Caribbean Gold

CHAPTER TWENTY

A pirate galleon, of smaller size than the norm, lay on its side, broken and rotting and wallowing sadly in about three feet of water. The sea cave filled up several times a year but for now, during this season, the water sat stagnantly at its lowest level. The timbers were warped or shattered, sticking out like broken ribs. The masts drooped and what little tatters of sail were still affixed to the spars were barely recognizable. But the fact that Captain Morgan had actually left this ship here filled the mercenaries with excitement. Alicia watched them clambering excitedly and recklessly onto the ship, one at a time. Even from here she could hear the timbers groaning.

Crouch grated his teeth together. “Assholes. Don’t they know the ship itself is a bloody treasure? One of Morgan’s vessels, still here above water? Damn.”

“How can you tell it’s one of Morgan’s vessels?” Russo squinted. “The colors? Size? Memory?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Crouch answered without even a hint of sarcasm.

Jensen walked the planks carefully, waving his men back before they did any more damage. It took a while and a fair amount of careful prizing apart of already damaged timbers, but the mercs managed to board the vessel and search its innards. Several items were brought out and deposited on the rocks, but nothing of any major import.

Alicia and Crouch kept careful watch, hidden by the jutting array of rocks and brighter light behind them. In the end over a dozen mercs worked the ship and Jensen wandered from point to point, always questioning, always searching. In one hand he held a new torch, in the other a tankard full of neat rum. Swilling it down liberally, he soon grew more vociferous, though appeared none the worse for wear.

Time stretched and Alicia became conscious that afternoon at least must be here. They still had their packs, so took the time to drink and eat. Not once did any of the mercs approach the wall, but stayed focused on the new shipwreck and Jensen’s orders.

Alicia beckoned Crouch aside. “Let Russo and Healey watch for a while.”

“I really need to watch Jensen.”

“They’ll call us if anything happens. And, Michael, you really need to come with me.”

She saw his eyes sharpen as he detected a note in her voice. Alicia led the way across the sea cave and toward the entrance. Careful at first, she found a rock to perch on where she could stare out the overhung entrance and across the startling blue seas.

“What is it?” Crouch asked quickly.

Alicia sighed softly. “I came here to help you, but that’s not the only reason I came.”

“I imagine it had to be a pretty compelling reason to leave Drake behind.”

“Oh, it was. The trouble is — I believe I know you, Michael. You are one of only a handful of people on this planet that I fully trust. And I find it hard to… put something dark between us out there.”

“Ah, well you’ve done it now. Might as well continue.”

Alicia met the man’s eyes and hers were bleak. “Beau said something before he died.” Her mind’s eye switched instantly back to that final struggle between them, when her old boyfriend had tried to kill the entire team. Crouch had initially recruited Beau for himself and helped ease his way into Alicia’s primary team, but the Frenchman had always been a treble agent, working for a crazy enemy. In his last moments he had suggested that Crouch either knew, or forced it to happen that way.

Alicia said as much, watching the man she had always happily called boss.

“Is that what Beau said? I’m surprised.”

“I mean, the man’s clearly a liar, but…”

“He wanted out,” Crouch said. “After he infiltrated the Pythian shadow organization and got close to the boss, then betrayed him, Beau wanted out. I forced him to stay with you guys, with team SPEAR, because I knew he would be useful.”

Alicia weighed his words. “You forced him? How’s that? Beau was nobody’s doormat.”

“Before he was an assassin, Beau was a mercenary. Before that a solider. Before that an interrogator. There are an awful lot of closets, entire dark rooms, in the head of a man who was once an interrogator. That job, that past, does not sit well.” Crouch looked downcast, pained even. “I was privy to some of his secrets. And I knew some of the men, now powerful, that once sat in his chair.”

Alicia blinked hard. “Jesus. You blackmailed him?”

“And eventually broke him,” Crouch said. “It’s my fault he turned back to the Pythian organization in the end and put you all at risk.”

“At risk?” Alicia yelled. “That’s some fucking understatement!”

Heads turned. Russo frowned over at her to stay quiet. Alicia gave him the finger.

Crouch nodded his head slowly. “We’re all a consequence of our actions, I guess. I am sorry, Alicia, but not every choice we make is the best one.”

She knew that, knew it better than most. What stung her was the new knowledge that Crouch had coerced Beau and he might have done the same thing to others. An unquestionable trust, when broken, was a fragile bond to mend, as delicate as a bird’s wing. One thing was certain though, it would take time.

“Do you want to know more?” Crouch asked.

“No.” Alicia turned away and drank in the uplifting sight of the shimmering waves. “You’re best leaving it right where it is.”

And then she caught sight of Healey waving them back.

Quickly she rose and, without a word or a glance in Crouch’s direction, re-joined the team. At the new hole in the rock wall she peered carefully through and picked out Jensen.

“What’s happening, boys?”

“Reality just broke this pirate party up big time. Jensen’s now spitting bloody fire instead of rum. Come watch.”

Alicia took it all in.

“He’s a bastard! He’s led us a merry dance! If he were alive right now I’d string him up myself!”

“They found nothing?” Alicia asked wonderingly.

“Another strongbox full of trinkets.” Caitlyn smiled. “Morgan’s ‘that which sorely plagues’ I believe.”

“Local loot.”

Jensen raved himself out and then drank more rum. His men stood around looking despondent, their torches still flickering but now drooping. Alicia shook her head at Caitlyn. “Why sink an entire bloody ship?”

“A symbolic gesture would be my guess. Learned pirate captains were full of them back in the day. Granted, most were bloody and violent, but perhaps this helped ease Morgan’s guilt.”

“A proper search of that ship under restricted conditions would have revealed the truth.” Crouch came up at that point. “Something we’ll never now get.”

Jensen wavered, now ranting about the drawbacks and consequences of following the last of the maps to its final destination. The end of the search for Captain Morgan’s treasure hoard. The strongbox he held in his hand went up in the air and was then dashed against the nearest array of rocks. It contents scattered everywhere as the sides burst.

Crouch almost cried out. The loss to history, the mindless ransacking, was an abomination to his lifelong way of thinking.

Alicia drew her gun. “We’re gonna end this right now. Fuck letting ’em do all the work for us. Are you with me?”

Crouch was the first to follow. “All the way.”