Bourdon crouched on the floor, ready to kill whoever risked coming too close. He’d never been nervous about anything in his life. His military training in the Balkans had eradicated any sense of anxiety he had left from childhood. Now, however, there was a hesitancy in his throat as he swallowed, keeping his breathing even and low so as not to alert the Americans of his position.
The conversation between the two friends may have been a decoy to try to draw him out. Bourdon was no fool. Even if the Americans made their way back to the water in the other room, he was going to stay put.
His finger tensed on the trigger as he drew in another slow breath.
Something crashed hard into his jaw, sending him tumbling head over heels backward. He fired off a desperate shot, but the bullet pinged harmlessly off the ceiling and floor. The ground gave way to a brief moment of air before he felt the water smack against his back. Bourdon kicked his feet hard and swung his arms violently, forsaking his weapon in the process of trying to stay afloat in the death trap. He felt something rub against his foot for a second. It was smooth and rubbery. Next, it rubbed against the calf of his other leg. A terrible feeling of dread filled Bourdon’s heart just before he felt the first teeth sink deep into his thigh.
He let out a scream of agony, still thrashing around in the darkness. The sound was brief, though, as another of the sea’s killing machines tore into his torso and pulled Bourdon under the water.
Sean had calculated his swing perfectly. He’d climbed up onto the pedestal and risked kicking the invisible target. His foot swung low, increasing the likelihood of making contact. From the feel of it, he was fairly certain he’d hit the killer squarely under his chin.
He turned on his light, and Tommy followed suit, bringing the room back into pale illumination once more. Sean got down from his perch and shined his light into the trap. The seawater was stained red with blood.
Tommy stepped close and looked down into the cavity. “I thought you said the sharks in these parts never attacked humans. They just killed two people!”
Sean shrugged. “Yeah, but they were bad people.”
Tommy just shook his head.
The two shifted their gaze to the antikythera sitting on the cubed plinth. Along the edge of the deadly trapdoor, two lips stood out from either side of the floor.
“Here,” Sean said, handing his flashlight to Tommy. “Hold this.”
Tommy did as he was told and kept both lights shining in front of Sean as he carefully put the outer edge of both feet on the lips of the crevasse. He inched his way forward, legs spread apart in an upside down V-shape as he shimmied his way toward the shining metal object. It was a slow process with a horrifying death waiting below, but Sean made it safely to the other side of the trapdoor and planted both feet on the square surface surrounding the marble altar. He stared at the object for a moment, praying silently that Caesar had left no other traps to be triggered. Sean’s fingers touched the cold, metal surface. He gazed at the intricate inner workings of gears and arms, not unlike the innards of a clock. Odd symbols were etched into three wheels that stood out from the rest of the device. He remembered what the president had said about those characters. The meaning of them had never been released to the public.
As his hands wrapped around the antikythera, his mind started wondering if he should indeed give it to Gikas. Up until now, he’d been making it up as he went along. The curious part of him wondered how the thing worked. The archaeologist in him wanted to turn one of the wheels and change the alignment of the symbols to see what would happen, but he didn’t have time. An idea sparked in his mind. Perhaps he and Tommy wouldn’t have to hand over the Eye of Zeus after all.
He picked up the bronze object, surprised at how light it felt in his hands, and tucked it under one arm like a football.
“Is it heavy?” Tommy asked, concerned that Sean would drop it or not be able to make it back across the span.
“No, I got it,” Sean said.
“It’s a shame we have to give it to that madman. But there isn’t any other way, I suppose.”
Sean shook his head as he began to slide his feet back onto the two lips of stone and work his way across the watery hole. “No, there is another way.”
Chapter 51
“It might work,” Tommy said with a hint of doubt in his voice.
The two friends stood on the deck of the rental boat with their scuba gear still attached. Swimming out of the underwater cavern had been easy enough, only taking them a few minutes to get back up to the surface.
On the horizon, the sun eased its way toward the sea. Sunset was coming soon. Sean wished they could wait to implement his plan under the cover of darkness, adding stealth to the element of surprise.
“It has to work,” Sean said.
“Look.” Tommy pointed around the edge of the island. “Just like you said. The yacht’s turning around and coming this way.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Sean asked. “Makes no sense to stay parked out there when they could sit next to our boat and wait for their prize to come to them.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.”
The white yacht gradually came about and pointed its nose right at the Americans’ position.
“You don’t think they saw us, do you?” Tommy sounded slightly worried.
“Not yet, but we need to get back in the water before they do.”
Tommy didn’t wait for the order. He slipped his mask back on and switched on the air for his tank. Sean did the same and slung a black satchel over his shoulder. The two dropped back in the water and disappeared from view.
Ten minutes later, the larger boat eased next to the cabin cruiser. The yacht’s captain didn’t lower the anchor, instead electing to keep the ship under his direct control. On the starboard deck, two guards with sunglasses and submachine guns paced in opposite directions, keeping ever-watchful eyes on the sea.
They never expected two men to emerge from the water onto the rear of the boat. Sean and Tommy quietly pulled themselves onto the narrow swim deck attached the hull. Careful not to make too much noise, they slipped out of their dive gear and peeked over the edge of the aft railing. One guard stood alone, staring off at the other island a mile or so away. Taking the knife Tommy had kept from the dead guard in the cavern, Sean slid over the railing and onto the aft deck. He felt an old energy creeping into his body. It was the same thing he’d felt on countless Axis missions all over the world. The sensation had kept him alert and quick, two things that were absolute essentials for a field agent. Fortunately for him, the guard wasn’t nearly as alert.
Sean grabbed the man’s mouth and jabbed the tip of the blade through the back of his neck. The guard’s struggle weakened almost instantly. Sean lowered the body to the deck slowly so as not to draw any unwanted attention.
Tommy joined him onboard, holding a Berretta in one hand. Sean slid the knife back into the sheath he’d confiscated earlier and brandishing the newly dead guard’s weapon in its place. A pop startled the two men, and a piece of the wooden railing exploded into splinters. Tommy and Sean both ducked instinctively, but they were in the open with no cover in sight.
The gun fired again, and Sean rolled to the starboard side, spotting where the shots were coming from. He squeezed the trigger four times. Two bullets plunked into the back part of the cabin, one went into the horizon, and another landed at the feet of the guard he was targeting.
The guard fired again, causing Sean to roll back to his left, where Tommy was scrambling to get up. More shots came from the port side of the boat, ripping the deck and railing to shreds. The only thing saving the Americans was the fact that the boat continued to rock back and forth, making accuracy with a firearm a huge problem.