Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures) (40 page)

For a moment, he considered following them on his own, but the appearance of a helicopter landing atop a tor farther up the road told him he
’
d missed his chance.

He smiled, in spite of the grim circumstances. He hadn
’
t lost them entirely. As long as the girl remained alive, he could track their every move.

“
Nice boat.
”
Dane admired the sleek lines of the cabin cruiser Tam had secured for them. The helicopter pilot had dropped them at the coast, not far from Bodmin, where one of Tam
’
s agents, a tall, dark haired man who introduced himself as Greg, had been waiting for them
. They were now headed
north along the coastline.

“
Glad you like it. Your boy, Jimmy, came through for us about two minutes after you jumped. He
’
s got a location for the map Avery found, and he
’
s working on something else that I
’
ll tell you about after you finish the next job.
”
She tilted her head and looked thoughtfully up at the cloudy sky.
“
He
’
s pretty good. You think he
’
d come to work with us?
”

The word
“
us
”
gave Dane pause. He still wasn
’
t accustomed to the idea that he and his crew
would soon be working for Tam.

“
Doubt it. He
’
s not the type,
but
I think we could count on him for some freelance work here and there.
”

“
You don
’
t give classified information to a hired hand, Maddock,
”
Tam sighed.
“
Lord have mercy, I
’
ve got so much to teach you.
”

Dane smiled, leaned against the bow
rail
,
and gazed at the dark water up ahead, feeling the cool salt spray on his face and breathing deep of the sea air. He thought of Angel, down below, nursing her wounds, and Avery, who had narrowly avoided capture just the day before. Was  it worth risking their
safety
just to track down a treasure?

“
Do you think we should hand things over to the authorities?
”

“
You don
’
t really mean that,
”
Tam chided.
“
This is your family
’
s quest. Your daddy passed it down to you and your sister. Besides, I know enough about you to know you never leave a job unfinished.
”

“
But what about Angel and Avery?
”

“
Don
’
t worry about them. I already offered to fly them both back home but they wouldn
’
t hear of it.
”

“
I figured as much. I just don
’
t want them to pay the price for my hubris.
”
He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush.
“
I lost my wife and my parents in a very short time...
”

“
And now you
’
re in love, and you
’
ve got a family again, and you
’
re afraid of losing them,
”
Bones said, dropping to the deck alongside him.

“
I didn
’
t know you were there.
”

“
No one expects the Cherokee Inquisition.
”
Bone
s
made a face,
and
then grew serious.
“
Listen to me, Maddock. Until this mystery is solved, none of our group are safe. They
’
d kidnap us like they did Angel in order to get information, or they
’
d kill us to shut us up.
You know that.
We
’
ve been in situations like this before.
”

Dane nodded. He
’
d had the same thoughts.

“
Another thing. When I was growing up, my grandfather didn
’
t spend a lot of time telling me what I should and shouldn
’
t do. He taught me what it meant to be a Bonebrake. He said every family has something they stand for, and a set of values they live by. That
’
s what holds them together.
And that doesn’t just go for blood relatives.
”

Dane
thought he knew what Bones was getting at
. Their crew was a family, and their dedication, their courage, and their commitment to
one an
other was what gave them their identity.

“
And don
’
t forget the Dominion,
”
Tam said.
“
Even if Morgan was out of the picture, they
’
re still out there. And if they want to get their hands on whatever we
’
re going to find, it
’
s important enough for us to get there first.
”

“
Understood. So, are you going to tell us where we
’
re headed next?
”

“
Tintagel Castle.
”

Dane frowned. The ruins of Tintagel Castle stood atop high cliffs on the peninsula of Tintagel Island in Cornwall. Legend held it to be the birthplace of King Arthur, and a nearby coastal cave was known as Merlin
’
s Cave.

