“In fact,” said Bron, “we were. Funny thing. We encountered a man-made cave that had trash in it. Such a shame to leave shit behind on a beautiful island like this. Oh, and we found a big old green box with some old stuff in it. Found out it didn’t belong here, so me and my friend returned it to the island it came from.” Bron just stared at the man as his face grew more and more red.
“You’ve fucked up. Boy.” Bron burst out laughing, shaking his head. “You think that’s funny? Let me tell you what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna get those items back for my boss. If you don’t, you won’t like what happens next.”
“Your boss?” smirked Sadie. “I tell you what. Let Myer know that we’re here and he’s lost. There is no treasure, there is no stone, and there is no idol. He’s lost it all.”
The eyes of the four men went wide, and one took a step backward.
“That’s right, asshole. We know who you are and who you’re with. Mercenaries. Really? Find a better paying gig,” said Chief.
“I get paid plenty,” frowned the other man. “Who the fuck are you people?”
Patrick thought about it a moment. He almost gave the RP name, then thought it was time to put the new name out there and see if anyone was reacting. They were.
“We’re Voodoo Guardians,” said Patrick. “Enjoy the show.” He continued to stare at Patrick, then looked at Christopher and the other men.
“We didn’t know you were here,” he said quietly.
“We are,” said Ham. “And these people, this island is under our protection. Where is Myer?”
“We’re not sure,” said the man with open honesty. “We were to retrieve the items and send them to him. We have no beef with you, and we want no beef with you. Myer can find his own damn treasure.”
“And just how the fuck were you supposed to send the stone circle and idol? That’s tons of rock,” said Christopher.
“He just said do it. He didn’t care if they were destroyed in the process.”
“What did you put on the coral?” asked Patrick. The man shook his head, staring at the men behind him.
“We didn’t touch any coral. Myer had a few divers out there, but we thought he was looking for other relics.”
“Did you touch the blue rock?” asked Ham. The men looked confused, and he continued. “Myer tied off a small mesh sack that we believe had a rock of blue asbestos in it. That’s what killed the coral.”
“Shit,” muttered one of the men. “He asked us to carry it to the boats for him before he left. We’ve all touched it.”
“You need to get medical attention,” said Ham. “If you’re lucky, they can treat you and hopefully stop anything that’s happening. If you’re not lucky, well, you’re not lucky.”
“You’re not going to kill us?” asked one of the men.
“No. Not if you do the right thing and walk away from this and us. If Myer contacts you, find us and let us know. If you know anything about what he’s doing here, tell us.”
“That’s easy,” said the man in the back. “He wants to drill between the islands and control all the oil and gas for southeast Asia. He even said he had some hotshot oil riggers willing to do it for him.”
“Get back to your homes and see a doctor. Let them know you were exposed to blue asbestos in its pure form,” said Ham. Three of the men left, leaving the lead dog standing in the room.
“We didn’t know you were protecting the island. He’s pissed about some woman causing him problems and said he was going to have her boyfriend jailed. We might just be mercenaries, but we’re not stupid. We won’t go against you.”
“That would be me, the boyfriend,” smirked Ham, “and as you can see, I’m free as a bird.” The man nodded and left the restaurant. The men of VG stared at one another, then smiled.
“Why are you all smiling?” asked Sadie. “This isn’t funny. He’s planning to destroy these islands and the waters around them.”
Patrick and Christopher grinned at their sister and could see her anger rising. Holding up their hands in self-defense, Ham stepped in.
“He won’t get anywhere near it, honey,” said Ham. “We’re smiling because we just got a taste for the new reputation. Voodoo Guardians are here, and the world knows it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Uncle Matthew?” called Remy as he entered the offices of Robicheaux Oil & Gas. The Greek Revival mansion was set back off the road, just in front of the hidden gates of Belle Fleur, about two miles from the main entrance. If you didn’t know it, you would think it was a lone house in the bayou, but it was so much more.
Matthew made sure that the corporate offices reflected the image and style he wanted for his company decades before. He wasn’t in the offices very often, especially nowadays, but he did wander in when there weren’t a lot of people around.
