The Grecian Manifesto (25 page)

Chapter 44

Northwestern Greece

The giant yacht cut easily
through the Ionian waters as it motored away from the island of Corfu and into
the open sea. The ship’s hydrodynamic shape and powerful engines made sailing
aboard the vessel extremely smooth. Unless conditions were somewhat extreme
 
(like massive waves), the occupants
aboard the yacht experienced a comfortable journey.

Paulino stood on the starboard
side of the ship with one hand on a chrome railing. He stared out across the
water at some of the surrounding islands and back at Corfu’s mountain range still
high in the distance. He’d just made a lot of money, which made him extremely
happy. When he left Wyatt and Schultz with their boat, Paulino had swiftly made
his way over to the other side of the marina where he met up with his employer,
Teo. Along the way, Paulino had been extremely cautious, wary that one of the
Americans might see him heading in an odd direction and become suspicious. They
hadn’t seen him, though, and now Paulino was a special guest aboard the yacht
of Dimitris Gikas, the man who had apparently bankrolled his little mission.

When he arrived at the huge
boat, Paulino expected the exchange to be simple. He would give Bourdon the
tracking monitor, and then the remainder of his fee would be wired to one of
his secure bank accounts. He’d been surprised when Bourdon invited him aboard
the ship for a drink.

“Come, you have traveled far
and I just made you a lot of money. The least you can do is have a drink with
me,” Bourdon had said.

Paulino wasn’t one to turn down
a drink, and his employer was right: Paulino had traveled a great distance.
Maybe a little boat ride and a drink would be a nice diversion before he headed
back to Rome, on Gikas’s private plane, he hoped.

He took a drink from the
tumbler Bourdon’s bartender had offered. Paulino’s drink of choice had always
been gin. Apparently, Gikas was a man of good taste. The bartender had a full
bottle of Hendrick’s Gin behind the bar and poured a generous serving on ice
for the ship’s special guest.

Paulino savored the piney
flavor of the alcohol as he swallowed another sip, gazing out across the sun-drenched
waters. He’d worked hard for this. He deserved it.

“How’s the drink?” Bourdon’s
voice startled him from behind.

Paulino spun around, nearly
spilling some of the clear liquid as he did so. He recovered quickly and took
another sip. “Outstanding,” he said with a grin. “Your friend certainly has
good taste in alcohol, and in boats.” He motioned to the luxurious vessel with
his free hand. “This ship is amazing.”

“Only the best,” Bourdon said
with a sly grin.

“So,” Paulino said with a
curious expression on his face, “when do I get to meet this mysterious friend
of yours? I don’t believe I have ever seen Dimitris Gikas before.”

“He should be out on deck soon.
He’s taking care of some business inside the ship. I believe he is acquiring a
small pharmaceutical company. That’s just between you and me, though.” Bourdon
gave a quick wink.

Paulino gave an understanding
nod. “I will be sure not to mention it. He must be a very powerful man.”

“He is, and you have done him a
great service. We are tracking Wyatt and his friend and will have them in our
custody within the hour.”

Paulino was in the middle of
taking another drink when he heard Bourdon’s comment. He nearly spit some of
the gin back into the glass, but managed to keep it in his mouth and swallow.
“In your custody? I thought you just wanted to watch them.”

Bourdon shrugged and shook his
head slowly. “No, we needed you for that so we could find exactly where they
were going and apprehend them. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

Paulino was quick to shake his
head defensively. “Not at all. What you do with them is your business and no
concern of mine. I just didn’t know what you wanted with them. You can kill the
Americans for all I care.” He hurriedly put the tumbler to his mouth again and
pulled in another draw of the cool liquid.

Bourdon looked back at the big
island and then out at the smattering of smaller ones. “Do you know why we want
those two Americans?”

The Italian puckered his lips
and shook his head. “No. Should I?”

“Do you know who they are?”

“I found some information about
Schultz online. Wyatt was a little more difficult to gather any intel on, but I
found a few things, along with the dossier you gave me. They sound like a
couple of treasure hunters if you ask me.”

