Read Online The Gates of Hell (Matt Drake 3) by David Leadbeater - Free Book Online

Kitano nervous before. He had never seen her scared before. He couldn’t imagine the scenario that would faze her.
    And then his world collapsed again.
    “Kovalenko abducted my sister, Chika, from Tokyo. Many months ago now. He has been holding her ever since as captive.” Mai took a deep breath.
    “I see. I understand what you did,” Drake said in a whisper. It was obvious. Family always came first.
    “He has the device.”
    “Yes.”
    “I came to the US to find her. To find Kovalenko. But I failed until you and your friends contacted me. I owe you.”
    “We didn’t save her. You did.”
    “You gave me hope, made me part of the team.”
    “You’re still part of the team. And don’t forget the government has the other device. They’re not about to give it up.”
    “Unless one of them has had a loved one in captivity.”
    Drake knew what had happened to Gates’s wife but said nothing. “We will need you in Hawaii, Mai. If we’re to beat this man, we will need the best. The government knows it. That’s why you and Alicia and the others have been cleared to go.”
    “And you?”
    “And me.”
    “What of your loved ones, Drake? Has the Blood King tried to make good on his vendetta?”
    Drake shrugged. “He failed.”
    “And yet he will keep trying.”
    “Is your sister safe? Does she need extra protection? I know some people—”
    “It is taken care of, thank you.”
    Drake studied the untouched drink. “Then it will all end in Hawaii,” he said. “And now that we have almost found him, it will be soon.”
    Mai took a long sip of her drink. “He will be prepared, Drake. He has been planning this for a decade.”
    “It’s a land of fire,” he said. “Add Kovalenko and all of us to the equation and the whole place might just explode.”
     
    *****
     
    He watched Mai walk away toward the parking lot and headed over to where he thought a cab might be. The Miami nightlife was in full swing. Alcohol wasn’t the only intoxication available and the mix of endless, balmy nights, the fine men and women, and the up-tempo tunes were working hard to boost even his shattered morale.
    He rounded a corner and the marina was laid out before him—yachts bristling to take pride of place, crowds thronging the walkways, an open-air restaurant studded with beautiful people without a care in the world.
    Due for most part to people like Matt Drake.
    He turned back. His cellphone began to ring that haunting, melodic tune.
    A quick jab of the button. “Yes?”
    “Matt? Good day. Hello.” The fine Oxford educated tones surprised him.
    “Dahl?” he said. “Torsten Dahl?”
    “Of course. Who else sounds this good?”
    Panic struck Drake. “Is everything okay?”
    “Do not worry, mate. All is well at this side of the world. Iceland is great. The kids are fantastic. The wife is. . . the wife. How goes it with Kovalenko?”
    “We found him,” Drake said with a smile. “Almost. We know where to look. There’s some mobilization taking place right now and we should be in Hawaii tomorrow.”
    “Excellent. Well, the reason I am ringing may or may not be of some use to you. You can decide yourself. As you know the exploration of the Tomb of the Gods continues cautiously. You remember back at Frey’s chateau when I stood on the edge of Odin’s tomb with my tongue hanging out? You remember what we found?”
    Drake remembered his immediate awe. “Sure.”
    “Believe me when I say we are discovering treasures equal to or surpassing even that almost every day. But something more mundane caught my eye this morning, mainly because it reminded me of you.”
    Drake stepped into a narrow alleyway to better hear the Swede. “Reminds you of me? Did you find Hercules?”
    “No. But we did find markings on the walls of every niche of the tomb. They were hidden behind the treasures so weren’t apparent at first.”
    Drake coughed. “Markings?”
    “They matched the picture you sent me.”
    It took Drake a moment and then