I’ve seen that look,” Kate said once they were outside. “You have some crazy plan to get us into Neklan’s estate, don’t you?”

  Nick flashed Kate a crooked grin. “Let’s just say it’s going to be awfulsome. But we need to take some chances if we’re going to save Vicky and Cosmo, and I’m going to get a happy ending.”

  Kate punched Nick in the shoulder. “I’m counting on it, big guy.” She paused for a beat. “Hold up. What do you mean by ‘happy ending’?”

  * * *

  —

  Kate stood, strapped to the front of Nick, on a large wooden platform at the summit of Coronet Peak. She looked out into the night over the expansive valley five thousand feet below. Tiny lights delineated remote farms, small villages, and busy Queenstown twinkling in the distance with vast swaths of darkness in between. One of those tiny lights, shining brightly three miles to the south, was Viktor Neklan’s hundred-acre vineyard overlooking Shotover Canyon.

  “This is crazy,” Kate said. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into more stealing.”

  “Commandeering,” Nick said. “We needed transportation for official business, so we commandeered.”

  Kate swiveled her head to look at the broken-down door to the little hut behind her. The sign on the hut advertised paraglider rentals. “Jessup is going to pitch a fit.”

  Nick checked their harness, and then checked Jake’s. “This is the most expedient way to get past the guards and cameras watching the perimeter of the estate.”

  “Granted, but Jessup is still going to pitch a fit. And I’m not happy about being strapped to you.”

  “There were only two paragliders,” Nick said. “Someone had to get strapped to someone. And the weight load is more balanced if we’re the ones strapped together.”

  “I suppose you also have a good explanation about why you’re in the position to steer.”

 
“I have more paragliding experience than you,” Nick said.

  Kate blew out a sigh. It was true. Her paragliding experience was limited. She looked over at her father, standing next to her. He was wearing an identical harness, except that he had an enormous duffel bag filled with plastic explosives and assault weapons strapped to his front.

  “How extensive is your paragliding experience?” she asked him.

  Jake shrugged. “Nick gave me some pointers.”

  “We’re jumping off a cliff at three in the morning and attempting to land in the middle of a vineyard three miles away without getting shot by the throngs of hired killers guarding the place. Seriously? Pointers?”

  “I did thousands of parachute jumps before I retired from Special Forces. And it’s not your first rodeo either,” he said to Kate. “How different can this be?” Jake examined the two handles on either side of his harness, each of which was attached to a bunch of grouped Kevlar lines leading to the elliptical-shaped canopy. “What are these doohickeys called again?” he asked Nick.

  “Those are your brake lines. You use them to manipulate the speed and direction of the glider.”

  “Right, right. I knew that.” Jake pointed to a horizontal bar at the base of the chair-shaped harness. “And this thing is my footrest?”

  “It’s a speed bar. It helps with the steering. Skydiving parachutes are designed to descend. Paragliding allows you to move horizontally as well as vertically. It’s possible to travel a hundred miles under the right conditions.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Kate smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. “He’s gonna die. I should have sent him with the Kahuna to steal our getaway jet boat when I had the chance.”

  “Commandeer,” Jake said.

  Nick gave the carabiners a final tug. “Speaking of the Kahuna, he just texted me. He’s got the boat and is waiting upstream from the estate. When we have Neklan, I’ll signal him to pick us up and ferry us safely down the Shotover River back to Lake Wakatipu.”

  “Sounds like a foolproof plan,” Kate said. “What could possibly go wrong?”