by David Wood
“How are you going to spend your share?” Jessie asked
“Don’t jinx us,” he replied. “I’ve found and lost enough treasure to last a lifetime.”
“You are such a pessimist,” she said. “What could possibly happen between here and the truck?”
“Funny you should ask. Everyone get down.” Bones dropped to a knee in the shadow of a rock pile. Jessie and Padilla hunkered down beside him.
“What is it?” Padilla whispered.
“I saw someone moving on the horizon. Just a shadow flitting past the moon.”
“Maybe it’s not someone who means us any trouble,” Jessie said. “Could be another tourist.”
“Doing some sightseeing on a black lava field in the dark?” Bones said. “I don’t think so. Besides, I could tell by the way he moved that he was trying to be stealthy. He just didn’t do a good job of it.”
“How do you want to play this?” Padilla asked.
Bones knew they didn’t have much time. He quickly considered the situation. “All right, here’s what we’re going to do.”
As he outlined his plan, he quickly rearranged the treasure. They had brought the empty treasure chest along, and he now filled the bottom with a layer of loose stones, added in the gold bars, a few gold coins and jewels, and all of the various artifacts. He put the rest of the treasure in a backpack, hid it in a crevasse and covered it with rocks. Then he handed Jessie a map of the park and tucked the Book of Bones into her backpack.
“Keep moving north and stay out of sight,” he instructed. “Try not to use your flashlight or your phone if you can help it. It will make you easier to spot in the dark. If you think someone is after you, hide. If you’re not at the meeting spot when we get there, I will come and find you. I promise.”
The young woman didn’t ask how he could make such a promise. She merely nodded, took a few steps away, and then froze. She whirled around, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and then vanished into the darkness.
“I still think you need to reconsider about her,” Padilla said, staring in the direction in which Jessie had gone.
“I’ll think about that later.” Bones drew his Glock and handed it to Padilla. “Right now, we’ve got a trap to set.”
Bones moved slowly, careful not to let the treasure and loose rocks inside the chest rattle around. He estimated he was a half a mile from where he had parked his truck. A half-mile of open ground that offered no cover. He had no doubt the truck was being watched. The question was, where exactly were the men who were following them? He took a deep breath and headed for the parking lot.
He hadn’t gone more than a dozen steps when a voice called out.
“Stop right there.”
Bones kept walking.
Bang!
A shot rang out, sparks flying where the bullet grazed the lava field only a few feet in front of Bones. This time, he stopped.
Maybe I do have a death wish. Better not tell Maddock.
“Put the chest on the ground and take twenty steps back,” the voice instructed.
“Then I do the hokey pokey, and I turn myself around?” Bones asked.
“My orders did not specify whether or not I should let you live, so keep trying to piss me off. It will make my decision that much easier.”
“Fair enough.” Slowly, Bones placed the chest on the ground, raised his hands above his head, and moved away.
“Hands behind your head. Down on your knees.”
This time, Bones followed orders. Soft footsteps, sounding like thunder in the quiet night, echoed across the lava field. A muscular man of medium height, carrying a 9 mm, appeared out of the darkness. His facial features were Korean, but his accent was one hundred percent Boston.
“Flat on the ground,” he snapped. “I don’t trust you.”
“Bro, you’re the only one here with a gun. You’ll get no trouble out of me.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.” The man turned his head toward the lava field. “Mixon! Cooley! I got him. Come on back.”
A minute later, his companions appeared. Cooley, a bear of a man, towered over the stocky Mixon. The taller man carried a Glock, similar to the one Bones favored, while the shorter man wore a revolver holstered on each hip, gunslinger style.
“Not bad, Scott,” Cooley said. “Maybe we’ll keep you around after all.”
“You wish,” Scott said. “I’m just biding my time with you jokers. And I think this is my ticket to a promotion.” He tucked his pistol into the waistband of his pants, reached down, and hefted the treasure chest. “Damn! This thing is heavy. What’s in here?”
