The Last Bazaar

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

Drake struggled as the bonds bit hard.

Surprisingly, they had been well treated so far. They were seated on a deep, plush red sofa, hands tied behind their backs and feet strapped together. The sofa faced a picture window that stared out over towering peaks and down into the valley. A meandering lane led from the gates of the castle, over crumbling hills, through both thick and sparse stands of trees that eventually led to a rolling, grassy floor, many hundreds of feet below. Drake guessed they had been waiting there for an hour before a door opened.

Ramses stood behind them, out of sight.

“I could use assets like you,” he was saying. “Somebody willing to take a risk, put themselves on the line to make a difference. For me. Yes, I have many already but I could use people with brains. With instinct. With initiative. You would be very well reimbursed for your efforts.”

Alicia shuffled. “Untie me first. Then we will talk.”

“You would be willing to switch sides?”

“I’ve done it before.”

Ramses walked into view, standing like a mountain himself before the picture window. His frame blocked out all but a little light. “Then we shall talk.” He nodded behind Drake.

A gun barrel pressed against his temple. Akatash, he thought. The swift, silent assassin. Alicia blinked in shock, not having sensed the bodyguard’s presence.

“He’s good, isn’t he?” Ramses said. “I am good too. I used to believe I could take care of myself, against any opponent.” He sighed. “Then I met Akatash.”

Drake winced as the barrel pressed deeper.

Ramses studied Alicia. “You want to kill me. You want to be free. You hope your friends will come to save you. It is understandable. Well, none of that will happen. First, we will talk.”

“Torture will get you nowhere,” Alicia snapped. “You will never break us.”

Ramses looked affronted. “Torture? That is not what I do. I am a prince, madam. No, we will talk between ourselves and then, when dawn arrives, we will throw you from the battlements. That is all.”

“That’s all?” Drake repeated. “Easy for you to say.”

Alicia was shaking her head. “Madam? I thought you said you wouldn’t torture me?”

Ramses let out a deep booming laugh that fairly rattled the windows. A moment later a servant arrived, dressed in white, carrying a silver platter. Ramses chose three separate hors d’oeuvres and a proffered napkin. He waited whilst the servant poured him a chilled glass of white wine.

“Conti Montrachet,” he breathed, savoring the taste. “A vice, I am afraid.”

“Oh, wow,” Alicia retorted. “We’re so alike.”

Drake winced at that. If they had until morning to fashion an escape there was hope. But a pissed off terrorist prince might very quickly change his mind.

“So,” he stepped in fast. “What do you and Tyler Webb have in common?”

“Webb?” Ramses chewed slowly, contemplatively. “The Pythians were his brainchild, his new cabal. The man is a psychopath, deranged, unhinged, and was always meant to fail. He is alone now, searching for something he will never find. A myth. A fable. He will not last long.”

“But he is alive?” Drake pressed.

Ramses hollered out a laugh. “Of course. He escaped the Amazon as did I. There were many fail-safes around that camp and Webb, I’m afraid, insisted on knowing all of them.”

“Can I ask,” Alicia put in, “why the hell you’re still here? You know the rest of our team are out there, probably calling on the Peruvian Special Forces for help.” She squinted. “If they have one. But nevertheless, they’re coming for you, big boy.”

Ramses frowned a little. “I think you will find I own most of Peru’s authorities, along with Brazil’s. Nobody is coming for me. And as for your friends — let them come.” More laughter.

Drake enjoyed the bullishness, but not the underlying confidence. “What is Webb searching for?”

“Truly, I have no idea. Saint Germain or some such. Perhaps he wants to grind bones to make his bread. The man is a true monster.”

“How can you say that?” Alicia sat up. “Having ordered a nuclear detonation.”

“Our definitions differ.” Ramses stared right into her eyes. “But I see you are going to be of no use to me. This conversation will now end and enable me to turn to more pressing matters.”

Drake felt the gun barrel dig in a little harder before being pulled away. Yes, Akatash was a sadist No surprise there.

“I’ve changed my mind,” Ramses said as he walked out. “No mercy for them. Slit their throats now.”