Chapter 10
It was evening.
While Kori had gone out for awhile, Bryce took the chance to talk to Richard.
They were on a cliff near the coast, overlooking the ocean.
"Yeah, I know that I need money to get the stuff that we need," Bryce shrugged. "Only I can't go down and get it by myself,"
"What're you talking about?" Richard questioned.
"What I'm talking about is not a lot, Richard. What I'm talking about is just enough to get what we need,"
When Richard didn't reply, Bryce continued. "Look at me right now at my face and tell me you've never thought about it,"
"Yeah, of course I've thought about it," Richard admitted. "But have you thought of the penalties down here for drug trafficking?"
"Uh-huh, I know exactly what they are,"
"And you're still thinking about doing it?"
"Look, maximum for first-time trafficking. You know what that is, Richard?" Bryce asked, and then answered himself. "5 years. 5 years, Richard. It took me long enough to get to law school and pass the bar,"
"5 years, huh?" Richard laughed. "Man, you won't last 5 days in the jail!"
"Yeah, and you know what?" Bryce asked, becoming serious. "We're risking our lives! We're risking our lives every single day looking for a 150-year-old ship that might be buried under the bottom of the ocean! While a hundred million easy, easy, sits in a plane just 100 yards away!
"We need the money; we need to get that boat, Richard! And what do we do? We keep swimming by as if it doesn't exist! Tell me what's crazy?
"Jesus Christ, I'm done with these people! I've defended these people! The people who lived on this island, who developed this island, they'll not give it free to people, Richard. This is not rocket Science!"
"I'm not a drug dealer," Richard simply said.
"No, you're not a drug dealer, you're a 22–year-old dynamo," Bryce told him and he laughed.
"You are!" Bryce protested. "What's so funny? You live in an old house that's practically falling to pieces and you've got 50 bucks to your name on a good day!
"And Kori! Kori! Come on, how long can a girl like Kori stick around if you don't do something about it?"
"Kori is not like that," Richard sighed.
"They're all like that," Bryce rolled his eyes.
"Korina isn't!"
"Yeah, right," Bryce snorted. "So tell me what will happen in the future? You'll live in a huge mansion bigger than the White House, you'll finally marry Kori, and you'll drool and go on and on about how you're the one who found Le Zephyr.
"It was you until Xavier came along. And he stole that ship right from under you. Would you like that?
"I know you're a winner. Winners make the rules and losers live by it. But it's a one-time thing, bro. One-time-thing. That's all it is,"
Richard thought about it for a moment, then sighed and turned to leave.
"Where're you going?" Bryce called. "The conversation's not done yet, Richard!"
When nobody answered, he turned.
He was all alone on the cliff.
Rachel was standing on the balcony, admiring the sunset, when Bryce walked into the room.
"He didn't fall for it," he told her.
Rachel turned and shot him a disturbed look, then turned back.
Bryce felt as irritated as her, but ignored it and left the room.