“You’ve probably already noticed that two of my friends are inside that cave. By now I’m guessing that they’ve got your precious Daniel too. So, it’s in our best interest to work together to get them out of there. Here’s the deal. You help me rescue them, and I’ll give you the artifact.”
He could feel his eyes widen with surprise.
She must have noticed his reaction. “That’s right. You heard me. We got here first and found it. My friends sent me away to find a hiding place just before they got jumped. They don’t even know where I hid it which makes me, for the time being, your new BFF. Like I said, I’ll give you the relic, no strings attached, after you help me rescue them. Do we have a deal? Blink once. I’ll take that as a yes.”
Leroy was beginning to regain some command of his muscles. He concentrated fiercely and blinked.
The girl nodded. “Good.” She dragged him over to the side of the trail and propped him up like a ragdoll. It was humiliating.
Then she crouched down next to him and said, “It’ll take a few more minutes for you to recover. I’ll hold onto this for insurance.” She patted his gun which was still wedged into her jeans. “Just listen. Here’s the plan.”
***
Leroy slid cautiously back inside the cave. He had to admit that the little gal had a good head on her shoulders. Too good. She still had his gun, and she was using him as bait. He lumbered down the passage making no attempt to be stealthy. A bull moose might have been quieter. He stopped at the bend just outside the circle of lantern light. Nobody was talking.
In a loud voice, he said, “Now what in blazes is goin’ on here?” As he expected, the monkey chatter boiled up right away. Somebody started yelling commands. Leroy could hear one set of footsteps light out in his direction. He took to his heels. The pair of footsteps behind him must have heard him. Its owner shouted something which probably meant “Stop, or I’ll shoot.”
Hunt didn’t stop. He kept on running—all the way to the blind curve just before the entrance to the cave. He dove into the shadows. The gunman pulled up short before going outside. He hesitated just long enough for Leroy to reach out and get a headlock on him. Little Miss Cassie did the rest. She stunned the fool into next Friday.
The two of them dragged him off to the side, behind the curve in the wall.
“We can tie him up once we free the others,” Miss Cassie said. “I gave him a long enough jolt that he should be out for at least half an hour.”
The girl grabbed the AK-47 which Leroy had been thoughtless enough to prop against the wall. She slung it over her shoulder.
“Now that’s gratitude,” Leroy complained in a hurt whisper. “I help you take that feller down, and you leave me defenseless?”
In the darkness, he could hear her give a bitter chuckle. “You, defenseless? That’s a good one.”
“Honey, you’re only gonna end up hurtin’ yerself. I bet you dollars to donuts you don’t even know how to shoot that thing.”
“Do you really want to put your theory to the test?” she hissed back, pointing the assault rifle at his chest.
Leroy raised his hands and sighed in resignation. “Not at this particular moment, no.”
She nodded and lowered the weapon.
“Now what?” he asked.
“Now we wait.”
Once again, the little gal’s plan was right on the money. It only took another five minutes before the rest of the Ali Babas got nervous. Sure enough, they sent out another one of their crew to investigate. A second pair of feet could be heard approaching. Their owner was moving stealthier. He wasn’t coming at a gallop. Hunt and Miss Cassie crouched down behind the blind curve.
The second gunman walked right past them. He had a flashlight, but it was pointed straight at the entrance where he must have figured his buddy had gone out. He was just about to climb out himself when the two of them jumped him. The tussle ended the same way as the first. They parked his body right next to his amigo.
This time, Hunt grabbed the second AK-47. “Now that’s better,” he said. “I felt nekked without a shootin’ piece.”
“We wouldn’t want that,” the girl murmured under her breath. “The nekked part, I mean.”
“Gal, I’m takin’ a shine to you,” Hunt said approvingly. “You got spunk. If we was on the same side, I’d have half a mind to take you out on the town and show you a good time.”
Miss Cassie whispered, “We wouldn’t want that either!” She peeked around the curve to make sure nobody else was coming their way. “Coast is clear. Let’s go.”
They moved on tip-toe back down the familiar passage to where the lanterns still glowed. Hunt could detect a nervous undercurrent to the silence. The towel-heads probably figured something had gone wrong. They’d figured right.
The girl tugged at his sleeve. That was the signal.
The two of them rushed into the lantern light, each one pointing an AK-47 at the hostiles.
“Reach for the sky!” Leroy shouted. Apparently, that was a command that could be understood in any language. Two pairs of brown-skinned hands shot up in the air.
Miss Cassie bent down and started untying her friends. “Relax guys. The cavalry has arrived!”
Chapter 45—Underhanded
“Are you both alright?” Cassie asked worriedly, undoing the knots that bound her teammates’ hands.
“Tip top,” Griffin said with relief.
She stared at Erik’s face with concern. “What about you?”
He grimaced, wiping the blood off his swollen lip. “Fine. Just a cultural misunderstanding.” He paused then added, “Am I ever glad to see you.”
They smiled at each other, neither speaking for a moment.
Griffin cleared his throat. “A-hem. Excuse me, but we have a situation here that requires all our attention.”
His teammates hastily stood up.
All three
