Nickolai had found a little larger stick than hers and approached one of the other clumps of bushes. With the three of them looking, they could easily find the mine. If the map was right, or if Jediah had read it cor—
“Whoooaaaa.”
She and Jediah both straightened and looked to where Nickolai had just been standing seconds before. They couldn’t see him any longer. Landry rushed forward.
Thud.
“Nick! Nick!” Oh, Lord. Don’t let him be dead. Please, don’t let him be dead.
“Wait.” Jediah grabbed her arm. “We need to approach slowly. The ground might give.”
She nodded then inched her way forward, keeping an eye on the ground. She approached carefully.
A hole, two and a half or three feet in diameter, had opened at the base of the mesquite bushes Nickolai had been inspecting.
“Nick?” She carefully crept to the edge.
“I’m okay. I think.”
Thank You, Jesus!
“I think I might have twisted or broken my ankle, though.” Nickolai’s voice sounded so far away.
Jediah joined her at the mouth of the hole and peered down. “Can you stand?”
Groans and grunts traveled up the hole.
“Not without leaning on something,” Nickolai finally said.
“Let me toss a rope down to you and we will pull you up. Bessie will help us,” Jediah said.
“Wait,” Nickolai replied. “Hang on.”
Zip. Click.
Light shot up the hole.
“Let me look around here for a second.”
Landry pulled out her own flashlight, lay on her stomach, and peered over the edge of the hole. She could see Nickolai below her. Just being able to see him made her heart stop, threatened to choke her.
“I think I’m in the shaft of the mine.” He shined his light up at Landry. “I think we found the mine.”
“Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.” Landry didn’t know whether to be more dismayed that Nickolai was hurt, or excited that they’d found the mine.
“We need to go get help for him,” Jediah said. “I can take Bessie and go if you want to stay with him.”
“Yes.”
“Jediah, wait. You need to see this,” Nickolai called up. “I think I can actually see some gold flecks on the walls here. Something’s sure shining in the light of the flashlight.”
“Might be quartz.” Jediah shook his head. “But we’ll still need help to get you out of there since you’re hurt.”
“But then everyone will know where the mine is located,” Nickolai said. “Not that I don’t think it shouldn’t be a national treasure, but I’d like us to be sure before we get everybody excited. It might be nothing more than quartz in an old shaft.”
“It’s more important that we get you out safe and sound; then we can decide what to do about the mine,” Landry said. “Let me get the rope.”
“Actually, it’s more important that I get the gold, and you don’t move, Miss Parker. I’d hate to have to shoot you with your own gun.”
Landry looked over her shoulder and met the cold eyes of Phillip.
“What’s going on?” Nickolai shined the flashlight on Landry, who hadn’t moved.
“Um, Phillip’s here.” She sounded funny, but maybe that was because he was down in the shaft.
“What’s he want?”
“The gold. He has my gun.” Landry’s face had paled, even by the awkward lighting of the flashlight. “Wait a minute.” She looked over her shoulder then turned back to him a few seconds later. “Nickolai, is there enough room for us to come down there with you?”
There was, but what if he said there wasn’t? Maybe that would stall Phillip. But then Landry would be up there, with Phillip, while he was stuck down here. Nickolai shifted, putting too much weight on his right ankle. Pain worse than when he’d been shot fired up his leg. A groan escaped him.
“Are you okay?” Landry looked over her shoulder again. “He’s hurt. His ankle is most likely broken, so just give him a minute.” Her voice was harsh. She turned back to Nickolai.
“I’m okay. Just hurts like the dickens.”
“Okay. Is there room for us down there with you?”
At least if they were here, he could protect Landry from Phillip. “Yes.”
“Okay. Hang on.” She disappeared from the mouth of the hole.
Nickolai forgot all about his ankle. What was happening? Where was Landry? If Phillip hurt her … “Landry!”
She leaned back into view. “Just a second. We’re working something out.” She disappeared again.