Bourdon took in a deep breath
and let it out slowly as if savoring the fresh air. “Wyatt is extremely
dangerous. He is a former agent of the United States government. His friend,
though slightly less deadly, is still not one to be trifled with. They have
something that my employer, Mr. Gikas, would very much like to have.”

“Oh? What would that be?”

Bourdon put both hands on the
railing and leaned over, contemplating the answer. “A map.”

“A map?” Paulino echoed. “What
kind of map?”

“Mr. Gikas is a collector of
ancient Greek relics and pieces of historical value. He has an extremely strong
connection to the past in this way. The map that the Americans possess leads to
one of the most important artifacts in Greek culture. That object would be the
culminating piece in his collection. He simply must have it, and will not stand
for the Americans to steal it out from under his nose.”

Paulino frowned. “Must be a
pretty important piece for him to go to so much trouble and spend so much money
to acquire it.”

“It is,” Bourdon said with a
slow nod. “He will stop at nothing to obtain it. That’s why we are going after
the Americans right now.”

The Italian’s frown deepened.
“I don’t understand. Why did you want me along for the ride if you were going
after them? I doubt I would be much help in a fight.” He glanced down
disappointedly at his drink, which was now nearly empty.

“Oh, we don’t need your help
with detaining the Americans,” Bourdon corrected. “We have enough trained men
onboard for that.”

“I noticed,” Paulino motioned
to two of the men in tight, black short-sleeved shirts and sunglasses. Their
muscles bulged through the thin material. Each man wore the same, emotionless,
stern expression. “You could probably take over a small town with these guys.”

“Indeed,” Bourdon said,
agreeing with the sentiment. “They are some of the best mercenaries money can
buy. Mr. Gikas takes his private security very seriously.”

The boat began to steer to port
as it neared a fairly large island straight ahead. Paulino held his empty glass
and watched as the island off to the starboard side disappeared behind the
cabin of the yacht. The boat’s engine quieted dramatically and the vessel
slowed down to an idling speed. “I don’t understand. If you have all these
guys, why did you want me along for the ride?”

“Mr. Gikas requested it.”

“And he always gets what he
wants, eh?”

“Correct.” Bourdon stood up
straight again. He was wearing a light windbreaker in spite of the warm spring
air.

Paulino thought for a moment
then asked, “Would it be all right if I got another drink?” He held out the
glass and raised his eyebrows.

“Certainly,” Bourdon said with
an overly polite smile. He took the glass and started for the rear of the
cabin, and then turned around. “Gin on the rocks, right?”

Paulino nodded his
confirmation. “With a splash of soda water, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.”

Bourdon disappeared around the
corner, leaving Paulino alone by the railing. He leaned over, resting his
elbows on the shiny metal as the boat coasted slowly through the clear water.
Tiny ripples of waves slapped against the hull, providing a peaceful accompaniment
to the trolling engines and the sea breeze that blew across the deck.

A few minutes passed before
Bourdon returned with a half-full glass in his hand. “Here you go, old friend.”

Paulino reached out his hand
eagerly. “Many thanks,” he said and grabbed the cold tumbler.

He put the rim to his mouth and
started to take a drink when suddenly a gloved hand wrapped around his face and
yanked his head back. Another hand grabbed his arm, causing Paulino’s hand to
loosen and drop the glass overboard. He struggled for a few seconds, attempting
to scream through his covered mouth. Bourdon watched with a fervent curiosity
as his employee resisted the much stronger man who had surprised him from
behind. After a moment of letting Paulino struggle, he nodded to the henchman
who twisted the Italian around, facing him out to sea. Bourdon removed a subcompact
9 mm from inside his windbreaker and pressed the sound-suppressed barrel to
Paulino’s back.

“We do appreciate your service,
Paulino. But like you said, there is nothing more you can do for us.”

The Italian squealed through
the gloved fingers, jerking back and forth in a vain attempt to get free.
Bourdon squeezed the trigger five successive times, sending a spray of blood
out into the azure Ionian Sea. Paulino’s body shuddered for a moment and then
relaxed. Bourdon then placed the barrel to the back of Paulino’s skull and
pulled the trigger one more time, sending a round through the front of the
Italian’s head. The body went completely limp, most of its weight slumping over
the boat railing.

