The Mystery of the Emerald Stone: Australia (A Secret SPY Agent adventure Book 2) Read online

  “We are not going with him!” hissed Don as he panicked. “He is going to kill us!”

  Kathryn ignored Don’s cry and pushed the villains into a slow walk, the sisters following closely behind. They had to get close enough to the Claw to catch him.

  “Walk!” she ordered.

  Jack moved forward a few steps before pretending to fall. When Isabelle reached out to help him, he yanked her hand, causing her to lose her balance and stumble.

  Isabelle cried out as she fell, momentarily distracting Kathryn.

  Don took the opportunity to shove the younger sister so that she fell to the ground too.

  “Now!” he shouted at Jack, with a fearful look at The Claw.

  They put on a burst of speed and ran for their lives.

  Chapter Nine

  Circular Quay

  Everything seemed to happen at the same time.

  Jack and Don made their escape. They ran from the Sydney Opera House towards the Circular Quay train station, weaving in and out of the crowd of tourists walking around the area. Their plan was to hopefully reach the station before anyone could catch them and make their getaway on one of the many trains leaving the station.

  The Claw gave an evil laugh and vanished into thin air, leaving Dr. Peter standing alone.

  Isabelle quickly scrambled to her feet and shouted, “I’m going after them! You protect Dr. Peter!” She chased after the escaped villains.

  Kathryn ran towards Dr. Peter while calling for help on her S.P.Y. communicator, “The hostage is secured. All agents! Jack and Don are trying to escape! They are running south towards the train station.”

  S.P.Y. agents burst out of hiding and joined in the pursuit.

  Together with Dr. Peter, Kathryn ran over to the other side of the Monumental Steps. She saw that Jack and Don had almost reached the train station, with Isabelle hot on their heels. They were so focused on running away from her, they didn’t see The Claw. He had used his powers to reappear right in front of them. They crashed right into him and fell into his clutches.

  They tried to fight him but he was much more powerful than the both of them combined.

  It was a losing battle.

  Although she couldn’t see The Claw’s expression from so far away, Kathryn knew he was smirking as he triumphantly dragged the two villains back to his boat which had pulled up nearby. He pushed them onto the stern of the boat and jumped onboard after them.

  He did not see Isabelle, who was just a few feet behind him.

  As the boat was pulling away, she picked up speed and sprang after it. She landed onboard with a shoulder roll and came up into a fighting position.

  Watch out, Isabelle! Kathryn wanted to shout when she saw one of The Claw’s henchmen swing a punch at her sister’s head. Isabelle blocked the punch and countered with short jab to his face and a strong kick to his stomach. The evil henchman fell backwards.

  Another bad guy stepped in and swung a stick at Isabelle’s head. She ducked and swept his foot. He lost his balance and fell. She followed up with a powerful punch to his face which knocked him out.

  The Claw watched as Isabelle fought his men. He waited patiently for them to wear down her defences and tire her out.

  When she finally faced him, he taunted her with a cunning smile as he beckoned to her, “Come and get me if you dare, Agent Jones!”

  Jack and Don watched fearfully from the sidelines. The Claw’s men had handcuffed them to a railing. They couldn’t help Isabelle even if they wanted to.

  Meanwhile, the boat picked up speed, as The Claw’s men drove it past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and swung out east towards the sea.

  “You are under arrest, Ivan,” called out Isabelle. “Surrender now. There is no escape. You will soon be surrounded by S.P.Y. agents.”

  “Silly girl, why don’t you hand over the piece of the Emerald Stone you found at the Great Barrier Reef and maybe I will spare your life?” countered The Claw.

  “What makes you think I have it right now?” asked Isabelle.

  “I know you wouldn’t leave it anywhere else where I can steal it. You would keep it close to you so that you can protect it,” answered Ivan confidently. “So, hand it over!”

  “Why would I do something dumb like that?” Isabelle challenged him. “If I found the other half at some point, I would still be able to stop you. If I gave this piece up, I wouldn’t stand a chance!”

