“Bet my plan is better,” she challenged.
“We’re on our way to collect the Reflection talisman and we know he didn’t send mercenaries there because he thought he could get it himself. He is cheap and tried to save some money.” Banyon said with a laugh.
“We are almost there now,” Loni replied cheerfully. She was looking forward to collecting the unknown treasure.
“Previne has the Influence talisman, so that is safe,” Banyon reasoned.
“But you told Wilk someone will deliver it to Warsaw soon,” Loni said in disagreement. “My guess is he has a group standing by to go after it as soon as Previne gets here. It’s only safe for the moment.”
“You’re probably right about that,” Banyon agreed thoughtfully. “We’ll need to secure it as soon as they get to the hotel.”
“The Time weapon is the last on the list,” Loni noted. “And we are going there as soon as we collect the talisman in the desert.”
“I’m sure he has men on that one too,” Banyon uttered. “We’ll need help from Wolf to guide us through that recovery.”
“But we still don’t know where the Deliverance weapon, the Courage weapon and the Imagination weapon are located,” Loni reminded him.
“But Wilk doesn’t know where they are either. That is my first concern.”
Chapter Seven
High in the sky the Patel clan was currently cruising over the Russian strip of land which separated the Crimean Sea and the Black Sea. They had flown into New Delhi airport from their aunt’s castle. Baby Greg had been left in the care of the aunt’s many servants.
While Pramilla made all the necessary arrangements to fly to Warsaw from the airport, Previne cabbed it to the museum and collected the Influence talisman. Eric and Maya went to their New Delhi home, and collected weapons, equipment, and some luggage. They made it back to the airport in record time.
Pramilla now sat in the pilot seat, her twin sister Previne occupied the co-pilot position. Maya and Eric reclined in the back.
“I’m a little nervous. We can’t be late,” Previne said through the intercom system. “Colt needs us to be on time.”
“Relax, Previne,” her sister said soothingly. “Remember there is a three and a half hour time difference. We’ll be there on time.”
“You know, Colt found out I used the talisman to seduce a young man,” Previne said with a giggle.
“Just don’t use it on him,” Pramilla said in a scolding voice.
“He’ll never forgive you if you did,”
“Why do you think he wants me to bring it?”
“I’m sure he has no intentions of letting someone else have it. It’s probably bait.”
“He told me he had a special project for me when I got there. What do you think he means?”
“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it is not going to wind up with the two of you in bed.” Her sister informed her.
“Pity,” Previne replied in her precise English accent.
Chapter Eight
“We’re here,” Loni said in her creepiest little girl voice. She parked the car and they both climbed out into the quiet darkness. Banyon went to the trunk. He grabbed both shovels and some water.
“Wolf, which way?” Banyon shouted.
“Turn right about thirty degrees then head straight. Contact me about every ten minutes. I’ll put you back on course,” the spirit replied.
“This way,” he beckoned to Loni. She was brimming with nervous energy and rushed to his side.
“How long before we get to the bunker? I can’t wait.” She inquired as she skipped along beside him.
“Maybe forty-five minutes,” he replied as they stepped into the soft sand.
Soon, she slipped her hand into his. “Isn’t this romantic, Colt? Look it’s a full moon, you can see a sky-load of stars, and the only sound is our breathing. Right now it’s just about you and me. No one else matters. I love it,” she remarked joyfully. She spread her free arm out to the heavens.
“I believe you’ll be even happier when we dig up the treasure,” Banyon replied. He then stopped, dropped the shovels, and took her into his arms. He gave her a big hug and a kiss on the lips. She giggled with delight.
“That was fun!” she exclaimed.
Banyon held her head tenderly in his hands. “Thanks for everything Loni. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Just remember we both need each other,” she replied wisely.
***
Forty minutes later Loni saw the outline of the top of a building on the horizon. “There, Colt,” she pointed. “I see the bunker.” She started running and disappeared into the darkness before Banyon could react.