Bourdon’s security man hefted
Paulino up by the legs, dumping him overboard into the rippling water. The
bloody body floated face down for a few moments before gradually sinking into
the abyss.

“The sharks will like easy meat,”
Bourdon said casually. The mercenary didn’t say anything. He just watched over
the side of the boat as the body disappeared. “Tell our employer that Paulino
has been taken care of and we are ready to proceed.”

The muscular guard nodded and
headed back around to the side door he’d come out of a few moments before.

Bourdon looked out across the
sea and took in another deep breath. Soon, Gikas would be one of the most
powerful men in all of Europe. And Bourdon would be the second in command.

Chapter 45

Northwestern Greece

Sean reached the white sands of
the little island’s beach just a few yards ahead of his friend. Driven by fear,
Tommy had swum faster than Sean believed possible. Scattered bits of seaweed,
empty shells, and a few rocks cluttered the shoreline. The two men found a
clean place to sit down on the sand and remove their fins.

“Shoulda brought some sandals
with us to walk around on those rocks up there.” Sean motioned toward the
plateau above the cliffs. “I hope the surface isn’t too sharp. Sometimes there
can be a lot of jagged spots on rocks like those.”

“Well, it’s too late to go
back,” Tommy said, still huffing from the physical exertion of the swim. “We’ll
just have to try it and see.” He yanked off a flipper and laid it next to the
other one.

Sean shook his head while
staring at his friend with a look of amusement. “You really are terrified of
those sharks, aren’t you?”

“Better safe than sorry, my
friend.”

“I guess,” Sean said and pushed
up from the ground. He looked around at the terrain for a second, trying to
figure out where they should begin their search. “Let’s start over there at the
base of the cliffs on the other side and see if we can find anything, then work
our way around.”

“Sounds good.”

Tommy stood up and followed Sean
as he carefully maneuvered his way across the sand toward the far corner of the
beach. The farther they went ashore, the more dead tree branches and large
rocks they had to avoid. After a few minutes of strategic movement, they
reached the other side of the flat beach where it rose sharply thirty feet into
a jagged stone cliff. The sand dropped off steeply into the light-blue water at
the edge. Sean could see a few small fish swimming around in seemingly random
directions, darting back and forth. He grabbed onto a piece of the cliff that
jutted out and tested his weight on it. Satisfied it could hold him, he leaned
out around the corner of the rocky face and surveyed the area.

“See anything?” Tommy asked,
standing behind his friend, peeking over his shoulder.

Sean shook his head. “Nothing
over here. Looks like the water gets pretty deep around this bend in the rocks,
but no sign of anything unusual.” He pointed back to the middle of the shore
where a steep slope led down to the sand. “Head over that way and let’s walk up
top to see what’s up there.”

Tommy nodded and led the way, again
stepping cautiously through the brush, sticks, and rocks on the sand. Halfway
to their destination, they passed a small fire circle with some charred wood in
the center. “Looks like a few people have been camping out here,” Tommy said,
glancing at the fire pit as he walked by.

“Nothing new under the sun, I
suppose. Seems like every piece of remote land has been touched by human feet
at one point or another.”

“Yep,” Tommy agreed. He stopped
suddenly and held up his right hand. Sean knew why his friend had halted. He’d
noticed the same thing out in the water, creeping in their direction.

“Who do you think that boat
belongs to?” Sean asked.

“I was just about to ask you
the same thing. It’s the one we saw before.”

Sean twisted his neck to the
side to loosen his nerves. “Yeah. It seems an awful lot like they followed us
over here.”

“Coincidence?” Tommy twisted
his head around and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Sean.

“I really wish I could believe
in those,” Sean said. “Unfortunately, I’ve seen too much to the contrary in my
life so far. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“You think they’re
authorities?”

“No,” Sean said definitively.
“Not on a boat like that.” His voice picked up a little urgency. “Come on,
let’s get to the top of the ridge and see if we can get a better look.”

