Phantom Prospect Read online

  Annja cast her glance farther out beyond the harbor. The sea stretched before them: mighty, massive, and unknown.

  Just like the thing that killed Jock.

  5

  They boarded a smaller dinghy and sped out toward the main salvage ship, which from a distance looked nothing like it was equipped for any type of recovery operation. Annja pointed at it as they approached. “That doesn’t much look like a salvage ship, Hunter.”

  “That’s the point.” Hunter smiled. “We’ve learned some hard lessons since we got started a number of years ago. The number one lesson is to not let your competition know what you’re up to.”

  “There’s a lot?”

  “Of rival treasure hunters? Oh yeah.” Surf spray washed over them all and Hunter wiped his face. “It’s mostly minor league stuff. No one’s taking out contracts on another company or anything. But if people know what you’re planning to do, they can get a head start on jumping the claim ahead of you.”

  Annja could see some activity on the deck. “Can’t you just claim the site as belonging to you?”

  “Not really. You have to jump through loopholes with the nation whose territorial waters you’re in. Then there’s the question of who might own the contents, and all that stuff. If enough time has passed, it’s not really an issue, but there are plenty of ways to get hung up in paperwork.”

  “Which is why we have lawyers,” Cole said.

  Hunter nodded. “Amen to the lawyers. At least this time.”

  Annja grinned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means his ex-wife ran him through the cleaners,” Cole said. “And she was merciless.”

  Hunter shook his head. “I won’t ever make that kind of mistake again. Mark my words.”

  Hunter eased the throttle down on the dinghy motor and the little boat bobbed on the waves, closing the final distance down between them and the salvage ship. Annja noted that it was about a hundred feet long and had more of the appearance of a luxury yacht than anything else.

  A ladder came over the side and Cole motioned for Annja to lead the way. She found the grips and went right up, finally stepping aboard the ship. Cole came up behind her, followed by Tom, and then at last Hunter stepped aboard.

  “We would have come up from the stern, but I think we might have some work going on right now so I wanted to leave it clear. If people are in the water and that shark comes back, I want them able to exit quickly.”

  Annja nodded. “Fair plan.”

  Hunter spread his arms. “Allow me to welcome you to The Seeker. As grand a ship as there ever was what sailed the seas.”

  “Got a parrot to go along with that accent?” Cole asked. “You never could resist the urge to showboat.”

  Hunter stepped back. “I am slain by your tainted barbs, dear brother.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  Hunter winked at Annja. “Right, well, let’s get you settled down below and then see if we can make some sense out of this whole situation.”

  They entered the cabin and Hunter led them down a flight of steep stairs to the sleeping quarters. He turned as he walked. “We’re a little short of space, but I managed to find some room. I hope the accommodations are acceptable.”

  He opened a wooden door and Annja saw that the cabin was more luxurious than she’d expected. A double bed stood near the porthole and a small bureau would hold her gear, the little she’d brought with her. There was a small television as well. She glanced at Hunter. “Very comfortable.”

  Cole rolled his eyes. “This is probably the only worthwhile investment he’s ever made.”

  Hunter sighed. “Are we going to get into this all over again? I’d rather focus on the actual reason you’re here, rather than how to make me feel like crap for some of my past decisions.”

  “All right, all right.” Cole held up his hands. “Show me where I’m staying and then we’ll get to work.”

  Hunter looked uncomfortable. “Uh…”

  “What?”

  Hunter leaned against the doorjamb. “Well, it’s just that, when I called and you mentioned you were bringing Annja along…I just sort of assumed that it was because you two were…you know…”

  “Together?” Annja asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Cole sighed. “I don’t get my own room?”

  “I don’t have any to spare. Your pal Tom is being stuffed into an old storage closet that we managed to fit a mattress into, but even that’s a stretch. And not in a good way.”

  Cole took a deep breath and looked at Annja. “I apologize for this. If you want to leave, I don’t blame you in the slightest.”

  Annja smirked. “Do I look like some little innocent miss you’ve got to save from the perils of man? I’ve been in awkward situations before. I’ll manage with this one.” She looked at Hunter. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. Let’s not lose sight of why we’re here. If I can help out somehow, then that’s all that matters.”

  Cole shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  He started forward, but Annja lobbed her bag onto the bed first. “I sleep on that side. You get the porthole.”

  Cole looked at the bed and then back at Annja. “I don’t do well on the porthole side.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. I just never have.”

  Hunter chuckled. “That’s true. One of the first boats our dad bought, Cole there slept funny and woke up heaving halfway through the night. He blew chunks all over dad’s teakwood finish. Hoo boy, the old man was furious about that one.”

  “Thanks for bringing that up,” Cole said.

  “Anytime.”

  Annja sighed. “All right, take the door side. But if any trouble comes through that door, I’ll expect you to be up and defending the room. If you can’t do that, I’ll take over. Just hold them off long enough for me to wake up.”

  Hunter and Cole looked at her.

  “What?” Annja asked.

  “That sort of thing happen to you before?” Hunter asked.

  “You’d be surprised,” Annja said. “A lot of things have come through my bedroom doors over the years and not all of them have been good. Or even remotely pleasant.”

