“Not necessarily in this way,” Crouch said. “The Aztec treasure has always been considered mere legend, even a joke much like fool’s gold. Sought by crazy men and idiots. If any of these men took the time to visit the Nahua they’d have been laughed out of there.”
“And we won’t?”
“I’m guessing not,” Crouch said as Rivera led them past a high gray stone façade and under a shiny black entrance sign. Entering the lobby a row of exhibitions lined one wall, enabling a stream of colorfully clad visitors to file past. Backpacks were strapped to almost every back and constant chatter reverberated around the high walls. A large glass case showed how the site would have looked in the Aztec era.
Rivera paused before the case, staring reflectively. “Firstly, to help prove your case and your sincerity, I will appoint to you a guide the Nahua trust. I know several- this kind of introduction is invaluable. Second, you need to prove to them how serious you are — as you say most of the previous hunters have been nothing more than loons. Also, rather importantly, you have to convince them that the treasure, if found, will become an obligation of the World Heritage Committee, ensuring them it will belong to a particular historical institution and not be dispersed or sold for profit. Believe me, the descendants of the Aztecs want their treasure returned more than anything in the world. If they deem you’re worthy and if they can help, they will.”
Alicia listened as she studied the impressive model. “The Aztecs had all this and still they fell.”
Rivera nodded. “Staggering isn’t it? This museum, as I said, stands beside and over the old site. You can visit the catacombs below and walk straight to Montezuma’s temple and his meditation chamber and office if you like. Remember that Cortés only tore the temple down in anger when no further treasure was found. He knew the Aztecs had misled him then and reacted accordingly. Who knows, perhaps Montezuma’s chamber holds a clue.”
Alicia listened intently right up until the end. Her eyes, still staring through the glass, fixed onto the reflections of the large dark figures moving purposefully toward them from behind.
Museum visitors stumbled out of the way. Guards sprang into action.
Alicia whirled.
“Hello boys. About time our team got to kick some ass.”
FIVE
Mayhem and chaos ruled inside the museum.
When the first punch was thrown, screams and surprised shouts ignited panic across the lobby. When the first antagonist smashed head-first into a display case, people began to run. When Alicia moved onto her second opponent, lifting him off the ground and throwing him bodily against a wall, the entire space exploded into chaos.
Alicia raised her head, seeing Russo cut in before her to get a load of the action, taking the next man. She took a moment to her assess her new colleague; saw him deliver a one-two-cross with a good mix of power and dexterity and decided she wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of those bad boys. She moved around the grunting mountain, only to find Healey already facing up to the next adversary. This was good; Crouch had trained his men well as a team, something she should have taken for granted. Crouch himself was standing apart, also assessing the team with Lex at his side as bodyguard.
And me, she thought. Crouch is assessing me too.
She skipped around Healey. With three men down their unknown attackers still had five men remaining. Alicia front-kicked the knee of the leading man. He went down, crying out and holding his leg. Alicia paused for a moment.
“What is this? The local hockey team?”
Russo only grunted, hit by two at once. Healey traded punches with another. Crouch, behind her, said, “Good question. I wasn’t aware anyone knew we were here.”
Alicia stepped around the fallen, mindful of their speedy recovery times. At least these guys had had some training. The first head raised met a bootful of muddy, rubber sole — a nice new tattoo for his face.
“We should go.” Crouch was keeping an eye out for security. “The last thing we need here is some kind of major incident.”
Alicia heard him say a quick farewell and offer an apology to Rivera, although by his tone it was clear he didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. Quickly then, Alicia pressed forward, clearing the path. Healey and Russo squeezed in behind her with Crouch taking the rear. They raced for the exit, pushing through the throng. Crouch, looking back, shouted a warning.
“They’re not giving up.”
The crowd spilled out onto the concrete path outside the museum, still running, still raucous. Alicia and her team ran with them. When they reached the roadside more paths opened up and the mass started to dissipate. A horde swarmed across the road, stopping traffic and causing even more noise and chaos. Alicia turned back.
“I don’t see why we’re still running.”
Their adversaries, eight-strong, plowed into them, bloody and bruised but eager for more. Crouch stepped back again, searching around. He was looking for a reason, a motive, a face he might recognize. So far, nothing presented itself.
Alicia wanted to end this fast. A throat punch and a kick to the groin took two permanently out of the fight. Twisting off the back of that she stiff-armed a third in the face, breaking his nose. Blood spurted. The piglike squeal was muted as he hit the ground hard on his back, all the breath smashed out of him. Russo lifted a man, slamming him down onto the front of a parked car. The next attacker he grabbed around the waist and flung into the road. Healey sought to be more clinical, trading swift punches and strikes before neutralizing his target with a blow to a nerve cluster. Laid Back Lex, though slow to start, soon warmed up to his task and began smashing heads together.
Crouch moved away as sirens sounded down the street. “Finish it,” he told them. “Time to go.”
But their attackers, though lacking skills, were certainly tenacious. No sooner did one go down, groaning, than another got back up. Alicia felled yet another, certain that it was the third time she’d put him down.
“No guns,” she said again, reminding the boss. “Takes more time this way.”
Russo glanced over at her. “They are unarmed,” he said. “It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Fair?” she repeated, taking an ineffective punch as she turned to stare. “Who said it should be bloody fair?”
“Get in the damn car!” Crouch shouted as they backed up to where the limo was still parked. “Let’s get out of here.”
Crouch held the door open as Healey slid in. Russo was there next, gesturing that Crouch should go first. The boss just grimaced and shoved the big man ahead, then signaled Alicia. “Hurry!”
The sirens were almost on top of them.
The engine roared. Alicia slipped past Crouch and jumped inside, ending up on Russo’s lap which caused the big man to let out an animal-like squeal. Crouch dealt easily with Alicia’s two pursuers, tripping and pushing them into a tangle as he took one last look around.
And saw a face…
“There,” he muttered. “Son of a bloody bitch.”
Crouch slid into his seat. Alicia untangled herself from Russo, slamming the man’s left bicep as she went for good measure. Didn’t hurt to let the new guy know you could injure him when you chose to.
The limo raced away from the curb, swerving into traffic amidst a noisy flurry of honking horns. One of their adversaries rather ambitiously threw himself onto the car, didn’t get a grip on the windshield, and went bouncing across the remainder of the carriageway, narrowly missing a braking bus. Crouch shook his head at the display of idiocy.