by R J Johnson
His government sucked at the moment, but that wasn’t his fault. Besides, Johan only cared about one thing. Getting the pipeline finished before his deadline so he could collect the huge bonus promised by his company. He’d already brought the project in under budget, but Johan wanted to do it two weeks early as well.
The door to his office opened and Johan looked up from the day’s map to see one of his bodyguards Ari Cohen walk in. Ari was a tall thin man who worked for MARS Security, part of the contingent that helped protect his company’s interests overseas.
Ari took a drag and nodded lazily to Johan as he shut the door behind him. He paused, enjoying the cool air afforded to him by the trailer’s air conditioner. Johan’s nose wrinkled up at the tobacco smoke, but tolerated it. He’d yet to see Ari without a cigarette in his hands since the man had appeared on his detail.
At first, Johan had been apprehensive about having a bodyguard, thinking the man would constantly get in his way. But, over the last few weeks, Ari had proven to be competent and cool. The man even knew enough to stay out of Johan’s way. Ari’s constant smoking was a small price for the security he brought the camp.
“We’re close to the border,” Ari said, pushing his sunglasses off. His face was covered in sweat. He took another drag off his cigarette, finishing it and tossing the butt outside.
“Hot out there?” Johan asked, distracted.
“Stupidly so,” Ari agreed. He moved closer to his boss, displaying the pipeline sketch on his iPad. “The crew is about two miles from the border. We’re already in contact with Mr. Juhani.”
Johan grunted in satisfaction as he looked over the schematics. Shouldn’t be too much longer before he was home in bed with his beautiful wife. That was already worth more money to him that any stupid bonus might make him.
“He also says he’s looking forward to meeting you,” Ari said. “He says he’s got the khat, if you’ll bring the beer.”
Johan chuckled shaking his head. Ari looked at him confused. “I don’t get it.”
“What’s that?”
“I assume that Al Juhani’s Muslim. That means he can’t drink alcohol…?”
Johan laughed even louder. “It’s not for him, but for the border guards. They won’t let us anywhere near unless we’ve got something for them. He’s saying we’ll split the cost of the bribes between us. I bring the alcohol, he’ll bringing the khat. Greasing palms is the only way to get things done around here sometimes.”
Ari nodded. He’d seen Johan bribe various officials during the project. Sometimes it was to help them move equipment faster by closing down certain roads. Other times it was so the local warlords would keep their people from hassling them from the hills above.
Fortunately, the Samdi Dag peak was still a few hundred miles away. Still, it stretched across the horizon, reminding everyone it was still there helping to keep each country (Iraq, Iran, and Turkey) on their respective side of the borders.
Johan hoped that the pipeline he was building would help shrink those borders a bit. As history had shown more than once over the last few years, people liked it when they made money and got to live the good life. The second they got a taste of that, they weren’t interested in anything but keeping the party going. And the pipeline should go a long way in doing just that.
Johan stood and moved to the door of his office, stepping outside into the baking heat of mid-morning. They were fairly high up in elevation, but the last few days had been unseasonably warm. It wasn’t the worst he’d seen, but it was hot enough that he’d needed to call more than one extended break during the afternoon.
“Perhaps the weather will break today?” Ari asked, appearing at his elbow.
“Wouldn’t matter if it did,” Johan grunted. “We’re less than a day away from finishing. That means the weather we get today is what we get. We were lucky it wasn’t raining.”
The satellite phone in Ari’s hands began ringing and he glanced down at the display. He opened up the receiving antenna and handed it to Johan. “It’s your wife.”
Johan grinned happily and grabbed the phone from Ari’s hands. Pushing the button, he opened up a connection to the love of his life.
“Lovely…” he intoned over the connection. “How is Iceland?”
“It’s as if everywhere I look, I’m in the background of a postcard!” she gushed over the line. Johan smiled hearing her voice. “You have no idea the kind of natural beauty this place has.”
Johan looked around at the mountainous terrain he was surrounded by and smiled. His view wasn’t so bad either, but he’d let her have this one for now. “That good huh?’
“You and I are coming back here for a second honeymoon,” she said firmly. “No arguments.”
“Why on earth would I argue with you? Someone once told me my wife was always right,” Johan said, still floating on hearing his wife’s voice.
“Hmm, sounds like a smart woman.”
“She’s the best thing to ever happen to me,” Johan said, smiling.
“How’s the project going?” she asked. She always tried to hide it, but he knew she was incredibly worried about his safety. It wasn’t as if he was in the calmest part of the world after all.
“We’re good. Probably about a day and a half away from being finished.”
She sighed gratefully, “Well thank God for small favors. I haven’t seen you in months.”
“True,” he admitted. “But that’s only because I had to get away from your mother…”
“Bastard,” she replied playfully. “You know I’m worth putting up with her.”
“Mmmmmmm…” he said, returning her playful attitude. “It not as if this is a vacation out here.”
“You know you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else…”
“’Cept in bed next to you…”
She giggled like a schoolgirl. Thirty-three years old and she still felt like a freshman talking to the hot senior quarterback when they spoke.
