Mega 3: When Giants Collide (Mega Series) (2 page)

Kinsey Thorne, daughter of Vincent Thorne and cousin to the Reynolds boys, once had a shot at being the first woman inducted into the elite ranks of the Navy SEALs. The pressure of the task, and the use of methamphetamines, scuttled that history making chance, and she had found herself in a junkie hell that most people only got out of by way of the morgue. With the help of her father and cousins, she was yanked from her nightmare and recruited into Team Grendel.

The man seated across from her could have been a GQ model, but was instead her ex-husband and semi-co-leader of Team Grendel alongside her father. Darren Chambers had left the Navy SEALs to pursue a mad dream of finding an impossible whale that everyone said couldn’t exist. He’d encountered it on a mission and he became obsessed with tracking down the ocean giant, even though everyone around him thought he was insane.

Everyone except for the man that plopped down next Kinsey and shoved her over with his hip so he could snag the bowl of fruit for himself.

“Hey!” Kinsey shouted as she swatted Gunnar Peterson’s hand away. “My fruit, bitch! Get your own!”

“No smacksies,” Gunnar said. “It’s not like you got the fruit yourself!”

Chief Science Officer, as well as Chief Medical Officer of the Beowulf III, and childhood friend of both Kinsey’s and Darren’s, Gunnar was not muscled and trained to kill like the two people he just joined. His training was as a medical doctor and then doctor of marine biology. He was one of the few people that had believed Darren, and along with a small motley crew, had sailed with him in pursuit of the impossible whale. At least until Ballantine had come along and changed all of their lives.

“I’ll get you a bowl of fruit, Gun,” Darren sighed, “since you’re going to join us anyway.”

Gunnar looked at the two ex-spouses and frowned.

“Uh-oh, am I interrupting something special?” he asked.

“No,” Kinsey said.

“It would have been our anniversary if we’d stayed married,” Darren said.

“Really?” Gunnar and Kinsey said at the same time.

“I don’t know why I even try,” Darren sighed as he got up and headed to the steps down to the upper deck. “I’ll be right back with more fruit.”

***

“Seventy-five feet long,” Lucretia “Lucy” Durning said as she downed another glass of liquor and slammed it on the table. “I shit you not, folks.”

Lucy looked into her glass and frowned, her body swaying slightly from the drink.

“What’s this called?” she asked the four men seated across from her in the small bar.

“Pulu,” one man said as he filled her glass again from a pitcher. “You like it?”

“Tastes good,” Lucy hiccupped. “What’s it made from?”

“Little of dis, little of dat,” the man smiled. “Drink up and tell us more about this giant snake.”

“Titanoboa,” Lucy corrected as she picked up her full glass and sloshed some of the home-brewed liquor onto the table, “and not just giant, but prehistoric. Fucking thing shouldn’t exist, but it did. Until we got a hold of it.”

She grinned then took a long drink. With her other hand, she extended her index finger and then cocked her thumb.

“Bang bang,” she said when done drinking. “Snake go dead.”

“You sayin’ you killed a snake that was seventy-five feet long and six feet wide?” one of the men asked then laughed. “Not possible, bra. Things like dat only in bad movies.”

“Snake happens, man,” Lucy replied, “and when snake happens, Team Grendel is there to save the day.” She waggled a finger in front of the men. “Not just snakes, my bulky, muscly, really, really tan friends, but sharks too. Fucking huge sharks. Bang bang, boom!”

Lucy finished off her glass of pulu and smiled. Then she turned and threw up all over the bar’s dirt floor. The men gasped then started to laugh as she wobbled, wobbled, wobbled then fell off her bench and right into her sickness. She lay there, all six feet of her, as the men continued to laugh.

“I think I need a wet wipe,” she slurred before her eyes closed.

***

“You gonna let me slap your woman around, bra?” the mountain of a man asked Max. “You just gonna sit there like a pipi elo while I give this kefe a smack down? You pitiful, bra.”

