When everyone had taken their fill, Olivia reverted to Anabia.
Anabia pressed the block on the wall, and the door opened again. The team filed out. The way back, Olivia found was easier. Until they got to the chasm where the ledges have now disappeared.
A pained look crossed Andrew's features.
"We have to go the way we came here," he said to the team. "I am your Gerente. I think he leads the entry and exit. Anabia was right."
"I just wonder what happens if we don't, you know, go the way we came?" Liam asked.
Rodriguez said, "Then the espantago will come. The snake will come for us."
They agreed with him.
Andrew walked down the corridor and stepped on the ball. He sank away into the darkness; his journey through the cosmos began. All the lights went out, and the team put on their torches.
—
Minutes later, the experience was over, and the team was coming out through the opening under the rock.
Seth Kowalski was standing with a gun, and with him was Pietro Oscar.
The CIA agent had brokered a truce with Pietro; it seemed, since he was unable to wait for the contingent promised.
There were five thugs with Pietro.
He shrugged when Miller looked at him. "No hard feelings, just business."
Kowalski dragged the sack of gold that Diggs carried. Then he had one of Pietro's thugs go round Olivia's team collecting each one's gold bar.
Kowalski smiled. "These now belong to the US government. Thank you very much. The CIA will be very grateful to you all."
After packing the gold in one place, he looked at Pietro. "Now you can execute them all, except the woman."
He pulled Olivia Newton away from the cluster.
"You, they want alive."
"Who?"
He laughed. "A mutual friend. Paul Talbot. Remember him?"
Olivia closed her eyes and sighed. "That bastard," she hissed.
"Yeah, I agree, a hundred percent. Talbot is one hell of a prick and an asshole. Come on, let's skedaddle."
Two thugs came around to tie each person's hand. They didn't get far; Diggs was fast. So was Andrew.
Diggs shot the two men in speedy succession. The other thugs reacted, but Andrew was waiting to strike. He walked into the middle of the three and did some of the fastest hand to hand combination even Diggs was proud of.
The three men fell, clutching their necks.
The next surprise was Reno.
He pulled the gun out of Liam's waist and shot three men, then sent a bullet through Pietro's forehead.
He then put it on Kowalski. "Let her go now!" he ordered.
Incredulous, Kowalski asked, "Who's the boy with the stupid scar?"
"Agent Reno Scalia, CIA. Now let her go before I put a bullet in your head. I never miss."
Olivia's mouth fell open. "Reno?"
"You're gonna be okay, Olivia. Seth, let her go. You have three seconds. One, two, three—"
"Hey, alright."
Seth Kowalski let Olivia go.
"I don't know you. What now?"
"I'm placing you under arrest, Seth. Then I'm coming after Talbot too. And the lot of you."
But Kowalski was a rat anytime. He tried to reshoot Olivia, just when Reno dropped the hand with a gun. He pulled out a cuff for Kowalski's hand. Andrew Gilmore was watching the man, however.
He shot Kowalski in the chest and left a big hole there.
—
The contingent Kowalski asked for showed up an hour after and took his body away.
Paul Talbot sent the team into Apachia. But Olivia's team had gone under.
Epilogue
Cusco, Peru.
Detective José Hanna and Tami Capaldi had the dinner at Dolo's stand.
Tami wore her usual, a white t-shirt and blue denim. The detective dressed the part of a cop.
"I never want much, I just want to live, happy," she said.
"And how's that working out for you?"
Tami chewed rachi and drank soda. She shrugged and smiled at the man who would kiss her that night before she went to bed. A kiss that will lead to others in the coming days.
"I'm open-minded. I want to find out."
"You are rich now, so."
"No, I'm wealthy."
They both laughed.
—
Miami, Florida.
The team disbanded. Olivia stored her share of the gold in the bank.
She met Mary Luca a week after.
The woman seemed to have gotten over the death of Coleman. They had lunch at Wendy's again.
"So, how about you tell me, did you find the gold?"
Olivia gasped. "You don't believe that crap, do you?"
Mary Luca looked at her dubiously. "You found nothing?"
"And even if we did, you know we can't take it. There's nothing down there but death."
Mary nodded slowly and looked out the window.
Then suddenly, the woman asked Olivia, "Are you open for another adventure?"
Olivia chuckled.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Is there gold in it?"
Mary Luca chuckled and shook her head.
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I’m an South-African author of Action & Adventure novels. I’ve been self-publishing since 2013. I’ve written more than fourty novels in different series. For more information about me and my books please visit my website
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