Panthera Spelaea Ch. 71-80

Zach answered after a few rings. "You all right?"

"We're inbound on a helicopter, ten minutes out. Are you still in port?"

"We're just clearing the breakwater at Sibenik now, heading your way."

I had a quick conversation with the pilot, who assured me he could drop us off on the landing pad on a moving superyacht. It was common for a charter pilot to do this with all the rich people vacationing in the Adriatic. Landing on the Elements, even at night, was within the capabilities of him and his machine. "Did you take care of that problem in time?"

"Yes. I'll talk more in person. I'll have the Captain ready the helo deck."

He hung up, and I put the phone in one of my cargo pockets. We were flying at an altitude of three hundred meters over the dark sea.

I felt a thump from behind me. Turning in my seat, I saw Svetlana out of her seat, kneeling on the floor, while Anna pulled the wrapping off her arm. I turned my headset to the internal intercom with them. "What happened?"

"Your sister woke up," Anna said. The two girls worked together to pull Melanie into a seat. It wasn't easy for them to handle the deadweight of her human form in the tight quarters, but they did it. Anna pulled the T-shirt that had blinded her Eagle onto her body. It was enough to cover her for now.

"Is she injured?"

"She looks fine," Anna said. "Not even a scar on her neck."

The girls barely got buckled in before we were circling the Elements on our final approach. I got on the intercom with the pilot. "When we exit, shut the engines down and wait for instructions. Cooperate and keep quiet, and we'll double your pay for the charter."

"Whatever you want, I'll do. Discretion is an expectation for me," the pilot said. "You wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen." He did his job well, hovering just off the starboard bow to get the wind, then moving over and setting down on the middle of the helicopter pad. He was shutting down the engines as crew members rushed forward to tie the helicopter to the deck.

I waited until the girls were out; one of the crew was carrying Melanie. "Give me your phone," I told him. He picked it up off the floor below his legs. "Someone will be out soon to give you instructions." With that, I opened the door and exited the helicopter.

Zach was waiting for me by the entrance to Art's office. "The girls and Melanie went straight to Medical. We'll have Doc Margaret check her out while the rest of us talk."

"We need to do more than talk," I said. I was pissed off, and my Lion wanted blood. I'd hurt Mikhail badly, but it was Svetlana who filled him with lead. Vasili shot my sister, but the Liger had done most of the damage. By the time my lion ripped his head off, he wasn't feeling a thing. There was only one person left alive who was responsible, and my Lion wanted to make him suffer. We'd take him near to death, let him heal, then do it again and again.

"You need to get looked at first. Did you take those bullets as a human or lion?"

I'd hardly notice the gunshot wounds, and the bleeding had stopped shortly after my switch. One was a few inches below my left collarbone, while the other had grazed a rib on my left side. "Lion. They didn't do much damage." I could feel the bullet was still there in my chest, but it hadn't punctured a lung. I loved my Switcher healing.

"Come on. Everything else will wait." He walked me along the starboard side towards the staircase leading down to Medical.

"What is going on with your men?"

"We found them; it will take a few hours for the sedatives to wear off, but they will be fine. Our patrol boat is returning to the island to start the cleanup."

I thought of something. "The Liger is still there."

"We know. Tell me what kind of mess you made." I told Zach about the Liger and my Cave Lion ripping Vasili apart, me biting Mikhail's shoulder, and Svetlana shooting Mikhail multiple times. "So it won't be an open casket funeral."

"Nope."

"And Mikhail arranged the charter?"

I nodded. "I have an idea. Get cleaned up and talk to the others. I'll grab some things and go clean up your mess for you." He left me at the door to the ship's clinic.

When I walked in, the girls were sitting by Melanie. She was covered up and sleeping on the exam table. "How is she?"

"Fine," Doctor Margaret said as she walked into the room from her small office. "She's alive because you acted quickly. From what Anna described, she would have been dead in seconds if you hadn't made her touch the Eagle. For some reason, the initial Switch allows for instantaneous healing of the body."

"There's no shotgun damage?"

"None that I can detect. You took bullets, and one is still in there. Strip and get on the table in the operating theater. Anna, scrub in while Svetlana preps him for surgery."