Sean stepped in front of his
friend and stayed low, using the island’s thick brush for cover as he moved
toward the steep path leading to the top of the plateau. He kept his eyes on
the approaching vessel as well as on the trail. The cliff closest to where
they’d weighed anchor wrapped around the route to the top, providing a little
extra cover. It took less than a minute for the two men to reach the grassy
plateau. Once on the ridge, they crouched even lower, careful to stay hidden
among the tall blades of grass. The breeze from the sea caused continuous
movement from the vegetation, another thing Sean counted on to conceal their
presence. Just because their boat was anchored in the cove didn’t mean he
wanted whoever was approaching to know where they were. He preferred to find
out who was encroaching first.

The two Americans reached the
edge of the cliff and peeked through the last stands of broad grass, using
their hands to keep some of it clear to give them a good view of the yacht’s
passengers. They thought the boat was big from a distance, but up close they
realized how truly impressive it really was.

It featured two floors above
the deck, and one below. The windows were difficult to see through due to the
dark tinting, but Sean assumed the top floor was where the captain drove the
behemoth. The front of the vessel featured sharp-angled design, from the
fiberglass wall up to the windshield. It had to be at least eighty feet long,
if not a little more.

“I wonder how much gas it took
just drive that thing over here from the marina,” Tommy said in a hushed tone
as the two stared at the yacht.

Sean kept his eyes on the ship.
“There’s no telling. But I’m guessing the guy that owns it isn’t worried about
gas mileage. He’s probably got a Bugatti in his garage too.” He squinted in the
sunlight and was able to make out a man in a windbreaker standing on the main
deck, leaning casually over the railing.

Tommy saw the man as well and
wondered who it was. “You think that’s the owner of the boat?”

“Maybe. That’s definitely not
Dimitris Gikas, though.”

“How do you know?”

Sean glanced at his friend out
of the corner of his eye as if Tommy had a tree growing out of his face.
“Because I always do my research on the enemy.”

Tommy realized it had been a
stupid question. Sean had always been thorough. When someone was able to catch
him off guard, they’d really accomplished something. That’s how well prepared
he was for everything. Back in the days when he’d worked for the IAA, the other
employees used to say that Sean Wyatt always had a plan for everything. While
not entirely true, it was pretty close.

“What do you want to do?” Tommy
asked, trying to get a better view through the weeds and grass.

“Well, whoever it is, they know
we’re here. No point in trying to change that. If that guy on the deck is the
owner of the ship, then it’s probably just a local land owner or something.”

“He looks like he’s pretty relaxed,
like he’s just out to enjoy a day cruising around the islands.” Tommy’s
observation made sense, especially to the casual observer, but Sean was no
casual observer.

“Something isn’t right,” Sean
said after a moment of thought.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s too quiet. A guy like
that, with enough money to buy a ship like that, doesn’t go out to sea to
cruise around alone. Where is the crew? And usually men with that kind of dough
have two or three female companions sunning on the platform across the bow.”

Tommy frowned. His friend was
right. It did seem odd. “Maybe he’s here with his wife,” he said, offering an
unlikely yet plausible scenario.

“Doubtful. That doesn’t look
like a guy who would be anywhere except a fundraiser with his wife, if he’s
married at all.”

“Ever heard of not reading a
book by its cover?”

“Well,” Sean angled his head a
little, still staring at the yacht, “in my line of work, you gotta go with what
you have.”

“You mean your former line of
work.”

Sean’s eyes went sideways for a
moment at his friend’s comment. “Touché.”

The man on the boat’s deck
straightened up and leisurely made his way around the side of the boat to the
bow where a doorway led into the cabin. He disappeared inside, closing the door
behind him.

“Doesn’t seem to be in a hurry
of any kind, does he?” Tommy asked.

“No,” Sean shook his head. “But
something isn’t right. It’s almost like he wanted us to see him standing there,
looking like he wasn’t up to anything.”

“You really can’t switch off
the paranoia, can you?”

“Nope. It’s kept me alive this
long. Stands to reason I shouldn’t quit now.”

Tommy scooted back a little
from the cliff’s edge and turned over onto his side so he could face Sean.
“Well, what do you want to do? Sit here until they leave?”

Sean wormed his way back away
from the ledge, staying on his stomach. He shook his head. “No. They already
know we’re here. If it’s someone harmless, they will see us walking around and
not think anything of it. If they aren’t harmless, they’ll be looking for us
soon anyway.”

