Curse of the Pharaoh: A Brock Stone Adventure

21 The Chase

Stone took off in hot pursuit of the big Indian. Alex’s long legs allowed him to keep close behind. Stone could see the back of Hawk’s head as he ducked in and out of the light traffic on the street. They dodged camel riders, men pulling carts, and a few confused tourists, and emerged into an open-air market.

The street was lined with colorful tents and awnings. Vendors loudly hawked their wares. Shady-looking youths lurked in the shadows, looking for potential marks to pickpocket. Hawk skirted a cart laden with fruit and disappeared among the tents that lined the street.

“Where did he go?” Alex asked.

Stone spotted a man in a flowing robe duck behind a vendor’s cart. The robe was not long enough to hide his cowboy boots. Stone grinned. “Wait here where he can see you. Keep looking around. Try to appear confused.”

“Not a problem,” Alex said.

Stone melted into the crowd, worked his way down the street, and circled back from the opposite direction. He saw Hawk kneeling down watching Alex. He moved on silent feet until he was a few feet behind the Indian.

“We mean you no harm.”

Hawk snapped his head around. His jaw dropped. “You are the first white man to ever sneak up on me.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. And whatever you do, don’t reach for a weapon. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Think you can?” Hawk grinned as he slowly rose to his feet.

“Let’s not find out. I want to hire you for a job. I only chased you because I didn’t want you to get away before we could talk.”

Hawk looked at him cagily. “I’m not for sale.”

“Good thing I only want to rent you.”

Hawk laughed. “Funny man. Who do you work for?”

“Myself.”

“I’m not interested.” Hawk folded his arms, glared at Stone.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get out of town right about now? I imagine the law will be hot on your heels.”

“The law isn’t the problem. I’m not guilty and I know who to bribe if it comes to that.”

“You’ll need money for that, and you left a pile of it lying on the floor back in the bar.” Stone patted the wad of bills in his pocket.

Hawk nodded. “Let’s talk, but not here.”

Stone followed him to a stall where carpets and tapestries were sold. Hawk said something to the merchant, then turned to Stone.

“Give him two pounds.”

Stone handed over two bills. The man smiled, bobbed his head, then handed one of the bills to Indian, who tucked it into his pocket.

“What was that?” Stone asked.

“Finder’s fee.”

Stone smiled ruefully and followed Hawk into a tent behind the stall.

“What’s the job?” Hawk asked when they were inside.

“I need to hire a guide.”

“A white man wants an Indian to lead him around. What a surprise. Do I look like Sacajawea?”

“A little bit. Must be the hair. Put a little curl in it and you’d look like Dolores Del Rio.”

Hawk smirked. “Don’t joke about the hair. I’ve killed men for less. Tell me about the job.”

“We’re looking for a place called Kauketos. It might also be called Sobekopolis.”

Hawk threw back his head and laughed. “I’m disappointed. You don’t look like the sort of man who believes in fairy tales.”

“When you’ve seen the things I’ve seen, you lose your skepticism. Can you take us there or not?”

“It’s a death sentence.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

The shopkeeper poked his head in and said something to the Indian. Hawk nodded, turned to Stone.

“Let’s make this quick so we can get out of here. Two hundred pounds in advance. You pay for all the supplies.”

“One hundred in advance and another two hundred when you get us back safely,” Stone said.

“What if you don’t live?”

“You can take it off my corpse. I won’t have any use for it.”

“Deal. And one more thing.” Hawk reached inside his boot, took out the ace of spades, and handed it to Stone. “Get rid of this for me. You understand.”

Stone gave a rueful chuckle. What sort of man was he now in league with?