Caribbean Gold Read online

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

  Other Books by David Leadbeater

  Caribbean Gold

  (Alicia Myles #3)

  By

  David Leadbeater

  Copyright 2016 by David Leadbeater

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher/author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  This ebook is for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase any additional copy for each reader. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Thriller, adventure, action, mystery, suspense, archaeological, military, historical

  Other Books by David Leadbeater:

  The Matt Drake Series

  The Bones of Odin (Matt Drake #1)

  The Blood King Conspiracy (Matt Drake #2)

  The Gates of hell (Matt Drake 3)

  The Tomb of the Gods (Matt Drake #4)

  Brothers in Arms (Matt Drake #5)

  The Swords of Babylon (Matt Drake #6)

  Blood Vengeance (Matt Drake #7)

  Last Man Standing (Matt Drake #8)

  The Plagues of Pandora (Matt Drake #9)

  The Lost Kingdom (Matt Drake #10)

  The Ghost Ships of Arizona (Matt Drake #11)

  The Last Bazaar (Matt Drake #12)

  The Edge of Armageddon (Matt Drake #13)

  The Treasures of Saint Germain (Matt Drake #14)

  The Alicia Myles Series

  Aztec Gold (Alicia Myles #1)

  Crusader’s Gold (Alicia Myles #2)

  The Torsten Dahl Thriller Series

  Stand Your Ground (Dahl Thriller #1)

  The Disavowed Series:

  The Razor’s Edge (Disavowed #1)

  In Harm’s Way (Disavowed #2)

  Threat Level: Red (Disavowed #3)

  The Chosen Few Series

  Chosen (The Chosen Trilogy #1)

  Guardians (The Chosen Tribology #2)

  Short Stories

  Walking with Ghosts (A short story)

  A Whispering of Ghosts (A short story)

  Connect with the author on Twitter: @dleadbeater2011

  Visit the author’s website: www.davidleadbeater.com

  All helpful, genuine comments are welcome. I would love to hear from you.

  [email protected]

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

  Other Books by David Leadbeater

  CHAPTER ONE

  Alicia Myles perched on the very edge of her economy plane seat, probably freaking out all those around her as the plane twitched in turbulence, but not really noticing or caring.

  Her thoughts were far away, the light buffeting barely registering with her.

  How quickly and randomly life spun. How fleeting its best moments. How quickly a bright future could turn into a vision from hell. It wasn’t as though—this time at least—she’d made any mistakes. All her decisions had been made fairly, for good reasons. But still, she never seemed to be able to come out of any situation with a sense of peace.

  In my life there has never been peace.

  But dwelling now wasn’t going to help her. She was a soldier, part of an elite team, but had taken a few days away to help out a friend. That friend—her old boss.

  Michael Crouch had called at an incredibly poignant time. She remembered his words and her feelings like the sound of her own breath.

  “I heard about Beau. I know what you guys are going through. I’m shattered that he betrayed the team and my trust. If you come to Jamaica now you can be part of our new venture, and I’ll explain all I know.”

  New venture of course meant “latest treasure hunt”. The Gold crew, as she thought of them, had little success since being a major part of the crusaders’ gold quest a little while ago, coming up short at least twice. But then, not every hunt for ancient treasures was going to prove successful.

  “Jamaica?” she had answered, mostly to give herself a little more thinking time.

  “It’s in the Caribbean.”

  “I know where it is, boss. Jeez.”

  Crouch had been her old boss when Alicia worked for a clandestine division of the British Special Forces.

  “Nice climate. Great people. Rum. Scenery.”

  Alicia had shaken her head, still thinking. “Scenery? Really?”

  “I’d really like you to
come.”

  Alicia continued to run through her current situation. In a nutshell her old boyfriend had just betrayed everything she held dear, then died, and her new boyfriend was having trouble shrugging off the attentions of a certain irritating lifelong flame. A break, a brief getaway, was a very good idea.

  “All right, boss. I’ll come and brighten your days up. Tell Russo not to get too frisky and ask Healey how the quest for facial hair is going. Is Caitlyn still with you?”

  “Yes. Hanging in there.”

  “Good. Then I’ll see you in Jamaica.”

  “Kingston,” Crouch said. “I’ll text you the hotel details.”

