Wilde Side

by Jannine Gallant

  Joe pressed his hands down on the table then pushed to his feet. “Don’t rush into anything. I could use some down time.”

  “No worries. I think we all could. See you in a month or two.”

  “Take it easy.”

  The bar door creaked as Griff stepped outside. The damp heat of a Florida night smacked him in the face. He drew moisture-laden air into his lungs as he strolled the two blocks to his rented room. After unlocking the cabana door, he hit the light and blinked in its sudden glare. His gear rested in a heap on the floor where he’d dumped it after vacating the Wilde Lady. In the corner, a pile of papers was strewn across the table.

  He grunted, not looking forward to tackling the slew of forms he needed to file before he could wrap up this job and head for…he wasn’t sure where he wanted to spend the summer. Another decision to make.

  First up, a quick shower to help clear his head followed by a few hours of sleep, and then he’d tackle the dreaded paperwork. Five minutes later, he toweled dry and pulled on a pair of shorts. Glancing in the mirror, he winced. Jesus, after a night of drinking, he looked every one of his thirty-two years and then some. An overlong thatch of dark brown hair hung in bloodshot green eyes. Fine lines feathered out from the corners, a result of endless hours spent in the sun aboard his salvage vessel. A quick smile flashed. No matter. He wasn’t entering any beauty contests.

  Leaving the bathroom on his way to the bed, he paused beside the table. A stack of mail he hadn’t gotten around to sorting sat next to the waiting forms. Sifting through bills, pleas for charitable contributions, and circulars selling everything from life insurance to fishing gear, he pulled out an envelope with familiar handwriting. His grandpa didn’t believe in texts or e-mails. He believed in communicating with his grandchildren the old-fashioned way—through the U.S. Postal Service. Another smile slipped out. And they damned well better write back or all hell would break loose. He’d read what was sure to be a rambling account of the latest events on the family’s Wyoming ranch after he got some sleep.

  Dropping the letter onto the pile, he swooped to catch an envelope that slid toward the table’s edge. His brows lowered. What the hell? Two handwritten letters in the same week? His name and box number scrawled across the front of this one were barely legible. No return address. The post mark was San Francisco. He didn’t know anyone in San Francisco, did he? After ripping open the flap, he unfolded a single sheet of paper covered on both sides with shaking cursive. Something hard rested at the bottom of the envelope. He pulled out a key with no identifying marks on it and frowned. Turning the letter over, he glanced at the signature. Victor Talbot.

  Who the hell is Victor Talbot?

  He flipped back to the front.

  If you’re reading this, I’m dead.

  Griff sank onto the foot of the bed. Nice opening line. Even the need for sleep couldn’t compete with that hook.

  You’re probably wondering who I am and what my business is with you.

  Victor Talbot, whoever he might be, had that part right at least. Griff scowled at the messy penmanship and read on, squinting now and then to make out the words.

  Let’s call it delayed justice for the five men remaining in our squad on the fateful day we recovered the Nazi treasure.

  Treasure? Now that sounded promising, even if the rest of the statement had a suspicious ring to it. He moved backward on the mattress to settle more comfortably against the headboard. “Recovered my ass. I bet they stole this so-called treasure.” He clamped his teeth together and went back to reading.

  It’s time for one of their descendants to claim the prize. As my final gesture to the men who thought of me as a brother—my way of making amends—I bequeath my priceless treasure to only the most deserving of the contestants. The one who finds it first.

  “Huh?” He glanced up at a cobweb decorating the corner of the ceiling. What the hell did the old guy mean by that? Griff did some quick mental math. Victor had to be in his nineties if he fought in World War II. Or was before he croaked. Probably completely senile to boot. Griff conjured up an image of a wizened gnome on his death bed, cackling with glee as he penned mysterious notes to unknown recipients. With a snort, he returned his attention to the letter.

  Since my comrades-in-arms were all cut down in their prime, I’ve hand-picked a contender from each of their gene pools. The one I feel will most likely accept the challenge and put up a fair fight. Decipher the riddle to find your next clue. Good luck.