“Don’t get too far ahead, Loni,” he yelled back. “You could get lost out here.” But he knew his advice would fall on deaf ears, it was her impulsive nature.
***
“Whoopee,” she yelled. “It’s the right bunker alright,” he heard in the sound engulfing distance.
Banyon continued to struggle along. He was tired from the long day of dealing with Wilk, tired from sitting in the car, tired from walking, tired from all the stress he was under. He also understood he would soon be tired from digging. I’m getting too old to keep doing this, he admitted to himself.
The moon provided just enough light for him to stay on track. He found her near the edge of the building. She was pacing off the distance. He dropped the shovels and drank almost an entire bottle of water. He then ungracefully plopped down on the soft sand. He needed to rest for a few minutes.
“Dig here,” Loni demanded as soon as he was settled. It was clear Loni expected Banyon to do the digging, not her.
“Are you sure you have the right location?” He asked her in an attempt to buy a few more seconds of rest. She stood in front of him with her arms crossed on her chest. She tapped her foot impatiently.
“Yes.”
“Oh, alright,” he said in a defeated tone. He wearily stood up.
“Start right here,” she repeated.
Banyon did not want to dig two holes, so he called out to the spirit. “Wolf does Loni have the right location?”
“Remarkably, she is right on the mark,” Wolf told him. “But Colt there has been some further developments. There are some more problems I need to tell you about.”
“Can I do anything about them right now?”
“Ah, well no,” the spirit answered.
“Then let me make this beautiful vixen happy first. I need to dig a hole in the sand right now.”
“I love you Colton Banyon,” Loni said as she understood Banyon had brushed off Wolf. She had gotten her way.
Banyon stripped off his shirt and started digging. It was not easy work as sand kept falling into the hole almost as fast as he could dig it out. After a few minutes he was sweaty and breathing heavily. He stopped to catch his breath.
“Why are you stopping?” Loni protested like a foreman on a construction site.
“You know, I brought two shovels. You can help,” Banyon replied. “Just strip off your top and get to work,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Nice try mister,” she replied sarcastically, but laughed.
Banyon returned to digging.
On his very next shovel full of sand, he hit something hard and metallic. Loni heard the clunk. She immediately jumped into the hole.
“I think you’ve found it,” she screamed. She bent over and, using her hands, started shoveling sand between her legs like a dog would. In less than a minute a small metal canister was revealed.
“Looks like an ordnance case,” Banyon told her. He dropped into the hole and moved her aside so he could try to pull the box out of the glue-like sand. It was not very heavy, weighing only about ten pounds, but it was still a struggle to free it from the sand. Banyon grunted as he pulled on the box.
Once he had it out of the hole, Loni produced a flashlight. She began to look for a latch to open it. After surveying the canister she stood back with her hands on
her hips. “I’ll need the tools in the car,” she commented sadly.
“Turn the light off, now,” Banyon suddenly ordered. He then pointed off into the distance. They saw two bouncing flashlight beams heading towards the bunker.
“Who’s coming our way?” Banyon asked Wolf.
“I told you there were more problems,” the spirit reminded him. “It’s Wilk and Orlich. They called the salt mine from the car and found out it would be closed before they could get there. They decided to double back.”
“It’s Wilk.” Banyon spat out to his partner. “We need to get away from here right now,” he emphasized.
“Fill in the hole in first,” Loni immediately said.
“Why?”
“Then they won’t know that we were here,” she answered. “After they dig for some time, they’ll call you and say you gave them bad directions. By then, you will have a plan on what to tell them.”
Banyon grabbed a shovel and pushed the soft sand back into the hole. It took him only a few minutes to complete his task. He grabbed his shirt and hefted the box. Loni grabbed the shovels.
They faded into the darkness.
***
Less than an hour later, they reached their car. They looked around and could not see another vehicle anywhere, so they figured Wilk didn’t know they were in the desert. That’s good, Banyon thought.