Nickolai had never wanted to be able to jump up and punch someone so badly as he did right now. The thought of Phillip, with Landry’s gun, up there with her. It made his stomach turn and balled his fists.
“We’re tossing down a rope. It’s attached to Bessie’s saddle horn. Phillip will climb down first, then me, then Jediah. Stay clear.” Landry backed away, and moments later, a new nylon rope hung beside him, almost reaching the bottom of the shaft.
It was a new rope, one of the ones he’d bought, which meant he’d gone into Landry’s backpack.
Pack … phone.
Nickolai pulled out his phone. He dialed 911 and waited. There was enough battery, but not enough of a signal to get the call out.
“Nick, Phillip says to toss your gun to the other side. Now.”
Nickolai took the gun from his waistband and tightened his grip.
“He says throw it now, so we can hear it, or he’ll shoot me.” Landry spoke louder.
He threw the gun to the other side. It clanked against the shaft wall.
“Phillip’s coming down. Don’t try anything, Nick, or he’ll shoot me. I’m coming right along so I’ll never be out of his view or range.” Landry’s voice wobbled a little.
He checked the cell. Still not enough of a signal to get a call out. But maybe enough to send off a text?
Phillip’s form replaced Landry’s at the top of the hole. “I’m coming down, Nickolai. No funny stuff or I’ll shoot Miss Parker here. I think you two have gotten sweet on one another. Would hate to have to kill her.”
Nickolai quickly flipped his phone on silent then sent a text to Chris.
PHILLIP FONTENOT MURDERER. PROOF. HAS US AT GUNPOINT. SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS. USE GPS TO LOCATE US.
Phillip was only about five feet down when he hollered at Landry to start descending. So much for Nickolai’s hope that maybe he could just knock Phillip out as soon as he got down and not put Landry in danger.
He glanced around. Needed to find a place to hide his cell. Where Phillip wouldn’t find it. Needed to keep it on so Chris could track him. If he got the text …
Phillip hung about six feet above him. Landry, four feet above Phillip.
There, that rock. Small enough not to be really noticeable but big enough not to be kicked out of the way.
Phillip was four feet above him.
Nickolai shoved his cell under the back edge of the rock, the side closest to the shaft wall. He stepped back to where he’d been before.
“Look out, Nickolai.” Phillip jumped, landing beside Nickolai and leveling his gun at his head. He lifted Nickolai’s gun and put it into his waistband.
“Now, hand me your cell phone.” He spoke out of the side of his mouth. “You just stay right there for a minute, Landry.”
“I didn’t bring my phone. I left it in the Jeep.” Nickolai almost choked on the lie, but he had to protect Landry as best he could.
“Now why don’t I believe you?” Phillip held the gun steady on him.
“I don’t know. The battery was almost dead because I forgot to charge it last night, so I just left it in the Jeep.”
“Toss me your backpack.”
He did. Phillip kept the gun trained on Nickolai as he went through the backpack. He slid it back to Nickolai. “Show me your pockets.”
Nickolai did, moving slowly more for his own injury than to be cautious for Phillip.
<
br /> “Come on down and join us, Miss Parker.”
Landry jumped to the ground. She stood and immediately went to Nickolai. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just my ankle.”
She looked at it. “Oh, mercy, Nickolai. Let me splint and wrap it.”
“Yes, let Nurse Parker fix you right up.”
She ignored him and unzipped her backpack, pulling out the first aid kit. She looked around and grabbed the stick Nickolai had been using to poke the ground. It had broken into three pieces, but one was straight enough for her to use as a splint on his ankle. “Oh, Nick, this has to be killing you.”
“It’s not so bad. Not now that you’re here.” It sounded cheesy, yeah, but he meant it.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“Hey Jediah,” Phillip called up.
“Yes?” He stuck his head over the hole.
“Come on down here.”
“You know, I don’t think so. You haven’t paid me yet.”
Before he could move away, Phillip lifted the gun and shot.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Thunk. Thunk.
