Great white
Previously in the novel: Leon, a novice mercenary, is foiled in taking the Archbishop of Canterbury hostage and exchanging for an anarchist during the Great War by a mysterious man in black. The man in black turns out to be Edward the Prince of Wales. As his voyage home to the Bahamas, he recalls his early life.

“We’re almost there,” old Joe said softly to the young man returning from his adventure. “Be sure to tell your mum Dotty that I sent my best regards. If I had been blessed with a wife and family, I would have been proud to have a son like pop Jedidiah or a daughter like Dotty.”
Leon smiled. The old man’s comment took him back many years when his family told him the story that it had been Joe who first hired Jed to work on his fishing boat. Joe taught him all the skills needed to be a successful fisherman. It was Joe who sold his best boat to Jed to start his own business. After Cyrus disowned Jed, Joe became his surrogate father. And it was Joe who saved Leon’s life two years ago.
It happened when Leon joined Jed on the boat to learn how to be a good fisherman. Jed often told him the stories of Moses and Cyrus Johnson about how their ancestors in Africa were lousy fighters and that was why they were sold into slavery. Jed taught Leon how to fight. “Learn good reflexes—attack first if possible,” Jed told him. “If not, respond fast with overwhelming force. With surprise on your side, you can defeat a larger foe.”
“Pop, I can’t imagine having a better father than you,” Leon said, with the innocence of a sixteen years old. He was being completely truthful. “If I spend the rest of my life doing the same job you have done, I will be proud.”
“I’m glad you’ll be proud, but we’re fishing right now.” Jed did not lecture on the virtues of fishing. He lived the virtues of fishing.
Leon’s memory of that day was disjointed. The last thing he clearly remembered was pulling in a net filled with fish.
“Let it go,” Jed muttered. “Let it go. We’ve got to get out of here.”
The boy did not understand. They had been fishing in these waters for years. “Why? We have a good catch.”
“I said drop the net, now!”
When Leon looked up to his horror he understood the need to to leave immediately. A great white shark headed right toward their small vessel.
“Maybe it will be a distracted by the fish in the net,” Jed said as he started casting the sail for a swift escape.
It was too late. The shark was not interested in the fish net. It rammed the side of the boat, knocking Jed off balance. “Get in the bottom of the boat and hold on. No matter what you hear don’t let go. If the boat capsizes, hold on. The hull will protect you.”
By this time the shark circled around and rammed the boat again. From his position in the hull, Leon could see his father fly off the side. Against his father’s orders Leon peeked over the side to see Jed splash in the water. The shark attacked, chomping down with the full power of its huge jaws into his father’s body. Jed screamed as blood exploded everywhere. Leon slowly slid back to the bottom of the hull, awaiting a similar fate. But there was only silence. All was still. Should he look up, he asked himself. No, he had already disobeyed his father’s orders once. Just hold on. Just hold on, he repeated in his mind. Tears streamed down his cheeks. No more disturbance from the ocean. But still he held on.
“Ahoy there!” a familiar voice rang out. “Are you there, boy?” It was Joe.
Leon stuck his head up. There was no net of fish. His father was gone. And he noticed a crack in the wooden hull. The boat was slowly sinking. Joe reached out to him.
“I saw the whole thing from shore,” Joe said. “I got here as soon as I could.”
“My pop is dead, isn’t he?”
Joe pulled Leon into his boat. “You know, it’s not best to dwell on it. Others who saw it on the beach have probably already told Dotty.”
They returned to the small Johnson home where Dorothy had a meal on the table. Places were set for herself, Leon, his three sisters and Joe, but not for Jed. His mother knew that Jed was dead, but she did not speak of it. Leon studied her taciturn face and saw nothing, no tears, no grief, no fear. Dotty had always been like that. No need to speak of things that could not be changed. They ate in silence.
The next day, Joe came by and offered Leon a job on his boat. “Same deal your pa had,” he said.
“So I can turn out the same way?” Seeds of doubt began to grow in Leon’s mind about the virtues of being a fisherman.
