Phantom Prospect. Alex Archer

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СКАЧАТЬ liquid hit the back of her throat and she winced. Her stomach rolled once or twice but she fought it back and swallowed the water. When she was done, she handed the glass back to Cole.

      “Who did this?” she asked. “Was it Jax?”

      Hunter shook his head. “Couldn’t have been. She was in the wheelhouse, remember? It wouldn’t be like her to come down here and take you out.”

      Annja nodded slowly. “Fair point. I don’t think she’d mind just going straight on at me if she felt the need.”

      “That’s more her style,” Hunter said. “I’ve seen her hold her own in a bar fight outside of Norfolk, Virginia. That chick can rumble with the best of them.”

      Cole sat down in the small chair. “So, who else is on the ship that would want to see Annja get hurt?”

      Hunter sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, are we assuming that Annja was the actual target?”

      “I seem to have been,” Annja said. “As my skull will testify.”

      Hunter smirked. “Not what I meant. Obviously, you got injured. But were you the primary target? Maybe they were after something that you have and you just got in the way. I don’t think it would be too hard to see that, if they wanted you dead, they could have easily killed you without much effort.”

      Annja frowned. Hunter had a point. She would have been incapacitated and an easy mark if they’d really meant to harm her. So what did they want? What did they think she had that could prove useful to them?

      She shook her head. “I have no idea what they could have possibly been looking for.”

      “Only because we don’t know who they are,” Cole said. “Maybe they think you have something. Did you bring anything with you?”

      “Like what?”

      “I don’t know.”

      Annja gestured for the glass and Cole handed it back to her. She took a longer sip this time. “Listen, you guys are the ones running this operation. Apparently, I haven’t made some people very comfortable. Maybe the best thing would be for me to leave.”

      Cole shook his head. “Unacceptable. I invited you to come along with me. I need you here.”

      “You don’t actually need me,” Annja said. “Fish aren’t really my specialty. I’m more into digging in sandboxes, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

      “I appreciate that,” Cole said. “But your perspective is what’s required. Someone who thinks outside of the box.”

      Hunter nodded. “Cole’s right. We don’t know what it is that we’re dealing with. Could be a shark, could be something else. But the presence of people meaning you harm on this ship is an indicator that something bigger might be going on here. That means trouble any way you look at it.”

      “Which means,” Cole said, “that we all must make sure we have one another’s backs.”

      “And not get on one another’s nerves,” Hunter said.

      Annja smiled at them. “Nice to see you guys have made up.”

      “We never stay mad at each other for long,” Hunter said. “Must be a brotherly thing.”

      “Whatever,” Annja said. “Just so long as neither of you is plotting the untimely demise of the other, I think we’ll be okay.”

      Annja finished the water. “So, where do we go from here? I’ve still got a killer headache. And there’s a fan of mine on board the ship apparently.”

      “You rest,” Cole said. “Leave this other stuff to me and Hunter for right now. We’ll start checking things out, seeing where folks were earlier.”

      “You don’t know when this happened, do you?” Hunter asked.

      “Only that it must have been late afternoon or early evening. I couldn’t make out too much. The lighting was dim.”

      “A good hit you took there,” Cole said. “You’ve probably been out for a few hours, then.”

      “You feel okay now?” Hunter asked. “One of us can stay with you if you need us to.”

      Annja shook her head. “I’ll be fine. And besides, I think you guys have some more important work to do than babysit me.”

      Cole stood. “We’ll be back later to look in on you. In the meantime, lock the door behind us and don’t let anyone in. We’ve got to check on Tom, anyway.”

      “Why? What’s wrong with him?”

      “Seems like lunch didn’t sit well with him. He’s been vomiting and on the toilet ever since. Might be a touch of food poisoning. Anyway, he’s down for the count right now. But I want to make sure he’s all right or see if we need to evacuate him back to the mainland.”

      Annja tried to stand and the room spun. “Whoa.”

      Cole caught her. “You okay?”

      Annja took a breath. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.”

      Hunter and Cole left the room. Annja slid the bolt in place and then collapsed back into bed. Her head throbbed.

      Despite what Cole and Hunter had said, Annja couldn’t help feeling like someone on the boat wanted her gone.

      But why?

      8

      When Annja awoke, darkness shrouded the cabin. Mercifully, her head had ceased throbbing and her stomach seemed to be relatively stable. Her throat was dry, however, and she wanted to get some fresh air. Cole was sound asleep beside her.

      She made her way to the door without fainting and opened it slowly. She was unsure what to expect on the other side. The boat was quiet and lolled gently, anchored as it was.

      Dim red lights illuminated the hallway leading out to the stairs. Annja padded down the walkway until she came to the steps and started up them. She could already feel the wind washing over the boat and her skin. Goose bumps broke out along her hairline and she shivered slightly as she crept higher.

      Her stomach didn’t hurt and Annja felt somewhat secure as she crept along the walkway toward the wheelhouse. The salt air refreshed her. Waves lapped at the sides of the ship and she felt some of the spray wash up on her skin.

      Annja felt good. She kept her hands along the railing, however, just in case she felt faint, aware that she was still recovering from the concussion she’d received earlier.

      A weak yellow light came from the wheelhouse. Annja moved toward it. Maybe she could have a word with Jax about what happened earlier. Annja didn’t like bad blood if she could avoid it. But if she couldn’t, then she’d just have to deal with it another time.

      She took a deep breath and swung the door to the wheelhouse open. But Jax wasn’t there.

      Hunter was.

      “Hey, СКАЧАТЬ