Lost Voyage Read Online Free PDF Page A

and now he’s gone. It’s all a little too much to take in right now.”
    Hunt listened as the brave woman told her story and marveled at the courage and determination she was displaying. He could tell the ordeal was taking its toll on her and he cordially thanked her for telling her story.
    He felt the devastation she harbored by losing her friend and in a subdued tone, said, “I am very sorry for the loss of your friend, Ms. Lundy. Please accept my sincerest condolences.”
    She graciously nodded in appreciation as Hunt took her hand and gave it a firm, but gentle squeeze. Looking up, she noticed a man walking up behind him. The sunlight blocked out all but the silhouette of a tall man walking towards her. As he drew closer, the discerning features and outline of his face began to take shape and she identified him as Sean Mercer.
    The wavy locks of beach sand colored hair seemed to flow effortlessly in the stiff breeze. As he approached, he said, “Ah, Ms. Lundy. It’s good to see you awake and about. You slept like a baby on the trip back. How are you feeling?”
    Without any words, she lunged towards him and wrapped her arms around her hero. She held on to him for a few seconds before responding. “Thank you so much, Mr. Mercer. I owe you my life for what you did today.”
    He politely replied, “Think nothing of it. I only wish we could have gotten there sooner to save your friend as well. For that, I am truly sorry.”
    There was a sincerity in his eyes that enthralled her. Mercer had a presence about him that screamed arrogance, but that part about him gave way to extreme confidence. She found herself instantly attracted to him.
    “Well, no words or actions could ever show you how grateful I am,” she emphasized.
    “Just don’t go wandering off into the jungle again and we’ll be even,” he said with a smirk.
    After a few more minutes of exchanging words, Emily was ushered off into a tent to be examined by a doctor. As she walked away, Mercer and Vigil admired the beautiful physique of the woman they had saved.
    Vigil looked over to his partner and said, “Why is it that you always get the hugs and I always get the handshakes?”
    Mercer grinned. “She probably took one look at your hands and was reminded of Lenny from Of Mice and Men . Who wants to be hugged by that?”

3
     
    Andres Vallejos sat behind his oval-shaped desk. It was made from Maracaybo wood, and the finish of flesh tones with dark red streaks complimented the handsome piece of furniture.
    Vallejos was a dark-skinned man. A scar on his right cheek extended from his lower ear to his chin, but was mostly concealed by the tattered beard on his face. He stood six-feet, two inches tall and weighed one hundred and ninety pounds. He was a man of power who always got his way, and on the rare occasion he was not complied with, it usually meant a disastrous fate for those who defied him.
    He had been in control of the Managua cartel for the past seven years, taking over for his dying father, and ruled with a brutal dictatorship. Countless innocent civilians, police and even children had been put to death by his orders, whether it was for disloyalty or for something as simple as making eye contact with him when he didn’t feel like being cordial.
    As he sat in his oversized, dark brown leather chair, he gazed out the window as if in a daydream, all the while focused with great intent on the upcoming enterprise he would be embarking on. He had just lit a cigar when a knock on the door made him pause from puffing on it to get it lit.
    Annoyed, he answered. “Yes?”
    The door opened and another man, tall in stature, entered with a troubled look on his face. Upon entering he said, “Andres, we have a problem. The men haven’t returned yet and they should have reported hours ago. I sent a team to the site to check on them, but they found nothing.”
    The annoyed look on Vallejos’ face grew more intense. “Well, they couldn’t have just