“
That can
’
t be right. It
’
s a popular tourist destination and it
’
s been thoroughly excavated. Plus, it
’
s in Morgan
’
s backyard. She has to have already searched it.
”

“
Oh, it’s not in the castle,
it’s under it. Way under it. Now, y
ou
boys go down below and get your speedos on. We
’
ll be there in a few minutes and you
’
ve got work to do.
”

Twenty minutes later
, he and Bones were suited up in full diving gear, and standing on deck in the shadow of Tintagel Island.
They were anchored in a sheltered area between the island and another peninsula to the east.
He had to hand it to Tam. She worked fast.

“
All right,
”
Tam said.
“
The entrance should be underwater between those two rocks.
”
She pointed to two huge rock formations poking out of the water.
“
It
’
s got to be well below the low tide mark, or else someone would have found it by now.
”

Dane and Bones exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing. What if someone
had
already found it?

“
Don
’
t you make that face,
”
Tam scolded.
“
The map shows a channel that runs straight west. The only clue we have is
, Walk in the Way of Sorrows.
”

“
Great,
”
Bones said.
“
We
’
re looking for an e
mo treasure.
”

Tam checked her watch.

“
We
’
ve got plenty of daylight, but don
’
t dally. Once you
’
re in the water, we
’
re going to head up the coast. We don
’
t want to draw undue attention. Call us when you
’
re out, and be careful.
”

Angel and Avery hugged Dane and Bones in turn, and Willis complained about the lack of a third set of diving gear. Matt, who had taken over the helm, guided them as close as he dared to the stones shown on the map, and Dane and Bones dived in.

“
Report,
”
Morgan snapped as Locke entered the room. She seemed to have recovered her faculties and energy, though the cuts and bruises on her face bore testimony to the damage she
’
d taken.

Jacob had not bounced back so quickly. He
’
d sustained a severe blow to the head when Maddock, or one of his men, had crept up on him from behind just as he was about to set the dragons on the Bonebrake girl. He still attended Morgan, as always, but he seemed detached. Probably a mild concussion.

“
I planted a tracking device on the girl while she was sedated. I sent two men to follow them.
”

“
Only two?
”
Neither her tone nor her expression betrayed her feelings, but he knew she disapproved.

“
We
’
ve been decimated here. Worse than decimated, in fact. They only killed a few of our men, but too many have
sustained serious injuries
.
”
He stopped there. Morgan knew what she had to do, and she wouldn
’
t thank him for telling her how to respond to present circumstances.

“
Of the losses we
’
ve sustained, how many are essential to our plans for the
Queen
’
s
visit
?
”
She raised her eyebrows as she said the last word.

“
Only a few. SO14 is the critical piece, and our people have been in place there for years.
”
SO14 was the branch of Special Operations that provided protection for the
Royal Family
, and several of its members were loyal to Morgan and the Sisters.

“
Very well. Are you tracking Maddock right now?
”

“
Of course. They appear to be headed to Tintagel Castle.
”

Morgan threw back her head and laughed. It was a rare display of amusement from the stolid woman.

“
Tintagel? They must not have the third map, or else they would not be wasting their time. The castle has been thoroughly excavated.
”

Locke nodded, though he lacked Morgan
’
s confidence.
Maddock had already surprised him too
many times for Locke to underestimate him.

“
In any case, our men will keep us apprised of the situation.
”

Locke nodded again. With so many of his men out of commission, he
’
d been forced to send two of his younger, more enthusiastic charges. He
’
d given them clear instructions, but worried they
’
d overextend themselves by trying to
be heroes.

“
Most of our remaining men will need to
remain here
to clean up the damage and prepare for the event. How large is Maddock
’
s party?
”

“
Seven, that we know of, including
the women. At least, as far as we know. Four of them ex-military.
”

“
Seven. A number of power, but fitting somehow. Even better, it is a number we can easily overcome, with help.
”
Morgan struck the desk once with her open palms and rose to her feet. She turned toward the wall where
“
Le Morte D
’
Arthur
”
hung, and gazed almost lovingly at the image.
“
The time has come. Summon the Sisters, and tell them each to bring their seven best men. We will follow Maddock, and be prepared to strike at any moment.
”

“
Seven of our own men as well?
”

“
In addition to you and Jacob, I want four reliable men.
”
She turned to face him, the ghost of a smile on her face.
“
And bring Mordred.
”