Page 89 of The Atlas Maneuver

Citrone hesitated, still nursing a bleeding nose. She cocked the hammer on the gun. “I won’t kill you, but I sure will hurt you.”

“You are a violent woman?”

“Coming from a man who shot at me in the water.”

“It seemed necessary at the time. I assume the divers below are dead?”

“You’re on your own.”

“I underestimated you.”

“Your mistake.”

Citrone bent down and lifted the plastic bucket, which he dipped over the side and filled.

“Dump it on Koger,” she said.

Citrone emptied the pail onto Koger’s head. The big man sprawled on the deck roused from unconsciousness, shaking off the fog in his brain, blinking his eyes, and coming back to reality.

“What happened?” she asked.

“I got coldcocked,” Koger said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Where’s the other guy?”

“Somewhere over the side with a spear through him,” Citrone said.

Koger faced her. “Your doing?”

She nodded.

Koger slowly rose from the deck and immediately advanced on Citrone, grabbing the man by his jacket. “What are you up to?”

“You rattled the wrong cage this time,” Citrone said.

The wind and rain began to ease, but the deck continued to rock. Luckily, she’d always had a stout pair of sea legs.

Koger released his grip. “Explain that or you’re going swimming.”

“The Japanese have returned and want what they believe belongs to them. Since I have no intention of journeying to the Philippines, and America isn’t interested in digging up any more gold, I thought I would sell them the map. They, of course, do not want your interference so they insisted you be handled. I had no choice but to comply.”

She heard the buzz of a phone and saw Koger reach back with his free hand and retrieve his from a back pocket. Koger answered the call, listened for a few moments, then said, “Do what you have to. We got it on this end.”

The call ended.

Koger grabbed back hold of Citrone again and yanked him to the stern diving platform. “I’m going to give you five seconds to tell me the truth about all of this, or over you go.”

Citrone seemed not to believe the threat.

But she could see Koger was serious.

That call had been important.

Koger glanced back her way. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he whirled around and shoved Citrone over the side. She knew firsthand how cold that water was, especially with no wet suit. She stepped over to see Citrone treading water, the chill surely enough to bring his senses to full alert.

“He can’t stay there long,” she said.

“I know. But that pain in the ass is going to tell me the truth.”

“Who called?”