only bargaining chip your brother has is for you to sweet talk your boss into bailing him out. If Nash delivers and everyone keeps their mouths shut, we can all go about our business as usual, like nothin’ happened. Right, Bo?”
Bo Novak. Rachel would make a point to remember his name.
“ Sure,” came from the man of many words.
Novak and Pollero obviously didn’t have a clue as to how a foundation operated or the safeguards Warren Nash had put into place. Even though his grandson maintained a comfortable lifestyle, Rachel knew full well he didn't have access to the amount of money Pollero was talking about. Any sizeable payout from the non-profit’s account required bank authorization and the consent of every member on the board.
Pollero snapped his gum. “You ready to make that call?” He held his phone out to her but she didn’t take it.
"What if there's nothing he can do?" she asked.
His jaw stalled. “You don’t want to know.”
Rachel swung her eyes toward his captives beyond the windowpane. Tied up, bruised. One barely alive. For the sake of all of them, she had no choice. Not with a solution only fathoms away. She brought her eyes back to the scowling villain and drew a long, deep breath.
"Mr. Pollero…I mean Gabe," she began. "I’m assisting a team of divers involved in recovering a Chinese vessel and the valuable cargo she was carrying. One of the items on board is a priceless relic known as the heart of the dragon. Perhaps we could come to an agreement..."
Eleven
Chase watched Alegria’s blower work its magic on the ocean floor for nearly an hour. Sand disappeared in a vortex, replaced by shell and sandstone. He maintained his grip on the metal detector as a rock took shape before him. The particles continued to swirl, revealing the curved side of a blue and white porcelain jar. He freed it from the clinging soil and slipped it into his goody bag.
With two tugs on the air hose, Chase signaled a move and continued swinging the rod. He finished scanning another five-foot section where over twelve meters of silt had already been removed. He was close to calling it quits, when the detector blasted a melodious tune. He brushed the fine sand away, uncovering links in a heavy iron chain. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, anticipating the discovery of Sam’s elusive anchor. And there it was…covered in silt.
The ancient wooden structure pictured in Sam’s book, unlike anything he’d every seen before.
Chase feathered the sand in the opposite direction, following the chain’s length. When he reached the end, the chain disappeared from view. Whatever had been attached to it was hidden on the other side of a mountainous outcropping. He smoothed his hand over the wall's jagged surface. A crack in the rock face caught his glove. He wedged his fingers between two loosened boulders and pivoted them in place. In domino procession, surrounding stones fell away, adding a blinding plume to the murky water. Anticipating a violent avalanche, he pushed off and waited. Remarkably, the hillside remained intact. He swam back and directed his flashlight into the dark portal, leading to another world. The glowing beam moved across the mossy rocks. On a second pass, he lit up a metal canister, tucked neatly into the undergrowth. A red-striped device crushed almost beyond recognition.
Sam's missing flashlight! Had his deceased partner made it this far? With unstable seismic activity in the region, perhaps Sam had been struck by falling rocks. If his air hose was compromised and he panicked before freeing himself, there might be a reasonable explanation for Sam's death. A cause not involving the dive gear Chase had personally checked.
Chase pushed his self-serving notions aside and continued his exploration. Within seconds, he realized the water temperature had taken a sudden plunge. He glanced down at his fluctuating gauges. As it was, he'd be pushing his limits to reach the safety zone. He circled
Bo Novak. Rachel would make a point to remember his name.
“ Sure,” came from the man of many words.
Novak and Pollero obviously didn’t have a clue as to how a foundation operated or the safeguards Warren Nash had put into place. Even though his grandson maintained a comfortable lifestyle, Rachel knew full well he didn't have access to the amount of money Pollero was talking about. Any sizeable payout from the non-profit’s account required bank authorization and the consent of every member on the board.
Pollero snapped his gum. “You ready to make that call?” He held his phone out to her but she didn’t take it.
"What if there's nothing he can do?" she asked.
His jaw stalled. “You don’t want to know.”
Rachel swung her eyes toward his captives beyond the windowpane. Tied up, bruised. One barely alive. For the sake of all of them, she had no choice. Not with a solution only fathoms away. She brought her eyes back to the scowling villain and drew a long, deep breath.
"Mr. Pollero…I mean Gabe," she began. "I’m assisting a team of divers involved in recovering a Chinese vessel and the valuable cargo she was carrying. One of the items on board is a priceless relic known as the heart of the dragon. Perhaps we could come to an agreement..."
Eleven
Chase watched Alegria’s blower work its magic on the ocean floor for nearly an hour. Sand disappeared in a vortex, replaced by shell and sandstone. He maintained his grip on the metal detector as a rock took shape before him. The particles continued to swirl, revealing the curved side of a blue and white porcelain jar. He freed it from the clinging soil and slipped it into his goody bag.
With two tugs on the air hose, Chase signaled a move and continued swinging the rod. He finished scanning another five-foot section where over twelve meters of silt had already been removed. He was close to calling it quits, when the detector blasted a melodious tune. He brushed the fine sand away, uncovering links in a heavy iron chain. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, anticipating the discovery of Sam’s elusive anchor. And there it was…covered in silt.
The ancient wooden structure pictured in Sam’s book, unlike anything he’d every seen before.
Chase feathered the sand in the opposite direction, following the chain’s length. When he reached the end, the chain disappeared from view. Whatever had been attached to it was hidden on the other side of a mountainous outcropping. He smoothed his hand over the wall's jagged surface. A crack in the rock face caught his glove. He wedged his fingers between two loosened boulders and pivoted them in place. In domino procession, surrounding stones fell away, adding a blinding plume to the murky water. Anticipating a violent avalanche, he pushed off and waited. Remarkably, the hillside remained intact. He swam back and directed his flashlight into the dark portal, leading to another world. The glowing beam moved across the mossy rocks. On a second pass, he lit up a metal canister, tucked neatly into the undergrowth. A red-striped device crushed almost beyond recognition.
Sam's missing flashlight! Had his deceased partner made it this far? With unstable seismic activity in the region, perhaps Sam had been struck by falling rocks. If his air hose was compromised and he panicked before freeing himself, there might be a reasonable explanation for Sam's death. A cause not involving the dive gear Chase had personally checked.
Chase pushed his self-serving notions aside and continued his exploration. Within seconds, he realized the water temperature had taken a sudden plunge. He glanced down at his fluctuating gauges. As it was, he'd be pushing his limits to reach the safety zone. He circled
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