Part Two

He swung at an arm, then gripped and twisted. He could hear a grunt of pain, then suddenly felt the arm release from his grip and twist his own arm back. He brought his foot up from behind him, kicking his assailant in the thigh. He struggled to free his arm before he attacked again.

After giving several punched, he heard an odd sound and he looked down. A slivery blade glimmered in the darkness, giving Spot reason to worry. He tried to knock the knife from the hand, but had no luck. After swinging wildly at the head, he was sent to the ground with the blade pressed against his vocal chords.

He rasped to draw air, but the attacker was resting heavily on his chest. He tried to see the face, but a block cloth was covering the face so it couldn�t be seen. With one final strike, he gripped the cloth and yanked. Black hair fell around the face of a girl.

�That�s enough, Spot Conlon.� She whispered, drawing the blade away.

�Ya�you�re a girl.� He stammered.

�Yes, I�m a girl. Sorry about that sudden attack, I couldn�t decipher you from Angus.�

�Who�s that?�

�A man who�s following me.� She rose to her feet and helped Spot up with her. �I wanted to get you down so I could see your face.�

Spot rubbed his arm. �So it was just a precaution.�

�Yes.�

He nodded and quickly scanned over the girl. She was around his height, perhaps somewhat smaller. By her deep black hair and narrow brown eyes, he could tell she was of Asian decent. Her golden skin gave her a lovely sense of coloring, and her muscular arms gave her an aura of strength. Her fighting capabilities alone were enough to warn him from fighting with her again.

�What�s your name?� he wondered.

�Bambi. Bambi Gamble.�

He arched his eyebrow. �Bambi�Gamble?�

�Yes.�

�What kind of a name is that?�

This time, she was the one to arch her brow. �Have you got a problem with that?�

�No. I mean, it is a mouthful, but it also sounds like some name ya�d give to a deer with a gamblin� problem.�

�Oh, and Spot Conlon�s such a catchy name?� she snorted. �Sounds like an Irish dog that just got off a potato boat.�

�Hey, if ya knew my stepdad, ya oughta know that I changed it.�

�I know. Your mother�s name was McKinley, and your stepfather�s was Peterson.�

�Exactly. When I became I newsie, I was Spot Conlon. An� that�s what you�re gonna call me.�

�Alright, Spot Conlon.� She bowed mockingly. �Your wish is my command.�

�So what�s all this �bout my stepdad? Did �is heart finally turn t� stone?�

�He was murdered.�

He smirked. �Figures. Couldn�t keep �is big mouth shut �n� wouldn�t stop lookin� for treasure.�

�He wasn�t looking for treasure at the time. But he was gathering information about some treasure.�

�Are ya tellin� me this cuz I got some inheritance comin� t� me?�

�No, I�m not. I have a proposition for you.�

��Bout what?�

�First and foremost, why I know your stepfather. I was his assistance, and so was Angus.�

�What�d ya assist �im with?�

�Finding treasure.�

Spot rolled his eyes. �You too, huh?�

�You don�t even know what treasure I�m looking for.�

�Whatever it is, it�s gotta do with this key, don�t it?� he inquired, gripping the key around his neck tightly.

�Yes, it does. It�s supposed to be able to unlock a box with a bracelet inside.�

�A bracelet, huh?�

�You mean you don�t know about it?�

�Nope. Jus� knew that good ol� stepdaddy needed this key t� open a priceless treasure. But I never knew what it was.�

�Would you like to know what it is exactly?�

�It�s a bracelet. Ya jus� said so.�

�But it�s not just any bracelet. And it is priceless.�

�Why?�

�According to legend, it dates back to Helen of Troy. She was the most beautiful woman back then, and always had a swarm of suitors wanting to marry her. There was one man, King Menelaus of Sparta, who was deeply in love with Helen. It�s said that he besieged the god Hephaestus for help in winning Helen over, and Hephaestus obliged by creating a bracelet for Menelaus to give to Helen.�

�What�s so special �bout th� bracelet?�

�It was made of one hundred percent pure gold. And it had a specific pattern. The bracelet had these thick, oval shaped gold plates linked together with two tiny gold links. Every other gold plate had either a perfectly shaped pink opal or extremely rare black pearl, each surrounded by tiny diamonds. Menelaus also had �To Helen� in Greek printed on one gold plate. Then he presented it to Helen and she took him as her husband.�

�But din�t she end up runnin� off with some guy from France?�

�His name was Paris, and yes, she did run off with him. And she took the bracelet with her to pay a pirate ship safe passage back to Troy. The captain of the ship passed it on throughout his family as an heirloom for many generations until around the year 937 AD. The pirate ship was attacked by Vikings.�

