Treasure Fever #Action #Adventure #Thriller

Posted: April 27, 2021/Under: Uncategorized/By: Christine Young

Treasure Fever: A femme fatale is a fugitive on the run who values something more than just saving her life—she has the impossible dream of finding El Dorado.

Treasure Fever: Action/Adventure/Thriller

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BLURB: Treasure Fever

Max Finley is an American spy tasked with tracking down an old flame responsible for the theft of a rare 16^th-century manuscript from Spain. Little does he know but she’s hot on the trail of finding the long-lost city of El Dorado. A place of magnificent gold wealth left by the Inca Empire and pursued for centuries by treasure hunters around the world. But it’s also rumored to be cursed after disastrous expeditions were lost and explorers tragically perished. As Finley reluctantly joins her quest, he finds himself mixed up in a deadly game of international espionage and intrigue where the powers that be will do anything to stop him.

EXCERPT: Treasure Fever

Dean Spader exploded out of the drainage tunnel, followed by his makeshift tactical unit. A team of six highly-trained, qualified men. Excessive for capturing just one girl, maybe, but with Max Finley in the mix he couldn’t afford to take any chances. If he didn’t perform this operation to the fullest, he’d only open himself up to endless ridicule before his NSA peers back home.

And that he couldn’t stand for.

He knew that he had the upper hand and a superior show of force to get the job done.

Lining up his sights down his MP5, he swept it from side to side, searching the target area like a seasoned poacher. From the corner of his eye,he caught a brief flash of glossy-dark hair as someone fled toward the inner city. It had to be the girl. At the same time, he caught sight of Finley as he moved across the sand toward the beach.

Spader’s objective was to get the girl first, that much was clear. But that would be simple enough to accomplish. He had no doubt. There was no way she could elude them now in broad daylight. No matter how hard she tried. Watching Max Finley try to get away was the bigger challenge and an impossible threat to ignore. After what he did, Spader had a duty to teach the man a lesson. Above all, remind him of his sworn allegiance to the agency.

And what happened to those who turned into traitors.

“Martez,” Spader shouted, directing the hired hand toward the city with strident gestures. Lexa was already in the street, sprinting between rows of cars stuck in a traffic jam. “Take half the team with you and get her. No excuses. Remember to use only discreetmethods when you operate in a public space. Now go.”

Martez was all too eager to comply, rounding up two other squad members as they took off in full-fledged pursuit.

Spader noticed that the other party in the opposing group, the preacher, easily recognizable by his frock, had gone the opposite direction. Northbound up the beach. He was clearly out of his element and, afraid for his life, was running away. In his ridiculous outfit,it was obvious that he wouldn’t get too far.

Spader almost felt sorry for the guy.

But not really.

All he had to do was issue a simple nod, and a member of his team immediately took off to apprehend the runaway bible-thumper.

Now Spader was left with two loyal dogs who would serve and obey his every command—Ramon and Dante. He could focus all his energy on getting Max Finley one way or another. The man who was now about a hundred yards down the beach.

The only problem was that people were out and about—all potential witnesses to account for. That meant he had to follow his own advice and use discreetmethods. Or face the consequences.

He’d bent the rules already by storming the church, but he felt it was necessary to go in full throttle with the element of surprise in order to throw off his quarry.

Only it hadn’t gone according to plan.

Unfortunately, Finley had an escape route.

He should’ve known.

The guy was a professional. Just like he was.

Already on the move, Spader and his two trusted associates began their pursuit. Because of what would undoubtedly be a huge public outcry and create unnecessary pandemonium, he’d ordered his men to conceal their weapons for now.

“I thought you said you worked with this guy at the same agency,” Dante said. “What if he gives us no other choice?”

“Only use lethal force if absolutely necessary,” Spader reminded him with a telltale smirk.

Finley had slowed down some as to not attract attention, switching to a casual jog, nothing out of the ordinary. He was just one of many that were merely out for a midday stroll, taking advantage of the beautiful sunny beach.

There was a moderate number of beachgoers just like any other day in the springtimeof Lima, Peru. People walking their dogs, sunbathing, playing sports, collecting seashells, or doing absolutely nothing. All utterly oblivious to what was going on, trapped in their own blissful paradise.

