by Paul Knox
She motioned for Chang to follow her. They made for the side alleys, going the long way to the hotel parking lot. Once they got in Chang’s rental car and out of the rain, Reece took out her phone, about to call Sandy. But it rang in her hand. She recognized the number: Duke’s.
“Duke, are you okay?”
“He’s not feeling well,” came the gruff voice in response.
“Who is this?—where’s Duke?” Reece demanded.
“You can call me the white dragon.”
Reece’s voice turned soft and low. “What have you done?”
“Don’t worry, Reece. You can have your nobody back as soon as you and your father complete a simple task for me—with the boy.”
“Let me talk to Duke. Let me know he’s okay.”
A moment later, Duke’s voice could be heard in the background. “Reece, I’m here. Don’t do anything that gets you hurt, okay? I’ll be—”
“That’s enough!” barked Kai.
Reece heard a thwack and then Duke moaning in pain.
“Stop it!” Reece yelled. “Just tell me what you want!”
Kai spoke again. “There will be more hardships on your nobody if you don’t do exactly what I say. So listen carefully. That boy knows where the gold tablets are. I want you to get them from him, and then all three of you will personally deliver the gold to me.”
“What gold tablets?” Reece bluffed.
“If you lie to me, or do anything that alarms me, little nobody here will begin to lose fingers and toes. In fact, maybe he should be punished right now.”
“No! Wait! I’ll get the gold.”
“You have until sundown tomorrow. Or he loses a finger for every hour longer I have to wait.”
“In a hurricane? Let’s be reasonable, you have to give me some time until the storm passes.”
“I don’t have to keep him alive, either. The choice is yours.”
The line went dead.
* * *
Not long after, Reece and Chang had reconvened with Sandy and Mario. They all sat in Chang’s rental exchanging information from the prior hour’s events. After catching up, Reece turned to face Mario in the backseat.
“I need you to be honest with me. Do you know where the gold tablets are?”
“Not exactly, no, Señora Reece. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t think so. Honestly, I have serious doubts whether they even exist.”
“Oh, they do!” Mario insisted. “They are very real.”
Reece offered a thin smile to him and then addressed the others. “Jaguar Morado is our only lead so far, then?”
“It appears that way,” Sandy said. “We’ll find him, Reece,” he affirmed.
From the passenger seat, Chang gently placed his hand on Reece’s shoulder. Slightly surprised, she turned and faced him. He peered into her eyes, gently squeezing. “I’m here for you.”
“Do you think Kai followed you to the hotel, Chang?” Sandy asked him.
“I don’t see how he could have. As far as I know, he never even saw me—and even if he did, he’s never seen me before and has no reason to suspect my connection to you all.”
Reece shrugged Chang’s hand off her shoulder. The time was coming to reconcile her true feelings for him. And for Duke, too.
Reece gave Sandy a hard look. “I want to talk to Xie.”
Sandy nodded and then dialed the Chinese phone number. He tapped the speakerphone symbol.
Xie answered. “What’s the situation?”
“The situation is that Kai Castro just attacked us in a godforsaken rundown excuse for a hotel miles and miles away from our last known location. I need to know how he found us.”
“How he found you…? I can try phone records… Why does this feel like an interrogation?”
Reece came right out with it. “Did you give him Sandy’s tracking information, Xie? How can we trust you?”
“Didn’t I lead you to Sandy—to save him? How could you not trust me?”
Sandy spoke. “Reece has every right to be suspicious. But let me be transparent—” Sandy looked right at Reece— “with everyone. I trust Xie with my life. But Xie, something is going on.”
“I concur,” Xie responded. “I’ll do what I can. Give me twenty-four hours.”
Reece’s fists clenched. “In the meantime, what do you know about gold tablets from the ancient Mayan city of Atlan?”
There was a pause before Xie finally spoke again. “Kai has searched for them for years. Konstantin and Yunru—and many other treasure hunters, both legally and illegally—are now searching, too.”
“You didn’t want to mention this, previously?”
“The mythology and trafficking victims were two separate matters. But for the Pipil people and for you all, for the United States and the entire world, there is no doubt that we need to shut down these dragons before The Association comes back to rear its ugly head.”
Reece remembered what Konstantin’s associate Alexey had mentioned after seeing Mario’s tattoo.
“What’s the Dresden Codex?” she asked.
“It’s a seventy-four page pre-Columbian document, which many consider the earliest known book written in the Americas. It gives insight into the Mayan calendar, mathematics, astronomy and religious beliefs. The final chapter predicted that the apocalypse will occur on December 21, 2012…which, obviously, didn’t happen.”
“But it mentions the gold tablets?”
“The Dresden Codex is rumored to be a copy of the information on those gold tablets. But no one knows if they even exist.
Mario piped up. “They do!”
“That’s what Kai believes too,” Xie commented. “And if that’s true, your people are sitting on about forty million dollars’ worth of gold, and that’s not even factoring in the priceless historical significance.”
Reece sighed. As fascinating as Mario’s story and the gold tablets might be, this conversation wasn’t going anywhere. Sandy trusted Xie, and even if Xie was a traitor, there wasn’t anything in the immediate future she could do to a man on the other side of the world.
