Wages of Sin (A James Acton Thriller, #17) (James Acton Thrillers)
Page 21
Niner turned to Acton. “So, if we found it, do we get to keep it?”
Acton chuckled. “You’ll have to ask the South African government that one. If it’s in the mine, then it’s on government land, so probably not.”
“Shit, then what’s the point?”
Acton smiled. “The thrill of discovery? Of solving a mystery over a century old?”
Niner batted the words with his hand. “Bah, I’m more interested in solving my credit card problem.”
Jimmy joined them. “Dude, with half a billion, you could solve all our credit card problems.”
Niner tossed a thumb over his shoulder at Atlas. “We might have enough. You know him and comic books.”
The others began to laugh when the door to the ICU opened, the specialist stepping out.
The room fell silent.
“Mr. Dawson?”
Dawson rose, everyone else not already standing, following suit. “Is she okay?”
His voice was one of desperation, something Acton had never heard from the man.
The doctor smiled. “She’s going to be fine.” He held up a finger as the room was about to erupt into cheers. “Eventually. She’s got a long road to recovery ahead of her, but I’m confident in the end she’ll be one hundred percent.”
Dawson dropped into his chair, burying his head between his knees as he folded his hands behind his neck, everyone crowding around to pat him on the back, words of relief and encouragement exchanged. He rose, extending his hand. “Thanks, Doc, thanks for saving her.”
The doctor shook his hand. “Don’t thank me, thank those who found her. They got to her just in time. Your fiancée is one tough cookie, but she wouldn’t have lasted much longer before there would have been permanent damage.”
Dawson grabbed Red, giving him a bear hug, lifting the man off the floor before lowering him and pulling Spock and Sweets into the embrace, saying nothing. Acton took Laura’s hand and squeezed as they silently witnessed a perfect moment.
Dawson let go, turning to the doctor. “This recovery, what’s it involve?”
“A lot of physical therapy and retraining her brain. All her mental faculties are there, she just needs to relearn how to work her body. But don’t worry, thanks to your friends, she’ll get the best care possible.”
Dawson turned to them, about to say something, his chin trembling, when Laura wisely saved him.
“No need to thank us. Anyone in our position would do the same.” She looked at the doctor. “Can he see her?”
“Absolutely!”
Dawson bolted through the doors, leaving everyone in the waiting area to share their relief with each other.
Acton held Laura tight, gazing into her eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.”
She gazed up at him, smiling. “Then don’t ever lose me.”
He smiled. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
90
Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
Gatsha pushed through the thick brush, finding the opening exactly as he had suspected. A few moments earlier he had spotted several bats fly out from behind the bushes, something having startled them.
And bats didn’t rest in bushes.
“What is it?” asked his younger brother.
“Not sure. Looks like a cave or something.” Gatsha stepped inside, letting his eyes adjust for a moment. Something stared out of the darkness at him, sending him jumping backward with a yelp.
“What is it?” asked his brother, pushing past him, eager to discover what could scare his older brother, the boy too stupid to know fear should be respected.
He screamed, it blood curdling.
Gatsha hauled him back a few paces.
“Is-is he dead?”
Gatsha smacked his brother’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “Stupid question. Of course he’s dead. He’s nothing but bones.” Gatsha knelt beside the skeleton, little left of the clothes the man had once worn.
“I wonder how long he’s been here.”
Gatsha shrugged. “Dunno. Long time, I think.”
“What’s this?” His brother reached forward and pulled a rolled up piece of paper from the man’s hand. “I think there’s writing on it.”
“What’s it say?”
His brother shrugged. “I don’t know, you’re the one who can read.”
Gatsha took the paper and stepped back outside and into the light. He unrolled it, the dried paper splitting in two.
“Careful!”
“Well, stop crowding me!”
“What does it say?”
Gatsha shoved his brother away, holding up the paper, his eyes widening.
“My dearest Dania,
“It is said the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“What does that mean?”
Gatsha shrugged. “I don’t know. If you’d shut up, I could finish.”
His brother pouted. “You don’t have to be so mean.”
Gatsha felt bad. “Sorry. Can I finish?”
His brother brightened. “Yes!”
“I both fear and hope these words are true, as so many have died tonight to preserve our nation’s future that I fear the price paid has been too high, though I make this sacrifice willingly. My only regret is that I will never again see your beautiful smile when I wake in the morning, or hear the joy of my little girls as they greet the new day.
“I am a God-fearing man, as you know, and I trust that my sacrifice in his name will guarantee our reunion in Heaven, where I can once again hold you in my arms, smell your sweet sweet hair, and hear the laughter of our children as they play.
“Be strong, and forgive me for leaving you alone.
“Love Boet”
“Gatsha, time to eat!”
Gatsha glanced over his shoulder, his mother waving at them. He tossed the letter back in the cave then grabbed his brother, his stomach rumbling at the prospect of the promised picnic.
