Wages of Sin (A James Acton Thriller, #17) (James Acton Thrillers) Read online

  Wages of Sin

  A James Acton Thriller

  by

  J. Robert Kennedy

  From the Back Cover

  “One of the best writers today.” (Johnny Olsen)

  “A master storyteller.” (Betty Richard)

  WHEN IS THE PRICE TO PROTECT A NATION’S LEGACY TOO HIGH?

  Archaeology Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer are on safari in South Africa, enjoying a vacation away from the bullets and bombs that too often threaten their lives, when a chance encounter leads to a clue that could unlock the greatest mystery remaining of the Boer War over a century ago.

  The location to over half a billion dollars in gold.

  It’s a treasure that has claimed dozens of lives, and is about to claim even more.

  Four-time USA Today Bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy delivers another torn from the headlines thriller with Wages of Sin. Filled with intrigue, suspense, humor and a touch of romance, prepare to lose sleep with this action-packed adventure the likes of which only Kennedy can deliver. With over 500,000 books in circulation and over 3000 Five-Star reviews, it’s time to join those who have compared him to Patterson, Clancy, Brown, Cussler and Rollins.

  About the James Acton Thrillers

  "James Acton: A little bit of Jack Bauer and Indiana Jones!"

  Though this book is part of the James Acton Thrillers series, it is written as a standalone novel and can be enjoyed without having read any of the previous installments.

  About J. Robert Kennedy

  With over 500,000 books in circulation and over 3000 five-star reviews, USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy has been ranked by Amazon as the #1 Bestselling Action Adventure novelist based upon combined sales. He is the author of over twenty-five international bestsellers including the smash hit James Acton Thrillers. He lives with his wife and daughter and writes full-time.

  "A master storyteller." — Betty Richard

  "A writer who tells what we are thinking but sometimes afraid to say." — Bruce Ford

  "Kennedy kicks ass in this genre." — David Mavity

  "One of the best writers today." — Johnny Olsen

  "If you want fast and furious, if you can cope with a high body count, most of all if you like to be hugely entertained, then you can't do much better than J Robert Kennedy." — Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer

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  Get the J. Robert Kennedy Starter Library by joining The Insider's Club and be notified when new books are released!

  Find out more at www.jrobertkennedy.com.

  Books by J. Robert Kennedy

  The James Acton Thrillers

  The Protocol

  Brass Monkey

  Broken Dove

  The Templar's Relic

  Flags of Sin

  The Arab Fall

  The Circle of Eight

  The Venice Code

  Pompeii's Ghosts

  Amazon Burning

  The Riddle

  Blood Relics

  Sins of the Titanic

  Saint Peter's Soldiers

  The Thirteenth Legion

  Raging Sun

  Wages of Sin

  The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers

  Rogue Operator

  Containment Failure

  Cold Warriors

  Death to America

  Black Widow

  The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers

  Payback

  Infidels

  The Lazarus Moment

  Kill Chain

  The Detective Shakespeare Mysteries

  Depraved Difference

  Tick Tock

  The Redeemer

  Zander Varga, Vampire Detective Series

  The Turned

  Table of Contents

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  Table of Contents

  Beginning

  Preface

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  54

  55

  56

  57

  58

  59

  60

  61

  62

  63

  64

  65

  66

  67

  68

  69

  70

  71

  72

  73

  74

  75

  76

  77

  78

  79

  80

  81

  82

  83

  84

  85

  86

  87

  88

  89

  90

  Acknowledgements

  Don't Miss Out!

  Thank You!

  About the Author

  Also by the Author

  For Paris, for Brussels, for Nice and Munich.

  And for the next one.

  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

  Romans 6:23 King James Version

  “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

  Proverbs 17:17 King James Version

  Preface

  According to National Geographic, the Kruger National Park in South Africa is one of the world’s greatest nature preserves.

  And one of its deadliest.

  In the past two years, at least 19 elephants have been killed by poachers for their ivory tusks, and since 2008, over 4600 rhinos for their horns, over 800 this year alone. It is estimated that only 25,000 remain in the wild.

  And it is easy to see why poachers are so tempted. At current market prices, ivory is going for almost $700 per pound—and what is stunning about that price is that it is a legal sale, from stockpiles in China.

  One can only imagine the black market price.

  All to feed the demand by traditional Chinese medicine, and a growing belief in that region that ground Rhinoceros horn powder is an aphrodisiac.