  Hunter glanced at Cole. “That’s some roommate you scored for yourself there, bro. Best of luck making it through the night.”

  Cole nodded slowly. “I might need it from the sound of things.”

  Annja clapped her hands. “No use dwelling on it. Just that my work has exposed me to a lot of potential risks is all.”

  “And here I thought you were just a mild-mannered scientist with an outdoor streak,” Cole said.

  Annja grinned. “And I used to think you had some common sense rattling around in that skull of yours.”

  Hunter frowned. “Oh, no, don’t you tell me he’s swimming with great whites again.”

  “He is.”

  “Jeez.” Hunter shook his head. “Dude, how many times have I told you that’s not a good idea?”

  “It’s fine,” Cole said. “I’ve done it a few times now and there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Famous last words.”

  “Annja was there on my most recent swim,” Cole said.

  Hunter glanced at her. “You were? You let him go and do it?”

  “Hey, I had no clue anything of the sort was going on. We were in the cage, he motioned for me to get back on to the boat so I did. Next thing I know Jacques Cousteau there is off trying to catch a ride on a giant dorsal fin.”

  Hunter looked at Cole. “You’re trying to ride them now?”

  “It was a thought.”

  “Yeah, a bad one. How in the world can you think that grabbing a dorsal fin on a shark is a good idea? One wrong move and you’ll end up down their gullet as a noontime snack.”

  Cole shook his head. “Not going to happen, Hunter. I’ve researched this. There’s no danger provided I keep my wits about me.”

&nbs
p; “Did you chum the waters this time?”

  “I need a way to attract the fish.”

  Annja looked at Hunter. “Sounds like you’ve been witness to his swimming with sharks before.”

  “Yeah, I saw him do it. Damn near scared me to death. He didn’t tell me he was going to do it until he was actually in the water with them without a cage. I’d had no time to prepare or be ready in case he needed help.”

  “If I needed help,” Cole said. “There would have been nothing you could have done. It would be too late.”

  “Yeah, well, forgive a brother for wanting to help out in case of emergency. It’s not like I love you or anything.”

  Cole smiled. “You’re a pal, really. And I know your heart is in the right place, but it’s not necessary to get all worked up over this.”

  “Not necessary?” Hunter sighed. “Look, dude, I’ve already lost one man to some type of giant shark swimming around in waters where it’s extremely rare. I don’t want to have to bury my own flesh and blood because of some foolish act.”

  “You think it’s foolish?”

  “I think we might both have some unaddressed issues that makes us do reckless things,” Hunter said.

  “You with money,” Cole said.

  “And you with your life,” Hunter replied. “Tough knowing which is worse, huh?”

  “At least you two aren’t beating the crap out of each other like some other brothers I know,” Annja said. “The fact is, it’s risky stuff swimming with apex predators. I think we all know that. And hopefully, Cole will keep his focus when he does and we won’t need to figure out how to put all the chewed-up bits of him into a trash bag for the funeral.”

  Cole laughed. “Colorful.”

  “I like her,” Hunter said. “She’s not afraid to give it back to you, huh?”

  “Or anyone else,” Cole said. “You’d do well to remember that.”

  “I will.” He looked around the cabin. “All right, you guys want to rest? Catch a nap or something? I can arrange for lunch in about an hour if you want. Just let me know.”

  “I’m ready to go, actually,” Cole said. “Let’s get to it.”

  Annja took a breath. She could have used a nap. Plane travel sometimes made her weary. But since Cole had jumped the gun, she wouldn’t miss the chance to get started.

  “I’m good,” she said.

  They exited the cabin and Hunter led them back topside. “I’ll introduce you to the rest of the crew.”

  “How are they handling the death?” Annja asked.

  “As well as can be expected,” Hunter said. “Given that Jock was a bit tough to get along with due to his work ethic and the fact he used to clean them all out with his poker face, there’s a lot more sympathy than I might have reasonably expected.”

  “Anyone quit the project?” Cole asked.

  “Nope. The promise of fortune is too great to scare anyone away just yet.”

  “And competitors?”

  Hunter shook his head. “So far, so good. We’ve kept the search pretty well buttoned up and haven’t seen another ship in days.”

  Cole nodded. “Good.”

  Bright sunlight greeted them as they emerged from below-decks. Annja looked up into the clear blue sky and smiled. Being on the ocean was always invigorating.

  “Hunter!”

  They turned as a young girl came rushing up to them. Hunter frowned. “What’s up, Holly?”

  “Got a blip on the screen again.”

  “Blip?”

  “That thing—the shark? The captain thinks it’s back again.”

  6

  Hunter led them up to the wheelhouse where Annja was surprised to find a young woman studying the bridge console. She looked up as Hunter entered and jabbed a finger at the scope.

  “Can’t be sure. At least, not yet,” the captain said.

  Annja couldn’t see past Hunter’s shoulder. “How come?” she asked.

  The captain glanced at Annja. “Who’s she?”

  Hunter pointed at Annja. “That’s Annja Creed. Annja, meet Jax, our captain.”

  Captain Jax nodded. “Hey.”