I looked at Svetlana, but she was in Nurse mode again. I pulled off my gear and walked to the next room. The wounds had scabbed over, so Anna had me shower first to get the blood and dirt off. I ended up lying on my right side as Svetlana spread Betadine around the wounded areas. "I don't know why you bother. It's not like I'll die from an infection."

She didn't stop rubbing as she smacked my ass. "Don't tell me how to do my job, mister. If you didn't get shot, we wouldn't have to pull bullets out of you! And just because you will heal doesn't mean we shouldn't follow medical practices to prevent infection."

Doc came in and numbed up the area, then dug out the bullet from my chest. They also removed the scab and cleaned out the bullet wound on my rib. She used superglue to hold the edges tight until my healing could fix it. I sat up with their help. "Wear this until the scars disappear," Doc said as she put my left arm in a sling.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but Anna had that look. That "you better do what she says if you know what is good for you" look. It had been a trying day, and discretion is the better part of valor. "Yes, Doctor."

Svetlana came in with some clean clothes for me; she'd showered and changed back in our room. "I trashed the other stuff and returned your gear," she told me. "Art wants to see us in his office."

"I'll finish cleaning up here and join you later," Anna said. "Go. They need you."

I kissed her goodbye, then took Svetlana's hand in my good one and headed out. A steward was waiting for us outside Art's office. "Would you care for anything to eat? The kitchen remains open for you."

My stomach growled in response. "Thank you. I'll take whatever you are serving in a triple portion."

Svetlana giggled. "Double portion for me, and pie for dessert."

"I'll return shortly," she said.

"Come on, let's see what the others say about what happened," I said as we turned back to the doors. I knocked, then opened it up. Art was behind his desk, the monitors around the room full of information and video. Duncan and Olivia were on the love seat to his right.

And Edward was in the chair to the left.

Ch. 72

Everyone looked at me as I walked in. I froze, trying to figure out what Edward was doing here. Didn't Zach pass along the warning? How could Art let him get so close when he was worth another nine-hundred-and-fifty million dead? Was he waiting until he had a better opportunity?

And why would Edward be hanging around when he could disappear into Sibenik? Did he find out Mikhail was dead, so there was no point in killing Art? Did he think we didn't know about his fifty million dollar payoff to set me up? I shook myself out of my haze and decided to go with the good news. "Melanie is going to be fine," I told them. "The beast joining her healed her body while she was on the other side or something."

"That's good to know," Art said. "None of us got our beasts while we were injured. How is she handling the change?"

"She hasn't woken up to talk about it yet," I said. "Her Eagle was calm and at peace around us. I think it knew and trusted us from her previous host."

"That's probably it," Duncan said. "When Todd killed Ekatarina, the eagle took off, but it came down from the sky to protect you. In St. Petersburg, it was war, and the eagle had no one left."

"I guess," I said as I sat on the empty chair next to Art's desk. Thank God it was on the other side of the room from Edward. I might kill him soon. "How are your men?"

"They will be fine," Art said. I heard the helicopter startup and watched as Zach boarded with a duffel bag. "My people will return to the island by boat and clean up. We've managed to keep the police out of this so far, but that won't last forever."

Even inside the office, the sound of the helicopter taking off made conversation difficult, so we waited until it was gone. Edward finally spoke up. "We need to figure out how to let the world find out about the deaths of Vasili and Mikhail. The last thing we need is for the authorities to tie it back to the island. We don't need our names coming up, and your friend doesn't need the headache."

That settled one thing; Edward knew Mikhail was dead.

It raised another, more troubling thought. Art was sitting in his office without a hint of danger. The only one in the room giving off any scent of fear was ME, and the other switchers noticed it. Why wouldn't Art be nervous now? Maybe Zach never told him. My blood ran cold at that thought; he was the only one I told about Mikhail's death. It was Zach's idea to put me with the Liger on the island as bait. Zach made all the arrangements for security and patrols. Zach's people were responsible for getting Melanie from the airport in Split to the Elements. And Zach took off in the helicopter with a bag.

Sure, Vasili said Edward was the man, but could I believe him? Did he do it to fuck with my head about how trustworthy my fellow Switchers were? Or were Zach and Edward in on it from the start?

There were a billion reasons for Edward to bring Zach in on the plot.

