A Kiss Doesn’t Lie

By Robin Alexander

A Kiss Doesn’t Lie

© 2012 by Robin Alexander

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

ISBN 13: 978-1-935216-36-0

First Printing: 2012

This Trade Paperback Is Published By

Intaglio Publications

Walker, LA USA

www.intagliopub.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

_______________________________________________

Credits

Executive Editor: Tara Young

Cover design by: Tiger Graphics

Dedication

For the sweetest of Roses. For Grams. For Barbara.

Acknowledgments

Becky, my love, made the comment that she wanted an adventure to read, so I wrote her one. I owe her big-time for putting that notion in my head because I truly enjoyed writing this book.

I’d also like to thank Tara Young and my editorial staff. Tara’s gentle prodding…with a bat…is always appreciated and much needed. Thank you, T-Jagger.

Chapter One

My dearest,

I failed you as a father. I know my work was never important to you, and you see it as the thing that has kept us apart through the years. You’ll come to resent it more now. Your life depends on what you’re about to read. Don’t dismiss or take it lightly.

Look around you. Do you see unfamiliar faces standing off in the distance pretending to be interested in something else?

Jodi Grant looked up from the paper held tightly in her grasp. A man stood away from the small cache of mourners surrounding her father’s burial site. He averted his gaze when she caught his eye. Beyond him, a woman put flowers on a grave. She too glanced in Jodi’s direction and looked away quickly. Jodi tried to look casually to her left and noticed another man leaning against one of the large oaks of the cemetery. He exhaled a large puff of smoke and stubbed his cigarette out on the bark of the tree. He made no move to avert his gaze and met Jodi’s head-on.

I was close. Jodi, in my hand, I held artifacts that no man has touched in thousands of years. The final prize is still out there waiting to be discovered.

Jodi swallowed convulsively, hoping that he would not ask the unthinkable. She was not going to tramp through some jungle to finish what he started.

I want you to finish what I started. Actually, honey, you have no choice. The people surrounding you have no intention of letting you return to the life you knew. By now, your apartment has been ransacked. You can’t go back there. You can’t stay here. You must go. I’ve sent help. He’ll probably reveal himself by the time you finish this note.

Jodi inhaled sharply as she folded the letter.

“Ms. Grant, come with me, please.”

She spun on her heel and looked into the soft brown eyes of a man her own height of five-foot-seven. Her so-called help looked as though a strong wind would blow him away. He pushed his spectacles farther up the bridge of his nose with a scrawny index finger, then smoothed back the few stray hairs in his receding hairline.

“Ms. Grant, we don’t have time to lose. I’m your escort.”

“I’m not going. Whatever Nicolas Grant was digging in the dirt for can stay there.”

The escort licked his lips. “It’s not that simple.” His gaze moved beyond Jodi as the traffic on the road behind them seemed to grow louder.

Jodi felt her shoulders slam into a crypt that a few moments earlier had been a few feet away. A piece of marble shattered and grazed her temple. The escort grabbed the front of her suit, a suit she’d paid what she considered a lot of money for. With the other hand, he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun; the barrel appeared to be a foot long. She saw his wrist move with the recoil but heard little of a report as he dragged her behind the protective wall of another crypt.

“Gotta love New Orleans.” He continued to fire at the rider of the motorcycle bearing down on them. “Fascinating city, the way you bury the dead above ground. The seafood gumbo I had for lunch was exquisite. Made me regret not being able to stay a bit longer.”

Jodi was being dragged like a rag doll between crypts as bullets ricocheted off of marble and stone. The escort’s diatribe made the whole scene seem even more surreal. A car appeared in front of them, and Jodi was shoved into the backseat as one of the escort’s bullets caught the cyclist just below his helmet. Jodi watched in shock as the bike went on without him.

Her protector moved onto the seat beside her and slammed the door. “My name’s Jason Platt, and our driver with the perfect timing is Antoinette.” Jason dropped the spent clip of his weapon onto the floorboard and reloaded. “We call her Ant.” He smiled over at Jodi, who lay slumped in the seat. “She’s shorter than me.”

Jodi began slapping at the pockets of her black suit jacket, hoping to feel her phone. She sat up slightly, peering over the driver’s seat in hopes of ascertaining her location and direction being traveled. Perhaps New Orleans’ finest could intercept them.

“Looking for this?” Jason waved her phone. Jodi felt a wave of nausea overcome her as he tossed it out the window. “Won’t do you any good.”

She felt the car go airborne, then land with a jarring thud. “My God, your roads are in terrible shape here.” Jason jerked a thumb toward his chest. “I’ve seen plenty. Been all over the world, and I have to say your streets are one of the absolute worst for a modern society. It’s the water table, isn’t it? And I imagine the roots from some of the trees lining the road.”

“I…don’t care,” Jodi said, unable to comprehend the conversation while careening at breakneck speeds through the city.

“You should probably sleep.”

The last thing Jodi noticed was a handkerchief gliding toward her face.

Chapter Two

“She’s coming.”

“Of course, she’s coming. What choice did she have in the matter?” Blair Whittington sipped her scotch and leaned heavily against the scarred wooden table. “Nic has absconded with all our choices and took them and his secrets to the grave.”

“You’re drunk, Doc.”

Blair watched as Tad Connelly filled a glass with amber liquid, and the bottle hit the table with a thud. He gave the contents a sniff and downed it all in one swallow.

“I’m tired. I’d like to go home and bathe whenever I choose, eat something and not worry that it may be poisoned or more likely ruined.” Blair yawned. “And not have to constantly look over my shoulder.”

Tad refilled his glass and raised it in toast. “To home sweet home.”

Blair raised hers, as well, and drained the glass. “When shall I expect Ms. Grant? Perhaps I’ll tidy the guest suite, put on a kettle for tea.”

Tad rubbed at the thick stubble growing along his jaw and laughed. “Maybe I’ll shave and put on a fresh shirt. I might even put on a little deodorant. Can’t have the girl thinking we’re uncivilized.”

Blair laughed with him for the first time in days. “You have more than one shirt, and it’s clean? You lucky man. I won’t go so easy on you the next time we play poker.”

She wasn’t joking. Tad’s clean shirt, if he truly had one, would hang off her like a dress, but she’d take it. The smell of her own stale sweat offended even her. Blair didn’t dare count how many days she had been in the clothes she was presently wearing.

Archaeology by no means was a clean profession, but when she signed on for the expedition, she’d been promised a great many things—lodging at a hotel, state-of-the-art equipment, and a capable crew. What she got was a tent and equipment that lay at the bottom of a ravine along with half of her crew. And the topper? The people responsible for the loss were out there somewhere looking for her, and if they were successful in their search, she’d have been better off going off the side of the cliff with those hapless souls and the supplies.

“To Nicolas Grant.” She raised her glass. “He was a thief, liar, and all-around asshole.” The last of her sentence trailed off into a slur.

“Tomorrow evening,” Tad said with a raise of his glass.

“What?”

“Ms. Grant will arrive tomorrow evening. I’ll send Jason the coordinates on the new camp. He’ll meet us there.”

“Highly efficient, he and Ant. Good people.” Blair looked at the bottom of her empty glass. “Shame they had to get mixed up with Grant.”

Tad threw back his head and laughed boisterously. Blair grinned along with him, though she had no idea what he’d found so funny. The chair he sat in creaked, bearing the strain of his six-foot-five-inch, two hundred fifty-give-or-take-a-pound frame. Black hair in need of a cut poked out from beneath his baseball cap. When he regarded her, his dark eyes were filled with tears of laughter.

“They’re hired guns, Doc. They kill people, lots of people. They’re good people because they’re on our side, at least until we stop paying them.”

Blair pursed her lips before saying, “Well, there is that. As long as they’re killing the people who’re trying to kill us, they’re good people in my book.” She put both hands on the table and rose slowly to her unsteady feet. “I’m calling it a night.”

Tad grinned up at her. “Would you like company?”

“No, thank you.”

“Why?”

Blair shook her head.

“Doc, we’re hiding out in the jungle. Speaking frankly, there’s nothing wrong with two adults taking comfort in each other.”

She pulled her hand away before Tad could reach it. “If we’re being frank, you should know you’re not my type.”

“What is your type then?” Tad asked with his smile in place. “I can be versatile.”

“I don’t have one. When I was on the assembly line, I missed out on a sex drive. Even if your breath didn’t smell like decomp, I still wouldn’t be able to muster a sigh. Good night, Tad,” she said before he could formulate a rebuttal.

Though Blair longed for it, there was no shower. No stream or river nearby in which to bathe, but if there had been, she would not have taken the chance anyway. Their camp was surrounded by armed locals willing to shoot anyone who came near without question for a pittance. She would not leave the protective barrier until Jason and Ant returned, even if it meant crawling onto her cot with dirt caked on her skin and face.

She would brush her teeth, though, and use what little water she had left in her canteen to rinse. The next day, they’d move closer to one of the villages. A runner would be sent in for supplies.

Her tent was large enough to stand in and would accommodate another cot but precious little else. She loathed being forced to share what space she had with a stranger. As much as she coveted her privacy, she could not in good conscience demand that Jodi Grant sleep outside with the mosquitos. As much as Blair despised the elder Grant for putting her into a precarious position, she could not find it in her heart to be cruel to his daughter, who had also become a pawn in his deadly game.

Blair spat a mouthful of toothpaste out of the flap door of her tent, then swatted at the flock of mosquitos she’d let in. She rinsed her mouth and repeated the process, allowing more of the winged bloodsuckers into her makeshift home. She kicked off her boots and stretched out on her cot with a sigh. With her hands clasped behind her head, she tried to think about anything besides the comfort of her own bed, clean clothes, and scented bath soap. Instead, she focused on her favorite damn it doll—Nicolas Grant.

She’d been the perfect fool for Grant’s plans. No field experience and no street smarts, but a knowledge of Peruvian artifacts that would rival any tome or Web page. Grant had claimed that the expedition had been financed by a Peruvian benefactor living in the States who wanted his ancient culture to be memorialized in a museum before robbers made off with his history. That much was true. What Grant failed to disclose was that benefactor also wanted pieces for himself. He’d used his money to get around the political permissions that would’ve drawn attention to what Nicolas had claimed to have found.

Getting involved in the project opened Blair’s eyes to the illegal antiquities trade that she knew existed but had not realized operated with the same brutality as illegal drugs. Once she had a grasp on the fact that she was involved in something nefarious, she was in far too deep to cry foul.

The plan was simple but rife with too many flaws to consider. They’d obtain the pieces sought by the benefactor and use them to barter for their lives. She wondered if Nicolas Grant had bitten off more than he could chew and formulated the same plan but chose not to inform the rest of the team until a bullet found a way into his chest. He lingered long enough to inform the crew that he’d safeguarded integral information in the States in the care of his daughter who had not a clue.

Chapter Three

Jodi Grant had a vague recollection of her passport being stamped. She wondered if she’d dreamt the ordeal because she didn’t have a passport. She’d never traveled out of the country, had no need of one. And now she was in a dilapidated truck plowing down rutted dirt roads going ever deeper into a jungle wearing an eight hundred-dollar suit.

She’d splurged on the outfit for two reasons—to attend her father’s funeral and to look elegant for a job interview she was currently missing. Looking back on it now, she should’ve skipped the funeral like she originally planned. However, when she signed off on the arrangements for her estranged father’s service, the director of the parlor had informed her that he would present her with something from her father at the burial. She’d hoped it was money…enough to cover the suit at least.

Moments before the graveside service, the funeral director handed her two envelopes. The smaller of the two was scrawled with her father’s handwriting: Open at the graveside service—alone. The second envelope said: Do not open.

She had not bothered to wonder why. Perhaps the note she was to open would explain. If not, she’d open the second one anyway in the privacy of her own home. She wouldn’t have the chance to do that now because the envelope and the letter were in the possession of someone known as Ant. Jodi had no desire to tangle with her because at the moment she was lazily swatting at leaves with a machete whenever the truck got near an unsuspecting tree or plant.

Jodi was going to miss her date with Laura, too. They were supposed to have dinner that evening…if it was Tuesday, she wasn’t sure. She had no idea how long she had been in a dreamless sleep. Perhaps weeks had passed. It was of little consequence, though, because she was sitting smack-dab in the middle of two people carrying guns they used liberally. That’s how they got the truck.

Why? she idly wondered. Because she had a shitty father, one who had abandoned her long before her mother’s death. When she was told that he’d been killed, she had not shed a tear. He had done her a favor, though. He’d planned his own funeral right down to the interior lining of the casket, and he’d paid for everything upfront. All Jodi had to do was sign off on the arrangements and order a few death certificates just in case he had a life insurance policy that stated her as the beneficiary.

“Want some water?” Jason held out a bottle that he’d just drank from.

“No thanks. I would like to ask a question, though.”

Ant withdrew the machete from the window and sheathed it in a holder the same length of her leg. “We’re waiting,” she said with an accent that Jodi couldn’t attach to anything she’d heard before.

“Where am I?” Jodi asked calmly, then not so calmly, “and what the fuck do you people want with me?”

“I can only give you longitude and latitude because there really is no name for where we are, besides a jungle in Peru.” Jason downshifted as they descended a hill. “Dr. Whittington will have to answer your second inquiry. Our job is to get you to her in one piece or enough of you to answer a few questions. What she decides to do with you after that is solely up to her.”

Jodi declined to make another query. The answer she’d been given, though not satisfactory, made her want to soil herself.

As the sun began to set, Jason pulled the truck to the side of the road. He grabbed Jodi by the arm and pulled her down alongside him. “Time to hike.”

“In this?” Jodi asked incredulously as she pointed to a sling-back shoe that at one time had a mate.

“Wait a minute.” Ant disappeared behind the truck and returned a few minutes later with a well-worn pair of boots. “These should fit. If not, I’ll check the other dead guy. I think his feet are smaller.” She looked at Jodi’s feet and cursed. “I thought you were wearing stockings. Lemme see who has socks.”

Jodi looked at Jason in horror. He shrugged and smiled. “She has a good eye for these things. She’ll fit you better than any shoe salesman.”

“There are dead people in the back of that truck and she’s shopping for footwear among them?”

Jason shrugged again. “They have no use for them.”

A moment later, Ant returned with two different colored socks, both worn through on the heel and toe. “Try these,” she said with a pleased smile.

“I can’t. I won’t wear something off a dead body.” Jodi put a hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

“Suit yourself.” Ant stuffed the boots and socks into her pack. “Let’s move.”

Not two yards into the jungle, Jodi was forced to retract her last statement. Ant rolled her eyes and pulled the boots and socks from her pack and tossed them in Jodi’s direction. At first, Jodi tried to limit her exposure to the vile-smelling socks by picking them up with a stick, totally discounting that she was about to cover her feet in them. Ant rattled off something in a foreign language that Jodi didn’t recognize, but it made Jason laugh hysterically.

*******

By the time they reached camp, Jodi’s costly suit was nearly in shreds. Where the cloth had been torn, mosquitos feasted on the newly exposed flesh. She was hungry, thirsty, and damn near delirious with exhaustion and rage. She was escorted into the largest of three tents where a woman sat with a bottle of scotch and one dented metal cup.

“May we present Ms. Jodi Grant,” Jason said with a flourish of his hand.

Jodi had a few choice words for the woman she presumed was Dr. Whittington. Yes, she was more than likely going to die when she admitted that she had no idea what her father had been involved in. Yes, her body would be discarded in the woods, her boots repossessed, but God help her, she was not going out in a whimpering heap.

Brown eyes regarded her from beneath a black ball cap as Jodi wound up internally for the last tongue-lashing she was ever going to dole out. She planted a hand on her hip. “That’s right, I’m Jodi Grant, only daughter of the late Nicolas Grant, but I did not know him. I have no idea what he was up to when he was killed. I absolutely despise archaeology and don’t give a rat’s fuzzy ass about long dead cultures. If they were anything special, they’d still be around. And if I weren’t surrounded by guns, I’d kick the shit out of you for dragging me into what is so obviously a hellhole. So, Dr. Whittingham, that should answer all the questions you have for me.”

“It’s Dr. Blair Whittington.” She pushed the chair on the opposite of the table with her foot. “Have a seat.”

Ant shoved Jodi toward it where she sat begrudgingly.

“I had hoped to be able to offer you more than a glass of scotch.” Blair looked over her shoulder at a tall man who stood quietly in the corner. “Hand me something I can pour a drink into, please, Tad.” She looked back at Jodi, who sat seething. “You can be angry at me, Jodi.” Blair nodded when Tad set another metal cup on the table. She poured a shot or two into it and passed the cup to Jodi. “But had we not collected you, you would’ve been dead before you left the cemetery. Although at the moment, you might’ve preferred that.”

Jodi swished the amber liquid around in her cup, debating on drinking it. Her stomach was empty, her lips were parched, and the liquor would go straight to her head and rob her of any lucid thought. She sighed and took a healthy swallow.

“I know Nicolas was your father, but he duped us all, including you. We didn’t involve you in this mess, he did, and like us, your choices are very limited at the moment.”

Ant laid the large envelope marked Do not open on the table in front of Blair. She looked at it a moment, then tore it open. Jodi watched as she opened the first piece of folded paper and scanned the contents. Frantically, she began unfolding each one, muttering under her breath. With a heavy sigh, Blair let them all fall to the table and closed her eyes.

“May I?” Jodi asked as her curiosity got the better of her.

Blair pressed her cup to her forehead and nodded.

January 10, 2011

My dearest,

I hope this letter finds you well. I was looking at some old pictures the other day and was reminded of all the times we used to go to the playground. You used to love to play on that big rock that you said looked like a llama. Do you remember that as fondly as I do? Left me sitting alone on that old bench for hours while you ran amok.

“This is bullshit.” Jodi looked up. “I have no memories with Nicolas. The few times he was at home, he stayed in his office, and he certainly never took me to any park.”

Tad picked up another letter. “Does this one make any sense?”

Jodi took the piece of paper and began reading aloud.

August 3, 2011

My dearest,

Congratulations on your new promotion. Keep climbing that ladder of success. I hope the letters on your new nameplate will be gold-plated. You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are. Don’t give up. The ultimate prize is close at hand.

Jodi shrugged. “The rest is about missing my mother’s shepherd’s pie. She wasn’t a cook, and I’ve never eaten anything of the sort.”

Blair began arranging the letters. She pulled a pen from her shirt pocket and turned the torn envelope over. “Read through each one and tell me what doesn’t make any sense. Keep them in date order.”

“No.”

Blair looked up, her expression blank. “No?”

“What will you do with me when I’m done? Put a bullet in my chest and take a dead man’s boots off my feet?”

Blair looked at her oddly, then slowly looked under the table. “They’re not my size.”

“I’m in no mood for sarcasm or quips.” Jodi tapped the letter before her and grinned. “There’s something you need here. I’m not giving it unless you guarantee my life.” It was a long shot but the only one she had.

Blair dropped the pen. “I have no intention of killing you.”

“Because you’re the only person in the room without a gun, so you’ll get someone else to do it.” Jodi folded her arms. “Take me back to the States, and I’ll give you the information then.”

“You wouldn’t last a day, so the question is,” Ant pulled back the slide on her gun, “do we kill you or do they? I count ten letters on the table. Each one is worth a toe. For every letter you don’t translate, it’s bye-bye, binkie.”

“No.” Blair held up a hand and looked back at Jodi. “Decipher the first letter. We’ll search according to the clues you give us. If we don’t find anything, we’ll all know that Nicolas has dealt his final insult.” She looked around the room. “None of our lives will be worth anything then.”

Jodi picked up her cup and downed the rest of the drink.

Chapter Four

“I’m sorry we don’t have more to offer you than a few pieces of stale bread.” Blair laid out a couple of burlap sacks that would serve as her bed for the night. “We’d intended on getting supplies today, but the town we chose was not safe. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

Jodi watched her with a look of perplexity with her arms folded. “This is where you sleep? No hotel, no running water?”

With a groan, Blair kicked off her boots and crawled onto the sacks, praying that there were no spiders. “We’re all running from the same people who tried to kill you back at the cemetery. Going into town for any length of time is not a healthy option. That’s how your dad was killed.”

“He’s not my dad. I barely knew the man. You may as well consider him a sperm donor. That we share the same DNA is just an unlucky coincidence for me.” Jodi looked around and gestured wildly as she seemed to debate something internally. “You can have your bed…thing. I’ll take the floor.”

“Go to sleep, Jodi. Tomorrow is going to be full of hiking and climbing. You need your rest.” Blair watched as Jodi reluctantly slipped out of her boots and lay down. Within seconds, she was out like a light.

We’ve got to get her some clothes, Blair thought as she took in what was left of a very nice suit. Jodi’s hands were folded across her stomach and looked soft. Blair seriously doubted that if she looked there would be callouses on her palms. She wondered if Jodi saw Nicolas when she looked in the mirror. She had his dark hair and blue eyes and his dimpled chin.

Blair stretched with a soft sigh and extinguished the lamp. Despite the fact that Jodi had no use for her father, she was still his child and not to be trusted.

*******

“I want to pick out my own clothing and food.”

Blair didn’t look at Jodi as she handed a wad of money and a list of things they needed to one of the locals who did their shopping. “Not gonna happen. We wait here.”

Jodi looked at the truck they’d jettisoned the day before and contemplated an escape. Though the bodies had been removed from the back, the blood remained, and that was enough to convince her to wait for another opportunity but not quite enough to make her bite her tongue. “You don’t call the shots for me, Blair.” She folded her arms and jutted her chin in defiance.

“It’s Dr. Whittington or Doc,” Tad said sternly. “Show some respect.”

“She eats, she drinks, and she goes to the bathroom just like the rest of us.” Jodi planted her hands on her hips as she turned to Blair. “I’m going.”

Blair, who had been dismissive until that moment, gave Jodi her full attention. She stuffed her fisted hands into the pockets of her once khaki trousers. “I call the shots for everyone in this group, which you are unfortunately a part of. If I were you and had been given the information you’ve been given, I’d consider my options. First, I can leave the safety of the group and have my head blown off within the next twelve hours.” Blair shook her head. “Obviously, that’s not the one I’d go with. I’d go with the latter—work with the group by deciphering the letters, so I can hopefully return to a normal life. Then again, maybe you’re just not as smart as I am,” she said with a shrug.

Jodi sucked her teeth. “I don’t see either of those as an option, perhaps because you in your brilliance have not given me all the information I need to make an informed decision.”

Blair sent her shopper on his way. With a toss of her head, Jason and Ant walked away to resume their guard duties, leaving Tad to serve as a referee. “You’re right. You’ve only been briefed on a few details.” Blair put a hand to her own chest. “I was trying to be compassionate to your plight. I didn’t want to further overwhelm you with the sordid dealings of your father. For your own safety, I’m going to lay it out plain and simple, and after you hear what I have to say, you’re free to go.”

Tad cleared his throat and looked at the wad of letters clasped tightly in Blair’s hand. Undaunted by his subtle warning, she continued. “Your father found and hid artifacts from a culture that has been traced as far back as 750 AD. Instead of turning over the find to the authorities of Peru, he went back to the States and found someone willing to purchase the antiquities illegally. Someone who has enough money and swing to smuggle priceless relics out of the country.”

Blair held up a hand when Jodi opened her mouth to interject. “He hired me to further assist on his expedition because Nicolas Grant couldn’t be satisfied with the wealth he’d already attained. He planned to strip this country further and take back even more of a prize, but he needed help. And I was just dumb enough,” Blair raised a finger, “at that time to fall for his lies.”

“Go to the authorities,” Jodi said. “Tell them you were duped and there are people trying to kill you.”

Blair smiled sardonically at Tad before looking back at Jodi. “Some of the authorities you speak of are just as crooked as your father was. If we did luck out and find some upstanding soul, we’d be thrown in jail, then into the hands of a legal system that isn’t too fond of supposed thieves in its country illegally.”

“But you’re searching for the trinkets anyway. If you find them, what then?”

“We’re working on that,” Blair said with exasperation.

“I guess that makes you more than a supposed thief, then again, maybe just less, a basic thief.” Jodi met Blair’s fiery gaze. “I won’t become an accomplice. You’ve admitted that you’re nothing more than a grave robber.” Jodi’s expression turned to one of disgust. “That you expect me to trust you is idiotic.”

“Go then.” Blair tucked the letters beneath her arm and pulled a compass from her pocket. “Go due north. You’ll run into something eventually.”

“Doc,” Tad said as his gaze darted between them.

Blair ignored him and yelled, “Ant, Jason.” When they arrived seconds later, she smiled. “Be so kind as to escort Ms. Grant up the road to the first turn. She’ll find her way from there.”

Both stood mute. “Today,” Blair ground out before turning and heading off into the lush thicket surrounding them.

*******

“Are you crazy?” Tad said as he caught up with her. “She won’t last five minutes on that road, and we don’t stand a chance of translating the letters without her.”

“I know.” Blair wearily took a seat on a boulder. “Have the men disassemble the camp. We need to be prepared to move quickly.”

“Doc—”

“We took a vote, I’m the leader. You’re just going to have to trust me.”

Tad didn’t look so sure as he left to follow her orders.

Blair opened the first of the letters and read slowly. Jodi’s description of Grant had been sperm donor. So Blair looked for things uncharacteristic of a useless father, trying to get into the mind of Nicolas Grant, but before long, her mind began to drift.

“Dr. Whittington.”

Blair turned and looked into a sparkling pair of blue eyes beneath an unkempt mop of hair so deep brown it was nearly black, then at the hand thrust out in greeting.

“I’m Nicolas Grant,” he said as his calloused palm met hers. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

“No, I’m sorry I haven’t.” He looked too old to be a student and was not as far as she knew a member of the faculty.

“I’m a colleague of your mother’s. Her work on Incan culture captivated and inspired me. Carmen Whittington is one of the most respected archaeologists I’ve ever known.”

“She was, yes,” Blair said as the polite smile slipped from her face.

“Has she passed on?” Nicolas asked with great disappointment. “I’ve been out of the country.”

“A year ago. I’ve donated all her writings to the university, so if you need to see her notes, you’ll have to make an inquiry of the dean.”

Nicolas clasped Blair’s arm as she turned to go. “I’m so very sorry for your loss…but actually, it’s you I wanted to talk to. May I have just a few minutes of your time over a cup of coffee?”

Blair closed her eyes as she considered how much that cup of coffee had cost her. In one afternoon, she’d disgraced her mother’s brilliant legacy, and yes, just as Jodi had said, she was now just a thief.

Chapter Five

“She’s an idiot.” Ant watched Jodi walk out in the open on the dirt road.

“Won’t be long till we have company.” Jason checked the clip on his automatic. “It’ll probably be six or so. Their search parties are small. Now the drug farmers…that’s another story altogether. They probably already have her in their sights, but unless she ventures into their territory, we shouldn’t have to worry about them.”

“She’s wearing a fucking suit. That alone will get her a bullet in the head, no questions asked.” Ant wiped the sweat off her brow with her forearm. “Let me cap her ass right here. Problemo solved.”

Jason grinned. “I love it when you talk tough. You’re so little and cute. You look kinda like a kitten with a rifle.”

“Okay,” Ant said with a scowl. “I shoot you first, then the dumbass on the road.” She inhaled sharply as she looked back at Jodi. “Fucking llamas again, like that’s going to keep us from picking them off.”

Jason turned and noticed the two pairs of boots, the only thing visible behind the animal that separated Jodi from their sight. “Move.” Jason stuffed his gun into the waistband of his jeans, picked up the rifle lying at his feet, and looked through the scope.

The rifle’s twin was strapped to Ant’s small back and moved efficiently through the undergrowth. She emerged moments later a few feet beside Jodi on the roadway but remained hidden from the others in the brush. She held up three fingers.

“Where are the rest of you ruddy bastards?” Jason whispered as he looked for heat signatures. Something appeared in his sight, a human figure with something blue—cold protruding from it. The bullet zinged past his shoulder just as he ducked.

There was no drawn-out fight or report of weapons. Ant had cleanly picked off her three and Jason returned fire on the one who had foolishly taken a shot at him. The rest and the llama ran heedlessly through the woods. Jason grinned as he noticed Jodi crouched in the middle of the rutted road with her hands covering her head.

“Get up, dumbass.” Ant nudged Jodi with the toe of her boot.

Jodi sprang up covered in dirt and patted herself frantically. “Am I hit? Am I bleeding?” she repeated over and over as she combed her body for bullet holes.

“No, but not for lack of trying,” Jason said as he joined them. “Here’s my advice: Trade the suit for the clothes on one of the dead guys. And for the rest of your walk, stay in the tree line, not in the middle of the road.”

Ant stuffed a piece of gum into her mouth before saying, “Won’t help. She needs a hat. You know, make herself look like a farmer.”

“Take me back! Take me back to Dr. Whittingham,” Jodi screamed as she latched on to the front of Jason’s shirt. “Please.”

“It’s Whittington, and no.” Jason winked at Ant. “You were rude this morning, and she’s had as much as she’s going to take. You wanted to make your own choices even after her warnings, so start walking.” Jason turned, and Ant got in step alongside him as he made his way back to camp. “Is she following?” he asked under his breath.

“Oh, hell yeah,” Ant said with a chuckle. “Problemo solved.”

*******

“She’s back.”

Blair didn’t look up from the letters she was unsuccessfully scouring. “Of course, she is.”

Tad laughed. “She wants to talk to you.”

“I’m sure.” Blair looked up at Tad without the hint of a smile on her face. “I reacted the same way she did, and as I see it, it’s not very funny. Go get her.”

Blair turned back to the letters but looked up a few minutes later as Jodi noisily approached with a dust cloud following in her wake. She hesitated only slightly as their eyes met, then continued stomping toward Blair.

“I almost died out there.” Jodi pounded her chest, causing more dust to fly.

Blair was tempted when she saw the fire in her eyes to tell Jodi that she’d warned her, and she hadn’t listened. “I fully understand why you don’t want to trust me.” She folded her arms. “I would’ve done the exact same thing. Actually, I did.” Blair pulled the collar of her shirt away from her shoulder to reveal a red puffy scar. “I didn’t believe Grant, either, and had to learn the hard way.”

Jodi looked at it wide-eyed and swallowed hard. “You were willing to have me shot to prove your point?”

“I sent Ant and Jason with you. Grant didn’t do the same for me.”

Jodi clamped her lips tightly together and exhaled before saying, “I’m sor—”

“No apologies.” Blair wiped the sweat from the back of her neck. “Call it even.”

“Supplies are here,” Tad said as he burst through the foliage.

“Don’t unpack anything but the water. We’re moving now.” Blair looked back at Jodi. “I know you’re upset and tired, but we have no time to waste.”

*******

Jodi inhaled anything given to her. Water, nuts, a bite of bread, even a piece of jerky, something she abhorred. On two occasions, she threw herself behind Jason when a man dressed much like the one who had met her on the road came near to where they were walking.

“They’re farmers,” Jason said, “poor and desperate to feed themselves and their families. We hire them because they’re local and know the land. They’re paid well for their silence and loyalty. They’ll also kill for whoever is padding their hands.” Jason grabbed Jodi by the arm when she stumbled over a root. “The men you encountered on the road work for people who are seeking the same treasure we are.”

Jodi nodded and looked on ahead at Blair. The butt of a gun could easily be seen in the waistband of her trousers. “She doesn’t look like an archaeologist, does she?”

Blair’s dark red hair protruded through the back of the ball cap she seemed to always wear and swished like an ungroomed horse’s tail. Jodi had noticed that morning that Blair’s fair skin was mottled with insect bites, and her face had a covering of dust on it that had turned to mud where she had sweated along her hairline and upper lip. She smelled strongly of sweat and failed deodorant. Jodi looked back at Jason.

“I think she does. She was just like you when she first came here, though more bullheaded. She tried to leave at least three times, maybe more, even after she was shot. I was afraid that Grant was going to ask us to…take her out before she ended up in the wrong hands.” He yawned and said nonchalantly, “I guess he figured that she’d be killed well before then. Maybe he had a soft spot for her.”

“Were they lovers?” Jodi asked as she watched Blair move farther away.

“No. I’m sure Grant’s looks appealed to some or most women, but not to Doc. When she looked at him, it was with pure hatred. Her mother was a very famous archaeologist, and I’m sure that Doc felt a lot of shame for being involved with someone like your father.” Jason bit his bottom lip when Jodi looked at him as though he’d slapped her. “I don’t mean to speak ill of your father, but he…well.”

“You don’t have to explain. I know what he was, especially now.” Jodi slapped at a branch, wishing it was Nicolas Grant’s face. “But from now on, just refer to him as Grant or Nicolas. I don’t like being reminded of the negative part of my bloodline.”

Jason nodded and smiled. “Sure. So who are you aside from that bloodline as you put it?”

“An unemployed real estate agent who until just recently had a shot at working with a reputable brokerage.” She smiled, though it never reached her eyes. “I bought this suit for the interview and Grant’s final goodbye.” She shrugged. “I felt like celebrating.”

“A husband? Children?” Jason looked at her curiously.

“Neither, and please don’t take offense. I’m not interested in either if that’s why you’re inquiring.”

“Ant and I have been together for years,” Jason said with a chuckle.

Jodi looked over her shoulder at Ant, who walked a few paces behind them and fought the urge to join Jason in a chuckle. She probably wasn’t breaking five feet even with the boots she was wearing. Seriously muscled arms protruded from her sleeveless shirt. Her short hairstyle, along with the strut had screamed “dyke” from the moment Jodi had awoken in South America. “Where did you meet her?”

“Beauty and charm school,” Jason said glibly, then grinned when Jodi laughed. “We met when we were hired to protect a drug lord in Cambodia. I was green around the ears, but she taught me many things.”

Jodi nearly stopped in her tracks and would’ve if Ant hadn’t nudged her along. “So you weren’t forced into this like Blair?”

Jason smiled and shook his head as though they were speaking of the most mundane things. “We’re killers for hire. We don’t assassinate presidents and heads of state, nor do we kill the average citizen. We take out dirty people in dirty trades like illegal antiquities.” Jason adjusted the strap on the rifle he was carrying. “We’ve shot the enemies of the people padding our palms just like the farmers surrounding us now do. Your father paid top dollar, and Blair, she does the same.”

“Which reminds me that we need to make a bank run,” Ant said from behind them.

Jason nodded. “I’ll talk to Doc when we make camp.”

Chapter Six

The stream was beyond cool—it was cold to Blair’s overheated skin. Normally, she’d have stopped and made camp before sundown, but the stream she was now bathing in was the reason she’d pushed herself and everyone else so hard. Ant was a couple of feet away scrubbing her bare skin while Jason stood with his back turned, giving them privacy. Ant would stand guard over his bath when Blair finished hers.

Blair inhaled deeply the smell of scented soap. While Dial was not her first choice, she was pleased to get it and treated it with the same care she would the artifacts if she were to get them in her hands. As she lathered for the second time, she looked at the tent she shared with Jodi. The lamp had been extinguished not long after dinner.

“Ms. Grant couldn’t hold her eyes open during the meal. May want to keep that in mind tomorrow when we push on,” Ant said with a derisive laugh. “She can’t handle much.”

“Aw, how kind of you to be concerned with her well-being,” Blair teased.

“I just don’t want to have to bury her whiny ass.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Blair said soberly. Ant rarely joked.

Blair left the water and felt her skin immediately warm. She dried with a scrap of towel and pulled on one of two new pairs of trousers. The material felt stiff and scratchy against her freshly shaved legs. At least they fit this time, she thought as she opened a pack of men’s undershirts, wifebeaters as some called them. They were the most comfortable thing she’d found to wear beneath her clothing. She shrugged into a button-down denim shirt and grabbed up the clothes she’d washed and hung them on a branch to dry.

“Calling it a night, Doc?” Jason asked as she walked past him.

“No, too much work to do.” She smiled. “Enjoy your bath and try not to make too much noise this time.”

Blair’s feet squeaked on the thong sandals she wore when she had the luxury to bathe. She walked as softly as she could past her temporary home and went on to the main tent where Tad sat freshly shaven. He set a clean cup in front of her when she sat and added a finger of bourbon.

“I miss the scotch,” he said without looking up from the map spread out before him.

“I don’t.” Blair drained her cup and added another splash. She pointed to a familiar route on the map. “We’ll go up through here.”

Tad looked at it as he swatted a mosquito on the back of his neck. “We’re gonna move much slower tomorrow. I don’t know how much ground you want to cover, but the carob trees are going to be a hindrance. We’ll have to machete our way through.”

Blair decided to add more than a splash to her cup. She downed every drop before answering. “We’re not going through the carobs but under.”

Tad leaned back in his chair and took a healthy swallow from his own cup. “I saw you ordered a shitload of lights. I’d just hoped that it meant we were going to start moving at night again.”

“I’ve seen the ‘playground’ that Grant mentioned in his letters.” Blair ran her thumbnail along the hem of her shirt. “It’s at the mouth of a cave system. Sediments over time have colored the rocks. It looks just like a child’s…playground.”

“And the llama he mentioned?”

Blair shook her head. “I imagine we’ll find it deeper into the caves.” She scrubbed unconsciously at the chill bumps that rose on her arms. “He wrote letters all the way up to August. This isn’t going to be a day trip, but maybe a week, possibly more.”

“A week underground?” Tad asked as he refilled his cup.

“There’ll be openings along the way, I’m sure.”

“You’re sure.”

“Not really.” Blair leaned her elbows on the table and scrubbed at her brow. “This is one hell of a predicament. We have to watch for the authorities, the drug lords, and whoever is trying to eliminate us. How are we going to find…Grant’s crap while constantly looking over our shoulders?”

Tad released a chuckle that went into a full-blown laugh.

“Bourbon getting to you already?”

“No.” Tad shook his head. “We’re probably on the verge of the most significant find this world has seen in a very long time, and you call it ‘crap.’”

Blair smiled despite herself. “I haven’t allowed myself to dwell on the significance.” The smile slowly faded. “I’ll never be credited for it, and if we’re caught, my mother’s reputation will be forever smudged with my deeds. I thank God she’s not here to see it.”

“If she were still alive, you wouldn’t be here,” Tad said gently.

Blair nodded, knowing fully what he meant. Carmen Whittington would’ve seen right through Nicolas Grant.

“May I talk to you alone for a moment, Doc?” Jason stepped into the tent still wet from his bath.

“It’s time for me to hit the rock anyway.” Tad pushed away from the table. “I’ll be looking forward to seeing your ugly pug at two when my watch ends.” He patted Jason’s face on the way out.