“Open the trunk, there is a light inside. I want to see what is in the box,” Loni said with authority. Banyon was bone weary now, but complied.
The ordnance box had two clips. One on each end, but they were rusty from sitting in the ground for over seventy years. Loni picked a hammer from the tool pile in the trunk. Like most women she thought you could fix anything with a hammer. She banged on the clips, but they wouldn’t budge. Banyon picked up a strong screwdriver and moved her aside.
“Leverage is always better then brute force,” he calmly told her. He stuck the tip of the tool inside the edge of the latch and pulled. The latch popped open. He quickly levered the other latch and used the screwdriver to wedge open the top. It flipped off. The contents of the box were revealed for the first time since the beginning of World War II.
Loni reacted like she had just run across a women’s shoe sale at her favorite store. Her eyes lit up and her hands went into the box. The first thing she pulled out was a leather pouch. She pried it open and poured many precious stones into Banyon’s larger hands. There were diamonds, emerald, rubies and other valuable rocks.
“These are worth a fortune,” she gushed, “a large fortune.”
“Find the talisman,” Banyon ordered. “That is what we actually came for.”
Loni reluctantly put the stones back in the bag. She set it down in the trunk of the car. She then rummaged around the inside of the box for a few seconds and suddenly pulled out a six inch wide, silvery, oval, trinket on a chain.
“Is this it?”
“Give it to me. I’ll keep it in my pocket,” Banyon said. He then addressed Wolf. “I have the Reflection talisman. Can you use the freed up window now?”
“Make sure you keep it on you, but thanks. I can research some more pressing situations now.”
Before Banyon could ask what Wolf was talking about, Loni nudged him to get his attention. When he turned to look at her, he saw she was wearing a solid gold necklace which was studded with diamonds. It almost reached her navel. It looked like something an Egyptian Pharaoh wore. She held up her small arms. They were each adorned with several wrist bands also made of gold and precious stones. She smiled at him regally. Then she placed a blue leather headdress decorated with gold discs on her head. It fit perfectly. The final piece from the box was a solid gold scepter. She assumed a royal pose and steepled her hands while holding the foot long scepter. The contrast between her all black clothing and the jewelry was amazing. Banyon’s jaw dropped open.
“What do you think?” she asked shyly.
She took his breath away. Loni looked to him like a reincarnation of the wife or a concubine of a Pharaoh. “You look incredibly stunning,” he managed.
“Can I keep it? It fits me perfectly, don’t you think?”
“Loni, what you are wearing is a world treasure. It is not meant for one person. We have found plunder which looks like it was stolen from ancient Egypt some time ago. We’ll have to give it back,” he said sympathetically.
“Well at least I can wear it for a little while and have some fun, can’t I?” she said in sadness.
“You can wear it until we get to our next destination,” he answered.
Suddenly, there was mischief in her almond eyes. “Down on your knees, slave,” she ordered in a deep voice and waved the scepter.
“Why?”
She continued in her deep voice. “I am Fofo, queen of all Egypt and the civilized world. My word is law.
“How may I serve you, your majesty?” Banyon said playing along as he dropped to one knee.
“I want you to do something for me. I order you to build me the largest pyramid in the known world. So get to it, slave.”
“Could we at least wait until we find all the Orion weapons your highness?” Banyon asked.
“Alright, but there’ll be no excuses then. Do you understand?”
“Perfectly.”
Chapter Nine
When Barbara Reynolds cruised into the front living room of the farmhouse she saw everyone peering out the windows with their guns at the ready. Steve had dispatched the two person surveillance team to the back of the house. He was concerned because there were only eight intruders Banyon had told him ten were coming their way.
“I’ll handle this,” she announced. “These people are not our mercenaries. They have come to see me.”
“I can’t let you go out there,” Steve protested. He attempted to restrain her.