  The Claw snickered as he pulled out a pendant swinging on a chain from under his shirt and showed it to Isabelle.

  It was the other half of the Emerald Stone.

  Chapter Ten

  Sydney Harbour Bridge

  Isabelle was shocked. It was impossible! How did The Claw get the other half of the Emerald Stone?

  Ivan laughed scornfully at the surprised look on her face.

  “You don’t know anything at all about the people you work with or the ones you try so hard to save and protect,” he sneered at her as he tucked the pendant safely away.

  Isabelle was speechless. She did not have any clue what he was talking about.

  “I recovered this when I captured Dr. Peter,” Ivan continued spitefully. “I am very sure he didn’t tell you that he had found the other half while all of you were busy searching for the Emerald Stone at the Great Barrier Reef. Too bad you won’t live long enough to ask him why.”

  Isabelle shook off her shock. She would find answers later. Now, she had to get the chain with its half of the Emerald Stone away from The Claw.

  She leapt forward and attacked him.

  Ivan blocked her blows disdainfully and counterattacked with powerful punches and kicks. He was so much stronger than her, and she was fighting him all by herself. The evil villain had no qualms about hitting a girl.

  From a distance, Kathryn watched in horror as Isabelle stumbled backwards when his punch caught her in the jaw and she fell over the side of the boat into the deep water under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

  “No!” Kathryn cried out.

  Her sister was injured and she was too far away to help.

  Isabelle was a great swimmer but when she fell overboard, she felt as if she was being dragged down into the cold, dark depths. She soon lost her bearings. Looking around frantically, she could not tell which way was up and which was down.

  She wanted to panic but she didn’t. S.P.Y. agents were trained not to do that.

  Think, Isabelle, think, she scolded herself.

  Suddenly, she remembered that she had a small emergency flare gun in her pocket. She had kept it there as a backup in case her new S.P.Y. communicator malfunctioned and she had to signal the other S.P.Y. agents for help.

  She pulled it out of her pocket and fired the flare. It lit up her surroundings and she immediately knew which way to swim.

  Moments later, Isabelle burst through the surface, gasping as she took deep breaths, just as a speedboat pulled up next to her. It was Dr. Peter and Kathryn.

  “Grab my hand,” Kathryn yelled as she pulled her sister out of the water. “Are you okay?”

  Isabelle nodded, as she glanced at Dr. Peter warily. He was driving the speedboat.

  “What’s wrong, Issy?” Kathryn asked softly as she noticed her sister’s stare.

  Isabelle blinked three times at Kathryn, a signal they had used since they were young. She would explain later.

  Kathryn nodded. She trusted her sister.

  “Where are we going?” Isabelle asked, changing the subject.

  The villains’ boat was nowhere to be found. They had lost their target.

  Isabelle wanted to curse and shout.

  Kathryn noticed her sister’s frustration and quickly said, “We are tracking Jack and Don!” as she waved her phone at Isabelle.

  The older Jones sister gave a sigh of relief. She had forgotten about the tracking devices! Thank goodness for Kathryn’s love of S.P.Y. gadgets.

  “Head east towards Darling Point, then turn into Rushcutters Bay,” Kathryn instructed Dr. Peter.
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br />   They were greeted by hundreds of yachts in different colours and sizes when they arrived. Rushcutters Bay was the home of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the host of the Sydney Hobart Race that was taking place in a few days times. All the participants had already started arriving.

  “They are at the other end of the marina,” said Kathryn.

  Dr. Peter found a place to moor their speedboat without being seen by The Claw or his henchmen. It was impossible to navigate their speedboat any closer in the crowded marina without ruining the element of surprise. The Claw had no idea they were coming. He must have planned to escape when the race started, and to hide amongst all the yachts leaving the harbour.

  “I have a plan. Let’s go!” ordered Isabelle.

  Chapter Eleven

  Rushcutters Bay

  Ivan did not even suspect that the Jones sisters were sneaking up on him.

