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"All right," I say. "I'm coming to get you, though you don't deserve to be rescued. You should be grateful that I'm the good Samaritan sort."
I hand Ashley the gun and carefully descend the steps. After a brief examination of thebod ceann, I decide he isn't badly injured. A few cuts and scrapes. He'll probably have some bruises later. I sling an arm around his midsection and move toward the steps. When the eejit cries out, then whines like the most annoying baby on earth, I resort to virtually carrying him up the steps.
Once we reach the top, I pull out a pair of zip ties and secure Frisk's hands in front of his body. I'd grabbed those restraints on our way out of the entrance cavern because I do not trust my former partner anymore. But I have questions for him, ones he will answer as soon as we've reached the entrance again. These catacombs give me the chills.
"You won't win, Errol," Frisk hisses. "My men—"
"Are incapacitated. Ashley and Munro took care of them."
He shuts his mouth and settles for silently fuming.
The longer we walk, the less he insists on making me hold up his useless body. He hasn't said a word since he informed me I would never win, whatever he meant by that. As he shuffles into the entrance cavern, I shove thecacantoward his men, who lie huddled on the floor.
I crouch beside Frisk. "Time for answers, Christian."
"Go to hell."
"You first." I sit back on my haunches. "I want to know what in the world this was all about. You disappeared for months, then sent me an email saying you'd quit the game and were moving to New Zealand with your fiancée."
"I did move to New Zealand. But Amelie left me two weeks later."
With mock sympathy, I pat his shoulder and shake my head. "That's just awful, Christian. But donnae worry, you'll find your soul mate one day. I hear prison is a great place to meet someone. After all, no one can leave."
"Come off it, Errol. You never liked me any more than I liked you."
That's not true, but I won't admit that to him. Maybe I hadn't thought of Christian Frisk as a close mate, but we went on seven expeditions together over the course of three years. We relied on each other to get the job done safely. I trusted the bastard, and now he's shown his true face.
"I thought we understood each other," I say. "But now it turns out I knew nothing about you. Why did you deceive me?"
He glowers at me for a moment, then blows out a breath that makes his shoulders slump. "What the hell? No point in lying now. I invited you to become my partner because I'd heard about your special skills. And I realized that one day you would lead me to an incredible hoard. Didn't know what form that hoard would take or how long I'd need to wait. But I'm a very patient man."
Aye, I know that. Christian never seemed to be in a hurry to make any discovery. Taking it slow, he'd once told me, would bring greater rewards than rushing. Aye, he taught me that. I'm grateful for what I learned from this man, but he only shared his knowledge because he wanted something from me.
Frisk steeples his fingers, then begins tapping them against each other. His gaze narrows. "Tell me, Errol, did you enjoy the time you spent in my Basel apartment?"
Why is thecacanbringing up his flat in Switzerland? Aye, he let me stay there whenever I wanted. So what? I remain silent and wait for him to get antsy and volunteer the information.
It takes about thirty seconds.
"You thought the apartment was a safe place," Frisk says. "But I had bugged every inch of it, even the bathroom. I heard every sound and saw every video recorded in that apartment."
Oh, he really doesn't know me as well as he thinks.
My lips gradually slide into a knowing smile. "The last time I was in Basel, did you overhear what happened in the bedroom?"
"I heard everything."
"Who was in the bedroom?"
Frisk makes an irritated noise. "You, of course."
"And what did you see in the video?"
"It was too dark to see, but it was you. No one else goes there."
"Afraid not, mate." I reach over to slap his back. "You were enjoying a pornographic film. I turned down the exposure on the video so anyone spying wouldn't know it was a ruse. I never imagined you would be the one bugging the apartment, but I didnae want to assume no one could break through the security measures. So I reconfigured the system."
His face goes blank for a moment. Then his features twist into an expression of sheer rage. "You lying, cheating piece of shit!"