Jediah hit the ground beside Landry with a thud.
“Sweet Jesus, help us,” Landry said.
Phillip laughed, flat and humorless. “I told you people I wasn’t going to play around with y’all.”
“You didn’t have to shoot him.” Nickolai reached over and felt Jediah’s neck for a pulse. Nothing. He pulled his hand away. His fingers were wet and sticky. He moved them into the beam of the flashlight. Blood. He shook his head at Landry.
She glared at Phillip. “You killed him.”
Phillip shrugged. “I gave you all warning.” He waved the gun at her. “Now, help him up so we can look down the shaft. I want to see my gold.”
Nickolai struggled to his feet, with Landry’s help. The splint helped with the pain. He leaned close to her ear and whispered. “I texted Chris to send help. If the text went through.”
“Come on, you two. Secrets don’t make friends.” Phillip turned to them and dug the end of Landry’s 9mm into her side.
Nickolai reached out and put his hand over the gun, yanking it from her side and pressing it against his own gut. “You want to poke that thing somewhere, you put it on me.”
“A bit testy, are we, Mr. Baptiste?” Phillip laughed but dug the gun deeper into Nickolai’s ribs. “Let’s get going.”
He tried not to lean on Landry too much, but with Phillip shoving the gun in him, he was off balance.
“It’s okay.” Landry must have noticed him not putting weight on her. “I’ve got you.” She gently rubbed his back.
Just her touch, her words, and knowing how she cared made all the difference to him. With renewed energy, he picked up the pace.
“That’s the spirit, boy.”
They’d made it about a hundred yards down the shaft, and Landry slowed. “I don’t understand, Phillip. You’re on the board at Winslet Industries. You’re in love with Mrs. Winslet. Bartholomew was your best friend. Why?”
“I’ve asked myself many times how I got to this place, and I always come up with the same answer. It’s Bart’s fault.”
“What?” Nickolai couldn’t imagine how Phillip would think that. Not with what they knew.
“Guess it doesn’t matter now if you know or not.”
Which meant they weren’t going to get out of here alive. Not unless they outsmarted him. Nickolai tightened his hold on Landry and slowed their pace.
“I met Winifred first. Fell in love with her as soon as I saw her. Asked her out and almost died when she agreed. After we went out a couple of times, I knew she was it for me. No other woman would ever do. And then I introduced her to Bart.” Phillip shook his head, lost enough in thought that he didn’t seem to realize Nickolai had slowed the pace a little more.
“He stole her from me, but I loved her enough that I wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn’t with me. So I stood by Bart as he married the woman I loved. I bit my tongue when I gave Bart advice over and over again that helped him achieve higher levels in his business. I could’ve gone out on my own and made a lot of money, but I didn’t because I wanted to be near Winifred. Needed to be.” He pulled the gun out of Nickolai’s side.
Nickolai knew he’d have to make a move of some sort before they got to the gold. Phillip would surely kill them there.
“So what changed?” Landry asked very softly.
“Winifred had an affair with Stan Hauge. Stan. Out of everyone, Stan? She should have known I loved her. I could hold my tongue about her with Bart, but Stan?” Phillip shook his head and shoved the gun back into Nickolai’s ribs. “I found out years after it happened, but when I did, I was so disappointed in her. I decided I needed to live my life for me, so I asked Bart for a loan to get something going.”
Ahh, so that’s where the money part came in.
“He loaned it to me, but with official loan documentation and everything. To charge me interest. After all the advice and help I’d given him, he wanted me to pay him interest.” Phillip shook his head, easing the gun off Nickolai’s side again.
“I need to rest a second.” Landry stopped and leaned against the wall of the shaft. “I need some water.” She pulled her water bottle and took a long sip. She grinned at Nickolai as she did.
She was stalling. Trying to buy them more time.
Nickolai slipped to the ground and took the water bottle she offered him.
“Just for a second.” But Phillip sounded a little winded as well.
