Curse of the Druids (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

It was a tossup between the Mercedes and the BMW. Yes, I intended to hotwire one of the cars if necessary. Or, if time had allowed, I’d fish through the pockets of the newly dead to find the keys to either vehicle. Granted, these thoughts became fleeting when Ishi and Marie pointed to the guys across the way picking up their pace as they ran toward us. Unlike the recently departed souls with obvious murder on their minds, these were indigenous locals, based on skin color and dress… and as they drew nearer, their accents.

The men appeared to be in their early twenties and called out warnings to one another, to watch for snipers. Seven in number, most carried pistols, heightening my fear of a second gun attack. Until otherwise certain, it was best to assume the men were as hostile as the Egyptians.

“What in the hell, Nick?! We don’t have time to mess with the cars—get your ass over here until it’s safe!” ordered Marie, hiding with Ishi near thick bushes by the water’s edge. I ignored her as I moved to the BMW, with hopes of finding the keys still in the ignition. One of the bodies was slumped up inside the driver’s side door. “Damn it, th
ey’re almost here!”

True, they were less than a hundred yards away, and my rifling through the dead guy’s clothing revealed no keys. Peering around the dirt pile’s edge, I noticed the new arrivals were looking only at the pile and then scanning the area up to the highway in the distance as they ran. Meanwhile, Ishi and Marie were immersed in the strange blue light from earlier that had started to glow brightly again. It made the shrubs they tried to hide behind look like a blue version of the Biblical ‘Burning Bush’. Yet, the dudes closing in on us ignored that area, focusing mainly on the dirt pile while casting a few more wary glances toward the main road.

When I couldn’t find the BMW’s keys, I almost gave up the search with the intent of rejoining the others. But while moving past the Mercedes, I caught the glint of a key ring lying on the passenger seat. A crazy idea occurred to me. I pushed another two dead guys aside to climb inside the Mercedes, motioning wildly for my bewildered companions to join me in the car.

“Have you lost your frigging mind?!”
Distressed, Marie’s voice erupted shrilly. She and Ishi waved frantically for me to join them instead, while drifting away from their illusory safety.

Neither one heeded my urgent invitation until I dangled the keys at them through the windshield. Admittedly, I suck at
Charades
, but tugging on an imaginary amulet around my neck finally got Marie to understand what I had in mind. She and Ishi ran to the car and dove in, closing the doors as the first local dude rounded the corner of the dirt pile. I prayed he didn’t hear the locks click shut as we huddled together in silence, the amulet sapphire’s fiery glow filling the Mercedes with a thick blue haze.

“If this doesn’t work, that damned thing is going in the River Avon,” I whispered, half joking—half not.

“Shhh!” she replied.

“What if these guys are friends of—?”

Ishi’s question died in mid-sentence, abruptly, as our latest visitors began rummaging through the bodies next to the car. Now that they were in close proximity, they sounded Irish. So, in a sense my initial observation about them being tourists wasn’t completely off. Although, their ancestors held this land long before the Anglo Saxons took it over.

They tried to jimmy the doors, peering inside, four blondes, two redheads, and one dark haired kid. Marie chuckled nervously when she realized they didn’t detect our presence.

“Holy shit, Boss!” Ishi enthused.

I worried momentarily these guys might hear us, despite our earlier experience in the crypt with the Egyptians. If they did, they didn’t let on. Instead, when a few more of these thugs arrived from elsewhere, the group resumed rifling through the corpses. As expected, they were quite impressed with the jeweled items the Egyptians had stashed inside their pockets. But it soon became apparent the real goal was finding the keys to either vehicle.

“We’re going to have to make a run for it,” I advised.

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Marie eyed me as if I had suddenly sprouted a third eye in my forehead. “They’ll find us for sure if we leave the car!”

“Well, darlin’, once again
you
have misunderstood my intent. Why in the hell would I leave the car? That would be suicide!”

I pointed to one of the hooligans, who held out the keys for the BMW to show his buddies. Half of the group prepared to climb into their prize and take it for a spin. The others looked longingly at the Mercedes. But before they resumed their frenzied search for the keys amid the dead, they scanned the area guardedly. Doubtful they feared the police, it appeared they were concerned about someone coming to take what they now considered their booty. Unfortunately, it’s a trait I know well, and could tell it was the same for Ishi. Honorable or not, it’s in a looter’s blood to believe possession of a thing counts as ownership, regardless of circumstance
.
Only the level of selfishness separates Ishi and me from most thieves, since we give something back to society for prosperity, and our counterparts would rather die first before parting with any of it.

