Up to that point, we had been very aware of Mario and his men, but for a few minutes our attention was elsewhere. It was the moment Mario was waiting for. Unnoticed by the rest of us, they had fallen back a few steps and had fanned out behind us.

"New plan," announced Mario, stopping us dead in our tracks. I turned. All three had their guns out. "We're taking the gold down to the dock. You can help us fill our boat."

I was totally disgusted with myself. "You've got to be shitting me."

"Afraid not. I gave you the chance to split the gold, but you got all noble on me. So now you get nothing."

"I thought you didn't kill people," said Sabrina. She seemed very calm. But again, she was dealing with an element she had a lot of experience with.

"I lied." Seeing the doubt in her face, he said, "You are more than welcome to test it out."

We didn't need to. At that moment all hell broke loose.

Chapter 34

The first bullet took out the man to Mario's left. One moment he was pointing his gun at us and the next he was crumpled on the ground, half his face blown away. Nothing registered at first and no one moved. But when the second shot came and the goon to Mario's right went down, we all dove for cover. I landed on top of Sabrina behind the wagon.

In retrospect, I guess we knew this was how it was going to end. It began with violence, so of course it would have to end that way. For the longest time we thought the showdown was going to be with Mario. But when the realization hit that there was a third party involved—more dangerous by far than Mario—it became clear that they were going to be a force to reckon with. We had seen the results of their handiwork in the States, and their vicious attack on the river showed them to be dangerous and determined. The question was why? We still didn't know who they were, what they wanted, or where they came from. Mario's motivations were clear; he wanted the treasure. These people were different. Killing seemed to be their only goal.

But it was all moot now. Who cared what anyone's reasons were. All we were trying to do was to stay alive. Another shot rang out, and the bullet hit the wagon. More specifically, it clipped the corner of a bar of gold, showering us with little chunks of gold.

"I've got to move," said Sabrina from under me. I lifted my body enough for her to move, but not high enough to make myself a target. She squirmed a bit and finally broke free. Lying next to me, there was just enough cover from the wagon to keep us from being exposed to the shooter, or shooters.

"You okay?" I whispered to her.

"Ask me again if we live through this."