�Okay. Vikings now.�

�Yes. There was one Viking who managed to steal the bracelet and give it to his grandson. But the grandson was paranoid of holding such a precious item that he sailed with a ship to America before anyone knew of it being there. He locked the bracelet into a box and once they reached land, he hid it in a cave. The key he held back to his family so that they would find it someday.�

�And so Wyatt Peterson was a descendant?�

�Apparently. He emigrated here to find that bracelet. When you disappeared with the key, he hired Angus and me and trained and informed us about this bracelet and was ready to send us out to find you. Angus is more for using force, but I didn�t like your stepfather. So instead of taking what I want from you, I�ve come to ask that you help me.�

He folded his arms firmly across his chest. �So ya wanna use me t� get rich?�

She grinned mysteriously. �Not just me. You too. There�s going to be an auction at Greenwich in two weeks, and we can get the money there.�

�So that�s what Jack was talking about this morning.� He thought. �But there�s gotta be a catch to this. There�s something about this girl that I just don�t trust.�

�How do I know you�re someone I can trust?�

�Because you need to.�

�Why?�

�Angus is ready and willing to kill you for that key.�

Somehow, her statement wasn�t convincing enough. �I got twenty newsies who�d apprehend �im in two seconds.�

�You don�t know Angus like I do. He�s short and fat and doesn�t look like too much of a threat. But he�s usually armed.�

An image suddenly formed in Spot�s head. He had been approached by a short and somewhat fat man earlier today. He had said that who Spot assumed Bambi was Angus�s woman, and that Spot shouldn�t trust her because she would take what she wanted and leave. He could for some reason believe that, but he could believe Bambi as well.

He thought through the entire scenario. Perhaps he could listen to both sides and teach them a lesson afterward. If Angus was right about Bambi, he could make it so that she keep the word she had spoken to him. There was going to be one winner in this situation. Spot wanted to be that winner.

�Alright.� He replied. �You�ve convinced me. So ya know where th� bracelet is?�

�Yes. This is why I didn�t find you sooner. The directions to the bracelet were written in Norwegian. I had it translated. This is why Angus has been wanting to find me.�

�So where is it?�

�Along the coast of Maine.�

�Maine? Ain�t that got a lot of caves on th� beaches?�

�Yes, but this one should be easy to find.�

�An� just how �r� we supposed t� get there? That auction�s gonna be held in two weeks. It�ll take us at least a month t� get t� Maine and find th� right cave.�

Bambi grinned crookedly. �Oh ye of little faith. I�ve booked us on a luxury liner that stops in Maine before taking off for London.�

�A luxury liner, eh?�

�We�ll be in third class. The ship leaves in two days.�

�An� gettin� there?�

�One day.�

�An� findin� th� cave?�

�At least two days. Then it�s a long hike back into the cave, probably about a day�s worth.�

Spot nodded, piecing the information together. �So this�s about six days. How �bout gettin� back?�

�There�s another ship leaving the port around that time. It�s no luxury liner, but it sails for New York. It�ll take us three days to get there, and two to come back here. Altogether, that�s eleven days. We�ll have three to kill before the auction.�

�I�ll do it on one condition.� He said slyly.

Bambi�s eyes narrowed. �What would that be?�

�You stay with me those three days.�

She folded her arms across her chest. �Why should I?�

�So ya don�t go runnin� off with th� goods.�

�You don�t trust me.�

�Ya haven�t given me any reason to.�

�I haven�t given you any reason not to.�

�I�ll be th� judge of that. So eidder ya stay with me those three days, or we don�t do business.�

By the way she was glaring at him, he could tell that she wasn�t too thrilled with his proposal. Well, let her glare all she wants. He wasn�t going to let her take all the money involved with this bracelet if they did find it.

When Bambi saw that his mind was made up and nothing she could do would change his mind, she knew she had to relent to his word. Apparently, his trust rate was not very high.

�Alright.� She muttered. �I�ll do it.�

Spot grinned. �Good.�

�Don�t feel too comfortable just yet. I�m here strictly for the bracelet. I want nothing from you except the key.�

�An� I don�t want nothin� from ya either. I already got me a goil, �n� she�s gone f� now.�

�So that�s the reason why you wouldn�t see me?�

�I told my goons not t� admit any more ladies who come t� see me.�

Her head flew backward in uproarious laughter. Confused by her behavior, Spot scowled and told her to stop. She panted to gain her breath back.

�I�m sorry.� She gasped. �I just don�t see in you what would bring scads of girls to your doorsteps.�

Her sharp words pierced his pride. �Excuse me?�

�Sure, you�re attractive, but I�ve seen better before.�

He held his temper back as desolation set in. For twelve days, he was to stick with this woman to find a priceless bracelet. He could already tell that this would be no picnic for him. �What the heck have I gotten myself into?�

* * *


Part Three

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