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Maybe I shouldn't have told her not to worry about Frisk's men, because I haven't bothered to look at them and find out if they're free. Two of them had cut their bindings right before Ashley went into the water, though I don't know how they did that. When my attention lands on the ersehole who had thrown Ashley into the water, I clench my hands into fists and clench my jaw too, nearly overpowered by the need to leap on the bastard and hurl him into the pool—after I batter him senseless.
But I cannae do that.
He's holding a gun. So are his three mates. That leaves two of them who have gone somewhere. Since I don't see Frisk either, I suspect he and two of his men sneaked into the catacombs while Munro and I dragged Ashley out of the pool. Frisk must want to catalog his booty before he tries to ship it out of here. They couldn't have left the cavern, not with Munro and me fighting his men. Sure, we had forgotten all about them once we saw Ashley go into the water. But I would've noticed those bastards if they'd skulked past me. Wouldn't I?
We cannae risk it. We need to know where they went. And that means we need to regain control of the situation. Three of us against four armed enemies, not to mention their two missing mates and Christian Frisk.
Aye, this should be a piece of cake.
"Get away from the girl," the bloke who had thrown her into the water snarls at me. He wields his gun in a negligent gesture, as if he knows nothing about gun safety or simply doesn't care. Either option is dangerous. "I said get away from her. Right now."
I rise gradually, holding my hands up, palms out. "Relax, mate. We're moving."
Munro follows my lead, standing to raise his hands too.
"Back away," the man who seems to be in charge commands. "Get to the corner over there."
Munro and I walk over to the corner, where we had corralled these men earlier. We keep our hands raised. But this situation won't go on for much longer. We need to find an opening, that's all.
"What should we do with them, Unger?" another man asks, directing his question to the bastard I'm going to murder soon.
The bloke who nearly killed Ashley grunts. "I don't give a shit. Shoot them if you want."
"Frisk won't like that."
"Screw that dickhead, Milliken. He's not here. I am. That means I'm in charge."
"When did I put you in charge?" Frisk asks, having just crossed the threshold of the doorway to the main passage. He hops off the slab and marches straight to Unger, raising his gun in the other man's face. "I think you've forgotten who pays you."
"Sorry, boss. I was just—"
"Acting like a useless asshole. Correct?"
Unger swallows hard, making his Adam's apple jump. "Yes, sir."
"Now that we've cleared that up, take Milliken and go get our duffel bags from the raft."
"Sure thing, boss."
Though Unger speaks the words of a dutiful servant, the tightness around his eyes and the slight curl of his lip belies that. He doesn't like his employer, not at all.
Frisk approaches Ashley. "You are going to take me through the rooms full of treasures and show me which items are of the most value."
"I'm not an archaeologist."
"But you spent most of your life trailing after your father like a good little puppy, learning from him. You wouldn't be here now if you hadn't picked up enough information to know whether the treasures in these caverns are real or counterfeit."
"I can't do that. You need an expert."
"Aye, she's right," I say. "You need me. Take me into the caverns with you, not Ashley. That's what you did earlier."
Frisk grasps Ashley's upper arm as he turns partway toward me. "Yes, but now I don't trust you, Errol. You tried to get away from me."
"Aye. And I'm so awfully sorry about that, Christian. You've been the perfect host."
"Do you really think sarcasm is appropriate right now?"
"It's always appropriate with you." I hold my wrists out, held together as if they're shackled. "You can zip tie me. I donnae mind."
