Bourdon took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as if savoring the fresh air. “Wyatt is extremely dangerous. He is a former agent of the United States government. His friend, though slightly less deadly, is still not one to be trifled with. They have something that my employer, Mr. Gikas, would very much like to have.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
Bourdon put both hands on the railing and leaned over, contemplating the answer. “A map.”
“A map?” Paulino echoed. “What kind of map?”
“Mr. Gikas is a collector of ancient Greek relics and pieces of historical value. He has an extremely strong connection to the past in this way. The map that the Americans possess leads to one of the most important artifacts in Greek culture. That object would be the culminating piece in his collection. He simply must have it, and will not stand for the Americans to steal it out from under his nose.”
Paulino frowned. “Must be a pretty important piece for him to go to so much trouble and spend so much money to acquire it.”
“It is,” Bourdon said with a slow nod. “He will stop at nothing to obtain it. That’s why we are going after the Americans right now.”
The Italian’s frown deepened. “I don’t understand. Why did you want me along for the ride if you were going after them? I doubt I would be much help in a fight.” He glanced down disappointedly at his drink, which was now nearly empty.
“Oh, we don’t need your help with detaining the Americans,” Bourdon corrected. “We have enough trained men onboard for that.”
“I noticed,” Paulino motioned to two of the men in tight, black short-sleeved shirts and sunglasses. Their muscles bulged through the thin material. Each man wore the same, emotionless, stern expression. “You could probably take over a small town with these guys.”
“Indeed,” Bourdon said, agreeing with the sentiment. “They are some of the best mercenaries money can buy. Mr. Gikas takes his private security very seriously.”
The boat began to steer to port as it neared a fairly large island straight ahead. Paulino held his empty glass and watched as the island off to the starboard side disappeared behind the cabin of the yacht. The boat’s engine quieted dramatically and the vessel slowed down to an idling speed. “I don’t understand. If you have all these guys, why did you want me along for the ride?”
“Mr. Gikas requested it.”
“And he always gets what he wants, eh?”
“Correct.” Bourdon stood up straight again. He was wearing a light windbreaker in spite of the warm spring air.
Paulino thought for a moment then asked, “Would it be all right if I got another drink?” He held out the glass and raised his eyebrows.
“Certainly,” Bourdon said with an overly polite smile. He took the glass and started for the rear of the cabin, and then turned around. “Gin on the rocks, right?”
Paulino nodded his confirmation. “With a splash of soda water, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course.”
Bourdon disappeared around the corner, leaving Paulino alone by the railing. He leaned over, resting his elbows on the shiny metal as the boat coasted slowly through the clear water. Tiny ripples of waves slapped against the hull, providing a peaceful accompaniment to the trolling engines and the sea breeze that blew across the deck.
A few minutes passed before Bourdon returned with a half-full glass in his hand. “Here you go, old friend.”
Paulino reached out his hand eagerly. “Many thanks,” he said and grabbed the cold tumbler.
He put the rim to his mouth and started to take a drink when suddenly a gloved hand wrapped around his face and yanked his head back. Another hand grabbed his arm, causing Paulino’s hand to loosen and drop the glass overboard. He struggled for a few seconds, attempting to scream through his covered mouth. Bourdon watched with a fervent curiosity as his employee resisted the much stronger man who had surprised him from behind. After a moment of letting Paulino struggle, he nodded to the henchman who twisted the Italian around, facing him out to sea. Bourdon removed a subcompact 9 mm from inside his windbreaker and pressed the sound-suppressed barrel to Paulino’s back.
“We do appreciate your service, Paulino. But like you said, there is nothing more you can do for us.”
The Italian squealed through the gloved fingers, jerking back and forth in a vain attempt to get free. Bourdon squeezed the trigger five successive times, sending a spray of blood out into the azure Ionian Sea. Paulino’s body shuddered for a moment and then relaxed. Bourdon then placed the barrel to the back of Paulino’s skull and pulled the trigger one more time, sending a round through the front of the Italian’s head. The body went completely limp, most of its weight slumping over the boat railing.
Bourdon’s security man hefted Paulino up by the legs, dumping him overboard into the rippling water. The bloody body floated face down for a few moments before gradually sinking into the abyss.
“The sharks will like easy meat,” Bourdon said casually. The mercenary didn’t say anything. He just watched over the side of the boat as the body disappeared. “Tell our employer that Paulino has been taken care of and we are ready to proceed.”
The muscular guard nodded and headed back around to the side door he’d come out of a few moments before.
Bourdon looked out across the sea and took in another deep breath. Soon, Gikas would be one of the most powerful men in all of Europe. And Bourdon would be the second in command.
Chapter 45
Sean reached the white sands of the little island’s beach just a few yards ahead of his friend. Driven by fear, Tommy had swum faster than Sean believed possible. Scattered bits of seaweed, empty shells, and a few rocks cluttered the shoreline. The two men found a clean place to sit down on the sand and remove their fins.
“Shoulda brought some sandals with us to walk around on those rocks up there.” Sean motioned toward the plateau above the cliffs. “I hope the surface isn’t too sharp. Sometimes there can be a lot of jagged spots on rocks like those.”
“Well, it’s too late to go back,” Tommy said, still huffing from the physical exertion of the swim. “We’ll just have to try it and see.” He yanked off a flipper and laid it next to the other one.
Sean shook his head while staring at his friend with a look of amusement. “You really are terrified of those sharks, aren’t you?”
“Better safe than sorry, my friend.”
“I guess,” Sean said and pushed up from the ground. He looked around at the terrain for a second, trying to figure out where they should begin their search. “Let’s start over there at the base of the cliffs on the other side and see if we can find anything, then work our way around.”
“Sounds good.”
Tommy stood up and followed Sean as he carefully maneuvered his way across the sand toward the far corner of the beach. The farther they went ashore, the more dead tree branches and large rocks they had to avoid. After a few minutes of strategic movement, they reached the other side of the flat beach where it rose sharply thirty feet into a jagged stone cliff. The sand dropped off steeply into the light-blue water at the edge. Sean could see a few small fish swimming around in seemingly random directions, darting back and forth. He grabbed onto a piece of the cliff that jutted out and tested his weight on it. Satisfied it could hold him, he leaned out around the corner of the rocky face and surveyed the area.
“See anything?” Tommy asked, standing behind his friend, peeking over his shoulder.
Sean shook his head. “Nothing over here. Looks like the water gets pretty deep around this bend in the rocks, but no sign of anything unusual.” He pointed back to the middle of the shore where a steep slope led down to the sand. “Head over that way and let’s walk up top to see what’s up there.”