THE END
Acknowledgements
I really enjoyed writing this one. I was, of course, familiar with Krugerrands from my Lethal Weapon love affair (and check out Get the Gringo—awesome!), but less so with the legend of the Kruger Gold. That this treasure existed, is of little doubt. A nation’s gold doesn’t just disappear. The question is what happened to it. Some claim it made it to Europe, others claim only some did, and many claim none. No matter what happened to the gold, it is clear that it is a mystery yet to be solved.
Though perhaps it has.
A recent article claims it might have been found. You can read more about that here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1311874/Town-under-siege-as-missing-Kruger-gold-is-found-on-farm.html
Here’s a fun anecdote related to this story. At one point Niner refers to Dawson as the “ultimate male”. These words weren’t randomly chosen. Years ago, I bought my wife a cellphone—long before smartphones were a reality. I programmed in my cellphone number, and as a joke, set the name to “THE ULTIMATE MALE”. She thought this was hilarious, and of course assured me it was completely true, and I believe her to this day.
But the comedy comes later, a few years later, when my rapier wit has been forgotten.
I bought my wife a new phone.
And gave the old one to our daughter.
Who wondered why she was getting calls from THE ULTIMATE MALE, and her dad would be on the other end of the line when she answered it.
Fortunately, she was too young to have to explain it to her, and I reprogrammed the phone.
And one other fun anecdote. When Jeb the janitor is thinking about high school locker rooms, and how bad the girls were, that comes from the real-life experiences of a friend who, when times were tough, became a janitor after losing everything due to 9/11. I won’t give his name to protect his privacy, but he knows who he is.
There are a lot of people to thank on this one. My dad of course for much of the re
search, Bob Crampton, the inventor of the Damfino, Angela Lee for her suggestion of a place Hugh Reading might order take-out from, and what he might order, Peter Harman for pairing food with drink, Lindy Jones Zywot for some Briticisms, Greg “Chief” Michael for treasure hunting advice, Brent Richards for hand-to-hand combat advice and an ammo primer, Deborah Wilson for equine advice, and last but definitely not least, Marc Quesnel and his lovely wife Mitzi, along with her Zulu colleagues, who were instrumental in the South African research that went into this book. Many thanks to them, and any errors are mine and mine alone.
To those who have not already done so, please visit my website at www.jrobertkennedy.com then sign up for the Insider’s Club to be notified of new book releases. Your email address will never be shared or sold and you’ll only receive the occasional email from me as I don’t have time to spam you!
Thank you once again for reading.
James Acton will return!
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Books by J. Robert Kennedy
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The James Acton Thrillers
The Protocol
Brass Monkey
Broken Dove
The Templar's Relic
Flags of Sin
The Arab Fall
The Circle of Eight
The Venice Code
Pompeii's Ghosts
Amazon Burning
The Riddle
Blood Relics
Sins of the Titanic
Saint Peter's Soldiers
The Thirteenth Legion
Raging Sun
Wages of Sin
The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers
Payback
Infidels
The Lazarus Moment
Kill Chain
The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers
Rogue Operator
Containment Failure
Cold Warriors
Death to America
Black Widow
The Detective Shakespeare Mysteries
Depraved Difference
Tick Tock
The Redeemer
Zander Varga, Vampire Detective Series
The Turned
Books by J. Robert Kennedy
Clicking any of these links will take you to the AMAZON.CA store where you can sample or purchase the book!
The James Acton Thrillers
The Protocol
Brass Monkey
Broken Dove
The Templar's Relic
Flags of Sin
The Arab Fall
The Circle of Eight
The Venice Code
Pompeii's Ghosts
Amazon Burning
The Riddle
Blood Relics
Sins of the Titanic
Saint Peter's Soldiers
The Thirteenth Legion
Raging Sun
Wages of Sin
The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers
Payback
Infidels
The Lazarus Moment
Kill Chain
The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers
Rogue Operator
Containment Failure
Cold Warriors
Death to America
Black Widow
The Detective Shakespeare Mysteries
Depraved Difference
Tick Tock
The Redeemer
Zander Varga, Vampire Detective Series
The Turned
Books by J. Robert Kennedy
Clicking any of these links will take you to the AMAZON.COM.AU store where you can sample or purchase the book!
The James Acton Thrillers
The Protocol
Brass Monkey
Broken Dove
The Templar's Relic
Flags of Sin
The Arab Fall
The Circle of Eight
The Venice Code
Pompeii's Ghosts
Amazon Burning
The Riddle
Blood Relics
Sins of the Titanic
/>
Saint Peter's Soldiers
The Thirteenth Legion
Raging Sun
Wages of Sin
The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers
Payback
Infidels
The Lazarus Moment
Kill Chain
The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers
Rogue Operator
Containment Failure
Cold Warriors
Death to America
Black Widow
The Detective Shakespeare Mysteries
Depraved Difference
Tick Tock
The Redeemer
Zander Varga, Vampire Detective Series
The Turned
Published Internationally by J. Robert Kennedy, Ottawa, ON Canada
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