The Gates of Hell

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Matt Drake stepped out of a taxi and shielded his eyes to study the tall building that rose before him. Grey and nondescript, it was the perfect frontage for a secret CIA operation. The local agents would enter via an underground parking garage after running the gamut of multiple security levels. Anyone else, be it agents or civilians, entered through the front door, purposely presented as sitting ducks.

He took a deep breath, almost sober for the first time in as long as he could remember, and pushed through the one-man revolving door. At least this setup seemed serious about its security. A plain desk faced him, manned by half a dozen stern-looking men. No doubt many more were watching.

He walked across the polished tile floor. “Hayden Jaye is waiting to see me.”

“The name?”

“Drake.”

“Matt Drake?” The guard’s stoic exterior slipped a little.

“Sure.”

The man gave him the kind of look a person might use upon seeing a celebrity or a convict. Then he made a call. Seconds later, he was showing Drake to a discreet elevator. He inserted a key and pressed a button.

Drake felt the lift shoot up as if on a cushion of air. He chose not to think too hard about what was about to happen, he would let events take care of themselves. When the door slid open, he was facing a hallway.

At the end of the hallway stood his welcoming committee.

Ben Blake and his sister, Karin. Hayden. Kinimaka. Somewhere at the back stood Alicia Myles. He didn’t see Mai, but then he didn’t really expect too.

The scene was wrong though. It should have included Kennedy. The whole thing looked odd without her. He exited the elevator and tried to remember they were probably feeling the same way. But did they lie in bed every night, seeing through her eyes, wondering why Drake hadn’t been there to save her?

Then Ben was in front of him and Drake said nothing and enfolded the young lad in his arms. Karin was smiling uneasily over her brother’s shoulder, and Hayden came forward to lay a hand on his arm.

“We missed you.”

Desperately, he held on. “Thanks.”

“You don’t have to be alone,” Ben said.

Drake took step back. “Look,” he said, “it’s important to get one thing straight. I’m a changed man. You can’t rely on me anymore, especially you, Ben. If you understand that, all of you, then there’s a chance we can work together.”

“It wasn’t your—” Ben started in on the problem straight away, as Drake had known he would. Karin, surprisingly, was the hand of reason. She grabbed him and pulled him aside, leaving Drake a clear route through to the office behind them.

He strode through, giving Kinimaka a nod on the way. Alicia Myles regarded him with solemn eyes. She had also suffered the loss of someone dear to her.

Drake stopped. “It’s not over, Alicia, not by a long shot. This bastard needs to be eliminated. If not, he might burn down the world.”

“Kovalenko will die screaming.”

“Hallelujah.”

Drake continued past her into the room. Two big computers stood to his right, hard-drives whirring and clicking as they searched and fed off data. A pair of floor-length, bulletproof windows faced him, looking out over Miami Beach. He was suddenly struck by an image of Wells, pretending to be a pervert and asking for a sniper scope to pick out the tanned bodies down there.

The thought gave him pause. It was the first time he’d thought of Wells coherently since Kennedy had been murdered. Wells had died badly at the hands of Alicia or Mai. He didn’t know which one and he didn’t know why.

He heard the others filing in behind him. “So…” He concentrated on the view. “When do we go to Hawaii?”

“In the morning,” Hayden said. “Many of our assets are now focused on Oahu. We are also checking the other islands because it’s known Kovalenko has more than one ranch. Of course, it’s now also known that he is a master of deception, so we are continuing to follow up other leads in different areas of the world.”

“Good. I remember a reference to Captain Cook, Diamond Head, and the Gates of Hell. Have you pursued that?”

Ben took that one. “Extensively, yes. But Cook landed at Kauai, not Oahu. His—” The monologue abruptly broke off. “Umm, in a nutshell. We’ve found nothing unusual. Yet.”

“No direct links between Cook and Diamond Head?”

“We’re working on it.” Karin spoke up a bit defensively.

“But he was born in Yorkshire,” Ben added, testing Drake’s new barrier. “You know, God’s Land.”

It seemed as though Drake hadn’t even heard his friend speak. “How long did he spend in Hawaii?”

“Months,” Karin said. “He returned there at least twice.”

“He may have visited every island then. What you should do is check out his logs, not his history or his achievements. It’s the things he isn’t famous for that we need to know about.”

“That…” Karin paused. “That actually makes sense.”

Ben said nothing. Karin hadn’t finished. “What we do know is this: the Hawaiian god of fire, lightning and volcanoes is a woman called Pele. She is a popular figure in many ancient tales of Hawaii. Her home is said to be at the summit of one of the world’s most active volcanoes, but that’s on the Big Island, not Oahu.”

“Is that it?” Drake asked shortly.

“No. Although most of the tales are about her sisters and siblings, some of the legends tell of the Gates of Pele. The gates lead into fire and the heart of a volcano — does that sound like Hell to you?”

“Could be a metaphor,” Kinimaka said without thinking, then blushed. “Well, it could be. You know…”

Alicia was the first to laugh. “Thank God someone’s still got a sense of humor.” She chortled, then added “No offence” in a voice that showed she didn’t really care which way people took her.

“Gates of Pele might be useful,” Drake said. “Keep at it. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Aren’t you staying?” Ben blurted, obviously hoping he’d get a chance to talk to his friend.

“No.” Drake stared out the window as the sun began to set over the ocean. “Tonight, I have somewhere to be.”