The food had been so delicious, everyone felt a little disappointed that they wouldn’t get the chance to see what dessert would be like. There was a sense of hurry, though; they couldn’t get to the church soon enough.
Sean doubted they would find anything tonight. They would probably have more luck in the daylight. From his experience, those sorts of things could take weeks or months to uncover. Ancient secrets didn’t remain secrets because they were easy to find or decode.
After a few minutes, the waiter returned with the bill, which Tommy called for. Mauricio seemed indignant. “Please, my friend, allow me.”
Tommy shook his head and smiled. “Tell you what: I’ll get this; you get the cervezas later.” The stout Ecuadorian seemed satisfied with the accord and allowed Tommy to pay the tab.
The group stepped out into the cool, fresh air. A little rain had come through while they were eating, coating the cobblestone sidewalk and road. They got back into their vehicles and, few minutes later, were weaving their way back down the mountain toward the town.
“Have you ever been to Cuenca?” Mauricio directed the question toward Adrianna.
“Yes. But it has been a long time,” she responded, looking out the window at the shops and colorful buildings as they passed in the streetlight.
“Sean tells me you have some friends here in the city you want to see. Perhaps I can take you where you need to go while they investigate the church.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she said quickly. “I can get there myself.”
“Fair enough,” he ended the conversation, sensing she didn’t care to keep it going any further.
Sean smiled. She was a confident, strong woman. But there was something so mysterious about her. He had realized that whatever she was doing in Cuenca was her business, and interfering or asking too many questions might upset the apple cart. He was glad to have her along, though. She’d proved herself more than useful in the short time he’d known her. And though he hoped they wouldn’t need that usefulness again, he doubted they would be that lucky.
He’d seen organizations like Golden Dawn before. Men who were bent on something didn’t give up easily, especially when they had lots of money. Kill two henchmen; four more pop up in their place. It was part of the reason he’d quit working for the government. In two short years, he’d lost track of all the men he’d killed. While some people had problems dreaming about victims or some sort of post-traumatic stress, Sean had never experienced those things. And that fact bothered him. To him, killing the men who were trying to kill him was justified. They were bad people trying to bad things. What got to Sean in the end was the fear of never knowing when someone would get the drop on him. With every mission he’d completed during his short career, the paranoia grew a little stronger.
The more he traveled, the more he realized how many things he wanted to do in his life, how much he wanted to see, how much he wanted to learn. He could sense these things slipping away as his life went deeper and deeper into government work. A life of international intrigue was definitely exciting, but he began to realize that the life he could have outside of it was worth living. Sean had forged few lasting relationships throughout the years. While living a typical suburban life wasn’t ideal, it certainly had some benefits: friends, stability, not getting shot at. The perks were good, though. His motorcycle collection would easily be the envy of several museums. And he had a few nice cars too.
Sean thought about the day he’d quit the agency. When he approached Emily about retiring, she’d scoffed. “This is who you are, Wyatt. You’re a machine. You’re the best Axis has.”
“You’re the best agent Axis has, Em,” he’d replied.
The comment had made her blush.
“I appreciate that, but you know it isn’t true,” she paused. “We need you. The government needs you. Your country needs you, Sean.”
“I’ve heard that speech before, Em. I’ve done my time. And that time has done me. I can’t sleep at night. I’m tired every day. I’m slipping. I know it. If I keep going at this rate, I won’t last long.”
She knew he was right. She had seen it in his eyes.
“What will you do?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet. Something else.”
“Here we are,” Mauricio announced as he opened his passenger door. “Iglesia de Carlos Crespi.”
The small caravan of vehicles had come to a stop just outside an enormous church. The hulking stone structure was breathtaking. Lights had been positioned pointing upward to accentuate rounded columns at various points of the church. Great wooden doorways presented three entrances into the building near where they had parked. The group got out and stared at the building. Standing on the side street, they could see the glorious domes at the other end of the cathedral.
Adriana touched Sean’s shoulder. “I’ll be back in an hour,” she said quietly. He just smiled and nodded. She took off at a jog and disappeared around the corner of the street.
“Where’s she going?” Tommy asked.
“I don’t know, but she can take care of herself.”
Mauricio never saw her run off. He got out of his car, stepped close to the three remaining visitors, and gave an odd tip of the head to his two drivers. They immediately got in their cars and drove away. “There is something you should know,” he said quietly, just above a whisper. “This is not the church you came to see.”
Chapter 51
Washington, DC
Emily turned around with a glass of scotch. Jennings was standing in the doorway of her kitchen pulling something out of his jacket pocket. For a second, she wasn’t sure what he was doing.
“Please excuse me,” he said as he withdrew a handkerchief from the folds of his coat. “Coming in out of the cold and all the stress has made me sweat a bit.” He dabbed at his forehead as she brought the drink over to where he was standing. “Thank you,” he said.
“If you aren’t going to call the police, you need to lie low for a bit.” She spoke suddenly and walked by him back into the living room. “I have an extra room upstairs you can sleep in tonight and for the next few nights if you need to.”
“Emily,” he cut her off, “I can’t impose like that. I don’t want to put you in any kind of danger.”
