Page 34 of Shark’s Rise

“I just don’t get it, man,” I confessed with a grimace. “I mean, the dude can have any trim he wants in the state. Probably anywhere. Why is he playing with me like this?”

“You’re right. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it?” He parked a hip on the corner of my desk and folded his arms. “Don’t get me wrong; your woman is beautiful, and I know there’s a lot about her that you love. But to go this far out of his way for someone else’s girl?” He studied the skyline with a slow shake of his head. “Moreover, Abbigail’s made it very clear she’s not interested in him.”

“Exactly. None of it is adding up, by even a fraction,” I said. “The efforts he’s already gone through…they’re over-the-top, even for him. And why? Just to taunt me? Or scare her?” I recognized how crazy the words sounded, even as they tumbled out of me, but I was still trying to make all the puzzle pieces fit together here. My instinct was still casting a mold my logic couldn’t fill.

Grant pushed back to his feet. He walked all the way back over before pausing again, his stance braced with somber stiffness. “Bas? Has he contacted you in any way you haven’t told us about?”

“No!” I spat. “Of course not!”

“Don’t get snippy. You’ve had a crappy few weeks, which means you could’ve overlooked something. Just a stupid detail somewhere.”

“You seriously don’t think I’d remember something like that?”

“Just turning over every stone, man. Nowhere has there been any phone message or skipped email? Anything that could be the terms of a deal? No actual threat, no quid pro quo type of bargain?”

I motioned him back toward the sofa. “Nothing,” I retorted. “And yeah, I know it’s odd. So unlike Blake. You and I have been dealing with that bastard nearly as long as we’ve known each other. We’ve negotiated with him enough times by now to know how he operates.”

Grant stretched his long legs out in front of him. “And this definitely isn’t it, my friend.”

I gripped the chair arms until my knuckles went white. “The bastard I know would’ve come out of the gate flaunting his goddamned terms. Typically, he lays down his hand as soon as all the cards are dealt. He’s a straight shooter when he wants something.”

Grant folded his arms again. Knocked his head back and stared at the ceiling. “All right, so what if…”

“What if what?”

A new exhale from him. “What if we’re following the wrong trail altogether?”

“Explain.”

“Nothing to explain, really. You know I might be right, though…right?”

I dropped my hands atop my thighs. They didn’t fare much better than the armrests. “Okay, let’s set all this on the back burner to simmer for now. We still have to deal with the pirate situation.”

“Yeah. Fucking bastards.” Twombley gave it enough growl for both of us, allowing me to be the all-business guy in this part of the exchange.

“How bad is it?” I demanded. “I got a few hits online, but they were buried around the fourth or fifth result. I’m in the damn dark here.”

The guy sat up straight again. “Our brokers seem to think the problem is significant.”

I clenched my jaw. “How so?”

“A freighter was boarded overnight. Six crew members were taken hostage. I spoke to the freight company’s PR rep right before I came in here, and she said communications with the ship have been cut completely.”

“Well, at the risk of sounding mercenary, do we have cargo on that ship?” I asked.

Grant pulled in another sizable breath. His face was set in stern lines. “Unfortunately, we do. But you know as well as I do that this is the MO for these bastards. They hold the freight and crew as collateral until their demands are met.”

“Christ,” I bit out. “Has anyone cross-referenced the cargo manifest? Looked to see who else’s shipments are being delayed—and how we might be able to coordinate recovery with them?”

“The route was scheduled from Kendari to Port Klang, with at least one stop in Palembang.”

“And?” I prompted.

“And that’s all I can remember, man. Sorry.” My friend dug his forefinger and thumb into his eye sockets, seeming to be fighting the same impending migraine as me. “I know they unloaded some containers in Palembang, but that’s it. The dispatchers are trying to figure what was still onboard. Additionally, if other freight was taken on in Sumatra and so on… Well, we’re still trying to untangle a big fucking mess.”

Well, that sealed the deal. By now my head was pounding. I leaned back in the chair and ground my fingers into my temples. Of all the times for this kind of shit to be happening. When it rained, it poured—only this was all a damn hurricane.

And with her usual awful timing, the next band of the storm knocked on my office door.