Bones held his breath. He would be fine if the men would simply take the treasure chest and be on their way, but if they looked inside it...
“It doesn’t matter what’s inside,” Mixon snapped. “That’s above your pay grade. Our job is to get this to the boss.”
“What do we do with this guy?” Cooley inclined his head toward Bones.
Mixon shrugged. “It’s your call. You’re the one who loves killing people.”
Cooley shook his head. “I don’t love it. It’s part of my job. And since genius over here said our names...” He shot a meaningful glance at Scott, who shrugged. “Better safe than sorry.” He raised his Glock.
The night erupted in thunderous gunfire as Padilla, hiding nearby, opened fire. Cooley’s body jerked as slugs tore into him, and he fell in a heap. Mixon spun toward the direction from which the shots had come and opened up with both barrels, but Padilla was no longer there. An instant later, a single shot rang out, the bullet taking Mixon in the forehead.
At the sound of the first shot, Scott had made a run for the parking lot, pistol in his right hand, treasure chest tucked under his left arm.
Bones watched him go. No point chasing him down. The guy was an idiot, but he was still armed, and dumb luck was a distinct possibility. And, unless he missed his guess, the man’s boss would neither see Scott nor the treasure chest. Besides, what mattered most was Bones, Padilla, and Jessie were safe. And, almost as important, they had what they had come for.
Chapter 36
Mari strained against the bonds that held her wrists fast. The sharp edge of the plastic zip tie cut into her soft flesh. She grimaced and twisted, but only succeeded in wrenching her shoulder, sending a jolt of pain stabbing through her and eliciting a grunt. Her ankles, similarly trussed, scarcely budged as she struggled to free herself.
She blinked the sweat out of her eyes and cast a baleful glance at the air conditioning unit as it rumbled and clattered in futile resistance against the southern New Mexico heat.
“If you are going to kidnap me, you could at least put me up in a decent hotel,” she grumbled to the empty room.
Kidnapped. She chewed on the word, trying to make herself believe it. She’d been through a lot in her life, but being abducted was something that happened to people in bad Lifetime movies, or those close to Liam Neeson; not to her.
“I really need to improve my taste in guys.”
As if on cue, the doorknob rattled, and after a few failed attempts, the person on the other side managed to unlock it. Matthew stepped through the doorway, his face a cloud of fury at even this minor inconvenience. Mari would have laughed at him were the situation not so dire.
“You need to let me go,” she said for what must have been the thousandth time.
Matthew shook his head. Somehow the mute response was worse than a flat out refusal.
“You don’t even need me anymore,” she said. “You obviously know where you’re going.”
After he’d taken her from the hospital at the point of a gun concealed in his jacket, they had driven back to Quemadura, Mari tied up in the backseat, sweating even more profusely than she did now. Matthew had gone into his father’s house and returned a short while later grinning broadly. From there, they’d made the long drive down to Carlsbad Caverns, the jackass boasting all the while about how he had cleverly hacked his father’s computer and learne
d where Sheriff Jameson and his cronies were headed. Mari had summoned enough courage to point out that logging on to someone’s home computer and opening their email wasn’t exactly hacking. That had taken the wind out of Matthew’s sails, but only for a few minutes.
Summoned the courage. That was a laugh. Why did I let him take me so easily? There were people all around at the hospital. I should have argued with him or called for help. He wouldn’t have shot me.
She wasn’t certain that last bit was true, and that was what had compelled her to come quietly, as the saying went. Still, it grated at her. Why couldn’t she be brave? What inside of her was so broken that she allowed this pitiful excuse for a man to enter and reenter her life, and control her so completely?
She thought about Bones, the stranger who had seemingly set all of this in motion. She had liked him, and thought he might have liked her a little bit. That was a real man. He walked with a quiet confidence that said he had nothing to prove to anyone. He had none of Matthew’s bluster, no false bravado. He was perfectly comfortable in his own skin. And that was why Mari hadn’t given him a chance. She had never been comfortable in her own skin, and Bones scared her.
