Ramsey's Gold (Drake Ramsey Book 1) (21 page)

Jack’s drink arrived. “I don’t disagree that he comes off that way, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is whether he’s competent and whether he’ll keep his word. So far he’s done what he’s said he would. But that was just sourcing us merchandise at a handsome profit. It doesn’t require a lot of trust. If we tell him everything about how we plan to proceed…”

“He could sell us out,” Drake finished the thought.

“How? In the middle of the jungle?” Allie asked.

“I don’t know. But he could.”

Jack took a sip of his cola. “So could anyone. That’s a risk we take with any guide. It’s the same no matter who it is.”

“Then maybe we should do this on our own. Take our weapons and get going. Why do we need a guide, anyway?” Drake grumbled.

“If we blunder around, we’re as good as dead. Think about the drug gangs. A seasoned smuggler’s going to know their routes and how to avoid them. We don’t. There’s no question that we need a seasoned guide. The question is only, is this man our best bet?”

“He’s our only bet so far,” Allie said.

They continued the debate for an hour and finally agreed that they’d tell Spencer their plan and take their chances. Everyone was aware of the clock ticking, and that the Russians would figure it out sooner than later and be on their tail. Drake had been in favor of nosing around more to see who else they could find, but in the end he’d deferred to Jack’s wisdom, even if he didn’t like it.

Spencer agreed to meet them at a nearby restaurant after a late dinner. When he arrived he looked relaxed, as always, although Jack noted that his eyes did a complete scan of the room as he neared their table.

“How was the food?” Spencer asked as he pulled up a chair.

“Not bad. Little spicy, but that’s what keeps it interesting, right?” Allie asked.

“True words.” Spencer flagged the server down and ordered coffee. When the man departed, he leaned forward. “All right. I’m here. So spill the beans. Why do you believe you have any chance of finding a treasure that’s gone undiscovered for five hundred years?”

Jack and Drake took him through everything that had happened, and Drake offered an overview of the journal’s contents, keeping it general. In spite of Jack’s assurances, his gut told him to hold back, so that was what he did. He fielded the pointed questions with honest if incomplete answers, reasoning that they’d all see whether they could depend on Spencer over time. If so, then he would learn more as they went. If not, Drake still had the most important information in his head.

When they were done, Spencer sat silently studying their faces. “You know it’s nearly suicidal to go into the area you’re thinking about, right?”

“We know what we’re walking into. That’s why we need someone who’s familiar with the terrain and the people in it,” Jack said.

Spencer frowned. “What do you make of the treasure’s value?”

“It’s anyone’s guess, but based on what accounts there are, it may be in the five to ten billion range,” Allie said.

Spencer whistled quietly.

“But if we inform them, the government of Peru will want the majority. We’ll probably get five to ten percent as a finder’s fee. Assuming we can keep the location known only to us until they officially recognize the discovery as our find,” she finished.

“So you’re hoping for a half a billion to a billion dollar payday?”

Drake nodded. “If we’re lucky, that’s how the math works.”

Spencer eyed him without expression. “Fine. If I decide to do this, I want twenty-five percent.”

Drake laughed. “Right. A quarter-billion dollars for the jungle guide.” He turned to Jack. “I told you. We’re wasting our time.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed as he held Spencer’s gaze. “That’s a little rich, don’t you think?” he asked.

“Is it? You want me to risk everything to help you survive in a jungle that’ll kill you as surely as a firing squad, but you don’t want to share the proceeds evenly? Maybe you’ve got the wrong man. Find some local crook who’ll agree to do it for fifty grand, and then find out the hard way that he was worth exactly nothing. You already got ripped off once. Why not try to bargain-shop for your parachute, too? Sure, it’s the only thing between you hitting the ground at two hundred plus or landing safely, but why not shoot for a deal?”

Jack grunted. “I don’t disagree that you should walk away with a lot of money. We were thinking more like ten percent. If our calculations are right, that’s between fifty and a hundred million bucks. Are you going to tell me that’s not enough for you?”

