The Death Relic

30

Payne didn’t bother to criticize Maria for leaving the SUV. He was too focused on Hamilton’s cargo to worry about her disobedience.

The back of the Hummer was filled with artefacts, each divided by category and stored in a handmade display case with removable wooden slats. The case stretched almost the whole length and width of the trunk, as if it were custom-fitted to the vehicle. Large objects such as painted ceramic vases, clay statues and intricate jade masks were packed in bubble wrap and given their own individual compartments. Meanwhile, smaller items, such as jewellery, stone figurines and pottery shards, were relegated to plastic bags and crammed in the remaining spaces. With a depth of 24 inches, the case held more than 100 items.

As the lone archaeologist in the group, Maria stepped forward and examined the relics. Despite having very little experience with Mesoamerican art, she had spent enough time in museums around the world to know an important find when she saw one. And this qualified.

Maria held up a plastic bag. Inside was a carved stone figure depicting a Mayan god with an elaborate headdress. ‘Do you know what a collector would pay for this?’

Payne shrugged. ‘No idea.’

‘Depending on its age, probably tens of thousands of dollars.’

‘For an action figure? It’s not even in its original box.’

She ignored the wisecrack. ‘The Mayan civilization is more than four thousand years old. If this object came from the Preclassic Era, it might even predate Christ.’ She handed it to Jones, who gazed at its features. ‘I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t my area of expertise, but at first glance, I’d say that Hamilton made a substantial discovery. On the open market, the contents of this trunk are worth … well … I honestly don’t know. But I guarantee it’s a lot.’

Jones grimaced at her assessment but said nothing. In his mind, it still wasn’t the right time to ruin their moods. He would wait until they had a little more time to examine the bounty before he revealed the bad news about Hamilton.

Payne glanced at Maria. ‘What did you mean by that?’

‘Which part?’ she asked.

‘The part where you said this wasn’t your area of expertise.’

‘Well, it isn’t my area of expertise. Furthermore, you know it isn’t.’

Payne didn’t like her tone, and he didn’t like her use of “furthermore”. The word was dripping with condescension. ‘Excuse me?’

She glared at him. ‘You know damn well what my specialty is. Or don’t you remember roughing me up while I was searching for Christian artefacts in Italy?’

‘Roughing you up? What in the hell are you talking about?’

Her voice was filled with venom. ‘Oh, I see how it is. You’ve beaten up so many women that you can’t possibly remember them all. Well, let me refresh your memory. When you tracked me down in Milan, you grabbed me by my hair, threw me on the hood of a car, then shoved a gun under my chin while threatening to blow my head off. Or was that someone else?’

‘Hold up,’ he said, confused. ‘Is that how you remember it?’

‘Yes! That’s how I remember it!’

He shook his head. ‘Funny, because I remember it differently to you. I remember you and your mentor being international fugitives at the time, accused of mass murder and twenty other charges that would’ve gotten you fried. That forced me to take extra precautions during our first encounter. Furthermore — to use your word — I recall saving your ass on multiple occasions, clearing both of your names and helping you with the biggest discovery of your career.’

‘Yeah, but—’

‘Furthermore,’ he said angrily, ‘I also remember a phone call from you less than twenty-four hours ago when you were crying like a schoolgirl and begging for my help. So it might be nice if you dropped the arrogance for a little while and showed me some goddamned respect.’

Furious, she cursed him in Italian.

Payne turned towards Jones. ‘I don’t deserve this shit! I really don’t! You need to talk to your wife right now and get her ass in line, or you can handle this mess on your own. As far as I’m concerned, there are more than enough ungrateful people in the world. If they happen to lose their queen, it isn’t going to bother me in the least.’

‘Jon—’

‘DJ, I’m serious! She’s been giving me attitude ever since we arrived. First at the hotel, then in the car. Now she’s accusing me of beating women? What the hell is that about? I asked her a legitimate question about her area of expertise, and she hits me with a “furthermore”. Really? After all I’ve done for her? I ought to take that “furthermore” and shove it up her ass.’ Payne turned his head and glared at Maria. ‘But I would never do that because “I don’t hurt women.” ’

Cursing under his breath, he stormed away from the Hummer and headed to the far end of the rocky shoal. Not only to calm down, but to give the unhappy couple a chance to talk in private. Payne knew his verbal confrontation with Maria would put Jones in an awkward position, forcing him to get between his best friend and his ex-girlfriend, but Payne didn’t regret anything he’d said. He truly meant it when he said he would walk away from the situation. Although it was against his nature to turn his back on someone in trouble, the only person who appeared to be in peril was Terrence Hamilton, who was a total stranger to them. With Payne’s military connections, he knew he could place a single call to the US Embassy in Mexico and convince them to assemble a team to investigate Hamilton’s disappearance. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he regretted not doing that at the very beginning. Heck, the only reason he hadn’t was because of Jones. Or, more specifically, Jones’s feelings for Maria.

Payne knew Jones cared about her — more than he was willing to admit — and that he wanted to prove his worth by rescuing her from danger. As someone who’d been through a similar situation with his ex-girlfriend Ariane, he understood Jones’s desire to be a protector and wanted to help him in any way possible. At the same time, though, he knew he had to step in at some point and speak up for Hamilton. It was one thing to be a good wingman and help his buddy work things out with an old flame. It was another thing completely if Hamilton died or got hurt while Jones and Maria struggled through their issues.

Payne thought Hamilton deserved better than that.

He deserved their full attention.

If Jones and Maria didn’t get their act together soon, he would be forced to call in reinforcements from the US Embassy. His conscience wouldn’t give him a choice.

Trying to calm down, Payne picked up a flat rock and tried to skip it across the undulating surface of the Caribbean. The rock skipped four times before it was swallowed by a turquoise wave. A split-second later, the wave crashed into a nearby reef, sending spray high into the air. Other than the surf and the wind, the only other sound was the rumble of a distant motor. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he gazed to the northwest and spotted two jet skis running parallel to the crowded beach, both riders zipping along at high speed.

Payne smiled as he thought back to a recent trip to Clearwater, Florida. He and Jones had rented WaveRunners near Pier 60 and had taken them into the Gulf of Mexico, where they’d lucked upon a school of dolphins. For more than ten minutes, the dolphins had followed them wherever they went. Not in a predatory way. More like a game of follow-the-leader. Back and forth, side by side, as fast as they could go. It was, without a doubt, one of the coolest things he had ever experienced. Two species, intrigued by each other, sharing the open sea.

Unfortunately, his smile quickly faded when he refocused on the current situation. For whatever reason, Maria was harbouring some serious anger towards him, and it had reared its ugly head on two occasions in the past few hours. Thankfully, neither instance had put them at risk, but he realized it was only a matter of time before it did. If the two of them were going to work together, Payne knew they had to come to an understanding. Otherwise, his involvement would cause more damage than good.

For Jones’s sake, he was willing to try.

He hoped Maria would, too.