Now, a lone woman stood on its northern shore and shaded her eyes as she watched a Gulfstream IV in its silent approach to the island. The strong sun glinted off the bright, white paint of the jet as it turned and lined up with the runway for its final approach. Behind her, cicadas chirped loudly in the palm trees which ran along the beach, and less than a hundred yards out to sea she saw a pod of dolphins breach the blue surface of the ocean on their way west.
And she was nervous.
She had made a similar flight to the island less than a week ago, saying goodbye to Danny Devlin at Dublin Airport and flying away from home for the thousandth time. She too had been on one of the three ECHO Gulfstreams as she brought her late father’s mysterious research notes back to her new home, and her new family. Maybe she would show them to Ryan to see what he could make of them, or maybe not. She knew in her heart everyone had a right to know her father had known something about the Athanatoi, but she was frightened to dig any further.
In the deep blue sky, she watched the jet slow down as the pilot extended the flaps to full and lowered the main gear. Now, almost close enough to touch, her sense of anxiety seemed to subside.
The jet landed with the sharp squeal of rubber on asphalt as the wheels touched down, and moments later it was trundling toward the tiny airport. As it passed her, she tried to look inside and see him, but it went by too fast, and she was distracted by the mechanical whine of hydraulics as the flaps and airbrakes retracted in readiness for parking and the engine shutdown sequence.
Then, the door opened and there he was, standing tall with his bag over his shoulder. An old army-surplus boonie hat on his head obscured his face and a pair of aviator shades covered his eyes. He looked like he’d been sleeping, but he was here at last.
Lea met Hawke on the landing strip and for a moment they were unsure what to do — unsure if they were still together or not. It ended when Hawke took her in his arms and kissed her, and the ice was broken.
Before she could say anything, Alex Brooke stepped off the plane and walked over to join them. For a second, Lea thought she looked like she was in pain, but then the moment passed.
Lea tried to conceal her disappointment. She didn’t know Alex well enough to hate her, and she knew she’d been a good friend to Hawke after the hell back in Egypt, but she was suspicious that the former CIA agent had tried to make a move on Hawke while he was staying with her in America.
The three of them barely spoke as they crossed the asphalt and headed toward the low, modern glass-and-steel entrance of the Elysium HQ. Each of them had their own problems. She knew what they had been through in America in their attempt to hunt down Klaus Kiefel.
As for Lea, her mind was still buzzing with everything that had happened in Ireland. She was pleased she had rescued her father’s life’s work, even if she had no idea what any of it meant. It was enough to know she had saved it from falling into the hands of Lefevre and Devos. Even if she didn’t know who they were working for, she had won, and all thanks to Danny Devlin. She looked at her watch and saw it was well into opening time back at Flynn’s. She smiled when she pictured her old CO propping up the bar once again, gripping a pint of Guinness among the wreckage of the fire-fight.
“I’ll leave you two to it, I think,” Alex said, and walked ahead.
Hawke turned to Lea and took off his shades. He scanned the area, looking beyond the heat shimmer on the airfield. He was looking at a tropical island maybe ten square miles in size, with elevated ground to the west and east and a lower sea-level dip in the middle which seemed to house some kind of metallic compound. It was partially obscured behind a low line of macaúba palms and the sun flashed brightly on its roof.
Behind the airfield, to the north, a strip of white sandy beach cut between two different shades of blue — the deep azure of the tropical sky, and a bright cerulean strip of ocean, warm and inviting. He watched someone — Scarlet maybe? — windsurfing a few hundred yards out, the bright red sail cutting into the calmer colors. The ubiquitous sun flashed on the boom of the windsurf board and he looked away. He could see the attraction of the place, it had to be said.
“So this is the mysterious mission control?” he said quietly.
“Sure is…” Lea’s words drifted into the heat shimmer. “Joe, listen… about the island and ECHO — I really wanted to tell you about it but…”
“Forget about it,” he said, a tone of finality in his voice.
She pulled her head back and gave him a look. “Forget about what?”
“About your apology — there’s no need.”
“About my apology?” She felt the fury rising in her as she looked at him. “I was going to say I really wanted to tell you about it… but… you shouldn’t have been such a bastard when you finally heard about it from Eden!”
“An apology’s not on the cards then?”
Lea screamed. “No, you’re not getting a sodding apology because I never did anything to apologize for!”
Hawke turned to her. “So we’re going to have a row about this, are we?”
Lea looked defiant. “You bet your arse, Joe Hawke!”
Hawke smiled. It felt like he was home at last.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This novel put both Hawke and me a little out of our comfort zones, as we both prefer a good old-fashioned international hunt for ancient relics and treasures. While I felt that thanks to the presence of Medusa this was still in that ball park, the murky world of Washington politics put a different slant on things. As regular readers will know by now, I like a good helping of humor in my adventure novels and I hope I managed to achieve that in this story.
As it happens, Joe will return in VALHALLA GOLD (Joe Hawke #5), which is a return to his regular world of hunting down ancient lost treasures and taking out super-villains in the process… and he also gets a chance to visit some exciting international locations as well as build some bridges with old friends and play in the Caribbean on jet skis for a while… I just thought he deserved a holiday. I hope you can join us for that. It should be released in the Spring of 2016 (or the Autumn of 2016 if you’re reading this Down Under).
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has left me a review on Amazon. It really means a lot to a writer when a reader takes time out to leave a review, even if it is just a line or two. Reviews are an essential part of the writing process and will really help the Joe Hawke series, so, sincerely, my thanks to you. Also, don’t forget you can keep up-to-date with the series on my Facebook page here: http://bit.ly/RobJonesNovels, and my website or join my mailing list here: www.robjonesnovels.com
Anyway, I have to go — Joe Hawke just called and asked if I want a beer. Frankly, I think I could drink him under the table. What do you reckon?
With best wishes, dear Mystery Reader,
Rob
Other Books by Rob Jones
The Vault of Poseidon (Joe Hawke #1)
Thunder God (Joe Hawke #2)
The Tomb of Eternity (Joe Hawke #3)
The Curse of Medusa (Joe Hawke #4)
Valhalla Gold (Joe Hawke #5)
The Aztec Prophecy (Joe Hawke #6)
The Secret of Atlantis (Joe Hawke #7)
The Lost City (Joe Hawke #8)