Jason filled Tad’s empty cup and took a swallow before sitting down. “The alcohol kills the germs,” he said with a grin. “Doc, I’m going to get right to the point. I know it’s not convenient, but it’s time to go to the bank.”

Blair inwardly groaned. After the supply run earlier that day, she did not have the funds to cover a payment that Ant and Jason required on a regular basis. After Grant’s death, Jason had explained the arrangement kindly but succinctly. They’d never trusted Grant, and to keep their services and his head, he’d had to pay them a healthy sum every month. Now the duty rested in her hands, and the couple was a very necessary evil.

“Going to the bank” was more complicated than it sounded. Blair would have to send an email, something she loathed because the satellite signal was easily traceable. She only knew him as the “benefactor,” and he would know exactly where they were, as well as those searching for them. Within fourteen hours of sending her message, she’d have to log back on and retrieve the location of the bank. The bank wasn’t a brick and mortar building, but a contact who would provide the funds only to her. This added another person into the circle of those who knew her location. It made her skin crawl.

Blair put her cup to her temple and met Jason’s gaze. “We’re about five miles from the mouth of the cave system. For me to leave now will delay our plans. Plus, our position is as vulnerable as it’s ever been.”

“Are you saying you won’t pay us this time around?” Jason looked wary.

“I’m asking you to take a gamble with me.”

Jason tipped his cup in Blair’s direction. “You’ve got tunnel vision. After you have the goods in your hands, you’re gonna be even more reluctant to draw attention. No, we have to do this now.”

And he was right. She wouldn’t even so much as sneeze once she had the artifacts for fear of someone taking what they’d basically given up their lives to retrieve.

“Send the message tonight. We’ll hike to the caves and set up camp, then you and I have to take a little trip.” Jason looked like anything but a cold-hearted killer, but when he leaned across the table and his breath fell upon her face, his eyes clearly conveyed threat, though his words seemed kind. “I’d have put a bullet into Grant’s head if he even thought about screwing me, but you…I don’t want to consider that possibility.” Jason leaned back and refilled his cup. “Look at it as a business transaction, Doc, a very necessary business transaction.”

He drained the cup and set it on the table. “Thank you for the drink and the ear.”

The ear comment made Blair squirm on the inside. Jason would be merciful and drop her before she ever saw it coming. Ant…she’d most definitely relieve her of an ear and most of her other appendages before she was allowed to welcome death.

Blair sighed and pushed her cup away. They were so close. She’d spent time in her head as they hiked miles through the jungle that day and had allowed herself the briefest glimpse of hope. Maybe they could pull this off. Perhaps with the artifacts in hand, she could bargain with the Peruvian government by showing her intent to return what belonged to them. Maybe they would believe her story and somehow protect them from the benefactor.

And now, nearly at the mouth of the caves and clues in her hands, she had to divert for a day. With all her education, she had no words except “this sucks” to describe her situation.

*******

Blair pulled on her boots when her feet were finally dry and lay on her new cot. Though it squeaked under her weight, Jodi didn’t stir. She hadn’t even twitched when Blair entered the tent with her lamp. Instead, she lay fully clothed and booted face down on the cot and was drooling on Blair’s only pillow.

Blair wished she could sleep that deep. She hadn’t for months now. There was a time when she’d slumbered so deeply that those who knew her swore she was an inch above death. But the first night deep in the Peruvian jungles, she awoke at every sound, every snapping twig. Since they became prey to some faceless entity, she hardly slept at all.

Grant’s face appeared in her mind’s eye then. He’d been so convincing when he was seducing her to play a part in his game. He’d shown her state-of-the-art equipment. He boldly lied that everything he planned had been sanctioned by the Peruvian government. The first indicator that it was all a farce was the minute they passed through Customs on Peruvian soil. She had not produced her passport, and before she could pull it from her bag, they were ushered through. Grant was all smiles when he told her that they had special credentials, and he had obtained hers just before the trip. In her gut, Blair knew then that she was in trouble, but she’d foolishly chosen to believe a pack of lies spun by a charismatic thief.

It wasn’t until the bullets started flying and they were forced to travel by night that Blair had truly accepted her fate. Tad had been quicker on the uptake, but he didn’t have to have a bullet graze his shoulder to drive the point home.

*******

“Yummy eggs.” Blair waved the plate in front of Jodi’s face. Her head might’ve been reluctant to leave dreamland, but her stomach was already following the aroma as she sat up. “Dig in and enjoy. We don’t get many luxuries like this.”

Jodi grabbed the fork Blair was waving in front of her and dug in. “Thanks.” She glanced up at Blair prepared to give her a smile of appreciation and froze. The woman standing before her didn’t look or smell anything like the one she’d met two nights before. This woman was clean. Hair devoid of the baseball cap was shiny and hanging in loose dark red waves around her shoulders. Her clothes were new. “What happened to you?”

Blair looked surprised by the question. “What do you mean?”

Jodi swallowed a bite and set her fork on her plate. “I shouldn’t have put it that way. I’m still a bit fuzzy-headed. I meant to say you look nice.”

“Thanks,” Blair said over her shoulder as she packed up her belongings. “We’ll be moving soon, so if you want a chance to bathe, you’d better take it quick.” She tossed a box on the end of Jodi’s cot. “Your new clothes are inside, along with a few hygienic items.”

“Thanks, Santa,” Jodi said, hoping to get on a pleasant even keel with Blair. She’d realized the night before when her face hit the cot that if there was going to be peace between them, she’d have to try to be more agreeable. What choice did she have?

“You’ll find men’s undershirts in your things. They’re probably not something you’d usually wear, but you may want to consider them. We sweat all day long, and anything constrictive tends to rub.”

Jodi nodded as she picked up her fork. “I learned that the hard way. My bra’s chafed me so much that my skin feels like it’s on fire.”

“Use powder liberally on your skin and especially on your feet.” Blair tossed her a tube of hydrocortisone cream. “This too will burn like fire when you put it on chafed skin, but it’ll heal fast.”

“Thanks again…for everything.”

Jodi’s stomach was full, her body was clean, and her new clothes, though slightly larger than she would’ve chosen, were comfortable. Even the boots on her feet were well-worn and soothing as they trudged on. Of course, they did come off a dead guy, Jodi thought as she glanced at Ant.

She’d gotten interested in real estate because someone had suggested it, but what made Ant decide to go into the business of killing people? Had someone hurt her as a child? Did she have no other way to support herself? Or did she simply wake up one morning and decide that humankind generally pissed her off?

“Why are you staring at me?” Ant asked suddenly.

Jodi blinked. “I was lost in thought. I didn’t realize I was.”

Ant narrowed her eyes for a moment and looked away.

Jodi turned to look ahead and ran into the back of Tad, who’d stopped. She looked around his shoulder at Blair, who had also stopped and silently motioned for everyone to do the same. Jason made a hand signal, and Ant stealthily darted off into the lush jungle surrounding them.

“What is it?” Jodi whispered.

Tad simply shook his head and held up a hand to ward off any more questions. Jodi’s pulse quickened as Blair pulled the gun from the waistband of her pants, taking her cue. Tad did the same but otherwise remained still. One of the farmers-slash-bodyguards approached Blair gesturing wildly and rattling off something in Spanish. Jodi watched as Blair’s shoulders tensed. She turned and addressed the group in a hushed tone.

“We’re skirting the perimeter of a farming community. Someone ahead of us got off course.”

Jodi and Tad approached her slowly and at the bottom of a slope lay two bodies. Grazing peacefully beside them were two llamas heavy with packs.

“When you say farm, you mean illegal drug farm, right?” Jodi asked, unable to pull her gaze away from the macabre scene before her.

“That’s right,” Tad said, his tone tense.

Blair spoke in rapid Spanish to one of the farmers who grabbed another and moved slowly down the hill. It seemed that everyone was holding his or her breath as the men led the llamas back to the group. They began to move again, slower than before.

“How far to the next camp?” Jodi asked later when Blair’s shoulders had relaxed and she’d replaced her gun.

“Are you tired? We can stop for a few minutes if you need to rest.”

“No, just curious.” Jodi was also anxious to be out from behind the animals they’d picked up. She’d been staring at llama ass for an hour.

“Probably another hour and a half,” Blair said as she passed Jodi a canteen.

“Short stroll today then?” Jodi said with a smile.

Blair’s expression remained serious as she nodded.

“Thanks for the cortisone. It helped a lot.”

“You’re welcome,” Blair said, making it obvious that she wasn’t in the mood for conversation.

Jodi had accepted her fate, unwillingly, of course. She didn’t fully trust Blair or any of the others, but if she were going to get out of this alive, she’d have to play along until a better solution revealed itself. If Blair was telling the truth, then Jodi pitied her. She’d been cast into a hopeless situation and was doing what she could to survive. But if she were lying, Blair was a gifted manipulator, even better than Grant had ever aspired to be.

Chapter Seven

Blair sighed as she snapped the laptop shut and unplugged the satellite card as she looked up at the mouth of the cave, feeling as though she’d just signaled everyone watching them. Anyone tracking them would now know their exact position, and she was leaving her vulnerable team behind to run an errand. She pulled Tad aside and watched everyone else as she spoke to him. “I have to make a bank run. I have no choice in the matter.”

“Now?” Tad pulled off his hat and ran his fingers through sweat-soaked hair.

Blair’s gaze moved to Jodi, who lay sprawled out on a boulder. She nodded in her direction. “Let her rest for a bit, then have her work on the letters. We need to make a chronological list of everything she considers a clue. The letters need to be kept in a safe place while we’re traversing the caves. We lose those and—”

“We’re screwed. Got ya, Doc. Ant will remain behind as usual, and you’ll signal us every three hours?”

She nodded. “Same drill. If you don’t hear back from me…” Blair’s gaze met Tad’s. “It’s your call from here on out.”

Tad squeezed Blair’s shoulder. “Take care and come back quick.”

*******

It was a little after three when Blair and Jason arrived in the small quiet town. “I’ll find a watering hole.” Jason walked away, leaving Blair to follow the directions in the email she’d received before departing the camp. She veered off the main road at the wrought iron fence and followed the narrow street until she came to a fountain. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and pretended to be interested in the architecture all the while looking for anything that would send her running for cover.

Movement caught her attention on the other side of the square. An elderly woman carrying a basket shuffled slowly toward her with a wary smile.

“Cousin Bridgette?” the stranger inquired.

“Si.”

Blair bent and let the woman brush her cheek with a kiss. “Michael could not visit today.” The woman pushed the handle of the basket onto Blair’s arm. “He said to give you this for your journey.” The woman kissed Blair’s cheek again and left the way she came.

*******

“You smell like llama spit, my friend.”

Jason cast a sideways glance at the man who took the barstool beside him. “An improvement to my usual odor as of late, I assure you.”

“What else can you assure me of?” the man asked as he waved off the bartender.

“We’re closer than we’ve ever been. Grant’s daughter has joined us with useful information.”

“Are we clear on our directives?”

“Crystal.”

The man stuffed a phone into Jason’s pocket. “Call the programmed number only when you have the package and the others are dead. Comprende?”

“Si.”

“And stop killing so many farmers.” He squeezed Jason’s shoulder. “You can make it look good without eliminating so many of my men.”

“You need to hire better shots. They took out our truck and a lot of equipment,” Jason said as he smiled. “My friend.”

Jason watched the man walk off. He motioned for a refill and nearly emptied the glass in one swallow. Unlike his wife, he took no delight in his work. It was simply a job. Shooting Doc and the others weighed heavily on his mind. But if he failed to carry out his directive, there would be someone waiting to put a bullet in his skull. Ant’s too.

*******

Jason found Blair at the meeting spot they’d chosen some time later. Two packs sat at her feet. “Tell me those packs are filled with bottles of booze, Doc.”

“Climbing gear to replace what we lost.” She winked. “And a bottle of tequila for scrapes and bruises.”

Jason hefted one of the packs onto his back while Blair did the same. He was looking forward to that tequila. It made Ant crazy. But a mile out of town, things went terribly wrong.

“Dr. Blair Whittington, si?”

Jason watched as men in threes stepped onto the road in front and behind them. The spokesman walked up on Blair before he could react. This was wrong, all wrong. The men the benefactor used to keep Blair pressured and hiding would not have been so bold as to confront them in the middle of the road so close to town. He’d been careless and had not considered that there would be others searching for the missing doctor.

Blair held her hands out in front of her. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but we’re just hikers. We don’t have anything of value,” she said with a smile.

That was her first mistake, Jason thought as he watched the interplay. Hikers in danger of losing their lives didn’t smile. Most peed down their legs and prayed out loud.

Jason’s hand twitched when the tall stranger with slicked-back hair and a sports coat worn over old slacks that frayed at the bottom reached into his jacket pocket. He was still tense when the man withdrew a piece of paper and unfolded it. He held it up and pointed to the picture of Blair, then the doctor herself. “Dr. Whittington, si?”

Blair didn’t respond. The man drew closer until they were almost face to face. “Your friends, they worry for you. They hire us to find you.” He gestured to those surrounding them. “We will take you to them.”

Blair’s gaze darted in Jason’s direction before she replied, “Si.”

“Come then.” The man gestured back toward town.

“Blair, I need water.” Jason used his geeky appearance to their advantage. “They scared me so bad my mouth went dry.”

“Agua.” Blair pointed to her pack.

The man nodded and smiled. The rest put a hand to their weapons. Jason pretended to shake violently as he looked around, gauging who would be the first to fire. The odds were bad. He sneezed, making the crowd around him more antsy, but no one drew a weapon. “Tissue,” Jason said tremulously as he pointed to his pocket. He placed his hand in the big pocket of his vest just as Blair squatted to retrieve the water.

The first three fell instantly. The other three scrambled as they pulled their weapons. Jason dropped the one closest to him, but the second managed to strafe his right ear. He staggered at the loss of equilibrium. The next two shots were fired from an unexpected source. She’d carried the gun and drew it often, but Blair had never killed another human being. She stood stunned and silent as the spokesman pleaded with her in Spanish.

Jason put a bullet in him first, then into the only member of the entourage still gasping for breath. These men weren’t professional; their leader had been too trusting, and therefore in Jason’s mind, legit. Someone else was looking for Dr. Blair Whittington.

“Doc, help me,” Jason said, trying to divert Blair’s attention from the lifeless bodies surrounding them. “We need to get off the road, and I need you to help me stop the bleeding.”

Her gaze slowly met his, then she looked at the blood running freely down the side of his neck. Jason picked up a pack and shoved it into her hands, then picked up his own. He tugged her off the road and into the foliage. She was on her feet, but Blair was nearly dead weight as he dragged her farther along.

Night was beginning to fall, making the jungle around them darker. Jason pushed Blair down onto a boulder before digging into a pocket of his vest and grabbed what few first-aid supplies he carried. His hands shook slightly as he opened a package of gauze and clamped it to his ear.

“Doc.”

She didn’t respond. He dug through the packs and pulled out the bottle of tequila. After a long swig, he pushed the bottle into Blair’s hands. “Drink, Doc.”

She looked at the bottle as though it was some foreign object she didn’t recognize and passed it back to him. He put it to his lips once more before capping and returning it to the pack. “We can’t stay here. We have to move.”

Chapter Eight

“I heard you talking to Ant,” Jodi said when she found Tad sitting alone. “They haven’t signaled, have they?” It had been dark for hours.

“No.” Tad reached into his shirt pocket and produced a pack of cigarettes. He put one to his lips and looked as though he wasn’t sure he wanted to light it.

Jodi didn’t want to ask the next question, but she knew she had to. “What happens if they don’t come back?”

“I take over and we move on.” The cigarette between Tad’s lips bobbed up and down as he spoke. He didn’t look at her.

While she had her doubts about Blair, Jodi didn’t want to contemplate going on without her, nor did she want to dwell on what may’ve befallen Blair Whittington because her fate could very well be the same.

“She’s a good woman,” Tad said suddenly. “This is not her world, but she’s strong physically and mentally and in my opinion an excellent leader. The farmers won’t move for me like they did her.”

Jodi’s first instinct was to disagree, but she had no idea how the farmers would react. She had no clue how things worked in this strange place.

While they waited for Blair and Jason, Jodi had sat for a long time looking at the jungle surrounding them. It was lush and deep green. The trees grew close together and vines wove through them so thickly in places that they blotted out the sun completely below. Birds called out, and things unseen moved in the brush. In the daylight, it hadn’t seemed so scary, but in the night, it was terrifying.

What disturbed Jodi the most aside from Blair’s absence and her surroundings was that she in some way…felt like she belonged there. Some part of Nicolas’s DNA had awakened inside of her. It challenged her to hunt, to seek out what lay hidden. It reminded her that she would forever be linked to a man she despised.

She’d emulated her mother’s every move. Gail Grant—GG to her friends—had been Jodi’s idol. The complete antithesis of Nicolas in every way—faithful, responsible, caring. She’d never understood what had attracted her mother to Nicolas. Perhaps rebellion, maybe the whole opposites attract thing. Gail had never uttered an unkind word about Nicolas even when he left and never returned, leaving her to raise a six-year-old on her own. Nor on her deathbed did she mutter one cross word. She faced her demise with dignity when Jodi was eighteen. Nicolas hadn’t even sent a card. And he had the nerve to rope her into finishing his life’s work of thievery. The most disgusting thing about it…she felt the need to hunt.

Tad flicked his lighter, the flame revealed his face. Jodi watched as it moved closer to the cigarette but never made it.

“They’re here,” someone called out. Jodi and Tad turned as Blair and Jason stumbled into the camp. Ant went to Jason and began working on a wound that had bled down his shirt. Blair went straight into their tent, which remained dark.

Tad put a hand to Jodi’s arm as she moved. “Leave her alone when she’s like that. Stay out here with us for a while.” He stood and pulled Jodi to her feet. “Let’s see what we can do for Jason.”

The group sat around a small fire as Jason told them about the band of drug runners who had attacked them just after they left the city. He’d killed five and Blair, two. “She’s still in shock, but she’ll be back to normal by morning.” Jason winced when Ant pulled a string through what was left of his ear. “Make it clean, love. You know how bad I look with long hair.”

Jodi looked back at the tent and wondered when Blair had eaten last. “Was she injured, too?” She turned to face the others.

“Completely unscathed.” Jason winced again as Ant wiped his ear with something. “I wasn’t sure how she’d react when she was forced to pull her gun.” Jason grinned for a fraction of a second. “Good instincts and undeniably lethal.”

Jodi left the others despite Tad’s warning. With lamp in hand, she entered the tent. Blair lay on her cot, eyes open, staring at something above her.

“Jason told us what happened…with the drug runners. I thought you might want someone to talk to.” Jodi set the lamp on the small table between their cots and dimmed the light.

“I appreciate your concern, but I do not want to talk about it…ever.”

Jodi took a seat on her own cot. “Have you had anything to drink or eat?”

“I know this is going to come out as rude, but under the circumstances, I hope you’ll understand and forgive me when I say I don’t want anything or anybody right now. If you’re ready to go to sleep, then kindly shut off the light.”

Wordlessly, Jodi turned off the lamp and stretched out on her cot. She wondered how she would feel in Blair’s shoes. To take a life was unfathomable even if it were in self-defense. It would probably haunt her for life, and she figured justifiable or not, it would do the same to Blair.

*******

Blair arose before anyone else that morning. Sound sleep had finally come to her. She assumed that her mind could no longer bear replaying the looks of the men’s faces she’d slain and simply shut down. It all felt like a dream until she noticed the flap open on Jason and Ant’s tent. Her eyes met Jason’s as he slowly crept out. She looked away, unable to gaze upon someone who dealt death as a living. Alone, she went to the water and bathed.

The suds from her hair took flight on the current. Blair watched them as they moved quickly downstream. Could they have talked their way out of it? She’d known what Jason was going to do the minute he asked for water. And why had they allowed her to reach into her pack? Didn’t they suspect she had a weapon?

As Blair washed her face, she remembered a similar situation, though there weren’t as many men. The guide Nicolas had chosen led them right into the middle of drug lord territory. Four men emerged from the bushes with weapons raised. Nicolas immediately tried to barter for their lives, and she’d translated everything he said. She would never forget the look in their leader’s eyes when Nicolas reached into his breast pocket. She’d known then that they were seconds from death, but Blair had not seen that look in the eyes of the man who had approached with her picture.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

Blair looked up at Ant, who stood nearby with a rifle slung over her shoulder. She submerged and rinsed the soap from her body. She said nothing as she dried and dressed. Ant made no attempt to assuage her guilt. Instead, her impassive gaze rested on Blair’s face. Her cold eyes seemed to penetrate her skull and read everything hidden within.

*******

When everyone had bathed and eaten, the group gathered at the mouth of the cave and awaited Blair’s instruction. She gave orders in Spanish, and two of the farmers gathered their things. The rest were told to wait behind. “Ant, you’ll accompany us, Jason will remain behind.” She watched as everyone exchanged glances. Ant narrowed her eyes as Jason spoke up.

“Aside from the locals, we’re your only real protection.” He gestured between himself and Ant. “You have no idea what waits for you inside. You need us both.”

“I need someone skilled to remain behind and stand watch over the entrance and the camp. We have a lot of gear we won’t be able to carry, and we’ll need to focus on climbing with limited visibility. I need you to cover our backs.”

“I can do that trailing behind,” Jason argued.

Blair met his gaze unflinchingly. “This is what I’ve decided. Will there be a problem?” She watched as he and Ant regarded each other for a moment. “You’ve been paid. We can call it even today if my plan is unacceptable.”

“I don’t understand your reasoning, but I’ll do whatever you want.” He glanced at Ant before saying, “We can’t leave you out here alone, especially after what happened yesterday.”

Blair nodded at the expected response that furthered her growing distrust. “We’ll get started in twenty minutes.” She watched as the group disassembled, leaving only Tad and Jodi behind. “I don’t suppose you know anything about rappelling,” she said to Jodi.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t.”

No cocky retort, no glib response that Blair had expected and had grown used to. “I’m sorry we don’t have more time to train you.”

“Does that mean you want me to stay behind, as well?” Jodi looked mildly disappointed.

“It means we’ll have to teach you on the fly. You stay within a foot of me or Tad at all times. Will this be a problem?”

Jodi blinked as she replied, “No, not at all.”

“Mind if I speak to Blair alone for a moment?” Tad asked.

Jodi turned and moved a fair distance away. Tad watched her go before turning his attention to Blair. “What’s going on?”

Blair regarded Tad for a few moments. He didn’t fidget or appear nervous under her scrutiny. “The line between friend and foe is getting blurrier. I think you’re about the only one I can actually trust.”

“You think?” Tad looked as though he’d been backhanded.

“Can I trust you, Tad…with my life?” Blair’s eyes bore into his, searching for the true answer.

“Yes. I’d kill or die for you, and I expect you to do the same for me.”

His response dug deeply into wounds open and bleeding from the previous day’s encounter. Did Tad really understand what he’d just committed to?

Chapter Nine

Jodi felt a thrill ripple through her as she looked at the multicolored rocks surrounding her. One even resembled a teeter-totter. The low lighting given off by the headlamps gave the chamber a storybook feel. “The playground.” Jodi turned in a circle, marveling at it all, temporarily forgetting how she came to be there in the first place.

“Right or left, Jodi?” Blair said, interrupting her folly.

Jodi looked past where Blair was standing and noticed for the first time two different tunnels. She pulled her list of keywords from her pants pocket and found nothing to indicate a direction either way. Left me sitting alone…I believe it’s the one on the left.”

“You don’t sound so sure.” Tad studied both entrances.

“He claimed I left him on a park bench. That’s the only thing after playground that hints at direction.” Jodi felt an insurmountable weight rest on her shoulders then. What if she were wrong? How far would they go before they knew it was the wrong way?

“Left then,” Blair said and began moving.

This cave was smaller than the one that led to the playground. Jodi found it hard to breathe.

“Are you claustrophobic?” Blair held back and waited for Jodi to come alongside her.

“I didn’t think so until now.” Jodi turned her head, allowing the light from her headlamp to cover the walls that suddenly seemed too close.

Blair pulled her to a stop and reached into her pocket, withdrawing a coin. “Hold this in your hand. Focus on the feel of the metal against your palm. It’s a distraction.” Blair took Jodi’s hand and pushed the coin firmly into it, then squeezed it shut. “Your…Grant taught me this trick the first time I went into the caves with him.”

“Thanks.”

The others had moved on ahead of them, but Blair made no effort to pick up her pace, and Jodi walked slowly on beside her. “Did you ever second-guess your calling when you first ventured into places like this?”

“Never. It’s in my blood. My mother climbed and crawled all over this country for her research. She was here for much of the eighties when a lot of the Sican artifacts were discovered.”

“So you had an MIA parent, as well,” Jodi said.

Blair shrugged. “She made up for it in other ways. I remember how she’d tuck me in and tell me stories about the cultures she was studying. Sometimes, she’d incorporate characters my age, so I could relate to what she was explaining. She’d intersperse fact with her fables, and I fought to keep my eyes open to hear what would happen next.”

Blair paused and ran her fingers over striations in the rock. “My father was a sociologist, they made a captivating pair. They could regale anyone with their knowledge of ancient customs and cultures.”

“Does he know you’re here?”

Blair was quiet for a moment. “He’s not aware of much at all. Alzheimer’s.”

“And your mother?” Jodi asked somberly.

“She’s gone, too. Slipped away in her sleep last year.”

“We have something in common, besides our present situation. We’re both orphans in a way.” Out of habit, Jodi started to glance at Blair and remembered the headlamp. She would’ve liked to have looked into her eyes when she apologized. “I’m very sorry that Nicolas ruined your life.”

The others continued to push on ahead, leaving them virtually alone. Jodi could see the beams from their headlamps growing smaller. There was no sound except for the occasional scraping of boots and water dripping from somewhere. When Blair finally spoke, it startled her.

“I can’t keep blaming him,” she said softly. “The warning signs were there even before we left American soil, to be honest. I ignored them.”

“Why?”

Blair sighed loud and long, the sound echoed around them. “Arrogance, I suppose. My mother and father were very accomplished in their respective fields. I was in a hurry to add my own. Archaeologists are on digs all over the world, and though the finds are important, they’re rarely spectacular like the Tut discovery. Nicolas claimed to have found a cache of Sican knives and a solid gold headdress. He said he felt there was much more.”

Blair stopped and handed her canteen to Jodi. “You should drink plenty of this.” She stared straight ahead as Jodi swallowed a few gulps and passed it back. Blair took a long drink and replaced the canteen in her belt pouch.

“I did do a bit of research on your…on Nicolas Grant, and he had been credited with a few minor finds. I went no further, though I know I should have. I’m not sure if you know anything about the procedures an expedition must adhere to before they even pack. Paperwork can sometimes take years to be filed. Nicolas’s benefactor had supposedly done all of that, and the archaeologist they’d chosen for the expedition had suddenly fallen ill. They needed someone quick to fill his shoes…Nicolas claimed he pushed for me because he’d worked with my mother—”

“He was a gifted liar.” Jodi kicked at a loose stone. “My mother was an intelligent woman, and he got over on her, too.” Jodi had grown tired of hearing the self-recrimination in Blair’s voice. Each word added to the swirling anger that settled in the pit of her stomach. Her anger and hostility toward her father formed a bitter taste in her mouth. “You could set right what he’s done. You can lead this expedition and give the artifacts to the proper authorities and in turn save us all.”

“This is not an expedition. This is a treasure hunt,” Blair said with some of her earlier fire returning. “Everything surrounding the find tells the full story, and I have no doubt that Nicolas Grant probably obliterated the sanctity of the area.”

“Doc!” Tad’s voice rang out. “Come look at this.”

Blair and Jodi quickened their pace. The chamber that the others had already found was lit up by the huge handheld light that Tad had been lugging. Caught in the beam was the llama.

Blair fingered the woolen blanket that someone had lain over the llama’s stone back. “Anyone care to wager who this belongs to?” She jerked her hand away as though it repulsed her to touch anything belonging to the elder Grant.

Chapter Ten

Blair was tempted to take the farmers and push on when signs of fatigue manifested on the faces of Ant and Jodi. Tad looked as though he had a few good hours left in him, and the farmers probably could’ve gone on for days. Eager as she was to exhaust the list of clues, she knew she couldn’t do the same with her crew. Weariness led to sloppiness, and that always led to injury or…

“Can we stop for just a minute?” Jodi leaned against a boulder.

“Yes, everyone take a load off for a few minutes.” Blair took Tad’s big light and continued down the tunnel a few yards until the light bounced off the wall of another chamber.

“You’re tired, too,” Tad said from behind her. “You’re not minding your steps, Doc!” He tugged on her shirt until she took a step back. “Look.” He aimed his headlamp at their feet. “I imagine that goes on for miles.”

Blair shuddered as she noticed the opening in the floor beneath them. Another step and she’d have been the next casualty. “Thanks.”

Tad took the light from her and moved the beam across the floor to a small flat outcropping of rock along the opposite wall. “Would’ve been nice of Nic to warn us about the drop-off…then again, maybe he did.”

“He could’ve,” Blair conceded, apprehensive to believe that Jodi might’ve purposely omitted that piece of information. Then again, she was the first to stop. She couldn’t look Tad in the eye, but she didn’t have to, to know he was wondering the same thing. “Let’s rope off and make camp in the chamber on the other side.”

Tad was the first to cross. The farmers held on to a rope connected to a harness around Tad’s waist as he picked his way across a narrow ledge. Once on the other side, he clapped his hands together. “Piece of cake. The ledge is solid.” Ant went next, then Blair turned to Jodi.

“Your turn.”

“Um.” Jodi clasped her hands together and tucked them under her chin. “I’m a wee bit afraid of heights.”

“Well, the high side is that the hole is pitch-black, so telling you not to look down is a moot point.” Blair helped her into the harness and tightened it. “Use the wall to steady yourself and move your feet slowly. Like Tad said, it’s a piece of cake.”

Blair would’ve been more reassuring, but her mind was running amok with dark suspicions. Jodi had wanted to stop first. Did she know what lay ahead of them? Surely, Nicolas would’ve warned her of something as perilous as a drop-off. Blair tried to remember what she had read in the letters. Maybe she was putting a little too much faith in Jodi.

“Watch your step,” Blair said coolly.

Jodi took one look at her, then at the two farmers who held on to the rope. Blair heard her exhale loudly before she gingerly moved onto the ledge.

*******

Fear of falling trumped fatigue. The rush of adrenaline it took to cross the ten-foot-wide crevasse had everyone breathing heavily once on the other side, more from fright than exertion, Blair suspected. She sat away from the others and the circle of lamps that lit up the chamber. They were quiet as they ate except for an occasional comment.

With a flashlight caught between her teeth, Blair scoured the letters, looking for indication of the drop-off they’d just traversed, hoping she wouldn’t find it. She was reluctant to give her trust to Jodi, but Blair hung on to a miniscule shred of hope that she had another ally in addition to Tad.

When the handwriting began to blur, she had not found any warnings, and for that, Blair was relieved. She felt her dislike of Nicolas burn even more. Had he not thought of his only daughter when he sent the letters? Or did he have more faith in Blair’s ability to lead the crew? She herself had nearly stepped off to her death had it not been for Tad’s watchful eyes. She’d been tired and careless and screwed up, but what was Nicolas’s excuse?

A symphony of snores filled the chamber. Jodi lay once again on her stomach atop her sleeping bag, unlike Ant, who lay on her back with her head propped and her rifle across her chest. The wary, Blair surmised, slept with one eye open and turned their backs to no one. She stretched out on her back and folded her hands behind her head.

********

“I have to pee,” Jodi said in a whisper when the group had been roused after a six-hour sleep.

Blair handed her a small pack of tissues and pointed to a large rock to the right of them. “Use your headlamp. Keep an eye out for spiders and snakes.”

Jodi glanced at the rock with a grimace. “I’m not totally naïve. I know there isn’t a toilet back there with running water and a place to wash my hands. But I’d like my own rock. I don’t want to stand in someone else’s urine.”

Blair handed her a bottle of hand sanitizer. “Yes, you do because your only option for privacy has been used for more than…” Blair gestured with her hands until Jodi made a face. “Sorry, the farmers beat you to it.”

“Shit.”

Blair nodded. “Yep, shit.”

*******

Jodi’s hand shook slightly as she called out the list of what she believed were clues. None of which seemed to apply to the small cave that looked like they’d have to crawl through, and that terrified her. You were always afraid of heights. It took forever to get you to climb down from that tree. She’d chosen heights, climb, and tree as her clues. But as she looked around her, none of it seemed to make sense.

“I’m afraid,” Jodi whispered to Blair and turned her back to the others. “What if I don’t get this right and kill us all?” she asked, panic-stricken.

Blair took the clue list from Jodi and looked it over, trying to recall what she’d read in the letters the previous night. “All right, everyone. Search the walls of the chamber for air moving through the cracks.” She took Jodi by the arm and led her to a smaller rock that had not been used for a bathroom.

“Obviously, you know what you’re doing, but nothing in the letters or clue list talks about air and rocks,” Jodi said as she sat.

“I’m keeping them busy, it lessens the anxiety.” Blair pulled the original letter they were using that day from her pack and compared it to the list. The second line caught her eye. You were always afraid of heights. It took forever to get you to climb down from that tree. “And you are afraid of heights, we know that for a fact.”

“He didn’t know that, though. I never climbed anything with him around, no trees, no llamas.”

“What about forever, climb, down?” Blair bit her lip as she thought about the crevasse that Nicolas had failed to mention. “Tad?”

“Yeah, Doc?” Tad responded from the other side of the chamber.

“Take the big light and have a look down that opening we crossed last night.” Blair rattled off something in Spanish, and the farmers picked up their gear and followed him. The chamber grew dark except for the lamp Blair and Jodi were reading by.

“I hate fucking caves,” Ant said somewhere in the darkness. “Forever night.” She yawned and smacked her gum.

“Are you thinking we’re going to have to climb into that thing?” Panic filled Jodi’s voice again. “Go deeper?”

“I’m afraid so.” Blair scanned the line three more times with dread.

“I hate you, Nicolas Grant,” Jodi yelled out suddenly. “You asshole! What is wrong with a safety deposit box? A hollow damn tree even?”

Ant’s chuckle bounced off the wall when the room went silent.

“You’re not going to be able to talk me through this today, Blair. Not like you did in that narrow cave last night.” Jodi was quickly coming unraveled. She felt her chest tighten, and taking a breath became difficult.

“Jodi.”

Jodi could hear Blair’s voice, but it sounded distant as the pounding in her ears grew louder. She felt a hand grab her wrist.

“Jodi.”

“I push paper,” she heard herself saying. “I’ve never even been camping. How could he ask this of me? Demand it?”

Jodi saw bright light and felt a shocking sting on her face. She focused. Blair shoved Ant so hard that she lost her footing and fell flat on her back. Ant sprang up like a cat, her face a mask of rage.

“Don’t you ever do anything like that again.” Blair’s voice was low and controlled.

“She was hysterical,” Ant retorted.

“I will remind you once more. I’m in charge. I deem what course of action we take. You are a hired gun. No more, no less.”

“You better—”

“Nothing,” Blair said calmly. “I call the shots. Now go help the others.”

Ant spat on the ground inches from Blair’s boot and stalked off.

Blair held the lamp near Jodi’s face and narrowed her eyes. “I can have one of the farmers take you back to the entrance of the cave.”

The thought of making that trip with someone she did not share a language with and of having to wait with Jason seemed more frightening than climbing down into a hole. “No, I’m going.”

Blair sighed and chewed her bottom lip. “You’re going to have to listen to everything I tell you, and sometimes you’re going to have to rely on your own strength. This isn’t going to be pleasant. My offer still stands. Do you want to consider it for a few minutes?”

Jodi shook her head. “I have to do this.”

I have to do this, Jodi repeated in her mind as Blair tightened her harness. God, I should’ve peed again before she strapped me into this thing.

“We’re not rappelling, we’re climbing. Tad says there are plateaus and protruding rock…almost like tree branches. This,” Blair tugged on the harness, “is a safety precaution in case something gives way.”

“Well, that’s gonna suck for whoever’s beneath me.”

“You’re going last right behind me.” Blair tested her own harness. “The others will descend and break away anything that isn’t sturdy.” Blair aimed her headlamp over Jodi’s shoulder, giving her enough light to make eye contact. “I don’t know how deep this is…the note said ‘forever.’ That says to me that this is going to be a long climb down. Pull out your list and let’s have a look at the next set of clues.”

You were still shaking when your feet hit solid ground. But then you were off and running again with your hair backlit by the setting sun.

“The clues I noted were solid ground.” Jodi shrugged. “Backlit and sun.” She didn’t particularly care for the look that crossed Blair’s face. “What?”

Blair took on an air of nonchalance. “What to do you mean, what?”

“Why did you frown?”

“I didn’t.”

Blair moved and Jodi grabbed her by the arm. “You did. Now tell me why.”

Blair cleared her throat. “I think…there was a word you did not put emphasis on.”

“What?” Jodi looked down at the list.

“Running,” Blair whispered as she took the paper from Jodi and stuffed it into her pocket.

“Shit.”

“Do you need to make a trip back to the potty rocks?”

“You have a dry wit, Dr. Whittington…I don’t think I like it.”

*******

On hands and knees, Jodi peered over the side of the opening. Beams of light from the headlamps moved around the walls of the abyss. Tad had gone first and stopped frequently to shine the large light up, giving the climbers a better view. Blair looked up at her from several feet below.

“Keep your head pointed down, so you can see where to step. Once I get my footing on the next step, I’ll touch you on the back of the leg. Follow my lead.”

Jodi slowly moved her legs over the side and sighed when her feet met something firm. “I’m conquering a lot of damn fears on this adventure.”

“We all are,” Blair said from somewhere beneath her.

Jodi felt Blair’s hand on the back of her calf. She saw the next step a foot or two to the right of where she was standing. With one hand on the rope and the other on the rock wall, Jodi moved down to the next protrusion. This went on for what seemed like hours, but when Jodi looked up, she realized they hadn’t gone that far.

“Let’s rest a minute and give Ant a chance to make some headway.” Blair held on to Jodi’s calf to keep her from moving. Jodi watched as Ant struggled to make it to each rock. Encumbered by her height or lack thereof, Ant battled to make each step.

“You two go on ahead,” Ant said breathlessly.

“No. If you misstep, I can use the rope to guide you back to a rock,” Blair said.

Ant brushed a hand across her sweating forehead. “You don’t trust me, Doc. Are you afraid that I’ll conveniently forget to place your piton?”