  Alicia had been about to end the call, but a sliver of curiosity moved through her thoughts. “Why Jamaica?”

  “Captain Morgan.”

  “Yeah, I was thinking of that for the plane ride. But why Jamaica?”

  “Captain Henry Morgan. Oh it’s a juicy one this is, Alicia. One of the most notorious and successful pirates in history, his treasure has never been found.”

  “Cool,” Alicia said. “I’d rather look around for Jack Sparrow’s alter ego if we’re being honest.”

  “They named the rum after him.”

  “What?” Alicia was impressed. “Now that takes more than a modicum of infamy.”

  “Raider. Admiral. Privateer. Buccaneer. The star of many stories from a James Bond tale to Pirates of the Caribbean, John Steinbeck to Isaac Asimov. He amassed over two hundred thousand pieces of eight on one raid alone.”

  “Never found? I guess that’s not unusual.”

  “We’ll talk it through when you get here. Things might get a little nasty due to recent developments with Morgan, and some unsavory types are involved. You’ll see.”

  “Mmmm. Nasty is what I do. What happened?”

  “They found five of his ships.”

  “Five? Shit.”

  “And that’s just the start of it. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  Alicia had dropped the cellphone into her pocket, made quick goodbyes and tried to ignore the hurt on her boyfriend’s—Matt Drake’s—eyes. She knew he’d imagined the worst, knowing her so well, but she’d made a heartfelt plea that this was essential and would help, and then skipped on out.

  Well, not literally. Alicia didn’t skip. She couldn’t remember skipping or a stable home life. Only fighting. Her thoughts came around to the present day and she pictured herself sat rigid on the edge of the seat as the noisy plane zipped through the skies.

  She glanced around. Men and women, kids and babies were either being excessively noisy or silently entertained, but that was all okay. She barely saw them. Just the soldier’s quick assessment and then disinterest. A deeper problem haunted her. Something she hadn’t mentioned even to Drake.

  Beauregard Alain—Alicia’s old boyfriend—had betrayed them all in the most terrible manner. He’d even tried to kill them before being taken down. If that wasn’t bad enough, before he died he’d told Alicia to ask Crouch about why he’d betrayed them.

  Ask Crouch.

  The man she respected above all others. The man she’d always been proud to call “boss”. And Alicia Myles didn’t take any fond nicknaming lightly. Quite the opposite in fact. The ones that usually made the grade were somewhat derogatory.

  What’s going on with you, Crouch?

  Of course, it could be nothing. Just a way for a bad man to get further under her skin. She was certainly in the best position to challenge Crouch in her own inimitable way, but even she understood it needed to be done with tact.

  The captain announced that they would soon be starting to descend, and the seatbelt sign was illuminated. Alicia stared over a woman’s slight shoulder at the vista below and felt nothing of the excitement she knew she should. This job might end up being tinged with sadness.

  She tried to concentrate on the facts Crouch had explained around Captain Morgan. If five of the guy’s ships had been found then the security presence alone would be robust to say the least. All discoveries brought all kinds out of the woodwork—and she was thinking criminals. From the lowest, sniveling jackals hoping for a buck or two to the most complex conglomerate, searching for the money angle. But this . . .

  This was one of the greatest pirates of the Spanish Main, the looter of looters that made the glistening Caribbean his own, personal world of dreams. Not only had he stolen, pillaged and destroyed but he’d had England’s backing. Alicia imagined some might think it an odd state of affairs and steeped in the olden days, but had anything really changed? When you got right down to it weren’t certain nations still out there pirating and helping themselves to the riches that belonged to others?

  Days of the pirate long gone?

  Don’t you believe it, honey, Alicia smiled grimly to herself. She’d known a few Blackbeards in her time. And maybe even a Captain Flint. But Morgan? Who did she know that might be his equivalent now?

  The plane fell sharply; the people around her grew further excited. And Alicia spent a few pleasant moments trying to pick a face from those she knew that might most fit the visage of a clever, successful buccaneer.