  “Jesus.”

  After taking a quick peek at the riddle squeezed in at the bottom of the page, some nonsense about jealousy and liberty and wealth, he read the whole letter again, just to make sure he had the facts straight.

  The man had to be a complete loon. His writing was atrocious, but the content seemed direct enough. Griff reviewed the pertinent details. This Victor character had fought side-by-side with one of his ancestors during World War II. His grandfather occasionally mentioned his father who’d died in combat somewhere in France. Grandpa had vague recollections of his dad teaching him to ride a horse and taking him fishing. A photograph of Hartley Wilde in his army uniform hung with the rest of the family portraits displayed at the ranch. Looking at it was sort of creepy, like looking in the mirror. Then again, Griff’s two brothers were nearly his clones, except for Sawyer’s lighter hair and Tripp’s long, girly lashes.

  A yawn nearly cracked Griff’s jaw as he dragged his wandering attention back to the letter. Victor Talbot and his pals had recovered some sort of war treasure from the Nazis. Obviously they hadn’t turned it over to the proper authorities. He frowned. Definitely something hinky about the whole situation. According to the letter, none of the other five men in the squad had survived into old age, leaving the geriatric warrior who’d contacted him as the sole owner of the treasure. On his death bed, he’d apparently decided fair was fair, that the descendants of his army buddies should get a shot at the confiscated loot.

  Why didn’t he just sell the freaking thing and mail us checks? His inner voice responded with unswerving logic. Maybe because the government would have seized it—whatever it is—and returned the treasure to its rightful owner.

  Curiosity niggled. The exact nature of the spoils wasn’t spelled out. Vaguely worded hints about a priceless prize could mean any number of things. Griff rolled his eyes. He knew all about priceless—and what was fair game to the finder and what had to be handed over to the original owner. The booty could be anything from a stash of cash to a missing Rembrandt to something the old bastard found in a cereal box.

  Make that crazy old bastard.

  Victor the Loon had set up some sort of scavenger hunt with clues leading to the treasure. The first riddle read like gibberish, and he was too tired to try to figure it out before he got a little sleep. Griff slouched down onto the mattress. He ought to toss the letter in the trash where it belonged. Running a hand through his hair, he winced as his head began to throb.

  Damn cheap beer.

  Rolling off the bed, he rummaged through his bag for a bottle of aspirin and popped a couple of tablets, then glanced over at the cryptic letter.

  Since he didn’t have anything on his plate at the moment, maybe he should step up and play the game. The timing was right, and he was a risk-taker by nature. If the treasure hunt turned out to be a bust, all he would have lost was a little time and energy. Right now he had plenty of both to spare—or would after a couple of days of solid rest.

  After turning off the light, he crawled into bed and flopped over on his back. Sleep first. Paperwork second. Then he’d set to work deciphering the enigmatic clue below the old guy’s signature. The key in the envelope must be part of the puzzle, too. He’d figure it out.

  How hard can it be?

  Even if the other competitors in this crazy game had the means and ambition to play, Griff had no doubt he’d be the first to unravel the riddles. He slid a hand behind his head and closed his eyes. With his skill
at finding treasure, it wouldn’t even be a contest.

  * * * *

  Ainslee Fontaine jammed the last of her bags into the rear of the midsize SUV and slammed the door shut. Glancing up at the old brownstone, she let out a breath. Relief, regret, anticipation, and a healthy dose of anxiety rolled in her stomach, making her wish she hadn’t choked down the breakfast burrito she’d grabbed from a vendor off the street corner.

  At any rate, the burrito was history, as was her job teaching in the Big Apple. For better or worse, she was out of here.

  Hopefully better.

  Sliding behind the wheel, she fired up the engine and pulled away from the curb. Driving through the clogged streets of New York City, she couldn’t help comparing her current frame of mind with the naïve enthusiasm she’d bubbled over with upon her arrival five years before. Singlehandedly, she’d planned to set the disadvantaged youth of the inner city on a direct course toward learning and success.