She also wasn’t planning on finding eight tons of fabled gold to just truck over to Kai.
She needed to find Duke and save him.
“Xie, can you find an image of a man by the name of Osmin, who either works at, or hangs out at a place called Jaguar Morado, and text it over?”
“That I can do.”
37
AN HOUR AND A HALF away from Juayúa, the weather in San Salvador was exactly the same, turbulent and wet. There on the outskirts of the city, a small purple establishment called Jaguar Morado nestled between an expanse of forest and some rundown abandoned buildings.
“This place reeks of seedy and shady,” Reece commented, driving by slowly.
“A fitting lair for the white dragon’s associates,” Sandy said.
Reece passed the place before parking down the street, out of sight. She glanced at the picture of Osmin that Xie had sent. Leaving the keys in the ignition, she turned to Chang.
“Keep an eye on Mario. It doesn’t look like the streets are flooding here, but if anything happens, stay by your phone. And if you have to hide, try to find higher ground.”
“If we’re not back in an hour,” Sandy added, “get out of here.”
“Don’t die,” Chang said to Reece, appearing extremely concerned.
“I don’t plan on it.” Reece couldn’t tell if his anxiety was due to her going into Jaguar Morado, or because she was leaving him to fend for himself.
The sun had just begun to set, and the little bit of light that made it through the dark clouds was quickly fading. Reece and Sandy exited the car and jogged alongside the nearby buildings’ walls, staying in the shadows.
They approached Jaguar Morado from behind, and dodged between the dozen or so cars in a parking area that was little more than an alley.
“No rest for the wicked,” Reece said, motioning at the two bouncers standing wat
ch by the back door.
“Places like these never close. They thrive when the rest of the world goes to hell. And Reece,” Sandy said, breaking his gaze from the guards, looking at her with a rare depth, “a long time ago I forgot something important while in a hell of my own.”
“Sandy, forget about it. Let’s just focus and get Duke back.”
“I forgot I was a father. And I’ll never be able to make up the time I lost. But from now on, I’ll make sure you always have my number. And I’ll only be a call away.”
While Sandy was talking, one of the bouncers had left the back door and now approached the car they were both hidden behind.
Sandy hadn’t noticed but Reece had. She put her finger to her lips, motioning for him to be quiet. The bouncer didn’t stop. He rounded the hood of the car and would soon be staring right at the Cannons.
Reece and Sandy scampered around the trunk and then around to the other side of the car as the bouncer walked past the spot where they had just been crouched.
They made it behind another car nearby. The only reason the bouncer didn’t hear them was because of the violent rain smashing the street. Soon the bouncer had hurried off down the alley and was out of sight.
“This is our best chance,” Sandy said, motioning to the solo bouncer still at the back door, standing under an overhang.
“I’ll distract him. Watch my back.” Reece stood and ambled over to him slowly, accentuating her hips as she walked. She pulled her shoulders back, letting her wet T-shirt stick to her breasts. No Jodas read loud and clear.
The bouncer eyed her intently. He gave her an I’m-interested look.
Meanwhile, Reece also studied his body. She scanned for weak spots or possible places he had weapons. He was a big guy, slightly overweight. The bulge in the center of his pants was definitely a gun.
“What brings you here?” the bouncer asked in Spanish.
“That depends,” Reece cooed, moving closer and reaching for the bulge.
He didn’t act threatened, but nonetheless, reached for her hand and stopped it before she was able to get her hand on his gun.
“I’m working,” he said, holding her hand in place.
“So am I,” Reece replied.
“Who called for you?” he asked.
“Osmin.”
The bouncer’s eyes narrowed and he instantly straightened up, tossing her hand away and reaching for the gun. Reece concluded two things. One, there was definitely an Osmin inside. And two, saying his name hadn’t been wise.
As the bouncer’s hand disappeared under his baggy shirt, Reece stomped down on his toes. When he flinched, she gripped the back of his neck and used his head for support while jumping and slamming her knee directly into his nose.
Blood flowed and he screamed in pain, stumbling backwards. His gun had been in his hand momentarily, but he dropped it, completely unprepared for Reece’s assault. He fell against the back door stunned at the blood that now covered his hand and shirt.
Before he had a chance to recover, in the next second, Reece side kicked his face—right into his broken nose. His neck snapped back and his skull rammed against the metal door. He slumped to the ground, knocked out cold.
Sandy had run up by this point and nodded in approval. “Didn’t even need my help,” he muttered.
“Never did before,” she said. “I learned to fight on my own.”
Sandy’s expression fell for a moment before he returned his attention to the back door. “Shall we?”
The two of them busted in the place. There were groups of people at various tables playing dominos or poker on the purple tablecloths. Cigarette smoke choked the air. Off to the left, a single bartender mixed drinks. Next to the bar were stairs leading to a lower level.
Reece scanned the faces of everyone inside. She didn’t see Osmin.
“Stairs,” she said, motioning. They both darted toward them.
“Hey!” the bartender yelled.
They ignored him and descended the staircase. At the bottom was a narrow room with a closed door at the far end. Reece tried the handle. Unlocked. She pushed the door open.
