Salt by Colin F. Barnes Page A

having a lovely stroll about. Nice night for it, innit?”
    “It’s cold,” Jim replied, his voice tightening. Graves wasn’t the kind of man he wanted to bump into on a dark night.
    Graves didn’t say anything, just stood there, looking grim.
    “About our deal,” Jim said, thinking he should just get it over and done with while he had the chance. “It’s off. There’s no need to… deal with Faust now.”
    Marcus raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and expected Jim to continue.
    “You see, things have changed. I’m going to release her, make things right with her people. Work out a peaceful solution to this.”
    “Oh, peaceful, huh? Yeah, that’s not going to work. That lot are beyond peace. They pose a threat that needs dealing with. Besides, Jim, you forgetting that I want Frank out.”
    “He tried to kill me,” Jim said.
    Graves shrugged as though that had no meaning.
    “He stays inside,” Jim said, “until I can trust he won’t pose a threat.”
    “Jim, my old son.” Graves gripped Jim’s shoulder, pulling him close. “I don’t think you fully understand the situation here. You made a deal, and we’re sticking by it. There’s no negotiation on this now. You understand? It’s done. I thought you were a man of honour, Jim. A man of your word. Or is Faust right? Are you a liar and a betrayer? Are you a sinner, Jim?”
    “We’re all sinners here,” Jim said, pushing Graves’ hand off his shoulder.
    Graves grabbed Jim by his coat and pushed him back until his feet started to slip on the edge. Jim tried to push out with his arms, but the jacket material had bunched beneath them, restricting his movement.
    “I’ll make this real simple for you,” Marcus said as he pitched Jim towards the edge. “If you don’t release Frank by the morning, we’ll take him by force, and you and I will have some serious words. You get me?”
    Anger bloomed inside Jim, and all he wanted to do then was smash Graves in the face and send him over, watch his body get ripped apart by sharks, but he had no choice but to nod and agree.
    “Say you understand,” Graves said.
    “Fine, I understand.”
    Marcus smiled and pulled Jim from the edge, letting him go.
    Jim had to throw his arms and body forward to prevent himself from losing his balance and toppling backwards off the container ship’s deck. He steadied himself, bunched a fist ready to strike out, but when he looked up, Graves was already walking away in the dark passages of the containers.
    Jim kicked out with frustration and stifled a shout. It seemed wherever he turned, trouble waited for him, and Marcus wasn’t the kind of trouble he wanted. He took a moment to gather his cool, and slowly, with shaking hands, made his way down to the lower level and headed for Singh’s medical facility, all the while concocting murderous scenarios of how to deal with Marcus, Frank, and Susan Faust. Would he have to add Mike to that list? He hoped not. He was one of the good guys. But if it came to it…
    If it came to it.

Chapter 13
    Eva and Ade trod water, holding onto each other’s arms. They had their facemasks on, regulators in. Ade had brought along a high-powered diving light to help illuminate their way, while Eva had a diving knife clipped to her belt. Neither wore a full wet suit. There just wasn’t time. Ade was used to the temperatures, but Eva wore a short suit covering her top half and arms. They would only be in the water for a short while with any luck.
    She checked the pouch clipped to the arms of her buoyancy control backpack. Inside was the key to the lock that would give them access to the sub. She made the “okay” sign by forming a circle with her thumb and forefinger. Ade returned it. He pointed down with his thumb, and Eva nodded. With that, the South African dived down into the water, his body slipping through the darkness.
    The diving light created a wide bloom of illumination, making it easy for Eva to dive in and catch up with Ade. She