Spader was already calculating and planning for any contingency. His background was in cyberwarfare and counterintelligence operations. He’d been deployed to over a dozen war-torn countries. Usually the worst kind imaginable, some embroiled in religious strife or ongoing civil wars. The world was a dangerous place and heliked to think that he fit right in. No task or objective was too big or beyond his reach.

His team closed the distance between Max Finley, jogging at a high rateof speed. He knew their attire was out of place, black, nondescript, unmarked clothing, but there was nothing he could do about that now. At least it wasn’t full-on military fatigues, and he was glad that he’d had the frame of mind to ditch his respirator mask back in the sewer once he was clear of all the smoke.

To the people here, they probably looked like military recruits out doing a daily exercise by sprinting along the beach. Nothing out of the norm in this third world country. Most people tried to avert their gaze and not get in their way, knowing the extremes the military could go to if provoked.

That played right into their favor.

He wondered what was going through Finley’s mind right now. They’d both gone through the same rigorous training programs and litany of psychiatric and physical endurance tests, so he knew Finley wasn’t about to panic. The man had a plan. But did he really think he could outmatch Spader and his team?

He was about to find out.

Finley took one careful glance over his shoulder, pinpointing his followers’ exact location, while catching Spader’s loathsome glare in return. He seemed to arrive atsome hasty decision, before taking a beeline away from the coastal waters and making for the promenade nearby that paralleled the beach.

Smart move, Spader conceded, because now Finley left the open freedom of the shoreline for a greater influx of people. The scenic promenade was full of locals and oblivious tourists, all bunched up and congested into a narrow cobblestone street. Lush, overgrown palm trees swished and swooned overhead like giant kites captured in the wind. They provided partial shade and a degree of coolness from the unforgiving sun relentlessly beating down on them.

Today there happened to be a farmers’ market which further complicated things.

“Check your earpiece,” Spader ordered, waiting a few seconds until he heard an affirmative all around. “All right men, let’s fan out. We’ll be less conspicuous that way.”

They approached the busy promenade, each of them separating like atoms from a molecule, dissolving into the crowd, leaving Spader as the focal point to spearhead the offensive.

At this point,they were trailing Finley by a mere fifty yards and closing that distance considerably. With each and every step,they were getting that much closer to their prey. Spader knew the chase wouldn’t last long. One way or another he’d make sure Finley answered for his misdeeds.

Somebody, a shirtless surfer with a wakeboard tucked under his arm, accidentally bumped into Spader. It broke his concentration and immediately drew his ire. When he shot a mean-spirited look at the guy, he left no doubt that he could’ve killed the man right where he stood for committing such an atrocity.

Of course, the guy shied away, putting his hands up apologetically.

“Sorry dude, no harm no foul.”

Spader just dismissed him with a baleful glare, before moving on again. A couple of people stared at him as they passed, frowning distastefully upon his insolent behavior, one lady with a baby stroller in particular.

When he looked ahead again, he had lost sight of Finley in the sea of masses. He scanned over the heads of all the people, hoping to track him down where he’d last been. It might as well have been like finding Waldo in an ever-changing picture book.

“Damn it,” he muttered over the radio. “I lost eyes on the target. Tell me you still have him.”

“I’m on him,” Ramon confirmed.

A second later, there was a scrabble of static over the frequency.

“Ramon, come in?” Spader tweaked his head to listen more closely through his earpiece. It was difficult to hear amidst the cacophony of vendors yelling, traffic in the vicinity, people babbling and scuffling about. “Thought I lost you there for a second.”

There was a muffled grunt over the radio and then…a stagnant silence.

“Ramon?”Spader repeated as he walked even faster now, shoving people out of his way.

No response.

Except forDante.

“The target’s still on the move, southbound,” he reported, almost out of breath. “I’ll get him.”

Website URL: jamesmcpike.webs.com

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LINKS

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085N866HD

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/treasure-fever-james-b-mcpike/1136621381?ean=2940162888611

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/treasure-fever/id1502317149?mt=11&app=itunes

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/treasure-fever-2