"Art? Can I speak to you outside for a moment? It's important." I had to get him away from the rest of the group; I didn't know who else I could trust right now. We walked out on the bow, heading forward until we ran out of deck space. I made sure no one else was around before I stood at the rail and started talking. "I don't know who to trust anymore," I confessed.

"Why?"

I told him about Vasili's bragging about turning Edward against us and how a billion dollars waited for him if he killed Art. His reaction wasn't what I expected.

He laughed. "When Edward approached me with this idea, I thought it would NEVER work. I mean, who asks for a BILLION dollars?" He extended a pinkie to the corner of his mouth and spoke in a bad Doctor Evil voice. "One BILLION dollars!"

My jaw dropped. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew. Zach was right; Mikhail would not trust anything from the IT 'breach' after my people picked up Todd's sister. The disappearances plus the gaps in connection would make it obvious my computer people had found the taps. The concept was good, but we needed a better hook. A traitor in my family tried and failed; Edward thought a direct appeal from a jealous switcher would work. It went perfectly, or so we thought."

"What did you do? And why didn't you tell me?"

"Edward made contact with Mikhail over the satellite phone. He gave his reasons; of the five switchers in the world, all were wealthy except him. He blamed me, of course. I didn't open up my company's resources or help him with new identities. He pulled a Fredo, wanting a piece of the action he could call his own."

Fredo was the worst character in the greatest movies ever made. He turned on Michael because he wanted what he couldn't have. Respect. "Still, how do you get a billion when the last guy took the job for ten million?"

"He sweetened the pot by warning Mikhail of some upcoming moves I'd be making against his company. I've already cut the value of his company by a third, and I have the resources to crush him. A billion dollars to stop the bleeding would be worth every penny, much less becoming a switcher. Remember, he was dying, and he knew it. What good are his billions now?"

It made sense. "So Edward tells him I'm going to be running around this uninhabited island alone while the rest of you hit Sibenik. Zach sets it up with a decoy Liger and a bunch of guys to protect me, and we're in business until Mikhail shows up with MY SISTER."

"Yeah, that's the part we didn't expect. Zach thinks Mikhail got greedy when he found out we were interviewing for the Eagle spot. He figured out a way to get your mates and the carcass out there. We put you in a hell of a spot, John, and I'm sorry. I'm glad you came through it relatively unscathed."

"My sister got kidnapped, he threatened to rape the girls, and Vasili blew half of Melanie's throat away. I wouldn't call that relatively unscathed." My Lion was rumbling in anger at the thought.

"It turned out well. You'll have to take the lead in training Melanie."

"Even though I can't fly."

Art laughed. "None of us can. Duncan and Olivia offered to host you both back in the States. We can't stay on my ship forever, and you both need room to learn."

I gripped the rail and nodded. I'd enjoyed my time on the Elements, but I was more at home in the woods and mountains. "What happened with the rest of Edward's payment? I sent text messages to Mikhail's accountant to move forward."

That got Art smiling. "The money is in Edward's account, and the stocks transferred already. You took a big chunk out of Mikhail's estate with your quick thinking."

"What is happening with it?"

"My people are moving it around between banks. We'll make it impossible to trace. We should discuss what to do with it."

There were a lot of things I could do with a billion dollars. "Melanie deserves some of it. She went through hell."

"So do you, John." He looked back at his office. "Can we go back inside now? And can you quit looking at Edward like he's dinner?"

I chuckled at that. "I guess so. I wish you'd told me."

"We couldn't, John. I'm sorry things went bad on you." We turned back towards his office as the superyacht headed back out to sea.

Ch. 73

Duncan, Olivia, and Edward turned to us as we entered the office from the yacht's bow. Svetlana was eating her late dinner; she raised an eyebrow as I walked in. Edward stood up, nervously looking at me. "Are we good?"

I didn't know what to say. "I understand why you worked with Mikhail and placed me in danger. I can forgive you for that. What I don't forgive is involving my family. You told Mikhail about the people coming in to interview, including my sister?"

"He would have known something was up from the email and phone traffic we let them intercept. I'm sure his people were watching the airports and had a flag on your family, just in case they came over to meet you," he explained. "We didn't expect him to act against her."