“Is it possible we could search
the island and then sneak back onto our boat?”

Sean had to consider it for a
minute. They needed to find the cave where Caesar had hidden the antikythera,
but doing so would require them to scour the rest of the terrain, and not all
of it would be able to keep them hidden from view. If they couldn’t locate the
antikythera, Adriana could die. Getting back to the boat wouldn’t be easy
either, but he figured they could stay low in the water and reach their boat
without being spotted. Maybe. That would require getting in the water on the
other side of the island where they’d just been, and swimming all the way
around. Wading back in from the sandy beach would put them in wide-open view.

“For now, let’s do as much as
we can to stay out of sight and search the rest of the island. We have to find
that artifact. There’s no going back without it.”

Tommy saw the resolve in Sean’s
eyes. He knew what was at stake, and he knew that they couldn’t leave unless
they had Caesar’s device in their possession. “Okay, buddy. Let’s do it.”

The two stayed low on all
fours, crawling backward away from the cliff until they had reached far enough
inland that they could get to a crouching position without being seen. They
remained in a low stance as they moved farther across the plateau. When they
reached the middle of the island and could no longer see the yacht in the cove,
they stood up and stretched their legs for a second. The rocky ground had
scuffed their elbows and knees but hadn’t been as jagged as it appeared from
the water. Most of the surface was sandy dirt, and the bits of rock that shone
through the loam had been worn smooth by time and weather.

Sean took the lead and headed
in the direction of the far corner of the plateau above where he’d been looking
around the corner just a few minutes before. His reasoning being that searching
the part of the island that was out of sight first would be their best
strategy. If they found anything out of the ordinary, then they could set about
trying to sneak back onto their boat.

The two made their way along
the far ledge, scouring the surface for any clues as to where the relic might
be hidden. Minutes passed as the Americans inched their way around the edge of
the plateau. Sean was especially cautious as he leaned over the ledge to
examine the water below. His fear of heights was something he’d battled since
he was a young boy. He never really knew why high places terrified him so much,
and his parents were equally as baffled. In the current situation, he wasn’t as
fearful as he would be on a tall building or some other man-made structure, but
it was still uncomfortable. The fact that there was water at the bottom of the
cliff might have made things a little better, except that Sean had experienced
a terrifying moment when he was cliff jumping with some friends in high school.

The cliff had not been quite as
high as the one he stood on now, and when he jumped, he plunged deep into the
water, all the way to the bottom. When his feet hit the lake’s floor, he pushed
hard and paddled toward the surface. He hadn’t realized how deep the water
would be or how far down his momentum would carry him. He’d taken a long breath
just before hitting the liquid surface, but it very nearly wasn’t enough. Sean
was so close to daylight, but his lungs screamed out for air as he kicked
harder and faster with his feet. Finally, after almost giving in to the urge to
open his mouth and inhale, his hand broke through to open air. He took in
oxygen in huge gasps as he dog paddled in the water for a minute. Relief had
washed over him, and he took a moment just to feel grateful he was still alive.

Over on the boat, his friends
hadn’t even noticed. They were busy laughing, joking around, and getting ready
to climb back up to the top of the cliff for another round of jumping. Sean
swam back to the boat and struggled up the ladder. He sat on one of the
cushioned benches for a minute, contemplating how close he’d come to death. He
never jumped off a cliff again.

Remembering that experience,
Sean hoped he wouldn’t have to take the leap off the cliff he was now peering over.
He would if he had to, but his preference would be an easy entry into the water
from the shore.

The two friends gazed into the
deep water below, noting the stark contrast between the light-blue shallow
water and the darker, almost foreboding depths..

“You were right about it
getting much deeper down there,” Tommy said, pointing a finger at the area in
question. “What do you think that gets to, twenty to thirty feet deep?”

“At least,” Sean nodded. “You
can see the bottom easily over there at the corner, but in a matter of ten feet
it just drops off.”

They examined the area for
another few seconds before Sean spoke up again. “Come on, we need to keep
searching. Even if those people are just touring around on their yacht, I don’t
feel like dealing with their questions about who we are and what we’re doing
here.”