The Treasure Read Online Free PDF Page A

Amelia waited patiently while her boots sunk further into the mud. Her clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin, her mascara surely running. This was so not what she had planned — what was that? Something caught her eye down the road and she squinted to look closer.
    “There’s a car coming,” she said when an old, battered, pick-up truck came into view. “Maybe they can help.”
    Don’s head snapped up. The rumble of an engine got louder. “Get in the car,” he said, working like a madman to get the spare finished.
    Now
he was in a hurry. She stepped into the road and waved her arms. “No, I’ll flag them down.”
    “You idiot,” Mr. Newton hissed, grabbing her arm.
    “Hey,” Amelia protested. “We could use the help.”
    The truck ambled to a stop beside them and two men got out. Amelia recognized them immediately from the bar. The two that had been staring at her. Before she knew what was happening, they had drawn guns and had them pointed at her and Mr. Newton.
    Terrified, Amelia backed away from the gun pointed at her head, but Mr. Newton blocked her retreat. “What’s going on?”
    One of the men spoke in rapid Spanish. The only word she understood was
mapa
.
    “You’re not getting it, Alejo,” Mr. Newton said with menace that slid uncomfortably down her spine. He pulled her closer to his body, his arm going around her neck. In his other hand, he held a gun, pointing back at the two men.
    “Where did you get that?” Amelia gasped.
    All three men started talking at once, in Spanish, so she couldn’t understand them. Anger lit up the argument as they waved their guns at her. Her heartbeat roared in her ears.
    Red-faced, the man holding the biggest gun — which was not her guide — started shouting and waving it in her face. Terrified, she pushed against Mr. Newton. Did he really think yelling back was helping? Someone help her, she was in the middle of a shouting match between three very angry, very dangerous looking men. She had to find a way out. But Mr. Newton was holding her so tightly she couldn’t free herself.
    Through the rain she saw another vehicle approaching. Her heart turned over in her chest.
Please, no more bad guys with guns.
    The shouting escalated. Now both men were waving their guns at her and her guide was waving his gun back.
    Glancing sideways, she saw the vehicle roll to a stop a short distance away. The three men were yelling at each other so loudly they didn’t notice. Amelia barely got a glimpse of the driver before Mr. Newton pulled her off to the side and took a threatening step toward the other two, dragging her with him.
    The three looked ready to come to blows now, making threatening gestures with their guns.
    A shot rang through the air.
    • • •
    Amelia screamed and ducked. Her guide’s grip loosened and she dove for cover, expecting to feel the pain of a bullet as her life flashed before her eyes. She landed in the mud, stunned to find herself still alive.
    Frantic, she patted her chest, her legs, looking for blood but found nothing except sticky mud. Looking up she saw the three men were still standing, their attention turned to the man down the road.
    Seeing her on the ground, Mr. Newton bent toward her, his expression furious. Amelia started to scoot away, but a loud voice halted both their movements.
    “Don’t even think about touching her, Newton,” Brody warned, his voice carrying across the distance. “My gun is bigger than yours and I’m having a real bad week. That goes for you too, Alejo. Tell your brother to back the hell off. Miss Sawyer, come over here.
Now
.”
    Shaking, heart beating furiously against her ribs, Amelia scrambled backwards. She never thought she’d be happy to hear Brody Kern’s gruff voice, but right now, it was like a song from heaven.
    Somehow she managed to get to her feet and run on wobbly legs to where Brody waited.
    When she was only a few steps away, Brody stepped out, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her behind