Crescent Dawn (Dirk Pitt 21)

“That one’s a devil,” Giordino remarked.

“More than you know,” Pitt replied. “Let’s not give her a second chance at us.”

The three men scurried out of the building and onto the darkened waterfront. The burning truck still had everyone’s attention, though a few dockworkers returned to loading the freighter. The armed guards were nervously securing the area around the blast as the trio quickly made their way onto the pier. Pitt found a discarded gunnysack and draped it over Zeibig’s hands to disguise the fact that he was still wearing handcuffs.

They moved by the extended crane, stepping as quickly as they dared without drawing attention. Keeping close to the freighter, they turned a shoulder toward the yacht and the idling workboat as they moved past, Pitt and Giordino shielding Zeibig as best they could. They relaxed slightly as they distanced themselves from the brightly illuminated section of the pier and saw no workers ahead of them. The shoreline remained quiet, and Pitt figured they were home free as they approached the stern of the freighter.

“Next stop, the Aegean Explorer,” Giordino muttered quietly.

But the hopeful feelings vanished as they reached the end of the pier. Stepping to the edge, Pitt and Giordino looked down at the water, then scanned the area around them in disbelief.

The Bullet was nowhere to be seen.

37

CELIK CAME TO SLOWLY, WITH A POUNDING ACHE IN HIS head and a loud thumping in his ears. Rising unsteadily first to his knees and then to his feet, he shook off the fog and realized the thumping originated well beyond his ear canal. Detecting his sister’s muffled voice, he stepped to the closet and kicked away the chair. Maria practically flew out, her face glowing red with anger.

Taking one look at the dazed appearance of her brother, she quickly calmed down.

“Ozden, are you all right?”

He rubbed the bump on his head with a slight wince.

“Yes,” he replied coarsely. “Tell me what happened.”

“It was that American from the research vessel again. He and another man set off an explosion in one of the trucks, then came in here and freed the archaeologist. They must have followed the yacht here.”

“Where are my Janissaries?” he asked, weaving slightly back and forth.

Maria pointed to the prone guard lying beneath the conference table.

“He must have been attacked with you. The others are investigating the explosion.”

She took Celik’s arm and led him to a leather chair, then poured him a glass of water.

“You had better rest. I will alert the others. They cannot have gotten far.”

“Bring me their heads,” he spat with effort, then leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

Maria stepped onto the porch as two of the guards approached.

“The fire has been extinguished,” reported one of the men.

“Intruders have attacked us and taken the captive. Search the dock and waterfront immediately,” she ordered, “then launch the yacht and scour the cove. They must have a boat with them.”

As the men ran off, Maria stared into the blackened cove, sensing that the intruders were still close at hand. A thin smile crossed her lips, her anger dissipating as she contemplated her revenge.

38

A T THAT PARTICULAR MOMENT, THE MEN FROM NUMA had neither boat nor submersible.

Giordino peered into the water, trying to determine if the Bullet had sunk at her mooring. Then he stepped over to examine a black iron bollard he had used to tie the craft up. There was no sign of the mooring line.

“I’m sure I tied her securely,” he said.

“Then someone sank her or moved her,” Pitt replied. He peered down the dock a moment in quiet thought.

“That small workboat. Wasn’t she ahead of the yacht when we went ashore?”