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Stencil-h If his buddies aiting for orders, they were going to have to keep waiting, because he was a hands-on kind of guy He pulled a pistol froun, and pointed it at Drake’s forehead

"Any ti

The little co that Drake was trying to rush hian

A single shot rang out, sending a flurry of colorful birds shooting skyward fro The little lanced down in confusion and ret at the hole in his chest, and then collapsed into the grass

Only the fact that Drake and Alex had their hands thrust into the air and so obviously empty kept them alive in thatinto the trees, trying to figure out who they were supposed to shoot One of the

Then the shadows uns and faces appeared in the trees Some were above and some below, some were dressed in the style of local tribesrant workers, but they were all ar and even so of the weapons and the rustle of the trees, theyat the others to fire, as if he needed to have soo first An arrow thunked into the ground inches away from his mud-crusted left boot He stared at the arrow for a second or two and then threw his gun into the grass

Atheir weapons and the Cuiqawa tribe swiftly eed from the trees and surrounded them Several of the tribesmen hurried to Drake’s stolen Jeep, and one of them lifted the burlap-wrapped staff from the backseat, shook it in triuuy realized he hadn’t gone in after the staff just to win the tribe’s gratitude

He stood and went over to Alex The girl still looked terrified, staring at the Cuiqawa as though they ht be a new threat Drake helped her to her feet

"How ’bout now?" he asked "Does this count as a rescue?"

2

Drake spentup on his sleep After the adrenaline rush of days spent trying not to die, he felt completely spent, yet at the saht a wrong Valdez had done hiranted, he’d been the one to steal it in the first place--and noas going ho while

The tribe had paid his fee for retrieving the golden staff, but the etting his daughter back alive The fact that the latter deed had been purely, if soly, accidental only made the reward that much sweeter It was the kind of luck that didn’t come his way often, and he couldn’t wait to share the story of his good fortune with Victor Sullivan, his best friend and sometime partner in ventures like this one

There were several squalling children on the flight, and the suer in the seat behind hi his seat, but he felt impervious to the world’s atteht h the free headphones, he h for the gooey chicken and broccoli dish that ht have been dinner or ealed stuff around the chicken and veggies turned out to be egg

The flight landed almost fifteen --and when Drake unbuckled his seat belt and stood up, obviously content and well rested, he thought he caught several envious glances froers Most of theood as he retrieved his backpack from under the seat and his duffel from the overhead compartment The su to unwedge himself from 17D when Drake filed off the plane

As he traveled from one terminal to another, he sed to keep down the hideous concoction the airline had fed its passengers, but he was definitely hungry again, and cinna weaknesses Like kryptonite--if kryptonite was soft and warar and Super in line for his cinna forward to American coffee, he reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone, which had been off for the duration of the flight He turned it on and saw that he’d es The first one consisted of a wo nue was froent whenever he needed to rid Drake did a little toofor Vivian’s taste and she often chided hi her servicesfro his own passport He didn’t like to do it, afraid to draw any scrutiny fro South A lessons and then spending a feeeks training to blow hihanistan

The third e was froet this So’s up, and I could use a second set of eyes Another brain wouldn’t hurt ei--"

The phone beeped, and he glanced at it, surprised to see that it was Sully calling again He thu call

"Sully," he said, frowning "What’s so important?"

Motion out of the corner of his eye drew his attention, and he flinched, on edge after the last few days, but it was just the girl behind the counter handing hihtful aroma of cinnaot a layover in Chicago," Drake said as he made his way to a small table where he could sit with his back to the corner

He could hear Sully pausing and thought he heard the ht Sully quit about once athe end of an unlit Cuban, as if daring hi, he had obviously needed a sruff voice even raspier than usual "How fast can you get to New York?"