Curse of Atlantis Read Online Free PDF Page A

international incident. So, I decided to offer the money to the American who found the crystal ball in the first place. He’s young and probably greedy, so I’m sure I’ll have better luck with him. I’ve got someone trying to locate him now and I’ll call him in a couple of days to check on his progress,” Ivan said.
    “I see,” Nicolae said simply.
    Nicolae turned and quietly walked to his desk. With his back to the two men, he opened a large humidor . He pulled out a Beretta .22 caliber pistol and a plastic bag and quickly stuffed them in his pocket. Reaching in again, he pulled out a long Cuban cigar and turned around. Forcing a smile across his face, he made his way over to the two men.
    “Ivan my friend, would you care for a cigar?” Nicolae asked, his tone softening a bit.
    “Sure, why not ,” Ivan responded, feeling comfortable in his arrogance.
    Nicolae clipped the end of the cigar and handed it to Ivan. Looking to Dimitri , he asked, “Could you light it for him? I seem to have misplaced my lighter.”
    Dimitri stared back at Nicolae with dread. He knew what was coming next. As he reached in for his lighter, Nicolae casually walked behind the two men. Quickly, quietly, he pulled out the bag and pistol from his pocket.
    Instantly, Nicolae lunged and pulled the plastic bag over Ivan’s head and synched the drawstring around his neck. Before he could react, he placed the gun to the base of his skull and pulled the trigger. As the inside of the bag filled with blood, Ivan collapsed to the floor, guided by Nicolae as he fell.
    “Quickly, grab me another plastic bag from my desk,” Nicolae ordered.
    Dimitri sprang to his desk, opened a drawer , and retrieved another bag. Nicolae grabbed the bag, slid it over Ivan’s head, and synched the drawstring tightly, completely sealing off any possibility of blood dripping on the floor.
    “Did you hear what he said? ‘I’ll call him in a couple of days to check his progress.’” Nicolae spat out in disgust, mocking the now lifeless Ivan. “…Like he was on holiday .”
    He stared at Ivan’s body and continued to mock him.
    “Hello Mr. Trubachev. Would you like some tea while you’re on holiday ? How about a nice relaxing message? I’m sure we could have that arranged for you.” He paused a moment, then added, “Oh, and by the way, don’t worry about your job interfering with your holiday … because you’ll be DEAD!”
    Nicolae pulled his leg back and unleashed a savage kick to the groin of the lifeless corpse . Looking up at Dimitiri, his eyes appeared black and evil. Dimitri swallowed hard, but held his ground.
    With a firm and controlled voice, Nicolae spoke:
    “Get this pile of shit out of here… and find me that crystal.”
    Dimitri nodded grimly and quickly left the room.
    ~~~~~  ~~~~~  ~~~~~
    Caicos Island : Home of Javier Arista
     
    The drive from the airport was short and scenic. While Serena drove along the coastal road, Jack sat in the passenger seat and enjoyed the salty air that rushed in from the sea.
    “You know, it’s really strange. Even though I spent a month drifting out there, hating the water every minute of the day, here I am, three months later, enjoying it like nothing ever happened. I must be mad,” Jack said as he pensively stared far out to sea.
    “It’s just your natural defenses, burying the horrors you experienced out there. Probably the only way your mind could cope with such a tragedy without you turning into a basket case. Let’s face it, the memory of taking on a shark with only a knife could easily mess a person up for years,” Serena responded. “By the way, are you having any nightmares from that experience?”
    “Nothing… not a one.”
    “That’s amazing. If that happened to me, I’d be in therapy for years,” Serena commented.
    “Eh… therapy’s way overrated. Nothing like a bottle of whiskey and a quality cigar to cure what ails you, I always say,” Jack joked.
    “Yeah, that ou gh tta go