  What a crock.

  Instead, she’d been ignored, sworn at, threatened with a knife on three different occasions and taken a punch. The black eye had tipped her over the edge. She hadn’t expected the girl to swing at her. The boys she’d disarmed with a couple of swift moves. She should thank the martial arts expert she’d dated for those lessons.

  Enough was enough. The student success stories were few and far between, one a year if she was lucky. Those golden moments, heart bursting with pride as a child she’d mentored went off to college, had almost made up for the disappointments. Almost. She needed a break from the sheer misery of the environment these kids were trapped in before her soul was sucked dry. She wanted to go back to her roots.

  Maybe not her actual roots. Not the small town in Iowa where she’d grown up. In Cloverdale, cows outnumbered people fifty to one—maybe more—and wheat and corn fields stretched to the edge of the horizon. But, she sure wouldn’t mind living in a town with the same wholesome atmosphere. A neighborhood where community meant more than which gang you belonged to. A place where kids could hang out on a street corner without fear of being caught in the crossfire of a drug deal gone bad. Her neck craned as she glanced up at the towering buildings where inhabitants lived and worked like lab rats in some grand social experiment. She craved an environment with mountains and trees or maybe an endless stretch of empty beach and rolling waves. The finest Mother Nature had to offer.

  And she wanted a dog. A big, sloppy mutt to give her unconditional love in exchange for food and long walks. Not one of those purebred, over-groomed excuses for canines paraded at the end of a leash through Central Park for the world to admire. She wanted a common, everyday sort of dog. Normal. Was that too much to ask?

  Ainslee pushed auburn hair, limp with the dank humidity of a June day, off her forehead as she finally cleared the worst of the city congestion and headed west toward…wherever. She’d taught her last class, filled out a forwarding order at the post office to send any future mail to her parents’ dairy farm as a temporary solution to her homelessness and sold off all her belongings that didn’t fit in the back of the SUV. A clean break with the past. She’d give herself some much needed downtime before making any rash decisions about the future, even if it meant she wouldn’t have a new teaching position in the fall.

  A blue sign promising a rest area in two miles loomed before her. Maybe drinking that oversized bottle of water hadn’t been the smartest move before beginning a long road trip. Then again, it wasn’t like she was on a tight schedule. She took the exit a couple of minutes later and parked in the shade of a scraggly dogwood tree. After a quick trip to the restroom, she grabbed the road atlas off the passenger seat along with a stack of mail she’d collected that morning and took her load to a nearby picnic table.

  Heat radiated from the pavement, nearly melting her sandals. Little black birds pecking at some spilled corn chips scattered when she sat on the hot bench. She opened the atlas and stared at the different colored states spread across the page. When her cell chirped, she pulled it from her purse to glance at the display then smiled before pushing the connect button.

  “Hey, Devin, how’s life?”

  “Could be worse.” Her best friend responded in a sunny tone. “Of course it could be better, too. The congressman is keeping me hopping.”

  “I bet. I can’t believe Walton Hinsdale is running for president.”

  “Me, either. Work’s been crazy with all the campaigning.” A sigh gusted through the phone. “I don’t want to think about it right now. What’re you up to? School’s out for the summer, isn’t it?”

  Ainslee leaned on one elbow and smiled as a golden retriever galloped toward a grassy area, dragging a young boy at the end of the leash. “Yep, I left New York this morning. Right now I’m sitting at a rest area, trying to decide which way to head.”

  “Wow, you really did it? You quit your job?”

  “I certainly did. My only goal for the summer is to see some of the historic spots I tried so hard to teach about to my students. Those delinquents didn’t give a rat’s ass where their ancestors came from or what they’d accomplished to give their descendants a better life.”

  “Of course they didn’t. They’re teenagers. Do you have something new lined up for the fall?”

  She winced. “No.”

  “What?” Her old friend’s voice rose in a squeak. “Ainslee the Organized doesn’t have a plan of action?”

