Alicia Myles 2 - Crusader's Gold Read Online Free PDF Page B

her, swiping another man as she spun. “I have skills. We were all well trained.”
    “And you think I wasn’t?” Kenzie actually looked hurt. “The Mossad train the best, Alicia Myles. Remember that. And I was the cream of the crop.”
    Alicia noticed several passersby now staring, one man already tugging out a cellphone. “You need to get the hell out of here,” she told Kenzie. “Before you’re arrested by the Turkish police. You’ll also be best served by forgetting you ever heard of our little team.”
    Kenzie snarled a little, eyes still set to frostbite. “You won’t get rid of me that easily.”
    Alicia grinned happily. “Oh, I should hope the fuck not! We’ll call this a skirmish. A fracas.” She smashed a heel into Kenzie’s midriff, sending her grunting backwards, then spun fast with a high kick that noisily cricked the tendons in a merc’s neck. Holding onto the gun, she waded amongst the remaining men with Russo beside her.
    “Don’t hold back, will ya?” he muttered with mock anger.
    “Not in my nature.” Alicia fought hand-to-hand, jabbing, deflecting and reversing blows with two of Kenzie’s men. Crouch came back around the side of the coach, struggling to fight off three adversaries with Caitlyn’s help. The newcomer was being coached by Healey in their down time but still had a long, long way to go. Even as Alicia glanced over Caitlyn took a blow to the temple that staggered her. Healey noticed and almost yelped in anguish, tearing away from his current opponent to jump to her aid. Alicia gave chase, but found her way suddenly blocked by a returning Kenzie.
    “Get you next time, Myles.”
    The Israeli sent a parting shot at Alicia’s ribs, fast and arrow-straight and impossible to block. Alicia felt the impact, grimacing, knowing—as Kenzie had wanted her to—that here was a vicious, capable opponent. She exhaled carefully, ribs bruised.
    “Only if you buy a set of muscles, bitch. I’ve had hugs that hurt more than that tap.”
    Kenzie struck again, not blinking, not conveying any kind of tell.
    Alicia backed away this time, feeling the other woman’s knuckles graze past her cheek. Now at her back she sensed another enemy, turned briefly and saw a tall bearded man reaching for her. As his fingers grabbed her throat she copied Kenzie’s move of moments earlier—this time feeling the fracturing of bones.
    “A lesson,” she breathed and slipped away.
    Kenzie barked an order, for the first time, it seemed, aware of the loitering passersby and the many visible cellphones. Her men rallied around, careful to conceal what weapons they still carried and started to slip away.
    Alicia slipped to Crouch’s side, inventorying their new cache and confident they had secured at least three Uzis. “So we’re not going to be alone on our quest,” she said.
    “Never thought we would be.” Crouch gave her a resigned smile. “If a legitimate search for buried treasure does one thing it always draws the rats from their burrows.”
    Caitlyn gasped a little as Healey applied a pack of tissues soaked in cold bottled water to the raw swelling on her temple. “At least she’s not totally ruthless,” the Englishwoman said. “And not totally competent.”
    Alicia stared after the already departed woman. “I’m reserving judgment,” she said. “That little antic felt almost like a shot across the bows. An opening challenge. If she’s as seasoned as she says she is and a veteran of the Middle East she’ll be more than ruthless. But, hey, it could be worse.”
    Crouch grimaced as if recalling some of the worse enemies he’d come across in thirty years of soldiering. “Absolutely. We could have it much, much worse. Is everyone okay?”
    The team spoke up. Even Naz joined in, wary but now looking much relieved. Alicia clapped him on the shoulder.
    “So now you know what treasure hunting’s all about, how about you get to the good stuff?”

SIX
     
     
    Later that day the team checked