Payne moved the ice bucket out of his way. ‘Don’t worry. You’re not my type.’
Jones considered the comment. ‘You’re such a racist.’
‘Yeah. That’s it. You figured me out.’
Unwilling to leave Mexico until Ulster had dealt with the politics of their discovery, Payne and Jones decided to fly to Acapulco for a few days of golf and swimming before returning to the snow and ice of Pennsylvania. After the confusion of Cancún, the violence of Chichén Itzá and the excitement of Cholula, they felt they had earned an actual vacation.
One without gunfire. Or explosions. Or carnage of any kind.
The only thing they wanted to shoot was under par.
As for the treasure itself, the inventory process had yet to begin because of a major disagreement that was brewing between the Catholic Church and Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Since the treasure was reached through Our Lady of Remedies, the Church felt the gold and artefacts belonged to them. Meanwhile, the INAH claimed the Mexican government should control the hoard since the vaults were dug into the top of the pyramid. Ultimately, the two groups would come to an agreement, one in which both sides would prosper, but it would take a few more days.
In the meantime, Ulster, Maria and Hamilton patiently waited for an opportunity to examine the treasure. On the night of the discovery, they were rushed for time, which prevented them from grasping the scope of the collection. They realized it was a major historical find — one that promised to address many of the unanswered questions about the Aztec and Mayan civilizations — but they wouldn’t be able to gauge its true significance until they were allowed to study the codices in a proper setting. Before Sunday, there were only three known Mayan codices in the world. Now there were more than 300.
Scholars would be busy for years to come.
For the time being, Payne was more concerned with his best friend than he was about the treasure. He eyed the couples at the other tables. It really was a romantic setting. ‘I hate to point out the obvious, but shouldn’t you be here with Maria?’
Jones shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe.’
‘Maybe?’
‘I thought I had everything figured out until she kissed me. Now I’m confused again. Honestly, I have no idea what she’s thinking — or what I’m thinking.’
‘I saw the kiss. It wasn’t a peck on the cheek.’
He shook his head. ‘No, it wasn’t.’
‘I’m guessing it meant something.’
‘Possibly,’ he admitted. ‘But even if it did, nothing has really changed since the breakup. The attraction has always been there. It’s just, you know, the other stuff that got in the way.’
‘Actually, I don’t know. What other stuff are you talking about?’
Jones groaned at the question. Although Payne had been asking him for years, Jones had never revealed the reason he had broken up with Maria. He figured she was out of his life, so he saw no reason to upset his best friend over the details. However, now that Maria was back in their lives, regardless of how temporary or permanent her presence might be, he felt he owed Payne the truth.
Jones cleared his throat. ‘I know you aren’t going to like this, but here’s the truth. Ultimately I broke up with Maria because of you.’
Payne laughed at the comment. He thought it was a joke. ‘Because of me? Well, I guess that explains the romantic dinner. How long have you felt this way?’
Jones shook his head. ‘Jon, I’m trying to be serious. Maria and I were clicking as a long-distance couple until I asked her to visit me in Pittsburgh. She hemmed and hawed for a couple of weeks until I got sick of the runaround. Eventually, I confronted her about it on the phone. She told me that she didn’t want to visit because she didn’t want to deal with you.’
‘She didn’t want to deal with me? What the hell did I do?’
‘Come on, Jon.’
‘Seriously, what?’
Jones grimaced. ‘You killed her brother.’
Payne raised his voice. ‘A brother who was trying to kill her. I saved her life.’
‘I know you did, and I tried to tell her that. Unfortunately, she was still coping with her father’s murder, Dr Boyd’s desertion and a bunch of other issues. I think you got lumped into that mess. Plus, if you remember correctly, you introduced yourself by shoving your gun in her mouth and threatening to blow her head off. That probably didn’t help.’
Payne took a deep breath. ‘Probably not.’
‘Anyway,’ Jones continued, ‘I told her that you were my best friend and a major part of my life. I let her know that I wanted to continue my relationship with her, but only if she was willing to work things out with you.’
‘Let me guess: that didn’t go down too well.’
‘Not well at all.’
‘And now?’
Jones shrugged. ‘Like I said, I have no idea what the woman is thinking. You know as well as anyone that negative emotions are hard to shake. If that initial encounter scared her, or she still harbours animosity towards you over her brother’s death, it would certainly explain her belligerence.’
‘She is feisty,’ Payne interjected.
‘I can’t help but think that her willingness to face you means she’s still interested in me. It’s taken years, but at least she’s willing to deal with you. Hell, it’s more than that. She trusted you enough to call you when she was in trouble.’ Jones ran his fingers across his scalp. ‘I don’t know, maybe enough time has passed to heal old wounds.’
‘Listen,’ Payne said, ‘if you care about Maria, you owe it to yourself to give it another chance. Don’t let me stand in the way. I want you two to break up over your issues — like your immaturity or bad breath — not because of me. I don’t need that on my conscience.’
Jones laughed. ‘Thanks for your confidence.’
Payne encouraged him. ‘Seriously. This is the perfect day to express your feelings. What have you got to lose?’ With that, Payne nodded towards the entrance of the restaurant. Jones turned and saw Maria talking to the hostess, who pointed to Payne and Jones’s table. Maria stared at Jones from across the room and smiled warmly.
‘Jon, what the hell did you—’
When Jones turned back towards Payne’s seat, it was empty. His friend had conveniently vanished, as if by magic. Folded neatly on the table was a note that read:
‘There’s still hope for the two of you. Dinner’s on me.’
Acknowledgements
As always, I’d like to start with my family. Without their love and support, I wouldn’t be the person or the writer that I am today. Thanks for putting up with me.
Next, I want to thank my friend and agent, Scott Miller. Before we teamed up, I was a self-published author. Now my books are available around the world. I also want to thank Claire Roberts — my foreign agent, who landed my British deal and many others. It’s quite comforting to have Scott, Claire and the rest of Trident Media in my corner.
Over the past five years, I’ve had a chance to work with Alex Clarke, my editor, on six Payne & Jones thrillers. During that time, I went from an unknown American to a Sunday Times bestselling author. I’d like to thank him for all that he’s done. While I’m at it, I also want to thank Nick Lowndes and everyone else at Penguin UK.
Next up is my good friend Ian Harper. I want to thank him for reading, rereading, and then re-rereading everything I write and for all the suggestions that he makes. His advice and expertise is invaluable. If anyone’s looking for a freelance editor, please let me know. I’d be happy to put you in touch with him.
Finally, I’d like to thank all the readers, librarians, booksellers and critics who have read my thrillers and have recommended them to others. At this stage of my career, I still need all the help I can get, so I would appreciate your continued support.