"Mikhail killed one of my men in the kidnapping," Art said. "We didn't hand her over, no matter how it looked to you on the island."

I let out a breath. Svetlana didn't seem surprised, so I bet Edward told her while Art and I were talking. Recriminations would do nothing at this point, but my trust level in Art and Edward had gone down. "It ended well," I replied as I embraced him. I then sat next to Svetlana, with my piled-high dinner plate in front of me. "What matters now is what we do next."

"I agree," Art said as he sat at his desk. "We need to dispose of the bodies, clean up the island, and complete the takeover of Mikhail's company."

"And Melanie," Olivia added. "She needs to learn about her Switcher nature and meld with her in safety."

Duncan nodded. "And we need to deal with all the people we brought here to interview for the spot that no longer exists." He looked at me. "The others arrived before we departed Sibenik. Some believe they are here for job interviews, others for charitable grants."

Art waved his hand at that. "My agents will take care of our problems, and my staff will take care of the interviews. The Captain is heading north now, towards the fishing village of Rovinj. We will dock early in the morning. Given what will be happening tomorrow, you need an ironclad alibi. Take the girls sightseeing; it's a beautiful place with lots of tourists. If the paparazzi spot you in public, so much the better."

I was game as long as Melanie was awake and safe. Svetlana picked up on the other problem. "What do we do with the seven people all day? You can't interview them all at once."

Art agreed. "We'll start with the older ones in the morning; we hear about their endeavors, hand over a check, and send them on their way. We can schedule them an hour apart. The younger ones can go in the afternoon."

"I'll take them along," I said. "Better for my alibi if there are unrelated people along, and we are safer in a bigger group."

Duncan nodded. "Good idea. Olivia and I have to stay out of sight since we have a son and daughter on board who both believe us to be deceased. I assume you'll be sending security along?"

Art nodded. "Absolutely. Just because Mikhail is dead doesn't mean the danger is over. We don't know what orders he left regarding us."

Svetlana finished her meal and stood. "I need to check on Melanie, and then I'm going to bed. Don't stay up late," she told me before she kissed me goodnight.

"I'll be along soon."

The sway of her ass as she walked out the door told me two things; she knew I was watching, and she wanted me to watch. "Why don't you go over your plans for Mikhail's company and the money while I eat."

Art pulled up some graphs showing trading on the steel company. "The equity stake was Edward's idea. However, you were the one we put in danger, and your quick thinking on the text messages got the transaction done."

"I'm proposing we split the stock between the two of us," Edward said.

"What about the fifty million?"

"Half goes to you, the other half to Melanie with my apologies," Edward replied. "Think of it as your Switcher Starter Funds. You'll need to buy enough property for your beasts to roam without being in danger."

I looked over at Duncan. "You don't want any of this? Art, what about you?"

"We'll be fine," Duncan said. "We'll make our money by investing."

Art was kind enough to explain. "The stock value has taken a pummeling since we started going after it. When news of Mikhail's death hits the markets, it will tank. That's when I swoop in, with Duncan as another investor, and Karpen Investments takes a controlling stake in the company. We open up the supply lines again, get the government off our back, and in a year, we triple our money."

"Damn. I suppose I should hold my stake for a while?"

"You'll be a rich man if you do," Art said. "You give Karpen a proxy vote for your shares, and I'll buy them from you in a year."

I'd never expected to be a poor man; my parents gave me a generous allowance while pursuing my academic dreams, and Dad's company would fall to the three of us when they were gone. I'd learned how important money was to Switchers. We needed to disappear and create a new identity every twenty years, and I had two pregnant mates to support now.

They kept going over things as I ate, and I was getting sleepier by the minute. I finished the pie and stood up. "I can't keep my eyes open," I said. "Goodnight."

Duncan laughed. "I'm shocked you didn't follow your mate out of here."

"We'll talk more in the morning," Art said.

I walked out and down the stairs to my cabin. It was dark, but my cat eyes had no trouble making out what was going on. Three girls were under the covers, and all were sleeping soundly. I went into the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed. I put on shorts and climbed into the open spot on the king-sized bed. Anna was on the far side, cuddled into Melanie, while Svetlana was on her back close to me. She turned and snuggled into my side as I lay on my back, and I soon joined them in sleeping.