Joe shook his hand. “You know where I live.” He turned and walked away.
Leon took the opposite direction, looking for a different life. He had only walked a mile or two down the beach when he came across a high adobe wall with a wrought-iron gate. He paused to look inside. Beyond the courtyard was a severe plantation home, a popular style in those parts of the Caribbean but this one was different. It had an air of something suitable for a place like Sweden, Germany perhaps but probably Russian. Leon was intrigued. He sensed a lifestyle never before seen on Eleuthera.
He continued staring through the gate bars for what may have bordered on being inappropriate. Finally a man in a white tunic shirt and jodhpurs strolled with authority across the courtyard.
“Have you come for the security position?”
“Yes.” That, of course, was a lie but he somehow felt his ancestors would have approved.
The man appraised his appearance. “You don’t look like someone who could handle himself in a difficult situation.”
“Yesterday a great white shark broadsided my father’s fishing boat.” He paused, knowing it would cause a dramatic effect. “My father died and I survived to apply for a new job today. My credentials are years of fishing in a flimsy boat and surviving.”
The man disappeared into the house and returned a few moments later. He took Leon directly to a grand room decorated with gold columns and stained glass. A couple, looking to be in their late forties or early fifties, sat at a long table eating lobster and rice. Although their clothing appeared to be summer casual suitable for the Bahamian climate, a closer examination revealed a deeper weave and subtle details. They were very wealthy.
Leon noticed fine Egyptian cotton and exquisite linen in the shorts and shirts. Each wore impressive rings upon their fingers. The woman had multiple strands of pearls around her delicate neck. From time to time, the man put down his utensils to puff on a cigar. Leon could tell by the aroma it was made of fine Turkish tobacco. While Jed could not afford such a lifestyle he certainly was aware of it and frequently pointed it out to Leon. The boy certainly knew the high life when he saw it.
Smiling, Leon decided Moses and Cyrus would have approved of service to such grand personages. He waited for one of them to speak.
“What is your name?” The man did not shift his attention from his plate.
“Leon Johnson, sir.”
“My butler tells me your father died yesterday.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You must be a cold-hearted little bastard to go hunting for a job the day of your father’s funeral.”
“It’s not so much the matter of a cold heart as much as empty bellies. My family must eat,” Leon replied in such an intelligent, slightly humorous manner so not to be disrespectful.
“Dear,” the wife said. “If the boy’s father died in a shark attack there would be no need of a funeral. Because there would be no body.” She turned to appraise Leon. “And how many are in your family?”
“My mother and three sisters. We also have several elderly neighbors who are in need of assistance. My father strongly believed in matters of charity, ma’am.”
The man coughed. “There’s no need to ramble on like you were writing a Russian novel.”
“I think Leon will do quite nicely,” she said and then sipped her tea.
“Have you gone mad?” Her husband was practically apoplectic. “He’s just a child!”
“How hold are you, Leon?” she asked.
“Sixteen.”
She asked her husband, “Did you watch your father die in the jaws of a giant animal when you were sixteen?”
“That’s ridiculous! Of course not!”
“That one fact makes Leon more qualified as a personal bodyguard than you. In addition, I imagine he is quite strong from years of dragging in the fish nets. Most important of all, Leon is wise and compassionate.”
“Why don’t you run off and marry a Bolshevik and get it over with?” the man muttered.
“Ignore him, Leon. He has been out of sorts lately. There are rumors of revolution back home. That is why we have taken up residence here in the Bahamas and why we have need of a personal bodyguard.”
“And what may I call you?” Leon tried to remind them they had not given their names.
“Sir and madam,” the man sneered.
“We are Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich Von Ribbentrop,” the woman replied. She looked beyond Leon to the butler standing at the door. “Gregory, take young Mr. Johnson to the servants closet to fit him out.” She returned her attention to Leon. “Of course, you must sleep in. I’m sure your family will understand. After you settle into your room go see my private secretary. He will give you two weeks wages in advance so you can take it to your mother.”