But I digress.

We were in a fix, and If we stayed put, we’d eventually be discovered and definitely screwed. Sure to be counted among the dead, too. Or, subjected to the same bullshit I outlined earlier of what the Egyptians would’ve done to us.

“Stay low!”

Marie and Ishi didn’t immediately comprehend what was about to go down until I started the Mercedes’ engine. I told my beloved sweetheart to put a clamp on her gorgeous lips while I spun the car around and sped toward the highway. I expected a shower of gunfire, either from handguns or the dead men’s rifles. Perhaps I should’ve known from the flabbergasted looks on these latest miscreants’ faces that the car appeared to be driving itself. Even the meanest Irish hooligans feared stirring up banshees.

The thought brought a chuckle.

Ishi started to sit up.

“Stay low, buddy, and stay close to me and Marie until we’re on the road back to Salisbury,” I advised. “We don’t know the amulet’s protection limits. It’d really suck if I lost you due to a moment’s carelessness.”

“They’re gonna come after us, and kill us. This is all
very
bad… a terrible idea! We shouldn’t have come!” he lamented, trying to sit up enough to sneak a peek behind us.

“So, what are we going to do now?” asked Marie, ignoring my speech to Ishi about safety. Ishi joined her in sitting up, while I prayed we were still invisible.

“Well…. First thing is getting on the road back to town, and then you’re going to do us a big favor, Ishi.” I allowed an amused grin to grow into a playful smile. He wasn’t happy. I doubt he knew exactly what was coming, but had learned to read me well enough to know whatever was coming his way wouldn’t be pleasant. “The guys in the Audi are out there some place, and God only knows how they’ll react when they find out their buddies have gotten a head start on learning Allah’s judgment.”

“If you don’t watch your cavalier attitude, Nick, it could be us right there alongside them!” Marie warned. “Maybe we should just drive until we find a town off the beaten path.”

“Are you frigging serious?” I glanced at her incredulously. We were approaching the ramp that would take us back onto the thoroughfare, which was much more congested than earlier. “You think no one will notice your gaudy necklace and tell someone about it? Besides, we need to collect our shit from Cricket Field. In the meantime, take that frigging thing off before we scare the hell out of someone and cause and accident!”

For a moment she simply glared at me. The left side of my face grew warm, as if her peepers had somehow become lethal from the amulet’s mysterious power. It wasn’t until I accelerated to merge with the westbound
traffic that she relented.

“So, what’s the favor you’re expecting from Ishi?” she asked, her tone chilled. The haze dissipated and completely died as I watched her place the amulet inside her backpack. I waited for her to zip it up before answering.

“Ishi’s been dying to put a big purchase on the new credit card he got in Spain…. Right, Ishi?”

“Have you forgotten what I’m saving it for?”

“No, I remember…. The latest Alienware system, right?” I acknowledged, to which he nodded. “But, here’s a better benefit to you, my man. Let me borrow your card today, and I’ll gladly buy you that system
and
whatever else your heart desires. Hell, I’ll buy you one for every damned room in the house we talked about building together in America. Help us out now and we might still be among the living when it comes time to make that nice purchase.”

I figured Ishi would snag a deal that weighed heavily in his favor. But it took him until we approached Salisbury’s city limits to nod his approval. Right after that, we mistakenly thought the Audi from yesterday was coming up fast behind us. Ishi’s gaze lingered the longest on the sporty Mazda speeding by.

“So we’re talking new clothes and a new ride?”

“Exactly,” I said. “At least it’s where we’ll start. Then all we have to do is figure out how to get out of here with our prize in tow and no one else the wiser that we’re gone.”

Sounded easy enough. But we knew there would be nothing easy about leaving England. Nothing at all.

Chapter Thirteen

Finding a place to stash the car turned out to be trickier than I thought. But after our third trip through downtown, Marie pointed to a lone parking spot along the street. From there, trying to seem inconspicuous was a bigger trick. Especially after giving the townsfolk ample opportunity to make mental notes about our ride and the three of us casually exiting the car. Even so, we were all smiles, moving away from the Mercedes at a leisurely pace, and acting like we were taking in the downtown sights and ancient aura for the very first time. Like genuine tourists are want to do.

