PROBLEM .”
Hunter stared at the rusted three-inch-long screw and frowned. “Where’d you get that? A yard sale?”
Sammy, the boat’s mechanic, wiped a layer of soot from his face. He stood about five feet tall and almost as wide, leading Annja to wonder how he could work in the close confines of the engine room. He huffed and pointed at the screw. “That’s your culprit. Jammed up the gears on the engine transmission. That’s why we started smoking. And if I hadn’t found it in time, it probably would have wrecked the engines outright.”
Hunter picked up the screw. “But what’s it doing in our engines? Ours are brand-new. This thing looks ancient.”
Sammy shrugged. “That’d be a bit beyond my department, boss. The fact that it was in the engines leads me to wonder who might have put it there.”
Annja stared at him. “You think someone sabotaged the engines?”
“Screws like that don’t appear out of nowhere. Someone had to put the damned thing in where I found it, which was tucked back nicely so a cursory examination would have missed it on the first few passes.”
Hunter frowned. “A saboteur on the boat?”
Annja stared down at her chowder. In truth, she hadn’t felt like seafood, but there wasn’t a lot of alternative cuisine on the boat, so she tucked into it and found it delicious. The warmth of the soup made her feel a bit more relaxed than she had been when she’d come in from the deck.
But now, the idea that someone on board was actively looking to disrupt the treasure hunt made her worry. Especially when she thought back to her own encounter with the person or persons who attacked her.
Cole took the screw from Hunter and turned it over in his hand. “How well do you know your crew, bro?”
Hunter frowned. “I thought I knew them all well enough to trust them with the delicate aspects of this operation.”
“It would seem that’s not exactly the case. Someone might be playing for the other side.”
Annja looked up. “What other side?”
Hunter smirked. “Cole gets a bit paranoid about this stuff.”
“It’s not paranoia. It’s a genuine concern.” He looked at Annja. “Any time you’re talking about treasure, there’s always the risk that someone else will hear about your hunt and then take steps to, shall we say, throw up challenges to your operation.”
“So you think this is an active attempt to derail this treasure hunt?” Annja frowned. “That would mean the traitors are still among us.”
Hunter glanced around at the few other diners in the galley and frowned. “I don’t like looking at any of my people like they’re criminals.”
Sammy cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, like I said earlier, that screw didn’t find its way into the engines by itself. You’ve got a rat on board, Mr. Williams. God knows what they’ll try next.”
Cole watched as Sammy ambled away. “He’s right.”
Hunter nodded. “I know it, dammit. But the prospect of treating everyone like a suspect doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve had my own run-ins with the law before. I know what it’s like to face questioning. It’s not something I take lightly.”
“No one’s accusing you of being a hard-ass,” Cole said. “But for the sake of this trip, we’ve got to find out what’s going on. Our investment’s at risk and our lives could very well be in jeopardy. Combine this with the attack on Annja and we’ve got a real problem to tackle.”
“And the shark?” Hunter asked.
Cole chuckled. “Well, fortunately for us, the last time I checked, sharks don’t come on board the boats they stalk. I think he’s innocent in the engine room sabotage and the attack on Annja.”
“I meant, what about studying it?”
“I know what you meant, bro.” Cole took a drink. “But I think that we have to put a stop to everything until we get to the bottom of this. We can’t risk being distracted with anything else right now.”
Hunter stared at his brother and then nodded.
Hunter stared at the rusted three-inch-long screw and frowned. “Where’d you get that? A yard sale?”
Sammy, the boat’s mechanic, wiped a layer of soot from his face. He stood about five feet tall and almost as wide, leading Annja to wonder how he could work in the close confines of the engine room. He huffed and pointed at the screw. “That’s your culprit. Jammed up the gears on the engine transmission. That’s why we started smoking. And if I hadn’t found it in time, it probably would have wrecked the engines outright.”
Hunter picked up the screw. “But what’s it doing in our engines? Ours are brand-new. This thing looks ancient.”
Sammy shrugged. “That’d be a bit beyond my department, boss. The fact that it was in the engines leads me to wonder who might have put it there.”
Annja stared at him. “You think someone sabotaged the engines?”
“Screws like that don’t appear out of nowhere. Someone had to put the damned thing in where I found it, which was tucked back nicely so a cursory examination would have missed it on the first few passes.”
Hunter frowned. “A saboteur on the boat?”
Annja stared down at her chowder. In truth, she hadn’t felt like seafood, but there wasn’t a lot of alternative cuisine on the boat, so she tucked into it and found it delicious. The warmth of the soup made her feel a bit more relaxed than she had been when she’d come in from the deck.
But now, the idea that someone on board was actively looking to disrupt the treasure hunt made her worry. Especially when she thought back to her own encounter with the person or persons who attacked her.
Cole took the screw from Hunter and turned it over in his hand. “How well do you know your crew, bro?”
Hunter frowned. “I thought I knew them all well enough to trust them with the delicate aspects of this operation.”
“It would seem that’s not exactly the case. Someone might be playing for the other side.”
Annja looked up. “What other side?”
Hunter smirked. “Cole gets a bit paranoid about this stuff.”
“It’s not paranoia. It’s a genuine concern.” He looked at Annja. “Any time you’re talking about treasure, there’s always the risk that someone else will hear about your hunt and then take steps to, shall we say, throw up challenges to your operation.”
“So you think this is an active attempt to derail this treasure hunt?” Annja frowned. “That would mean the traitors are still among us.”
Hunter glanced around at the few other diners in the galley and frowned. “I don’t like looking at any of my people like they’re criminals.”
Sammy cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, like I said earlier, that screw didn’t find its way into the engines by itself. You’ve got a rat on board, Mr. Williams. God knows what they’ll try next.”
Cole watched as Sammy ambled away. “He’s right.”
Hunter nodded. “I know it, dammit. But the prospect of treating everyone like a suspect doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve had my own run-ins with the law before. I know what it’s like to face questioning. It’s not something I take lightly.”
“No one’s accusing you of being a hard-ass,” Cole said. “But for the sake of this trip, we’ve got to find out what’s going on. Our investment’s at risk and our lives could very well be in jeopardy. Combine this with the attack on Annja and we’ve got a real problem to tackle.”
“And the shark?” Hunter asked.
Cole chuckled. “Well, fortunately for us, the last time I checked, sharks don’t come on board the boats they stalk. I think he’s innocent in the engine room sabotage and the attack on Annja.”
“I meant, what about studying it?”
“I know what you meant, bro.” Cole took a drink. “But I think that we have to put a stop to everything until we get to the bottom of this. We can’t risk being distracted with anything else right now.”
Hunter stared at his brother and then nodded.
Similar Books