“What’s a pipi elo?” Max asked Darby.

“Stinky pussy,” Darby replied.

“Oh,” Max nodded then smoked the rest of his joint. “Now, if anything is stinky around here, it’s this dank bud. This is some fine, fine shit, dude. A lady we know grows it and I got more. Now, how about you just apologize to my deadly lady friend and we call it a day?”

“I said I’d handle this, Maxwell,” Darby said.

“I know, I know, but I’ve got this killer buzz on and I hate for violence to ruin it,” Max replied. “Don’t get me wrong, woman with the hot ass, I love it when you beat the split fuck out of assholes that deserve it, but this is a really small island and once you crush him I have a feeling we won’t be welcome anymore.”

“That some of Linny’s weed?” the man asked.

“Hey, dude, I ain’t one to smoke and tell,” Max said as he started to roll another joint. “Max Reynolds ain’t no snitch.”

“Linny’s our sister,” the man responded as he hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the other man, “and she ain’t ever mentioned no scarfaced asshole and a midget dyke before.”

The man started to step around Darby towards Max, but Darby placed a hand on his gut and shoved him back. He stumbled a couple of steps and his eyes went wide with surprise.

“Little thing got some solid to her,” the man laughed. He looked at Darby and nodded. “I give you that, girl.” Then he pointed at Max. “I think you stole some of my sister’s stash. Only reason you’d have her good stuff.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, brown beefcake,” Max said as he licked the joint and sealed it tight.  “I take my pot karma very seriously and I’d never lift someone’s stash. Not ever.” He tucked the joint behind his ear. His right one. “Darby, my dearest killing machine, I have tried to help these gentlemen avoid their inevitable ass kicking, but they just won’t listen. I think a lesson in manners is now in order.”

“Just as I have been saying from the start,” Darby said. “You waste too much time, Maxwell.”

“Don’t you just love how she says Maxwell?” Max asked the men. “Isn’t it the cutest thing you’ve ever heard?”

“Stand up and fight for your woman, bra,” the man growled. “Grow some and do what’s right.”

“Oh, I am, dude,” Max grinned. “Trust me. Darby?”

“I don’t need your permission,” Darby said.

“Well, no, I know that,” Max said, frowning. “I was just setting you up for one of those cool moments where I say ‘Darby?’ and then you punch the guy really hard so he falls to his knees. It was all for effect. A little showmanship doesn’t hurt now and again, does it? We can’t all be brute force and heavy violence.”

“Shut up,” Darby said.

“Good idea,” Max nodded then gave a thumbs up to the two men.

“Your woman owns your cock,” the mountain of a man laughed, “and I’m about to own her.”

“Own this,” Darby said as she rushed the man and basically climbed right up him so her face was in his. She grabbed the back of his head then slammed her forehead into his nose, crushing it into a pulp instantly. She jumped down and gave the man’s knees two swift kicks, sending him to the sandy dirt.

“Own this,” Max chuckled. “Okay, that’s a good one.”

***

A scream from outside the bar diverted the men’s attention from the passed out Lucy. They all turned and looked out into the glaring sun.

“That sounded like Levi,” one of them said.

There was another scream that was quickly choked off.

“Shit,” another man said, “we better go see what’s happening.”

“What about her?” another asked as he nudged Lucy with his toe.

“Roll her over so she doesn’t choke if she pukes again.”

***

The phone on the bedside table rang shrilly, but Linny and Shane were too busy to get it. Their bodies were intertwined, legs wrapped about legs, arms wrapped about backs, mouths pressed hard together. Linny was on top, then Shane, then Linny, over and over as they never stopped moving.

The phone kept ringing.

“Do you need to get that?” Shane gasped as he came up for air.

“Fuck that,” Linny said as she arched her back and ground down on him.

The phone rang on and on.

“Kinda hard to concentrate,” Shane said.

