Royce said, “We thought it best to remove it. GPS devices can be embedded in such things.”
“It was just a damn cast, you idiot.” Katie held up her arm where the break in the skin was clearly visible.
“So you say.”
She turned her attention back to Creel. “But I do know you,” she said. “Nicolas Creel. Any journalist worth her salt would know you.”
“I’m flattered. Yet you don’t seem altogether surprised.”
“Once I’d thought out a few things the list of suspects narrowed considerably.” She glanced at Royce. “His involvement I didn’t figure on, though.”
Creel did smile now. “Of course not. But one must always have a safety valve. An inside source. And Mr. Royce shares my view of how the world should be. A view that you have now effectively destroyed. I can’t even imagine how much you’ve cost mankind.”
“What I’ve cost it? By stopping China and Russia from going to war?”
“There was never going to be a war, you fool!” Creel roared. “The cold war was the safest period humanity has ever lived through. My plan would have liberated the world. That’s right, I was a liberator,” he snapped, as Katie stared at him incredulously. “Now you’ve ensured that we will be ruled for eternity by savages who have no regard for human life. They have toppled all balance, crushed all possibility of diplomacy. We are as close to global annihilation as we have ever been, thanks to you, Katie James.” He said her name as though it was the most repellent two words that had ever passed his lips.
“Yeah, I’m sure that has you bummed. But I’m thinking you’re really pissed about losing out on all those weapon dollars.”
“I have enough money, I can assure you. But Theodore Roosevelt had it right. Speak softly and carry a big stick. America’s greatest presidents knew that military power was the key to everything. Everything!”
“Yeah, war is great, isn’t it?”
“You built your career covering them, so you have no room to complain. Glory always goes to the victor.”
“I didn’t cover them by choice. And my reporting showed the horror of wars. I never found any glory in it.”
“You obviously didn’t look hard enough. Political history is defined by such confrontations.”
“Didn’t some famous general say it’s a good thing war is so terrible or we’d grow too fond of it.”
“That was Confederate general Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg. And, as history has shown, he was a loser. I only deal in winners.”
“Have you ever been in the military, Mr. Creel? You ever been shot, or even shot at?” Creel didn’t answer her. “Well I have. And let me tell you, with people who actually fight the damn wars there are no winners or losers. They’re just survivors.”
“Yes, well, I didn’t bring you here for a lecture. I brought you here to die. But I wanted you to know why. And I want you to die knowing you have no one to blame but yourself.”
She moved a bit closer to him. “Can I tell you something?”
“Every condemned person is granted a few last words.”
“Go screw yourself.”
“Brilliant, Ms. James. What a wordsmith you are.”
The door opened and one of his men came in. “You have a visitor, Mr. Creel.” His voice sank lower.
After he listened to him Creel said, “Get her off the ship right now.”
The man said, “Sir, she mentioned something about seeing some computer files in your office.”
Creel’s eyes widened a bit. “I see. All right, I’ll come out.”
Out in the hall, Creel’s wife was standing in high heels and a short skirt. Two of Creel’s men stood next to her.
“My dear, what a pleasant surprise,” Creel said.
Her response was to slap him. Creel’s men grabbed and held her.
She screamed, “You think you can just leave me by the side of the road like a pile of crap? After all I did for you? And to you? You bastard! I’m Mrs. Nicolas Creel and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”
“I can see you’re upset. But all good things must end and the divorce payment is more than generous.”
“You’re not divorcing me. I know things,” she said, a triumphant tone in her voice. As Creel eyed her stonily, she hurried on. “I know you think I’m just some dumb shit. But do you remember I told you I liked your office? Well, it wasn’t for the reason you think. I’ve found it’s always nice to have a little ammo in case people get too big for themselves. So I checked your computer. You know, Nick, when you divorced your last wife you should’ve stopped using her name as your freaking password. And from what I saw you’ve been a really bad boy.”
“Well,” Creel began pleasantly. “That does put a whole new spin on the matter. Come with me and we’ll talk this out.” He looked at his men. “Send her launch back in. She won’t be needing it. She’s staying with me.”
Miss Hottie pulled away from the pair and sauntered after her husband.
When they entered the room and Creel shut the door behind them, Miss Hottie slowly looked around at the men in the room and then her gaze fell on Katie. “I know you, you’re Katie James.”
Creel stared in mock sadness at Miss Hottie. “I’m afraid your timing could not have been worse, my dear. And, by the way, you coming out here all alone and telling me what you know shows that you are indeed a dumb shit.” He glanced at Royce and nodded. Royce pulled out his gun and fired a bullet right into Hottie’s brain.
The dead woman toppled forward onto the table, slipped off, and crashed to the floor.
The phone buzzed. It was the captain. A boat was approaching the yacht.
“Who is it?”
“Looks to be the Italian police, sir. One of the boats patrolling the Shiloh’s perimeter.”
Creel looked at Caesar. “Drug James. There’s a body bag in the engine room. Put her in it and then take her and that” – he pointed to his dead wife – “to the sub. Quickly.”
Royce held a struggling Katie down as Caesar stuck a needle in her. She fell limp again.
As the men dashed off with Katie and the murdered woman, Creel adjusted his jacket and went calmly abovedeck to greet his visitors.
CHAPTER 96
SHAW EMERGED FROM THE WATER after ditching his propulsion scooter and diving mask with a small oxygen tank built in, and scaled the port side of the Shiloh using magnetized grips against the steel hull. Even with the aid of the grips, it was tough going with his injured arm. He’d had a cortisone injection there because he knew things were probably going to get violent, but the limb was still weak. He looked at the transmitter device strapped to his wrist. Katie was on board somewhere in the bowels of the massive five-story-high ship.
Once Katie had been kidnapped Shaw’s plan swung into action. They’d tracked her by satellite, followed the private jet here, and seen the launch heading out to the ship. Frank had been prepared for everything and had the necessary equipment flown over with them for Shaw to break into virtually anything. They’d agreed that he would go in first and then call them in at the critical time.
The Shiloh undoubtedly had first-class electronic security systems, which was why Shaw was wearing a jammer device around his middle; it would make him invisible to virtually anything the ship could throw at him.
Of utmost concern was Katie’s survival. While she could’ve been killed at any time along the way, they’d concluded that whoever wanted her would want to do a face-to-face, which was the only way they could nail the person anyway. It was incredibly risky and yet Katie had never wavered from it, though they’d given her ample chances. His admiration for the woman’s courage had never been higher. Now he just needed to get both of them out of here in one piece.