The Prisoner's Gold (The Hunters 3) (7 page)

Sarah stared at him. ‘Who the hell is that?’

‘Some Polack. Medium talent. Anyway, given our adventures over the past year, I’ve taken an interest in history. And his books are easier to read than the encyclopedia.’

‘It’s better than nothing,’ Cobb said, although he knew McNutt was reading more than just thrillers. He had tasked the sniper with researching several historical eras and had asked him to write reports on a number of lost treasures. Cobb had sensed there would be more missions, and he wanted to familiarize himself with what was out there. To that end, Garcia had been told to study various legends and stories about South America while Sarah had been assigned Europe. Cobb had figured they would eventually obtain a new historian, but he wanted each member of the group to be well rounded.

‘So,’ Cobb said as he focused on Papineau, ‘how did we get this manuscript from the Ulster Archives? And what does it tell us about the treasure?’

‘Actually, Jack, I was the one who
gave
it to the Archives for authentication and preservation, not the other way around. As for your second question, I was just getting to that.’

Papineau double-tapped the table’s hi-tech surface and a copy of the document on the main screen appeared under the glass. Then, by pushing his hand toward the team members in turn, he digitally slid the documents to their individual workstations. Now each of them could flip through the document at their own pace.

‘As Maggie pointed out, this document seems to have been written by Rustichello da Pisa. Though he only had it for a few days, Petr Ulster is reasonably certain it is authentic. The document is written in a mixture of Italian dialects, along with Old French and Latin. Curiously, it also contains some words and phrases in Asian languages, which is what convinced Petr of the manuscript’s authenticity. That and carbon dating.’

Cobb knew that Ulster wasn’t just the head of the archives; he was also its most revered scholar. Cobb trusted his opinion implicitly. ‘So what does it say?’

‘We can’t answer that yet,’ Papineau admitted. ‘Maggie will need to spend some time deciphering it.’

‘And once she does?’

Papineau smiled. ‘Your mission is to locate and retrieve Marco Polo’s treasure.’

‘If it exists,’ McNutt said.

‘Yes.’

‘And in exchange?’ Cobb asked.

‘Our standard arrangement. Five million dollars each.’

‘You still need to pay us for the second mission,’ Sarah complained. ‘I don’t start on this one until you pay up for the last one.’

‘Me, too,’ Garcia said.

McNutt looked to Cobb for his opinion on the matter, but Cobb just sat there, silently watching Papineau.

The Frenchman put on a show of considering the request, but Cobb could tell he had already anticipated the complaint and planned to acquiesce. ‘Very well. Those of you who participated in the last mission will each be paid for it before you leave for Asia, or Europe, or wherever the trail leads. But you will need to begin researching now. Agreed?’

‘Yep,’ Sarah said.

Garcia and McNutt both nodded. Maggie remained quiet.

All eyes turned to Cobb.

He looked at Papineau for a long moment, and at first the Frenchman gazed back impassively. But then his resolve began to crack as he realized what was about to happen.

‘Sorry,’ Cobb said. ‘No deal.’

McNutt twisted his finger in his ear with a dramatic flourish. ‘I think I misheard you, chief. Did you just say “no” to five million dollars?’

Cobb continued to stare at Papineau. After a tense moment of silence, he finally spoke. ‘That is correct, Josh. I said no.’

Papineau looked disappointed, but not really shocked. ‘May I ask why?’

‘Why?’ he said in a mocking tone. ‘I get the distinct feeling that you’re holding back pertinent information from us again because it doesn’t suit your agenda. That didn’t work out so well for Jasmine the last time, did it? Yet here you are, asking me to lead this team into the field on another adventure, and you’re still keeping secrets.’

‘Jack—’

‘Truth be told, it’s my fault for letting it get
this
far. You coerced Hector into spying on us during the first mission, yet I let the incident slide. I should’ve quit then and there, and the fact that I didn’t has been bugging me ever since.’

‘Come on, Jack. That isn’t fair, and you know it.’

‘Do I? I’m not so sure.’

