Then Cruz cried out and the whole team looked up.
It wasn’t through fear, it wasn’t pain or doubt; it was through that which he finally beheld — the wonder of all wonders.
There, fixed to the black rock at the rear of the chamber, hung the greatest treasure imaginable — the Wheel of Gold — and it was indeed a wonder, shaped like and as bright as the sun. The god for which it had been formed sat at its center, the circle around him made up of glyphs with square, triangular and circular shapes creating the outside, eight of them, which was how the cartwheel had earned the nickname — pieces of eight.
Intricately carved, gloriously finished, the Wheel of Gold was a wonder itself, but as a part of this vast treasure — mindboggling.
Caitlyn made her way to the back of the chamber, staring up as if in worship. All around her the Aztec treasures sat in state as they had for half a century; lost, lying spellbound in the darkness, a richness of wasted energy and effort, taken by chance, time and vicious circumstance.
“I don’t mind saying I doubted you, Michael,” Alicia said. “But after this… ” she shook her head.
“First time out.” Crouch couldn’t tear his eyes away from the Wheel. “We all had a few doubts. But now… ”
Healey and Caitlyn stood together, as close as possible without touching. Alicia blinked in wonder as the treasures that surrounded them seemed to catch fire, gold reflecting light.
“They should reproduce this cave for the eventual display,” she said. “It would make a great spectacle.”
Crouch shrugged himself into life. “Yes, yes, and we should get moving. Coker can’t be far behind us. He dug around for the satphone.
“How’s the signal?” Cruz asked him.
“Non-existent. God knows how far under the rock we are.” Their boss looked like he might never want to leave this place.
“Well, if we ever want to see sunlight again,” Russo rumbled, “the way is up.”
Lex, the only one of the team who had remained quiet during the staggering discovery, backed toward the cave entrance. “Yeah, and I guess even I can lead us out since there’s only one path.”
Alicia, engrossed in the surrounding riches until now, suddenly fixed the biker with a calculating stare. A small revelation hit her — that ever since they’d arrived in London she hadn’t had much time for Laid Back Lex. Small wonder, since she’d been put in charge of a new team and had been trying to prove she was worthy. Earning the respect of soldiers was one of the hardest things in the world. Alicia had moved everything else in her life to the backburner in order to lead. Not to fit in, she could never do that, but to become accepted as a team leader. Factor Lex and his moods into that and you eventually fashioned a ticking time bomb. On a good day Lex was self-destructive, stand-offish and aggressive. Alicia originally took the man under her wing after dozens of his friends were killed in action, determined at some level to save him from the terrible downswing she knew his exploits would begin to take. At least by her side, she could control his behavior.
Time to re-evaluate.
Instantly forgetting the treasure she moved to his side. “Let’s go.”
Lex eyed her. “What’s your deal?”
“No deal. I said let’s go.”
The biker had to be handled just right. Too much compassion would make him hostile. Too small an insult would make him suspicious. Alicia wondered briefly what the hell she was doing. Caring really wasn’t in her nature.
Something drove her. An instinct that said now was the time to learn how to become a better person; now was the time to shine.
Their entire future would soon change. And not because of Aztec gold.
Thinking of Crouch and his new venture, of Matt Drake and his woman, Mai Kitano, of the world as it was and how it might become, she ushered Lex out of the chamber and made sure the others were following. Russo came last, not through awe but because Caitlyn and Cruz lingered until the last possible second and had to be coerced. Alicia watched Caitlyn stumble into the rock wall as she stared transfixed at the receding horde of riches.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “It’ll still be there when we return.”
TWENTY SEVEN
Daylight hit them like a direct blow to the brain, stomping in on their awareness and making Lex bite into his lips, knowing he couldn’t make a sound. Alicia had already appraised him of the various punishments for giving their position away, none of which were pleasant and only two sounded of interest.
Alicia poked her head out of the hole, eyes squinting. The rock plateau was empty to the west, running all the way to the flatlands with little cover. By inching her body forward she managed to survey the open land that led back toward the stepped escarpment.
“All clear,” she said with more confidence than she felt. As bodies started to crowd around her she snapped. “Wait!”
Scanning the skies for the metal birds of prey was not enough. She had to inspect the area, cast a trained eye over the hard ground and the eroded ridges; test for a dozen other disturbances and study the lands. Despite the relative openness of this place Coker could still have placed a sniper or two out there and man-sized delves and nooks were everywhere, courtesy of the timeless elements.
Even Crouch peered around her. “See anything?”
Alicia sighed. “To do this properly I’d need another fifteen minutes if you’re prepared to wait.”
“Well, not really.”
“Can’t you… call the cavalry?”
“Of course.” Crouch disappeared from view.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just stay in the caves?” Cruz wondered.
Russo fixed him with a stare harder than a Death Valley rodent. “We’re soldiers not fucking rabbits.”
Alicia stepped out, then crouched down, alert to every movement. Russo covered her back, Healey stepped out to the flank. Two minutes of careful reconnoiter inspection yielded nothing.
Crouch returned. “All good. Once they got over their shock and excitement they agreed to send help.”
“I really don’t like this.” Alicia never took her eyes off their surrounds. “Coker should be somewhere around. Unless he’s a total incompetent he surely saw us reach the top of the cliff.”
“Maybe he’s still climbing,” Caitlyn said.
At that moment Alicia’s eyes were temporarily blinded by a sudden silvery flash that came from the distant hills near Paria Canyon. “Damn, he’s got a scout out there.”
Almost instantly, the roar of powerful engines signified the close proximity of the two choppers, though Alicia could still not see them. Her judgment needed to be fast. Return to the caves and become potential rats in a trap, also leading Coker straight to the gold in the process, or make for the rock terraces and flit among them like deadly ghosts.
“Come on!”
She raced out of hiding, Russo waiting for the others to break cover before following. The team ran hard, realizing their lives probably depended on pace right now, and made the edge of the plateau in less than a minute. Alicia pulled up, Lex at her side, as a panther-black helicopter rose up right in front of her, so close that the features of the pilot could clearly be seen through the tinted cockpit glass.
Alicia didn’t miss a beat, veering to the side as the chopper hovered. Like a suddenly unblocked stream the rest of her team followed, Russo and Healey raising weapons in warning to their enemies.
The second chopper reared up, shooting over the top of the cliff and roaring above their heads. To a person the team ducked, but the metal bird passed in an instant, already hovering and lowering slowly toward the plateau they had just vacated.