Blair didn’t immediately respond, and Jodi couldn’t see her face to gauge her reaction. The silence made the muscles that had been coiled tightly in Jodi’s stomach constrict even more.

“Go on, Ant, and watch your footing,” Blair said finally.

Jodi lowered herself onto the rock she’d been standing on. It was easier to look down when she was sitting. The rocks reminded her of how certain mushrooms grew on trees back home, small plateaus made similar to a staircase. Blair’s shoulders were about even with her knees. Jodi leaned closer and whispered, “She and Jason are like having vipers as pets. They appear friendly, but they’ll strike the hand that feeds them.”

“Excellent analogy.” Blair lifted her face toward Jodi, directing the beam of her headlamp over Jodi’s shoulder again.

When their eyes met, Jodi knew she was being searched. Blair’s gaze telegraphed everything she refused to speak. Are you friend or foe? And Jodi wondered the same about Blair.

“Why do you keep them?”

“I never asked myself that question until this morning,” Blair said with an unwavering stare. “Nicolas hired them. Jason is as lethal as a dozen famers and draws less attention when I’m forced to go into town. They’re a necessary evil.” Blair looked down at Ant, who had descended much quicker than she had before. “It’s time to move.”

Jodi put a hand to her shoulder. Blair waited but did not look back at her. “Why did you question yourself this morning?”

“I’ll have to explain that at another time.” She moved slowly to the next plateau and waited for Jodi to follow.

With Ant well ahead, they moved faster. Jodi became accustomed—comfortable with Blair’s firm and guiding touch. They didn’t talk much except for a few words of caution. The climb and exertion it took kept Jodi’s mind occupied, making her forget that the walls were growing closer.

“On the bottom, Doc,” Tad called up and positioned his light for the rest of the group.

*******

Blair knew she was sweating more than usual, but it wasn’t the climb. Stress oozed from her pores. On one hand, she had an inexperienced climber. And on the other, Ant, who seemed more poised to strike the closer they got to the prize. Blair had mistaken it for nervousness caused by being in unfamiliar surroundings, but she’d realized that Ant’s issue was impatience. She lacked Jason’s cool demeanor. They were all anxious to be done with the job at hand and hopefully be released from the burden that Nicolas had yoked them with. But Ant…was shirking off the façade of paid protector without a care. The predator was emerging.

Blair thought she had more space as she put her boot down on the next step and felt nothing but air. Her arms flailed and brushed the brim of her hat. She was vaguely aware of her headlamp bouncing off her knee. She could hear Jodi grunting as she tugged hard on the line. Blair slammed hard into the wall, her hands scrambled for purchase.

“The foothold is about eight to twelve inches to the left,” Jodi said, shining her headlamp down on the slight ledge.

Blair tentatively stretched her leg until she felt the toe of her boot meet with something. “Is that it?”

“Yes, slide your foot a little farther to the left and you’ll be firmly on it.”

When Blair felt hardness beneath her boot, she shifted her weight and slowly guided her foot to the ledge and looked up. Jodi was a good five feet above her. Something wet hit Blair squarely in the forehead. “Tad, can you aim the light a little more in our direction?” she called out.

Jodi moved slowly to the step beneath her and looked over her shoulder for the next step.

“It’s much shorter than the others,” Blair warned. “Keep your feet close together and your leg against the wall.”

The last ten feet was comprised of much narrower ledges. They didn’t have far to go, but Blair had run out of pitons and a fall was a fall. She moved at a snail’s pace, waiting to make sure that Jodi’s feet were firmly in place.

“Watch your step, Doc,” Tad said as Blair prepared to step down onto the floor. “It’s littered with rocks the size of baseballs.”

Blair scuffed at them with her boot. “They were dropped here. This isn’t natural.”

“I know, there’s a larger pile by that wall…”

Blair followed Tad’s beam of light when his voice trailed off. The sun shone brightly.

“You’re bleeding, Doc.” Tad pointed to Blair’s forehead.

Blair wiped at it and felt no injury. She turned to Jodi, who stood quietly with the others. “Let me see your hands.”

Jodi’s fists were clenched. “I’d rather not.”

“How the hell did they get the gold into the wall?” Ant said, and Blair heard the unmistakable opening of a knife.

“Ant, don’t touch—run!” Blair screamed and shoved Jodi the opposite direction of the golden sun inlaid in the stone wall. As Blair scrambled behind her, Nicolas’s words played though her mind, backlit by the sun.

Chapter Eleven

“They’re all dead,” Tad said quietly as he entered the chamber. “Dead and buried.” He sank down heavily on a boulder. “We won’t be going back out that way.”

Jodi’s hands trembled in Blair’s as she wrapped them. “It’s just us then?” she asked tremulously.

Blair nodded and continued to wrap Jodi’s torn palms.

“I couldn’t get to the farmers’ packs,” Tad said. “They were carrying most of our provisions.”

“We’re not going to try.” Blair placed Jodi’s hands gently on her lap. “We could trigger another trap, and the contents of the packs were most likely obliterated.”

Tad took a small drink from his canteen and closed it with a sigh. “What’s the plan?”

“Camp here.” Blair pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s all I have for the moment.”

*******

Jodi and Tad were quiet, both lost in their own thoughts, and for that, Blair was thankful. Her mind jumped from one scenario to the other, all of them dire. At the top of the list was the lack of food and water, and…Jason. He would blame her for Ant’s death. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing his predatory side.

Blair looked over at Jodi, who reclined against a rock with her eyes closed. Her hands weren’t seriously injured, but they’d be sore for a few days. She’d have to have extra help if they were forced to climb again. This time, it would be without a net because the rope and pitons they had left were buried beneath the rocks with Ant and the farmers.

“What’s the next clue?” Tad broke the silence.

Jodi swallowed convulsively. “I used to watch you swim like a fish.”

Tad folded his arms and shrugged. “At least we’ll have water.”

“Why would he go to this much trouble to hide the goods?” Jodi opened her eyes and looked at Blair. “If he really wanted us to find them, why make us risk life and limb? A sick joke?”

“Why would you do it if you weren’t trying to kill everyone you knew?” Tad asked.

Jodi was thoughtful for a moment. “I can’t get into Nicolas’s head.”

“Don’t try. Why would you do it?” Blair said.

Jodi narrowed her eyes. “Are you accusing me of something?”

Blair shook her head. “Use your own instinct. Why would you do it?”

Jodi cocked her head to the side. “There would have to be a reason for the journey, I suppose.”

Tad spoke up. “What if Nicolas lied about what he found to get funding, to get help?” He gestured around the chamber. “He’s obviously been here or he couldn’t have left the clues. Maybe he found something else and is leading us to it. The clues are obviously written the way they are so no one else could interpret.”

“It’s a plausible theory,” Blair said.

“We’ve always wondered why he wanted an archaeologist on the team if he was just going back to collect his find.” Tad got to his feet. “Maybe we’ve been looking at this the wrong way.”

Blair exhaled wearily. “Is the other chamber completely impassible?”

“We could…” Tad pulled off his cap and scratched his head. “You’re not considering climbing back up, are you?”

“No, what I’m asking is if someone could still climb down it.”

Tad nodded. “Maybe. They could possibly dig through on one side of the chamber. It’d take a while, though. What’s on your mind?”

Blair’s heart sank. “We need to get some rest.”

“Answer the question.” Jodi was on her feet, glaring at Blair. “We’re stuck together, and it’s time you lay the cards on the table. Let us know what we’re in for.”

Blair glanced at Tad. His expression said much the same.

“I suspect that when we got into the cave system, Jason sent the farmers away. He’s probably not far behind us.”

“Why?” Jodi asked as if she knew the answer. She took a seat next to Blair as did Tad.

Blair shrugged. “It’s a hunch. The men we encountered on the street…one of them had my picture. Someone hired them to look for me. Jason opened fire before I could find out anything else.”

“Others have shot at us. They’re looking, too,” Tad argued. “They want the information we have.”

“This was different.” Blair saw the man who had spoken to her in her mind’s eye. “He let me reach into my pack for a bottle of water. He didn’t act like someone who was afraid that I might be armed.”

Tad shook his head. “But they fired—”

“Not at her.” Jodi met Blair’s gaze. “Six, possibly seven armed men, and she was left unscathed.”

Blair averted her gaze. “And I shot two of them.” The room fell silent. “I don’t think Ant and Jason were really ever on our side.”

“Time to get up.”

Jodi felt as though she’d just drifted off, and now, Tad was shaking her. She sat up and noticed that Blair was packed and ready to go. “Did you sleep at all?” she asked as she stood.

“I was on watch. I’ll rest later.”

“I woke up last night and you were still awake. How much sleep have you had in the last forty-eight hours?” Jodi stepped in front of Blair to keep her from walking away.

“A few,” Blair said irritably. “I’m not on vacation.”

“But you are human, Doc.” Tad shouldered his pack. “The next watch is mine.”

“And mine after that,” Jodi said. “We function as a team from here on out. You’re gonna have to lean on us from time to time because we’re all you’ve got.”

“Noted. Now let’s move.”

Tad took the lead, and Jodi brought up the rear since they were the only ones with headlamps. Jodi had thought to offer hers to Blair, but since she was somewhat rested and Blair seemed edgy and fatigued, Jodi felt she was the better candidate to keep a vigilant eye. She kept the beam of light aimed in front of Blair’s feet to illuminate her path, which meant she had to stay close on her heels.

The cave they had entered off the chamber was narrow, and if Jodi were to stretch out her hands, she could easily run them along the walls. This made her indescribably uncomfortable. Not only did it cause her claustrophobia to flare, she wondered what lived in the cracks and crevasses.

“Are you married, Blair?”

Tad snorted.

“No.” Blair kicked a loose rock in Tad’s direction.

“Children?”

“That would mean that Doc would’ve had to have had sex, and as you get to know her, you’ll realize that’s not something she’s interested in.”

“Well, thank you, Tad,” Blair said curtly.

“Religious conviction?”

Blair stopped and Jodi slammed into her. The momentum sent them both into Tad. And then they were all falling. The freezing water pierced Jodi’s skin like a million tiny needles as she broke the surface with a gasp. The current was moving her fast, and she could see absolutely nothing in the blackness. Jodi panicked when she realized she couldn’t hear anything but the water. Before she could draw enough breath in her lungs to scream, she felt like she was being sucked down a straw.

She felt like a rag doll in a washing machine…on the spin cycle. Her arms and legs numb from the cold flailed out of her control as the current pushed her along. She smashed into something and felt it begin to tear at her clothes.

“Get your feet under you, Jodi. I can’t hold us both up for long.”

Jodi gagged and coughed as she struggled to find her footing. Strong hands dragged her along until her watery eyes recognized sand. This time, the blackness came from somewhere inside—of her.

*******

Jodi awakened with a start and sat up. Blair lay a foot or two away flat on her back with her hands above her head. On the other side of her sat Tad with his arms wrapped around his knees wearing only his underwear. “What happened to us?” Jodi rasped out.

Tad glanced at her, then pointed to a hole high above them in the canyon wall. Water poured out of it into the stream below. “We came out of that…I think.”

Blair coughed and rolled on her side. Jodi nudged her in the back. “Are you okay?”

“I feel like a kidney stone.”

Tad laughed as he sifted pebbly sand through his fingers. “And you hurt like one, too. You kicked me in the stomach twice.”

“Where are we?” Jodi looked at the tree canopy above them.

“Looks like a canyon to me.” Tad stood and brushed the sand from his rear. “Not that I’m trying to see either of you naked, but you may want to get out of those clothes and let them dry. They’re all we’ve got.”

Blair sat up abruptly. “What do you mean it’s all we’ve got?”

“Look around you, Doc. We have no packs.”

Jodi slapped at her breast pocket. “Oh, my God, the clue list.” She scrambled to her feet. “Are we screwed? Say we’re not screwed.”

“No, Jodi, we’re not screwed,” Blair said calmly. “We’re royally—”

“Okay, okay, wait.” Tad held up his hands. “We shot out of that hole way over there, and all three of us washed up right about here. We’re a lot heavier than the packs. Maybe they just washed farther downstream.”

Blair rose to her feet, as well. “Good point, Tad. Excuse me for just a minute.”

Tad and Jodi exchanged glances as Blair picked up a long limb and walked into the thick foliage. Grunts and unintelligible words filled the air as did the sounds of relentless pounding. Pieces of wood flew out from the leaves like projectiles. Then Blair marched out of the brush and pointed in the direction they were to go. Tad and Jodi followed silently…way behind.

*******

The waist pouches Blair and Tad wore were gone, along with their weapons. Even the knife that Blair kept in her pocket had been washed away. The three of them stood around the meager pile of things after they retrieved the packs. The food stacked in a pile to itself was made up of five granola bars and a bag of jerky with two remaining strips. Next to it sat two water-logged flashlights and beyond them a first-aid kit sealed in a plastic bag. Nicolas’s letters were jammed between the gauze and tape.

Tad pulled the last item he had out of his pack, a soaked pack of cigarettes. Blair watched as he gingerly took each one out and laid it on a rock to dry. “You don’t smoke.”

“But I might.” Tad meticulously pushed each cigarette into a sunny spot.

“Blair.” Jodi laid a hand on her shoulder. “You need to sleep. We need your mind fresh before we talk about how we’re going to get out of this. Please, don’t argue.”

“Okay, fine.” Blair had no fight left in her, anyway.

“I tore a bunch of big leaves while you and Tad were going through the packs.” Jodi tugged on Blair’s arm until she stood. “I even checked them for bugs.”

Blair was surprised by the nest Jodi had made. She longed to drop into the middle of it.

“I need your clothes before you lay down.”

“What?”

“You can’t sleep in those wet things. They need to dry out. Tad and I will give you all the privacy you need.”

“I’ll give you my shirt and socks,” Blair said weakly as exhaustion began to set in at the prospect of sleep.

“All of it,” Jodi said firmly. “I found a bar of soap in my pack. I’m going to wash our clothes. Throw your things over that rock when you’re done and I’ll gather them up.” Jodi held up her right hand. “God as my witness, I will not peek because you’re going to have to do this for me sooner or later.”

“I’m not that modest,” Blair said after a yawn. “I just don’t want to be caught with my pants down or missing if we run into trouble.”

“Trust us to keep watch. Now take off your damn clothes and throw them on the rock!”

Blair swayed as she watched Jodi stalk off. “How the hell is she going to keep watch over me if she won’t peek?” She was too tired to care.

Chapter Twelve

First one boot, then the other flew out from behind the rock. Blair’s clothes wrapped up in a ball followed shortly after. Jodi grinned as she gathered them. “You’re not as stubborn as I thought.”

Tad had agreed to take first watch. He sat on a large cropping of rocks with his back to Jodi as she washed their clothes, then her body. Jodi watched him closely as she emerged from the water. He made no move to glance over his shoulder. So far, Tad had proven to be a man of his word.

There was nothing to be done while their clothes dried in the breeze, nothing to do but sit naked on a rock and stare at the jungle around them. Jodi took a spot not far from Tad and turned her back to his. “What was the joke you made about Blair before we went into the water?”

“The one about her not having sex?”

“Yeah, that one. Is it because she won’t have sex with you or anyone?”

“She says anyone. Claims she has no sex drive.”

Jodi wrapped her arms around her legs and propped her chin on her knees. “Maybe she really doesn’t.”

“Everybody past the age of twelve gets horny. The doctor probably believes it’s beneath her to give into carnal desires.”

“Do you have a family of your own?”

“I have…had a girlfriend. She’s probably given up on me by now.”

“Was it serious?”

Tad was quiet for a moment. “I suppose if it truly was, I wouldn’t have taken the job offer from Nicolas. I’m sure Blair regrets recommending me, even though I was the best in her class. She shoulders the blame for a lot of shit.”

“She’s snoring,” Jodi said with a grin. “She really did go to sleep. I’m sorry I interrupted, back to you. So you were one of Blair’s students?”

“Yep, everyone wanted her class. Aside from being a dynamic teacher, she was the daughter of Carmen Whittington. She was legendary.”

Blair could be, too, Jodi thought to herself. “What’s she like in the real world?”

“Reserved when she’s not lecturing on her passion. Honestly, I don’t think she’s had any time for life or even romance. She and her brother spent a lot of time taking care of their father. I think she pretends not to care…pretends not to be lonely.”

“Brother? She didn’t mention him when we talked about her family.”

“I got the distinct impression he didn’t agree with her taking on this project. She mentioned once that they’d fought before she left. I think the last words they said to each other were hostile.” Tad sneezed. “Damn, I’m fresh out of tissues, too.”

“Bless you.”

“Thanks,” Tad said with a laugh. “I’ve never seen Doc lose it until today. Oh, you can tell when she’s pissed, her face flushes red and her eyes get darker. But then she goes off to be by herself, and after a while, she returns like nothing’s happened. She probably did the same thing with her father, hid it all, and put on a straight face for his benefit.”

“You love her, don’t you?” Jodi looked over her shoulder and met Tad’s gaze. “You do.”

Tad looked away quickly. “I respect and admire her…and yes, in some way, I do love her, but I know there will be nothing between us.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because she said, ‘there will be nothing between us,’ too many times to have any semblance of hope.”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

“That’s all right because that gives me license to dig into your personal life. Husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, children?”

Jodi laughed. “No, no, not anymore, and no.”

“Ah, we’ve come upon a rare breed here in the Peruvian jungle,” Tad said with a flawless British accent, “the lesbian lioness hunting for her mate.”

“And the lioness is skinny and starving for there is no immediate prey in her sight. I had a date lined up when I was plucked from my pride.”

“Was there potential? Animal attraction?” Tad asked jovially.

No, there hadn’t been. She’d hoped to be pleasantly surprised, but inside, Jodi knew they weren’t a good match. The women her friends picked out for her were rarely good finds. Frankly, the women she’d picked out weren’t, either. She’d forgotten to answer Tad’s question.

“Did I hit a sore spot?” he asked softly.

“Not really. I haven’t felt that kind of attraction in a long time. Not like I did when I first fell in love. Do you suppose we grow out of it somehow? We’re programmed to pick mates based on certain criteria. Do they have the right job? Manage their finances properly? Make good parents? Do you think we’re unable to recognize a soul mate because we’re looking for all the practicalities?”

“You think too much, that’s your problem. If she’s good-looking and laughs at my jokes, it’s all good.”

“Keep it simple,” Jodi said with a grin. “I’ll try to remember that.”

“She would be good for you.”

“Who?”

“Doc.”

Jodi turned and met his eyes again. “She’s anything but simple.”

*******

It struck Blair odd that her knee-jerk reaction had been to agree with Tad. His sneeze had awoken her, and she had lain there listening to their conversation. She’d convinced herself that the reason she was warming to Jodi was because she desperately wanted another ally she could trust. Blair stared up at the trees. That was it. She would not allow her thoughts to wander. She needed to be focused, and that was why she would not look back at the rock where Jodi was sitting completely naked.

*******

“I say we go back to the water spout and wait for Jason to come through. We take him out then. I don’t like him being at our backs.”

“Tad?” Blair looked him in the eye. “Could you do that?” He hesitated before answering, and that was all she needed to know.

“If your theory is correct, what will he do with us when we find Grant’s…whatever? Will he just let us go? No,” Tad said with a scowl.

“The theory could be incorrect, and we kill a…quasi innocent man for nothing.” Jodi looked between them.

“But when he finds out that Ant’s dead, and we hadn’t let him come with us…” Tad blew out. “We’re still gonna die.”

“We didn’t make him stay behind, I did.” Blair watched the shadows grow darker on the canyon walls.

“I think that will matter little to Jason.” Jodi rubbed her temples. “But I can’t see myself bashing his head in with a rock. And we need to all consider that this is a theory, a plausible theory, but it may not be fact.”

“If the guy that’s funding all of this is paying as much as he is for the search, then you can damn well believe he’s going to pay a mint for the prize. Jason kills without mercy. Do you think he wouldn’t pick us off and claim it all for himself? And,” Tad raised a finger, “you can bet he won’t be without some form of weapon. Hell, he’d make a spear if he had to.” Tad shook his head. “I don’t wanna be speared.”

“What if he’s already dead?” Blair interjected. “Ant may’ve left a trail for him to follow, but he could’ve fallen in the crevasse like I almost did.”

Tad folded his arms and shook his head. “I’m not up for leaving it to chance. I say we stay here and see if he shoots through that hole like we did.”

“He could’ve already,” Jodi said with dread. “We wouldn’t have noticed when we were searching for the packs.”

That thought sent chills down Blair’s spine. “No campfire tonight then. We should find a place to hunker down and
then—”

“What?” Tad’s eyes bore into Blair’s. “And then what?”

“He’s a professional killer. Do you think we’d stand a chance against him even if we fought together?” Jodi shook her head. “I say we move at first light and make it difficult for him to follow.”

“How?” Blair asked.

“We’ve had a few close calls. Maybe we could…make a few booby traps of our own.”

Blair pursed her lips. “That could work. He thinks we’re still traveling with Ant. There’s no way she’d allow us to set a trap so he won’t be looking for it.” She looked at Tad. “What do you think?”

“I like my plan of killing him when he comes out of the hole, but…I’m willing to go along with Jodi’s idea.” He pointed at her and Blair. “We bunk here on the beach tonight in the tree line. If we hear a splash, everyone knows what needs to be done.”

“Okay.” Blair looked at Jodi with brows raised.

“Agreed,” she said with a nod.

*******

“I do recall mentioning that I don’t like heights. Couldn’t we have gone with Tad’s idea and camped in the tree line?” Jodi wedged herself between Tad and Blair. The rocky ledge was uncomfortable, especially since they no longer had sleeping bags.

“Animals, snakes, and insects are a problem.” They still were, but there were far less insects on the ledge, at least the ones without wings. “Plus, if Jason does come through the hole, we’ll see him better from up here.” Blair looked over at Tad, who was sleeping restlessly against a rock. “You need to get some sleep, too. Take your own advice.”

Jodi fell silent, and Blair thought she might’ve drifted off without argument.

“It is breezier up here,” Jodi said and quieted again.

Blair shifted her weight so she wouldn’t get too comfortable and doze on her watch. Reading the letters was out since she couldn’t risk using a flashlight and calling attention to their hideout if Jason had made it to the canyon. She began to dwell on what they would do the next day.

“And the moon is brighter up here. The tree canopy blocks out a lot of light, don’t you think?”

“I thought you were going to sleep.” Blair tried to keep an edge from her voice.

“Nope…can’t.”

Blair didn’t reply, hoping to stifle conversation. She wanted time alone to sort things out.

“Llama spit stinks. They eat grass just like a cow, so why does the spit smell so awful?”

Blair rolled her eyes. “I have no idea.”

“One of the llamas we found spit on me every time I turned—”

“Jodi.” Blair looked at her. All she could make out was her outline and tiny slivers of moonlight reflected in her eyes. “You’re talking to keep yourself awake. Don’t feel like you have to stay up with me. I’m rested. I have this.”

Blair heard Jodi inhale deeply. She leaned back against her rock and contemplated booby traps.

“Can I…use your leg as a pillow? Tad’s twitching all over the place.”

“Be my guest.” Blair folded her arms as Jodi shifted around and laid her head on her thigh. “No drooling.”

“No promises.”

Blair leaned her head back and stared up at a full moon that seemed so close she could simply reach out and touch it. Jodi’s proximity drew her thoughts away from their lack of supplies and Jason’s motives. It had been a long time since someone slept next to her, too long to ponder. And frankly, on her list of priorities, it didn’t place, but there she was gazing down at the head on her lap.

Tad had made her sound like a virgin, and she was certainly not…unless the statute of limitations ran out on such a thing. After a few dalliances in college, it was confirmed that she had no desire for men whatsoever. She’d never cared for boys in high school, so it came as no big surprise that the only person who had ever stirred anything within her was a woman with whom she had a brief affair. But that had not compelled her to look further.

Blair had not enjoyed making calls that were never returned. It made her feel weak and vulnerable, and she decided that love and romance were not worth the pursuit. Her mother often quoted the old adage “you just haven’t met the right one.” Blair refused to look or hope. She ignored it all, then it didn’t seem so…important.

Tad’s earlier comment about her and Jodi making a good pair jolted her. She’d mentally agreed before she ever considered what that meant. For all intents and purposes, she had no idea who Jodi Grant really was. She’d spent more time with Nicolas and didn’t know him, either, until he put a figurative knife in her back and had the audacity to die before she could return the favor.

Blair began to catalog everything she knew about Jodi to dispel the mental haze she’d felt since overhearing their conversation. Jodi was…attractive, intelligent, brave, though she didn’t realize it herself. What else? Blair wondered as she looked at the wild mass of dark hair splayed out over her thigh. Feisty, stubborn, distrusting…Blair groaned and looked back up at the moon. She’d just described herself.

Chapter Thirteen

“Trip wires,” Jodi said as if it made perfect sense. “We rig up something that will fly up at him if he trips the wire. Sharp sticks or something.”

Tad scratched at the growth on his face. “We don’t have any wire.”

“Well, can’t you come up with something?” Jodi said, exasperated.

“What on earth makes you think I’m skilled at making death traps? My father’s a podiatrist. We didn’t spend our weekends in the woods trapping animals.” Tad put a hand on his hip. “Because I’m a man you think I should automatically come with those skills?”

“Hey.” Jodi pointed a finger at Tad. “You were the one yesterday that wanted to kill him with a rock the minute he shot out of the cave.”

“Okay,” Blair said from where she sat quietly listening. “It’s pretty obvious that none of us has the wherewithal to do something like this. We’re going to waste a lot of time on something that may not work. I say we just start moving and get as far ahead of Jason as we can.” She looked at them until they both nodded. “Okay, Jodi, put us in the right direction.”

“You were a pain in the ass to put to sleep.” Jodi looked up when Blair cleared her throat, then shrugged. “I used to make up little songs. The only one I can remember is: My little froggy swims down the stream, she swims down the stream. My little froggy doesn’t like the foggy, my little froggy hates the foggy. (Hey, you used to love this. I never claimed to be a lyricist.) My little froggy is never cross, my little froggy is never cross.”

“That’s it?” Blair asked when Jodi stopped reading.

“He goes on to talk about me…falling. He claimed that I never paid attention or listened to him.”

Blair looked over at the water. “I think it’s fairly obvious that we’re supposed to follow this stream.”

“He said the froggy swims,” Tad said with a scowl. “I think he means for us to be in the water.”

“I’m inclined to agree.” Jodi looked at Blair. “We can do it both ways. One or two of us in the water while one walks along the bank. At least some of our things will remain dry.”

Blair looked out over the water. “I don’t like the idea of us separating. The current is going to move whoever is in the water much faster than on land.” She sighed as she fastened the waist clip on her pack. “I say we all go in.”

Tad nodded. “I agree. Let’s go for a swim.”

The water felt painfully cool against Jodi’s hot skin. They waded in up to their waists, stepping gingerly over the rocky bottom. They’d taken off their boots and tucked them away in their packs. Jodi hoped they wouldn’t lose them, too.

Tad was the first to splash into the water and kick along with the current. Blair waited for Jodi to do the same, then followed behind her. They talked little as they allowed the current to push them to a destination yet undetermined. The fog that Jodi felt was sure to come made her nervous. She tried to push away thoughts of them being separated and unable to find one another. The idea of being in the water and unable to see around her made Jodi feel more claustrophobic than the caves they’d already traversed. And this time, she wouldn’t be able to reach out and grab Blair to calm herself.

In some places, the stream became shallow. The group took brief breaks on the sandbars and kept moving, hoping to distance themselves from Jason, then much too soon, they were swimming again. Monkeys could be seen and heard in the trees, and things moved in the foliage unseen.

“It would’ve been nice if Nic had indicated how far or long the froggy would have to swim,” Tad said as he beached himself in the shallows. “Swimming makes me hungry.”

Jodi hadn’t thought much about food until Tad reminded her that the last protein bar that the group had shared for lunch was long gone. Unbidden, a vision of a juicy cheeseburger with all the trimmings danced through her mind. “Oh, I wish I had a—” A cold wet palm clamped her mouth.

“Don’t say it. Please, don’t say it.” Blair looked positively mortified. “Let’s talk about anything else, besides…” She lowered her voice to a whisper, “food.”

“We do need to discuss it because we’re out. Do we even know where we are?”

“I have no map, no compass. We could find a way out of the canyon and hike for a while, but there are no guarantees we’ll find anything.”

“Maybe we should discuss that as an option.” Tad slicked back his hair and looked at Jodi for support.

Blair’s tone had been noncommittal, and Tad had planted a seed that began to blossom in Jodi’s brain. “We could mark the trail, pay attention to the landscape, and make a map. We have to face the fact that none of us are hunters. We may not survive very long if we don’t restock.”

*******

Blair couldn’t make a decision either way unless she knew their chances of getting out of the canyon safely were good. Ideally, they’d find a pass and wouldn’t have to scale the sheer cliffs that surrounded them. With each bend of the stream, she hoped to find something that would help her formulate a plan. Jodi and Tad were right—they didn’t stand a chance without food, and they needed basic supplies to continue the journey.

It wasn’t like Jason would beat them to the find. He didn’t have the benefit of Nicolas’s letters or Jodi to translate key phrases. She doubted that the people who had been trailing them would have any success, either. If Jason didn’t know where they were, then…

The notion struck Blair so hard that she let the current force her onto the rocky beach. Tad was the first to notice that she’d stopped and called Jodi’s attention. They waded to shore together and walked toward her with concerned expressions.

“Doc, you okay?” Tad asked as they drew near.

Blair squinted up at them and shaded her eyes from the sun. “Why didn’t the others, the ones that shot at us, ever try to make contact? We assumed they were following us because we had info they didn’t. So why didn’t they just take it or at least try to?”

“Because we were well protected.” Tad looked at Blair oddly. “We had Jason and Ant, we had the farmers.”

“We made camp every night with a fire. Any of us could’ve been picked off.” Blair sank back onto her elbows. “We didn’t make a fire last night because we didn’t want to alert anyone to our location. Why wasn’t that a concern for Jason and Ant?”

“Because they didn’t have anything to worry about,” Jodi supplied.

Tad held up a finger. “Wait, they shot the tire out of the truck. We lost people and equipment. What did that benefit them?”

“Maybe it was an accident, then again, maybe they wanted us reliant on Jason and Ant.” Blair ran a wet hand over her face. “Every time Jason insisted on being paid, I had to give up our location, and he didn’t care.”

“Which means we can’t go to the bank for more money, or Jason will know exactly where we’re at. Shit.” Tad kicked at a rock, then swore as he rubbed his foot. “Do you have any left?”

Blair nodded. “Enough.”

“We can’t go into town then,” Jodi said. “The bank guy could have connections everywhere.”

“But if we’re going to make a move, we need to do it now,” Tad argued. “We’re going on the assumption that Jason is behind us. He’s probably following every upturned stone and broken branch. If we divert, then double back, that will at least be confusing.”

Blair’s stomach growled loudly as if to agree with Tad. She nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Weary and hungry, they continued down the stream, hoping to find a way out of the canyon or at least Nicolas’s fog. Blair figured the fog would be a good stopping point, and they could map their way from there without pushing on. Regardless of whether they found it or not, they were still looking at another night without food and little rest. She and Tad were accustomed to their surroundings and living lean, but Jodi…well, Blair had no idea how much she could handle.

“Doc?” Tad called out as he rounded a bend. Blair quickened her pace and came alongside him as Jodi did. The fog was a heavy mist surrounding a waterfall.

“Let’s rest down here for now and camp on one of the ledges again. I’d like to start moving at daybreak.” Blair looked at Jodi and saw relief on her face. She’d made the right decision—she hoped.

Chapter Fourteen

Blair didn’t argue when Jodi suggested that she nap. She’d be taking first watch again that night, and she hoped that she’d be able to close her eyes for a little while before then.

“Both of you go.” Tad sharpened himself a stick with a sharp rock. “I can’t sleep in the daylight, never could.”

Jodi didn’t argue, either. Nor did she seem to mind sleeping on a rock anymore. She stretched out next to Blair and groaned. “I will never take my bed for granted again. I won’t waste food, either.”

“Are you going to talk yourself to sleep again?” Blair threw an arm over her eyes.

“No…ass.”

Blair laughed a genuine laugh that seemed to chase away the emptiness in her stomach. “You can talk to me tonight. It’ll help me stay awake.”

“Deal. Now hush, I’m sleeping.”

And she was. Within seconds, Jodi’s breathing grew steady, and Blair was soothed into unconsciousness at the sound of it.

*******

“The trail goes cold here.”

“Goes cold?” Jason looked around him. There were no signs except where they’d made a camp of broad leaves. He looked back at his companion Raul, who had played the part as farmer long enough. “They didn’t vaporize, and there’s no sign of animal attack. They went somewhere.” His cold eyes followed the current of the stream.

Something wasn’t right. She would’ve left a marker for him to go by. If not her, then his people posing as farmers would have. Jason felt a slight flutter of panic and swallowed convulsively. He and Ant knew that one day their number would be called, had discussed it often, but selfishly, he’d always hoped that it would’ve been him first.

Tracks led to the water’s edge, then disappeared. “That’s where they went.” Jason pointed to the stream. “Tomorrow at first light, that’s the route we’ll take.”

“Is she really as deadly as you made her out to be after you returned from the bank run?” Raul asked as he lit a cigarette.

“She is, and Tad, too. She’ll fire when pressed. Dr. Whittington is fairly accurate at close range. Remember that.”

Raul’s gaze moved across the canyon wall and eventually settled on Jason. “What do we need her for at this point?”

“Nothing.”

Raul took a deep drag from his cigarette; the smoke he exhaled floated off on the breeze. “Our people who are with her should’ve left more for us to follow.”

Jason nodded, knowing what Raul was really saying—something had gone wrong.

*******

The breeze grew cooler and clouds swept slowly past the moon. Jodi shivered and prayed that they wouldn’t mean rain. After a day in the water, she was somewhat dry and wanted to remain that way.

“It was a smart suggestion you made today.”

Jodi looked in Blair’s direction, though she could barely make out her form. “About what?”

“Covering our tracks. I should’ve thought about that.”

“You can’t be expected to think of everything, Doc.” Jodi laughed softly. “I prefer Blair. Do you mind if I continue to call you that?”

“You made it implicitly clear in the beginning that’s how you were going to refer to me,” Blair said, and Jodi could tell by her tone she was smiling.

“I do respect…admire you. I thought you should know that.”

Blair’s response was slow in coming. “I admire you, too.”

“Why?”

“You’re totally out of your element but adapting fast. You’ve faced your fears with a resolve that…it’s impressive.”

Jodi dared to speak her mind since she could not see Blair’s expression. “You and I are a lot alike in ways. We have different approaches, but we reason the same way.”

She heard Blair smack her lips as if she were going to say something, then changed her mind. “It’s refreshing. I enjoy being understood.”

They were quiet for a long time. Jodi knew without being able to see that Blair was probably sitting cross-legged, her elbow propped on her knee, her fist under her chin. Her lips pouted slightly when she was concentrating on something. Jodi had to admit to herself that she did watch Blair more closely than the others, and it wasn’t because she was the leader. She remembered when she had first started doing it. It was the night Blair returned from town with Jason and things had gone wrong.

She’d told herself that she was going into that tent to see if Blair needed food or water, someone to talk to. But what she really wanted to do was see the way she would react, and Blair had done just as she expected. She absorbed the trauma and packed it away somewhere deep inside her brain. And Jodi would have done exactly the same. She and Blair might not have shared the same socio-economical background, but they were the same. Kindred spirits.

“Days in the classroom never prepared me for all this. I’ve worked on sites, even visited a couple with my mother in the summer when I was a child. Then we had a nice tent, very spacious, and when the weather was bad, a hotel to retreat to. But this…” Blair paused for a moment. Jodi could hear her shifting around. “I didn’t adapt as easily as you did.”

“I watch a lot of TV and adventure movies,” Jodi said with a laugh. “That’s the extent of my education on the matter. Maybe that prepared me more than I realized.”

“Television is good for something then, I suppose.”

“It was my best friend,” Jodi confessed somberly. “My mother worked to support us both. I stayed home every day after school locked inside waiting for her. Sometimes, I’d use my imagination and pretend that I was doing what we’re doing now, roaming the jungle searching for lost treasure. Had I known then what I know now, I would’ve played with my toys.”

“It was lonely then, your childhood?”

Jodi shrugged, refusing to feel sorry for herself or be pitied. “At times it was lonely, but I never went without things that most children dream about. I had food, a safe home, and I was clothed,” she held up a finger, “maybe not in the latest styles, but I had it pretty good. Certainly nothing to complain about. What about you?”

“I was always too busy to be lonely. Sometimes I dreamed of being an only child and my parents lived quiet lives. Our home was always full when I was growing up. Professors, students.” Blair shook her head and laughed. “We never knew who Dad would bring home to dinner when Mom was out of the country. On one occasion, we dined with a group of bricklayers that had been working on campus near his office. Dad sat and listened to them for hours. It was torture because my brother and I had to stay at the table the entire time.”

Jodi could barely make out Blair’s features in the moonless night. “Your father sounds like a hoot.”

“Oh, he was.” Blair inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “He just enjoyed hearing people talk. He would look me in the eye whenever we talked, and I knew I had his undivided attention. I could ramble on for an hour about something mundane, and he was totally captivated. When I had a problem, we’d talk it out, bounce things back and forth, until I felt I had a decent resolution. I miss that so much.”

Tad snored loudly and mumbled in his sleep. Blair chuckled and began joking about Tad’s cat-like sleeping abilities. Jodi took that as her cue to leave the topic of Blair’s father alone. She thought herself better off for never having known Nicolas as a father. The painful loss of her mother, though long ago, could still be felt when Jodi allowed herself to mentally go there. Blair had already lost her mother, and her father was already gone in a way. She wondered how Blair dealt with watching his body slowly wither day by day. Perhaps that was another reason for accepting Nicolas’s offer. Maybe it was an excuse for Blair to disconnect from her deathwatch.

“You should rest,” Blair said suddenly, pulling Jodi from her thoughts. “I’ll watch over you and Tad.”

The response came so quickly that Jodi missed the opportunity to censor herself. “And who watches over you?”

Blair was quiet for a moment. “I’m not sure how to respond to that. Are you afraid that I’ll fall asleep, too…or are you afraid that I’ll leave you?”

Jodi hadn’t considered the latter part of Blair’s question. That Blair had mentioned it made her feel unsettled. Had Blair considered…leaving them? “Could you? Have you ever been tempted to leave me and Tad to our own devices?”

