They exchanged glances, and Andrew cast his gaze to the ground, shaking his head.
“It was sad but also very touching,” William said in a low voice. “Did you know they were brothers?”
I figured they were related. They had a similar ugliness to them.
“What happened?” I stared at Andrew, remembering his threat to Vitali that he wouldn’t make it alive. My hand went to my throat. “You didn’t…?”
“When you and Brie went down,” Andrew said, “the floor under Igor’s feet collapsed too, leaving him hanging on by his fingertips. Vitali rushed to him and tried to pull Igor up, and they just… fell over. We couldn’t save them.”
“You should look at this,” Brandon called, standing behind the waterfall’s curtain.
We walked to him and faced a large ship’s steering wheel at the base of an elaborate pulley system that rose about fifty feet. I craned my neck, my gaze following the thick cables that looped over massive beams and disappeared into the ceiling.
“It looks like ship parts.” I ran my fingers over the helm.
“They used them because they knew they were corrosion resistant,” Richard said, coming up behind us.
Andrew studied the complex network, then moved over to the right side of the helm. He gripped the handles and pushed on them. The wheel didn’t move. Andrew blew out a breath and cut his eyes to Richard.
“For once, you can help.”
“I don’t do heavy lifting unless I’m asked.” Richard stepped over to the other side. Together, they yanked harder on the wheel. They made two more attempts, each making inhuman groans, before the wheel whined, gave in, and rotated a few degrees. The pulleys returned to life with creaks and screeches. My sweaty hands clutched William’s forearm, my muscles going tense all over, expecting the worst. Based on everything that had happened since we’d arrived at the ruins, I was allowed to think something was about to misfire.
Andrew and Richard continued turning the helm. The gush of the water over the crest of the waterfall lessened and soon turned into a dribble.
“Adriana,” Andrew said, his voice strained. “See that rope?” He jerked his head to his left. “Pull it to me.” I jumped into action, my feet slipping on the moist rock. I dragged the cable to him. “Loop it and tie it into a bowline knot.”
I gave him a blank stare. “How would I know how to do that?”
“I’ll do it.” Brandon’s hands quickly worked the rope around the wooden spoke. When he was done, he stepped back. Richard and Andrew let go of the wheel at once. The line strained, holding the helm in place.
“Now what?” I asked, my flashlight bouncing from wall to wall in search of a new portal or the reason for cutting off the water. Everything looked the same.
“I see it!” William shouted, pointing down into the pool. I scrambled to him, and my heart skipped a beat when multiple chests and crates came into view at the base of the pond.
“We found it!” I yelled, catching Andrew’s eyes across the cave. He beamed, and I mirrored his grin.
“We split it fifty-fifty,” Brie said, her voice chafing my raw nerves the wrong way.
The floor beneath us trembled, causing my breathing to cease.
“You feel that?” William turned to me, wide-eyed. I nodded.
The pond bubbled, gurgled, and rapidly dropped, exposing all of Augustine’s loot. Gold bars in open crates reflected light from our flashlights. Chests were stacked three high.
Unblinking, I stared at the twenty or maybe thirty wooden trunks, the shock of it all rooting me to the ground. Were they all full of gold? If so, my goodness, the find was priceless.
When the water had finished draining, Dickhead slid on his ass to the bottom, whooping at the top of his lungs. William made a step towards the treasure, but I placed my hand on his shoulder, shaking my head.
“Don’t,” I said in a low voice.
I worried Richard could pull a last-minute dick move. He didn’t seem to have his gun with him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a knife strapped to his ankle.
With the tail of his flashlight, Dickhead struck a padlock, then threw the lid open. He made another whooping cry, spreading his hands over the shimmering gold coins, then digging his fingers in. He threw open another chest, exposing gemstones and jewels. He placed an emerald tiara on his greasy head and looked up.
“Dr. Jones, I have a new proposition for you,” he said. A creepy feeling rose inside of me. “Fuck the Russian billionaire. Forget the Octavian group. How about you and I keep it all? With my contacts, we can double our profit. No, we can triple it.” Richard roared with laughter, looking like the Joker—minus the frightening make-up.
“I’d rather get kicked in my teeth by a horse than work with you,” Andrew said, his hand on his hips.