  He shoved Jack and Don across the plank leading to the yacht he had planned to escape on. He was about to follow after them, when Isabelle rushed out and tackled him from behind. She owed him one for the punch he gave her earlier!

  They both fell down with a hard crash on the deck of the boat and wrestled each other.

  Ivan got his big hands around Isabelle’s slender neck and started choking her. She struggled to break out of his tight grasp but he was too strong.

  “Get off her!” Kathryn screamed as she ran to the rescue. She attacked The Claw but he refused to let go of Isabelle, whose face was turning red. She couldn’t breathe!

  Desperate, Kathryn jumped on his back. She hit him ferociously but he still would not release her sister. Finally, she choked him, using one of the techniques from her martial arts training. She had to save her sister!

  It worked. Ivan released Isabelle. She fell to the side, panting for breath.

  The Claw bucked like a horse, trying to get Kathryn off his back but it didn’t work. Finally, he turned, grabbed Kathryn and flung her off his back. She landed with a hard crash next to her sister.

  “You will never defeat me,” he boasted with an evil laugh.

  “Bad guys never win,” Kathryn snapped back. “You should know that!”

  All of a sudden, they were surrounded by S.P.Y. agents who had boarded the boat and captured The Claw’s evil henchmen. He had nowhere to run!

  Ivan laughed triumphantly and announced, “You will never catch me!”

  He closed his eyes in concentration and tried to disappear but he couldn’t!

  He tried again but he failed!

  Something was wrong.

  He glared at the Jones sisters.

  Kathryn gave him a smug smile and held out the chain with both pieces of the Emerald Stone joined together. She had removed it from his neck while she was on his back and Isabelle was distracting him.

  Their plan had worked.

  “Nooooo!” Ivan screamed when he realized he was trapped. He attacked Kathryn with a wild series of punches as he tried to get the Emerald Stone away from her.

  “Get away from her!” Isabelle stepped in between the evil villain and her sister. She blocked his blows and counter-attacked with a combination of kicks and punches that sent him reeling backwards. She was smaller than him but her anger and desire to protect her sister gave her extraordinary strength. She was so mad that she wanted to punch his lights out but Kathryn stepped in.

  “Enough, Issy,” Kathryn stopped her sister. “You don’t need to beat him up anymore. He’s defeated. We have got him.”

  S.P.Y. agents seized The Claw and put him in handcuffs. He was very unhappy. Kathryn handed the Emerald Stone over to one of her fellow agents, Kim.

  “You have to keep this near him, but out of his reach. Then, he cannot escape.” Isabelle instructed.

  “Will do,” replied Kim. “Father already briefed us. We know what to do.”

  “Have you found Oprah?” asked Kathryn.

  Kim nodded. “She is safe now. We found her tied up in a small room below deck. The paramedics are taking a look at her now.”

  “What a relief!” Isabelle exclaimed. She had been so worried they wouldn’t be able to rescue Oprah in time. If The Claw had done something terrible to her, their grandma would never forgive them — she was probably Oprah’s greatest fan!

  “Where is Dr. Peter?” Kathryn asked. He had been following them when they snuck up on the evil villain but she had lost track of him in all the excitement.

  “No one has seen him,” Kim informed them.

  “That is not good,” worried Isabelle.

  “What is wrong, Issy?” Kathryn frowned.

  “He is the one who had the other half of the Emerald Stone. The Claw took it from him and Dr. Peter never said anything to us. I don’t think we can trust him,” confided Isabelle. “Now, he has gone missing. It makes me very worried.”

  “Maybe he found it at the Great Barrier Reef, the same time as you did but never got a chance to say anything to us since he was taken hostage,” speculated Kathryn.

  “Maybe,” Isabelle said slowly, “but he didn’t say anything to us when we were coming here. He had the chance to but he never did. It is very odd.”

  Before Kathryn could say anything, the S.P.Y. agents walked past them with The Claw. He fought his captors long enough to stop and threaten the sisters, “This is not the end, Jones! The Emerald Stone will be mine!”

