Fatal Tide - Iris Johansen [42]
The shower door had opened.
“Did anyone ever tell you how vulnerable a man is in the shower?” Kelby asked softly. “You can slip on a bar of soap or get scalded or—”
Cobb grunted and lunged toward him.
Kelby stepped aside and gave him a karate chop to the carotid artery. “Or someone like me may do serious damage to your nervous and skeletal systems. Let's talk about it, shall we?”
Melis was sitting at the kitchen table having coffee the next morning when Nicholas Lyons came into the room. “Ah, that's what I need. May I?”
“Help yourself.”
“I will.” He poured himself a cup and sat down across from her. “Kelby's gone to Tobago to try to track down two tanks for your Flipper friends. He asked me to tell you.”
“He moves fast.”
“Always. Your hair's wet. Have you been swimming with Pete and Susie?”
She nodded. “Every morning. They're good company.”
“Some people wouldn't understand that concept. But since I'm a shaman, I've no problem with animal-spiritual interaction. Maybe you were a dolphin in another life.”
She smiled. “I doubt it. I get too impatient when they don't understand what I need from them.”
“But they give you what you need, don't they?” He lifted his cup to his lips. “They interest you, they amuse you, and they prevent you from being lonely. That's important when you're a loner like you.”
She leaned back in her chair. “You think I'm a loner?”
“Oh, yes. There's a wall around you a mile thick. No one comes in. Except maybe your friend Carolyn.”
“You make me sound very cold.”
He shook his head. “You're kind to your dolphins; you're nice to Cal. From what he told me, Lontana wasn't the easiest man to live with and you were very patient with him. You were practically ripped apart when Carolyn Mulan died. You're not cold, just wary.”
“I can't tell you how happy I am you've come to that conclusion. I had no idea you had me under your microscope since you've been here.”
“I'm a student of humanity, and you're very interesting.”
Her gaze narrowed on his face. She was again aware of the complex shadings of his character. What was behind that seemingly frank open smile? “So are you. Why are you coming with us? Marinth?”
He shook his head. “I like money and I like Kelby. And there are enough fireworks going on that I thought it might be like the old days. Like you, I'm a loner, and I don't let many people in.”
“Fireworks? You were in the SEALs with Kelby, weren't you?”
He nodded. “And we bummed around the world together afterward for a few years. Then we parted company and went our own ways.”
“Considering his background, it's difficult imagining Kelby in the SEALs.” She looked down into the coffee in her cup. “Everything I've read about him paints a rather undisciplined picture. Was he competent?”
He was silent a moment. “That's a loaded question.”
“Is it?”
“Let's see, let me use my shaman powers to see what's behind it. Archer's a very dangerous man. You want to know if Kelby can give you Archer's head in a basket?”
She nodded. “That about covers it.”
“I do like a woman who doesn't pussyfoot around.” He studied her. “What do you think about Kelby?”
“He's tough. Tough enough?”
“How hard do you think just SEAL basic training was for Kelby? It's supposed to be a level playing field, but he was a rich boy with media swarming all over him. There are a hell of a lot of ways for other recruits to make life miserable, and they used all of them on Kelby.”
“You too?”
“Sure. I can be as sadistic as anyone else. Maybe more. I've always believed in tests. Testing yourself, testing others. It's the only way to get ahead of the game. You set the bar and then you go for it. If you fail, you get out of the way and let someone else have his turn and you don't bitch if you get bruised. Survival of the fittest.”
“That's