“Sounds good.”
“Any idea what we might be looking for?”
Sean peered at the island. From fifty yards out, he couldn’t see anything of significance. The small piece of land didn’t look like much. Maybe an interesting place to hang out for a day to get away from other people, but other than that, it couldn’t have appeared less consequential. He studied the rocky facade, scanning from one end to another, still finding nothing of note.
“Not a clue,” Sean said after another minute of looking. “If we can’t find anything on land, we might have to take the boat around to the other side, maybe check it out from the water.”
“Good idea.”
The island wouldn’t take long to circle with the boat, but would take a considerable amount of time for swimmers to get around, especially in the Ionian Sea.
Sean noticed his friend eyeing the water suspiciously. “What’s up? What are you lookin’ for?”
“Oh,” Tommy said, returning his attention to the flippers on the floor. He slid one foot into one of the fins and then the other. “I was just wondering if there were sharks in these waters.”
Sean tightened the last strap on his flipper and smiled. “Yeah, there are a lot of different species of sharks in this area. But most of the time they don’t bother people.”
Tommy looked up in surprise. “Wait, what? There really are sharks here?”
Sean laughed. “Yeah. I mean, there are sharks in a lot of places. But there are a lot of them in the Mediterranean. Trust me, though, they aren’t going to bother you.”
Tommy wasn’t convinced. “How do you know that?” There was a hint of panic in his voice. Where Sean was terrified of heights, Tommy had a healthy fear of sharks, however irrational it likely was. Sean was certain his friend had watched the Jaws movies too many times.
“They talked about it on Shark Week. Less than half a percent of shark attacks on humans annually in this part of the world. It’s actually really low, though scientists aren’t sure why considering there are so many people here.”
Tommy’s incredulity was written all over his face. His mouth dropped wide open in disbelief. “Shark Week?”
“Yeah, you know, on television.”
“I know what Shark Week is. Just not sure I believe everything on television.”
“It’s going to be fine, buddy. There probably aren’t any in this shallow water.” Sean stood up and moved over to the edge of the boat, then leaned over and hung his feet off the side. “Come on,” he said, motioning with his hand.
Tommy looked doubtful for a minute, but finally got up and stepped over to the starboard side of the boat. Sean dropped into the water and started kicking his legs to maintain his position while he waited on his hesitant friend.
“The water feels great,” he said and started swimming toward the island. The fins on his feet propelled him forward like a human torpedo.
Tommy scanned the rippling surface of the water one last time as he hung his legs over the edge and paused. He shook his head. “Shark Week?” he said to himself, and then dropped into the warm water. He trusted Sean, but he paddled and kicked hard so he could reach the shore in less time, just in case.
Chapter 44
The giant yacht cut easily through the Ionian waters as it motored away from the island of Corfu and into the open sea. The ship’s hydrodynamic shape and powerful engines made sailing aboard the vessel extremely smooth. Unless conditions were somewhat extreme (like massive waves), the occupants aboard the yacht experienced a comfortable journey.
Paulino stood on the starboard side of the ship with one hand on a chrome railing. He stared out across the water at some of the surrounding islands and back at Corfu’s mountain range still high in the distance. He’d just made a lot of money, which made him extremely happy. When he left Wyatt and Schultz with their boat, Paulino had swiftly made his way over to the other side of the marina where he met up with his employer, Teo. Along the way, Paulino had been extremely cautious, wary that one of the Americans might see him heading in an odd direction and become suspicious. They hadn’t seen him, though, and now Paulino was a special guest aboard the yacht of Dimitris Gikas, the man who had apparently bankrolled his little mission.
When he arrived at the huge boat, Paulino expected the exchange to be simple. He would give Bourdon the tracking monitor, and then the remainder of his fee would be wired to one of his secure bank accounts. He’d been surprised when Bourdon invited him aboard the ship for a drink.
“Come, you have traveled far and I just made you a lot of money. The least you can do is have a drink with me,” Bourdon had said.
Paulino wasn’t one to turn down a drink, and his employer was right: Paulino had traveled a great distance. Maybe a little boat ride and a drink would be a nice diversion before he headed back to Rome, on Gikas’s private plane, he hoped.
He took a drink from the tumbler Bourdon’s bartender had offered. Paulino’s drink of choice had always been gin. Apparently, Gikas was a man of good taste. The bartender had a full bottle of Hendrick’s Gin behind the bar and poured a generous serving on ice for the ship’s special guest.
Paulino savored the piney flavor of the alcohol as he swallowed another sip, gazing out across the sun-drenched waters. He’d worked hard for this. He deserved it.
“How’s the drink?” Bourdon’s voice startled him from behind.
Paulino spun around, nearly spilling some of the clear liquid as he did so. He recovered quickly and took another sip. “Outstanding,” he said with a grin. “Your friend certainly has good taste in alcohol, and in boats.” He motioned to the luxurious vessel with his free hand. “This ship is amazing.”
“Only the best,” Bourdon said with a sly grin.
“So,” Paulino said with a curious expression on his face, “when do I get to meet this mysterious friend of yours? I don’t believe I have ever seen Dimitris Gikas before.”
“He should be out on deck soon. He’s taking care of some business inside the ship. I believe he is acquiring a small pharmaceutical company. That’s just between you and me, though.” Bourdon gave a quick wink.
Paulino gave an understanding nod. “I will be sure not to mention it. He must be a very powerful man.”
“He is, and you have done him a great service. We are tracking Wyatt and his friend and will have them in our custody within the hour.”
Paulino was in the middle of taking another drink when he heard Bourdon’s comment. He nearly spit some of the gin back into the glass, but managed to keep it in his mouth and swallow. “In your custody? I thought you just wanted to watch them.”
Bourdon shrugged and shook his head slowly. “No, we needed you for that so we could find exactly where they were going and apprehend them. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
Paulino was quick to shake his head defensively. “Not at all. What you do with them is your business and no concern of mine. I just didn’t know what you wanted with them. You can kill the Americans for all I care.” He hurriedly put the tumbler to his mouth again and pulled in another draw of the cool liquid.
Bourdon looked back at the big island and then out at the smattering of smaller ones. “Do you know why we want those two Americans?”
The Italian puckered his lips and shook his head. “No. Should I?”
“Do you know who they are?”
“I found some information about Schultz online. Wyatt was a little more difficult to gather any intel on, but I found a few things, along with the dossier you gave me. They sound like a couple of treasure hunters if you ask me.”