Matthew sat down on the bed next to her, the box springs squeaking under his weight. He reached out and put a tentative hand on her shoulder. She tried to twist away, sending another jolt of agony through her shoulder.
“You loved me once,” he said quietly.
She managed a mute reply of her own—a sour frown and a single shake of the head.
Matthew chuckled. “Yes, you did. We both know it.” His hand left her shoulder and moved to the top of her head. “You will love me again.” He stroked her sodden hair. “I promise.”
“Just kill me,” she said. It was not bravery; merely words born of hopelessness, but she meant them.
Matthew’s hand froze. Slowly he closed his fingers into a fist, grabbing a handful of her hair in the process. He jerked her head around, forcing her to face him.
“I’m not going to kill you. At least not yet.” He paused to let that sink in. “Even if you never care for me again, you’re still of use to me.”
Mari’s confusion must have shown in her eyes because he answered her unspoken question.
“You’re a bargaining chip. That big Indian has a thing for you. If I have to, I’ll trade you for what I want.”
That big Indian has a thing for you. Mari hated the way her heart skipped a beat at those words. Here she was in the worst, most precarious position she’d ever been in in her life, and she was indulging a schoolgirl crush.
“So it’s true,” Matthew whispered. Damn. Maybe he really could read her like a book. Matthew stood and cracked his knuckles.
Mari thought he might hit her and was surprised to realize she didn’t care. She supposed she was past caring about anything where Matthew was concerned. As she expected, he cocked his fist, but then he froze.
“You will love me.” He turned and walked out the door leaving Mari alone with her self-loathing.
Chapter 37
The path into Carlsbad Caverns seemed to go on forever. It wound down at a steep incline through majestic chambers that looked like something out of a fairy tale, albeit a dark and foreboding one. Only Padilla, who had visited here many times before, seemed immune to its magnificence. Even Bones, who had seen more than his share of amazing things, found himself slack-jawed at the sight. Perhaps he would return someday and give this place the time and attention it deserved.
Jessie glanced up at him, reading his thoughts. “When this is over, you should bring me back here. I think I deserve it after all I’ve been through.”
Bone smiled and winked. He wasn’t ready to think about that right now. They moved on in silence until, after a descent of what felt like hours, they found themselves in the midst of a horde of tourists.
“Where did all these people come from?” Jessie asked. “We nearly had the place to ourselves on the way down.”
“Most people take the elevator from the visitor center,” Amanda said.
“Lazy bastards.” Padilla grinned. “If an old man like me can make the hike, they can too.”
“I don’t know. The walk was tough enough. I don’t relish the idea of doing it again, except uphill this time.” Krueger looked back in the direction from which they had come, a slight frown creasing his brow.
“I’m glad you said it and not me.” Padilla knuckled the small of his back. “My brain says I can handle it no problem, but my body is raising some objections.”
“The place we’re looking for is not too far from here.” Bones unfolded a map of the caverns, and they all gathered around. He tapped their destination on the map.
“I remember this place,” Padilla said. “I wanted to take the guided tour, but Mama was having none of it.”
“Let’s split up. As a group, we make a motley crew. Might draw attention” Bones felt Jessie’s hand close on his.
“You three go ahead. We’ll follow along behind you,” the young woman said.
They navigated the crowds of tourists, trying their best to blend in. It wasn’t difficult, considering how focused the visitors were on their surroundings. Everywhere Bones looked he saw something wondrous. It was hard to believe that it lay beneath such dry, barren land up above.
Despite their fascinating surroundings, Bones kept an eye out for anything amiss. It wasn’t long before he grew suspicious of two men who seemed to be following along behind them. Each wore cargo shorts and a T-shirt, and carried maps of the caverns. At first glance, they blended with the rest of the tourists, but he sensed something was wrong. For one, they made too much of a show of checking their maps. The caverns were large, but the concrete paths lined with metal rails weren’t exactly difficult to follow. And every time he glanced in their direction, they quickly took an interest in a stalactite or other formation. They were faking it.
