“No, she’s not at the hospital,” said the woman chuckling. Diana was seated in a wheelchair, holding her newborn son. “Women on the island have been delivering babies via mid-wife for centuries. I am no different. I’m perfectly fine and I don’t need a hospital to tell me that.”
“I think I understand Marguerite’s toughness now,” smirked Bodhi. “It’s an inherited island trait.”
“Get everyone checked into their rooms,” said Luke nodding at Liffey and Garrett. “Make sure they get whatever they need. Food, clothing, anything they want. I need them to be comfortable and happy for the time being.”
“What about you guys?” asked Garrett.
“We’re going to see what’s on that damn ship.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Taking just two of the small boats back out, they docked them near the submersible and switched vessels. As they left the boats, they all looked back at the island. The two dark caves seemed like ominous eyes staring back at them.
“Why did no one notice that?” asked Cam.
“Great question. Let’s go find out,” said Luke.
The ship seemed to take on a life of its own, lights flickering on and off as if it were possessed. Having climbed aboard moving vessels dozens of times, climbing on one anchored was much easier.
“It appears to have thirty-one people on board,”said Hiro.“Signatures indicate at least two females.”
“I damn sure hope they’re there willingly,” said Luke. “I’d hate to have to sink a ship in honor of our fathers.”
The others just laughed, nodding their heads. The first place to go was in the cargo hold and to inspect the cargo on her deck.
“Mining equipment,” said Remy pointing to a stack of crates. They frowned at the crates, realizing they would be headed to the island soon enough to create more damage.
“What the fuck is this?” asked Garrett staring at the other men.
“I have no fucking clue,” frowned Ben. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Look at this,” whispered Ian. “Giant busts of Greek gods. What the hell is happening here?”
“No weapons,” said Adam coming toward them with Frank, Dalton, and Devin. “The meters picked up nothing.”
“This is about as fucked up as you can get. We need to get up top and see what’s in the staterooms.”
The entire group of men moved toward the top decks, peering in rooms and down hallways but not seeing anything out of the ordinary.
Hearing the voices of a man and woman, they kept to the edges of the hallway and moved slowly toward the sound. They seemed to be conversing in a normal tone, not romantic at all.
“We’re behind,” said the woman. “This can’t keep up. We have a deadline and we have to show the investors that this is well on its way to being open by summer.”
“I realize that but I can’t shit results!” he snapped. “We’ve had problem after problem on that damn island, not the least of which was Nicolai. You said he was a piece of cake. Easy to sway.”
“Well, I was wrong. Maybe we get more men on the island and start working twenty-four hours a day. We have to do something to get this done soon. We’re losing millions, hell, billions of dollars potentially if we can’t open this on time.”
As he started to speak again, his phone rang.
“It’s fucking Petros. What now?” He answered the call and waited. “What do you mean they’re all gone? Where the fuck did they go? There’s no way on and off that island unless you provided it! We have nothing now and they’re off to probably report all of this to the police or the government!”
“No,” said Petros. “No, I know nothing has been reported or I would have heard about it. I think they just got scared and left. That’s all. I’ll find them. I promise I’ll find them.”
“Then what? You’re going to drag them kicking and screaming back to the island? No. Just get more men out there and get this work ready for inspection.” He slammed the cellular phone on the desk and looked up at the woman.
“Don’t blame me,” she smirked. “I didn’t want him involved. He’s an idiot with ideas of grandeur.”
“I’m starving,” said the man.