Since we were hungry, we stopped at a quaint sandwich shop for a bite, and then walked around the block to the very first car rental agency we came upon. Marie and I had successfully coached Ishi on what to say and what to present to the rental agent, without giving away his nervousness. After all, he had never purchased anything in his life outside of Honduras. Either myself or Marie had taken care of anything he needed or wanted up until that moment.

“Does this mean I get to drive to London, too?” He beamed with delight, gazing at us over his shoulder from the driver seat of the Volkswagon Polo we picked out.

“Don’t push your luck, pal,” I teased, as he followed the Polo’s street navigation system to get us back to Cricket Field House. “Once we gather our shit, either Marie or me should be the ones who drive us back to London.”

I cut her a loving look, knowing I had some work to do in order to thaw the iciness that lingered from the past few days’ tension.

“You do realize the authorities might connect us to the murdered men we saw earlier, or don’t you?” she asked, wearing a knowing smirk.

She sure as hell wasn’t going to make my de-icing task any easier.

“Maybe. But, by the time we get out of here, we might only be ‘persons of interest’.”

I added a confident smile to my buttery tone. She wasn’t buying it. Neither was Ishi, scowling at us in the backseat through the rearview mirror.

“And, you’re okay with that?” she said. “You know I’m not one who has a fondness for law enforcement, but maybe we should tell someone about what happened? After all, we haven’t killed anyone. They won’t arrest us…. Right?”

“Babe, we broke into that mound, and if the authorities ever find out what’s in there—or what you’ve been wearing as a Hawaiian lei—we
should
become suspects for theft and for vandalizing a historic site,” I said, determined to keep my voice steady and sweet, as damned straight I wasn’t getting drawn into another argument. Not one I’d likely loose at some point anyway, and then no nookie for at least a week! “Hell, the Ambrosius Amulet itself probably does belong to the Duke of Somerset. Are you in a hurry to make sure he gets to add it to the jeweled heirlooms in his castle?”

“Of course not!” she fumed. “Sometimes you give me so little credit for having a brain, Nicholas Caine! I know full well what could happen if we get caught with the amulet, or if anyone discovers the plundered tomb we’ve spent the better part of two days inside of—not to mention the artifacts those dead men tried to steal!”

“And, that ‘those’ Irish punks might’ve confiscated by now,” I said, not immediately realizing my tone did little to ease the sting of my condescending words. I moved to quickly douse the flames. “I didn’t mean—”

“Didn’t mean
what?!”
she snapped.

Too late.

“Hey, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to be an ass, babe.”

“Nick, and Marie. Please stop—”

“Not now, Ishi!” warned Marie.

“But—”

“Ishi, she’s right, man. Let her vent, since I sort of deserve it.”

“Sort of? Are you kidding—”

“Both of you shut the hell up and
look!”
shouted Ishi.

We had just arrived at Cricket Field House, and he pointed urgently at the main parking lot. Several cars were parked near the walkway to the main entrance, and the one occupying the space farthest from the walkway was the Audi from yesterday.

“Shit!” hissed Marie.

“Yeah,” I added weakly. I couldn’t believe it, and yet, I should’ve expected it. After all, isn’t this the way things normally play out for me? There are no Disney adventures with sugar plum endings in my world. “Cut the engine, Ishi.”

“Huh?”

“Just do it. Trust me.” I scanned the area without waiting for him to comply. It could be an ambush… or maybe not. Logic told me to be wary of another vehicle carrying more Egyptians, or perhaps some hired local ‘extermination’ help. But I recognized the other cars, or I assumed I did. They all looked familiar. “You both stay here. Might be a good idea to wear the damned amulet again, but I’d duck down before putting it on. Just in case.”

“Everyone’s either dead or being held hostage—that’d be my guess,” worried Marie. “You better not get yourself killed!”

“Don’t worry—you can’t get rid of me that easily.” I took almost as much pleasure from Marie’s offended look as I did the fact her words revealed I hadn’t run out of time to make things up to her. Provided I didn’t get killed first. “I’ll grab our most important shit—laptops and the stuff that’s not exactly easy to replace. Anything either of you can’t live without?”

“My prayer book and my journal,” said Ishi. “I will survive without the rest.”