Finally, Padilla halted in the middle of the pathway. He turned, swept the caverns with his eyes, and then leaned back against the railing. Krueger and Amanda did the same. Bones kept walking toward them.
“What are you doing?” Jessie whispered. “I thought we were pretending to be in separate groups.”
“I think we’ve been made. Don’t look around.”
Jessie grimaced. “I wasn’t going to.”
“Yes, you were.”
“All right. I was, but you don’t have to be smug about it.”
“Smugness is one of my many charms.” He halted about five paces from the others, turned and rested his hands on the rail. “I think we’re being followed,” he said, not looking at them.
“What do we do?” Padilla asked, still staring off into the distance.
“You guys keep wandering around. Jessie, you stay close to them. I’ll see if I can get them to follow me.”
Padilla checked his watch. “Hurry. The tour group should be coming up at any minute.”
“Got it.” As the others wandered away, Bones took out his map and gave it a long look. Next, he took a quick look around, not too subtle, but not too obvious. At least he hoped. He tucked the map into his pocket, turned, and strode away. He didn’t exactly walk fast, but neither did he stroll. He walked with a sense of purpose, his eyes fixed on a spot in the distance.
The two men didn’t look at him as he passed by. Bones kept moving. As he turned a corner, he dared a quick glance back. They were following him. Good. Well, it wasn’t good that whoever was after them had caught up yet again, but at least he knew who they were and where they were. Now to deal with them.
No sign marked the entrance to the King’s Palace. That seemed to be the way here. Bones supposed that drawing attention to the out-of-the-way spots would only encourage tourists to wander off to places they weren’t supposed to be and get themselves lost. That was fine by him. Fewer witnesses.
He heard voices in the distance and waited. A few minutes later, a family wandered past. The father, busy trying to keep the children corralled, didn�
��t notice the smile his wife flashed at Bones. He merely nodded in return. He didn’t do married chicks; not literally, not figuratively. When he was alone again, he vaulted the rail and hurried down the steep, winding pathway, as it doubled back again and again. He didn’t turn on his flashlight. His pursuers would figure out where he went soon enough, if not immediately, but he didn’t want to draw the attention of any other tourists that might pass this way.
It wasn’t long before the flashlight became a necessity. Bones had excellent night vision, but this was something else entirely—an utter absence of light that one could find only when caving, or at the lowest depths of the sea.
He clicked on his Maglite. The red filter he had placed over the lens cast a dim light a few feet in front of him. It was enough to see by, but not enough for someone to spot him unless they were close. He assumed there was a tour group somewhere up ahead, and he had no desire to draw their notice.
He made his way deeper into the caverns along a well-worn path. He passed through more magnificent chambers that already seemed a bit mundane after all the wonders he had seen thus far. He swept his beam back and forth, looking for the perfect spot. He didn’t want to kill these men if he didn’t have to. He supposed he could simply hide and let them pass him by, but that would only gain him and his friends a short lead, and that would be virtually worthless if their pursuers had figured out exactly where Bones and the group were headed next.
He finally came to a place where a curtain of stalactites cascaded down from the ceiling to meet a wall of stalagmites. Behind them lay an open space more than large enough for a man to hide. Perfect. He hefted a stone the size of his fist and hunkered down in the darkness.
Minutes later, he heard the soft shuffle of people trying to move quietly and almost succeeding. He tensed, ready to spring. A dim glow announced the men’s entrance into the cavern. They played their flashlights around, searching. A narrow sliver of light swept a few inches above Bones’ head, but he was well hidden. After a few more moments looking around, the men moved forward. The path carried them within a few feet of where Bones crouched. When the men had passed him by, he made his move.