“I’ll be fine,” she responded quickly. We have no social or personal connections, so there is no reason for anyone to think you came here.”
He followed her back into the living room and sat down with a sigh. “You’re sure I’m not imposing?”
She shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll get the guest bed ready for you. Tomorrow we can figure out what is going on.”
He nodded and took a drink. It seemed like he was beginning to settle down.
Emily headed up the stairs, satisfied that her guest was going to be OK for a while. In the back of her mind, though, something didn’t quite add up.
Chapter 52
Cuenca
“We are in position and have the targets in sight.”
Agents Weaver and Collack heard the transmission as they sped down the bumpy road leading into Cuenca. “Good,” Collack answered. “Let them find whatever it is they’re looking for. Then take them out. But leave Schultz alive. The rest are expendable. We are en route. ETA is ten minutes.”
“Roger that,” the voice responded.
Sean’s face filled with confusion. Mauricio shook his head slowly and pulled a black gun from within his black blazer. His two other men who had stayed behind with the group did the same, keeping their weapons trained on Wyatt and his companions.
“What is this, Maury?” Tommy asked. “Playing for the other side now?” Schultz’s face washed over with disappointment and betrayal.
“Not the other side, my friend. The treasure of Carlos Crespi is only the tip of the iceberg. There is more to be found once his lost relics are discovered. And you are going to show me the way.”
“Where is the woman?” Delgado finally realized she wasn�
��t with them anymore.
“She’s gone,” Wyatt answered. “Ran off to see a friend or something. She wouldn’t tell me where. You don’t need her anyway. She isn’t important.”
Mauricio considered the statement for a moment then said, “I’ll have one of my drivers track her down once we’re inside the building.”
“I guess I was wrong about you,” Sean said.
“Quizás, amigo. Perhaps.”
“Sir?” The voice came over the radio again in Weaver’s and Collack’s earpieces.
“Go ahead,” he responded.
“We have a situation here.” The voice didn’t wait for the question. “The men with Wyatt and Shultz are holding them at gunpoint now.”
This was an unexpected development. Angela and James both looked at each other somewhat bewildered. “Can you hear what they’re saying?” she asked after a few seconds.
“Not really. Something about a treasure.”
“Delgado must be making a play. Stay close, but don’t make a move. We will be on site in six minutes.”
“Roger that.”
The two looked at each other again as they sped along the old road into the city. “This changes things a bit,” James said flatly.
“Not really. They were all hostiles anyway. Let’s sit back and see what they do next. My guess is Delgado wants the same thing we do. We let them force Wyatt and Schultz to get it for them; then we take it.”
Will stared hard at the man nearest him but said nothing.
Mauricio noticed the unspoken interaction. “Don’t try anything, policeman. He will cut you down if he has to.” Then he motioned toward the entrance of the cathedral. “Now, quickly. Everyone inside. If you try anything, I will shoot you.”
Sean shook his head but still said nothing as the three men moved slowly toward the huge stone structure. Once inside its wooden doors, the familiar musty smell old churches always seemed to have filled their nostrils. The vast expanse opened up into a high arched ceiling. Longer than it appeared from the outside, the building stretched at least two hundred feet to the other end, where it opened up into a wider worship area.
The group moved a little farther into the foyer, and the giant wooden door closed behind them. Once it had shut, Mauricio’s demeanor changed completely. Suddenly, he and his assistants lowered their weapons. The two men accompanying him kept their weapons in hand and moved quickly down the center of the church toward the presbytery. “Sorry for that little ruse, my friend,” he began as he holstered his weapon. “But we are being watched.”
“What is going on?” Tommy exclaimed. “Watched? By who?”
“We must move quickly. Hurry, follow them,” was all he would offer.
Sean and Tommy were completely lost. Will simply did as he was told and hustled behind the two armed men.
“I’ll explain everything soon,” Mauricio said as he turned and started jogging down the aisle.
Sean hesitated. “What about Adriana?”
Delgado stopped, “We must hurry. We will find her later.”
Unsure, Sean glanced at his friend as if looking for an answer he knew wasn’t there. It seemed they didn’t have a choice at the moment.
Shame they were in such a hurry, Tommy thought as he ran past stone columns that supported dramatic domed arches and side porticos. Up ahead, the presbytery was ornately highlighted with a crown-like altar, topped by a crucifix and centered underneath another cross. The ornate construction was held up by four spiraled columns of white stone.
The group reached the end of the aisle and veered left toward a side door. Just through it, a narrow corridor extended in both directions. They turned right and headed through the dark hallway, moving toward the back of the church.
Hunter Carlson observed the scene from a bar on the other side of the plaza. He casually sipped a golden beer and, to everyone else, appeared to be just another tourist.
His eyes, though, were trained on the hit squad he’d been watching for the last half hour. He’d noticed them when they arrived, dressed in utility service clothing and maintenance uniforms. It was a good enough disguise. They’d set up cones and taped off an area as if they were working on something in one of the sewage drains.