Spencer shook his head. “It’s not about what’s enough. If I join this little shindig, I join it as an equal, not as hired help. I’ll pull my weight, and for that I expect an even cut. You want to hire a contractor, not take on a partner who will see it through, then best of luck. Remember that you have to come out alive to spend any of that cash you’re sure is just lying around in the jungle. A bargain’s not going to seem like one when you’re dying a million miles from nowhere.”

“How do we know you can guide us safely?” Drake demanded, his voice tight.

“Because I’ve spent ten years navigating that region and I’m here to tell about it.”

“And how do we know that’s true?” Drake fired back.

“Gee, I don’t know. I got you exactly the weapons you needed within a matter of hours. Your contact Asad screwed you, just like I told Jack he would. So far I’m 100%, and except for your dealings with me, you’ve been taken. I’m telling you that I know that jungle well. And guess what? I’m not the one asking someone to guide them. You are. So here are your options: keep looking and hope you get lucky – not just with someone who actually knows what the hell they’re doing, but who also won’t cut your throat. Or take me on as an equal partner, assuming I’m willing to do it – which I have to tell you, decreases every time you open your mouth, kid.”

Jack cut Drake’s response off. “It’s a lot of money, Spencer. A lot.”

“Only if you find it. If not, it’s just hot air. Which brings me to the next part. I want fifty grand up front.”

“What?” Drake blurted.

“For expenses. And I don’t take American Express.”

“You’re delusional,” Drake spat.

Spencer shrugged. “Sixty grand. Keep talking.”

“Completely nuts.”

“Trying for seventy? That’s next.”

Jack interrupted the escalation. “Your point’s taken. But I’ve got a serious concern. If the two of you can’t get along, this isn’t going to work.”

Spencer nodded and glared at Jack. “I completely agree. I don’t know what your buddy’s problem is, but he’s doing everything he can to queer this deal. I don’t much care, frankly, because without me, you’re not going to make it, and the chances of you finding Paititi are close to zero, anyway. So it’s not like I feel like I’m losing much by walking away. Better powwow with your friend here, because he’s about to talk himself out of a guide, and I can pretty much guarantee whoever you get, assuming you can find anyone crazy enough to bite at this, is going to do nothing but steal your money or get you killed – or both.”

Jack turned to Drake. “Can I see you for a minute?”

“Sure,” Drake said.

They walked toward the restrooms and Jack stopped in the access hall. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he growled.

“I think he’s full of it.”

“You may, but all you’re accomplishing is making him more expensive by the minute. Was that your goal?”

“I’m not giving him twenty-five percent of the take,” Drake said adamantly.

“Which is how much, at the moment? Help me out. Because I’d like to understand what kind of jet I should be shopping for. How much have we found?”

“That’s not the point.”

“No, Drake, I think that’s exactly the point. Right now this is all speculation. It’s a wild card. Anything can happen. We may find this lost city, and the gold might be gone. Or it might have never existed, and the legend was just that – a story to pass the time. Or we could get killed before we ever find it. Or never find it. Because that’s the most likely, given that five hundred years of explorers have failed – including your dad, God rest his soul. I had nothing but respect for him, but the fact remains he didn’t find it either. He was excited and thought he was close, but that’s like being close to being pregnant. On things like this, the world’s binary. Black or white. Do you get that?”

Drake ground his teeth, about done with Jack’s tone. “I do. But I still don’t want to cut him in at that level. We discussed ten percent. If you remember, I thought even that was way too high.”

“I remember. But here’s how it’s coming down. Either we agree to his terms, or he walks away, and we’re right back where we started. We can try a little negotiation, but once we have, we either have to go with him, or start over and hope that the next guy isn’t a complete criminal.”

“Which Spencer could also be.”

“Sure. But in my experience crooks don’t deliver top-quality weapons, on time, with no deposit. So in the absence of any other info, right now he’s the last blonde in the bar and it’s closing time. The question is, do you want a date, or do you want to go home alone?”

“That’s an apt metaphor, because I feel like we’re about to get fu–”

Jack stopped him with a gesture. “Drake, this isn’t about your feelings. I don’t know what your problem is with Spencer, but my vote is we stop screwing around and close this so we can get to finding the city. Sometimes you have to do the best deal you can, not wait for the ideal one to come along. You don’t have to love him. I’m not asking you to get engaged. I’m asking you to behave like a professional and do what has to be done in order to make this work.”

