Daniel hastily put the artifact on the ground and rushed forward to block his exit. “Didn’t you hear me promise them twenty minutes’ head start?”
“I don’t recollect hearin’ no such thing. Feller stole my pistol, and I mean to get it back.” Hunt was on the point of shoving Daniel aside when a noise made him freeze in his tracks.
Voices were approaching rapidly. It sounded like a heated conversation in Chinese between two people.
The men exchanged baffled looks.
“Must be tourists,” Hunt speculated.
Before they could decide what to do, a young couple entered the cave arguing vehemently. They paused, silhouetted in the doorway. The male pointed at what appeared to be a map. The female shook her head and uttered a string of protests.
They both ended their conversation abruptly when they noticed the Westerners.
“Harro.” The young woman smiled cheerfully. Her accent was very thick.
The young man bobbed his head and murmured, “Ni hao.”
Daniel assumed this must be a greeting in Chinese. “Hello,” he responded awkwardly.
“Howdy,” Hunt said, tipping his hat.
The newcomers were instantly attracted to the cowboy’s Stetson. They flanked him, pointing and smiling at his head, all the while chattering rapidly in their native language.
Hunt seemed pleased by the stir he was creating. He smiled down at them benevolently.
“Prease?” The young woman peered up at him beseechingly. “You show us.” She said several more words to her companion in Chinese, and he unfolded the map he was carrying.
Thrusting it in front of Hunt’s face, he asked, “Where we?”
The cowboy squinted at it, trying to get his bearings. “OK, my little yella buddy. Let’s see what you got here.” He took the map with both hands, scrutinizing it intently.
In a motion so quick that Daniel could barely register what had happened, the young woman jammed a small object against Hunt’s leg. He convulsed and immediately collapsed in a heap on the ground.
The scion gaped in shock. The young man whipped a gun out of his jacket. In an accent even thicker than the woman’s, he said, “Money! You give!”
Daniel had no difficulty translating that these were bandits who preyed on tourists. This isolated cave was the perfect location for a hold-up. He took out his wallet and handed it over.
The young man rifled through the contents, taking only the cash and leaving the credit cards. Daniel hoped the bandit wouldn’t look deeper into the cave and notice the gold statue lying on the ground a few feet behind him. He moved slightly to block the bandit’s view. He needn’t have worried. The man was intent on counting the cash.
Meanwhile, the female bandit was rooting through Hunt’s wallet. The cowboy had been reduced to an inert lump on the floor of the cave. He twitched periodically. She too removed only the cash, taking nothing else. Then she stood up and said something to her companion in Chinese.
The two of them advanced toward Daniel. He warily stepped back a few paces.
The woman lunged in close to his face and spoke in a tense whisper. “You go to porice?” She made a slashing motion across her throat and gave a wicked grin. “You dead men!”
Still pointing his gun at Daniel, the male bandit backed toward the entrance. The female ducked behind him.
The scion could hear their triumphant laughter as they ran down the stairway, presumably to some secret lair on the mountainside. Daniel dropped to the ground in a stupor, almost afraid to breathe while he waited for Hunt to recover.
***
Half an hour later, the cowboy stirred to life. He sat up, rubbing his head. “What the hell happened?”
Daniel regarded him gloomily. “We were robbed. They took all our cash.”
Hunt cursed loudly. “Goddam it! If’n I get bug-zapped by one more tiny female, I’m swearin’ off women for life!” He crawled on all fours to retrieve his hat then, swaying slightly, he stood upright. “When I catch up with them bandits,” he snarled ominously.
“They threatened to kill us if we notify the police or try to pursue them.”
“That don’t scare me none.” Hunt dusted off his jacket with offended dignity.
“We have no time for vengeance, Mr. Hunt. Our mission has been accomplished.”
The cowboy seemed perplexed. “You mean they didn’t grab the doodad?”
“I don’t think they saw it.” Daniel rose and retrieved the artifact.
Hunt walked over to study their latest find. “Well, ain’t that somethin.’” His tone bordered on reverence. “You think it might fetch a good price?”
“My father has no interest in selling it,” Daniel replied inexpressively. “Still, it would be worth a king’s ransom if he did.”
“I’ll surely bear that in mind.”
Daniel peeped anxiously at the cave entrance. “Given the value of the artifact we’re carrying, I don’t believe it’s safe for us to linger here. This region is obviously infested with scoundrels.”
Surprisingly, Hunt didn’t contradict him. “We best saddle up and hit the dusty trail before sundown. We need to get this little dingus locked up someplace safe.”
The scion treated him to a puzzled look. “So, you’ve lost interest in pursuing the bandits?”
Hunt shrugged. “All they got is chump change. We’re walkin’ away with the jackpot.”
“True enough.”
The two men exited the cave and made for the chair lift station.
“We still have a few hours of daylight left,” Daniel remarked distractedly while scanning the path ahead for lurking assailants.
“I bet Yu can get us back to the big city in two shakes.”
“No, I can’t. I wouldn’t try driving these treacherous mountain roads during the day much less after dark,” the scion objected.
Hunt groaned. “This day ain’t never gonna end!”
Chapter 36—Scene Stealers
Cassie and Griffin stared worriedly across the table at one another in Cassie’s hotel room.
“I hope they’re alright,” the pythia remarked. “It’s been hours.”
A quiet tap on the door made them both jump.
Griffin rose to answer.
Rou and Rinchen entered the room exuberantly.
“All is well!” the girl announced.
Cassie stood up and let out a deep sigh. “Don’t scare us like that. We’ve been biting our nails about you ever since we left the