“Never.”

Blair’s tone was neither curt nor overly assertive, just resolute. In the moonless night, Jodi strained her eyes but could only barely make out her dark form a few feet away, but she felt Blair’s gaze upon her nevertheless.

“Good.” Jodi turned away and stared into the darkness. “I just realized how much faith I have in you to get me out of this alive. The thought of you not being here is not something I want to dwell on.”

Blair fell silent again. Jodi settled, thinking the conversation was over.

“Who are you, Jodi? If you aren’t anything like Nicolas, who are you then? What motivates you?”

“The need for food and safety at the moment is my motivation,” Jodi said with a hollow laugh. “Other than that, I’m an unemployed real estate agent who is looking for a steady paycheck, and maybe one day if I’m lucky, there will be someone to share it with.”

“What else?”

Jodi fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she thought. “I don’t want fame or fortune. Well, fortune would be nice if it came with anonymity. I’d like to have a house on a secluded beach somewhere or maybe on a mountain where I could look out and not see another soul for miles. I’d like to live a quiet life with someone who desired the same.” She stifled a yawn. “I think that comes from my line of work. I’m not a people person.”

“Why real estate then?”

Jodi shrugged. “A friend…girlfriend got me into it. We took the course together. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but then, I needed income. The relationship didn’t last, of course. She’s a broker now and has agents working for her.”

“The job came between you two?”

“No, the half-dozen women she saw on the side did.”

“That does tend to put a damper on things.”

“It did for me.” Jodi folded her legs in with a groan. “I can’t see you, but you didn’t sound too surprised when I admitted I’ve been romantically involved with women.”

“Nicolas told me. He said he felt it was probably his fault for not being more of a father.”

“Asshole!”

Tad stirred at the outburst and resumed softly snoring. Jodi took a moment or two to compose herself. “I suppose Mom told him when they were actually speaking after he left. He could talk to other people about me but couldn’t take the time to talk to me? I don’t know why that pisses me off at this point in my life, but it does.” Jodi picked up a stone and tossed it as far as she could into the void. “He never gave a shit about me. If turning his back on me and my mother wasn’t enough to prove that, he embroiled me in this mess. Piece of shit.”

“Maybe he did you a favor,” Blair said softly. “Maybe you were better off not knowing him for the man he was.”

“That’s really pathetic if that was the nicest thing he could’ve done for me.” Jodi huffed. “I could go on all night about that, and in the end, I’ll just be tired and pissed off, so topic change, please.”

“I have to pee.”

“Well, that’s not exactly a topic I want to delve into,” Jodi said with a laugh. “I do have to ask how you’re going to manage that.”

“There’s a ledge just below this one. All I have to do is slip down a foot or two onto it.”

“Why not just hang it over the side? I won’t look.” Jodi heard Blair shuffling around.

“There’s nothing to hold on to. Don’t offer to hold my hands. I never could go with someone watching me.”

Jodi heard Blair snicker as her dark form disappeared over the ledge. She crawled to the edge and looked over into the darkness. “Is there toilet paper down there?”

“I have three tissues left. You can have one and we’ll have to split the last one. Tad’s out of luck.”

“You’re too kind, Blair.”

“Are you watching me?”

“I can’t see a damn thing,” Jodi said with a laugh.

“My bladder thinks you are. Go back to your spot next to the rock.”

“I thought you said you weren’t shy or modest,” Jodi said as she pushed back from the edge.

A few minutes later, Blair’s dark form reappeared on the ledge. “I’m not shy, my bladder is. Reach into the front pocket of my pack and dig out the hand sanitizer, please.”

“Hell in a bottle.” Jodi fished around until she found it. “It burns like fire when I clean my hands with it.” She squeezed a blob into Blair’s hands.

“Thank you for cleaning my left knee. Now can I have a drop or two in my hand?”

Jodi felt a wave of giddiness wash over her. “I can’t see them.” A hand grabbed her wrist, then took the bottle. After Blair had washed her hands, she cleaned Jodi’s wrist where she’d touched her. “Mighty chivalrous of you, Doc,” Jodi said with a chuckle.

“That’s just how I roll. I clean all the people I touch with dirty hands.”

“You have a good sense of humor, although you try to hide it.”

“I haven’t had much to laugh at lately, so thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Jodi pursed her lips, unsure of what to say next. Silence hung in the night air heavy between them. “Tell me who you are,” she said finally.

“You know my story.”

“I know about why you came here. I know about your parents, but not much else. Where do you live?”

“Boulder, Colorado. Currently, I reside in a one-room flat on the side of a Peruvian canyon. The view makes up for the lack of furnishings.”

“Ah, something else we have in common. What do you do in your spare time?”

“Don’t laugh…I put together model planes.”

“What?” Jodi tried to hide her laughter.

“Ships too. Pirate ships are my favorite. I have thousands.”

“You are such a liar.”

“No, I am not a liar,” Blair said seriously. “But I am teasing you. I like to run and mountain bike…and I have put together a few pirate ships. My brother got me into it when we were kids. It takes my mind off things.”

“And your love life?”

Blair shuffled around. “Not on my list of things to do.”

“Why not?”

“That’s not a topic I’m willing to delve into right now.”

“Fair enough.” Jodi yawned loudly.

“Time for you to sleep,” Blair said. “You can use my leg again for a pillow, but the drooling rule still stands.”

“I’m not leaving you. We don’t have to talk, but I’m going to stay up with you.”

“Suit yourself.”

Jodi settled against the rock she’d chosen as a backrest. She was uncomfortable, dirty, hungry, and for the first time in a very long time, she’d genuinely enjoyed the company of another.

Chapter Fifteen

“It’s not that high, Doc. If we keep wandering and looking for a pass, we’re going to circle the canyon.”

“He’s right.” Jodi caught Blair’s eye. “We’re going to have to go up.”

Blair shook her head. “We have no rope, and your hands aren’t healed. You’re not going to be able to grip anything.” She began snapping her fingers. “Come up with something else. There’s got to be another way.”

Tad ran his fingers through his hair and looked up the side of the canyon.

“I can wrap my hands.”

“No,” Blair said adamantly. “We’re intelligent people, we can come up with something else.”

“Intelligent or not, sometimes people are just dealt shitty options,” Jodi snapped, then sucked in a lungful of air. “I’m going up.”

Blair grabbed Jodi by the shoulder and slung her around. “You don’t know the first thing about climbing. If you fall, the best you can hope for is death because there’s no one to call.” She put a hand on her hip. “You’re both forgetting that going up the side of the canyon puts us in plain sight. We have Jason to consider.”

“Doc’s got a point,” Tad said dejectedly.

“All right.” Jodi lifted her arms and let them fall to her sides. “Let’s walk.”

Lack of food and little rest was wearing the group down. Blair felt the stress of it all coil in the muscles of her neck and shoulders. They’d not found even one piece of fruit. She was getting to the point of attacking anything that moved in the foliage or flew close by. She walked silently as her gaze combed the wall for a break or even a trail that wasn’t out in the open.

An hour into the hike, Blair noticed how Jodi’s hands shook when she reached up to brush a strand of hair away from her face. “Let’s take a break and have some water.” They took a seat on a boulder and drank deeply from their canteens. The last of their clean water was almost gone.

“Is it my imagination or are the plants growing a few yards in front of us in rows?” Tad shielded his eyes from the sun. “Looks like weed to me.”

“Why would weeds grow in rows?” Jodi asked grumpily.

Blair’s back went rigid. “That’s not weeds.” She cast a worried glance in Tad’s direction.

“They’re getting in somewhere, Doc.” Tad wiped his sweating brow. “I doubt they’re scaling the wall.” He was on his feet in an instant. “I think I see something.”

The pass was narrow, and Blair feared what was awaiting them on the other side. She made a move to step in first, and Tad grabbed her shoulder.

“I’ll go first if you don’t mind. I’m not being a chauvinist when I say it would be better for whoever is out there to see a man first.” He pushed past Blair and began moving quickly before she could argue.

“Stay close behind me,” Blair said to Jodi as she moved in behind Tad.

It seemed like they had walked a mile before Tad stopped and put up a hand. He moved out of sight and Blair held her breath. Jodi came up beside her, and Blair put a finger to her lips as she pushed Jodi against the wall. Both stood stock-still until Tad came back into view and waved them on.

“There are more fields.” He pointed in the direction of the noonday sun. “I say we go east, quietly and quickly.”

No one spoke until they reached the tree line and moved along in shadow. “If we skirt along the field, maybe we’ll come to a road.” Blair passed a shaking hand across her brow.

“I want my own bottle of bourbon tonight. I’m drinking the whole damn thing, then I’m going to sleep like the dead.” Tad grinned at Blair. “It doesn’t have to be a big bottle.”

“Agreed,” Blair said with a nod.

“I think I’m delusional.”

Blair and Tad stopped and turned toward Jodi.

“I smell food.” Jodi turned into the breeze and inhaled deeply. “I have no idea what it is, but it smells like food to me. I’d eat llama if that’s what’s cooking.”

“She’s right,” Tad said as he sniffed. “Someone’s cooking.”

“That could be a good thing or a bad thing.” Blair took a few steps forward. “But let’s follow it.”

The smell grew fainter as they came upon a rutted dirt road. Tad looked at Blair questioningly.

“I have no idea. None of this looks familiar to me,” she said with a shrug.

“Left,” Jodi said and started in that direction.

“Why?” Blair asked as she followed.

“Because right goes back to the fields. If I were growing pot, I’d do it away from civilization.”

Blair raised her brow as she looked at Tad. “She’s got a point.”

*******

Blair estimated that they had walked miles before she noticed a few buildings peeking out from the trees. She put a hand out and stopped Tad. “I think we’ll be less conspicuous if you go into town alone.” She pulled money from her pocket and pressed a wad of bills into his palm. “If they have lodging, get one room, preferably with two beds. Then find food. When the sun sets, come get us. We’ll be right here.”

Tad nodded as he folded the bills and stuffed them into his pocket. “Stay low. I’ll be back as soon as it gets dark.”

Blair and Jodi moved deeper into the woods and waited none too patiently.

*******

The room that Tad had procured at any other time would’ve been found lacking, but for the weary group, it was as grand as any five-star resort. Blair had explained to Jodi that it would look odd to anyone who was paying attention that Tad had requested more than one. They were pushing it to ask for more than one bed as it was. Jodi had no questions about the food, even though she didn’t recognize anything they were eating. She was thankful it was hot and didn’t come from a pouch.

Tad had done recon and some shopping while they waited for the sun to go down. Lying on one of the beds were a few extra shirts, two bars of soap, a small bottle of shampoo, and two pints of bourbon. The three inhaled the food in silence until each had their fill.

“Thank you, Tad, you did an excellent job,” Blair said, looking at the items he’d procured.

He opened one of the bottles of bourbon and drank directly from it as he passed one to Blair. She poured a liberal amount into a cup and handed it to Jodi before filling her own.

“I got us some clean shirts to sleep in since we’re mixed company. The underwear may be a problem for you ladies. It would’ve looked strange if I’d have asked for panties.”

“Please tell me we’re not sleeping in tighty-whities,” Jodi said before taking a sip of the liquor.

“Boxers, but they’re just plain light blue and green, no cool prints.” Tad grinned. “You two can fight over what color you want.”

“I don’t care.” Blair sighed and took a sip of her drink. “Is there hot water?”

Tad smiled and nodded.

“You can go first,” Blair and Jodi said at the same time, then laughed.

Tad took a coin out of his pocket. “Call it, Jodi.”

“Tails.”

The three of them watched the coin sail into the air before Tad caught it in his grasp and opened his fingers. “Jodi, you’re up first.”

She jumped up and grabbed a bar of soap and her new nightclothes before making a mad dash into the bathroom. It was tiny but a lot cleaner than what she’d become accustomed to as of late. Two unopened toothbrushes lay next to a tube of Crest. Jodi nearly swooned as she opened one and brushed her teeth.

She wanted to linger in the shower and let the water cascade over her body until it ran cold, but she couldn’t do that to Blair. For the first time in days, she took a good look at her reflection in the mirror. Her nearly black hair was full of highlights, and the skin of her face was bright pink. But overall, she was no worse for wear. The skin of her palms was still torn but was healing rapidly. Maybe the next day if she were lucky, she’d shave her legs.

“It’s all yours, Blair.” Jodi walked back into the room. “There’s plenty of toilet paper, it’s like heaven.”

Blair looked up from the list she and Tad appeared to be making and grinned. “You smell great.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t.” Jodi tossed her one of the T-shirts. “Hit the shower.”

“She likes you,” Tad said later when they heard the water in the shower begin to run.

“Quit playing matchmaker.” Jodi climbed into the bed and pulled the sheet up to her chin with a contented sigh. “This mattress feels like it’s all springs and straw, I love it.”

Tad tucked his hands behind his head as he stretched out in his own bed. “The woman I know would’ve said, ‘screw Jason,’ and scaled that canyon wall today. She was worried about you, which means she likes you. Maybe not romantically, but she cares.”

“I’m a necessary part of the team. I interpret the letters. She has a vested interest in keeping me alive.” Jodi was outwardly rejecting Tad’s assertion, but there was a part of her that hoped what he said was true.

“Doc is smart. If she had to, she could figure out the clues herself. Hell, I could. She’s concerned for you. Take it as it is.” Tad punched his pillow. “Tell her good night for me.”

In less than five minutes, Tad was snoring softly with the lamplight shining in his face. Jodi closed her eyes and thought about Blair. She was protective, but that was obviously part of her nature. They probably could figure out the letters without her, but Blair and Tad made her feel like an integral part of the team. Maybe it just all boiled down to neither of them wanting to witness another death among the group.

Blair emerged from the bathroom, her hair damp from the shower. She was grinning from ear to ear. “I feel like I left ten pounds of dirt and sweat in that shower. I may do it again in the morning,” she said softly.

“I am doing it again in the morning.” Jodi pulled the blankets to the side. “Get in, it’s amazing.”

“I was going to go over the map that Tad bought and maybe take another look at the supply list.”

“You intend to bunk in a chair, don’t you?” Jodi met Blair’s gaze.

Blair looked away. “I toss and turn a lot. I’ll keep you awake.”

“That list and map can wait until morning. You can jump up and down on this bed, and I can guarantee I won’t notice. Get in.”

Blair pursed her lips and checked the locks on the door before jamming a chair under the handle. Jodi watched as she switched off the lamp and walked slowly to the vacant side of the bed.

“I’ll pitch a fit if you don’t get in,” Jodi warned.

“You’ll pitch a what?” Blair mimicked with a hick accent.

“Get in the damn bed, Doc,” Tad said loudly, startling them.

Jodi laughed as Blair climbed in and lay on her back.

“This is…better than the goat we had for dinner,” Blair said with a sigh.

Jodi put a hand to her stomach. “Goat?”

“It was filet mignon. Now go to sleep, the both of you.” Tad punched his pillow. “No giggling like last night, either. I’ll smother you both.”

“Give the man a bed and he becomes a total bitch,” Jodi said.

“He was a bitch before he got the bed. I bet he’s going to demand a pedicure—”

“I’ll smother you first, Doc.”

Blair and Jodi chuckled softly as they settled down.

Jodi learned another thing about Blair that night—she liked to cuddle. She grinned at how mortified the doctor would be if she realized that she had a leg and an arm wrapped snuggly around Jodi’s body. She’d save that tidbit for the morning…then again, she might just keep it to herself if it kept Blair from ever doing it again.

Chapter Sixteen

Jodi didn’t stir when Tad crept out that morning in search of coffee and breakfast. Blair closed the door softly behind him and looked out the window to see if anyone seemed overtly interested in him. Then she looked back at Jodi, who had curled into a ball in the middle of the bed.

Blair had awoken that morning with a warm body pressed snugly against hers. She’d lain there much longer than she should’ve, marveling at the feel of it. Jodi’s hair smelled of shampoo, her hand had clasped Blair’s in sleep. It felt perfect. Blair shuddered and slipped into the bathroom.

How could anything feel that good in their present situation? She tried to shake off the memory of it as she switched on the light and looked in the mirror. The woman who stared back at her looked flushed and terribly disheveled. Things that she’d convinced herself were not important were suddenly becoming…interesting? She put paste on her brush and began scrubbing at her teeth.

This…preoccupation with Jodi Grant was ill-timed. She couldn’t afford to allow her mind to ponder possibilities. She had to focus on getting them all out of there in one healthy piece. And then what? Jodi lived in New Orleans and she in Boulder. Even if there was mutual attraction, what would they do about it? Logically, this was simple. They were in a tense situation and had taken solace in each other, just like Tad had suggested when he propositioned her.

Whatever she felt stirring in her was the most basic of human needs. More than likely, all the feelings that swirled in the pit of her stomach would dissipate when they were in their own habitats. Blair nodded as if this were a sensible conclusion. But she had to admit she liked the feelings Jodi evoked a little too much.

Blair opened the door a crack and peeked out. Jodi was still burrowed deeply in the bed. For a split second, she entertained the idea of climbing back in, then jumped when she heard Tad put his key in the lock.

“You ladies better sing my praises for the next ten years because I have breakfast and clean clothes,” he announced when he stepped in with his arms loaded.

“I was prepared to sing when I saw the toothbrush,” Jodi said as she sat straight up. “Is that coffee?”

“And some kind of biscuits,” Tad said in a sing-song voice.

Blair relieved him of the clothing and clutched it to her chest. “I was dreading putting those nasty things back on my clean body, even if we’re going to get dirty again.”

“I hope they fit.” Tad took a biscuit from the bag he was holding and passed it to Jodi along with a cup of coffee. “You’re both roughly the same size, at least I know what Doc wears. Apparently, a lot of hikers come through here, so the store carries a decent assortment of gear.”

Blair tossed the clothes onto the bed and began sorting through them. “So we’ll be able to find everything on the supply list?”

Tad nodded as he chewed. “On a couple of things, we’ll have to improvise, but otherwise, we’re okay.”

“Our budget will be tight from here on out.” Blair took one of the biscuits and chewed with a satisfied groan. “We’ll have to hold onto the packs for dear life until we find whatever Nicolas has in store for us.”

Something crossed Jodi’s face as she lowered her cup. “Really, what if we don’t find it? What then?”

“We’ll find it,” Tad said confidently as he rifled through the bag for another biscuit.

“But what if we don’t? I hate playing the devil’s advocate, but what’s our plan of escape then?” Jodi looked at Tad and Blair when neither answered. “We should have some sort of contingency, shouldn’t we?”

“I’ll call my brother, maybe the university,” Blair said numbly. “Maybe they can pull some strings for us. For now, though, we need to stay under the radar. We’re better off if people think we’re missing or…”

“Dead,” Jodi said.

Blair nodded. “For now. We have no idea who we can trust. Their assistance may alert someone we don’t want to have to deal with.”

Jodi laid her half-eaten biscuit on her leg. “Does the shopping list include weapons?”

“No, that’s too risky.” Tad took a sip of his coffee and looked at Blair. “We’ll have to barter with someone for those. Maybe the farmers.”

Blair paled at the thought. Making deals with drug runners was foolhardy. Nicolas had done it, and that was why he was six feet under.

*******

“No sign of a camp, no trail.” Jason stood watching the mist rise from the falls as he considered the facts. Ant wasn’t leaving signs. That meant…

“They could’ve been killed.” Raul stood at Jason’s side.

Jason closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “We continue the search until I find bodies.” He bent and reached into his pack. The letters Ant had copied were beginning to make sense as he regarded the mist around them. Perhaps Jodi Grant was not such an important commodity after all.

My little froggy doesn’t like the foggy, my little froggy hates the foggy. (Hey, you used to love this. I never claimed to be a lyricist.) My little froggy is never cross, my little froggy is never cross.”

“Why do you hate the fog, little froggy?”

Raul looked at Jason as though he’d lost his mind. “What is this froggy?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” Jason folded the letters and stuffed them into a water-tight pouch. “How about a swim, my friend?” He didn’t wait for a reply as he waded into the water and moved slowly to where the mist appeared to be the thickest.

Jason and Raul were chest deep when they began to shiver violently. Jason looked up at the falls and figured that the water was coming directly from the mountain range behind the canyon. “A frog would hate cold water,” he said to himself with a grin. He turned to Raul a few feet behind him. “We need to get behind the falls.” He pointed to a outcropping of rocks jutting into the water. “We’ll start up there.”

*******

“I have to be honest, I don’t relish the idea of getting back into the water,” Jodi said as she read over Nicolas’s letter. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and she was wearing new clothes while her old ones dried on the AC vent after a hand wash. “I’m a bit baffled. Do we have to go into the mist?”

Blair shrugged as she collected their things and stuffed the packs. “I’ve been wondering about that myself. Read the part about the fog again.”

“My little froggy doesn’t like the foggy, my little froggy hates the foggy. (Hey, you used to love this. I never claimed to be a lyricist.) My little froggy is never cross, my little froggy is never cross.”

Jodi shivered. “Why would she hate the fog? What was in the fog—the mist? Do you suppose he really meant fog and not mist?”

Blair stopped what she was doing and turned. “Fog and mist are basically the same thing.”

“Not necessarily. The mist is caused by the falls, fog…” Jodi rubbed her forehead. “Maybe I’m reading too much into this.”

Steam billowed out of the bathroom when Tad opened the door. “Thank you both for leaving me hot water. It’s much appreciated.”

Jodi bit at her bottom lip. “I think if he were referring to the mist, he would’ve made a rhyme using the word mist, but he specifically said fog or foggy.”

“We’ll have to figure this out on the move.” Blair closed the last pack after Tad stuffed the toiletries into it. She handed Jodi a straw hat and a pair of sunglasses. “Put these on and keep your head down.” Blair twisted her hair into a knot and set her hat on top of it. “Remember, keep walking if anyone tries to get your attention. If something happens and we get separated, we meet at the place we hid out at last night.”

Tad stepped out of the door first, then poked his head inside to give the all-clear. Jodi and Blair followed at a brisk pace and slipped into the alley running behind the hotel. An old man appeared from a side street and dropped a box of rotted fruit behind the building. He gave them a cursory nod and returned the way he came. When they reached the rutted road that led out of town, they waited for a truck to lumber by. Jodi sucked in a breath and held it.

Tad bumped her with his elbow. “Just smile and act casual, like you came here to explore. No need to look so tense.”

“I was never good at acting,” Jodi said as they began to walk again.

“Doc isn’t, either.” Tad grinned. “She looks like she’s been sucking on a lemon.”

“Shut up, Tad,” Blair said from behind them.

“Is Tad short for something?” Jodi asked.

“No, it’s just Tad. My mother said when I was born I was a tad too large for a newborn and a tad too small for a toddler. I was nine and a half pounds.”

“Where do you rank? Oldest, youngest, middle child?”

“They stopped after me. Mom always said I nearly killed her.” Tad grunted as he shifted his pack. “They live in a retirement community in Florida. The rest of us are spread out across the States. I have sisters in Montana, Arkansas, and one in New York. Being the only boy has prepared me for coping with you two.”

“Here,” Blair said. “We need to cut off.”

Tad left the road and moved into the lush thicket, making a trail. Jodi followed him and could hear Blair close behind them. The plan was to go in the way they came out, skirting the fields in the tree line. The muscles in Jodi’s legs complained only slightly at the pace. Since Nicolas’s death, she’d begun a rigorous exercise program whether she wanted to or not.

They hiked to the opening in the canyon and repeated the process. Tad went in first and gave the all-clear. Jodi and Blair moved in behind him side by side. “Dr. Whittington, I have to say it’s much more pleasant sharing air space with you today.”

Blair grinned. “Well, Ms. Grant, I can certainly say the same.” She pulled her hat off and let dark red waves fall down her shoulders and back before replacing it.

“Which one of your parents did the hair color come from?” Jodi asked.

Blair smiled again. “My mother. My eyes are my father’s.”

“I know this is a rude question, but I’m going to ask it anyway. How old are you?”

Blair glanced at her before saying, “Twenty-eight.”

“Liar.”

“It’s called teasing, and I’m thirty-eight.” Blair turned serious. “I won’t lie to you. I’ve told you that.”

“Yes, you have, twice. It’s been my experience that when people make it a point to tell you they’re honest, they’re either lying, or they want to know if you’re lying to them.”

Blair stopped midstride and met Jodi’s gaze intently. “What is your opinion of me—the former or the latter?”

“You want to know if you can trust me.” Jodi cocked her head but held Blair’s gaze. “I imagine that’s hard to do knowing Nicolas as you did. My lineage is a strike against me, I know that. Trust is earned, despite what I may tell you now. The proof will always be in the pudding.”

“I’d like to hear you say the words anyway.”

Jodi smiled. “You can trust me. I won’t lie to you, either. But if you lie to me, there will be hell to pay. You’ve come close already. Omission of facts is sometimes just as good as a lie. Don’t withhold any more suspicions from me or Tad. To make informed decisions, we need to have all the information on the table.”

“Fair enough,” Blair said with a nod.

“What’s the problem?” Tad stepped back into the pass.

“Just clearing the air,” Blair said as she held Jodi’s gaze.

“Could you clear it later? I don’t like being out in the open like this.” Tad waited for them to join him before moving on.

*******

The trio arrived at the falls just as the sun began its descent. They stood in the shadow of the trees as Jodi read over the letter again. Blair watched as her brow furrowed; confusion marred her features. “I have a problem.” Jodi’s hands dropped limply to her sides. “I…” She looked at Tad, then Blair.

“Shoot from the hip.” Blair opened her canteen and took a swallow.

Jodi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The earlier clues seemed vague, but we recognized them easily when we saw them. The playground, the llama, but he said fog, not mist.”

“And.” Tad gestured for her to continue.

“I’m afraid of screwing up because I’m not sure.”

Blair scanned the falls and surrounding area. “I suggest we make camp and discuss this further. Perhaps on the opposite side from where we camped last. Maybe that’ll give us a different perspective.”

“We’ll have to cross the stream.” Tad pulled off his pack and dropped it to the ground. “It’s about waist deep.”

Blair and Jodi exchanged glances as he unbuckled his belt and started working on his fly.

“Hey, at the moment, we’re all wearing the same kind of underwear. I’m not sleeping in wet pants if I don’t have to.”

“He makes a good point.” Blair took a seat on the nearest rock and began unlacing her boots. Jodi shrugged and did the same.

With their packs lifted high, the three prepared to cross the stream. “You go first, Tadpole,” Jodi said, “since you’re the tallest.”

The deepest part of the creek hit Tad at the waistline.

“Shit.” Jodi dropped her pack and stripped down to her undershirt. “I’ll go next.”

Blair watched the muscles of Jodi’s shoulders bunch when the cold water met the tops of her thighs. She’d been wise to remove her shirt because the water rose almost to her breasts when she crossed the center of the creek. Blair averted her gaze when Jodi emerged on the other side with her clothes clinging tightly to her body.

She stripped off her shirt and stuffed it into her pack along with her boots and pants. Gingerly, Blair waded into the stream with her pack as the others had. By the time she joined Jodi, Tad had slipped behind a rock and was changing his underclothes.

“Stay back there, Tad. We’re going to change,” Jodi called out as she began rifling through her pack.

Blair dropped her pack onto the sand and looked around. She knew enough about Jason to know he would not announce his presence. She put a hand to Jodi’s arm, stilling her. “We should get out of the open.”

Realization dawned on Jodi’s face as she straightened. “Do you hear something?”

“No.” Blair looked around them. “I’m just a little squeamish.”

“You can have my rock,” Tad called out in a hushed tone. He stepped around and looked at them, his eyes going first to Blair’s breasts, then traveling down before he inhaled sharply and looked away. “Sorry, Doc.”

“For what?” Jodi asked with a slight edge to her voice. She gave Blair a gentle shove and followed behind her to the privacy of the rock. Tad looked away as his face colored.

Blair didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or amused. She turned her back to Jodi as she began to shrug out of her wet things. Tad had always respected her privacy. She doubted that he meant to openly ogle her. She’d just caught him by surprise. Jodi’s reaction was interesting. She’d almost seemed angry. Blair tossed her wet things onto the rock and quickly pulled on a dry pair of boxers and a fresh undershirt, keeping her back to Jodi.

“We should wash this stuff since it’s already wet.”

Blair made the mistake of turning toward Jodi as she was pulling her wet shirt over her head. In that split second, she was unable to look away from the bare breasts that greeted her, but unlike Tad, she averted her gaze before Jodi saw her. Blair cleared her throat. “You’re right, we should.”

Blair pulled on her pants, her hands unable to complete the simple task of buttoning and zipping. The image of Jodi’s slick skin and hardened nipples seemed to be burned into her retinas. Jodi’s wet boxers and shirt landed close to where she’d thrown hers. All she had to do was turn around, and all of Jodi’s secrets would be revealed much closer than they had when she spied on her when she’d taken watch on the rock.

“I was thinking about the fog.”

“The fog,” Blair repeated, unable to reconcile her thoughts.

“Maybe it is the mist.”

Blair heard the zipping of a fly and felt Jodi’s shirt brush her shoulder as she pulled it on. She turned, unable to look Jodi in the eye. “Maybe you’re right. The stream led us to the falls. That’s obviously where he wanted us to go.” The fog in Blair’s brain began to clear as she focused on the conversation.

“It may mean that we have to get back into the water tomorrow.”

“Oh, dear God, I hope not,” Blair said for reasons she was not ready to admit to Jodi or even herself.

Chapter Seventeen

“Livin’ on the edge,” Tad sang softly as he pulled Jodi up onto a ledge just after nightfall.

“Big fan of Aerosmith?” Blair asked drolly as she followed.

“Doc, you know who Aerosmith is?”

“What do you think I listen to—Lawrence Welk?”

“I have no idea who that is.” Tad marked his spot for the night with this pack. “At least we have sleeping bags now to pad the rock.”

“I just thought I liked a firm mattress.” Jodi tossed her pack next to Tad’s, leaving Blair on the end.

“I call first watch tonight.”

“I’ll take second,” Jodi said. “That means you need to take a nap now, Blair.”

“I don’t get a say-so?” Blair unrolled her sleeping bag.

Tad laughed softly. “If you would’ve called it first, then you would have had a say-so.” He handed Blair his bourbon. “Take a swig. It’ll help relax you.”

Blair felt the cool of the glass in her hand and contemplated it. “Not tonight, but thank you.”

“Jodi?” he asked and tucked the bottle into his pack when she said no. “You two burrow in. I’m wide awake.”

Blair was against the rock wall, Jodi was close beside her. She lay flat on her back and tucked her hands behind her head. Your stomach is full. This isn’t as comfortable as the bed, but it’ll do. Keep your arms and legs to yourself tonight. Blair exhaled loudly and waited for sleep to come. It didn’t.

She found herself smiling sardonically at the irony of it all. Her sex life had consisted of a few flings that left her feeling isolated and detached. Now in the jungles of Peru, she’d found herself inexplicably attracted to a woman who was dirty and smelly ninety percent of the time, as was she. They couldn’t have met when they both had their lives in order, at a time when they could’ve gone to dinner, maybe a movie or a club. No, Dr. Blair Whittington had to travel to the jungle to find the spark she never thought she’d experience. And at the moment…the spark lay next to her snoring and drooling with Vienna sausage under her nails.

“I can see the moonlight reflecting off your eyes, Doc,” Tad whispered. “You’re not sleeping.”

“I’m trying.”

“Since you’re awake, can I tell you something?”

Blair sat up. “What’s on your mind?”

“The current in the stream took us down to the falls. The water has to go somewhere.”

Blair blinked at the revelation. She’d not stopped to consider that because her mind had been on…other things.

“It’s like a big toilet bowl. We just have to figure out how to flush.”

“We’ve been flushed once. I’d like to avoid that if I can. We need the stuff we have if we’re going to survive.”

“You know what I don’t get?” Tad picked up a rock and toyed with it before saying, “This country has been torn apart for ages by treasure hunters and archaeologists. How the hell did Nicolas find anything of significance?”

“He found some pieces. I saw them.” Blair leaned her head against the rock wall. “That’s how he got the funding.”

“And he smuggled them out of the country illegally, with help.”

“It’s done every day. I can’t sleep. Why don’t you bed down and I’ll take watch?”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

They traded places, and before Tad lay down, he said, “You should wake her up when you get tired. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and we need your brain.”

“Duly noted, now sleep.” Blair pulled a knee up to her chest and rested her chin on it. She found herself singing the song Nicolas composed in her mind.

My little froggy doesn’t like the foggy, my little froggy hates the foggy. My little froggy is never cross, my little froggy is never cross.

Never cross stood out in her mind. What weren’t they supposed to cross? Would they know it when they came to it? One misstep in the middle of nowhere meant game over.

*******

“If I never eat another protein bar again, it won’t break my heart.” Jodi stuffed the wrapper into a pouch on her pack and chased the gritty bar with a gulp of water.

Blair seemed a million miles away as she chewed. Jodi wondered if she was tired. Blair had not woken her for watch. Her bladder had, though, a few hours before dawn, and she’d convinced the obstinate doctor to take a nap.

“Are you on a beach in Tahiti or skiing the slopes in Colorado?”

Blair didn’t respond, and Tad grinned at Jodi. “She’s pretending that protein bar is an omelet.”

Blair looked at them both warily. “What?”

“You spaced out there.”

“I have a plan. I just need a Tadpole and some rope.” Blair grinned at Tad. “How about a morning swim?”

The plan was to tie a rope around Tad, who would go into the pool and look for the opening. With any luck, it might just be wide enough to climb instead of being washed away with their gear. “This water is ice cold. I think my man parts went into hiding,” Tad said as he waded in chest deep. Blair had tied the rope to a tree, and she and Jodi fed the slack as Tad moved into the mist, disappearing from view. This time, they had the forethought to wear gloves.

“I don’t like not being able to see him.” Jodi watched as the rope slid slowly across her gloved palm. “What if there are creatures in the water?”

“That’s the high side of it being so cold…I hope.” Blair stared into the mist, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tad as he moved and resisted the urge to call out to him. It took Blair by complete surprise when the rope tore from her hands and went taut, slapping her against the jaw. Jodi looked like a sheet flapping on a clothesline in the breeze when Blair looked over her shoulder.

Both women dug the heels of their boots into the pebbled sand and pulled on the rope. Blair knew Tad was smart enough not to scream out and risk alerting Jason to their location. Horrendous scenarios raced through her mind as she fought to pull him in. Would he be on the end of the rope or something else? Was he trapped beneath the surface of the water? Were they making it worse by holding on to him? Her fears deepened when the rope jerked violently, causing her to lose her footing.

“It’s giving,” Jodi grunted out as Blair renewed her grip and began pulling the slack. “Pull fast, pull fast.”

They were making headway, but with each tug, Blair’s feet moved closer to the water. An arm protruded through the mist and slipped under the water. Blair and Jodi continued to pull with what little strength they had until Tad broke the surface, gasping for breath. He crawled onto the shore gagging and coughing.

“I should have gone. It should’ve been me. I’m lighter.” Blair clasped Tad’s face in both hands as he collapsed onto his back. “I’m so sorry. It was a bad idea.”

“You’re kneeling on my arm,” Tad rasped and let his head fall back into the sand.

“Sorry again,” Blair said with a relieved smile.

“Gimme a few.” Tad closed his eyes and coughed a few more times until he started to breathe evenly.

Jodi sank to her knees and leaned heavily against Blair as they waited for Tad to tell them what happened.

“It’s as we suspected. There’s a huge drop-off like the other one. You can’t see it because of the falls. I got too close and got sucked in.” Tad inhaled deeply and coughed again. “It took me a few minutes to get my footing.”

Blair felt Jodi move and watched as she crawled over to her pack. Her hands were shaking from exertion when she held up the letter and began to read:

You hated taking a bath and came up with all sorts of reasons why you shouldn’t. Your favorite claim was that you’d be washed down the drain. I’d often pull the plug while you were in the tub just to show you that everything would be okay.

“He means for us to go through that hole.” Jodi dropped the letter into her lap and let out a string of obscenities ending with, “fuckity fuck fuck.”

Tad lifted his head. “Hey, at least we’re prepared this time.” His head hit the sand with a thud.

*******

The packs were sealed in heavy plastic bags. Blair silently prayed that the ties would hold and keep their things together and dry. Each plastic bag was tied to the rope. Tad would hold on to it as long as he could, but if he needed to let them go to surface, they were going to be back at square one.

“The drop comes up fast, so be prepared.” The bags floated low in the water just ahead of where Tad stood. “Give me a couple of seconds when I go under, then follow behind, Doc,” Tad said nervously, then smiled. “See you on the other side.”

Jodi had a handful of Blair’s shirt twisted in her fist. They watched as he moved about ten paces and disappeared with the packs. Blair took a step forward and Jodi pulled her back. “You hold on to me. I don’t want to be alone on this ride.”

“We could be torn apart by the force of the water.”

Jodi released the back of her shirt and spun Blair around to face her. Her eyes were wide as she fisted her hands in the front of her shirt. One leg snaked around Blair’s. “Promise me you won’t let go.”

Blair wrapped her arms around Jodi’s waist. “I won’t if it’s within my control.”

Jodi coiled her legs around her like a snake as Blair moved closer to the spot where Tad disappeared. “I have to make a confession.”

“There’s no time for confessions, Jodi.”

Jodi looked at the spot they would soon slip into and whipped her head around to look Blair in the eye. “You have a really nice ass. I peeked when we were changing clothes.”

Blair inhaled sharply just as the pull of the water sucked them under.

It seemed like they stayed underwater for an eternity. Blair fought panic and the urge to search for air as they corkscrewed, then she felt air against her wet clothes. Jodi was still clinging to her shirt with one hand when they hit water again and submerged. This time, when she broke the surface, there was no sky above. The current pushed Blair through the darkness, and Jodi thrashed in the water alongside her. Blair started when her boots brushed the ground.

“Over here, Doc,” Tad called out. Blair saw the small beam of light, grabbed Jodi’s shirt, and moved toward it.

“I told you not to let me go,” Jodi said as she began climbing Blair like a monkey. Blair staggered onto the bank with Jodi very nearly on her back.

“Where are we, Tad?” she asked breathlessly as she sank to her knees.

“Another chamber. I haven’t had a chance to explore much.” Tad traded the tiny penlight for a larger flashlight and began moving the beam over the walls.

“You peeked at my butt?” The beam of light moved abruptly to Blair’s face and temporarily blinded her.

“Excuse me?” Tad said.

