Page 24 of Black Bay Enforcer
She stared at him with wide, unblinking eyes, a big mouthful of breakfast burrito making her cheeks puff out like a cute little chipmunk. She probably wouldn’t appreciate the comparison and he probably should have waited for her to swallow before he tried to make conversation. If Lark were here, she’d be rolling her eyes and shaking her head at him.
Chewing and swallowing, she wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. “Yes.”
“Do you want to go swimming?”
“I have to work today.”
“Tonight, I mean. After work.”
Her brow scrunched in a frown. “In the ocean?” She shook her head. “I’m not that strong of a swimmer.”
Nor would he recommend swimming anywhere near Black Bay for anyone but Mako. The water this far out, even in the summer, was icy cold, and brutal. If you couldn’t swim away from the island fast enough, you’d likely find yourself battered to a bloody pulp against the jagged rocks.
“There’s a pool.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that. Is it in the residential area?”
“In Mako’s lair.” Come to think of it, he probably should have cleared this with Mako first. Not to mention the general since down below was heavily restricted. Oh, well. Sometimes it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
She shook her head. “I don’t have a bathing suit.”
He waved away her concern. “Not a problem.”
Chapter Twelve
Mako’s Lair, as Konghad called it, was accessed via what looked like an unassuming maintenance shed. But instead of tools and equipment, a large metal hatch sat in the middle of the floor. From there, they took a ladder down and followed a tunnel lit by caged lights. The air was much cooler down here and the tang of salt water was more prominent.
They stopped at a set of double doors and Kong chuckled as he pointed to the whiteboard hanging on the right side. On it was written,Gone fishing.Be back later. Below that was a doodle of a shark with its mouth open and lots of pointed teeth on display as it chased a smaller fish.
“Mako was created with shark DNA,” Kong told her. “He was the only aquatic hybrid to survive past infancy.”
That was sad. She’d never thought about it, but now, the question was blaring in her brain: How many of them had died before the military shut things down? How many children,babies,had those scientists killed?
She bit her lip to keep from asking, not wanting to spoil Kong’s good mood. She was probably better off not knowing.
“He spends a lot of time in the water. It calls to him. Sometimes he’ll be out there for weeks at a time.”
Kong flicked a couple of switches. “Oh, hey. I forgot to ask. What did the Resurrection soldiers think of your brownies?”
Her cheeks heated with a pleased blush. She’d quietly left the brownies for them and made her escape. She hadn’t wanted them to feel obligated to eat them. But when she’d checked in with them at the end of her shift, the pan was empty but for a few crumbs, and several of the soldiers had expressed their gratitude.
“They were a hit.”
Kong grinned. “Of course they were. Best brownies ever.” With a wink, he opened one of the doors and waved her through.
Katherine entered and then promptly froze as she marveled at the brightly lit area. This was not what she’d been expecting. She’d kind of pictured an indoor pool like you’d find at a hotel with the strong smell of chlorine in the air and loungers placed around the perimeter. This was nothing like that. The space washuge. At a glance, she’d guess it ran under a good two-thirds of the base.
On the far side, suspended from the ceiling by huge motorized clamps and extending back as far as she could see, were submersibles. There were some small ones that were probably deployed to be controlled remotely. Some that looked like they could hold a two-man team, and beyond those, there were larger rigs.
Along the walls, there were racks of air tanks and dive equipment – some she recognized, other things she didn’t – and numerous wet suits hung on hangers. There was a big work table with tools hung neatly on the wall above it. Industrial shelves were loaded with what were probably spare parts. Another work area with computer monitors and other metal boxlike things with plenty of nobs, dials, and gauges that she couldn’t hope to identify.
And in the middle of it all, was a giant pool of seawater, its dark, greenish-blue water lapping gently at the retaining walls.
It must be how they got the submersibles out. Looking up at the ceiling, she saw the network of thick metal tracks. Wow. She’d had no idea this had been under her feet the whole time.
Curious, she approached the pool, watching her step on the wet deck where some of the water had splashed over. It was deep, the walls carved out of the rock, and if it hadn’t been for the rows of submerged, recessed lights, she probably wouldn’t have been able to see much past a foot in depth.
Kong squatted down beside her. “With the external gates closed, the water shouldn’t be too cold.” He dipped his fingers in and with a little mischievous grin, flicked the drops of water at her.