  He glared at them as the S.P.Y. agents dragged him onto a waiting speedboat, and stood defiantly as it pulled away.

  “Kathryn!” shouted Isabelle suddenly as she grabbed her sister’s arm. “Dr. Peter is driving the speedboat — He is taking The Claw away!”

  Kathryn grabbed her S.P.Y. communicator and started shouting instructions to stop them but another voice overrode her commands.

  It was Father.

  “Let them go,” he said firmly.

  “But Father!” the girls protested. “He cannot be trusted! We don’t know who he is or what he is up to and now, he has The Claw and the Emerald Stone.”

  “It has been cleared at the top level,” Father told them. “Dr. Peter is actually an agent working for a secret Brotherhood dedicated to protecting the Emerald Stone. He has been trying to capture The Claw for a very long time. He would never have been able to do it without your help, girls.”

  “I am not sure if that makes us feel better, Father,” replied Isabelle doubtfully. “He lied to us from the very beginning.”

  “He was under strict orders not to let anyone know his mission, but now that the Emerald Stone has been recovered and The Claw captured, both of you have received clearance to know his secret identity. Good job, girls! Take a few days off and see the sights before your next assignment.” Father ordered before he dropped off the line.

  The Jones sisters frowned at each other but they had their orders.

  “Well,” Kathryn turned to face Isabelle, “what do we do now?”

  Isabelle paused dramatically. “I do know one thing that needs our immediate attention.”

  Kathryn was confused. She had no idea what her sister was talking about. They had completed their mission. The bad guys were going to jail. Oprah was safe. What other loose ends could they have to tie up now?

  Isabelle laughed at the expression on her sister’s face. “You mean you forgot about your precious baby kangaroo? You still haven’t found a home for him yet!”

  “My little joey!” Kathryn cried out. She really had forgotten about him in the midst of all the excitement. She hopped onto the dock and started running, “Hurry up, Issy! He must be missing me by now!”

  Isabelle shook her head as she followed her sister. She hoped Kathryn realized they wouldn’t be able to bring the baby kangaroo home with them. The authorities wouldn’t allow it.

  She would have to figure out something else to cheer her sister up.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sydney Airport

  “Here, since there is no way you could have taken a baby kangaroo home, you will have to settle for this,” said
Isabelle as she tossed a small package at her sister. Kathryn had been moping around ever since the baby kangaroo was returned to the authorities and sent home. She did miss her little Joey but it was for the best. She couldn’t take him home with her. He needed to stay in Australia where he belonged.

  Kathryn caught the package in mid-air and tore open the wrapping.

  It was a stuffed toy — a baby wombat.

  “He is so cute!” Kathryn squealed when she saw it. “Thanks, Issy!”

  She hugged her sister.

  “Okay, okay,” said Isabelle in an embarrassed tone. Kathryn’s public displays of affection always drew too much attention. They were sitting in the airport, waiting for their flight home and everyone was staring at them.

  Isabelle’s phone rang.

  It was Father.

  “Change of plans, girls,” he announced. “You have a new mission. Take the next flight to Egypt. I will brief you when you get there.”

  “Yes, Father,” Isabelle replied.

  Father hung up.

  “What did he say?” Kathryn asked.

  “We have a new mission. Egypt,” Isabelle informed her as she got up and gathered her stuff. “I have to change the tickets.”

  “Awesome!” Kathryn exclaimed. “The Great Pyramids of Giza, here we come!”

  The Mystery Of The Lost Treasure,

  a Secret S.P.Y. Agent Adventure

  King Tut’s treasure has disappeared!

  It is up to Isabelle Jones and her sister, Kathryn, secret agents working for S.P.Y. (’Sisters Protecting You’), a top secret agency dedicated to protecting the world against super villains, to find out why the ancient Egyptian treasures mysteriously vanished.

  Their mission takes them to Egypt, where they must find the lost treasure and confront a new evil villain. How are the sisters going to stop the evil villain and complete their mission?