“She’s talking to me.” Jodi shielded her eyes when the beam moved to her.

“Tad, the walls, please, and hand me the penlight.” Blair took the light from him and began opening the plastic bags to make sure their things were intact. The very first bag she reached into was wet. “Damn it.”

“Is everything still in the pack?” Tad asked.

“It appears so.”

“Then that’s not so bad.”

“It’s your pack, Tad.”

“Damn it.”

Blair held the light as Jodi opened the next bag. “Dry,” Jodi said and moved to the next. “Dry too.”

“Figures,” Tad muttered.

“You can have one of my dry shirts,” Jodi offered.

“Thanks, but we both know I’ll look like I’m wearing nothing but a Fruit Rollup. I’ll just take satisfaction in the fact that I’ll be cool and you two will be in nasty ol’ dry clothes.”

“We won’t change. We’ll stay wet right along with you.” Blair turned the penlight on Jodi. “That okay with you, peeping Jo?”

“Fine with me, Ms. Farmer’s Tan.”

Tad cleared his throat. “Wanna talk about this chamber because there’s some interesting stuff here?”

Blair was on her feet in an instant and watched as the beam of Tad’s light moved along the walls. Cutouts in the rock about two feet in diameter dotted the rock. Blair reached into her own pack and pulled out a light.

“Careful, Doc. Remember what happened to Ant.”

Blair shined the light on the floor around her, then on the ceiling of the chamber. She took a few tentative steps until she reached the wall. She smiled as she ran her fingers over the chiseled rock of one of the cutouts. “I don’t believe these were carved with modern tools.”

“A storehouse of some kind?” Tad moved alongside her. “Food maybe? It is significantly cooler in here.”

Blair moved her light over the walls and stopped when she came to a six-foot opening that bore the same chisel marks around the edges. “I suspect there was more than food stored in there.”

Tad’s light moved over the floor in front of the opening. He gasped when his light swept over a drop-off. “Wanna bet if we stepped off into that, it would be a long time until we hit bottom?”

Blair’s heart began pounding as excitement surged through her veins. “How do we get across?”

“My little froggy is never cross, my little froggy is never cross.” Jodi looked up at Tad and Blair as their flashlights illuminated her. “This isn’t for us.”

“Well, son of a bitch.” Tad said with all the disappointment Blair felt.

Blair moved her light over the chamber wall. “I see no other way out aside from the way we came in.”

Jodi unfolded the next letter and began to read:

“I hated your first day of kindergarten. Leaving you there nearly broke my heart. I remember watching you stuff your things into the top right corner cubicle that bore your name. A cubby, you called it. You looked back at me as if to say you were set, and you didn’t need me anymore.”

Blair spun on one heel and looked at Jodi as she illuminated the letter with the penlight, then aimed the beam of her light up the wall until it landed on the top right cube.

“I’ll climb it,” Tad offered.

“No, I’ll do it.” Blair moved toward the corner when Tad caught her arm.

“I’ll do it. I’m more expendable.”

Blair shook her head. “Not to me. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you.”

“I’m actually the expendable one.” Blair and Tad turned, and twin beams of light hit Jodi square in the chest and slightly illuminated her face. “Both of you have skill and knowledge that I don’t possess. The letters are pretty easy to figure out. It makes sense that I should be the one to make the climb.”

“All right, look,” Blair said. “We’re all integral to the team, but someone has to make the climb.” She shined her light on the cube and ran it to the floor. “It’s about twenty feet up. We line the floor beneath it with the packs. If I fall, they’ll pad me. I’m the leader, it’s my call.”

“That’s bullshit.” Jodi planted her hands on her hips. “We’re a team. We make decisions as a group now. You don’t get to pull rank, Doc.”

“Are you proposing that all three of us scale the wall? The buck has to stop with somebody, and that’s always been me. I say—”

“A little light over here would be nice.”

Blair moved the beam of her light in the direction of Tad’s voice. His feet were already planted in the third cube from the bottom.

“Tad you…you…shit.”

“Above me, shine the light above me, so I can see where I’m going.”

Jodi put the penlight in her mouth and used the tiny beam to collect the packs while Blair aimed her light at the wall for Tad. When he reached the cube, he took out his own light and shined it in the hole. He let out a long breath and shook his head. “It’s a tunnel. Wide at the mouth and narrows.”

Jodi’s penlight hit the floor. Blair didn’t shine the light in her direction. Instead, she gave her a moment to compose herself while Tad climbed into the mouth of the tunnel. “How wide?”

“Not enough to wear our packs, we’ll have to belly crawl as it is.” His voice sounded far away as it carried down the tiny passageway. “We’ll have to push the packs in front of us, at least that’ll dislodge the cobwebs and their occupants.”

The sound of Jodi’s heavy breathing filled the chamber. Blair moved slowly toward her, keeping the light beam in the center of Jodi’s chest.

“This might be where I stop,” Jodi said nervously.

Blair reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. She felt the quaking beneath her touch. “And do what?” she asked gently. “You have no choice but to go farther.”

“Don’t tell me I have no choices,” Jodi exploded. “I’m sick and tired of hearing ‘limited options’ and no choice.”

“Doc?” Tad called out from the tunnel.

“We’re okay, just give us a moment.”

“I am not okay,” Jodi said between clenched teeth. “Not okay with this.”

“Bourbon, cigarette?” Tad called out seriously. “I…uh…I have a joint in my pack.”

“A minute, Tad!” Blair inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “I will be with you.”

“Behind a pack,” Jodi said miserably and wrapped her arms around herself. “You have to give me credit, Blair. I made it through the tunnels and I went on those fucking water slides, but this is asking too much.” The latter part of her sentence came out in a squeak. “I don’t think I can do this. Just the thought makes me nauseous.”

“You can’t stay here. We can’t stay here.” Blair switched off the light, plunging them into complete darkness except for the pale glow coming out of the tunnel with Tad. “I’m going to hug you. Cry, scream, do whatever you have to do to prepare yourself, then we have to go.” Blair tentatively wrapped an arm around Jodi’s waist, then over her left shoulder and pulled Jodi firmly against her.

“You’re making it worse,” Jodi said, refusing to move her arms from around her own body. “I feel claustrophobic even in your arms.”

“I know.” Blair held her tighter. “Get used to the feeling.”

Jodi gulped in a few lungfuls of air, and Blair felt the rigidity lessen in her body. “I want the joint.”

“After you climb up to the tunnel.”

Using the rope, Tad hoisted his and Jodi’s packs. He stuffed his own in front of him and pushed it enough distance to enable him to lay behind it. Next he moved Jodi’s in behind him and made enough space for her to flatten her body behind it. Blair would have to make the precarious climb with hers strapped to her back.

The entrance to the tunnel was large enough for Jodi to sit upright in and hang her legs over the side. Blair noted that she did not look down. She watched as Jodi lit the joint and inhaled deeply. “Is this a bad time to ask if you’ve ever smoked marijuana?” Blair kept her tone light.

“I went to college,” Jodi said, sounding strained. “Only once,” she conceded, “and I did inhale.” She took another hit and held the smoke in her lungs for a moment or two before stubbing the burning embers on the wall. Jodi exhaled. “That should be enough.”

“When you’re ready, push back into the tunnel and I’ll climb up.” Blair gave the rope a slight tug and felt Tad do the same on his end.

Jodi lowered herself to the tunnel floor and turned onto her stomach. Blair grinned when she heard Jodi’s words echo, “Oh, shit.”

“Ready?” Blair gave the rope another tug and felt Tad respond. With the rope tied around her pack, she’d make the climb, but if she lost her footing or fell, everything would rest on Tad’s strength alone. Blair tried not to think about their packs or Jodi and Tad raining down on her after she hit the ground.

Fortunately, the cubes were arranged in a pattern that was relatively easy to climb, but the weight of the pack kept her off balance and added to her own weight. To complicate matters, Jodi was holding the light for her, and since she refused to look down, the beam often wavered to the right or the left.

“Almost there. Tad, I’m going to shrug out of my pack if you’ll go ahead and pull it up.” Blair could hear the scraping of Jodi’s boots as she pushed in farther to make room for her. Jodi Grant was many things, but quiet was not one of them. Either she had passed out and Tad was dragging her into position, or Jodi had found her happy place. Blair gave her pack a slight shove as it moved over the lip of the opening and slowly climbed in after it.

Tad’s light was on the ground but illuminated half of the small crawlspace. Stoned or not, Blair figured that Jodi was staving off a panic attack because she too felt a tightening in her chest as she considered what they were crawling into. “I’m in position, Tad. Move when you’re ready.”

Blair laid her light on her pack, adding to Tad’s and enabling them to see what lay ahead, which was nothing but rock, and beyond that darkness. They moved at a snail’s pace as they used their knees and elbows.

“I’ve got pebbles in my pants,” Jodi said as she squirmed along.

“Tuck your shirt in,” Tad said.

“Too late. The stones are already there. I’m as hungry as shit.”

Blair clamped her lips tightly together to keep from laughing as Jodi began humming It’s a Small World.

“Ow.” Tad stopped moving.

“You okay?” Blair shined her flashlight directly on the side of Tad’s face.

He nodded. “Just a scratch. There’s a sharp rock on the right side of the wall. You may want to avoid it.”

They had stopped moving, but Blair heard a steady scraping sound coming from behind her. She flopped onto her side and aimed her light down the tunnel behind her. Just above her boots hovered a face.

Chapter Eighteen

“Well, hello, Doc, so nice to see you.” Jason kept moving and wedged his body over Blair’s in the tight space. Movement was impossible; she was pinned beneath his weight. “Your group appears to be a few short.” His face was a fraction of an inch above Blair’s, so close she could barely focus on the eyes that bore into hers. She could feel every inch of his body molded against hers. It made her skin crawl. “Where’s Ant?”

“She’s dead,” Tad said. “I’m sorry, it was an accident. We lost her and the farmers in a rockslide.”

Jason’s head snapped up, and he glared at Tad. Blair took a labored breath as his weight lessened. And then Jason dipped his head; Blair felt a pain so blinding that it robbed her of all thought.

“Stop it, motherfucker!” One of Jodi’s boots connected with the side of Jason’s head. Before he could regain his bearings, she managed to land another volley of kicks.

“Stop!” another voice called from the darkness. The sound of the metallic click that followed caused the tunnel to fall silent.

“That’s Raul.” Jason looked into Blair’s eyes, “Remember him?”

“Are you gonna kill us here like this?” Tad asked nervously.

“No, you’ll block my way,” Jason said coldly. “Keep moving. We’ll be right behind you.”

*******

Jodi’s ears were still ringing from Blair’s agonizing scream. With each move they made, she could hear Blair’s labored breathing and grunts of pain. She had no idea how severe the injury was that Jason had inflicted upon her, but she’d heard infection from a human bite could often be severe. More than likely, the wound was already gathering the grime they were crawling through.

The effects of the marijuana had begun to wane, but this time, she had something else to terrify her, and it was so much more frightening than tight spaces. She gritted her teeth against Jason’s taunts to Blair. “Move faster, Doc. How’re you feeling?” Blair didn’t respond, and Jodi hoped that the few solid kicks that she’d landed made his head pound.

Jodi’s pack hit Tad’s feet and forced it back into her face. She heard Blair moan when her pack hit Jodi’s feet.

“We’re coming into another chamber,” Tad said. He grunted as he moved the pack alongside him and shined his light down. “Gonna be a climb. Not a long one. There’s a shelf about two feet down. I’ll lower myself and get my footing.”

Jodi slipped a light from her pack and pivoted as she shined it on Blair. Her head rested on her pack. She could see nothing else but Jason right behind her.

“Don’t worry about the doctor, I have her.” Jason’s voice was like acid burning in the pit of her stomach. “Move.”

Jodi felt Tad’s hand on her shoulder. He’d moved their packs and was directing her to follow. “Step onto the ledge, then use your light to move down to the floor. Stay put until we’re all down.”

Jodi allowed Tad to pull her free. She took their packs down to the floor and crawled up to help with Blair as Tad pulled her through the opening. Blair’s face was tear-stained and dirty, and blood from her shoulder made part of her shirt look black. Jodi guided her to the cavern floor and pushed Blair down onto a rock. She winced as she opened the top of Blair’s shirt and peeled the cloth away from the bite centered in the muscle between Blair’s neck and shoulder.

“You hateful fucker,” Jodi said as Jason came into view. “We didn’t kill Ant, it was an accident.”

“I might’ve been able to save her had I been there.” Jason’s voice was solemn and cold. “He bent down and put his hands on his knees so that he and Blair were eye to eye. “Doc, if you have any of that tequila you bought the day we were in town, you might want to pour it on the bite.” He snapped his teeth. “I haven’t brushed in days.”

Blair’s voice was hoarse when she replied. “I know, get out of my face.”

Jason laughed as he straightened. “Ms. Grant, kindly tell us what the next clue is.”

“Tell you what. I’ll give you the letters and you can figure it out yourself.”

Jason scratched his jaw and laughed. “I have copies. We tried that, but it turns out you’re able to catch certain nuances that escape us. We were almost killed in the last chamber, so we decided to wait on you.”

“I won’t help you. Go ahead and shoot me now. You’re going to do it anyway.”

Jason’s hand moved in a flash and fisted in Jodi’s hair. He yanked her to the ground and held her there. She heard Raul’s voice of warning and looked up to see his gun pointed at Blair’s face.

“I counted on that response. I have no idea how you feel about Tad and the doctor here, but it does something to the soul to see other people tortured on your behalf.” He pulled Jodi’s face up and looked into her eyes. “I don’t think you can handle it, not like me anyway. Raul,” he said calmly, “do you think you’d enjoy seeing and hearing me take the doctor’s arms off?”

Raul took a moment to reply. “I think the smell after a day or so would get to me.”

Jason released Jodi with so much force she tumbled to the ground. “Am I painting a clear enough picture for you? You’ll get that bullet in the brain after you lead me to your father’s stash. Fuck with me and I’ll make you beg for it.”

“I need Blair and Tad. Without them, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.”

Jason nodded. “We make camp here and start out when I’m fresh.”

*******

“You’re going to hate us for a few minutes, Doc.” Tad stood ready to pour bourbon on Blair’s shoulder as soon as Jodi stripped away her outer shirt. Although the wound was not deep, the skin around it was bruised. Jodi took her time and stripped away the shirt, lifting Blair’s arm as little as possible. She nodded and Tad poured a liberal amount of booze into the gashes. Blair did not cry out. Jodi figured that she refused to give Jason any more satisfaction, but silent tears streamed down Blair’s face.

“Thanks, Tad. Now turn around, please.”

Instead of making Blair lift her arm, Jodi used Tad’s knife and cut through the shards of cloth that still hung over Blair’s shoulder. She sliced down the side of the tank top and set it aside. Blair’s eyes were clamped shut as she sat there topless, and Jodi cleaned away the blood that soaked one side of her torso.

“Very nice, I peeked again.”

Blair smiled but kept her eyes closed. “Ass.”

“Oh, that’s really nice, too,” Jodi whispered.

Blair laughed, though Jodi figured it was more to grate Jason.

“Okay, Blair, this is the un-fun part.” Jodi opened the first-aid pouch. “I’m going to squeeze some of the antibiotic ointment into your wound, then I’m going to bandage it. Do you want to drink a few shots of the bourbon before I do?”

“No, I need to be clearheaded right now.”

Jodi moved to Blair’s good shoulder and whispered in her ear. “Take the drink. Your body needs to rest to heal. I won’t leave your side, I promise.” Jodi took the bottle from Tad’s hand and pressed it to Blair’s lips. Blair’s eyes watered as she took two healthy swallows. “One more drink and I’ll let it settle into your system before I work on you.”

Blair took another drink and handed the bottle back to Jodi. “Thanks.” She inhaled deeply. “Go ahead.”

Jodi tore away the part of Blair’s undershirt that wasn’t bloodstained and wet it with her canteen. She gently wiped the dirt and grime from Blair’s face. Her eyes were heavy as she watched her, partly from exhaustion and the effects of the alcohol.

Jodi glanced at Blair’s face as she medicated and cleaned the wound. She grimaced but made no sound. She did whimper slightly when Jodi moved her arm to put on a fresh undershirt. “She’s dressed, Tad. Would you spread out our sleeping bags?”

Tad turned and kissed Blair on top of the head and smiled down at her. “Mom always said a kiss makes it better.” He grinned at Jodi. “I’m sure you’d rather have that kiss come from someone else.” He walked off to spread out the bags, and Jodi swatted him on the leg.

“He’s right,” Blair said groggily with a half-grin.

Jodi glanced over to where Jason was sleeping. Raul was reading the original letters. Jodi leaned in and brushed her lips against Blair’s. The kiss was brief but enough to make Blair open her eyes wide.

“I hope you meant me.” Jodi stood, breaking eye contact with Blair.

“I did,” Blair said barely above a whisper as Jodi pulled her to her feet. Tad joined them and walked Blair over to the bags. He removed her boots as Jodi took off her own overshirt and padded Blair’s shoulder.

“I’ll keep watch,” Tad said. “You two get some rest.”

“That’s really not necessary. What we’ve been watching for has found us.” Jodi touched Tad’s arm. “Sleep if you can. No heroics. They’re armed and we’re not.” Tad nodded reluctantly, and Jodi knew then what he’d been plotting. “I’m not going out without a fight, either. We’ll come up with something.”

They had lain Blair with her injured side near the wall. Jodi fished a clean shirt from her bag and covered Blair’s shoulders with it. She lay next to Blair and put a hand on her hip. “I’m here if you need me,” she said and closed her eyes.

Blair’s response came a few minutes later. “I know.”

********

Jodi felt she’d only been asleep for minutes when someone kicked her foot and shined a light in her face. “Get up.” She shielded her eyes from the harsh light and looked over at Tad, who was leaning against a rock and rubbing his eyes.

“We’re moving in thirty minutes.” Raul walked away.

Tad switched on the small battery-operated lamp and held it above them. Blair was looking back at Jodi sleepily but clear-eyed. “How’re you feeling?” Jodi asked as she sat up.

“Sore and stiff, but I’m okay.” Blair made an attempt to sit up, and Jodi had to help her the rest of the way.

“She’s not going to be able to shoulder a pack.” Tad handed Jodi a canteen and began taking things from Blair’s bag. “We’ll split her stuff between our packs. I’ll tie her sleeping bag onto mine.”

“I’m so sorry,” Blair said wearily.

“Not your fault. We don’t mind helping out.” Tad went to cuff her on the arm and stopped short. “Oh, that would’ve been bad.”

Jodi handed Blair the canteen. “You need to hydrate. Drink as much as you can.”

Blair took a few sips and handed the bottle back to Jodi. “We should ration this. We don’t know what we’ll be up against from here on out. If they run out of water, they’ll surely take ours.”

“Shut up and take a few more sips.” Jodi put the canteen back in Blair’s hand.

“Drink, Doc. The group has spoken.”

Blair gave Jodi and Tad a cross look before complying.

********

At gunpoint, they shared some of their protein bars with Jason and Raul. Jodi read the next clue as they ate:

“You used to like to walk in the park after dark. You would scamper along, dodging the moonbeams as they shined down through the trees. I’d call after you, ‘Never step in the light, you’ll get a bad fright.’ You’d run along, dodging the patches until we reached the place where you claimed the llamas ran free.”

Blair ran the beam of her light over the cavern walls until she found an opening. “Anyone else see another way out?”

“Is that how you do it, Doc? Look for the first hole and climb through?” Jason asked acerbically.

“You heard the clues. Did any of them sound specific to you?” Blair continued to run her light over the walls and floor until she returned to the only other opening. “Unless we go back the way we came, that’s the way out.”

“Go first then.” Jason gave her a slight shove. Jodi stepped forward and Jason slammed a hand into her chest. “I said the doc goes first. Raul, stay on her heels.” Then he bowed slightly and waved Jodi and Tad on before him.

Blair moved slowly, sweeping her light over the tunnel floor, walls, and ceiling. She figured they were close to the surface by the way roots grew in through the cracks above them. Shafts of light shone down like moonbeams in the darkness ahead. Blair moved hesitantly toward them, then carefully around them. She waited for the others to navigate through before continuing on. In the distance, she could see light.

“Raul, trade places with me.” Jason pushed past Jodi and Tad and came to stand directly behind Blair. “Doc, doesn’t it pique your curiosity? What would happen if one of us should cross the beams?”

Blair stiffened right before Jason shoved her.

“You son of a—” Jodi fell silent when nothing happened. A shaft of light beamed down on Blair’s shoulder. Jodi looked at it, then met Blair’s eyes. “Don’t move,” Jodi whispered.

“No, move, Doc. Let’s see what happens,” Jason goaded. 

“She could trigger a rockslide and kill us all,” Tad said.

“Good point.” Jason avoided the beams and Blair and moved beyond her. “Now you.” He pointed to Tad, who hesitated a moment before doing the same. “Come on, Raul.” Raul repeated the process and moved closer to the mouth of the cave. “Ms. Grant, join us, won’t you?”

“Go,” Blair said, holding her gaze.

Jodi shook her head. “Come to me.”

“Come on, Grant,” Jason unholstered his gun, “before I put a bullet in the doc’s leg.”

“The end result would be the same, wouldn’t it?” Jodi’s gaze moved to Jason. “You shoot her, she moves, and whatever happens...happens.” Jodi looked back at Blair. “Come to me.”

“You need her, Jason. Go and get her if you have the balls. Go, Jodi,” Blair said sternly.

“If anyone takes a step toward me or pulls a trigger, I’ll step into the light, and we’ll all die right here.” She shook her head. “That’s your option.”

Jason aimed his gun at Blair’s back, and Jodi took a step forward.

“Better run, Jason. I’m well past fear.” Jodi took another step, placing herself closer to the beam.

Jason grinned. “Nothing happened when Doc stepped into the light. This could all be a ruse.”

“Go, Jodi, now,” Blair shouted.

Jodi ignored her and met Jason’s gaze head-on as she took a step, bringing her within inches of the beam. “Let’s find out. As I said, I’m way past fear at this point.”

“Take him.” Jason pointed to Tad with his weapon and began walking backward.

Jodi knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jason would pull the trigger on Blair the minute he cleared the mouth of the cave. “Come to me now, Blair. Trust me.”

“Go!” Blair clenched her fists and yelled.

“I won’t leave you. Give us a chance to survive.” Jodi watched Jason back closer to the opening.

Blair darted toward Jodi. The minute she moved, the ground began to shake. Rocks rained from the ceiling behind her. Jodi heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being fired. Jason was shooting blindly into the dust and rock as it filled the gap between them.

Blair slammed into Jodi, sending them flying back a few feet before they hit the ground, then it all went black.

*******

Dirt filled Blair’s mouth and lungs as she gasped for breath. She could feel Jodi’s body jerk beneath her as she did the same.

“Are you hurt?” Jodi rasped as she ran her hands over Blair’s back.

“No, are you?”

“The pack broke my fall.”

Blair shifted her weight and moved off of Jodi. With her good hand, she felt around the pack. “Where’s your flashlight?”

Jodi grunted as she rolled over onto her stomach. “It’s in the big pouch on the front.”

Blair felt around until her hand rested on cold metal and silently prayed that it was not broken. She pressed the switch, and the area around them filled with light. “I think it was the roots, not light that triggered the slide.” Blair shined the light over Jodi from head to toe. “They grew in the light. My boot was caught in one.”

“I don’t care.” Jodi snatched the light and moved the beam over Blair. “You’re bleeding again,” she said with a grimace.

“Switch that off. They’ll be looking for us.”

Jodi pressed the switch and plunged them into darkness again. Slivers of light filtered down from overhead. “We need to get along the walls. If they trigger another rockslide, we’re done for.” Blair felt around the floor and moved until she bumped the wall. She felt Jodi move in beside her.

“We’ll just rest here for a while, then hopefully find a way out.” Blair felt Jodi take her hand, then press a canteen into it. She drank, wishing she could empty the bottle.

“It’s yours. I have my own and it’s full. Drink as much as you want.”

“Did they all get out?” Blair asked before taking another sip.

“Yes…Tad’s face.” Jodi sighed. “I could only glance at him, but he looked horrified. I’m sure he thinks we’re dead.”

Blair wondered if Jason had already decided to eliminate Tad. She couldn’t bring herself to voice the concern. The thought was unbearable enough. “You could’ve been killed.”

“I’d come to the point that I didn’t care. Jason had pushed me that far by telling us we were going to die anyway. At least…I felt I had a choice in the matter.” Jodi took a sip from her canteen and coughed. “You seemed resigned to your fate, too.”

Blair leaned her head against the wall. “I was. I just didn’t want to be the cause of you going out that way, too. How did you know by moving this way we’d be safe?”

“I didn’t.” Jodi inhaled shakily. “I just didn’t want to die alone.”

“But you said ‘give us a chance to survive.”’

“I said that to get you to come to me. I just wanted to be close to you when…”

Blair reached over and took Jodi’s hand. They sat quietly for a long time as Blair absorbed Jodi’s warmth.

“You can sleep if you want,” Blair whispered. “My good shoulder is next to you.”

“I don’t wanna sleep. I’d rather talk about getting out of here.”

“Well.” Blair looked at the tiny slivers of light above them and noticed they were growing dim. “I think the sun is setting, and I don’t hear any movement above us.”

*******

“This is kind of like bowling.” Jodi tested the weight of the rock in her hand. “You think it’ll work?”

“I don’t know, it’s so dangerous. We might bring everything down on top of us or further seal off the cave.”

Jodi watched as Blair shined the flashlight around. Limited options had become a way of life for them. There was no other way out but up. “Get ready, I’m gonna throw it.”

Blair moved to her side.

Jodi pitched the rock underhanded at the ceiling where they had seen light. It ricocheted and hit the floor with a thud. She picked it up again and repeated the process. Nothing moved. On the eighth try, she was sweating with effort and a burning anger that started at the top of her head and cascaded down her body in waves. “The two hundred and third time is the charm.” Jodi hefted the rock and was rewarded with a cloud of dirt. “Something’s moving.”

Blair picked up a rock with her right hand and tossed it. More dirt and some rock rained down.

“This is it, I can feel it.” Jodi picked up a rock. “Be ready to run backward when I throw this.” She counted to three and launched the rock. She and Blair turned and ran as the ceiling caved. They were nearly back in the cavern when they stopped running. “I’m afraid to look. You do it.”

Blair shined her light and laughed. “Pay dirt.”

Chapter Nineteen

Blair had been wrong. It had not been dusk as she suspected. The sky had grown dark and heavy with storm clouds. She and Jodi had taken refuge under a rock overhang and were debating the merits of taking a shower when the rain began to patter.

“We need to clean that wound, and the cleanest water we’re going to find is rain.” Jodi gestured with the protein bar she was eating. “When it starts in earnest, we strip and break out the soap.”

“With our luck, we’ll be struck by lightning.”

“You’re looking at this all wrong. We’re lucky. There’s nothing living under this rock with us. We survived a cave-in, and Jason thinks we’re dead. We’re damn lucky.” Jodi popped the last of the bar into her mouth and chewed.

“Are you going to peek again?” Blair asked with a smile.

“No.” Jodi shook her head, “I’m going to openly appraise, then I’ll help wash that gash on your shoulder.”

“Wow, you are honest.”

The first large drops hit the rock in front of them. Jodi grinned at Blair as she took out the soap and pushed the pack farther into the shelter. “I’ll undress you first.” She walked over to Blair and began unbuttoning her shirt. “Think of me as your doctor.”

Blair snorted with laughter. “We’re going to play doctor?”

Jodi laughed and nodded. “And this time, you’re the patient.” She gently pulled the shirt from Blair’s shoulders and dropped it behind her. “Hold on to my shoulders and I’ll take off your boots.”

Blair balanced on one foot as Jodi undid the laces and pulled the first boot and sock off. She did the same and straightened, catching Blair’s eye. “I won’t gawk at you. I’ll turn my back while we bathe, but then I will have to clean your shoulder,” she said seriously. “Are you okay with that?”

Blair had meant it when she said she wasn’t modest, but as Jodi released her belt and began undoing her pants, she felt a flush cover her neck and face. “I can do the rest. I’ll need help with the undershirt, though.”

Jodi nodded. “Sit down on that rock and take your pants off. You don’t need another fall.”

Blair pulled her pants and underwear over her hips and sat. Jodi turned her back and stripped off her shirt. The undershirt followed. Blair watched as she bent and untied the laces of her boots, then used her foot to push them off. “You’re watching me, I can feel it.”

“I am.” Blair tried to make light of it. “I think it’s fair that I see your butt if you’ve seen mine.”

Jodi looked to the side but didn’t look over her shoulder. She hesitated a moment, then pulled the pants down her thighs.

Blair looked away then. She kicked her pants the rest of the way off and stood on wobbly legs. When Jodi turned, her gaze held Blair’s as she said, “I’ll try not to hurt you.” She took the strap of the tank top from Blair’s injured shoulder. “I think it’s better if we went down with this, instead of up.” Jodi slid the other strap off Blair’s shoulder and began pulling the top down her naked body.

Blair put a hand on Jodi’s head, stilling her. “I can take it the rest of the way.”

Jodi turned without looking up and stepped out into the rain. Blair watched as she lifted her face to the sky and let the water run down her body in streams and rivers. “Is it cold?”

“Oh, yes, it’s cold. Thank God.”

Blair steeled herself for the shock and stepped out from the shelter. The rain was coming down so hard it stung when it hit her shoulder.

Jodi turned slowly. Her gaze started at Blair’s eyes and roamed over every inch of her body. When she met Blair’s eyes again, she smiled. “Well, it seems I’ve lied.”

“Strike one.” Blair tried to keep the smile from slipping from her face.

“You’re going to need help washing your hair and face. You can barely raise that arm as it is.”

The thought of being naked and so very close to Jodi with her hands on her body nearly killed Blair. She stood stock-still as Jodi massaged her scalp and lathered her hair with the soap. Blair was thankful that her eyes were closed as Jodi lathered her face. If she were to look into those eyes once more, what little control she had would slip away with the rain pelting her body.

“Rinse for a minute. I’ll wash my hair and face, then we’ll do the….rest.”

Blair lifted her face to the sky and let the rain wash away the lather. The pain in her shoulder was muted by the lust she felt at that moment. She’d known arousal but not like this. When she dared to open her eyes, Jodi’s head was tipped back. Her hands worked the soap from her hair, and Blair found herself unable to stop from taking in everything displayed before her.

“You’re beautiful.” The words slipped past Blair’s lips when Jodi looked at her.

“You’re peeking.”

“I’d say I was sorry, but that would be a lie.”

Jodi’s expression was serious. “You’re wrecking me. This is not the time or the place, but I want you.”

Blair went weak at the timbre of her voice and the look in her eye that confirmed the words Jodi was speaking. She inhaled sharply when Jodi walked over and laid her fingers on her shoulder.

“I need to get this off.” Jodi began tugging at the tape. The pain was sharp, and Blair grabbed her waist to steady herself. “I’m so sorry. I know it hurts,” Jodi said softly. “The gauze is sticking.”

Unable to speak, Blair held on as Jodi peeled the gauze from her torn skin and began to soap it. Rain pounded into the gashes and stole her breath away. Jodi washed Blair’s hand and laid it over the wound. “Keep that there and I’ll do the rest,” Jodi’s voice was tremulous as she spoke.

Pain began to recede again as Jodi ran the soap over Blair’s stomach. Her touch burned like fire as she moved them over Blair’s chest, then finally across her breasts. Both women inhaled sharply. Jodi moved around Blair as she washed her ribs and back. Blair marveled that even having her armpits washed was the most sensual thing she’d ever encountered.

Jodi moved in front of her again, her hands never leaving Blair’s body. “If you say stop, I’ll stop.”

Blair shook her head slowly without hesitation. Injury forgotten, she gripped Jodi’s shoulders as she ran the soap and her fingers between her legs. The muscles in Jodi’s shoulders bunched and danced beneath Blair’s fingertips. Their breath came out in gasps. “Blair.” Jodi sounded miserable as her hands moved through the wetness. With a groan, she knelt and washed Blair’s legs and feet.

Jodi stood and took a step back. Her neck, chest, and face were flushed as she began to soap her body. Blair was rooted to the spot, unable to turn away. She watched with pain and envy as Jodi soaped herself, hesitating only slightly before running her hands between her own legs. When she was done, she dropped the bar of soap and stared back at Blair with a want so intense Blair felt like it scorched her skin.

Jodi wiped the rain from her face with both hands. When she opened her eyes, she said, “I think you should go dry off. I need to stay out here for a minute or two.”

She was giving Blair an out. It was Blair’s decision alone. Desire so clearly showed on Jodi’s face.

“Come to me,” Blair said only once, and Jodi was there. Jodi’s touch was tender, her kiss bruising and wild. The heat of her body and the rain on Blair’s back was an intoxicating combination. She could not get close enough, her kiss deep enough to satisfy.

Jodi broke the kiss and pressed her face against Blair’s. “This is crazy. What are we doing?”

“Living in the moment or just living.” Blair took Jodi’s hand.

*******

They were dripping wet when Jodi spread the only dry sleeping bag they had out on the ground. Rain splattered against the rocks and bounced into their refuge. Jodi looked at Blair’s shoulder as she sat. “I need to bandage that.”

“Let it breathe.” Blair reached out her hand and Jodi took it, allowed herself to be drawn down. Blair’s deep kiss burned hot. Jodi felt a hand in the center of her chest, urging her onto her back.

“I’m afraid you can’t be the leader tonight,” Jodi said when she broke the kiss. “Tonight, you follow me, and when you’re mended, I’ll follow you.”

“I’ve never been a follower.” Blair bit her lip when Jodi lowered her to the ground.

“Your shoulder isn’t going to allow you to do anything.” Jodi lowered herself onto Blair’s body and kissed her neck, letting her teeth graze across soft skin. “Give yourself to me, Blair, and when the time is right, I’ll give myself to you.” Without giving Blair an opportunity to reply, Jodi covered her mouth with her own. Blair responded to the kiss with equal fervor. Her hand wove into Jodi’s hair and pulled her tighter against her mouth.

Jodi shuddered when she felt Blair’s legs wrap around her own. She’d fantasized and wondered if this moment would ever truly play out. Reality was so much better than the fantasy, but Blair was more of a participant than she had even imagined. Jodi pulled away, eager to feel Blair’s body beneath her mouth. Her lips grazed smooth skin before taking a rigid nipple into her mouth. Blair arched as the fingers of her good hand dug into the skin of Jodi’s back, stoking the fire higher.

Rain pounded all around them, drowning out whispered words, but Jodi could hear Blair’s labored breathing, feel Blair’s chest and stomach heaving against her face. There would be no teasing or delaying of the inevitable. Jodi slid down and buried her face between Blair’s legs, tasting her and thrilling at the feel of her against her tongue. Blair urged her on with a hand wrapped in her hair, but Jodi slowed, determined to enjoy the gift as long as she could stand it. Slow languid strokes weren’t enough. Blair was saying something Jodi couldn’t hear, but her meaning was clear by the way she moved her hips. Jodi answered and felt Blair’s body go rigid. It was over too soon.

*******

The orgasm was intense and for a moment cooled the flame that burned in Blair. She wanted more of Jodi, wanted to be inside of her, taste her, connect. Sex had always satisfied an immediate need, but this—this was something she’d never known. Blair tugged as gently as she could, and Jodi complied, moving up and settling her body against hers. Their mouths met, and at the same time, she felt Jodi’s heat against her. Blair arched her hips, pressing into Jodi as far as their bodies would allow. She gasped against her mouth, and Blair knew she had her.

Jodi met her thrust for thrust, and Blair felt her wetness merge with her own. Jodi struggled to keep her shoulder away from Blair’s injured one. Blair pulled her tighter, the pain an afterthought far behind the need she felt to have Jodi completely. She gritted her teeth as Jodi’s body tensed, held her with her arms and legs as Jodi jerked and shuddered, crying out against her ear. Blair clamped her eyes shut, taking the feelings and the sounds deep into the recesses of her mind. If this was all she was to have, she’d remember it until she drew her last breath.

Jodi went limp and gasped against her ear. Blair held on to her to keep her from moving away. That night, they would sleep entwined. No one would stand watch over them, and if their enemies came, they’d go together just like this.

Chapter Twenty

Jodi opened her eyes. A gray day had dawned while they had slept without concern of what it might bring. Blair’s body was warm beneath her. And for a moment, Jodi thought to hell with my old life and whatever lay at the end of Nicolas’s clues. What else do we need?

“You’re awake.” Blair’s voice was hoarse.

Jodi kissed the shoulder she was lying on before checking the other. Dried blood streaked into Blair’s armpit. “I’m so sorry. You were bleeding last night. Did I hurt you?”

“Not that I noticed.” Blair moved her arm and winced. The skin around the wound was still bruised, but the tear in her flesh showed no sign of infection.

Jodi looked closer at it. “The bite is over the scar you already had, that’s a bonus. Either you have a top-notch immune system or you’re the luckiest woman I know.”

Blair smiled. “I’ll take the latter.” She leaned up and kissed Jodi quickly, then laid her head on the pack they’d used for a pillow.

Jodi reached behind her and grabbed the canteen. She handed it to Blair, who took a sip and passed it back. Jodi raised it to her parched lips and drank. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and handed the canteen back to Blair. “What are the chances I can talk you into staying right here with me like this?”

Blair set the canteen down and took a strand of Jodi’s hair between her fingers. “Do you want that or do you feel you have to say that? Don’t spare my feelings. I need to know.”

Jodi had played this game of tug-of-war before, each testing the waters to get a glimpse of the other’s feelings. She was not willing to play this time. She would lay her feelings bare and hope they were reciprocated.

“I believe I wanted that when you sent me packing the morning I accused you of being a thief, but now I know it. I’ve analyzed my desires, rationalized that my attraction to you might be just a need to be close to someone in a bad situation. No matter how I dissect it, the feelings are still the same. I want you. I want to know everything about you. I won’t be satisfied until I do. So if you don’t feel the same, prepare yourself to be stalked if we manage to somehow get out of this alive.”

Blair’s expression was serious. “This changes things, admitting our feelings. The stakes are so much higher.”

“But you haven’t admitted your feelings. Do you want what’s happening between us to grow?”

“You distract me,” Blair said with a twinkle in her eye. “I can’t think about anything else. I can’t imagine life without you in it. I’ve never felt this way before and…” Blair swallowed. “I don’t know what to call it.”

