“Just wondering.”

Besides Gia, Vicky, Abe, and himself, the only other living person who knew about the rakoshi had been Kolabati.

“He referred to himself as Professor Roma. I’d never heard of him and haven’t heard from him since. I searched for him afterwards, to see if he could tell me what he knew about the creature, but never found him.”

Jack swallowed. Roma… figures.

“Something in the caller’s voice, his utter conviction, compelled me to do as he said. Came the dawn I was on the water with some of my people. We found ourselves vying with groups of souvenir hunters looking for wreckage from a ship that had exploded and burned the night before. We discovered our friend here floating in a clump of debris. I assumed the creature was dead, but when I found it was alive, I had it brought ashore. It looked rather vicious so I put it into an old tiger cage.”

“Lucky for you.”

The boss smiled, showing yellow teeth. “I should say so. It almost tore the cage apart. But since then its health has followed a steady downhill course. We’ve fed it fish, fowl, beef, horse meat, even vegetables—although one look at those teeth and there’s no question that it’s a carnivore—but no matter what we’ve tried, its health continues to fail.”

Jack now had an idea why Scar-lip was dying. Rakoshi required a very specific species of flesh to thrive. And this one wasn’t getting it.

“I brought in a veterinary expert,” Oz went on, “one I have learned to rely on for his discretion, but he could not help. I even had a research scientist test the creature’s blood. He found some fascinating things there, but he could not alter the creature’s downhill course.”

Jack suddenly realized that the research scientist was Dr. Monnet Had to be. And he’d found something “fascinating” in Scar-lip’s blood.

Did Berzerk come from Scar-lip?

A drug that magnifies violent tendencies distilled from the most violent and vicious creature on earth…

A perfect fit.

“You’re sure it’s a rakosh?” Oz said, interrupting Jack’s racing thought train.

“Well…” Jack said, trying to sound tentative. “I saw a picture of one in a book once. I… I think it looked like this. But I’m not sure. I could be wrong.”

“But you’re not wrong,” the boss said, turning and staring into his eyes. He lowered his gaze to Jack’s chest, fixing on the area where the rakosh had scarred him. “And I believe you have far more intimate knowledge of this creature than you are willing to admit.”

Jack shrugged, uncomfortable with the scrutiny, especially since it wasn’t the first time someone had stared at his chest this way.

“But it doesn’t matter!” Oz laughed and spread his arms. “A rakosh! How wonderful! And it’s all mine!”

Jack glanced at Scar-lip’s slouched, wasted form. Yeah, but not for long.

He heard a noise like a growl and turned. The sight of one of the burly types from Monnet’s warehouse standing in the exit flap startled him. He looked like he was waving good-bye to his boss. Jack turned away, hoping he wouldn’t recognize him.