  She frowned. “I’m tired of always being responsible. I need a break from my straight and narrow life, at least for a few weeks. I want to go a little wild for a change. If worse comes to worst and I can’t get a teaching position in September, I can always wait tables to survive.”

  “You’d do that?”

  “Maybe.” She closed her eyes and pressed fingers to her temples. “I’ve kind of had it with—everything. You know what I’d like?”

  “What?” Devin’s tone was soft. Sympathetic.

  “I’d like to have someone to lean on. Someone to help share the load. You know how it is in the city, constantly surrounded by people, but no one really cares.”

  “Hey, you can always lean on me.”

  A little smile curved her lips. “I know. Goes both ways.”

  “You don’t want to return to Iowa, do you?” Her friend’s tone held a touch of horror.

  “God, no!” She choked on a laugh. “I’m not that desperate for support.”

  “Now, that sounds like the Ainslee I know and love. Crap.” Muffled voices came through the receiver. “Be right there.” Devin’s voice grew louder. “I’ve gotta go. Walton…” A grinding noise. Probably her friend’s teeth. “Keep me posted on your progress, okay? And call anytime you need to vent.”

  “I will. Bye, Devin.”

  She laid down her phone. Practically since they were still in diapers, just talking to her best friend gave her a shot of motivation. Devin had never met a challenge she couldn’t conquer. For once, she’d take a page out of her friend’s book and live life on the edge.

  Ainslee glanced back at the map and frowned at the lines of interconnecting freeways as she considered her options. North to Boston, south to Jamestown or continue on her current path west to immerse herself in the world of the Amish. Now there was life simplified. Right now, a barebones environment held infinite appeal.

  Postponing a hard and fast decision, her gaze strayed to the pile of mail, and she flipped through the envelopes. Mostly junk along with a couple of bills and…her brows lowered.

  Odd, who sends handwritten letters these days? She ripped open the flap and pulled out the single sheet of notebook paper filled with nearly illegible scrawl. A key dropped from the envelope into her palm. She closed her fist around it. Fifteen minutes later she finished reading the letter for a second time and gazed out at the cars flashing by on the interstate as she lost herself in memories.

  She sat beside her grandmother on the old, plaid couch in the cozy living room and carefully turned the pages o
f the family photo album. Grandma Nell proudly pointed to the picture of her father, Ainslee’s great-grandpa Francis dressed in his army uniform, and told her how he’d died a hero in the war.

  Though Grandma had been too young when he was killed to remember him, her mother had made sure Nell knew how funny and charming and brave he’d been, how he’d passed his red hair and his sense of humor along to his daughter.

  Ainslee touched one of the long, spiraling curls hanging over her shoulder. Not firehouse red like her great-grandpa, but the auburn shades were an attribute inherited from her long-dead ancestor. Now this man, Victor Talbot, was giving her the opportunity to earn a second legacy, a priceless Nazi treasure her great-grandfather and the other men in his squad had recovered. She tapped her finger on the letter, wondering what the catch was. No one handed over a fortune to a stranger.

  Except apparently none of those men who’d been Victor’s comrades-in-arms had lived long enough to be the recipient of his bequest. Giving it to one of their descendants seemed like a truly noble gesture, a dying man’s wish to honor his fallen buddies. She would have loved to have met the valiant, old gentleman, but the first line of the letter made it clear she was too late for that.

  Straightening her shoulders, she rubbed a thumb across the key and studied the riddle. Who was she to deny a dying man his final request? She’d play his game and play it well as a tribute to her great-grandfather. A tingle of excitement coursed through her, and her pulse quickened. Any sort of treasure, whether it was a bag filled with uncut gems or an unknown statue by Michelangelo, would be a welcome addition to her meager nest egg. A scavenger hunt following a series of clues sure as hell beat teaching history to bored teens or waiting tables to feed herself and her as yet unclaimed pet.

  But first she had to solve the puzzle. Her brow creased as she read it again.

  Across the river, the brightest learn that jealousy looms if you add an eye. Take liberty’s path to Ben’s wealth to find the year enchantresses dangled.