“We’ll call it beguiled.” Jodi kissed Blair softly. “For now.”

*******

“Sit still.” Jodi grabbed Blair’s hand and moved it away from her breast. “Do you want me to hurt you?”

“It doesn’t hurt as much if I’m distracted.”

Jodi bent down and looked Blair in the eye. “You’re distracting me, too. Behave.”

Blair winced when Jodi pressed the skin around the gash in her shoulder. “What does it look like?”

“Good, I can see it a lot better in the sun, and it doesn’t appear to be that deep. It’s more of a tear than anything else. I think the bruising on the muscle is what makes it so sore.” Jodi squirted antibiotic ointment into the wound. “Your shirt probably acted as a buffer between you and his nasty mouth.” She frowned as she applied the last of the gauze. “Maybe beneath his façade, Jason was always maniacal. He does kill people for a living, but Ant’s death seems to have left him unhinged.”

“He blames me, that much is obvious.” Blair clamped her jaw tightly as Jodi maneuvered her arm into an undershirt. “We need to seriously discuss how to proceed from here.”

Jodi reached into her pack and handed Blair a protein bar. “We’ve been seriously discussing this all the way through, nothing’s changed.”

“But it has.” Blair unwrapped her bar and stared at it. “We no longer have the letters. That means we’ll have to tail behind Jason. What do we do when we find him?” Blair gestured with the bar. “He’s armed and experienced, and we can’t discount Raul. He’s quick to draw his weapon.”

“We can’t back away now.” Jodi took a seat across from Blair. “If Tad is still alive, we have to try to help him.”

“I wasn’t discounting Tad.” Blair replaced the wrapper on her protein bar and laid it on her leg. “I’m not sure what to do to keep us all from getting killed.”

*******

Jason watched as Tad pulled a cigarette from a tattered pack. He stared at it for a long time.

“Looks like you’re about to cry,” he chided.

Tad’s eyes were cold when they met his. The muscles in his jaw quivered before he looked away.

“They’re dead and buried just like Ant. A fitting demise, don’t you think?”

“Ant’s death was an accident. Neither of them had anything to do with it.”

“That’s your opinion.” Jason sighted his gun, aiming it at Tad’s face. Tad didn’t flinch. Jason grinned and continued to clean it. “Ever heard the expression ‘canary in a coal mine?”’

Raul chuckled, and Tad’s face twisted into something angry and menacing.

“You’re going to be our canary,” Jason continued. “You’ll go in first, and if you remain intact, we follow. Now, Tad,” Jason said matter-of-factly, “you’re going to die. I think you know that’s a given, but it’s how you go out that should concern you.” Jason held up his hand and spread his fingers. “You’re under the cat’s paw. How much you wiggle determines how much I torture you. Is my meaning clear?”

Tad looked down at the cigarette in his hand. “I’m not an idiot.”

Jason laughed. “Oh, yes, you are.” He slid the clip into his weapon and holstered it. “Give me the letters, Raul.” Jason caught the pack and rifled through them until he found the one he wanted.

“Beyond the land of the llamas, you ran to the swings. I had no idea what was in that tiny head of yours as you swung back and forth, but I liked to imagine that you were swinging to greater heights.”

Jason looked up from the letter to Tad. “Read between the lines.”

Tad shrugged. “I suppose we’ll come upon a swing of some sort. The trick will be to go higher.”

Jason nodded and replaced the letters in the bag and stuffed them in his pocket. “Let’s play.”

********

“Eat that.” Jodi pointed to the protein bar. “You need your strength.”

Blair had no appetite as she considered the task before them. In its simplest form, this was life or death, kill or be killed. They would have to find a way to kill an armed assassin. Blair had seen Jason in action, very little was lost on him.

“Do you know how to use a rifle?” Jodi asked, revealing that her thoughts were on the same page as Blair’s.

“I barely know how to use a handgun, but I managed to…” Blair thought about the bodies that Jason forced her to step over. Minutes before, they had been living human beings, and she had been the one to take their lives. She’d seen their faces many times when her mind found that quiet place where her thoughts were allowed to roam. Reconciliation with the deed had been hard. There were times she had to remind herself that these men lived and died by the gun. If not her, someone else would’ve eventually done the same. This assuaged her conscience for a short time until she was reminded that these men probably had families and were trying to provide in any way they could.

“Our chances of getting our hands on one are slim.” Jodi stuffed the wrapper to her bar in her pack. “Eat, Blair.”

Blair picked up the bar and bit—it was tasteless and dry in her mouth. Inventory that morning revealed three packaged meals, two cans of Vienna sausage, and a half-dozen protein bars. Aside from food, they had one length of rope, two flashlights, some toiletries, and a change of clothes. No letters and no weapons aside from a pocketknife.

“We’re out of options,” Jodi said contemptuously, “so I say we make our own. Wars have been fought with sticks and stones. We have little else. We’ll sharpen a few sticks and make spears.” She grinned. “We’re pretty damn good at throwing rocks. This hunt puts us in precarious, often vulnerable situations. Perhaps we’ll catch Jason in one.”

Blair swallowed down the remainder of her bar and lifted her left arm. The muscle cried out in warning, but she had more range of motion than the day before. “Okay, let’s do this.”

*******

“Jason seems fairly certain we’re dead.” Blair looked at the still smoldering fire. “Or else he’s setting us up to let our guard down.”

Jodi knelt and looked at the footprints leading away from camp. They were all meshed together. She supposed that someone trained in tracking could discern how many travelers were ahead of them, but she could not. A cigarette butt lay nearby. The ones in Tad’s pack were white, this one was brown. Jodi frowned as she stood. Tad’s fate was still uncertain. “We know which way they’re headed.” She pointed at the mud surrounding her feet.

“Thank God for the rain.” Blair followed them until they disappeared into the vegetation. “Did you read all the letters?”

“I did,” Jodi said as she followed Blair. “It’s all a jumble in my mind, no particular order.”

“Same for me, although I do remember some of the pick list you originally made.”

Jodi tried to keep her focus on the sounds around them and recall the letters at the same time. Just out of her mind’s reach was something important. As it began to take shape, a bird would squawk and startle her, and everything faded to black. Blair stopped abruptly, and Jodi nearly sent them both to the ground.

Blair pointed to the ground. “A cigarette butt.”

Jodi looked over Blair’s shoulder. “Not Tad’s.” She felt Blair exhale, her shoulders sag. She rested her head against Blair’s. “There’s something so wrong about feeling this good at the moment.”

Blair relaxed into her. “These moments may be all we have. Steal them when you can.” She turned and kissed Jodi with abandon. When they pulled apart, Blair stepped back. “That might be enough to hold me for a few minutes.”

The journey felt less important at that moment. Jodi felt the urge to make a nest somewhere in the foliage and let the day pass them by while they made explorations of a different kind. “Okay, walk. I can’t look at you anymore.”

Blair grinned and resumed walking. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said teasingly.

*******

“These are swings?” Jason gestured to a mass of vines hanging from a tree, the boughs of which stretched out over a gorge.

“Were you expecting to see chains and a rubber seat?” Tad asked with a sneer.

Jason was on him in an instant. Tad’s wrist was twisted at an angle so sharply that his knees buckled beneath him. “I make the quips, canary boy.” He released Tad and stepped back. “Work that cramp out of your wing because you’re about to fly.”

Tad shrugged out of his pack before getting to his feet. He avoided Jason’s cruel eyes and stared at the wall they were supposed to swing over to. A few feet higher than the ledge where they were standing was a cave on the opposite wall and left no margin for error. “How do we swing up?” Tad wondered aloud.

Raul looked up at the tree and spit. “You climb and swing from the branch.” He lit a cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke. “And hope you don’t look like a bug on a windshield.”

Tad reluctantly left his pack behind and climbed the tree. He tested a few vines as he walked farther out on the long branch. If he played his cards right, he might be able to put some distance between himself and Jason. Tad gripped one vine to steady himself as he reached for another. The muscles in his legs quivered as he fought to keep his feet firmly planted. “Once I’m on the other side, I’ll need you to tie my pack to a vine and swing it over. Do the same with yours, so we don’t lose any gear.”

“Fuck your pack and swing,” Jason said from below.

“Ant was a bigger man than you, bitch,” Tad muttered under his breath, then he launched himself. Instead of putting his feet down, Tad took the gamble and let the force of the swing slingshot him through the mouth of the cave. He landed on his ass a good five feet inside. He fished the penlight out of his pants pocket and grinned when it came on. With the barrel clamped between his teeth, he ran as fast as the small beam allowed, which wasn’t far.

Raul grabbed Tad’s pack and looked back at Jason for help to get it up the tree.

“What’re you doing?” Jason asked as he picked up his own.

Raul gestured between the pack and the tree.

“He doesn’t need it.” Jason looked back to the entrance of the cave. “We know now that the swing can be made. Canary boy has either fallen to his death inside or that bitch is running. Either way, we’ll find him.” Jason picked up Raul’s pack and handed it to him. “Strap it on and swing.”

Chapter Twenty-one

The sight of Tad’s pack sent Blair and Jodi into hiding. Minutes ticked by as they scanned the ledge and cave entrance listening for anything out of the ordinary. The discarded pack made the hair on the back of Blair’s neck stand on end and her stomach churn. In this inhospitable place, no one left their belongings behind unless…

Blair grabbed Jodi’s arm when she began to move. “Where’re you going?” she whispered.

“To retrieve the pack.”

Blair shook her head and put a finger to her lips. If she were going to lure someone into the open, this was the perfect place and the pack the perfect bait. She listened for a few minutes more, then whispered, “Back out slowly the way we came and keep your head down.”

Blair followed Jodi, tapping her on the hip, indicating which direction she wanted her to move. When they came to a pile of boulders protruding from the jungle floor, she pulled Jodi down behind them. “There’s a rise about twenty or so yards away,” she whispered. “We need to get there.” Blair scanned the terrain behind them and came upon a slope that would afford them some cover. She pointed to it, and they began to move again. They were nearly at a dead run when they reached the base of the rise.

Jodi stopped abruptly and pulled Blair to the ground with her. “You think the pack was a trap?”

Blair nodded.

“Then wouldn’t the best place to watch it be from up there? We may walk right up on them.”

“They don’t have rifles, and I doubt they could hit us with a handgun at that range,” Blair said in a whisper.

Jodi nodded at the logic. “Maybe we should move in slower just in case.”

At the base, Blair found footholds in the craggy rock. It would be more like walking up stairs than actual climbing. “Wait here.” She put her boot on the first step only to be pulled back down.

“Wait?” Jodi said hotly. “You wait. I’ve got two good arms, I’ll check it out.”

“Stop throwing my arm in my face,” Blair shot back in a barely restrained whisper.

Jodi pursed her lips. “That was kind of funny.”

Blair grinned despite herself. “I’ve never met anyone who can infuriate me and make me laugh at the same time.”

“We scout together or not at all. Concerted effort, remember?”

“The concerted effort was your idea, not mine.”

“You agreed to it. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll let you go first.”

Blair’s jaw dropped. “Let me? I have your permission?” She saw the beginning of a grin appear on Jodi’s face. “Stop making me laugh. I’m mad at you, damn it.”

“We’re tired and hungry, and I know that makes me argumentative. Obviously, it has the same effect on you.”

Blair wanted to argue the point and was chagrined to realize that Jodi was right. She nodded and forced herself to smile. “Truce.”

“Lead the way and keep your head down.” Jodi waved her on.

*******

“Canary boy,” Jason called out from somewhere in the cave.

Tad didn’t dare flinch as he hid between two large boulders. Sweat trickled down his face and burned his eyes as he listened.

“No pack, no food, no water. Dehydration can drive a man insane.”

Just the thought of it made Tad’s mouth go dry. His tongue felt like it was already beginning to swell.

Jason’s laugh began to fade with the scraping of their boots.

Tad kept his breathing shallow and didn’t move a muscle. Jason had pulled no punches, and Tad knew that he fully intended to kill him when he was no longer of use. It was the mental torture that pissed him off. Two against one, and him with no weapon, the feeling of helplessness was what Jason enjoyed preying upon. Tad wondered if a stronger man would’ve stepped out into the open and accepted the inevitable. Perhaps the lesser man wasn’t necessarily the fool.

*******

“Swings,” Jodi said suddenly as they lay on their bellies looking down from the rise. “I remember swings in the letters.” She pointed to the vines. “Maybe they swung over to the cave.”

Blair furrowed her brow and nodded. “That would be difficult to manage with my arm.”

Jodi was thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe it’s the easiest way, but not necessarily the only way.”

“I’m tired of caves and rock.” Blair rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky.

“Louisiana is as flat as a pancake. No rock, no caves.” Jodi propped her head on her hand and looked down at Blair with a smile.

“I hear it’s hot as hell,” Blair said teasingly.

“You get used to it just like the cold, and you have a head start with running around South American jungles.”

“Do you even own a pair of snow boots?”

“Nope.”

Jodi wiped away the hair clinging to Blair’s sweating face. “One day, I’ll introduce you to beignets and jambalaya.”

Blair reached up and took her hand and clutched it to her chest. “I’ll buy your first pair of snow boots.”

“Are we daring to make promises?”

“I am.” Blair looked into Jodi’s eyes. “If I’m unable to keep my word, you’ll know in my heart that I wanted to.”

“That’s a defeatist attitude.”

Blair shook her head. “It’s realistic. I’m not a pessimist by nature, but I do tend to look at the facts.”

Jodi opened the pack and handed Blair one of the meals. “I’ll play the fool then and believe that we’re going to share beignets and coffee one day soon, and I’ll be wearing snow boots.”

*******

At nightfall, Blair and Jodi crept down the trail they’d made and retrieved Tad’s pack. They hid behind a boulder on the rise and dared to inspect it with a penlight. Jodi dug through every pocket and somberly produced each item. She looked at the rope, clothes, gloves, packets of food, and his canteen. “He’s alive.”

Blair stopped stroking the hem of his shirt. “Why do you say that?”

“Because I want to believe it.” Jodi pulled out an empty meal wrapper. “The little shit always stuffed his trash in my bag. He had to use his own when mine wasn’t around.”

Blair stared at the silver wrapper and slowly smiled.

Jodi reached in again and found a zippered pocket. There was something firm inside. She laughed when her hand came in contact with smooth glass. “Would you like a drink, Dr. Whittington?”

Blair looked at the bottle as Jodi raised it and smiled. “No, I don’t think so. We’ll hang on to it for medicinal purposes.” She stared at it for a moment and added, “We’ll save it for Tad.”

“That’s the attitude. Are you ready for a nap? I’ll take first watch.”

Blair set Tad’s shirt aside. “I’m not ready to sleep.” She grabbed Jodi by her shirt and pulled her in for a kiss.

Blair’s kiss spoke of things Jodi dared not hope for. Her hand released the shirt and trailed slowly down Jodi’s stomach. Blair’s fingertips were like fire as they moved over her thigh. When the kiss was broken, Blair’s lips moved to her ear, and the words whispered set Jodi on fire. “I want to touch you.”

“Yes.” The response passed smoothly across Jodi’s lips as easily as Blair’s tongue. Her kisses were demanding. The way she stroked Jodi through her pants conveyed that she fully intended to lead and expected Jodi to follow.

“Stand up.” Blair tugged on Jodi’s shirt.

“Stand?”

“I can’t balance on my elbow or lay on my shoulder yet.” Blair pushed Jodi gently against the rock when she got to her feet. “But there is a workaround for that.” With one hand, she tugged Jodi’s belt open and unzipped her pants. “Unbutton them and pull them down to your knees.”

Jodi’s hands shook as she complied. Blair ran her hand inside her shirt and stroked her nipple through the fabric of the undershirt. “I planned on this all day,” Blair said against Jodi’s ear. “This is how you distract me.”

As good as Blair’s touch felt, Jodi wanted it to be on her skin. Flesh on flesh. She grabbed Blair’s hand and moved it down her body. Blair resisted just before it reached Jodi’s intended destination. “I know what you want. I’ll take it from here,” Blair whispered before claiming her mouth.

*******

Jodi’s submission stirred things in Blair that had yet to be awakened. Jodi wasn’t demure, waiting to be taken. She was strong in mind, body, and spirit. She could be extremely obstinate, quick to exert her will, which she had willingly allowed her to do as she set free something in Blair that would never be reined in.

Her fingers slid easily through Jodi’s arousal, and Blair didn’t hesitate to enter her. Jodi gasped and leaned her head back. Blair watched as the muscles in her jaw flexed beneath the skin, her strokes were hard and fast. Jodi fisted one hand in her shirt and the other grabbed at the boulder while Blair worked her until she was shaking from head to toe.

“Don’t make me beg for it,” Jodi said between clenched teeth.

But she would because Blair had no intention of stopping.

“Please,” Jodi cried out brokenly.

Blair slid out of her and moved firmly over her clit. She heard Jodi inhale sharply and hold it for a moment. Her body sagged against Blair’s before she inhaled again. Blair used her shoulder to push Jodi back upright while her fingers moved around Jodi’s clit. Jodi whimpered against the cry she wanted to turn loose, then breathed open-mouthed against Blair’s ear.

“You’d better hope it takes me a while to heal. I haven’t even gotten started with you yet.”

“So much to look forward to,” Jodi said breathlessly. “I can’t wait for the day when I have you completely naked in a bed with nothing to worry about but what position I’m going to put you into.”

The muscles in Blair’s legs and stomach tensed at her words, then she felt her back meet the rock.

“Fair is fair.” Jodi roughly opened Blair’s pants and jerked them to her knees. Jodi’s fingers were inside her before she had a chance to grab on to anything. “How much can you take? Let’s find out.”

Blair’s eyes rolled up into her head as Jodi added another finger with each thrust. Her pants around her knees prevented spreading her legs wider.

“You want them off?” Jodi asked against her mouth. “It means I’ll have to stop.” Jodi withdrew and ran the tip of her finger over Blair’s clit, making her shudder, then pulled away.

Blair bent and undid her laces. She kicked at the boots until they fell free. Jodi was on her again, yanking her pants to the ground and over her feet. When she stood, she took Blair’s leg in her hand and hiked it up over her hip. “Hang on to me,” Jodi said as she entered her again.

Blair felt her shoulder complain as she grabbed handfuls of Jodi’s shirt. Jodi was testing her, filling her one moment and withdrawing to allow her to catch her breath the next. The combination was mind-numbing. Blair was begging before she knew it, and she had no clue what she was begging for—release or more of what Jodi was doing to her. It mattered little because Jodi was in complete control, and Blair had willingly given it to her.

*******

Blair’s guttural groan when she came was still echoing in Jodi’s mind as they lay entwined on the sleeping bag. She stroked the skin beneath Blair’s injury and stared up at the night sky. Contentment coursed through her as she looked at the stars above. She hadn’t come to Peru searching for treasure, but she’d found it and was certain that whatever Nicolas intended for them to find would pale in comparison.

One thing death and love have in common is that they never come at a convenient time, Jodi thought. The notion surprised her because love should not have been in her mental vocabulary at this point. She was grounded enough to know that she’d only known Blair a short time, and what she was feeling could very well develop into the L word, but she wasn’t there yet. What she felt, however, was all-consuming and terribly ill-timed because what she wanted to do was devote all her attention and time to exploring Blair. Nothing else mattered when her desire to touch overwhelmed her, and that put her and Blair in a very vulnerable position. The exhilarating and frightening part was she’d willingly succumb again heedless of what surrounded them, and that was dangerous.

“What are you thinking about?” Blair asked against Jodi’s shoulder.

Jodi released a long sigh. “I started off trying to remember the letters, but that lasted about thirty seconds, then I started on us.”

“Me too,” Blair said with resignation in her voice. “We need to get a handle on this thing and put it in its proper perspective. When I get out of control, I need you to rein me in, and I need to do the same for you because our thoughts need to be on other things right now.”

Jodi smiled. “That means you’re looking toward the future. Deal with present circumstances so we can be around long enough to enjoy what we have, right?”

“Right.”

“Let’s talk about the swings then. If they’ve crossed that gorge, I assume they did it with the vines, the swings so to speak. Which brings me back to my earlier point—swinging is probably the easiest and most direct route, but maybe not the only one.”

“It’s a good point.” Blair traced a fingertip over Jodi’s collarbone. “The gorge still has to be crossed, though, and we’ll have to spend time searching for a way in. Add to that we don’t have the letters, so we’ll have nothing to tell us if we’re on the right track.”

“Jason’s leaving a very obvious trail. We can pick up on that.”

“Which presents another problem.” Blair rolled onto her back with a groan. “He and Raul will have to be dealt with.”

Chapter Twenty-two

Tad’s legs cramped, actually his entire body was one big cramp from sitting still for so long. He’d dozed at times and awakened with a start. Jason’s voice and his footsteps along with Raul’s had long faded, but Tad had remained still, hoping they would put distance between them. His only goal was to get out and run as far as he could. He’d stand more of a chance being arrested, or so he hoped. Jason was certain death; anything else held possibilities.

He had no idea what time it was, but if he was going to move, he’d have to do it before dawn, and that presented a problem. The cave was black as pitch behind him. There would be no way to navigate without the use of the penlight. The mouth of the cave was bathed in moonlight. He’d be easily spotted if he made a move in that direction. And if Jason and Raul were near, they’d no doubt see him.

One thing was for sure, though. He’d have to move, stretch out muscles that weren’t happy with their present confinement. Tad shifted his weight with a grimace, hoping he would not dislodge loose stones. He spread his arms out over the boulders and straightened his right leg first. He winced as blood began to recirculate, then used it to pull himself up. When his left foot was planted firmly on the ground, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

If he could stay in shadow along the cave wall, he might be able to get close enough to look out and inspect the vines with hope he’d be able to grab one. Tad inhaled sharply when his stomach growled after being awakened. He stayed low and listened for a sound. Finding none, he made his move. The cave wall felt solid and cold against his back as he slowly crept toward the entrance. The air was warm and humid and for a second reminded him of being on the baseball field at night, his only worry was catching anything that came his way. A lump formed in his throat as he wished he was back there now. Did heaven have nachos? he wondered randomly as moonlight splashed over the toe of his boot.

At the entrance, he stood with his back plastered against the wall and realized he was on the wrong side. To see the vines, he’d have to cross to the other wall. If heaven did have nachos, would they be the good kind like they sold at the concession stand at the ball field? Would they come in a plastic tray with just enough chips to dip into the cup of cheese sauce? The cheese and chip ratio was important. If there were too many chips, you’d run out of cheese sauce. If not, there would be sauce left over in the bottom of the cup. And what mental giant decided how many chips to put in because at the ball field the ratio was always perfect and the peppers had little or no seeds.

Tad shook his head to clear his thoughts. His stomach was now fully awake and demanded to be filled. It distracted him from what he needed to do; it made him rash. His right leg twitched as if to say go for it. And he did. Tad, fully exposed by moonlight, took three giant steps across the opening and pressed his back against the cave wall. All was quiet except for one tiny stone that the heel of his boot had caught and sent bouncing out onto the ledge. Sweat poured down his face as he prayed for it to stop. The pebble danced as though it were alive and quite thrilled to be instrumental in revealing his location.

Tad held his breath and listened as the traitorous rock finally came to rest. He turned his face slowly toward the darkness, expecting to see moonlight reflecting off Jason’s glasses, but there was only darkness, and if Jason was cloaked in it, he made not a peep. Tad envisioned Jason’s hand, his fingers flexed, the cat’s paw waiting for him to make a move so he could snatch him up and steal all hope. Where were the random nacho thoughts when he needed them most?

Tad turned from the darkness and looked up at the vines swaying lazily in the breeze. If he got a running start…if he jumped at just the right moment…would he make it to the other side? What if he snagged the wrong one, the weak one that would break free and send him spiraling countless feet below? Tad smacked his lips; he tasted nachos. Were there nachos in heaven with a big Pepsi filled with ice to wash it down with? He was about to find out.

*******

Blair listened to Jodi’s steady breathing as she sat cross-legged staring at the opposing wall. How far would they have to hike to get—

Something moved in Blair’s peripheral. She stared hard at the cave entrance and watched as a vine swung back out into the open. The wind, her mind claimed, but the wind would cause all the vines to swing, not just one.

“Jodi,” Blair whispered as she shook her. She put a finger to her lips when Jodi’s eyes snapped open. “Something flew out of the cave.” She pointed to the vine that still swung back and forth.

“Something?” Jodi rubbed her eyes. “Something without wings?”

“I think so. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. The vine is still moving. Whatever or whomever used it to cross the gorge.” Blair felt her hackles rise. They’d spent their evening in each other’s arms, not making weapons as they’d planned.

Both stared at the entrance of the cave, waiting for something else to make a move. “Maybe they came back for Tad’s pack.” Jodi’s eyes were wide. “They’ll see that it’s missing and know then that we’re very much alive.”

“We’re not the only people out here,” Blair argued.

“Have you seen anyone else? Hikers, farmers? The most logical conclusion will be us.” Jodi shook her head. “Would you have noticed if more than one came out?”

“I’d been looking at the entrance moments before, and nothing has moved in that area since.”

Jodi turned her attention back to the cave, and they watched it for another few minutes. “It would be easier to kill one than two. Divide and conquer.”

“How do you propose we do that? Sneak up and bludgeon him with a rock?”

“Yes.” Jodi whipped her head around and looked at Blair. “We have the advantage. We’re somewhat familiar with the area, and it’s dark.” She shifted and got up on her knees. “This is an opportunity we need to take advantage of.”

Blair grabbed her arm. “Let’s be clear on this. We’re talking about killing someone. One or both of us will have to strike a deadly blow. You have to be resolved to that.”

“They’re not human in my eyes. I have no compunction about eliminating them. Now I need to know if we’re on the same page.” Jodi stared intently into Blair’s eyes awaiting a response.

“We are,” she said resolutely.

At the base of the rise, Blair found a stick about two feet long. Jodi took it and with the pocketknife scraped it to a point. She hesitated before handing it back to Blair. “To use this effectively, you’d need both hands. Let me strike with it first, and you come in with a rock.”

Blair stared down at the rudimentary weapon as the muscles coiled in her stomach. She didn’t like the idea of Jodi going in first, but she was right, Blair was working with a handicap. She nodded and caught Jodi’s gaze. “Okay.”

Jodi smiled and kissed her. The brief soft touching of lips said more to Blair than Jodi could voice. Had Jodi clung to her and kissed her with all the passion Blair had already felt, then she’d know that Jodi was afraid they might not have another opportunity. This simple brush of affection gently whispered, We’ll be fine. “A kiss says a lot, you know.”

Jodi cocked her head. “Yes, I do. I thought I was the only one that believed that way. What did my kiss say to you?”

“That we’ll be fine.”

As they drew closer to where Tad’s pack had been discarded, Jodi put a hand out, and Blair froze. Whomever or whatever had left that cave made no attempt to be silent. Water splashed in the tiny stream they’d traversed to get to the rise. Blair followed Jodi up the side of a boulder where they lay on their stomachs and dared to look down on what was to be their prey.

A human figure splashed water over his face and head and cupped it into his hands to drink. Blair felt Jodi move and felt the heat from her body brought on by the surge of adrenaline cascade over her. She tested the weight of the rock in her hand, the one she’d chosen as her weapon. It was about the size of a grapefruit, and if wielded correctly, it would do the job. They had not discussed how they would launch the attack, except that Jodi would move first. Blair watched as Jodi prepared herself to do just that.

Her method of attack was clear to Blair as she watched Jodi crouch like a cat preparing to pounce. Her body was rigid, her breathing shallow and fast. The stick gripped tightly in her hand rose above her shoulder. Blair looked down at the prey, it too stilled as if it sensed danger. The figure was motionless, head down. The moment to strike had come and Blair felt it had passed, but Jodi functioning on pure fright and adrenaline leapt without consideration, too soon for Blair to stop her.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Blair scrambled to the top of the boulder where she too would launch herself. Jodi seemed to hover in midair, the stick raised above her head in both hands. The intended victim rolled to the left as Jodi splashed into the stream, missing him by inches. They had hesitated, and it was going to cost them both dearly, Blair thought as she felt the muscles in her legs thrust with all they had. She landed to the left of the dark form, pinning him between herself and Jodi, who was now on her feet and whirling around to face the enemy, her weapon held low. Blair would strike high. The muscle in her shoulder screamed out in pain as she lifted the rock. The dark form dropped to the ground and rolled, catching Jodi with his feet and brought her down in a flash, giving Blair a split second to counter.

“Doc?”

The voice was not Jodi’s, but familiar. Its note of surprise matched her own disbelief as the rock in her hand came down with a force that she could not stop. An arm deflected the blow. Her weapon grazed the side of Tad’s head, his face illuminated for a second in the sparse moonlight beneath the trees that surrounded them.

Blair was stunned. Jodi was not. She was still acting on the survival instinct propelled by endorphins that would not allow her to hear, to think, to alter her course. Tad knew this, too. Blair saw it in the widening of his eyes. He rolled again, crashing into her, sending them both rolling over the wet ground.

“It’s Tad,” Blair screamed and kicked at Jodi as she came at them. The blow to Jodi’s midsection sent her flying backward, then all went silent except for labored breathing and the trickling water of the stream.

*******

“I’m so thankful you two suck at being killers.” Tad held a wadded-up shirt to his temple.

Jodi only grinned in response as she sat with a hand over her stomach.

“I’m sorry I kicked you,” Blair said. “I couldn’t have stopped you any other way.”

“I’m glad you did.” Jodi smiled at Tad.

They had returned to the rise, Jodi winded and Tad bleeding from the glancing blow, but the three were back together. In the darkness surrounding the stream, Tad had hugged them both, his large body shaking from exertion and emotion. Blair had never enjoyed being in the arms of a man, but that moment was the exception.

“He didn’t bother to even look for you two.” Tad’s face morphed into something vile. “When the rocks stopped falling and the dust settled, Jason grinned and wiped his eyes. ‘Problemo solved,’ he said.” Tad’s eyes held a faraway look as he saw the picture in his mind. “I hated him then more than I ever had, more than anyone else. And then he put that gun in my face,” Tad shook his head, “and I hated myself even more for being a coward and doing as he ordered. We walked away without so much as a look back.”

“It was to our advantage, Tad. Let it go. We—”

“No!” Tad glared at Blair. “Don’t ask that of me. I needed…need it. It’s a weapon more powerful than any man can conceive.” The air came from Tad’s lungs in a rush. “I need it.”

Blair nodded and looked away, unable to face the rage she saw in a face that had always been gentle. This game they’d been forced to play had taken something from them all—humanity. Tad had found the dark place deep in his soul, and he was clinging to it like a life raft. Jodi had given herself over to the most primal of instincts. And she, the daughter of brilliant loving parents, balanced precariously somewhere in between.

Blair looked up as the first few shards of light announcing the new day began to sweep over the rock wall. Soon the light would be upon them all, exposing them, revealing where they had taken refuge. But what she feared the most was not Jason and Raul, but the creature they had fashioned her into. Determined, angry, and bloodthirsty.

Chapter Twenty-three

“Close your eyes and think.” Blair sat cross-legged in front of Tad at the base of the rise. Sweat glistened on her furrowed brow. “Do you remember water dripping? Was there light?”

Jodi watched as Tad closed his eyes. Mentally, he was going back into the cave. She watched as his lips parted slightly and silence fell between them. Her stomach ached from where Blair’s boot had connected with it, but other than that, she felt…strong. She thought back over her life and couldn’t remember a time when her body had risen up and claimed itself capable of fighting. She’d been complacent, soft in places that now felt hard, rugged. The bottoms of her feet, encased in a dead man’s boots, actually itched to walk. She was done with talking, planning, it was all about doing now. She looked down at her palms. The rope burns had mostly healed, and hands that had always been soft were calloused. Everything was calloused inside and out.

“Air moved from somewhere,” Tad said. “Cold, it tickled the back of my neck as I hid. Sometimes, it was a relief, and others it chilled me to the bone. It wasn’t like the warm humid breeze at the mouth of the cave.”

Jodi watched as Blair flexed her left hand. She was testing the muscle, asking if it would rise to the challenge. “Air coming from inside the cave means there’s an opening somewhere.” Slowly, she lifted her left arm and stopped when it was level with her breast. “It could take us days to find it, if at all.” She looked up at Jodi. “I don’t think I’m willing to take that gamble.”

“But can you grip the vine hard enough to make it across the gorge?” Jodi watched as Blair slowly raised her hand above her head. She took it and pulled Blair to her feet. Blair’s grip wasn’t like iron, but it was strong enough.

“It hurts,” Blair said with a nod, “but nothing I can’t handle.”

*******

The morning had been spent in preparation for the swing and what lay beyond. With Tad’s help, they had collected a dozen sticks and sharpened them to points. Jodi looked down at the crude weapons strapped to the back of the packs. She didn’t know much about ancient societies, but they had used the same thing to protect themselves to hunt and survive. For them, it had worked…right? She scratched the back of her neck as she reminded herself that those ancient folks weren’t going up against someone with a modern-day weapon. But the animal inside flexed its muscles, eager to be put to the task, eager to fight.

She looked up at Tad and Blair. Tad was farther out on the bough, Blair was a foot away, holding to the trunk of the tree. He tested the vines until he found one that he seemed to believe satisfactory. That one he handed to Blair and went in search of another.

“Let me show you how it’s done,” he said with a boyish grin. “Hold tight, Doc.” With a thrust of his legs, Tad left the bough, and like the Tarzan movies Jodi watched as a child, he flew quietly through the air, sailed over the ledge, and was swallowed whole by the mouth of the cave.

Jodi and Blair watched for him to re-emerge. Tad would go inside, listen and look for signs of Jason and Raul. Jodi felt a wave of calm sweep over her when Tad stepped onto the ledge and held up a thumb. The feeling of peace fled when she looked back up at Blair, who had moved into position.

Their eyes met as Blair looked down. Blair shrugged and smiled crookedly as if to say, here goes nothing. She did Jodi a favor and did not allow the tension to build. She pushed off in one graceful movement, then she was gone. Jodi expelled a deep breath when she saw Blair clear the ledge and fly into the dark mouth that awaited her.

There had been great debate on how to handle the packs. Did they tie them to a vine and hope that Tad was able to receive them without tumbling into the gorge below? Or did they strap them on and bear the added weight in flight? They had chosen the latter. Blair had been pissed that she would not be making the trip with a pack. But logic had won out. She was barely strong enough to manage her own weight, let alone the added burden of the pack. Leaving them behind was out of the question.

The climb up the tree with the pack begging to be left on the ground had been difficult, but Jodi had managed. She hugged the trunk while she caught her breath and steeled herself for the short balancing act it took to fetch a vine. She would have to choose wisely and test for weakness before she did the unthinkable. As she turned and blindly reached for something to steady herself, Jodi realized that she had been a fool. She had conquered many fears over the time she’d been in Peru but one. She had been warned repeatedly by Tad and Blair not to look down, yet she did anyway. The sight sickened her. For what seemed like miles below was a snake—a shiny slender thing that weaved its way far along the bottom of the gorge. Her left leg weakened in response and slipped from the bough. Jodi’s hands flailed wildly, grabbing at anything she could hold on to. She’d found her vine, a strong one that allowed her to right herself. To her credit, she did not scream, but as she looked at Blair and noticed Tad’s hand over her mouth, Jodi realized that Blair had done it for her.

Blair’s eyes were wide, her mouth agape when Tad removed his hand. She put her hands over her heart. She’s holding me right there, Jodi thought, and that gave her the courage to launch herself over the abyss. The trip was a short one, to her surprise. The vine was wrenched from her hands and the rock below received her greedily and unyielding. The pack absorbed most of the blow, but still she was jarred and wondered for a second if she’d broken a tooth from clamping her jaws too tightly. And then she was up on her feet, her face buried in Blair’s hair. Hot breath on her neck soothed the aching in her body.

“I’m okay.” Blair didn’t appear to believe her. Hands moved over her, checking for injury. “I said I’m okay, sweetie.” She held Blair back at arm’s length, and Blair seemed surprised at the term of endearment, as did she because never in her life had Jodi Grant ever referred to another human being as—

“Sweetie?”

Jodi looked over Blair’s shoulder at the perplexity on Tad’s face. “We have a lot to explain.”

“No, you don’t,” Tad said with a laugh as he bent to pick up his pack. “It’s obvious, has been for a while.”

*******

The trek was slow. They stopped every so often listening for sounds, listening for Jason. Light was used sparingly. Tad kept the penlight in his mouth trained on the ground. The beam revealed little more than a foot or two before them. Cigarette butts and food wrappers were the proverbial bread crumbs they followed, and those went on for hours.

Tad stopped abruptly. His light trailed slowly up a solid wall before them. “What the hell?” he whispered as he daringly shined the light around them. “Dead end?”

The trio stood motionless, except for Tad, who shined the tiny light around where they were standing. There were boulders but nothing else. They had walked an entire day and had come to nothing. He dropped his pack to the floor and pulled out a larger light. The broader beam confirmed what Jodi had dreaded—there was no way to go farther. Somehow they’d missed the turnoff, and judging by the remains of a camp, Jason and Raul had, too.

“Son of a bitch,” Tad whispered and kicked his pack. “What’d we miss?”

With no letters, no clues, the possibilities were endless. Jodi sank down onto a rock next to Blair in defeat, but Tad could not give in so easily. He held the light in one hand and pushed at rocks as if he believed that there was a trigger, a trap door that would allow them passage beyond. Jodi saw the disappointment in his face when he finally conceded defeat. The light switched off, the cave went dark, yet Tad still moved.

“If I would’ve had the balls to use the big light, we would’ve seen where they doubled back. We wouldn’t have come all this way for nothing.”

Blair’s tone revealed frustration but not anger. “It’s not your fault. The decision was made in concert by the three of us. We agreed that it was the safest course of action.”

“Fuckers” was Tad’s only reply, and Jodi wasn’t entirely sure if it was directed at them or Jason and Raul. She heard the rustling of cellophane and recognized it. When angry or upset, Tad would pull out the tattered pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth. She imagined him doing that now. She’d only seen him move to light it once and was surprised when she heard the lid to Tad’s thick metal lighter ting. The sound drew her attention, and she watched as a flame suddenly appeared in the darkness. But what stole her breath away was not that Tad had finally lit a cigarette. It was what the flame revealed.

Jodi could only stare in horror as Blair reacted and grabbed her leg. Just past Tad’s shoulder was Raul, his face contorted in a bizarre death mask brought on by the wooden stake through his neck. The light flickered out, and Jodi smelled the smoke from the cigarette as Tad exhaled with a sigh. She and Blair sat rooted, unable to speak, and Tad had not seen the horror less than a foot behind him.