Right before her eyes sat Osmin, speaking with another man at a hand-carved wood desk with ornate features. A couple stacks of hundreds were on the table in front of Osmin, and he was smiling—up until Reece and Sandy barged in.
Next to Osmin stood two more armed bouncers. But Sandy and Reece both had their guns out and ready.
“Hands up!” Reece yelled.
The two bouncers hesitantly raised their hands. Then the smile returned to Osmin’s face. Reece suddenly realized someone was behind her. She whipped around, coming face to face with a gun pointed right at her head, held by a third bouncer.
“I suggest you both lower your weapons, and then we can figure out who everyone is and what this is all about,” Osmin said.
“We have backup outside,” Reece bluffed as her gun was confiscated. “If anything happens to us, they come in and show no mercy. We just want to talk.”
One of the bouncers took Sandy’s gun, and another whispered something to Osmin, who then nodded and turned back to Reece and Sandy. “I know you don’t have backup. However, I will be leaving now.”
“Go.” Osmin flicked his wrist at the other man sitting down. The man scooped up the money on the desk and then ran up the stairs.
Osmin followed behind, calling to the bouncers before disappearing, “Clean any messes up.”
Every cell of Reece’s body wanted to chase after Osmin. But with three armed men pointing guns at her and Sandy, she didn’t see a way out.
One of the bouncers opened a yellow storage bin off to the side and removed a clear plastic shower curtain. He spread it out over the floor. The man behind Reece pressed the gun into the small of her back and shoved her forward, onto the plastic.
“How much is he paying you?” Reece asked, keeping her voice cool and collected. “I guarantee I can pay you more.”
The man laughed. “It doesn’t matter,” he responded. “You. Here,” he said to Sandy.
Just as the bouncer behind Sandy pushed him forward—all the lights went out. The room was suddenly plunged into total darkness.
38
OSMIN jogged up the stairs and went for the backdoor. He wasn’t too surprised to see the body crumpled on the ground. At first he thought the bouncer was dead because of all the blood, but then he saw him stirring, waking up and groaning.
He stepped over the bouncer and hurried toward his car, parked in the alley. The harsh elements pelted his face and body. Barely able to see, he tripped over something and stumbled forward, dropping his car fob.
While cursing a book, he splashed around on the ground, feeling for it. And then the purple and green neon sign on the top of his building which read Jaguar Morado went dark, like the electricity went out.
Finally his fingers touched the little plastic device and he snatched it up. He glanced around nervously, looking for the ‘backup’ the woman downstairs had just mentioned. But he didn’t see anybody.
He scrambled to his car and threw himself inside, starting the engine and putting it in gear.
* * *
As soon as nothing but blackness surrounded Reece, she sprang into action, spinning around. In her mind’s eye, she could imagine exactly where in space the gun that had been in her back was. She grabbed right for it, twisting it out of the bouncer’s hand in one fluid motion.
She heard the scuffle of Sandy fighting back, too, as she moved quickly for the place where the door was. Soon she stumbled over the first of the stairs, and immediately called out, “Hurry up old man!”
“I’m right here,” Sandy responded, only inches away.
“Don’t let them escape!” one of the bouncers yelled.
The sound of one of the men knocking into something banged. Another one called out, “Get off me!”
Reece flew upstairs with Sandy right behind her. The bartender had a flashlight on, which was just enough light for
Reece to find the door. She exploded from the exit as a car flipped its headlights on. She sprinted toward it.
But she didn’t make it in time to stop Osmin. He gunned the engine and peeled out. Reece spotted a dumpster a few yards away, the kind on four wheels. She ran at it, pushing it into the middle of the alley. The car veered left, but still clipped the dumpster and spun around, almost crashing into a cinderblock wall.
Meanwhile, Sandy had run for the closest vehicle and used the butt of his gun to break the rear window. “Let’s go,” he called to Reece, unlocking the doors.
But Reece didn’t get in. As he hotwired the pickup, Reece jogged over to the driver’s side.
“Make sure Chang and Mario are safe. I’ll handle Osmin.”
The wires in Sandy’s hand sparked, and the pickup roared to life. “Only because I know you can handle yourself.” He leaped out of the seat, and Reece jumped in, taking off before she even fully closed the door.
* * *
Osmin sped down the roads faster than what was prudent given the intensity of the storm. For a moment he thought he was alone on the streets except for the occasional passing car.
But then he saw headlights in his rearview. It looked like they were aimed straight at him. And indeed, they were.
Out here on the edge of the city, the roads were in horrible shape. There were potholes, and some places of the road were markedly uneven. The roads were slick and there were some massive puddles that Osmin’s sports car couldn’t handle well. Every time he gained a little speed, he was immediately slowed by them.
The pickup gained on him until it was right behind. He jerked the steering wheel and ripped around a corner, thinking that the pickup wouldn’t be able to follow.
Tires screeched behind him. In his rearview he watched the pickup do a donut and then right itself in the perfect direction to follow him.
Who the hell is driving that?
He reached for his gun and stuck it out the window, firing a full clip. He didn’t know if he hit anything or not, but hoped it would slow the pickup down.