“How’s the book coming?” he asked. Lorelei was in Iceland researching local legends about lost treasure. He always envied her ability to weave words and history into a thrilling action adventure. That had been one of the most attractive things about her to him.
“I’m actually out at the waterfall today,” she said. “My guide Pétur says he can get me behind the water.”
“Really?” Johan asked, curious. “How exactly is he gonna accomplish that?”
“I’m rappelling in from the top,” she said casually, as if this was the sort of thing she did every day.
Johan chuckled, his wife loved her adventures. “You’re staying safe of course, yes?”
“Of course,” she said, sounding annoyed. “Pétur assures me he does this sort of thing all the time.”
Johan grunted. He didn’t know this Pétur, but his wife was smart and an incredibly good judge of character. If she truly thought her guide could get her behind the waterfall safely, then who was he to question?
“So long as I see my wife next week, I’m fine with whatever you do up there,” Johan said.
“We still meeting in Berlin?” she asked.
“I’ve got the best hotel room in the city for us booked and I don’t plan on us leaving the whole week we’re there,” Johan said, thinking of his wife’s perfect body and golden locks.
She giggled. “I look forward to it.”
“A bientot,” Johan said to her.
“A bientot,” she replied.
He closed the antenna, cutting off the connection. Ari stepped up and took the phone back, placing it in his bag.
“Get on the horn to Al Juhani and let him know we’ll be there by dusk,” Johan ordered. Ari quickly nodded and darted off to get the men working on the next section of pipeline.
He inhaled the air deeply, proud of the life he’d built. But, he was definitely ready to get this project done so he could go see his wife. Work may pay for the life he wanted, but his wife was what made it worth living.
And he
could think of no better motivation than her.
He turned, barking orders at his men to get moving. It was going to be a long day, but when it was done, so was he.
Chapter Four
The call from her husband hadn’t done much to alleviate how much she missed him, but at least Lorelei knew Johan had a mission. Being half a world away, she took comfort that at least he would be too busy and they’d see each other in less than a week.
Besides, she had her own work to think about. Johan would be busy over the next few days and she would only serve as a distraction. Plus, she needed at least that long to research the many legends about the first Viking settlers on the mysterious volcanic island.
The first legend she was interested in researching was the lost treasure left behind by one of the original settlers, Þrasi Þórólfsson. Unlike other legends passed down through time, this one was backed by up by stories of locals who’d actually managed to see the treasure chest within the waterfall. One man had even been able to grasp the ring before the chest collapsed, falling deep within a chamber within the waterfall. The ring was now displayed at a nearby church as testament to lore. What it was, no one really knew.
The Skógafoss waterfall was located just outside Reykjavik and was one of the largest waterfalls in the small country. Standing just over two hundred feet high and eight two feet wide, millions of gallons of water passed through it daily, heading for the Atlantic. The waterfall’s spray constantly produced double and triple rainbows and had become quite the tourist destination.
Some people didn’t believe the treasure existed, but Lorelei had a gut feeling that there was something incredibly important hidden away in the Skógafoss waterfall.
And she was going to be the person who proved it.
Her guide Pétur Volfhoss on the other hand, wasn’t so sure she’d find something. There’d been multiple expeditions to try and find Þórólfsson’s treasure over the millennia and each had proven as fruitless as the last.
He would spend her money easily enough and take the strange German anywhere she wanted to go. But he did enjoy pointing out the folly of her quest.
“Another two miles to the waterfall you said?” Lorelei asked, her puffing breath exposed as tiny white clouds in the chilly early morning.
“It’s a hike, but the view is worth it,” Pétur promised. “There’s little chance of our making it to the church in time, but, we can try.”
“Forget the church,” Lorelei said, nearly out of breath. “I just want to get behind the waterfall.”
The church was where the ring taken from the alleged treasure chest was stored. Lorelei quickened her pace, moving in front of her guide.
“Ms. Decklund, you should save your energy,” Pétur warned. “We’ve got a long way to go yet.”
“The sooner I get my research finished, the sooner I can join my husband in Berlin,” Lorelei replied, quickening her steps up the steep hill.
“What does your husband do if I may inquire?”
“He works in oil development.”
“That must make him good money,” Pétur said.
Lorelei smiled uncomfortably. They were comfortable enough of course. But they weren’t exactly the jet setting all over the world.
“I got lucky and married out of my league. First date, neither one of us wanted to be there, but once we got a look into each other’s eyes, we both knew that was it.”
“Must be hard for him to romance you while you both are traveling from country to country, spending all that time apart.”
“We knew what we were signing up for. The small amounts of time we get for now is worth it. Our jobs are important and we would never ask the other to give up what we love to do.”
“Sounds like a lonely marriage.”
Lorelei shrugged. “Technology being what it is today, we’re able to talk and see each other most every day. It’s not like we’re sending one letter every other month.”
Pétur nodded at this as they moved through the trail together.
“Love is worth whatever sacrifice you need to make,” Pétur said smiling. They moved quietly for a few minutes until they crested at the top of the hill. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of the waterfall. They must be close.
