𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿.

sixty two.

I follow JJ out the plane, looking around as Cleo voices my thoughts, shaking her head, "I told you, it's the wild west out here."

The place we landed seems to be a long stretch of dry land. Nothing out here but the runway and a small building. Several men in camo with guns line the outside of the plane.

"Sarah! Lia!"

I turn, seeing Ward limp out of the plane. My stomach knots, "what're you doing?"

"I'm coming with you!"

I scoff, "no you're not!"

"You got us here like you said you would now go on to Guadelupe!" Sarah argues, "You need to see a doc-"

"You're in over your head! Let me help-"

"No!" we shout in unison.

Ward's eyes meet Sarah's and she frowns, "get back in the plane."

"You promised you weren't a part of this," I purse my lips, "you promised."

Ward sighs, "okay."

I turn, stomping away.

* * *

I look around the streets as people run around, cheerfully waving flags and setting off fireworks. It seems as though some sort of festival or celebration is going on.

The taxi we're in stops and I smile at the driver, "gracias por la ayuda. Que tenga un buen día."

JJ sends me a look and I shrug, "my dad is fluent."

"There's a lot going on," Pope comments.

Cleo nods, "looks like it's a local holiday."

We step out of the street, regrouping in a circle as John B starts to explain, "alright we've gotta assume that Singh's already gone upriver. We're looking for a guy named Jose. He's gonna take us to the dig site."

I narrow my eyes, "Jose? You know how common of a name that is?"

"So do we have a last name?"

"I do not have a last name," John B purses his lips.

Cleo sighs, "it's gonna be like trying to find a teardrop in an ocean."

"Well I'm assuming river guys hang out by the river," Sarah shrugs, "right?"

JJ nods, adjusting his hat, "well if they're anything like the guys in OBX they're probably getting drunk on holiday."

Kie nods, "let's start with the bars."

"Divide and conquer?"

"Let's do it."

* * *

"Como sabes Jose?" I wrinkle my nose, "urm, river- rio?"

God, I need to touch up on my Spanish.

Dad would be disappointed.

The woman shakes her head, "no se, lo siento."

I smile, "gracias."

"Oh my god," I turn to JJ, rubbing my hand against my forehead, "there's nothing. Nobody knows anything. What're we gonna do?"

"It's okay," JJ grabs my face, "did I mention you're really hot when you speak spanish?"

I grin, "why cause I'm so terrible at it?"

JJ presses a kiss to my forehead before releasing me, it's way too hot out here to hold physical contact for long. I crane my neck to look down the street, wondering where our friends could have gone.

At the sight of Cleo, Kie, and Pope I grin, "JJ!"

He follows my eyes, his hand grabbing at the back of my shirt, "that's not good, Cat. Come on, let's go!"

I stumble behind him as he pulls me around the corner, our friends joining us after a moment. Kie falls into my side, out of breath.

"We just got here!" she groans, "can't we catch a break!"

Pope shakes his head, "we need a plan! Singh's men are right behind us."

"Too late they're here!"

"Fruit stands now!"

I crouch, ducking and weaving through the crowd until I reach the fruit stands, taking a seat behind them. I watch as the men interrogate the woman I was just speaking to. Luckily she shakes her head, insisting she doesn't know anything.

After a minute the men give up their search, climbing back into their car.

* * *

"Got anything to protect yourself?"

I shake my head, this is crazy.

Literally two minutes ago JJ decided to spill his guts that he told Barracuda Mike everything in order for him not to lose his life and now here he was, in South America with us, trying to help us get the gold.

When JJ had time to have this negotiation? Who knows.

"Here, machetes," he hands JJ the bag, "I'm adding the cost of this rig to what you already owe me. I don't expect to see it again anyway."

Though, Mike is surprisingly helpful.

"I asked around the landing today and it turns out your buds did already leave upriver," he pulls out a piece of paper, "but I was able to get directions to El Tesoro. Pretty loose, only Jose knows the real way but gets you in the right zip code."

"It's a start."

I smile, "thanks."

"Don't thank me," he shakes his head, "and JJ, you owe me. Ten times."

JJ just clicks his tongue, climbing into the boat beside me. I set down my bag, shrugging off my shirt to only be in a tank and tying up my hair. I unfold the map as we start to move, criss crossing my legs.

Let's do this.

* * *

I look up from the map, "I think this is it. This should be where the trail to El Tesoro starts."

It's been a day. Getting here was hard, we'd definitely been lost a few times and the mosquitos were killing me. But we made it.

"Oh shit," I hear JJ whisper.

I follow his eyes to find one of Singh's men and I recognize him. He's the one me, Kie, and Rafe fought and tied up when we escaped.

"What do we do?"

"We gotta get past them somehow."

Which is how we all end up holed up in a fish shack, it taking JJ three times to get our note over to their boat with the fishing line. The man reads it and Pope launches a firework.

He immediately jumps up, scrambling and yelling.

"Is he buying it?"

Me and Kie nod.

For once our plan is working.

The man suddenly grabs his gun.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit-"

"Get down!"

I duck as he rains bullets across the water, Pope launching another firework at them. They start up their boat, starting their retreat as they look out for the imaginary attack.

JJ and Pope do their handshake, "I think we're getting better at this."

"Hell yeah."

"Hey, hey," Cleo parts the two of them, "ain't no time for celebrating. We ain't do nothing yet."

Kie follows behind her, "that's fair."

JJ rolls his eyes, "I thought we did something-"

I pat his shoulder, walking past, "you didn't, nice try though."