“Tad.” Blair’s voice held an edge.

“I know,” he said with irritation. “It’s a nasty habit and I had quit for so long, but, Doc, what the fuck does it matter now?”

“Tad,” she said more calmly. “Turn your flashlight back on.”

He didn’t argue, but he didn’t immediately do as Blair had commanded. Jodi wasn’t particularly looking forward to seeing Raul’s face again, but she didn’t want to be in total darkness with it, either. Her hand met Blair’s as they dug into the pack simultaneously. Jodi felt the smoothness of the metal pass over the back of her wrist as Blair withdrew the light and switched it on. Tad was looking at them, the cigarette poised at his lips, a plume of smoke exiting his nostrils, behind him Raul impaled.

“Don’t argue with me, Tad.” Blair’s voice was stern. “Move slowly toward me right now.”

Tad disappeared from view, the beam remained on the lifeless face, and Jodi heard his reaction somewhere to the right of her. “Ahh, fuck me.” His feet shuffled over the cave floor, a hand connected with her shoulder. The smell of smoke assaulted her senses.

The beam of light moved slowly down Raul’s body. Wooden stakes protruded through his neck, chest, and belly in a row. But what struck her the most was the way his hair moved ever so slightly on a breeze of unknown origin. Was it a breath? Jason’s? Was he standing nearby, enjoying their reaction to the macabre scene?

Blair must’ve been wondering the same thing. Jodi felt her arm move to the pack and felt one of the sticks brush against her arm. Tad switched on his light, and the beam moved behind Raul’s body. There was no one there, and still the breeze blew a lock of black hair against the pale lifeless face of their nightmare. 

“No one move,” Blair said. “Tad, are we clear on that?”

He didn’t answer, but the beam of his light came to a halt. Blair exhaled, the only sound around them. The beam of her light moved to the wall behind Raul and swept slowly back and forth. Jodi swallowed audibly as the beam came to rest once again on Raul. It moved up and down for a moment before sweeping the floor between them and Raul’s final resting place. Blair made a move, and Jodi grabbed the back of her shirt. “You said not to move.”

“I have to.” Blair slowly rose to her feet.

“In concert as you put it.” Jodi rose to stand beside her, and Tad dropped his cigarette to the ground and flanked her on the other side. Together they crept toward Raul.

“Tad, sweep this room with your light. Check behind every boulder, but touch nothing. Keep a close eye on the ground. Step on nothing but the floor, and even then, watch where you put your foot.” Blair continued to shine her light first on Raul’s body, then the floor. She repeated the process until they were within a foot of what had once been Raul.

Blair pushed at the boulder with her foot. It moved slightly as did the body. A sound came from Blair’s throat as she studied the trap. “I’m assuming they did exactly what we did. They thought they’d come upon a dead end. Raul sat on the trigger, probably to smoke as Tad did.” The beam from her light moved beyond the boulder, and Jodi realized then where the breeze was coming from and why whoever had set the trap chose that particular location. 

“It’s clean,” Tad said from somewhere behind where Blair and Jodi stood. “What I mean to say is Jason’s not here.”

“That’s good.” Blair moved the light to Jodi’s feet. “Come back over here and do it carefully.” She put a hand to Jodi’s stomach, gently pushing. “Step back just a couple of inches.” Jodi did, and Blair gave the boulder a sound kick. Nothing sprang up.

She returned her light to Raul, and Jodi grimaced at the sight. “This trap is old, but not ancient. Look at the nail.”

Jodi strained her eyes and caught the glimmer of metal, then moved down to the rusted hinge at the base. “Someone else doesn’t want us here.” Her gaze moved to a bloody boot print centered in the rock. The sight angered and relieved her at the same time. Jason had gone on, and with any luck, he’d find the next trap, hopefully by mistake.

*******

Nicolas’s letters were a dim memory in Jodi’s mind, all except for one—the last. His handwriting had etched itself on her brain because his last letter had pissed her off. She’d never gotten a promotion, and if she had, he would’ve never known about it.

Congratulations on your new promotion. Keep climbing that ladder of success. I hope the letters on your new nameplate will be gold-plated. You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are. Don’t give up. The ultimate prize is close at hand.

The words played through her mind as they looked at the stone staircase. Whatever was at the top was what they’d come looking for. She’d figured that they had walked nearly a mile through the cave that branched off past Raul’s body. No one talked. The last leg of the journey had been made in silence as they watched for traps and Jason. Even now as they stood at the base of the stairs, no one spoke. Jason had beaten them to it. Light from the fire he’d made flickered in the doorway. Jodi could hear him humming.

Tad slowly lowered his pack to the ground. He pulled out their weapons and passed them out. Jodi stood there with a sharp stick in her hand anxious to use it, ready for the journey to end. Tad motioned his plan. He’d go up first to check out the area, then they would follow with only sticks. Blair exhaled, and her nostrils flared as she released a silent breath, then Tad was on the move.

He climbed quickly and silently. At the top, he lay down for a long time and stared into the entrance. Jodi felt a rush of disappointment when he turned and came down twelve stone steps. “It’s open at the top. A circle, as best I can tell, a hundred yards wide. And there’s vegetation, plenty to hide behind. Jason is roughly six yards in. He’s propped against his pack. The entrance is to his left. I’ll sneak in and go to the left. You go to the right. We line up on either side. Try to get within a yard of him. I’ll jump out first and draw his attention. You’ll have to move fast because his gun is lying on his stomach.”

Blair didn’t object to the plan, though Jodi expected her to. Instead she turned and brushed her lips with a quick kiss and motioned Tad to move on. Blair looked into Jodi’s eyes as Tad started up the stairs. Something in their dark depths confused her, but she had faith. Blair had made a promise in her kiss. She didn’t argue as Blair motioned for her to follow Tad.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Tad was already gone from sight. Jodi took one last look at Blair, then began to move to the right as they had planned. She didn’t notice that Blair wasn’t behind her until she heard that voice.

“Proud of yourself?” Blair said loudly.

Jodi froze. Through the vegetation, she saw Blair standing in plain sight. Saw Jason sit up and put his hand on the gun.

“Extremely,” Jason said without surprise. “Well, I was until I realized that there’s nothing here. Nicolas played us all.” He picked up the pack of letters and tossed them into the fire. The flames rose higher. “The last clue brought me here, and as you can see,” he waved his arm, “there’s nothing to find.”

Strike two, Jodi thought bitterly. This was not the plan. Blair knew what she was going to do before they had climbed the staircase and had omitted her part of the plan—omission was as good as a lie. Blair had made herself the bait, the distraction, and was counting on Tad and Jodi to take advantage. Jodi felt rage so hot it burned her skin. How fucking dare she?

She moved through the foliage with deadly intent. She would kill Jason, yes. But what would she do with Blair? Forgiveness would be a long time coming.

“I don’t suppose you’ll just shrug it off and let me climb out of here.” Blair stood with her arms dangling limply at her sides, the stick clutched in her right hand.

“Oh, Doc, you’re not that dumb. I have no treasure, no wife, nothing to make me happy. Killing you is the only thing I have to look forward to.”

“I’ve fought all the way to this point,” Blair spat out angrily. “Do us both a favor. Put down the gun and kill me with your bare hands. Let me go out scratching and clawing. You owe me that dignity.”

“Owe you?” Jason’s back grew rigid as he set his hand on the gun. “I owe you nothing but a bullet between the eyes.”

Blair began to move despite Jason’s grip on the weapon. She walked within a few feet of him, her face calm, but it reflected an anger that matched her words. “You think you’re the only one who has lost?”

From where Jodi hid, she could see Blair’s expression. It brought her to a halt. She’d seen Blair angry, but not like this. She wore her hostility like a soldier would a helmet. It sent cold shivers down Jodi’s spine.

“I’ve lost my reputation. I lost Tad, and I lost Jodi Grant.” Blair pounded her chest. “She meant something to me. Maybe we never had the time for a relationship to grow, but I ache knowing she’s buried beneath a ton of stone because of me. Now drop that gun, you spineless bastard, and show me the skills you brag about having. Put your hands on me.”

He laughed in the face of Blair’s fiery ruse and tossed the gun to the side. “As you wish. Your death will be slow, though. Should’ve thought about that while you were growing your balls.”

“Come on!” Blair said between clenched teeth.

Jason leaned back against his pack. “When that anger cools, fear will take its place.” He put his hands behind his head and crossed one leg over the other. “I’ve only seen you come close to crying once. That was the night I bit you, and even then, those were tears of pain, not of emotional anguish. Today, Dr. Blair Whittington, you will cry. You will cry with overwhelming physical pain, but you’ll weep in fear first.” He shrugged. “I’m content to wait.”

“Have you ever cried? Did you when you found out your wife had been crushed to death?” Blair smiled. “At night when memories flooded your mind, did you long to hold her just one more time? Did you have to painfully acknowledge that you’d never feel the warmth of her skin or the softness of her kiss?”

The woman Jodi watched from her hiding place was not the woman she knew. A stranger’s lips were pulled back in a sneer. Her eyes almost looked black and flashed with hate.

“I know how precious a woman’s touch can be.” Blair’s evil grin grew wider as Jason once again sat up. “You see, on those nights when you wondered if Ant was dead, I was in the arms of a woman. I took from her the pleasure only a woman can deliver—soft skin, tender kisses. And while you wondered, I fucked her with a joy you could only have in memories.” Blair’s laugh was cold. “I laughed at you. Mocked you because you would never again know what that felt like.”

Jason didn’t respond. Though Jodi was directly behind him, she knew his eyes were locked with the soulless ones Blair looked upon him with. She was struck by a couple of things at that moment. First, the silence that stretched out between them. Even the fire refused to crackle as if it too waited for the outburst. The second thing made Jodi blink. Blair had seldom used profanity, an occasional shit or damn. But hearing her say “fuck” was almost amusing. It didn’t seem quite right that that word would pass her lips. In the present context, it was powerful. The word-arrow hit its mark.

“Ant?” Jason’s voice sounded hollow as it echoed off the rock. “Or Jodi?”

“I’ll give you a hint.” Blair inhaled, delaying the answer, enjoying the tension. “She makes a keening sound right before she comes. A high-pitched—”

The animal came alive with a mighty roar. Jason was on Blair before she ever had a chance to raise her stick above her head. Jodi felt herself uncoil like a snake. She and Tad burst out of hiding at the same time and descended with only one thing in mind. Her stake landed squarely in the middle of Jason’s back, Tad’s just below his left shoulder blade.

And then Tad was pulling Jason’s limp body from Blair’s. Her stake had found his heart. They had acted in one accord, in concert.

*******

“How could you?” Jodi paced around the fire, her angry energy not yet spent.

“How could I not?” Blair returned calmly as she sat before the fire with her arms wrapped around her knees.

“You lied to us,” Jodi pointed between her and Tad, “you lied to me. We made a plan, you agreed.” But even as Jodi ranted, she knew why Blair had altered their course of action. Had Blair voiced it, she and Tad would’ve argued for the position of distractor. Blair the leader made her choice and kept silent. It was brilliant, too. Jason had a gun. He might’ve even gotten off a shot, and Tad would’ve been the first to fall.

Jodi looked at him, and Tad seemed to know what she was thinking. She figured that was why he sat silently and did not join in on her tirade. Even though she knew Blair’s choice had saved Tad’s life, Jodi was still angry.

“Did you really fuck Ant?” she asked, knowing the answer, but needing some way to vent her anger.

“Oh, shit,” Tad said and looked away.

“No,” Blair said quietly.

“Then how did you know—”

“They were never quiet,” Blair said a bit forcefully.

Jodi could no longer look at her. If she did, the fight would seep out of her, and she was not ready to let Blair off so easily. She spun around and looked at the walls of the hole they were in. She felt like a warrior in a coliseum. The victor covered in blood, her opponent lying in the dirt beside her. There was no applause. “Where the fuck are we? Is this your idea of a joke, Nicolas Fucking Grant? Are you looking down on us, taking in some sick delight? Did we fight your battle? Is this what it’s all about—revenge?”

No one answered her questions. The only sound that returned to her was the quiet crackle of the fire and a night bird calling out into the distance. “What now?” She fixed her gaze on Blair, who did not look back at her.

“We eat, rest, and in the morning light, we find a way out.”

“You do that.” Jodi wrenched her sleeping bag from her pack. “I need to put some distance between you and me.”

Jodi marched off as far as the enclosure would allow and tossed the bag on the ground. She flopped down on it, feeling spent. Blair had saved one or maybe all of them from Jason. For that, she was thankful. She held tightly to the anger as she lay there because the minute it fled, she would cry the tears that Jason threatened Blair with. The woman who had become her whole world had sacrificed herself, and she’d been left to watch. The fear of that moment was almost too much to bear.

She forced herself to think of something else. On her feet were a dead man’s boots, and on her hands was the blood of another. My, how far she had come from smart phones and for sale signs. If only her clients could see her now. They’d think twice about quibbling over her commission.

Chapter Twenty-four

There was no need for night watch. Tad snored peacefully flat on his back next to the fire. Jodi was somewhere, maybe sleeping, maybe not. Blair leaned against Jason’s pack, watching the reflection of the flames dance along the walls of the pit. Jodi would forgive her…eventually. Blair knew that rage or pain had to run its course, so she did not seek Jodi out. When Jodi cooled and could be reasoned with, she would apologize.

Blair glanced at the sleeping bag covering a supremely efficient killer’s body. She’d seen Jason take out a group of armed men, yet they had killed him with nothing more than sticks, and he had let them. He’d lost Ant and the find, and he’d given up.

Blair believed she had the luxury of time, perhaps a few hours at least. Jason was dead. There was no one pursuing them. All that was left was a gnawing sense that Nicolas had not betrayed them. He was an asshole—that could not be debated—but to send his only child on a fruitless and deadly pursuit was unimaginable even for Nicolas Grant. So where was it?

If he’d somehow left one last clue in his letters, they were nothing but ash now. She was intelligent. She was, after all, an archaeologist, though she had no real field experience. But all those years of school and teaching had to leave her with something. Now what was it?

This wasn’t a movie where the depression of a rock would suddenly roll away to expose a hidden door. But there had been traps. Find the traps, find the prize. Blair looked up at the night sky, unable to gauge how late or early it was. “Come on, sunlight,” she said softly as she folded her hands. For now, she would rest, and the next day…well, that remained to be seen.

*******

“Fucker.” Blair heard a thud and opened her eyes. Tad was above her. His hand moved beneath her head in the pack. He held up a small can of stew. “That rat bastard was well fed.” He dropped the can as Blair sat up, then upended the pack, letting everything rain out. Sealed meals, cans of tuna and stew, a dozen chocolate bars, and one box of Little Debbie cakes hit the ground. Tad’s and Blair’s eyes met for a second before they pounced on the box of cakes.

Their eagerness to get to the treats made opening the box difficult. Blair would get a seam under her nails, and Tad would pull it away. They repeated the process before the box split, and cellophane goodies exploded around them. Tad grabbed one and ripped at the wrapping. He groaned after he stuffed a banana moon pie into his mouth nearly whole. Blair had never really liked banana, but it still tasted like heaven in her mouth. Tad was burning through them like a forest fire. Blair took two and laid them aside. “For Jodi,” she said, and Tad nodded in agreement with his cheeks bulging.

Morning brought with it a new perspective. Blair chewed the sweet cake and sipped water from her canteen as she studied their surroundings. Even with the light of day, the pit remained relatively dark. Trees above them were thick with foliage and leafy vines. Someone flying over in a plane or helicopter would never be able to detect where they were sitting. But there was light, and it revealed walls cracked with age.

Tad continued to rifle through Jason’s pack like a monkey on a mission. Blair heard him inhale sharply and looked at him. In his hand was a plastic bag. In it were the copies of the letters. Tad handed it to her without hesitation. Blair opened the bag and thumbed through them until she found the one dated for August, the last. She held it almost reverently, reading slowly.

Dearest,

Congratulations on your new promotion. Keep climbing that ladder of success. I hope the letters on your new nameplate will be gold-plated. You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are. Don’t give up. The ultimate prize is close at hand.

How tall are you? I can’t tell from the pictures—five-seven, five-eight? It’s been hard watching you grow into a woman one photo at a time. I know about your work, the apartment where you live, but what about your hobbies? Do you paint, draw? What is it that you do?

Blair looked up from the letter. Jodi would be able to pick out anything odd. She would let her sleep as long as she could. Or was she digging herself in deeper by not seeking her out? Blair wondered.

“Read this and see if you can come up with something.” Blair got to her feet. “I need to find Jodi.”

“Yes, you do.” Tad looked down at the letter. “Hope you come back alive.”

“Me too,” Blair said seriously as she went in search. She had not watched Jodi the night before as she left. She would not have gone far, but within a hundred-yard circle heavy with plant life, she could be as difficult to find as a needle in a haystack. Blair tracked back to the entrance, then began following the wall. She’d circle the entire thing, and if she had not spotted Jodi, she would cut through the middle and call out and risk scaring her half to death.

How long had it taken to dig through rock to make such a pit? she wondered. She avoided touching the walls, stepping on rocks, or getting tangled in vines. She watched for traps… Blair came to a sudden halt. Traps. She hadn’t considered that the previous night when Jodi marched off into the brush. Her heart seized in her chest. “Jodi!”

“Doc?”

“Hold on a minute, Tad, and stay there. Jodi!”

Blair breathed in and mouthed a silent thank you when Jodi answered from somewhere in the middle. “Don’t move. I’ll come to you.”

“Why?”

Blair could hear movement despite her warning. “Traps, there could be traps.” All movement ceased.

“I can look for traps as good as you can, Doc.”

Blair lost her patience. “Do we have to have this argument now? If you would’ve been mindful of traps, you wouldn’t have moved when I asked you to stay put,” she yelled angrily.

“I bet you two argued during sex,” Tad yelled out, as well. “Jodi, quit being a tool, and, Doc, quit acting like you always know what’s best for everyone else. And for fuck’s sake, would you two quit with the pissing matches? Men always get the rap for trying to one up each other, but you two are worse than any man I’ve met. Now play nice or I’m coming in there with a stick.”

“Thank you for the wake-up call,” Blair said, feeling foolish.

“Yeah, Dad, thanks,” Jodi called out from her hiding place.

“Don’t test me, Jodi Grant.” Tad’s word was the one with bark on it, and the yelling stopped.

Blair moved carefully toward where she’d heard Jodi and could hear Jodi moving toward her. They met face to face in a clearing. “You’re a mess,” Blair said with a relieved smile.

“Well, you look and smell pretty funky yourself.”

Funky or not, they moved into each other’s arms, both begging forgiveness at the same time. “I’m sorry I came down on you so hard.” Jodi stroked Blair’s hair.

“I deserved it. I’m sorry.” Blair pulled back and looked at Jodi’s face beneath a mop of dirty hair. It was tear-stained and smudged with grime and the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

“You have two strikes against you, Dr. Whittington. Be careful. I’ll only give you a million more.”

Blair grinned and pulled Jodi close again. “There won’t be a three.”

With Jodi’s hand in hers, Blair made her way back the way she came. They followed the wall to the entrance. From there, they’d turn left and meet up with Tad. “I have no idea what this means,” he said as he handed the last copy of the letters to Blair.

“Jason had copies.” Blair passed the note to Jodi. “Would you mind taking a look at it to see if there’s something we’re missing?”

Jodi took it and scanned over the part about the promotion, then began to read aloud:

“How tall are you? I can’t tell from the pictures—five-seven, five-eight? It’s been hard watching you grow into a woman one photo at a time. I know about your work, the apartment where you live, but what about your hobbies? Do you paint, draw? What is it that you do?

“I remember your drawings when you were a child, tiny masterpieces crafted in crayon. I remember sitting in your room one night while you slept looking at them all. You would hang them as high as your arms could reach, and it saddened me when I finally realized why. You wanted me to notice them.”

Jodi dropped her hands to her side, the letter in her grasp fluttered in the breeze. “It doesn’t say anything else, and I’m not sure we can use any of it.” She wouldn’t meet Blair’s gaze. “He didn’t make up the part about me hanging the drawings high, it was a fact.” She looked uncomfortable as she made her next admission. “I did exactly what he said. I drew pictures of a family, mom, dad…me standing in front of a house. It’s what I wanted. I hung them high, hoping they’d notice without me having to say it.”

Tad silently moved away, leaving Blair and Jodi alone.

“There’s no shame in admitting that.” Blair reached out and clasped her arm gently. Jodi didn’t respond to the touch. “It’s what all children want.”

“He noticed,” Jodi said flatly, “and he still left.”

“Doc?”

“Not now, Tad.” Blair watched Jodi fold the letter and stuff it into her shirt pocket.

“Um, yes, now.”

Blair followed Jodi to where Tad was standing at the entrance of the pit. “Have you noticed drawings anywhere else?” He pointed up to a small half-moon scratched into the rock.

“I wasn’t paying that much attention.” Blair moved closer and noticed something shiny—plastic protruding from a crevasse.

“A trap?” Jodi asked, drawing Blair’s attention.

Blair looked at the ground around them. Jason and the three of them had passed through the area, and nothing had been triggered. “I’m going to grab it if you agree.”

“Not with your hand, Doc.” Tad bent and picked up a small branch. He took a step back and pulled Jodi along with him.

Blair hooked the corner of the plastic bag and tugged until it fell to the ground with a thud weighted by a tiny bottle of Cutty Sark, like the kind found in hotel honor bars or planes. Jodi picked it up. No one said a word as she pulled the letter from the bag and began to read.

“Dearest,

“I figure if you’re reading this now, Dr. Whittington is probably there with you and maybe Tad.”

“Maybe Tad?” He shook his head and looked off. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, prick.”

“If so, the bottle of scotch is for him.”

Jodi handed it to him with a slight smile. Tad opened it and sniffed. “He’s still a prick.”

“You have done well following the clues I’ve left for you. Skilled help didn’t hurt, so thank the good doctor for me. Of course, if you’re reading this, I was right about my suspicions, and I’m no longer in the picture. I’m sure you hate me right now, I don’t blame you. I had no other way to protect you. Had you stayed in the States, you would’ve been tortured for information you did not possess, at least knowingly. Had I called and tried to explain it all, you wouldn’t have believed me, and the end result would be the same. In my eyes, this was the only way.

“There’s no need to be ambiguous now. Opposite of the doorway is the chamber you seek. Dr. Whittington will know what to do when you find it. Leave the pit on the west side. You’ll find civilization in that direction. The convoluted route in was the only way I could think of to keep the find hidden.

“Jodi, I made up a lot in my letters to you. I mixed the clues with some facts that you were too young to recall. We did go to the park, I was there your first day of kindergarten, I did make up songs, and I sang them to you every night that I was home. I traveled a lot, too much, and it came to roost one day when I returned home and you looked at me like a stranger. My little girl was gone. You didn’t know me. Your mother looked at me the same way. You both had gone on with life, and neither of you knew what to do with me in it.

“I did what all cowards do, I ran. The truth was too much to face and was too much for a man like me to deal with. I have lived a life of regret ever since. These are hollow words at this point in your life, but they needed to be said. I hope that one day you’ll be able to let go of the bitterness I have laid heavily upon your heart. And one day accept that though I failed you, I loved you very much.

“Nicolas Grant.”

Blair stroked Jodi’s back as she sat quietly staring down at the paper.

“I’m sorry about the prick comment,” Tad said softly.

“It was warranted.” Jodi sighed. She folded the letter and stuffed it into her pocket with the other. “I don’t want to talk about this. I need some time to…” She shook her head and looked down at her empty hands. “Let’s find the chamber.”

*******

It was almost a letdown when they brushed away the foliage and saw the staircase leading down from the wall. No blaze of gunfire, no wall moving from a hidden trigger, just a dirty staircase leading into a black hole. Blair went first with a light, Tad followed with one of his own, and Jodi followed with a stick.

Jodi expected it to be like the movies she’d seen, a vast expanse shimmering in gold and rare jewels. But what greeted her were mounds of indiscernible things covered in ages of dust. Nothing gleamed nor glittered. Blair was seeing something else, though. She stood at the foot of the stairs. The only sound in the room was her heavy breathing. Tad must’ve seen the same thing because he took a step and found Blair’s arm across his chest. When Blair faced him, her expression was solemn.

“This is not for us.” The resignation and disappointment was clear.

He nodded and backed away, shoulders slumped.

“Still not it?” Jodi tried to make sense of it all. “What is this?”

“History, waiting to be discovered by the people of Peru.” Blair’s hand shook as she reached out and ran her fingers across dust covering an object. She lifted reverently. “Tad, may I have your shirt?”

He complied willingly and stripped off the dirty garment. Blair took it and wrapped the object carefully. She was holding it like a child when she turned. “Now,” she said with a sigh, “we need to leave.”

Chapter Twenty-five

“I thought I understood her, but now I don’t.”

Blair walked on ahead of them. She had said little as they scaled the pit walls. She silently looked toward the sky, then said, “We head west.” They had been walking toward the sun ever since.

“Why didn’t she explore every nook and cranny of that chamber? Why did we just walk off?”

“A find like that is like a crime scene. Everything was placed there for a reason, and how it was placed tells an important story. Doc didn’t want to contaminate that.”

“She’s an archaeologist, it’s what they do.”

“Right.” Tad shifted his pack. “There are procedures to follow. Nicolas knew that, too. That’s why he didn’t take more than a couple of items. The difference between them, though, is that Doc will make the proper owners of the tomb aware of the find. Nicolas wanted the glory for himself. That’s why he took the path he did.”

“Tomb?”

“Yes.” Tad smiled at her. “The Sicans buried their dead with riches just like the Egyptians.”

“That’s stupid,” Jodi said angrily. “What of the family left behind? Couldn’t they have lived on what was buried?”

“I guess in a way they are. This culture will live on a lot longer than the humans that built it. I’m sure they never meant for us to dig it up, but we have, and we do. In doing so, we learn about people whom time has left behind.”

“And you know what all this digging tells us?” Tad shook his head when Jodi looked up at him. “People suck. They have always just sucked. I’m sure that person buried back there was significant to their tribe or whatever, but what of the poor, the insignificant? Are they buried with a couple of clay pots? All this tells me that centuries ago humankind found a way to look down their noses at someone else. The poor soul buried with a clay pot probably made everything in that tomb, and still they were no better in the eyes of the person buried there. Humans have sucked from the beginning, and we always will.”

“Point taken.” They walked for a while in silence, and Tad asked, “Would you feel the same way if you were wealthy and able to look down your nose?”

“If I were wealthy, I probably would,” Jodi said with contempt. “Makes me glad I’m dirt poor.”

Tad nodded in Blair’s direction. “She’s wealthy. Her parents came from money, and you’ve heard her talk about them. They didn’t look down their noses, and Doc has never looked down her nose at me.”

Jodi grinned, despite her indignation. “Blair Whittington is an exception to just about everything.”

*******

At nightfall, they camped. Blair and Jodi bathed in a nearby stream. Tad’s presence prevented them from doing more than wash, but had he not been with them, Jodi doubted that they would have done much else. Blair had been quiet, lost deep in thought. She had her issues, as well. Nicolas’s last letter left her with a mix of emotions, none of which she wanted to explore too deeply.

“I had hoped…” Blair said suddenly. “I thought we would find a handful of small pieces that Nicolas had pilfered. Not a burial chamber filled from floor to ceiling.”

Jodi swept Blair’s hair aside and ran the bar of soap and her hands over her back. “Why?”

Blair’s shoulders sagged. “For selfish and arrogant reasons. A few pieces are important, but a find like we saw today…that’s bigger than what my mother uncovered. I won’t be credited for it. This won’t honor her legacy.”

“I didn’t understand why you just walked away. Tad had to explain it to me. I think if your mother is watching us right now, she is more proud of your integrity than anything you could have dug up.”

“Thank you,” Blair said after a minute or two. She reached back and drew Jodi’s arm around her. “Are you ready to talk about Nicolas’s letter?”

Jodi laid her head against Blair’s. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be.”

“I’ll wait then. I plan to be around if ever comes up.”

*******

The next morning, Jodi prayed for a llama. She’d never ridden a horse, but she felt that riding a llama would be similar. Throw one leg over and hang on for dear life. There were no llamas, no roads, no signs of civilization. Blair jotted notes, landmarks, and made slashes on trees. With no one to chase them, the hike became boring.

“Oh, look, a rock,” Jodi said acerbically as they passed it. “I haven’t seen one of those in the last ten steps.”

“Do you need a break?” Blair asked as she paused.

“I need a truck. I’ll settle for a llama, and that’s saying a lot considering how much I loathe those irritable bastards.”

“We’ll run into something,” Blair sat on the ground with a sigh, “eventually.”

“And then what?” Tad asked.

“I’ll call my brother. Maybe he can start work on the American consulate.”

“This is the trap we’ve avoided all along. What’s changed?” Tad dropped his pack and sat with a grunt.

“I’m hoping to persuade someone from the Peruvian government to protect us with the map I’m making and the knife I took from the tomb.” She held her hands up and let them fall in her lap. “Same plan we discussed, Tad, unless you’ve come up with something.”

“I forgot all about this until now.” Tad pulled out a phone he’d found earlier in Jason’s pack. “The battery’s dead, but if we can find a way to get some juice in this thing, maybe he can get in touch with someone that can get the coordinates on the phone and pick us up.”

Blair recoiled as he held it out to her. “Was the battery dead when you found it?”

He nodded.

“Toss it,” Blair said, refusing to touch it. “It’s of no use to us.”

“Wait.” Jodi held a hand up. “We could charge it and find out who he’s been talking to. We still don’t know who hired him.”

“Good point.” Tad tucked the phone back into his pack. “Now we just have to find electricity and a charger.”

*******

Blair hated the idea of making camp again. She’d hoped a full day of walking would’ve brought them to a road. They might’ve had to walk another hundred miles, but a road led somewhere. As it were, there was nothing but jungle and rocks. They had dined on the last of the food, and the three of them lay around a small fire exhausted. With no compass, the only sure thing she could go by was the sun that set in the west.

Jodi was warm against her. She had stopped squirming and talking an hour earlier. Blair didn’t have to look at her face to know she was in deep sleep. Tad wasn’t far behind, but he seemed to be fighting it. “What’re you waiting for?” Blair asked softly.

“A bus,” he said with a smile. Then his expression turned serious. “I heard a noise earlier when Jodi was talking, it sounded metallic.”

Blair sat up. “Metallic how?”

“I think it was just wishful thinking on my part, but it sounded like a car door.”

“Which direction?”

Tad pointed over his shoulder.

Blair stamped the fire down with her boot. “Tad, that’s important.”

“It would’ve been if I was sure I didn’t imagine it.”

“Imagined or not, that’s something.” Blair strained her ears for any hint of sound. There was nothing but the wind in the trees. “Give me Jason’s gun and a flashlight.”

“My mistake, my hunt,” Tad said out of the darkness. “I’ll go.”

“Where?” Jodi said near Blair’s feet.

“Tad thinks he might’ve heard a car door.”

“That’s simple then. We all go. There’s nothing holding us here. If we don’t find anything, we set up camp again.”

They gathered their things by moonlight and crept in the direction of Tad’s noise. Blair was inclined to agree that it had been his imagination when they stepped out of the jungle into a field. Tad took out his lighter and held it under the leaf of one of the plants. “Corn,” he said excitedly. They moved silently along the rows until Jodi grabbed Blair’s sleeve and pointed at a pale light coming through the crop.

The moon illuminated the small house and the white truck that sat parked next to it. This time, she did not argue with Tad as he dropped his pack and moved within the shadows. Minutes later, he returned breathless and excited. “The keys are in it.”

They didn’t have a lot of money, nothing to trade other than the priceless Sican knife she carried. Blair felt a pang of guilt as they dropped their packs into the bed, then climbed inside. The owner might not have been willing to give them a ride, and if not, he certainly wouldn’t have loaned out his vehicle. Desperate times make thieves of us all, Blair thought as Tad turned the engine and spun out onto the dirt road.

It felt good to sit and even better to be going somewhere not on foot. Tad wasted no time pushing the old truck as fast as it would take them and the headlights would allow. Twenty miles flew by and the lights of a town came into view. It wasn’t a major city, but it was large enough to have a hotel. Blair reached into her pocket and counted the small stack of cash. Two hundred dollars would get them a room and some food. After that, they’d have to wing it.

They parked the truck a mile or two away in the woods and hiked the rest of the way in. Tad once again secured the room and food. That night, they would eat hamburgers, bathe, and prepare themselves for whatever came next. For Blair, that was enough.

*******

The next morning, Jodi stood across the room as Blair picked up the receiver of the phone. Everything seemed to hang on that one call. Tad sat on the bed opposite her and nodded, giving silent encouragement. Blair began to dial. Jodi watched as she put the phone to her ear and licked her lips. The collect call would cost the recipient a fortune. “Collect call, Blair.” A slight smile creased her face. She said the name on a sigh, “Ben.”

“I’m okay, but I can’t talk long. I’m in trouble. We’re at the only hotel in Tarma. I need you to call the American embassy and the university. Call any TV station that will hear you out and have the university do the same. The more publicity we can muster, the better off we are. Tell them I’ve made a significant find and I have in my possession a Sican knife.”

Blair nodded as though Ben could see her. “Do it quick. At noon, I’m turning myself in to the local authorities.” She listened for a few minutes and smiled. “I love you, too.”

The words sent something through Jodi, even though they weren’t said to her. She hoped one day to hear Blair say that phrase to her. And she hoped, rather knew, it would be easy for her to admit the same.

“Doc.” Tad’s tone held regret. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I’ve made a decision. This is where we part ways.”

“What?” Jodi pushed off the wall. He didn’t look up at her but held Blair’s gaze.

“When we turn ourselves in, we’ll be stripped of our belongings.” He looked up at Jodi and patted the bed beside him until she took a seat. “We’re all in agreement that we stand a better chance in jail than trying to get to the embassy on our own, but,” he held up the cell phone and waved it, “if this gets misplaced, we have no hope of finding out who the real enemy is. I have no idea how the judicial system works here or what they do with evidence, but if Jason’s boss got us into this country illegally, he can make this phone disappear.” Tad stretched out and squeezed Blair’s knee. “You’ve considered this. I can see it on your face.”

Blair nodded and looked at her boots.

“I don’t stand out in a crowd of dark-haired, dark-skinned people. I’ll blend in and wait until you give the all-clear.”

“And how will I do that?”

“You’ll send someone back to this town, preferably an American carrying something I’ll recognize.”

“How much money do you have?” Jodi asked.

Tad looked over at her and smiled. “Around eighty bucks. That’ll buy me food, and I have my pack. I can camp out.” He looked back at Blair. “I’ll be in town every day at noon.”

*******

They bathed, ate, and sat around talking about anything but their parting. The journey had formed a bond among the three, and no one wanted to speculate about the reunion. The trio had formulated the best plan they could come up with and hoped against all odds that it would work.

Blair watched as Tad and Jodi embraced. Tad was whispering in her ear, something that made Jodi smile. When he did allow her out of the shelter of his arms, they smiled at each other, and Jodi backed away.

“Gimme the love, Doc.” Tad gestured with his hands, and Blair walked across the room on wobbly legs. Tad held her tight, and she realized he was shaking as much as she was. “When things begin to look scary, think about this—the three of us sitting around a bottle of bourbon recounting this story and laughing at how it all seemed like a dream.”

Blair laid her head on his shoulder. “I will, I promise.”

“You’ve got something special in that sassy, foul-mouthed ball of fire. Don’t let her go.”

Blair grinned and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Good advice, but I already knew that.”

Tad pushed her back and kept his hands on her shoulders. “Go now, don’t hesitate, and don’t stop for anyone. I have your back.”

Blair nodded and stepped away. She picked up her pack and held out her hand for Jodi. The warmth of it calmed her as she opened the door. She looked back at Tad. “See you on American soil if not sooner.”

The police station was exactly where Tad described. Two blocks down on the left. Blair inhaled deeply as she opened the door and stepped across the threshold, knowing everything would change at that moment.

Chapter Twenty-six

Jodi watched as Blair approached one of two desks and began speaking rapid-fire Spanish. Jodi didn’t have to speak the language to know the officer or his compadre, who shared his grin, did not believe a word Blair was saying. They took in their hand-washed, stained, and wrinkled clothes with laughing eyes, but when Blair dropped the pack on the desk and began to reach into it, their demeanor changed in an instant.

Both stood erect with their hands on their weapons, and Blair halted all movement. She held her hands up slowly and backed up a step. She began speaking in Spanish again as the officer slowly put his hand in the bag and produced Tad’s shirt and the knife held within. The officer to Blair’s right began asking questions, and Blair answered each one with an emphatic tone as the first officer unwrapped the knife.

There was a moment of silence, then the first officer said something. Blair shook her head slowly and replied in Spanish. Jodi watched as Blair walked toward the wall, placed her hands on it, and spread her legs as she was obviously being instructed to do.

“Identification.” It took Jodi a second to realize that the second officer was addressing her, then another to make out the heavily accented word.

“I don’t have any.” She raised her hands, knowing what came next. Her hands went to the wall as another pair ran over her body, touching her in places no stranger should ever dare. She knew Blair was getting the same treatment behind her. Something jangled, and Jodi felt her wrists being cuffed. She couldn’t turn when she heard Blair say, “Everything’s okay, Jodi,” then a door closed. The room fell silent except for the sound of her breathing and the shuffling of feet.

She saw no sign of Blair as she was led down a hallway and seated in a room with two chairs and a very small folding table. She had watched TV and movies and knew that at any moment someone would enter, and they would have a chat. She would tell the truth and hoped that it would be enough.

One of the arresting officers entered first. Behind him was a man dressed in the same uniform but with far more insignias. He waited quietly as her hands were freed, then cuffed again in front of her. Mr. Insignia took the chair on the other side of the table and dropped a notepad on it.

“Your name?”

“Jodi Grant.”

“Country of origin?” he asked with an accent slighter than the one of the arresting officer.

“The United States.”

“Start from the beginning. Tell me how you got here and why.”

Jodi chewed her lip and spoke the words she never thought would pass her lips again. “My father…”

By the end of the day, Jodi had repeated the story so many times she felt she could recite it in her sleep. She answered all questions without requesting an attorney. She wasn’t sure she had the right, and frankly, it didn’t matter. She hadn’t willfully done anything wrong.