Although it wasn’t Cobb’s intent to embarrass Garcia, the computer genius hung his head in shame. Upon being hired, Garcia had been ordered by Papineau to secretly keep tabs on the team – a task that he had performed without question until Cobb had discovered his efforts and put a stop to them. During the team’s initial bonding, Garcia had felt like an outsider, the geek trying to fit in at the cool kids’ table. But the group’s dynamic had changed significantly since then. Garcia was now fully accepted by the team, which was why he felt so guilty about his transgression on the first adventure.

Cobb went on. ‘You’ve also interfered with my command of the team during both missions. This isn’t a game. It’s life or death in the field. I told you from day one that I needed absolute authority once we left this building, and you agreed to stay out of my way. Unfortunately, you’ve been unwilling to uphold your end of the bargain, so it’s time for me to walk.’

‘Don’t be hasty, Jack. I know we’ve had some rough patches during the past year, but it’s nothing we can’t overcome.’

‘Says who? The wealthy guy in the linen suit who sips champagne on his yacht? Spend some time in the trenches with a gun in your hand, and then you’ll understand: minor issues for you are a major problem for us.’

McNutt, Garcia, and Sarah nodded in support.

Despite Cobb’s posturing, Papineau sensed that the team leader would eventually come around. The Frenchman knew there would be a condition or two – or possibly several – tied to his return, but he also realized that if Cobb had intended to quit, he could have done so by phone. ‘Come on, Jack. There must be something I can do to convince you to stay.’

Cobb’s eyes never left Papineau. He didn’t blink, or flinch, or look away. He just continued to stare for several seconds.

The others, realizing this was a pivotal moment for the team, sat transfixed.

Eventually, Papineau broke the silence.

‘Enough of this foolishness. Tell me what you want.’

‘You don’t say another word as leader once we leave this facility. I will be in charge from the moment we pass the front gate until the moment we find the treasure. You will finance everything we ask for, and you’ll be happy to do it. In addition, you’ll pay everyone for the Egypt mission
now –
not before we leave. And you’ll also pay us the first half of the five million for the Polo job whether we succeed or fail. The money can be placed in trust, per our original agreement, but it gets transferred before we risk our lives in the field.’

‘Oh, is that all?’ Papineau asked, his face growing red in anger.

‘Actually, no. There’s one more condition; and it’s non-negotiable. If any of us die during the mission, our heirs receive a bonus of ten million dollars.’

‘You’ve changed, Jack. And not for the better.’

Cobb stood slowly. His demeanor was calm. He knew he had the upper hand. ‘Josh is one of the finest snipers in the world, and you know it.’

All eyes turned to McNutt.

‘What did I do?’ he asked, confused.

Cobb pointed to the others, one by one. ‘Sarah is the best infiltration and extraction expert out there, and Hector is one of the finest hackers on the planet. And though I just met her, I’ll bet Maggie is incredibly gifted, too, or you wouldn’t have hired her.’

Cobb turned back to look at Papineau.

‘You’ve spared no expense in obtaining the best specialists for this squad. And let’s be honest: we work pretty well as a team. So let’s not pretend, Jean-Marc. If you got the best of the best for each of their roles, then what does that make me?’

Papineau grimaced. He knew he had been beaten.

‘I’ll give you a hint. The word you’re looking for isn’t “replaceable.”’

Cobb paused briefly before he continued. ‘I know time is precious and this is a lot to consider, so I’m going to do you a favor. While you stew over my demands and slowly come to the realization that you’ll meet them – all of them – I’m going to start prepping my team. Unless I hear otherwise before midnight tonight, I’m going to assume that we’re good to go.’

Papineau grunted but said nothing.

‘Excellent,’ Cobb said as he shifted his focus to Garcia. ‘Hector, we’re going to need something from you before any of us can get started.’

Garcia sat up straight in his chair. ‘Name it.’

‘Get your hands on a map of Polo’s travels. Then compile a list for every team member of every place he supposedly visited. I’m talking about all the locations in the commonly accepted versions of the original book, not the new manuscript.’

Garcia nodded and started tapping at the glass of the tabletop.

‘Josh,’ Cobb said, ‘I’m hoping we’ll only need to visit a few places on that list, but until we know which ones, I want you to figure out the logistics for every single site.’

‘Damn, chief. That’s a lot of equipment,’ McNutt said.

‘Someone died on our last mission. No one dies on this one.’

‘Got it, chief. Lasers and wing suits for everyone.’

