Jack cut Drake’s response off. “It’s a lot of money, Spencer. A lot.”
“Only if you find it. If not, it’s just hot air. Which brings me to the next part. I want fifty grand up front.”
“What?” Drake blurted.
“For expenses. And I don’t take American Express.”
“You’re delusional,” Drake spat.
Spencer shrugged. “Sixty grand. Keep talking.”
“Completely nuts.”
“Trying for seventy? That’s next.”
Jack interrupted the escalation. “Your point’s taken. But I’ve got a serious concern. If the two of you can’t get along, this isn’t going to work.”
Spencer nodded and glared at Jack. “I completely agree. I don’t know what your buddy’s problem is, but he’s doing everything he can to queer this deal. I don’t much care, frankly, because without me, you’re not going to make it, and the chances of you finding Paititi are close to zero, anyway. So it’s not like I feel like I’m losing much by walking away. Better powwow with your friend here, because he’s about to talk himself out of a guide, and I can pretty much guarantee whoever you get, assuming you can find anyone crazy enough to bite at this, is going to do nothing but steal your money or get you killed — or both.”
Jack turned to Drake. “Can I see you for a minute?”
“Sure,” Drake said.
They walked toward the restrooms and Jack stopped in the access hall. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he growled.
“I think he’s full of it.”
“You may, but all you’re accomplishing is making him more expensive by the minute. Was that your goal?”
“I’m not giving him twenty-five percent of the take,” Drake said adamantly.
“Which is how much, at the moment? Help me out. Because I’d like to understand what kind of jet I should be shopping for. How much have we found?”
“That’s not the point.”
“No, Drake, I think that’s exactly the point. Right now this is all speculation. It’s a wild card. Anything can happen. We may find this lost city, and the gold might be gone. Or it might have never existed, and the legend was just that — a story to pass the time. Or we could get killed before we ever find it. Or never find it. Because that’s the most likely, given that five hundred years of explorers have failed — including your dad, God rest his soul. I had nothing but respect for him, but the fact remains he didn’t find it either. He was excited and thought he was close, but that’s like being close to being pregnant. On things like this, the world’s binary. Black or white. Do you get that?”
Drake ground his teeth, about done with Jack’s tone. “I do. But I still don’t want to cut him in at that level. We discussed ten percent. If you remember, I thought even that was way too high.”
“I remember. But here’s how it’s coming down. Either we agree to his terms, or he walks away, and we’re right back where we started. We can try a little negotiation, but once we have, we either have to go with him, or start over and hope that the next guy isn’t a complete criminal.”
“Which Spencer could also be.”
“Sure. But in my experience crooks don’t deliver top-quality weapons, on time, with no deposit. So in the absence of any other info, right now he’s the last blonde in the bar and it’s closing time. The question is, do you want a date, or do you want to go home alone?”
“That’s an apt metaphor, because I feel like we’re about to get fu—”
Jack stopped him with a gesture. “Drake, this isn’t about your feelings. I don’t know what your problem is with Spencer, but my vote is we stop screwing around and close this so we can get to finding the city. Sometimes you have to do the best deal you can, not wait for the ideal one to come along. You don’t have to love him. I’m not asking you to get engaged. I’m asking you to behave like a professional and do what has to be done in order to make this work.”
Drake sighed. “Fine. Try to get him to fifteen. I’ll swallow my pride and shut up. I promise.”
“This time, for real, right?”
Drake put his hand over his heart.
“Good. Because we can’t really afford any more bickering, in more ways than one.”
“For the record, I also don’t like the way he’s checking out Allie. He’s a slimeball. We’ll live to regret this.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what this is all about? Allie? You don’t want him around because you think he’s going to put the moves on her?” Jack paused. “Or is it that you’re afraid she’d be receptive?”
Drake’s eyes darted to the side. “I don’t care if you don’t.”
Jack’s tone softened. “Allie’s a big girl, and a handful, as you’ve seen. She can take care of herself. But some words of advice: Think with your head and we’ll all do a lot better. You can worry about what Allie might or might not like after we’ve found the treasure and made it out of the jungle in one piece, okay? In the meantime, keep your eye on the prize. I think we’ve got more than enough drama without two rams butting heads over one woman.”
Drake bit back the three nasty responses that sprang to mind, and merely shrugged. “Like I said. I don’t care if you don’t.”
“Then it’s settled. I can cover thirty of it from the gold I sold in Texas if you’ve got the other thirty. Now let’s see if I can whittle him down some on the percentage, okay? And remember your promise. Not a word.”
“I’m the third monkey. Silent as death.”
Jack gave him a final stare. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
They returned to the table, where Allie was chatting easily with Spencer, and Drake hated him all the more for it but kept quiet. Jack sat down heavily and cleared his throat.
“Now where were we? You were discussing giving us a discount?” he asked.
“Not exactly.”
“Look, fifty grand is almost all our money.”
“It’s sixty, remember?”
Jack stayed calm. “If you’re going to be a partner, why do we have to kick in cash? If everyone’s getting a piece, you should actually be contributing to the pot.”
“You’re offsetting other jobs I have to cancel or farm out. Or you can wait until I’m done. Probably three weeks.”
Jack decided not to push it. “We could go as high as fifteen percent. Maybe hundred and fifty million, if the stories are even close to being true.”
“Not good enough.”
They went back and forth, and finally Allie shook her head. “Gentlemen, here’s my suggestion. Spencer? You seem like an honorable man. Let’s not argue over this. We’ll go twenty percent, and the final five percent you want will come out of my twenty-six and change percent. Does that make you feel better?”
“Why should you have to take the hit?” Spencer demanded.
“Because it’s obviously more important to you to prove your point and do the alpha male dance than to just agree to a fortune and have done with it. If we’re right, boohoo, I’ll only get two hundred ten million or so instead of two hundred sixty-six. Guess what? I think I’ll learn to live with that disappointment.”
Spencer sat back, the tension seeping from his shoulders. “Fine. I’ll take twenty. But I want the sixty up front. Nothing happens until I see that.”