by David Wood
“I’ve already notified my superiors, plus a few contacts in other agencies. They know what we suspect—the Dominion has a weapon that can cause a tsunami.”
“They aren’t taking the threat seriously,” Maddock argued.
“I don’t know how they’re taking it, and neither do you,” Tam said.
“But…”
“Don’t push me on this, Maddock. It’s my decision, and I say no. At least, not right now.”
Maddock, Bones, and Willis exchanged dark glances. Maddock knew Tam was on the right side, and she’d given him some much-needed help a few months before, but he still didn’t trust her. Technically, he and his crew were working for her voluntarily, but she’d gone to a great deal of trouble to investigate their pasts, and now she held their misdeeds over their heads like a guillotine blade.
“If any of you have further objections, now would be a good time to keep them to yourselves.”
“You know better than that,” Bones said. “You buy the muscle, the mouth comes along with it. It’s a package deal.”
“I can live with that, so long as you remember who is the chief and who are the Indians.”
Bones covered his mouth and pretended to sneeze. “Racist,” he huffed.
The corners of Tam’s mouth twitched. “Fine. I’m Achilles and you’re my Myrmidons.”
“I like that.” Willis stroked his chin thoughtfully. “The Myrmidon Squad.”
“I’ll have some t-shirts printed up.” Tam smirked. “Maddock, you and Bones come with me. You’ve got a new assignment.”
They followed her to the conference room, where Sofia and Avery waited. Sofia smiled at them, while Avery drummed her fingers on the table and tapped her foot.
“About time. You’re getting slow in your old age.” Avery winked at Maddock before shooting Bones a dirty look. The three new arrivals took seats at the table and Avery began. “We think we’ve found another Atlantean site.” She handed Maddock a manila folder, then offered one to Bones, but when he reached for it, she tossed it onto the floor with a flick of her wrist.
“Professionalism,” Tam chided. “But I understand.”
“Don’t let them fool you,” Bones said to Sofia. “Women really do love me.”
“I’m sure.” Sofia opened her own folder and got down to business. “Translating the codex has involved a great deal of guesswork. In some cases, it’s pure trial and error. Last night, Avery matched one of my possible translations to an actual site—one I hadn’t given serious consideration due to its location.”
“Yonaguni.” Maddock read the heading on the first page of Avery’s report.
“I’ve heard of that place,” Bones said. “It’s in Japan. Sunken pyramids and stuff. But people dive there all the time. If there was anything there, wouldn’t someone have found it by now?”
“Not if they don’t have the codex.” Sofia tapped her folder.
“Yonaguni features some very distinctive rock formations,” Avery added. “We’ve matched what initially seemed to be a string of nonsense lines in the codex to these formations. We think they will lead to the temple.”
“The codex mentions a temple?” Maddock asked, turning pages filled with underwater photographs of strange formations.
“No, but it stands to reason. The two devices that have been uncovered so far were each found in a temple, which appears to have been the center of Atlantean life.” Sofia turned to Tam. “I’d like to go along. I’m an experienced diver, and no one knows Atlantis better than me.”
“I need you here working on the codex,” Tam said. “Losing a few hours on the Cuban site is one thing. Going to Japan is another. I’ve got an experienced archaeologist lined up on the other end. With her help, I trust Maddock not to screw this up.”
Maddock wondered if she’d intentionally omitted Bones’ name.
“You two pack your bags. You leave in,” she checked her watch, “four hours.”
“Who do you have lined up on the other end?” Bones asked. “Not some crusty old bone picker, I hope.”
“Hardly. You know her quite well, in fact.”
Maddock noted a hint of forced nonchalance to Tam’s demeanor. His mind ran through what she had just said. Archaeologist. Japan. You know her quite well. The pieces fell into place and he sprang to his feet, upending his chair.
“You can’t be serious.” He clenched his fists, trying to control his anger.
“I’m dead serious.” Tam met his scowl with an impassive gaze.
“No way. Play your mind games with someone else, Tam. I’m not joining in.”
Tam’s expression remained serene as Maddock’s rage broke over her. “As I have told you before, the people I can say with one hundred percent certainty are not connected to the Dominion are few and far between. She’s one of those people. Trust me, she wasn’t any happier about it than you are. You know what they say about a woman scorned.”
“Then send someone else. Willis, Matt, Greg…”
“I want you. Don’t forget, you agreed to work for me.”
Their eyes locked, and Maddock wondered if Tam referred to the implied threats she’d made months ago on board a ship in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
“Oh, this is going to be all kinds of fun.” Bones closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
“Wait. Are you talking about Jade Ihara?” Avery asked. “Maddock’s ex-girlfriend?”
“The one I broke up with not too long ago.”
“Good old, reliable Maddock.” Bones chuckled. “You can count on him for two things: courage under fire, and cowardice in the face of an angry woman.”
Sofia failed to cover her grin and Avery laughed out loud.
“I’m not afraid of women.” Maddock’s face burned as he spoke. “I just prefer to avoid conflict if I can help it.” Seeing no one else was buying his explanation, he excused himself and left the meeting room.