“Try and stop me,” she replied through gritted teeth as she tried to push him aside. “This is my responsibility. I got us into this mess. I’ll get us out.”
“What is she talking about?” Steve asked out loud as he wrestled with the taller woman.
Paul suddenly spoke up. “She done bought the sash from one of them there hoodlums. I suppose the bastard wants more money. Maybe I should pepper ’m with some rock salt.”
“No,” Barbara roared. “I said I would handle it. Now let me go, Steve.” She broke from his grip and went to the door.
“We’ll be your backup, just in case,” her husband Carl said.
“The rest of you stay here out of sight,” she ordered. Barbara threw the door open and took up a stance on the porch. She looked like Wonder-Woman in white. Her hands were on her hips. Her head was tilted back defiantly.
***
The two SUVs skidded to a stop in the dirt circular driveway. A cloud of dust hung in the still calm air. Eight young men piled out. They spread out in a semi-circle. The young men were all armed with baseball bats and tire irons. Some of the men were completely bald, some had many tattoos. While they were menacing, they looked more like fraternity brothers heading for a party. Barbara stood her ground. She knew they were really a neo-Nazi organization. Paul had told her.
One of the men broke from the group and stepped forward.
“You cheated me,” he yelled at the stationary Greek goddess.
He waved his tire iron in threat. “I found out on the internet that The Magic Belt is worth millions. You only paid me a hundred grand. I want it back and we intend to take it.”
“And you believe everything you read on the internet?” Barbara spat back.
“The belt is worth a lot more than you paid me,” he screamed back at her.
“The people who are advertising on the internet are not nice people like me. If you brought the sash to them, they would probably kill you, and not pay you anything,” Barbara replied.
“We want the talisman, right boys?” the young man said. He turned to rally his troops. They had become mob-like, cursing, swearing, and raising their fists in anger. It looked like nothin
g would satisfy them except the talisman.
The goddess raised her hand with the wait signal. “Do you know how your grandfather obtained the talisman?”
“Don’t know and I don’t care,” the man screamed back. There was more mob hysterics. The men moved slightly closer to the porch steps.
“Your grandfather stole it from a museum in Warsaw during World War II,” she told him. “It doesn’t belong to him or you. It belongs to the Polish people. I intend to give it back to them.” The goddess now crossed her arms as she stared at the young man.
“You’re wrong,” he yelled back. “My grandfather was never in the war. He was in America then.”
“He was in Hitler’s army,” she screamed back. “He escaped to Wisconsin after the conflict,” Barbara shouted back at the man.
“All of his papers are false.”
“I don’t believe you bitch,” the young man bellowed back. But Barbara could tell he already knew about his heritage. “I think I’m going to have to beat you up real good for those remarks.”
“Not so fast,” Barbara replied. She pulled out her cell phone. She pressed several keys while the confused mob looked on. “I’ve sent all the information on your grandfather to your cell phone. You wouldn’t want me to send it to anyone else would you?”
“I want the talisman,” the man screamed.
“I’ve also sent eight hundred thousand dollars to your bank account, just as I did the other money. I have it all here in my phone. You can check it out if you’d like,” she said sweetly.
“I’m tired of this woman’s banter,” one of the men said. “Let’s take it from her. I want to see what she has on under that tunic anyway. Maybe we should teach her a proper lesson on how we treat women,” he said with an evil grin. It was a tense moment. The men were completely out of control now. They moved towards the porch.
Suddenly, a shot rang out. A puff of dust appeared right in front of them. “Up here assholes,” Mandy screamed. She had no love for Barbara Reynolds, but the thought of so many men attacking her made Mandy react. “I can hit all of you before you reach the porch,” she threatened as she aimed the big rifle downward. Mandy had not heard the conversation in the farmhouse living room. She just saw a woman in peril and reacted impulsively, just like Loni would have done.
The Polish Discovery: The Society of Orion 1-3 (Colton Banyon Mystery Book 17) Page 16