Drake sighed. “Fine. Try to get him to fifteen. I’ll swallow my pride and shut up. I promise.”

“This time, for real, right?”

Drake put his hand over his heart.

“Good. Because we can’t really afford any more bickering, in more ways than one.”

“For the record, I also don’t like the way he’s checking out Allie. He’s a slimeball. We’ll live to regret this.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what this is all about? Allie? You don’t want him around because you think he’s going to put the moves on her?” Jack paused. “Or is it that you’re afraid she’d be receptive?”

Drake’s eyes darted to the side. “I don’t care if you don’t.”

Jack’s tone softened. “Allie’s a big girl, and a handful, as you’ve seen. She can take care of herself. But some words of advice: Think with your head and we’ll all do a lot better. You can worry about what Allie might or might not like after we’ve found the treasure and made it out of the jungle in one piece, okay? In the meantime, keep your eye on the prize. I think we’ve got more than enough drama without two rams butting heads over one woman.”

Drake bit back the three nasty responses that sprang to mind, and merely shrugged. “Like I said. I don’t care if you don’t.”

“Then it’s settled. I can cover thirty of it from the gold I sold in Texas if you’ve got the other thirty. Now let’s see if I can whittle him down some on the percentage, okay? And remember your promise. Not a word.”

“I’m the third monkey. Silent as death.”

Jack gave him a final stare. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

They returned to the table, where Allie was chatting easily with Spencer, and Drake hated him all the more for it but kept quiet. Jack sat down heavily and cleared his throat.

“Now where were we? You were discussing giving us a discount?” he asked.

“Not exactly.”

“Look, fifty grand is almost all our money.”

“It’s sixty, remember?”

Jack stayed calm. “If you’re going to be a partner, why do we have to kick in cash? If everyone’s getting a piece, you should actually be contributing to the pot.”

“You’re offsetting other jobs I have to cancel or farm out. Or you can wait until I’m done. Probably three weeks.”

Jack decided not to push it. “We could go as high as fifteen percent. Maybe hundred and fifty million, if the stories are even close to being true.”

“Not good enough.”

They went back and forth, and finally Allie shook her head. “Gentlemen, here’s my suggestion. Spencer? You seem like an honorable man. Let’s not argue over this. We’ll go twenty percent, and the final five percent you want will come out of my twenty-six and change percent. Does that make you feel better?”

“Why should you have to take the hit?” Spencer demanded.

“Because it’s obviously more important to you to prove your point and do the alpha male dance than to just agree to a fortune and have done with it. If we’re right, boohoo, I’ll only get two hundred ten million or so instead of two hundred sixty-six. Guess what? I think I’ll learn to live with that disappointment.”

Spencer sat back, the tension seeping from his shoulders. “Fine. I’ll take twenty. But I want the sixty up front. Nothing happens until I see that.”

Jack nodded. “Where do you want to meet tomorrow morning? I can have the cash then.”

“Same coffee shop. Nine a.m.,” Spencer said. “I’ll need some time to arrange everything on my end, but it shouldn’t take that long. Figure we can start this shindig in a few days.”

They discussed logistics, and then Jack rose, extending his hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow, partner.”

Spencer clasped it and shook after a wary glance at Drake.

“Done deal.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

The handoff of cash took place without incident, leaving them with seriously diminished resources, but at least the outline of a plan. Spencer handed Jack a satellite phone for communication, and Jack told him to get to the tiny Peruvian town of Atalaya, in the Ucayali region of the country, smack in the middle of the eastern jungle, as soon as possible. Spencer agreed to join them there in three days – he said he needed to coordinate support for their journey – which gave Drake pause. But in keeping with his new philosophy of silence on the subject of Spencer, he didn’t voice his misgivings: that Spencer would never appear, preferring to make off with a huge amount of their cash. In Peru, Drake figured a smuggler like Spencer could easily vanish for years, leaving no trace.

Jack didn’t seem concerned, so Drake choked down his doubts and put on a brave face. Spencer arranged for a private plane to fly them to Atalaya, on the banks of the Tambo River, where they would be met by a car and driver to ferry them to their lodging.