  “You said you couldn’t tell if it was the shark. How come?” Annja asked again.

  “Too far out right now. I’ll know more if it comes closer.”

  “Will it?”

  Jax shrugged. “Who knows? It might just be cruising around looking for lunch. As long as none of us are in the water, I don’t care. Let it eat something other than humans and I think we’ll all be better off.”

  Cole pushed his way onto the bridge. “If the actual shark expert could maybe manage to get a look at the scope, that would probably be helpful for all involved.”

  Hunter stepped back. “Sorry, bro.”

  Cole studied the instrument. Annja moved forward and she could make out the slow line circling around the scope. As it passed the lower left section, it grazed what appeared to be a very substantial shape in the water. Cole frowned and leaned back. “You weren’t kidding.”

  “About what?” Hunter asked.

  “It’s big.”

  Annja looked at Cole. “You think it’s a shark?”

  Cole shrugged. “Kinda tough to tell from here.”

  She looked out of the wheelhouse at the back of the boat in the direction she thought the shark would be cruising based on what she’d seen on the scope. To imagine that something that large was swimming the waters was extremely discomforting. Like so many others, Annja had considered colder waters to be relatively free of dangerous sharks.

  So much for that, she thought.

  Cole stepped away from the scope and stared out the back window with Annja. “There’s not a lot I can do from here.”

  Annja looked at him. “I don’t like the way that sounds.”

  He smiled. “But you know it’s the truth.”

  “It seems to be what you do, crazy one.”

  Cole shrugged. “My life, my calling.” He glanced back at Hunter, who was now talking with Captain Jax. “I don’t think he’ll be crazy about the idea, however.”

  “Of course he won’t be. He’s your brother. He doesn’t want to see you in harm’s way.”

  Cole eyed her. “Will you help me?”

  “With what?”

  “I’ll need another set of eyes down there with me.”

  Annja watched the ocean and noticed that it seemed to have gone almost glassy still. “You want me to get in the water with you?”

  “That would be the idea, yeah.”

  “Um, did you bring a cage?”

  Cole smiled. “No. But then again, this will give you a chance to get into the water and see that these sharks aren’t necessarily the bad guys we make them out to be in movies.”

  Annja frowned. “Cole, this shark, if it’s the same one, has already killed one person in recent days.”

  “We don’t know for sure if this is the same shark.”

  Annja leaned against the wall of the wheelhouse. “Why do I feel like I’m living in a bad remake of Jaws?”

  Cole grinned. “Because you’re fighting the stereotypes that have plagued the sharks since that damnable movie came out. Everyone sees them as nothing but mindless predators, just killing machines. But they’re not. They are extremely intelligent.”

  “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

  “You saw them swim with me in the open water. And they didn’t attack.” He smiled. “And don’t forget that I’d chummed that water pretty heavily.”

  Annja sighed. “Yeah, but that was with sharks that hadn’t attacked anyone. Maybe this one has developed a taste for human flesh. I’m not excited about the thought of meeting that fish.”

  Cole shook his head. “Human flesh isn’t what feeds these incredible fish, Annja. We’re not a staple of their diets. What probably happened here was a case of mistaken identity. The victim was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, is all. Could happen to anyone, but unfortunately, he just got caught.”

 
; “That’s not much consolation if you’re trying to sell me on this idea.” Annja felt her stomach turn over. This wasn’t a good idea. And she didn’t need the hard-won instincts she’d gained from countless battles and struggles to tell her that. Anyone who’d ever seen a shark special on the Discovery Channel would tell her this was a bad idea.

  Hunter came over. “The blip’s gone.”

  “It’s gone where?” Annja tried to hide the relief in her voice.

  “I don’t know,” Hunter said. “But the blip is gone. It might have moved out of range. Maybe it’s still there.” He stopped and stared at Cole. “What’s going on here?”

  “Nothing.”

  Hunter frowned. “Bullshit. I know that look.”

  Cole shook his head. “There’s no look, Hunter. You’re imagining things.”

  Hunter looked at Annja. “Is that true?”

  Annja held up her hands. “Leave me out of the sibling confrontations. My stomach hurts.”

  Hunter turned back to Cole and jabbed a finger at him. “I know you too well, bro. I know what you’re thinking about doing. The answer’s no.”

  “What?”

  Hunter pointed outside. “You want in. I turn my back on you and you’ll probably dive right in without any tanks on.”

  Cole smiled. “Maybe.”

  “Water’s awful cold, dude. At least take a wet suit.”

  Cole’s eyes lit up. “You’re serious?”

  Hunter slapped him on the shoulder. “Are you nuts? You’re not going anywhere near the water until we get some extra precautions up here.”

  “Like what?”

  Hunter shrugged. “Like, for one thing, a shark cage. I notice you didn’t haul one along with you.”

  Annja smiled. “The carry-on baggage fee at the airport was a little steep so we had to ditch it.”

  Hunter smirked. “And that wouldn’t have stopped the crazy one here from jumping right in, would it?”

  Annja chewed her lip. Hunter nodded. “Yeah, I knew it. He was trying to talk you into going in there with him, wasn’t he?”