“When it’s right, it’s worth everything,” she said dutifully, as the pair surveyed the view below.
“Love is harder to find in a country the size of our own,” Pétur said wistfully.
“She’s out there for you,” Lorelei said confidently. “If I hadn’t believed I’d find it myself, I’d still be in your shoes. You can’t rush fate my friend. She’s fickle and on her own schedule. Just like a woman,” she added with a wink.
“I thought writing books was your fate?”
“Writing is the reason I get up in the morning. There’s a difference.”
They climbed the hill ahead of them, Pétur red cheeks blowing in and out as he struggled to catch his breath.
“Writing is good to you?” Pétur shook his head.
Lorelei chuckled and adjusted the pack back, shaking her head, “I wouldn’t call it good money, but it certainly feels good, and you can’t ask for anything more than that.”
“You must be passionate about what you do, to do it for such little money.” Pétur took off his cap and shook his head, replacing it. “All I do is show people around my country and I make very good money. It isn’t hard. I’m sure a smart person such as yourself could find something just as simple and profitable.”
“Maybe,” Lorelei shrugged, “I write because I want to live the life I write about, but don’t have the resources to.”
“But you write fiction,” Pétur asked confused, “Things that will never happen. What life is that?”
Lorelei chuckled, “It’s much more than that. Besides, I take my inspiration from history which is far more interesting than anything I might come up with. Even Stephen King couldn’t dream up anything crazier than this supposed buried treasure. What was so important that Þrasi had to conceal it within the waterfall?”
Pétur shrugged, “Local legends talk of his hoarding jewels and gold.”
Lorelei shook her head, “Unlikely. Early colonists wouldn’t bury gold and jewels when first setting up a colony here. They’d want that money to be easily accessed for trade. The treasure would be useless to them otherwise.”
“Hard to guess at the motivations of people who died centuries ago,” Pétur said shrugging.
Lorelei smiled, “Which is why I’m out here.”
Pétur nodded, “The worst thing that could happen is you don’t find anything.”
“Exactly,” Lorelei replied.
“Then I suppose this is your chance to find out if you’re really doing what you’re meant to,” Pétur said, as they crested their final hill.
Lorelei hadn’t known what to expect, but it wasn’t this.
In front of them was a trail of people who were heading for the waterfall, taking pictures and setting up their campsites. A popular destination for tourists, the Skógafoss waterfall was in particularly good form today as a double rainbow hovered over the huge expanse of falling water.
The distant roar as millions of gallons headed for the Atlantic was like music to Lorelei’s ears. After hundreds of hours in various libraries across Europe, she was finally here, ready to follow Þórólfsson’s trail and hopefully find its treasure.
An enormous field, full of wildflowers stretched out before them like a green carpet welcoming them to the largest waterfall on the island. A crowd of campers crowded around the riverbank, as they watched millions of gallons of water pour over the side of the picturesque cliff. The steep edges leading to the top of Skógafoss waterfall made it impossible to summit from the front, but Lorelei knew there were several trails she could take that would take her to the top of the country’s best known natural wonder.
“You wouldn’t be the first to come away from Skógafoss empty-handed. But who knows? Perhaps your gut tells you thing
s the others didn’t.” Pétur said.
“If gut feelings were enough to publish, I’d be hip deep in bestsellers,” Lorelei said, slightly distracted. “How far to the top of the waterfall?”
Pétur shrugged as he adjusted his pack, looking critically at the trailhead leading up to the summit, “Shouldn’t be more than an hour, if that.”
Lorelei nodded and indicated they should get moving. At this time of year and this far north of the equator, they had about six hours of daylight left. Plenty of time for her get up there and see what she could find.
She followed Pétur up the trail and smiled, thinking again of how much Johan would love Skógafoss.
Chapter Five
The flight had taken him all night. After Kline’s disappearance from the plane, Geoffrey had tried to contact his boss, but gave up after being ignored. Besides, he was fascinated with the coverage of the terrorist incident at the San Ellijo nuclear plant and was glued to the television. Kline was likely hip deep in that mayhem and if anything had happened to his boss, he’d likely see it on TV before he heard from Kline.
It was only after arriving in Los Angeles he’d learned that Kline had survived. A message appeared on his smartphone and informed him that Kline was back in New York City waiting for Tate to arrive in the States.
The message from his billionaire boss had another missive for him. He wanted a full report on Tate’s plan to capture and kill Alex McCray as well as an estimate as to how long it would take.
Normally an e-mail this demanding from his boss would make him sweat during the flight, but he was confident in his plan. It was still early, but all the pieces were in place and that meant it would only be a matter of time.
After watching the news all night, he’d been relieved that neither Kline nor Alex McCray had been listed among the dead. After the series of defeats and setbacks dealt to him by the meddlesome Alex McCray, he wanted to be the one to kill their meddlesome interloper.
Tate arrived at the laboratory tucked underneath the Los Angeles boardwalk and swiped his access card on the elevator that would take him down into the lab. There, he could reconnect with Kline and use equipment there to help put his plan of capturing McCray into motion.