It was a short walk from headquarters to his condo, and Maddock had only been home a few minutes when his phone vibrated. It was Angel.
“Hey.” His voice sounded falsely cheerful to his ears, and Angel picked up on it immediately.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’m good. Just a little stressed out.” Grabbing a Dos Equis from the refrigerator, he headed out onto the deck overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, settled into his favorite chair, and began to fill her in on the events of the past few days. He told her as much as he was permitted to about his escape from the sunken city, Bones’ run-in with the Dominion in Paris, and their pending trip to Japan.
“Japan sounds fun. I wish I was going with you.”
“Me too. You don’t know how much I wish you were coming along.”
“Aw, that’s so romantic,” Angel said. “Which is how I know it’s a load of crap. What’s really going on?”
“No, it’s true. If you weren’t in the middle of training, I’d take you in a heartbeat.”
“Of course you would, but that’s not the point. You’re not telling me everything.”
“You know I can’t do that now that I work for the government.”
“We both know I’ll get it out of you sooner or later. I’m very good at that.” Angel’s gentle voice sent a wave of tingling heat coursing through him, and he wanted nothing more than to be lying on a beach with her somewhere far away. “Spill it. I’ll thank you properly the next time I see you.”
“You might want to wait until you hear what it is before you make that offer.” Before he could reconsider, he told her about Jade.
The line went silent for so long he thought they’d lost the connection.
“Are you there?”
“Are you freaking kidding me? Tell Tam you won’t go.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Only because you make everything complicated. Most things in life are simple: I love you and you love me, but how long did it take you to figure that out? You always have to look at every little angle so you can make the decision that you
think will piss off the fewest people.”
“If you’d let me explain. Tam has…”
“You’re not hearing me, Maddock. This isn’t one of those things that requires an explanation. It’s the wrong thing to do, so you shouldn’t do it.”
Maddock flung his bottle of beer, still full, against the wall, where it shattered with a satisfying crash. The shower of beer that now soaked the front of his shirt, however, was not so satisfying. “Why don’t you trust me? I’d never cheat on you, and you know it.”
“That’s not it at all, and the fact that you don’t get that is a real problem.” Angel sighed. “Loving you is tiring, you know that?”
Maddock managed a grin. “Just trying to make things interesting. I’m always hearing that women love a challenge.”
“You know what they say—don’t believe everything you hear, especially if my brother says it.” She paused. “I’ve got to go. Call me when you can.”
As if on cue, Bones stuck his head through the sliding glass door as Maddock hung up.
“I heard the crash and figured you needed another beer.” His eyes fell to Maddock’s sodden shirt. “And a poncho.”
“I didn’t hear you come in.”
“You think Indians are only quiet in the forest?” He handed a beer to Maddock. They clinked bottles and drank deeply, Bones punctuating his swig with a loud belch.
“Nice.” Maddock finished his drink in silence, savoring the smooth, malty flavor. “I guess we should get packing.” He glanced down at his shirt. “After I shower.”
“After you, bro.”
Maddock had decorated his condo to reflect his love of the sea. The walls were painted a rich, Mediterranean blue, and trimmed in white. Paintings of old sailing ships hung in the living area, while his first-floor study was adorned with anchors, a ship’s wheel, an antique compass, and an old cutlass. Nets hung from the ceiling, giving the room a comfortable, yet cocoon-like feeling. The upstairs was done in the same fashion.
“You probably ought to get your own place now that we’re headquartered here,” Maddock said over his shoulder as they mounted the stairs.
“You need me here,” Bones said. “You’re too reclusive when I’m not around. It’s unhealthy.”
“True, but it’s going to be awkward when Angel comes to visit.”
“Not awkward at all. You two can get a room somewhere.” Bones hesitated. “Was that Angel on the phone?”
“Yep.” Maddock really wasn’t in the mood to talk about it.
“And you told her about Jade?”
“Yep.”
“Maddock,” Bones groaned. “You really don’t know anything about women.”
Chapter 20
“Permission to come aboard?” Matt asked Brother Bill, who waited aboard a sleek Wellcraft Sportsman fishing boat. The craft, a roomy twenty-footer with the most powerful engine one could get with that model, looked brand new. He hoped Bill would give him some time at the wheel.
Bill pursed his lips and his forehead crinkled. “I thought you were an Army man.”
“I am, or was. Why?”
“The way you talk. That, and you’re looking at my boat like you want to marry her.” His face split into a gap-toothed grin.
“Can you blame me? She’s a fine craft.”
“That she is. Can’t properly call her mine, though. The men’s club bought her for our fishing trips and the like.” He scratched his belly and his unfocused gaze ran from bow to stern. He seemed to remember himself, jerked back to full wakefulness, and invited the two men on board.
“Does she have a name?” Matt asked.
“We call her Domino.”
“Somebody must love pizza,” Joel said.
Bill grinned. “It was a compromise. Some of us wanted to call her Dominion, you know, for the dominion of the Lord, but others thought that wasn’t a fitting name for anything short of an aircraft carrier.”
A chill ran down Matt’s spine. It wasn’t confirmation of the connection between the church and the shadow organization, but it was close.
