Free Chase Baker and the Golden Condor: (A Chase Baker Thriller Series No. 2) by Vincent Zandri Page B

we will be in the jungle, and soon after that, we will become world
    famous for locating an aircraft that is a thousand years old. We will turn the
    history of western civilization onto its back.”
    “Hold that thought, Carlos,” I say. “One step at a time.”
    Leslie sets her hand on my leg, gives it a squeeze.
    “Thanks for letting me tag along,” she whispers into my ear.
    “I owe you,” I whisper back. “Me and that damned
    Cuban cigar.”
    I set my left hand onto my chest, feel for the .45
    shoulder-holstered there. Security in the form of gunmetal, lead, and explosive
    powder.
    “Let’s hope you’re thanking me later,” I say. Then I close
    my eyes and pray for a quick, preflight nap.

PART II
     

17.
     

     
    We land in Lima some eight hours later. From there we hop a
    connecting flight that takes us up to the Sacred Valley. The twin prop plane
    bounces around the turbulent air of the Andes Mountains like a leaf in a
    windstorm and it’s all I can do to keep our previous in-flight breakfast of
    microwaved scrambled eggs and bacon from coming up on me.
    “My God,” Leslie says, as soon as she disembarks from the
    plane, “I can hardly breathe.”
    Rodney pulls his sidearm from a pea green military-style
    holster that also supports a twelve-inch fighting knife.
    “That’s because you’re more than seven thousand feet above
    sea level.” He smiles, clearly the type to enjoy life the more uncomfortable it
    gets. “That’s the equivalent of a mile and a half.”
    “Shouldn’t the air be cooler?” the lit agent turned explorer
    says, while wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead with a red bandanna she
    then wraps around her neck, Boy Scout style. Or should I say, Girl Scout.
    “It is cool,” Carlos chimes in. He’s lighting a cigarette
    with a good old-fashioned Zippo. “You just don’t feel it as much because you’re
    in the Amazon jungle. All you feel is the humidity.”
    “Welcome to the Sacred Valley,” Rodney says, “where the only
    thing sacred is the name.” He turns to his left, extends his arm and points.
    “Over there through that foggy haze is Machu Picchu.” He turns further left.
    “Over there is the Urubamba Province and the Urubamba River. The road we’ll
    take today will follow the river around the base of Machu Picchu until we come
    to an entry point into the jungle that our guides have already established for
    us.”
    Pulling my .45 from my shoulder holster I thumb the clip
    release and check the bullet load. When all looks good, I slap the clip back
    home, make sure the safety is on, and slip it back into my holster.
    “Soon as everything is unpacked we’ll grab some water,” I
    say to Leslie, as I squeeze a good amount of insecticide onto my palm from a
    small plastic bottle. “Also, bring along some waterproof matches, some energy
    bars, and make sure your phone is fully charged just in case you get lost.”
    I toss her the insecticide.
    “Why would I get lost?” she says, snatching the bottle out
    of mid-air.
    Rodney shoots me a grin.
    “Come on, people,” he barks, “everyone helps unload. The
    flyboy has other charters to fly today.”
     
    With the unloading completed, Rodney assembles us all on the
    airstrip. Placed on the flat ground behind him are not only our knapsacks, but
    also the equipment we’ll need to carry with us on what we anticipate as a
    two-day expedition into the jungle. The equipment includes machetes, hand-held
    GPS direction finders, insecticide, LED flashlights, mosquito netting, tents,
    sleeping bags, washbasins, cooking equipment, water and water decontamination
    pills, freeze-dried food, and more. We’ll also be carting an impressive
    assortment of weapons. AR-15s with attached grenade launchers, .9mms for
    sidearms (I’m sticking to my .45), twelve-inch fighting knives in leather
    sheaths, assorted explosives, and other destructive treats. We have C4 charges
    and accompanying detonators should we need to blast our way