The Tycoon's Proposition

“It didn’t happen, so don’t think about it,” Ben whispered. Even from the front seat where he couldn’t see her, he had the ability to read her mind.

There was still a lot she didn’t know about the circumstances leading up to Richard’s death. Ben held all the answers. But until he could really speak without it hurting his throat, she would have to be patient.

“If you’re through, Carlos, I’ll take your can.”

He handed it to her. She put it in the nearest sack with the others. As she sat back, another thought came to her.

“Do you have your cell phone? I’m afraid I forgot to cancel my flight.”

“We took care of it while you were paying your bill,” Carlos responded.

“Thank you. As for my bill, it had already been taken care of. Thank you, Mr. Herrick. That was very generous of you.”

“We do it for family members if they have to come in an emergency.”

After that remark, there was nothing to do but ta

ke in the scenery. Having come from a landlocked state in the U.S., being able to see the ocean in the distance as you drove along always provided a thrill.

The traffic was heavy even after they’d left the suburbs and residential areas behind. A loaded freight train ran parallel to their car, coming between them and the coast. A few more miles and the highway veered left, separating them from the train as they rose to a higher elevation.

At first she assumed they were headed inland. Then the car negotiated a curve, which took them south once more. That’s when a vista opened up.

In the far distance Terri saw what looked like another huge city bordering an inlet of the ocean. In the middle was an island where a mammoth building rose at least twenty stories above the water. It had to be some kind of fabulous resort.

She grabbed the map the hotel had given her, positive this city wasn’t on it. Sure enough when she searched the section south of Guayaquil, this place was nowhere to be found. How could that be?

Her head came up. “Did you know th—” But she never finished her sentence because she suddenly realized her mistake.

Closer now, she could see that this city was a giant shipyard. It was much bigger than the naval one she’d seen on the East Coast with her parents when she and Beth were a lot younger. Her gaze took in the building which wasn’t quite as far away now.

“Good heavens—that’s a ship! It’s the most enormous thing I’ve ever seen in my life! I’m sure it’s longer than a couple of aircraft carriers.”

“Four to be exact,” Carlos explained.

“You’re kidding!” she cried. “I’ve been on one. They’re about a thousand feet long.”

“That’s right. The Spirit of Atlantis is twenty-three stories tall from its main deck, 4100 feet long and 700 feet wide, almost three times the width of say, the Kitty Hawk.”

She could hardly take it in. A ship close to a mile long…

“What is it? Ecuador’s secret weapon?”

Both men laughed again.

“Seriously,” she said. “Was it built for their military or something?”

“Not exactly,” came Ben’s whisper.

Carlos made a turn that took them closer to the water’s edge. “You’re looking at the floating city of the future. It was built by an American entrepreneur who along with other businessmen have brought prosperity to this country by offering employment to thousands of locals over the last few years.

“When the Atlantis sets sail on its maiden voyage next week, the shipyard will remain for the building and repair of other ships.”

Terri shook her head.

A floating city…

The mind that had conceived anything this spectacular had to be some sort of genius. Naturally such a project would provide a boost to any country’s economy.