“I’ll say this much,” Joel began as Bill steered Domino toward deep water, “so far, this seems like my kind of men’s group. Most church groups are nothing but coffee and conversation. No offense.”
Bill waved the apology away with one beefy hand. “I’ve been in my share of those.”
To the west, the last rays of the setting sun colored the sky a blood red that faded to purple overhead and indigo to the east. Matt breathed the cool salt air and thought this would be a perfect night to wet a line and relax under the stars. If only they weren’t on duty.
When the scattered lights on shore were but a memory, Bill cut the engine and let Domino drift. “Time to fish.” He rubbed his hands together. “Should be a good night for it. Clear skies and calm water.” Three fishing rods sat in holders at the stern, and he picked one up, freed the hook, and cast the line into the water.
“Don’t you need bait?” Joel asked.
Bill paused. “That would look better, wouldn’t it?” He opened a cooler, shifted the cans of beer aside, and pulled out a container of frozen jumbo shrimp. “You two want to bait your hooks, or do you need daddy to do it for you?”
Matt forced a laugh, and he and Joel each picked up a rod, baited the hook, and cast it into the water.
“That’ll do for appearances in case the Coast Guard shows up.” Bill returned the bait to the cooler and handed each of them a beer. “Drink slow, fellows. We need to stay sharp.”
“What are we fishing for?” Matt asked.
“I’ll give you two guesses.” Bill took out a key, unlocked a large locker, and raised the lid. Inside lay three Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifles.
“Sharks?” Joel guessed.
“Nope. Something much nastier. At least, some of them are.”
Matt felt another chill as Bill passed him a rifle. It felt like dead weight in his hands as he contemplated the implications.
“Now, you fellows know anything about marine radar?” He tapped a screen next to the wheel.
Matt nodded.
“Good. We’re going to cruise nice and slow-like. You keep an eye on the radar, especially for small targets. And I do mean targets.”
Joel glanced at the radar. “I expected something that would find schools of fish.”
“That’s what this does,” Bill said. “Only, the fish we want swim on the surface.” With that cryptic comment, he returned to the wheel and took the craft into deeper water.
“Tell me about your time in the Army,” Bill said after they’d cruised for an hour without catching a single fish or spotting a single boat.
“Not much to tell. I fought in Desert Storm, came home, got no help from the government when I got back. Been trying to make it ever since.”
“Government,” Bill spat. “At least you got a chance to put them Islamics in their places.”
Matt shrugged.
“How about you, Joel?”
“No military service for me. I don’t follow directions too well. I’ve mostly worked for private security firms. We’re really hoping our new business venture will pan out. I mean, who doesn’t like to shoot?”
“Too many people in Key West.” Bill grimaced and shifted in his seat. “If you do open a shooting range, though, I can promise you’ll get plenty of business from the men’s group.”
“I’ve noticed we don’t fit in with many of the locals,” Joel said. “But the men’s group seems different. You all seem to be the out-of-doors type, like us.”
“You two do much climbing? Caving?” Bill asked.
“Hell, yes,” Matt said truthfully. “Been doing it since I was a kid.”
“We’ve got a retreat coming up that the two of you just might like. Nothing’s firm, yet. We just got word from the home church a few hours ago. If you’re interested, I’ll talk to Franks, put in a good word for you.”
Just then, a blip appeared on the radar. Bill noticed it at the same time as Matt.
“We just might have a fish.”
He zeroed in on the blip on their radar and, minutes later, they came upon three dark-skinned men floating on an inner tube raft. They paddled with old planks, but stopped when they spotted Domino. The two groups of men gazed at one another in silence until Matt spoke up.
“What’s the plan? Turn them in to the Coast Guard?”
“Hell, no. You know what happens when we do that? They get processed and then turned over to their families in Miami or wherever. They never get sent back where they came from.”
“And they stay here either living off the government dole or stealing jobs from Americans.” Joel had managed to remain in character, while Matt fought to keep his dinner down. He’d killed men in his day, but never a cold-blooded execution.
“I’ll give you the first shot.” Bill said it as if he were bestowing upon Matt a great honor.
Matt thought fast. If he hesitated, he, at best, lost any chance of having his ticket punched to the men’s group’s inner circle. Worst case, he might rouse suspicion, thus putting the mission, and perhaps himself and Joel, into danger. But he couldn’t kill the men on the raft, who had noticed the rifles and were frantically, and uselessly, struggling to paddle their raft away.
“Take us a bit farther away. I like a challenge, and this isn’t it.”
Bill considered this. “How far?”
“Fifty yards is good considering the limited light. Daylight, I’d make it farther.” He made a show of examining his rifle while Bill took them farther away from the terrified refugees. He’d only delayed the inevitable for a few moments. He looked at Joel, who appeared completely at ease. “You aren’t going to try to talk me into giving you the first shot?”
“Not at this distance. You’re the marksman in the family.”
Matt shrugged. “It’s your call.” He didn’t dare emphasize the last word, lest Bill notice, but he raised his eyebrows as he spoke.
Joel winked. Message received.
“This far enough?” Bill asked, cutting Domino’s engine.