“You’re doing just fine,” Linny smiled as she rocked back and forth on top of him. “Shut up and ignore it.”

He grabbed her and brought her mouth down to his. They kissed with a passion that left them gasping once they finally broke away.

The phone did not stop ringing.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Linny yelled as she grabbed the handset. “What? What the fuck do you want?”

She listened intently as the person on the other end started shouting. Shane traced his finger from her thigh, up across her belly, and to her left breast. Linny swatted his hand away when he began to roll her nipple between his finger and thumb.

“What do you mean a woman broke both his kneecaps?” Linny exclaimed.

That got Shane’s attention.

“She just attacked him? For no reason?” Linny asked. “Where?” She listened then looked Shane in the eye. “The man is American with scars on his face. No left ear. Yeah, I think I know who he is. I’ll be right there.”

Shane didn’t protest when she hung up the phone, got off him, and started to get dressed.

“So… American with scars and no left ear,” he stated, “that would be my brother.”

“I know,” Linny said as she pulled on a t-shirt and then a short cotton skirt. “His girlfriend is beating the shit out of my brothers and cousins.”

“Oh, shit,” Shane said as he hurried from the bed to find his clothes, “that’s not good.”

Linny had grabbed her keys and was heading to the door when he said that. She stopped and frowned at him.

“Wait, you weren’t worried when you heard your brother was involved, but now that you know his girlfriend is, you panic?” Linny asked. “Who is this woman?”

“First, she’s not his girlfriend,” Shane said as he pulled his cutoffs on. “More like he’s her boyfriend. There’s a difference, trust me. Second, my brother can hold his own in a fight, so I never really worry about him. Third, her name is Darby and she will probably kill your brothers and cousins if we don’t stop her.”

Linny just stared at Shane as he got his shirt on. He found his flip flops and hurried to the door.

“What?” he asked as she kept staring.

“A woman is not going to kill my brothers and cousins,” Linny said, “they will kill her.”

“Yeah, you just keep thinking that.” Shane laughed. “I told you I rolled in with a rough crew.”

“Your brother knows she can kill them?”

“Yep,” Shane nodded.

“He isn’t going to stop her?”

“Nope,” Shane replied, “he loves watching her kick ass.”

“Even if she kills them,” she said.

“Even if she kills them,” Shane responded. “I’m sure those two have already justified why your brothers and cousins deserve to die. Max wouldn’t let it happen unless there was some reason.”

“Fucking Navy SEALs,” she said, shaking her head. “Why I get involved with you assholes, I don’t know.”

“Because we’re good in the sack,” he said as he kissed her and turned her towards the door. “Now, let’s save your family from some serious heartbreak.”

***

“You’re killing me, William,” Ballantine said. “All of this was already sanctioned by the company. We were hired to do a job and we did it. There isn’t a single one of those creatures left out there. We’ve even had time to do side jobs along the way… Yes, I know the Brazilian government protested our mission in the Amazon… What do you mean we were convicted? What the fuck, William? We had immunity! The company was supposed to… Yes, I am aware of that… Well, that’s the legal department’s problem! How is that? They what? Who bought them? Jesus Christ… No, I know exactly who runs that outfit… That really has no bearing on anything… Say that again... No, the last part… How in the fuck can they press charges? They fucking hired us! No, don’t even try that shit with me, William! No… FUCK! Yeah, I’ll hold, but hurry the fuck up… Oh, and William? Protocol fifty-four is in effect if you don’t come back with an answer I want to hear… Yes, you heard me… Well, too bad. They should have thought of that before.”

“This sounds like it’s going well,” Thorne said from his shady spot under the palm tree.

“Fucking swimmingly,” Ballantine replied. “The Team better be enjoying themselves because I don’t think we’re going to get any off boat R and R again for a long time.”

“That bad?” Thorne asked.

“I haven’t seen worse,” Ballantine nodded.