Cobb ignored the comment and faced Maggie. ‘How are your translation skills?’

‘Depends on the language,’ she admitted. ‘The Rustichello manuscript is written primarily in Latin, Old French, and Venetian – a Romance language spoken in the Veneto region of Italy. It’s similar to Italian, but different. I also noticed a few phrases in Ottoman Turkish, Mongolian, and Arabic. I can handle most of those, but I might need some help from time to time.’

Cobb paused in thought before he glanced at Garcia. ‘Hector, do we still have access to the language software from the Ulster Archives?’

‘Definitely.’

‘Good,’ Cobb said as he altered his plan of attack. ‘In that case, let’s go about this a different way. Since the document has already been scanned by the Archives, let’s use the computer to translate it. Once it’s done, we’ll have Maggie go back through and make any corrections. The software is a huge timesaver, but it isn’t perfect, especially when it comes to names and idioms. You’ll need to print up a version that has the original text under the translation, line for line, so Maggie can do a thorough analysis.’

Garcia kept typing. ‘No problemo.’

‘Speak English!’ McNutt shouted from across the room.

‘That was English!’

Maggie smiled at the team’s chemistry. ‘What can I do in the meantime?’

Cobb had anticipated her question. ‘According to your résumé, you’re highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Is that correct?’

‘Yes, sir. I’m quite proficient in several disciplines.’

‘Actually,’ Cobb said, ‘I’ll be the judge of that. We’ll spar tomorrow. If I find your fighting skills lacking, you’re off the team. I need people I can trust.’

Maggie nodded. ‘Fair enough.’

Cobb continued. ‘How are you with weapons?’

‘What kind?’

‘Firearms.’

‘I’ve done some skeet shooting with clients, and I’ve held – but not fired – an assault rifle during mandatory military training in China.’

‘Josh will teach you the basics when you aren’t sparring or translating. With your martial arts training, you should already know breath control. I expect safety and mechanical proficiency in two days. Target precision within a week.’

McNutt shouted out, ‘That’s gonna be a lot of rounds, chief.’

‘Got anything better to do?’

‘Well, I was going to wax my bikini line, but that can wait.’

Cobb tuned him out and addressed Sarah. ‘Once Hector is done with his list, I need you to figure out what we’d need to extract a treasure the size of the one in Egypt. I know Papi has handled that in the past, but I would prefer if we were in charge of this extraction.’

Sarah nodded. ‘Consider it done.’

‘I also want you to completely re-envision our personal gear. We need to be prepared for anything, but we also need to be able to cross borders without arousing suspicion. Feel free to think outside the box. Use Hector to brainstorm new comms and personal computing. I don’t want a situation like in Alexandria where we lost contact. Our bodies might glow green from radiation, but I want to be able to talk to everyone through tons of rock and metal.’

‘I already have some ideas,’ she said.

Cobb returned his focus to Maggie. ‘Once you’ve translated the manuscript, I want your opinion on possible locations for the treasure.’

Maggie was about to offer a theory, but before she could say a word Cobb’s eyes darted toward his left shoulder and to Papineau, who sat beyond it. Cobb followed the glance with an almost imperceptible shake of his head, warning her that this wasn’t the time or place to discuss her thoughts on the matter.

To her credit, she picked up on the signal instantly.

‘As soon as you know something, we’ll make our move,’ Cobb said, loud enough for the others to hear. ‘In the meantime, while Hector gets the computer translation ready, why don’t you come with me and Sarah for a quick tour of the house and grounds?’

Sarah acted as a tour guide, pointing out features of the compound to Maggie, while Cobb silently accompanied them. They eventually wandered out toward the pier, past the palm trees and the interlocking swimming pools, while Sarah told Maggie some details about the
Trésor de la Mer
, the four-level-high, sixty-five-foot yacht that Papineau usually arrived on.

‘Let’s take a stroll on the beach,’ Cobb said. ‘We need to give Hector time to work, and I’d like to hear more about Maggie’s life.’

Sarah looked at him and knew exactly what he was suggesting.

They angled away from the house and headed toward a small private beach along the edge of the property. As they passed behind a small concrete structure that served both as a storage shed for the pool equipment and a shower to wash off saltwater and sand from the sea, Cobb signaled for them to stop.