“So you got the loan. Why didn’t you leave?” Landry asked, resting her hands on her knees as she bent over.
“Things had changed and investments weren’t the income maker that they had been. I made several different types of investments I couldn’t recover. Then I had some bad personal news, but that’s when I learned about the gold.” He waved the gun. “Let’s get to moving.”
Landry straightened and helped him to his feet. Nickolai wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Taking a second to snuggle her, he looked at Phillip. “That’s when you met Abigail and learned about the map, right?”
“So you know that, huh?”
“I’m so sorry you had to battle cancer, Phillip. That’s a horrible disease.” Landry spoke softly as they made slow progress.
“I’ve been in remission, so I’m good. I don’t need your sympathy.” He shoved the gun into Nickolai’s side.
“I’m guessing you’re the one who told Bart about the map?”
“Yeah, when Abigail’s son got a higher bid than mine, I had to do something. So I turned Bart onto the whole story. Soon, he was bidding until he bought it.”
Nickolai noticed the shaft was getting wider. He slowed their progress, trying to figure out how to get the gun away from him.
“The day he bought it, he told me he was calling my loan. If I didn’t repay him immediately, he would have no other option but to turn it over to his legal department for collection satisfaction. Me. His best friend. A sitting board member.” Phillip shook his head. “Just proves what a self-centered, egotistical, arrogant blowhard he was.”
Even though Phillip was a criminal and Nickolai wanted to knock his block off, Winslet did sound like a jerk.
“Wow, that’s really rude.” Landry slowed even more.
“I know.” Phillip slowed with them, but without argument. “I couldn’t be humiliated like that. Not at work. Not to Winifred. Bart left me no choice. I had to kill him. I figured if I stole the map, found the mine … I’d finally get the financial windfall I deserved. I could forgive Winifred for her affair with Stan and sweep her off her feet. She’s always wanted to travel. See the world.”
Before Landry or Nickolai realized it, they’d turned and the shaft opened into a cave.
A cave whose walls were filled with gold flecks shimmering against their flashlights.
“Oh my gosh.” Landry leaned Nickolai up against the wall and stepped into the mine. “It’s amazi
ng.”
“And it’s all mine.”
“You don’t know how to mine this, and you shot the one person who did.” Landry put her hands on her hips.
“We’ll figure it out.” Phillip turned his back to Nickolai to survey the mine.
Now or never.
Nickolai dived for the gun. Phillip turned just as Nickolai fell forward. Landry screamed. Phillip lifted the gun and pointed it at Landry. Pulled the trigger.
Crack!
Landry screamed. Crumbled to the ground. A red blot seeped across her denim shirt, growing and spreading.
Noooo!
Nickolai lunged for Phillip. The gun skittered across the floor of the mine. Nickolai crawled for it. Phillip kicked him in the ankle.
He growled. Fell. Spots danced in front of his eyes.
God, if You’re there, I need help. Landry needs help. Save her, God. She loves You. I don’t know if You can hear me, but if You can, please save Landry. I love her. Please, God.
Phillip reared back his steel-toed boot. Brought it forward like a football kicker. Nickolai raised the gun and pulled the trigger. Pain ricocheted down Nickolai’s head and neck. The world spun.
Everything went dark.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The drum’s cadence echoed inside his head.
Nickolai fought against the smoke burning his lungs. The overpowering scent of sage accosted his nostrils. The chanting filled his ears … head … mind.
Chanting.
He struggled to open his eyes. They were heavy, so very heavy.
In the smoky haze, the tall Indian again stood in front of him. There was no right or left, just darkness except for the big man filling his vision.
In one of the dark recesses of his mind, recollection snapped, like an overused rubber band. “Gopan?”
“Remember before. Sadnleel da’ya’dee nzho.”
Long life, old age, everything is good.
“Now is your time to choose. Will you forget this place, forget what you’ve seen, forget what you’ve learned … to save her?”
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