Phantom Prospect - Alex Archer [91]
“Well, yeah.”
Cole ripped open the envelope, read the note card inside and then a big smile broke out on his face. “Well, this is interesting.”
“Give it here,” Annja said.
Cole handed it over to her and Annja read the few lines.
I knew you would double-cross me. So, instead of giving you a nuclear bomb, I’ve given you a big dud. If you’re reading this, then I’m dead and you think you got the better of me. You didn’t. See you in hell.
Annja shook her head in disbelief. “I love it. Henderson thought he was pulling one over on the guy who built this, and instead, he got cheated in the process. Fantastic.”
“That whole thing is just a big dud?”
“Seems to be.”
Cole laughed. “Well, that’s the first bit of good news we’ve had all day. How about that?”
Annja looked around and took a deep breath. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
Cole groaned. “Oh, don’t tell me that, Annja. You’re spoiling the good mood I’m in.”
Annja shrugged. “Can’t be helped. Henderson thinks he’s getting a big bang. And when he doesn’t, you know what that means.”
“He’ll give up his life of crime and go raise organic vegetables or something?”
“Not a chance. He’ll come back here to find out what went wrong.”
“So, let’s get the hell out of here, then. We can leave now, right?”
Annja frowned. “I don’t know. If Henderson comes back and we’re not here to stop him, then he might get away and be free to just do this all over again someplace else. And this time he won’t let himself be fooled.”
Cole sighed. “So, you mean we have to stay here and take him down, huh?”
“We should.”
“Why can’t we just let the cops handle this?”
Annja shook her head. “People like Henderson don’t get captured by the police. They’ve got too much money to ever do any time no matter how heinous their crimes. Henderson will get his high-powered attorneys to bail him out. He won’t serve a bit of time despite almost killing thousands.”
“Well, when you put it like that.” Cole frowned. “How long until he comes back?”
“I’d guess within a few hours.”
“He’ll have a lot of people with him, won’t he?”
“I’d guess,” Annja said. “He won’t come back here alone. And if he thinks we’re still alive, he’ll want to make sure we don’t make it out alive.”
“We need help,” Cole said. “It’s too much for us to handle by ourselves.”
Annja nodded. “Take the shark and get back to the Seeker. Tell Hunter, Jax and Dave what’s going on. See if they have any ideas.”
Cole stood. “You’ll be all right by yourself?”
Annja nodded. “I’ve got some things to get ready for our visitors. Just don’t waste any time. Get up there and get back. We might have the element of surprise right now, but it won’t last if Henderson comes back first.”
Cole nodded. “I’m leaving.” But he leaned in and kissed Annja again. “Just in case.”
She kissed him back. “Who knew shark guys were such good kissers?”
Cole smirked. “I’m the exception to the rule.”
Annja watched him hurry away and then turned back to the shaft. She would try to get the bomb to look as if it hadn’t been tampered with. That way, it would draw them all over to the shaft. She could count on that much at least.
But she knew the surprise would be short-lived. Once they got the lid off they’d know what was going on. And then they’d be even more on guard.
Annja tossed the lid down and then scampered back into the shaft. In two minutes, she had the lid secured tightly again and climbed out. Looking down, it seemed as if nothing had been touched.
She turned back to the two dead guards. She had to dispose of their bodies. She dragged them into the corridor where the prison cells were and hid the bodies there. Then she tried to mop up the blood and gore as much as possible.
She set about exploring the rest of the facility. The control room turned out to be a big letdown. The only thing inside was surveillance equipment for the prison cells. Aside from that, there was very little. They didn’t even have a radar screen set up so she could see if Henderson was on his way back to the cavern or not.
Annja spent the rest of her time