Page 74 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
"I eat cereal for every meal because I don't like cooking."
"Then you are in luck." She wrapped her arm around his middle. "I'm a great cook."
He lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "I've died and gone to heaven. Thank you, God."
24
KIAN
At six-thirty in the morning, the café was just opening, but Kian was already on his third cup produced by the new coffee maker that Shai had gotten him for his office.
The brew wasn't nearly as good as what the café offered, but he had to admit that it was a lifesaver when he had early morning meetings like the one Kalugal had insisted on.
The request was suspicious, not just because Kalugal had never asked to meet so early before, but because his cousin had sounded overly enthusiastic about what he had to share. Kalugal only got this excited about making money or plotting schemes, and more often than not, the two were one and the same.
At five after seven, his cousin burst through the door without knocking, his laptop tucked under his arm, and a manic grin on his face.
"You look like a kid who just found where his parents hid his birthday presents," Kian said.
"My parents never got me birthday presents, let alone hid them. I was shipped to the Dormants' enclave as a little boy, and no one got me anything there either." Kalugal dropped into the chair across from Kian's desk with theatrical flair. "I found the perfect island for us. Three prospects actually, but one is absolutely perfect. And before you ask, yes, I've already begun negotiations, and no, no one can trace things back to us."
Kian poured himself a fresh cup of coffee, then gestured toward the pot. "Can I offer you some?"
Kalugal glanced at the device. "What's that? A new toy for your office?"
"Shai got it for me. He probably got tired of running to the café to get me coffee."
"Understandable," Kalugal said. "I've already had two espressos, so I'll pass for now. But maybe later." He opened the portfolio that had been tucked under his laptop and spread out several photographs across Kian's desk. "Look at these beauties."
The images showed aerial views of three islands. Kian leaned forward, studying them. "Where are these located?"
Kalugal's grin widened. "That's the best part. They're in the Indian Ocean. The closest one is about three hundred miles from my father's island. The farthest is just under five hundred."
Kian nearly choked on his coffee. "You want to build our military base in Navuh's backyard?"
"His back ocean, technically. But here's the thing…" Kalugal pulled out a map covered in red dots. "See all these? These are all private islands in the Indian Ocean. There are over a thousand of them, and at least two hundred are inhabited by everyone from billionaire recluses to offshore data centers. One more private facility won't even register as unusual."
"Unless that facility is training an army specifically designed to fight your father."
"Which he won't know because we're not putting up a giant neon sign saying, 'Secret Anti-Navuh Army Training Camp.'" Kalugal tapped the middle photograph. "This one. It's a former mining operation that Cobalt Industries owned until they went bankrupt. One hundred eighty acres, with existing infrastructure that includes dormitories that housed two hundred workers, a medical facility, a dining hall, and most importantly, a thirty-five-hundred-foot airstrip."
Kian studied the image. The island was roughly oval shaped with a natural harbor on one side and steep cliffs on the other. The buildings looked industrial, but it was impossible to see if they were habitable or in disrepair. The airstrip ran along the island's spine.
Kalugal was right. It was perfect, even if the buildings needed some TLC.
"How much?" Kian asked.
"It was listed at forty-two million. I got them down to twenty-eight."
That was too much of a discount, which meant that there was some hidden problem with the island or Kalugal had used compulsion to get the price down.
"How did you do that?"
"The usual. Shell company expressed interest, did due diligence, found 'problems.'" Kalugal made air quotes. "Soil contamination from the mining—completely fabricated but expensive to disprove. Structural issues with the dormitories—actually true but easily fixed. Disputes over mineral rights—I may have created some paperwork suggesting another company had a claim to any remaining cobalt deposits."
"That's fraud."
"That's negotiation. Besides, the paperwork will mysteriously disappear once we close." Kalugal pulled out another document. "Here's where it gets fun. The shell company structure."
