Chasing Gold

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Alicia planted her boots up on the pockmarked table and settled back into her seat. Every muscle, bone and nerve in her body ached. Resting made it worse. Several sharp twinges started up whenever she stopped; injuries she hadn’t even known she had. In truth though, the rest of the team were similarly afflicted and were employing heat and alcohol as a way of coping.

The hotel bar was deserted and quiet at this time of night — or morning as the case may be. Vino and his gang — as she called them — had finally agreed to let them rest for the night but only with the guarantee that they could resume questioning tomorrow. Agent Merriweather had helped from afar; the local FBI had helped from Oahu. Alicia was already feeling sleepy, full of rum, her body heated up by a crackling fire. With the end of the mission in sight and the terrorists all killed or captured, it was time to rest.

“Good to hear the banner made it,” Caitlyn said, similarly lounging on her own leather chair.

Crouch, who dared not move a millimeter except to raise his glass, spoke first in a rasping voice. “It went through almost as much as we did. But it slowed them down, which eventually is what led to their capture.”

“And what’s next?” Alicia asked. “Do you have anything planned, Michael?”

“Next?” Crouch threw her a pained look. “Next is healing and then reviewing. We made a few wrong moves on the op, and we didn’t discover an ounce of gold.”

It was a joke. Alicia grinned. Russo guffawed. Crouch only scowled at them.

“Quit it,” he said. “I know you’re only laughing because I’m broken.”

“You’ll be fine,” Alicia said. “To be honest you could do worse than staying here for a week or two. Hawaiian therapy can’t be bad.”

Crouch grinned at that. Alicia became aware of the other person among their crew now; the only person that wasn’t drinking or pretending to laugh. Terri Lee sat quietly and contemplatively, close to the fire and staring into its fiery heart as if it might give her some answers. Alicia tried to include the Japanese girl in their conversation.

“They will find him,” she said, addressing the problem. “On Molokai, he surely can’t get far.”

Terri looked up. “He might,” she said. “Especially if he planned the terrorists’ final getaway. He’ll already have a plan in place.”

“Then they’ll catch him somewhere else.”

Terri shook her head bitterly. “He’s better at hiding than thieving. I spent—wasted—a good part of my youth looking for him. It took… dedication.”

Alicia watched her. “And what are you thinking right now?”

“That I should waste even more of my life hunting the bastard down one last time.”

It was exactly what Alicia would do, but she couldn’t admit that. “Leave it to the cops. You have your own problems.”

Terri turned glumly back to the fire. “I guess I’ll be going to prison then.”

“Well… your help with Michael, your obvious imprisonment and remorse will count for a great deal but you do have other crimes to answer for.”

“Under influence. I tagged along; I rolled with the changes, stupidly.”

“All that will help your case.”

Alicia wished she could help the young Japanese thief more, but a small leniency was about the best she could hope for. The amount of jobs Terri and Cutler had done together wasn’t insignificant. “You know,” she said. “You could always offer your services to the FBI, or CIA. I hear they’re always on the lookout for expert recruits to seek out enemies, information, relics, even other people. That kind of thing. It could be worth a shot.”

Terri gave her a grateful glance. “Thanks.”

“And if, during one of those missions, you happened to find out where twat-bollocks Cutler was hiding…” Alicia let it hang.

Terri laughed. “Even better,” she said.

The fire crackled, the heat lulled them. Alicia was so glad their incredible chase was over, but she did feel a long way from home. It would soon be time to start back. For now though, she stretched out with Russo on one side and Caitlyn on the other. Austin lounged just a seat away, and Crouch was facing her.

They were good company. Good friends. People she could rely and lean on. It wasn’t in her nature to linger, but she’d ensure they were all okay before she took her leave.

Because, in the end, it was those that cared and loved and fought for you that really mattered.