But to him, the two vans stuck out like sore thumb. It would surprise him if they had gone unnoticed by Wyatt and his group. Still, he decided to sit back and see how things played out. The winner in a Mexican standoff was always the guy who showed up last. Let everyone else shoot each other then scoop up the loot.
Across from where the hired guns were positioned, a black sedan with its headlights off pulled into a parking space on a side street. A new player had just entered the game.
James and Angela were careful to make sure they didn’t attract a lot of attention and cut off the lights to their car before stopping in an alley near the square. They immediately recognized their team positioned directly across from the cathedral. Quietly, they slipped out of the car, and James touched his earpiece. “We’re here. What’s the situation?” he asked in a whisper.
“They just went into the church. What would you like us to do?” the voice responded.
“Hold here. We will set up just outside the entrance. When they come out, we grab them. No shots fired here in the open. We don’t want the locals getting involved. Keep it quiet and quick. We can take them outside the city and finish them there.”
“Roger that.”
Toward the end of the hall, Mauricio’s men had stopped and were holding open an interior wall door.
Sean and the rest stopped and looked through the opening. Inside were candelabras, robes, sashes, an old desk, a bookshelf with a sparse collection of books, and a few goblets that looked like something out of the Middle Ages.
“A storage room?” Will asked. “Why don’t we just go out the back?”
“Just trust me,” Mauricio answered.
Will shrugged and looked at Sean, who extended an arm as if to say, You first.
Mauricio’s assistant held the door until everyone was inside. Once the door was closed, Delgado’s other man stepped over to an old iron wall sconce and pulled it down slowly. The ancient lever creaked as it moved. Clearly, it hadn’t been used frequently. Just like something out of a movie, the bookshelf started sliding out away from the wall. Old-looking lightbulbs flickered on in a stone spiral staircase on the other side.
“Seriously?” Sean asked in a sarcastic tone. “A secret tunnel?”
“The priests had it installed long ago because they were afraid of looting during a period of unrest with the government. It leads under the city streets to a place where my drivers are waiting to pick us up.” The robust Latino man smiled with pride. Tommy patted him on the shoulder in approval and headed down the spiral stone staircase. The rest followed into the dimly lit corridor.
The staircase ended in an arched stone hallway dotted every twenty feet with small lights hung on candle sconces. “So what’s going on?” Sean asked as they strode quickly down the stairs into the bowels of the city.
“My connections go deep, my friend,” he looked back and smiled as he walked along, panting slightly from the activity. “After you told me what happened, I suspected that whoever was after you in the States would follow you here. Since they want what you want but don’t have a clue where to find it or perhaps even what they were looking for, we let them have a little false information to buy us some time.”
“You told them we were coming here?” Tommy looked befuddled.
“In a manner of speaking,” Delgado continued. “This is not the church of Carlos Crespi. This is Iglesia de San Blas. It is much older and fit the part of our little act perfectly. It looks like an ancient building where secrets would be kept. I doubt the men who are after you have researched it at all.”
“Nice work, amigo,” Sean said with a grin as they rounded a curve. Up ahead, faint lights could be seen through a metal grate at the end of the passageway. Fresh air began to mingle with the musty air of the
tunnel.
“So,” Tommy interrupted, “they think we are inside that church trying to find clues to Crespi’s vault, but that isn’t Crespi’s church. Now where are we going?”
“The Church of Maria Auxiliadora.”
Hunter Carlson was growing restless. The group had been in the church for around thirty minutes. What was taking them so long? The team of assets watching the church seemed content to wait. He knew they had all the exits covered since he’d observed them setting up a perimeter around the building. Still, he’d had enough waiting. Pulling a hat down low over his head and bunching up his green canvas jacket so that the collar covered part of his face, he set off across the plaza’s cobblestone streets toward the entrance of the building.
“Sir?” The voice came through the earpiece again.
“We see him,” James Collack answered before his team leader could finish asking the question.”
Angela looked over at him, puzzled. “Who is it?” she asked.
They’d been sitting behind a dumpster, out of clear line of site for almost an hour. The stranger walking from the bar to the front of the church was the first movement they’d seen in a while save for the occasional cab that would pull up and take away another of the bar’s patrons.
“Sit tight,” James ordered the team leader.
They watched as the man strolled casually to the large doorway and disappeared inside.
“Must need a late night confession,” Angela joked.
Still, James wasn’t so sure. What was taking Wyatt’s group so long? And who were the men that had driven them there and then pulled guns on them?
“We’re giving it fifteen more minutes, and then we’re going in,” he said finally.
Angela nodded, though in her mind she was becoming more and more tired of her partner’s weakness.
Hunter lowered his jacket slightly once he was inside the building. Iglesia de San Blas was one of the religious crowned jewels of Ecuador, and beholding it in person was extremely impressive even for someone with no historical background. It wasn’t as dramatic or elegant as some of the European cathedrals he’d seen in his travels, but for South America it was definitely spectacular. The musty smell of old stone and religion filled his nostrils, like so many of the old churches he’d visited in the past. Something, though, was missing. The group of men who’d come in previously was nowhere to be found.
Sean Wyatt Compilation Box Set Page 49