The Uncharted Tales

Chapter 20

Part 2: Drake's Fortune

Victor Sullivan

"Get over there. Put your hands up."

Sully had no choice but to comply with Navarro's orders. The second-in-command shoved him under an overhang overlooking the avenues of the sunken town and his soon-to-be-execution, and, slowly, with his hands raised, turned to face the armored men. Roman smirked, clasping his hands behind him, with Antoq's gun trained at Sully's chest, and he felt his hammering against his ribcage.

"I'm afraid you have left me no choice, Victor. You and Mr. Drake have been a thorn in my side. I want what you owe me, Mr. Sullivan, and I don't need you to fulfill our agreement."

Sully glared at him. "Really?" He challenged. "Looks to me like you backed yourselves in a corner. You're more hopeless than any of you are ever gonna admit."

Navarro's features twisted dangerously, and Sully heard the safety of his weapon click off. "Shut it!"

"Enough!" Roman's voice sliced right through Navarro's outburst, silencing the man in a matter of seconds. "Don't forget your place, Navarro." The Peruvian man's knuckles turned white as his finger pressed ever so slightly on the trigger, but otherwise he said nothing in the face of Roman's verbal abuse. "Finish it, and we will be on our way."

Navarros' gun cocked, and Sully lurched forward, stretching a hand out, as though he could prevent his impending doom. "Wait!" Roman held up a hand. In that moment, the Brit was the only reason Sully remained standing where he was, and his mind raced to find a way out of getting shot point blank. All he had going for him was an utter sham, one he prayed Roman would fall for. "Do you have any idea how to find El Dorado?" Silence followed his query. "That's what I thought. I've been watchin' you idiots go in circles for hours and you're no closer than when you got that damn map." He pointed at the folded object in question resting in Navarro's shirt pocket.

Roman quirked an eyebrow, but he wasn't the one who spoke up. "Are you proposing we let you live and in exchange you'll find us El Dorado?" Navarro barked a disdainful laugh. "Much easier to kill you now."

Sully nodded once. "Yea, you could, but face it. You need all the help you can get, and right now I'm the only man who can get you what you want."

"Why the change of heart, Victor?" Roman drawled. "Is it perhaps now you expect Mr. Drake will save you?" His smirk twisted ever further. He was all too gleeful with his position of power, and all the while Sully had to grit his teeth and watch him gloat over that fact. "As far as anyone is concerned," he continued, "you're dead. He isn't coming to save you, Mr. Sullivan."

Sully swallowed around a lump in his throat. Don't remind me. "You're worried Nate'll beat you to El Dorado, and, quite frankly, you should be. You can't afford to lose any advantage you have. But... if you wanna take your chances, go right ahead. I can't stop you." He flexed his fingers, leveling them with a steady glower. The ball was in their court now. All they had to do was take the bait and let Sully do what he was best at – smooth talking his way out of just about anything.

A few seconds of silence ticked by of Roman and Sully staring one another down, and Sully could scarcely breathe, standing there, waiting for Roman to pass his judgement. All the while, the thought of never seeing Nate again drilled into the back of his head, and that alone urged him to test his luck just a little further.

"Admit it, I could get you closer than any of you boneheads could ever dream. You need me."

Gabriel huffed a laugh. "Don't oversell yourself, Victor. Everyone can be replaced." He strode forward and pressed Drake's diary to his chest, right where it had protected him from Roman's bullet not even a day ago. "You have made hollow promises before. Know now I won't miss my mark if you fail me again." Sully's fingers curled around the leather-bound journal as Roman stepped away from him. "You had better get started."