The Greatest Lost Treasure

Chapter 17

Leonardo Steiner's footsteps were ones of purpose as he strolled down the halls of Vadon's private floor in his hotel and casino he owned. The man took the doorknob to Vadon's office and pulled to see none other than the man himself sitting in his chair.
A look of surprise crossed his face as he set down the paper he had been reading. "This better be good," he said in a low growl. "I haven't expected to see you until the treasure had been found."
"I just thought you would appreciate hearing the news yourself," Leonardo replied coldly, he was in no mood to deal with this old man's attitude.
     "Fine," Vadon sighed. This partner of his was really starting to get on his nerves. Why did he even begin this collaboration with this young man? He pondered on this thought as Leonardo approached his desk.
"I managed to get this," he said pulling the pieces of the astrolabe out of his pocket for the man to see.
Vadon reached out and took the device from his outstretched hand. "How did you get this?" He asked in astonishment.
     "I lured the boy to my yacht, then I killed him." Leonardo watched as the news registered on the man's face.
     "You what!" He screamed standing up from his chair. How could this egotistical young man do this? He needed the boy in ways he couldn't comprehend. "I specifically ordered you to not harm him!" Vadon bellowed.
     "You know it's funny how you order me to do things like your my boss or something, but we went into this endeavor as partners and it seems to me that I'm the one doing all the work. You just sit here in your fancy casinos and order me around like I'm one of your men, but I'm tired of this being a one sided deal and I'm terminating our arrangement...permanently."
     In one swift motion Leonardo pulled out his knife from its sheath on his belt loop and raised it at the man. He was tired of Vadon doing nothing and was going to reap the rewards he had worked hard for. This old man would not get away with it and would die for thinking so.
     With the knife pointed at his neck, Vadon felt anything but worried. He had been in countless situations like this before and he was more than prepared to deal with this pompous man with only a knife as a means to kill him. He should honestly laugh at the man's audacity.
     Agile for a man of his age, Vadon pivoted to the left to avoid his head being chopped off. He reached for a cleverly placed weapon disguised as a pen located on his desk and clicked its button. The pen immediately sprang to life elongating to an impressive length of nearly six feet long and was incredibly light due to its alloy being titanium.

     Vadon wielded the weapon with incredible speed and accuracy that caused Leonardo to take a step back from the force of the backhand the man had produced to his outstretched knife. Killing Vadon was going to be more difficult than he had originally anticipated, but that just made his victory all the more rewarding.
     Leonardo countered Vadon's attack with a low swipe of his blade aiming for his front most leg, but again Vadon easily blocked it with his staff. Frustrated he went for an over head approach, then a sideswipe and finally a thrust. Each attack was blocked or swatted away.
     As sweat began to form on his forehead and a single strand of hair fell onto his temple, Leonardo picked up the pace trying to feel out his opponent. He had never fought such a skilled individual especially one that was over double his age. If he wasn't trying to kill him, he would've been impressed.
     Quickly the fight went from Leonardo attacking Vadon to Leonardo trying to block the attacks of the staff that left his body aching as some of them made contact. He was getting frustrated, this was not how this was supposed to go. Thinking outside the box, he realized he was going to have to use non traditional methods if he was going to win this.
     Seeing a chair on his left as he threw another lower jab, he grabbed its arm and threw it at the older man. Vadon managed to block the knife, but not the chair which crashed into him knocking the man onto his back.
Happy with his small victory, Leonardo approached as Vadon scrambled to get up. With newfound confidence, Leonardo took another overhead swing to be met with less resistance than before. Vadon was injured from the chair and it showed as their weapons clashed creating a power struggle between the duo. Leonardo put all his weight on the blade causing Vadon to start to slip, then the Swiss gave one mighty push causing his opponent to fall backwards over the desk.
Knowing he was going to win the fight, Leonardo slowly rounded the mahogany desk expecting to see the older gentleman on the floor begging for mercy. Instead he had disregarded his staff and was reaching into a drawer pulling out a gun. He aimed it at Leonardo and pulled the trigger just as he dove for cover. The bullet imbedded itself in the wall just where he had been standing seconds earlier.
Not waiting a second for the man to pull the trigger again, Leonardo lunged and wrestled for control of the weapon leaving his knife behind on the floor. The two men fought back and forth as they rolled around while fighting the other for control. As Vadon managed to pin his opponent's arm with his leg, Leonardo used his free hand to land a full force punch to his face.
As the room spun and his vision blurred, Vadon was helpless as Leonardo pried the gun from his hands and left him lying on the floor. As he stood up, dusted off his pants, and fixed his hair, he couldn't help but gloat. "You know you put up quite a fight, but ultimately the better man has won."
Vadon's vision finally cleared to see the barrel of his own gun staring back at him. As the blood flowed from his broken nose, he could only muster one final thought in order to ensure his life. "If you kill me you'll never figure out the final puzzle to get to the treasure."
Not sure if he was lying or telling the truth, Leonardo decided to keep a firm grip on his weapon as he questioned him. "And you do?" Vadon nodded. "How?"
Good, he was getting through to the kid. "When Mrs. Richardson and I were still working together, she entrusted me with the information she obtained from her years of research. If we continue our partnership, I will tell you what she told me."
"How about you tell me now and I don't kill you?"
"And what prevents you from killing me after I've told you what I know?"
Leonardo thought about this. Actually that was what he originally planned to do and now that the plan was ruined, he needed a new one. He could just string him along and kill him once the treasure was found, but he had reservations regarding finishing this feat by himself. Did he really need the old man's information?
     He contemplated his options as Vadon spoke again, "Come on Leo, you need me."
     That was the final straw. He pulled the trigger releasing the full magazine into Vadon's chest. The man slumped to the floor immediately dead. "Nobody calls me Leo," he said to the corpse then left it to rest in peace. He had work to do and there was no one to stand in his way now.