  Trouble was—the best she could come up with was herself.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Jamaica lay at the heart of the Caribbean, a dazzling, vibrant, multi-faceted jewel, its people a credit to its flamboyant reputation, its reputation earned throughout history. Alicia coped with the customs procedures as best she could and then walked out into the terminal, surrounded by what she thought of as a “safe turbulence”, the grounded version of what they’d experienced in the air. People came from every side, wave after wave, buffeting and apologizing and continuing on their way. Alicia picked her way through and toward the bright light near the entrance, digging her sunglasses out of her hand luggage. At the same time, she fished out her cellphone and switched it on.

  Immediately, it let out a tuneful chime.

  The voice message was from Crouch.

  “Hey, not sure when you will land but we’re based in Kingston at the Ocean Suites. Something’s come up. We’re heading out right now, but will contact when finished.”

  Crouch hung up. Alicia half-expected him to end with the word “over”, as if talking through a radio, but that was the way with Crouch. Still associated with and happy to be living in his old SAS world. He was a sentimentalist at heart, and held the past dear. She sighed.

  What now?

  Instead of jumping right in, which was what she wanted to do, it looked like she was going to have to kick her heels for a while. Crouch hadn’t said where the team were headed or when they’d be back. Alicia decided to head over to the Ocean View and see if anything developed from there. She exited the terminal and jumped into a cab, took the ride into town and then around the outskirts. Kingston itself appeared to be an odd mix of everything she’d expected.

  As she climbed out of the cab and paid the driver, her cellphone rang. Great timing, Crouch, she thought and basked for a moment in the direct sunlight before looking at her screen.

  It wasn’t Crouch. It was Healey, the youngest member of their team. Alicia immediately brushed off a trickle of ice water that started to seep down her spine. Healey never rang her. Why would . . .

  “Yeah? What’s up?” she answered quickly.

  “Alicia? That you?”

  The boy sounded panicked.

  “Nappy stuck again?”

  “No. Listen. Whoa, wait.”

  Alicia tried to pick through the words and inflections. Despite her ribbing, Healey was a soldier and a highly capable, if inexperienced, member of their team. It sounded like he was running.

  “We followed a lead. Took a gamble. No danger to be seen but we knew something was hanging back just around the fringes of this thing.”

  Healey spoke in bursts as he ran and in quiet tones. Alicia didn’t interrupt, she needed as much information as she could get.

  “They must have been watching us. Maybe even a false lead, a lure. Brought us out he
re and then pounced. They got Russo, Alicia. And Crouch. Caitlyn too. I’m—”

  Now Alicia was highly focused, preparing her mind for what was to come next as Healey paused again.

  “Are they still chasing you?”

  “Yeah. But I think . . . I think I’m clear. Wait.”

  Alicia waited, her every instinct straining like lions on a leash, determined and impatient to go to the aid of her colleagues.

  “Okay, it’s all focused around this treasure they say has never been found. Captain Morgan’s loot. It started with the five ships found off Panama, which some now say aren’t his ships at all and others say are the lesser spoils of his fleet.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m trying to get coordinates as we speak.”

  Good job, Healey.

  “They think the ships might contain little treasure and mostly bottles of rum. Which is why the brand named after the pirate are sponsoring the search. It would be great publicity for them. But it seems we’ve stepped on the toes of some big criminal outfit. Something’s off about the whole thing, Alicia. Something’s very off.”

  “How long ago did this go down?”

  “Minutes. We’re still—” Healey went quiet.

  Alicia listened through the connection, wishing with everything she had that the lad would get the bloody coordinates over.

  “All right, they’re gone. I think I’m safe. And yeah, if the five ships hold no treasure why are these assholes all over it? It can’t be about the rum, surely.”

  Everything’s about the rum, Alicia thought in a moment of lighter consideration.

  “The coordinates?” she asked.

  “Yeah, here you go.”

  Healey grunted, and she heard a man’s gruff voice, a shout and the sounds of a scuffle. Alicia felt her body go rigid, her fists clenching. Powerless to help, she listened as men set about her friend and colleague, the man she’d fought alongside in the field.

  She could only hope for the best.

  Healey cried out as a blow landed, then hit back. A man yelled and the entire melee became a jumble of blows and curse words. Alicia’s heart leapt when someone shouted: “Shit, don’t let the bastard get away!” Then noises of jogging and heavy breathing and a sudden groan from Healey.