should have been the only human being within a hundred square kilometers of the young male gorilla. But she was not. Through Koku’s eyes she saw a band of hunters thrashing through the brush. White men and black, carrying rifles.
“Run Koku!” she directed. “Run!”
Startled by her abrupt warning, the big gorilla crashed off through the brush. Lela felt his sudden fear as her own. Looking back through the gorilla’s eyes, she saw the hunters dwindling in the distance until they disappeared altogether in heavy green foliage.
Lela sighed out a breath of relief. Koku could easily outdistance them in the thick brush. But within minutes he would feel safe and slow down or stop altogether. Lela knew she had to reach Koku before the hunters did.
CHAPTER 6
JO dropped the two men off at their hotels, then instructed her chauffeur to drive to Washington National Airport. A Vanguard Industries executive jet was waiting for her there, and shortly after midnight she leaned back in an utterly comfortable leather lounge chair and watched the stately monuments of Washington glide past her window as the plane climbed to its cruising altitude. Once above the normal traffic patterns of commercial airliners, the plane’s wings slid back for supersonic flight and the cabin lights dimmed for sleeping.
But Jo had no intention of sleeping. Not yet. Hsen and Kruppmann were threatening her. Now she knew why the board of directors had suddenly insisted on a special meeting to review Vanguard’s participation in the IIA. Hsen was making a power play. The sneaky little bastard must have nearly half the board in his pocket already, in addition to Kruppmann, Jo said to herself. While I’ve been helping Keith he’s been maneuvering to acquire leverage on my board.
She dictated a memo to the computer outlet built into her seat’s armrest: “Check all board members and executive staff to see which of them also sit on the board of Pacific Commerce.” Then she added, “Also, I want a complete list of all Vanguard executives above the level of divisional vice president who have been involved in any transactions whatever with Pacific Commerce.”
What about Kruppmann? Jo decided that the Swiss banker was more bluster than anything else. He never made waves at board meetings. He would loan money to Vanguard no matter who ran the corporation, as long as Vanguard showed profits. Hsen was the dangerous one. Kruppmann made most of the noise, but Hsen was the kind who knifed you in the dark.
She nodded to herself. First rule of business: find out who your enemies are, and then keep them as close as possible—until you’re ready to chop their heads off.
Leaning back in the deep luxurious chair, Jo felt satisfied that she had done all she could do for the moment. She allowed herself to relax and fall asleep.
Her dreams were troubled. She was in the lobby of an exclusive hotel, carrying heavy suitcases in either hand and trying to get into an elevator. But she could not get the suitcases through the elevator doors before they slid shut and left her behind. No one in the hotel lobby offered to help her. She was frantic, because Keith was somewhere on one of those upper floors and she had to find him before he went away and left her all alone.
She awoke to a pert young stewardess smiling over her. “We land in half an hour,” she said.
Jo saw that the sky was aflame with the rising sun. Then, brows knitted, she realized that she had to be looking toward the west. The sun was setting, not rising. Lifting her wrist close to her lips she said softly, “Hawaii.” The watch’s digits quickly shifted from 0328 to 1928. Almost 7:30 p.m., Jo realized.
The drive from Hilo Airport to her sprawling home in the hills above the city was swift. Keith Stoner was at the front door to greet her, tall and safe and smiling warmly. She had loved him since those ancient days when she had been a student and he a former astronaut. They had worked together on the
“Run Koku!” she directed. “Run!”
Startled by her abrupt warning, the big gorilla crashed off through the brush. Lela felt his sudden fear as her own. Looking back through the gorilla’s eyes, she saw the hunters dwindling in the distance until they disappeared altogether in heavy green foliage.
Lela sighed out a breath of relief. Koku could easily outdistance them in the thick brush. But within minutes he would feel safe and slow down or stop altogether. Lela knew she had to reach Koku before the hunters did.
CHAPTER 6
JO dropped the two men off at their hotels, then instructed her chauffeur to drive to Washington National Airport. A Vanguard Industries executive jet was waiting for her there, and shortly after midnight she leaned back in an utterly comfortable leather lounge chair and watched the stately monuments of Washington glide past her window as the plane climbed to its cruising altitude. Once above the normal traffic patterns of commercial airliners, the plane’s wings slid back for supersonic flight and the cabin lights dimmed for sleeping.
But Jo had no intention of sleeping. Not yet. Hsen and Kruppmann were threatening her. Now she knew why the board of directors had suddenly insisted on a special meeting to review Vanguard’s participation in the IIA. Hsen was making a power play. The sneaky little bastard must have nearly half the board in his pocket already, in addition to Kruppmann, Jo said to herself. While I’ve been helping Keith he’s been maneuvering to acquire leverage on my board.
She dictated a memo to the computer outlet built into her seat’s armrest: “Check all board members and executive staff to see which of them also sit on the board of Pacific Commerce.” Then she added, “Also, I want a complete list of all Vanguard executives above the level of divisional vice president who have been involved in any transactions whatever with Pacific Commerce.”
What about Kruppmann? Jo decided that the Swiss banker was more bluster than anything else. He never made waves at board meetings. He would loan money to Vanguard no matter who ran the corporation, as long as Vanguard showed profits. Hsen was the dangerous one. Kruppmann made most of the noise, but Hsen was the kind who knifed you in the dark.
She nodded to herself. First rule of business: find out who your enemies are, and then keep them as close as possible—until you’re ready to chop their heads off.
Leaning back in the deep luxurious chair, Jo felt satisfied that she had done all she could do for the moment. She allowed herself to relax and fall asleep.
Her dreams were troubled. She was in the lobby of an exclusive hotel, carrying heavy suitcases in either hand and trying to get into an elevator. But she could not get the suitcases through the elevator doors before they slid shut and left her behind. No one in the hotel lobby offered to help her. She was frantic, because Keith was somewhere on one of those upper floors and she had to find him before he went away and left her all alone.
She awoke to a pert young stewardess smiling over her. “We land in half an hour,” she said.
Jo saw that the sky was aflame with the rising sun. Then, brows knitted, she realized that she had to be looking toward the west. The sun was setting, not rising. Lifting her wrist close to her lips she said softly, “Hawaii.” The watch’s digits quickly shifted from 0328 to 1928. Almost 7:30 p.m., Jo realized.
The drive from Hilo Airport to her sprawling home in the hills above the city was swift. Keith Stoner was at the front door to greet her, tall and safe and smiling warmly. She had loved him since those ancient days when she had been a student and he a former astronaut. They had worked together on the
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