  What is perhaps most disturbing is that those sworn to protect these magnificent creatures are sometimes their worst enemies, park rangers falling prey to the allure of easy money, joining the poachers in their vile trade, as witnessed recently with the arrest of two rangers sworn to protect the animals of Kruger National Park.

  But what if elephant tusks and rhino horns weren’t the only sources of temptation in the park?

  What if there was something far more valuable?

  How much blood might be spilled for
a wealth so vast, it could change a nation’s future?

  And the knowledge of its past.

  1

  En route to Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge

  Outside Belfast, South Africa

  Present Day

  “How much farther?”

  “Too far! Another forty minutes at least!”

  Archaeology Professor James Acton stared out the back of the customized—and very open—Toyota Land Cruiser Safari Vehicle, and cursed at the sight. Three vehicles, their headlights slicing through the dusk, pursued them, gunfire ringing over their heads as their guide desperately tried to lead them to safety along the dirt road, their vehicle fishtailing far too frequently from the effort.

  “Maybe we should just surrender?”

  Acton glanced at his wife, Laura Palmer, also a professor of archaeology, crouching down on the floor. Mental images of what might happen to her and the other women flashed before his eyes, and it was horrifying. He shook his head. “We can’t risk it, and besides”—he stared back at the vehicles, the distance closing rapidly—“I don’t think they’re shooting at us.”

  She rose slightly to see for herself. “What makes you think that?”

  “We haven’t been hit.”

  He pulled the rifle from between the seats and checked if it was loaded, the weapon normally reserved for their safari guide, Sipho Tsabalala, to warn off any too curious beasts. It was. He took aim at the lead vehicle, siting the engine block rather than the occupants, and fired. A headlight blew out and the hood flipped up, the vehicle skidding off to the side.

  “Good shot!” shouted Sipho from the front seat.

  “Lucky shot. Ammo?” Acton frowned as he saw the hood slammed shut in the distance, the vehicle rejoining the chase as ammo was handed forward.

  “What the hell do they want?” asked one of the ungrateful brats they had rescued from the side of the road minutes before.

  Acton fired again, missing, choosing to ignore the question, their pursuers obviously after one thing—the half-billion in lost gold they might have discovered the location to barely an hour before.

  Laura grabbed him by the leg and shook. “I’ve got Hugh!” She turned away, trying to cover the phone from the noise of the open-air vehicle. He could only catch a word here and there as she relayed their situation to their good friend, Interpol Agent Hugh Reading, their Hail Mary on the satphone.

  “Please help us!” shouted one of the young women they had picked up, screaming at the phone. Laura pushed her away as Acton fired, another miss, the vehicle bouncing far too much for him to get off a good shot. They were almost on top of them now, and Acton had a choice to make. Try killing the poachers, and risk their retribution when they were inevitably caught, or continue to try and take out the vehicles.

  He decided on the latter.

  “Look out!”

  The vehicle jerked to the left, throwing Acton clear. He hit the ground hard, spinning with the impact as he tumbled into the tall grass lining the road. The vehicles pursuing them sped past as he came to a stop, the night air filled with the sickening sounds of a vehicle crashing, the screams of his wife, of his friends, mixed in with the nauseating cacophony of a vehicle flipping on its side.

  An elephant trumpeted in protest as Acton pushed himself to his knees to see what was happening, the massive beast nonchalantly crossing the road with several others, marking the end of their vehicle’s flight to safety.

  Laura!

  The pursuing vehicles skidded to a halt behind the wreck, their passengers piling out, weapons drawn. Acton leaped to his feet to go on the attack then dropped back down, thinking better of it. He was one against what appeared to be a dozen.

  Hopeless.

  He crawled deeper into the grass, away from the road, with the realization he was the only hope his beloved wife and the others had.

  But only if he stayed alive.

  2

  Outside Belfast, South African Republic

  May 3rd, 1900

  Veldkornet Dirk Voorneveld’s chest was tight with fear, a fear he had felt before, and one he hoped to feel again. Yet it was a fear he would never admit to, nor show, the troops under his command needing a strong leader, unafraid of the enemy. On the horizon were dozens of British troops on horseback, and they were but twenty, it thought a small contingent of commandos would draw less attention to their mission.

  Though the damned British were having none of it.

  After all, they were a small group of Boers and easy pickings.

  His Commanding Officer, Kommandant Karl van der Merwe, galloped toward him, coming to a halt at his side, turning his trusted steed to face the enemy. “Veldkornet, take the wagons north. We’ll delay them as long as we can. Hide the cargo then return to Pretoria.”