His expression told me there were more items he wanted, like his precious game systems, but perhaps considered the many narrow escapes we had in South America. I might come away empty handed or dead if I lingered too long, or stepped into a trap. Not beyond a realistic expectation. Obviously, the assholes knew we were staying at the B&B. And, worse, surely they knew we’d be foolish enough to return, despite what happened that morning.

“Please be careful,” said Marie, her bottom lip trembling. Her look alone pulled on my heartstrings.

Ishi started to ask a question, but I slid out of the car before either one could delay me any longer, shushing them both. With one last warning to stay low, I quietly closed the passenger door and scurried along the wooded areas and gardens to reach the main building.

Frankly, I expected to be noticed by the crooks, an employee, or a guest. Yet, as far as I could tell, my presence went unnoticed. Perhaps, I caught a break by avoiding the main entrance and heading for the side door not far from the stairs to our second floor rooms. One might question why I didn’t check on the staff’s welfare—especially after not seeing anyone around. Not even a maid or maintenance man.

This brings up Rule 141 and 142 from the Looter’s Handbook:
“Save your skin to loot another day!”
and
“Never look for trouble, even if you know it’s somewhere close by. Grab your loot and run!”

Cowardly? Yes. Practical? Absolutely. Something to inspire intense guilt nearly impossible to recover from? Unfortunately for me, that, too.

I crept quietly upstairs, feeling the entire time that I was operating on borrowed time and would soon be discovered. Focused on grabbing Marie’s iPad and Ishi’s prized laptop, I almost forgot the prayer book and journal. As I went back into Ishi’s room to grab it, I heard angry voices coming from the main lobby. Angry men speaking in the same Masri dialect we heard that morning.

I had to take a look, planning to investigate from a distance and then be on my way. But once I saw the innkeeper and staff being held at gunpoint by the five men I recognized from yesterday’s highway encounter, I couldn’t leave… not yet. Not without pulling these cold-blooded killers away, who wouldn’t be there in the first place if not for us. It took them less than a day to find our hideout, and now the lives of a dozen innocent people were at stake.

Not happening on my watch.

“Hey douchebags!” I called to them, from the breezeway next to the side exit. “How about pulling your thumbs out of your asses and come get your damned gold before I sell it all at wholesale prices!”

While I wasn’t certain they wouldn’t shoot everyone before giving chase to me, it was the best I could do on short notice. Hopefully, the Egyptians clearly understood my words, since two of them turned toward me wearing perplexed expressions. No guarantees I hadn’t just royally jacked things up for all of us, it wasn’t until I added the universal symbol telling them to ‘bugger off’ that they turned their weapons on me alone and gave chase.

I couldn’t provide much resistance while my arms and hands were full, and my latest prized knife was stashed in a holster tied around my left ankle. Not that it would’ve done any good. In truth, I soon realized I hadn’t thought this situation through very well at all—especially once I left the building and tried to follow the same path back to the car. A spray of silenced gunfire that sent bullets whizzing above my head took care of that notion.

I sprinted for the car, praying fervently that Ishi or Marie were somehow aware of my present predicament. Impossible to know if they were sitting up or still cowering from view, as the Volkswagon appeared empty.

Suddenly, the brake lights came on and the engine sprang to life. The front passenger door opened, seemingly on its own to anyone unfamiliar with the amulet’s curious properties. I didn’t dare stop, as more bullets filled the air around me. I dove in to the car and slammed the passenger door shut.

“What in the hell’s happening?!”

Marie’s piercing tone was especially unnerving, since I couldn’t see her. Nor could I see Ishi, though I felt the warmth of his breath and light scent of cinnamon from his preferred breath mints. A barrage of bullets shattered the top of the rear window, while others ricocheted against the roof. One of the taillights exploded, amid battle cries from five crazed assholes coming up fast.

“Looks like we’ve got two cars we’re gonna have to pay for, darlin’, provided we’re still living. That’s what’s happening! Drive!”

“Huh?!”

“Drive
, damn it!”

Thankfully, it took nothing more to get her survival juices flowing. Marie floored the gas and we sped out of there. I expected more bullets—maybe even a kill-shot attempt or two. But our latest enemies had retreated back to the Audi. Which meant the reprieve would be short lived.

The race was on to get to the highway. As Marie and Ishi began to materialize in the seats next to and behind me, I prayed for two more miracles: That we’d make it back to London in one piece, and out of England before it was too late.