  “But you’ll never survive!”

  Van der Merwe stared at him. “But you will.”

  Voorneveld snapped out a salute, his chest aching with the realization of what was about to happen. His friend and commander returned the salute then readied his Mauser rifle.

  “Attack!”

  Voorneveld watched helplessly as a dozen of the finest soldiers he had ever had the honor to serve with, charged toward certain defeat, unable to help. He turned to the few that remained. “You heard the Kommandant, let’s go!” He flicked the reins and his horse surged forward, turning down the road to the north, the wagon caravan containing the lifeblood of their country fleeing the scene of a battle that would be forgotten in history.

  As a dozen brave souls sacrificed themselves.

  All to save their nation’s gold reserve from the enemy.

  3

  Sabi Sabi Game Preserve

  Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa

  Present day, one day before the attack

  “Didn’t I tell you this would be great?”

  “You did.” James Acton smiled at his old friend, Gorman Ncube, a history professor at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. He and Laura had been wondering what to do during their summer break besides spending all of it with their students on their dig sites, and decided two weeks away from everything was in order. When Gorman had suggested joining him and his wife for a safari, they had jumped at the opportunity, it one of the items on Acton’s bucket list he had never had time to cross off, ironic since he had been hunted by all manner of man and woman over the past few years, yet beasts had pretty much left him alone.

  He watched through the binoculars, their guide, Sipho, having wisely brought them to a halt far enough away to not scare the dozens of animals taking advantage of the cool water the lake had to offer. He sighed, completely at peace for the first time in too long.

  “Look!” hissed Gorman’s wife, Angeline. “Do you see it?”

  Acton turned to where she was pointing, Laura rising beside him, both now standing in the rear seat, their heads through the top of the essentially open-air vehicle.

  “What are we looking for?” asked Laura, scanning the area.

  “See the big tree over there?” They both nodded. “Well, just to the right, in the grass. There’s a lioness.”

  “Oh no!” cried Laura as she spotted it. “She’s going to kill one of those poor animals!”

  Angeline agreed. “Yes.”

  “That’s terrible!”

  Acton patted her leg. “That’s the law of the jungle, hon.”

  “I know, I know,” sighed Laura. “That doesn’t mean I want to see it, though.”

  Gorman glanced over at Acton. “Your wife, she’s not one of those vegetarians, is she?”

  “Vegetarian?” chuckled Acton. “If she is, she’s doing it wrong.”

  “Bloody hell, no!” Laura gave Gorman a quick glance before returning her attention to the hunt. “I love meat as much as the next girl, doesn’t mean I want to see my cow torn apart before James slaps it on the grill.”

  As if sensing she had an audience demanding a show, the lioness pounced, burying its claws into the back of a larger
zebra, its teeth sinking into the neck of the struggling beast, its efforts of no use—the most efficient hunter in the world had already won, it now just a matter of time for the magnificent creature it had chosen for its meal, to tire, collapse, then bleed out.

  She was patient, the lioness, willing to wait for the inevitable, willing to wait for her prize.

  But not everyone was willing.

  “Ugh,” groaned Laura, turning away and covering her ears, the screams of agony and fear from the poor zebra overwhelming, even at this distance. Acton patted her back gently with one hand, the other eagerly holding the binoculars to his eyes as he watched the vicious efficiency of nature at play. Finally, the creature fell to its knees then onto its side, the lioness tearing out its throat, silencing its screams.

  Sipho started the vehicle. “Do you want to get closer?”

  “No!”

  Acton grinned at his wife. “I guess not.” His stomach growled and he patted it. “I’m starving, let’s eat.”

  Laura stared at him in horror. “You can eat after that?”

  “Umm, how long have you known me? In another hour I’ll be wrestling that lioness for a share of her kill if I’m not fed.”

  Sipho turned in his seat. “I know a place near here, really good. My cousin makes homemade paap ’n vleis. Very good.”

  Acton looked at his resident expert, Gorman. “What do you think?”

  He smiled. “Have you ever had paap ’n vleis?”

  Acton shook his head.

  “Then you’re in for a treat! You never know what you’re getting!”

  Acton’s eyes narrowed as Sipho turned them around, heading back toward the road in the distance. “What do you mean?’

  “The meat.” Gorman winked slightly. “It depends on what roadkill the cook finds in the morning.”