At some point, the cuffs were removed from her hands and food was brought in. It was hot, smelled delicious, and after surviving on prepackaged meals and protein bars, she had no appetite. She hadn’t seen or heard from Blair, and the acid in her stomach began to churn. Was Blair even still there?

She was scooting the plate of food across the table when another stranger stepped into the room. “Can you tell me where my…companion is?”

“She’s being questioned just like you.” Once again, a notebook was dropped on the table. A pen was poised above the blank sheet. Without prompting, she began her story again.

*******

When Jodi was finally led out of the room, Blair was nowhere in sight. She was delivered to a small cell with a cot, sink, and toilet. Not much else filled the space aside from her body. A small window the size of a shoebox gave no light, and Jodi realized that the sun had set on another day. The cot was not as comfortable as the hotel bed the night before, but it wasn’t a rock, either. She lay on it and folded her hands across her stomach. Sleep would not be her friend. It would not come and allow her to escape a world with bars and dim lighting. And Blair was not warm against her.

She stared at the stone ceiling above, wondering if Blair was doing the same. In theory, the plan sounded good, but in reality, it was scary as hell. Had she damned herself and Blair, too, to rot in a jail so far from home speaking freely without counsel? She’d never dreamed they would be separated. In all of her visions of the plan, she and Blair were locked away together awaiting someone from the embassy. And then she recalled what Tad had said to Blair that morning.

Jodi closed her eyes and envisioned herself at a table, her feet propped in a chair, a cool glass pressed against her palm. Tad was laughing and poking jabs at them for how much she and Blair bickered. Jodi saw Blair lift a glass and press it against her lips. Her hair was glowing in the sun, shimmering deep red glossy waves. It occurred to Jodi then that she’d always seen Blair dressed in men’s clothing. What did she wear when she was not tramping through the jungle? She couldn’t picture Blair in a dress, so she clothed her in a white button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled slightly up her arms. And a pair of well-worn jeans faded in some spots more than others, but she could not shake the image of the knee-high, dirt-covered boots.

Jodi saw her own feet bare. Though she never exercised, she could see herself wearing a pair of running shorts and a T-shirt. She felt herself descending deeper into the fantasy. She could feel the fabric of the shorts against her legs, the warmth of the sun bearing down on the top of her head and back. Blair’s warm hand covering hers.

“Ms. Grant?”

“Yes?” Jodi raised her head and noticed a man standing outside of her cell. The sound of the key being inserted into a lock and the tumblers releasing echoed loudly. Warily, she sat up.

“Come with me, please.”

Jodi stood and walked out the door, eager to be out of the confined space. The fantasy slipped into the recesses of her mind, tucking itself away for when she needed it again. She felt a hand softly grip her above the elbow, and she allowed herself to be escorted without knowing the destination. She was led down an unfamiliar hall and was stopped at a door.

“May I have your wrists, please?”

Jodi put her hands out in front of her, and as the cold metal met her skin, she felt panic begin to rise. “Where am I going?”

“Your questions will be answered in a moment.”

She felt a wave of hot, humid air buffet her face as the door opened. A few feet away was a squat-looking sedan, the make she couldn’t immediately identify. It had been hard enough to be kept away from Blair by walls and doors. Now they were taking her away? “Wait!”

The grip on her arm tightened as she struggled. She dug in her heels, trying to impede her progress to the car. “I said wait a minute,” Jodi yelled as someone opened the door, and a hand was planted firmly on top of her head, forcing her down.

“She doesn’t understand!” Blair’s voice was close, then Jodi saw a long thigh encased in khaki; the stained material led down to a boot. A very dirty mud-caked boot. It was the most lovely thing she’d seen all day. She stopped resisting and allowed herself to be lowered into the car. Blair’s face showed as much relief as she felt.

Their cuffed hands allowed them little reach, so Jodi leaned heavily into Blair. She felt Blair’s lips against her hair. “They’re taking us to the embassy. We’re almost done.”

As the car rolled away, Jodi thought about Tad somewhere in the wilderness behind them. She pictured him lying on his sleeping bag, his head propped on the pack as a pillow. He was twirling a cigarette in one hand and flicking the lid of the lighter back and forth. Jodi hoped he’d light it.

*******

Sleep did come with Blair’s body warm beside her. Jodi’s head lolled forward when the car came to an abrupt stop. Flashes of light blinded her when she tried to look out the windows. She could barely focus when Blair turned to her and said, “Hold your head up high. Let everyone see you. You’re better off that way.”

The words were whispered quickly before a hand reached into the car and Blair began to move with it. Jodi felt herself being dragged to her feet, her mind still half asleep. People had been cordoned off by a barricade, but that didn’t stop them from yelling and waving cameras in her face. She looked away from the spectacle to Blair. Her back was straight, her head high, and she was looking directly toward the lenses that would spread her image around the globe. Jodi looked back at the roaring crowd, keenly aware that they were filming and photographing her in handcuffs like a common criminal.

They were moved along at a brisk pace. Jodi staggered and felt herself being hefted by strong arms on either side of her. The noise died away when they were led through a pair of double doors. A man with thinning blond hair dressed in an impeccable black suit regarded them for a moment, then looked down at Jodi’s hands.

“I specifically requested that they not be handcuffed,” he said in a tone that brought Jodi up straight.

“Requested,” Mr. Insignia said. “They are detainees.” There was no more to be said.

“Remove the cuffs.” The blond man turned his attention to Blair. “Dr. Whittington,” he said with a slight nod. And then he turned his pale blue eyes to Jodi. “Jodi Grant, I presume.”

“Yes, sir,” Jodi said, sounding silly to her own ears.

“Welcome to the American embassy of Peru. “I’m Fredrick Leland, your ambassador. I’ve been apprised of your situation and well aware that you’ve been subjected to rigorous questioning.” He smiled slightly. “It’s late, ladies, and I’ll not trouble you further this evening.” He pointed to another pair of suits. “These gentlemen will escort you to your rooms where you’ll find everything you need. Please try to get some rest, and we’ll talk in the morning.”

“Thank you,” Blair said before following the first of the two suits.

Jodi expected to be grabbed by the arm. Instead, her escort nodded slightly and gestured toward the stairs. “Ms. Grant, if you please.”

It was five-star treatment for two women who reeked of a Peruvian jail. Blair was five steps ahead of her when Jodi began to ascend the stairs. Blair’s shoulders were slumped in exhaustion, her posture relaxed, and Jodi felt her body begin to loosen kink by kink. She did tense again when Blair’s escort stopped and opened a door, ushering Blair inside, but Jodi’s escort continued to lead her to a door farther down.

“Ms. Grant, you should find everything you need inside. We ask that you remain in your room until someone comes to get you. Breakfast will be at seven.”

Jodi had no sooner stepped inside the room when the door closed behind her. She was once again alone. This room, however, did not have bars, not ones she could see, anyway. A queen-sized bed beckoned her, but the bathroom called louder. There was soap, shampoo, even conditioner. A new toothbrush sat next to the sink, along with a tube of paste. She thought of Tad then and how he’d provided the same. She felt terribly guilty as she contemplated the plush towels and how they’d feel against her clean skin.

“Forgive me, Tad, but I know you’d do the same.” Jodi stripped off her clothes and took a shower so long that the water ran cold. The towels with which she dried smelled clean and were incredibly soft against the freshly shaven skin of her legs. She wrapped her body in a robe and walked back into the bedroom. The dresser drawers were empty, as well as the closets. The escort’s words echoed in her mind, You’ll find everything you need. Apparently, she did not need clothing, which is why there was only a robe in her room, which aided in her staying put like she’d been told.

In the corner was a fresh plate of fruit, beside it pastries and cheeses. A small refrigerator held some sort of pasta salad and every soft drink imaginable. But that didn’t stop Jodi from going to the door. The handle turned easily in her hand, then she came face to face with another suit. “Good evening, Ms. Grant, may I be of assistance?”

“I…was just going to get something to drink,” Jodi said as she wrapped her robe tighter. She watched as his gaze moved to the refrigerator, then back to hers.

“Everything you need has been provided in your room.”

“Except for clothes.”

“They’ll be delivered in the morning, ma’am.”

Jodi pursed her lips. “I see.”

“I’m sure you do, ma’am.”

“Good night,” Jodi said with a frown and closed the door. She went into the bathroom and combed the tangles from her hair and dried it. There was nothing else to do but sleep…without Blair. She tossed the robe at the foot of the bed and climbed in. The soft mattress enveloped her, and her body relaxed, despite her racing mind. How long would they have to stay? Would she continue to be kept from Blair?

Jodi switched off the lamp and sighed as darkness surrounded her. She wondered if Blair had done the same and if she hated their separation as much as she did. That answer came quickly. Outside her door, Jodi heard raised voices, one of which was Blair’s. She switched on the lamp and pulled the robe over her shoulders. She had just tied it when she reached the door and threw it open.

Flanked by two suits, Blair was dressed the same, her face flushed red with anger. “We have no intention of leaving the embassy,” she argued. “I’d like to talk to Ms. Grant in her room alone.”

“Dr. Whittington, please be reasonable,” one of the men said and turned when they heard another voice in the hall.

“What is the problem?” Fredrick Leland asked as he approached.

“Why are we being separated?” Blair demanded.

Fredrick stared at her blankly for a moment, then his pale brows rose. “I thought you’d be more comfortable in your own quarters. There’s no problem with you staying with Ms. Grant.” His understanding of their relationship was clear. “Good night, ladies.”

“Thank you and good night, Mr. Leland.” Blair stepped into the room and closed the door. She grinned at Jodi and spread her arms.

“This was one hell of a long day.” Jodi stepped into the embrace. “I’ve gotten so used to you being by my side, I felt like they had amputated a part of me.”

“There may be more days like this.” Blair stroked her back. “But not many.”

“Oh, you smell and feel so good.” Jodi squeezed Blair’s body and stepped back to look at her. “So this is what you look like clean and coiffed.”

Blair’s hair, having been blow-dried, hung in straight long waves over her shoulder. She shied under Jodi’s scrutiny and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. “You clean up well yourself.” She cocked her head to the side. “I’m going to have to get used to looking at you without your hair matted with sweat, mud, and tangles.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment for now.” Jodi took Blair’s hand and led her toward the food. “Seeing you now makes me hungry. I couldn’t eat while we were apart.”

Everything on the platters was tasted. Jodi sat in a soft cushioned chair while Blair sat on the ottoman. She watched Blair as she stuffed the last of a pastry in her mouth and followed it with a soda. She sat with her legs crossed, one leg and a knee protruded from the white terrycloth robe. Blair had also taken advantage of the razor and lotion. Her leg looked smooth and touchable. 

“Are you tired now that you’ve eaten?”

Blair seemed surprised by the question, as though she had not considered sleep until it was mentioned. “Very.”

“Let’s go to bed then,” Jodi said as she stood. “Tonight we don’t have to worry about being on watch.”

“Or being watched.” Blair stood, as well. She set her drink on the counter and followed Jodi with a smile that said they would do much more than sleep.

Jodi walked toward the bed, her hands undoing the knot in the belt around her waist and stopped. She turned to Blair, loosened the knot in her robe, and pushed it off her shoulders. It fell to the floor in one motion. Blair climbed onto the bed and scooted to one side. She threw the blankets back and patted the empty spot. Jodi shirked off her own robe and climbed in.

There was no time to turn off the light. Blair was on her the minute she hit the sheets. Her kiss was deep, but not demanding. It spoke volumes; they had all night. Kisses spoke to Jodi, and Blair’s told her so much. She could be tender, and she could be strong and demanding. The lips that moved against hers were soft, her tongue spoke promises of searches for treasures not found under rocks or buried in caves. Blair’s mouth made many promises without uttering a sound.

Jodi loved the feel of another woman’s body, and Blair’s did not disappoint. She cherished each curve, each swell, the softness of the skin that moved over muscle. She knew her own hands were rough from her time spent fighting for survival—Blair’s were, too—but still beneath her fingertips, she felt a velvety softness that she wanted to spend a lifetime caressing.

Blair shifted and lay fully atop Jodi. They were connected from head to toe, body and soul. Blair’s warm body moved against hers, and Jodi wrapped her legs around slim hips. Her hands moved over a back that flexed with each delicious thrust. Blair was building a fire that burned every inch of Jodi’s body and the tempest of the heat centered between her legs. Blair burned there just as intensely, and Jodi could feel tendrils of the flame dripping on her skin.

She gasped when Blair released her mouth and felt warm lips plant kisses along her jaw. Teeth grazed her neck, her chest, then a warm mouth enveloped a nipple. Blair’s path was clear. She was going to the place she’d been denied by injury. If her shoulder hurt her, she made no indication as she dipped lower, covering Jodi’s stomach with kisses and soft bites that stole her breath away and made her body move of its own accord. And then Blair was kissing her again, her mouth making promises over and over. She promised to take Jodi to that place where all thought vanishes beneath an explosion of sensation, and she did—repeatedly.

Hours passed filled with sighs, tastes, sensations that Jodi had longed for and never found before. Questions were raised and answered, though neither of them spoke a word. And when she lay spent in Blair’s arms, Jodi knew for the first time in her life she’d made love with the perfect partner.

Chapter Twenty-seven

A soft knock on the door awakened Jodi. She looked at the clock—it was five thirty. She climbed from the bed where Blair still slept deeply. She neither murmured nor moved when Jodi untangled herself from her arms and legs. “Yes?” she said sleepily when she opened the door and peeked out. A woman dressed in a white uniform held a large package in her arms. Jodi opened the door wider and took it, surprised by the weight.

“There’s more, ma’am.” The brunette pointed to a rolling cart from which clothing hung in plastic bags. She pushed it through the door before Jodi could object. Jodi wondered if the woman noticed Blair sprawled out naked across the bed as she wheeled the cart in. If she had, she didn’t remark, and her face remained impassive as she returned the way she came and whispered that someone would be there to escort them to breakfast at seven.

Jodi switched on a lamp, and Blair sprang up, looking bewildered and somewhat frightened. “I’m sorry,” she said as she dropped the package into the chair and walked over to the bed. “I intended to wake you more gently.”

Blair rubbed her eyes and smiled. “Was that a coffeemaker I saw last night?”

*******

They showered together, and when Blair was wrapped snugly in her robe, she said, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Where’re you going?” Jodi asked. “They’ve brought our clothes here.”

“Your clothes. Mine are in my room. I hope they fit and they’re what you’d be comfortable wearing. I gave Ben my size and told him you were roughly the same. Let me know if the shoes are a problem, and I’ll have the proper size for you today.” Blair looked down at Jodi’s bare feet. “I guessed an eight.”

“You guessed correct. Is that what you wear?” Blair nodded and grinned as though she were thrilled about being right.

“All those things are mine?” Jodi jerked a thumb toward the bedroom, still unable to comprehend.

Blair ran her fingers through her wet hair and yawned. “I didn’t know how long we were going to be here.” Her expression turned solemn. “And I don’t know if we’re going to be in court.”

“Court?” Jodi echoed. “What are we being charged with?”

“A list of things about a mile long. We’ll meet with our attorneys today. When I spoke to Ben last night before I came to your room, he told me what to expect. I imagine the charges will be dropped, but we have to go through the proper channels first.”

“When were you going to tell me all this?”

Blair smiled slightly. “Last night.”

Jodi gnawed at her bottom lip, then returned the smile. “I’m glad you waited.” She leaned in and kissed Blair quickly. “Go get dressed.”

*******

Jodi had three suits to choose from. She chose the navy blue one because the light gray came with a skirt, and that just wasn’t going to happen. She’d worn them for years, but then her hands weren’t calloused from wielding a sharpened stick as a weapon. That thought pulled her up short. They had killed Jason, premeditated, was that too in their list of charges? Jodi felt her palms begin to sweat.

She checked her reflection in the mirror. The suit fit well, and the matching open-toed pumps made her feel taller. But inside she felt very small, even though she was wearing big girl panties, instead of boxer shorts. She had no idea what the day would bring. She prayed it wouldn’t include iron bars.

A soft knock on the door made Jodi jump. When she opened it, two suits stood on either side of Blair. Her suit was black, as were the sling-backs on her feet. Her shirt white and her smile radiant. “You look lovely this morning, Jodi.”

As they walked the long hall and descended the staircase, Blair made no move to take her hand. She’d done it the day before when they walked into the jail, but that day, Blair kept her distance. Perhaps making it obvious to everyone that they were romantically involved was not the wisest course of action.

The dining room was small. Jodi and Blair sat opposite of Fredrick Leland. He asked questions as they ate, or tried to eat. Jodi had only managed to eat a few bites of her omelet before it went cold. Blair had done the same.

When Leland had finished his breakfast, he pushed his plate away, and it was quickly picked up along with the others. Leland waited until his coffee had been refreshed before he brought up the subject of Tad.

“Mr. Connelly has the phone that belonged to Jason Platt.”

“That’s correct.” Blair laid her napkin on the table.

“You mentioned that it was dead. Were you able to look at the contacts or call log before the battery expired?”

“It was dead when we found it. We didn’t try to charge it.” Blair glanced at Jodi and smiled reassuringly.

“Arrangements have been made to retrieve Mr. Connelly and the phone.” Leland smiled at Blair. “With your instruction.”

“Which was?” Jodi asked.

“One of them is wearing a Denver Broncos jersey,” Blair said with a wink. “Tad won’t mistake that.”

Jodi grinned.

Leland looked at his watch. “Your attorneys are probably here right now. I’ll take you up to the conference room.”

“Mr. Leland,” Jodi said, drawing his gaze. “What happens from here?”

“The Peruvian government has agreed to allow you to remain at the embassy. Your legal team will work with the judicial system to have you cleared of the charges. The attorneys will explain how all that will work. Once the matter is resolved, you’ll be sent home.” He stood, and with a polite smile, said, “Follow me.”

“Legal team,” Jodi whispered as she and Blair followed Leland. “I got the impression there were two.”

“My brother is…” Blair cleared her throat and quirked her mouth. “He’s an all-or-nothing kind of guy.”

Jodi realized what Blair meant when a door opened and a room full of men and women looked at them expectantly. She looked back at Blair as her stomach dropped. “I’m gonna have to sell a lot of houses to cover this expense.”

*******

Blair watched as Jodi poured herself another glass of water. Since they had been in the conference room, she’d drank nearly a pitcher on her own, and it wasn’t yet noon. Blair’s mouth was dry, too, from answering a stream of questions that seemed endless. She’d switched to sucking on a peppermint instead of the water after she had to interrupt the meeting three times to go to the bathroom.

“I’ve answered that question six times,” Jodi said loudly. “No matter how you pose it, the answer will still be the same. The passport was provided by Jason and Ant. I do not have one, never have. I have never traveled outside of the United States before this trip ever, ever, ever. Somebody make a note of it.”

Blair covered her mouth to hide her grin.

Before they were relentlessly hammered with questions, the situation had been laid out. The Peruvian government had listened to their stories. There was no proof, only hearsay, that they had been brought into the country illegally without their knowledge. The so-called benefactor was yet to be identified. Jason and Ant’s employment with the benefactor had yet to be verified. Blair and Jodi had admitted with their own mouths that they had searched without permission for artifacts. They also admitted to killing Jason in what they claimed to be self-defense. The only thing they had going for them at the moment was they had willingly turned themselves in and had produced a Sican knife along with Blair’s crudely drawn map to the tomb.

Blair’s situation was more dire than Jodi’s because she had killed two men with Jason, something she did not admit to during questioning but would have to be put before the legal team. A cold chill swept through her as she watched Jodi roll her shoulders and answer yet another question. Jodi could very well be leaving Peru without her. She paled at the thought. She’d told Jodi the day before that they were almost done, but as she looked at the laptops, lawyers, and scribbled notebooks, she knew they were anything but.

At times, Blair regretted not going directly to the embassy for help. But Jason would’ve never allowed that, nor would the benefactor. If Jason didn’t fire the bullet with her name on it, someone else would have. Blair rubbed her aching forehead and hoped that Tad was safe. He held the proof that might save them all, and his testimony would corroborate everything she and Jodi had said thus far. But still, that was a long shot.

Blair stared at Jodi, watching how her hands moved as she talked. She liked the way she would slap the table with her index finger when making a point. Jodi turned and met her eye with a questioning look. Blair noticed then that the room had gone silent.

“Dr. Whittington, are you okay?” one of the attorneys asked. Blair looked around and noticed that everyone was looking back at her. “Dr. Whittington, do you need a break?”

Blair thought for a moment. A fifteen-minute break might do her some good, but those glorious few moments of freedom would add to her time in Peru. “No, please continue.”

*******

Tad bought himself a burger and sat in an alley where he nearly inhaled it. He had yet to find nachos. He’d peek out every so often from his hiding spot and look for Doc’s signal. Surely, it would come. A full twenty-four hours had passed since he’d last seen them.

The last bite of burger was on the way to his mouth when something caught his eye. He dropped it onto the wrapper and stood. “Oh, Doc, you know just what I need.” Tad weaved his way through the crowded square where people gathered to eat or shop for goods. He pulled the ball cap he’d bought down low over his eyes and hoped he had not been mistaken. The Denver Broncos jersey drew him like a magnet. The wearer had his sneaker propped on a box. Dark glasses hid his eyes as he seemed to watch over the milling crowd as any tourist would.

Beyond the jersey stood a broad-shouldered man with his back to Tad. His black suit stood out against the throng dressed as he was in jeans and a T-shirt. Tad wandered closer and pointed his last bite of burger at the jersey. “I haven’t seen one of those in ages. I’m a Bronc fan myself.”

The man smiled and looked down at his shirt. “A very dear friend of mine gave this to me. Her name is Blair Whittington, know her by chance?”

Tad’s shoulders sagged in relief. He could’ve cried had it not been uncool to do so. “I know her well.” He tossed the burger wrapper into the trash.

“Need a ride, my friend?”

“Yes, I do.”

Tad followed the jersey through the crowd. He glanced over his shoulder as the man in the suit followed. “The well-dressed guy, is he with you?”

“Couldn’t leave home without him, doctor’s orders.”

Tad moved alongside the stranger. “Tad Connelly,” he said as he stretched out his hand.

The man shook it as they kept on walking. “Zack McDonald, pleasure to meet you.”

They crossed a couple of streets and slipped into an alleyway where a car waited. Zack opened the back door, and Tad slid inside, eager for the AC to be switched on. Zack climbed into the driver’s seat as the suited man opened the passenger door. “This is Agent Denton,” Zack said with a nod in his direction. Denton gave Tad a nod as he climbed in.

The car roared to life and soon cold air began to wash over Tad’s overheated body. He could relax now, Blair had it under control. Soon he’d be on a plane sipping a scotch, maybe bourbon. Doc and Jodi would be nearby, perhaps seated next to him as they flew home. He dozed.

Tad awoke as the car pulled to a stop. There was nothing but jungle surrounding both sides of the road. “Something wrong, man?”

Zack shook his head. “Piss break. You might wanna take one, too. We have another couple of hours.”

“I’m good.” Tad began to settle in for a nap when the back door opened. Denton leaned in. His gun was pointed at Tad’s face.

“Get out.”

Tad’s head fell back into the headrest, his shoulders slumped in defeat. It had all been just too good to be true. Why hadn’t he doubted?

“I said get out. I won’t ask again.”

Tad slid over the seat and stepped onto the shoulder of the road. Denton gestured for him to step away from the car. He was less than three feet away. It happened so fast. His body hit the ground before he ever heard the report of the weapon. He kept expecting to feel pain as they rifled through his pockets. When they rolled him, he stared up at the sky, unable to breathe or even blink.

“Nothing,” he heard Denton say.

“Bullshit.” Zack was rough as he groped him. His face appeared in Tad’s line of vision before it all grew dim.

*******

Jodi forced herself to eat dinner but noticed that Blair could not seem to do the same. Her face was lined with concern as she pushed food that they had dreamed about around her plate. Jodi wanted to ask what had her so worried, but between them was an attorney.

Afterward, they were escorted upstairs. Jodi walked toward her room flanked by two suits, thinking Blair was behind her when she heard her call out. Two suits had their backs to Jodi, and both had a hold of Blair’s arms. They were pushing her backward. As she took a step, a hand came to rest on her own shoulder, and Jodi too felt herself being forced to take a step back.

“Did you look at all the shoes?” Blair called out.

We’re being pulled apart, why is she asking me about shoes? Jodi thought as Blair disappeared, and she was gently shoved into her room.

“Please stay in your room tonight, Ms. Grant.”

“I don’t understand,” Jodi said as the door closed in her face. The legal team was supposed to make things better, she thought as she stared at the door and heard it lock from the outside. This wasn’t better. She ran both hands through her hair as she backed across the room. The bed had been made, the toiletries refreshed, and all her new clothes had been hung in the closet and put into the dresser. For a jail cell, it was pretty nice.

Jodi looked at the boxes lining the floor of the closet and kicked the lids off of two before she noticed what Blair had been talking about. In one of the boxes was a pair of snow boots.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Blair was showered and dressed. She sat slumped in the only chair in her room with her elbows resting on her knees, her hands clasped beneath her chin. She hadn’t slept. She doubted Jodi had, either. Jodi’s analogy about feeling that a part of her had been amputated had been astute because that’s exactly how she felt. She’d gotten out of bed at four, showered, dressed, and made coffee. She stared down at the nearly full cup waiting for someone to come get her.

At six thirty, someone knocked on the door. Blair didn’t bother to get up. Whoever was on the other side had a key, and they would have to open it. A new face, same black suit switched on the light. “Dr. Whittington, please follow me.”

The verbiage had changed. It was no longer, “if you please,” but “follow me.” Blair stood feeling weary. When she passed through the door, there was another new face and still the same damn suit. She walked between them down the hall and stairs and into another hall of which she was unfamiliar. More conference rooms, but these had wide glass windows that faced the hallway. She gazed into each one finding them empty. The hall seemed to go on for miles. One of her jailers stopped at a door and opened it. Just before Blair stepped in, she looked to the left. Behind one of those huge glass windows sat Jodi. Attorneys were on either side of her. Beleaguered and tired eyes widened for a moment, then closed. Jodi turned her head away, and Blair felt her heart drop into her stomach.

“Why have we been separated?” Blair demanded when she walked into the room, ignoring everyone but her lead attorney. Stephen Abbot held his hands up in supplication. “For your defense.”

“My defense.” Blair walked farther into the room. “Do I not have a say?”

“Blair, for appearances, we thought it wise if you and Ms. Grant were questioned separately.” Blair spun and looked at her brother. “Your involvement could hamper your bid for freedom.”

Ben smiled and pulled her into his arms. “Are you okay?” he whispered in her ear as he held her tight.

“Yes and no.” Blair buried her face in his shoulder and inhaled his familiar scent. He smelled like home. “I’m so sorry you had to leave Dad to come here.”

*******

“Can I take a break for a moment?” Jodi asked as she watched Blair in the other room.

“We’ve explained all the reasons you cannot converse with Dr. Whittington,” Sandra Santiago, Jodi’s lead attorney, said.

Jodi couldn’t take her eyes off Blair as she embraced a man who looked so much like her. “I’m not leaving the room. I just need a little breathing space for a moment.” She heard Sandra say something about coffee and felt her and the others move. They didn’t leave, but they did grant the space Jodi had asked for.

Jodi knew she was looking at Blair’s brother as he cupped her face and pulled her close for a kiss on the cheek. Blair’s back was to her. She watched as Ben motioned for her to sit. Blair did so looking up at him, her expression blank. He sat in a seat next to her and took her hands into his. Blair listened intently to what he had to say before her face crumpled, and she covered her despair with her hands. Ben drew closer and took her into his arms; Blair’s body shook.

“She’s crying,” Jodi said softly.

Sandra moved behind Jodi and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Their father passed away. She didn’t know.”

Jodi felt like she was being tortured. Physical pain might’ve been a relief. She could only sit helpless and watch Blair’s anguish. Watch as Blair tried to compose herself, dry her eyes only to have the tears spill over again.

“Jodi.” Sandra’s hand was still on her shoulder. She lightly squeezed before she set a cup of coffee on the table before her. “She’s going to be okay.”

“Have you ever lost a parent?” Jodi asked numbly.

Sandra didn’t reply. She patted Jodi on the back and walked back to the other end of the table where she began to talk to her team. Jodi watched as Blair stood suddenly, her brother nodded to whatever she was saying. She walked out the door and headed down the hall.

Jodi jumped up and looked at Sandra. “May I go to the bathroom, please?” she asked sarcastically at the absurdity of the situation. Sandra frowned and nodded. As Jodi cleared the doorway, Ben was standing in the door of Blair’s conference room. He nodded in the direction that Blair had gone.

Jodi pushed through the door of the restroom and found Blair leaning on the vanity. Their eyes met in the reflection of the mirror. “Mom went so fast. I had no time to prepare myself for it.” Blair closed her eyes when her jaw started to quiver. “I thought…I had prepared myself for this with Dad, but…” Blair hung her head and began to cry.

Jodi pulled her into her arms, whispering her sorrow, knowing exactly what Blair failed to voice. When that final moment came, all the preparation in the world sailed out the window. She stroked and soothed as tears of empathy slipped from her eyes.

When Blair calmed, she whispered a thank you before pulling away to wash her face.

“You can tell them you need the day to deal with your loss,” Jodi said with a hand on Blair’s back.

Blair shook her head as she dried her face. “I don’t want to prolong this any more than I have to. I want to go home. Tad should be here soon. Hopefully, they’ll find something on the phone that will help. We’re going to get the Peruvian version of an arraignment hearing in the morning.”

“Do you expect the charges to be dropped?”

Blair sniffed. “I don’t know.”

*******

Blair was returned to her room alone again that evening. She was too tired to argue. She’d gone willingly and sighed when the door closed behind her. She took a long bath and slipped on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and was about to stretch out on the bed when she heard voices outside her door. A moment later, Ben stepped in. Blair couldn’t hide the disappointment on her face.

“So this is it?” Ben asked without preamble. “My sister’s a lesbian?” he said with a smile.

“You’ve no doubt heard the testimony, what’s your verdict?” Blair turned the blankets back and climbed into bed.

“Guilty.” Ben dragged the ottoman over and sat. “She’s a pretty girl. I hope you get a life sentence.”

Blair smiled wearily.

Ben rubbed his hands together as his lips formed a thin line. “We need to talk about her. She’s got a real shot at being cleared tomorrow. Eyewitnesses saw her being dragged out of a cemetery under gunfire. Jason’s body was recovered this morning. Pictures were sent to New Orleans, and two of the witnesses have already identified him as the man that took her.”

“That’s good news.”

Ben put his hands together. “For her, she may very well be on a plane tomorrow evening.”

“And I will still be here,” Blair said dejectedly.

“This thing is moving very fast. You have a lot of people on your side, lawyers, politicians. The media is making you out to be some modern-day Indiana Jones. With that said, I don’t think the arraignment is going to go well for you tomorrow.”

Blair groaned.

“Like I said, things are moving fast. We’ll try to delay in hopes of obtaining more evidence.”

Blair didn’t like the expression that crossed Ben’s face. “Is Tad here?”

“The agents couldn’t locate him.”

“What?” Blair sat straight up. “Did they even try?”

“They’ve been gone all day. They turned that town inside out. I waited to hear from them before I came up to see you.”

Blair rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but he’s like a brother to me. If something happened to him, I could never live with myself.”

“We’ll find him. The authorities are working with us. They’re fanned out from Tarma to Lima.” He reached over and grasped Blair’s arm gently. “We need to go over everything one more time.”

“Not tonight.” Blair pulled away from his touch and wrapped her arms around herself. “I can’t function right now.”

“Can I get you anything?” he said as he stood.

“Jodi.”

“Blair.” Ben was shaking his head as he turned away.

“You can make this happen, Ben. She may be leaving tomorrow, and it might be years before I lay eyes on her again. Don’t deny me this.”

“I’m the lawyer, you’re the doctor. Let me make the decisions that are going to get you off the hot seat.”

“This makes no sense. No one knows about my relationship with Jodi but the embassy staff and the legal team. What does it hurt for us to share a room?”

Ben folded his arms and turned to face her. “Stephen Abbott is the best defense lawyer there is in this country. It cost a fortune to get him on this case, a case that is becoming more high profile by the day.”

“Do you have a problem with me?” Blair asked. Ben flinched. “Do you have a problem with my sexuality?”

“No.” Ben met her eyes when he answered.

“Then who does?”

“Stephen Abbott is a religious man. He feels it’s a compromise to his values. He—”

“He’s a defense attorney!” Blair threw off the blankets and jumped from the bed. “These things aren’t supposed to matter. I love you, but let’s be honest here. You can assuage your conscience by telling yourself that everyone has rights, but at the end of the day, you and people just like Abbott put criminals back on the streets because you’ve managed to find a loophole in the system. Fuck his values and fuck you for capitulating to his demands. You need a delay? Here it is. Fire Stephen Abbott and find someone else.”

“You’re out of control,” Ben said calmly. “You’re missing the big picture.”

Blair pointed a finger in his face. “I’ve been basically held captive in this country and forced to do things I could never imagine in my wildest dreams. You haven’t seen out of control, but I swear you will if you don’t release Jodi Grant to come to me.”

Ben’s nostrils flared as he exhaled. “We’ll discuss Abbott in the morning.”

“Get her! Pack up her things because…” Blair caught herself. They only had one night left. There was no need to have Jodi move. She closed her eyes as her hand dropped to limply at her side.

“I’ll get her,” Ben said before he closed the door.

Blair sank down onto the bed with her head in her hands. Ben was calling all the shots for her. Making decisions that would affect her life. She’d done the same to Jodi, and at that moment, she understood why it infuriated her so. But she would do it again, she had to. If Jodi was aware that she might go free the next day knowing that Blair probably wouldn’t, she’d do something to damn her options. Blair knew this because she’d do the same thing. There was no way she could leave Jodi behind.

*******

Jodi walked into the room grinning ear to ear, but when she caught sight of Blair’s face, her smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

Blair tried to smile as she pulled Jodi into her arms and held her tight. “I pitched my very first hissy fit.” Jodi pulled back and looked at her. “I pointed and screamed, and I cursed my own brother. That’s how you got here.”

“The whole separation thing makes no sense to me.” Jodi narrowed her eyes as she ran her hands over Blair’s shoulders. “You’re trembling.”

“It’ll stop when the adrenaline wears off.” Blair pulled her toward the bed. “Would it upset you if we didn’t make love tonight?”

“Of course not.” Jodi shrugged out of her robe and climbed into bed, immediately wrapping herself around Blair. “I’m thrilled just to be able to hold you after the day you’ve had.”

Blair closed her eyes and reveled in the warmth of Jodi’s embrace. It would have to hold her for a while. She searched her mind for a topic that would not lead them to Tad or the case. “I used the word fuck in front of my brother.” Blair expected Jodi to laugh, but she didn’t. Instead she rubbed circles into her chest and waited for her to continue.

“Stephen Abbott, my lead attorney, has a problem defending me because of our relationship.” Jodi’s hand twitched but continued to rub. “I told Ben, ‘fuck Abbott’s values and fuck you for capitulating to his demands.’ The amusing thing is that I have never used profanity in front of him. My parents taught us that profanity is a lazy way to communicate, and no matter how angry we were, we still had choices over our vocabulary. Ben and I have stuck to that…well, up until recently.”

“Call me uneducated or narrow-minded, but sometimes a well-placed ‘fuck’ makes a point like no other.”

Blair smiled. “I agree.”

“Try to go to sleep tonight. Rest is healing, it enables us to cope.” Jodi rose up and planted a chaste kiss on Blair’s lips. “Promise you’ll try.”

“I promise.” Blair hugged Jodi, knowing she would break that promise. She’d lie awake as long as she could with Jodi’s warm body pressed to hers because more than likely that was the last night she’d be allowed the pleasure for a while.

Chapter Twenty-nine

First the legal eagles argued over what language to hold the hearing in. The prosecutor argued that Peru was a Spanish-speaking country and the hearing and subsequent trial should be argued in their language. Jodi disengaged from the banter and stared down at her hands. She would be arraigned first, Blair second, and that meant she would not know the outcome of Blair’s hearing until that evening. What bothered her more was just before they were forced to go their separate ways, she had asked about Tad. Blair responded with a kiss, a very desperate kiss that said, I don’t know if I’ll see you again. Jodi’s lips still tingled from it.

She looked up when everyone began speaking English. Her team had won the first of many battles. But even speaking in her native tongue, the words they spoke still sounded foreign. Jodi followed bits and pieces, and what she didn’t understand, Sandra’s assistant explained.

Jodi had no idea how long an arraignment lasted and was surprised to see that two hours had passed since they had entered the courtroom. She thought of Blair again and wondered how she was coping with being kept in the dark. She thought about that last kiss and hoped she had interpreted it wrong.

“Move to dismiss granted.”

Jodi looked up unsure if she had heard correctly, then heard the words immediate deportation.

“You’re going home,” Sandra said as she shook her by the shoulders.

*******

Blair’s head swam as she stared at the floor. Jodi was on a plane headed back to the States, and she was being detained pending further investigation. Bail wasn’t even a question given that she was not a Peruvian citizen. The embassy had agreed to hold her, and there she sat—alone.

That was her first blow, and it was a hefty one because she had foolishly held out hope that things might go her way. The second was just as mighty and had left her speechless and withdrawn until Ben gave up and left her to her misery. There was still no sign of Tad or the phone. Speculation ran rampant. She’d listened to Ben and the legal team discuss one theory after another. Tad could’ve been involved with Jason and was protecting the benefactor and had already fled Peru. Blair refused to consider that, but unfortunately, the alternative made more sense. Someone had already found Tad, and he’d been permanently silenced and the phone destroyed.

“Tad,” she whispered miserably.

All Blair had now was plenty of time to wait and contemplate what life was going to be like without Jodi and possibly the only man outside of her family she’d ever loved.

*******

When the plane taxied in to the New Orleans airport, Jodi made no move as everyone around her switched on their cell phones and readied to disembark. The events of the previous day and night blurred into one big confusing nightmare. Ben had taken her by the shoulders and assured her that he would not leave the country without his sister. He would remain no matter how long it took. He’d pressed a thousand dollars U.S. currency into her hand, then stuffed it in her pocket when all she did was stare at it. She was dragged, shoved, and planted aboard a plane by a marshal who had been assigned to escort her home.

As the plane came to a stop, passengers around her began collecting their things and stood awaiting their release. Had Blair been with her, Jodi would’ve been just as eager to disembark. But now, as she sat beside the marshal who seemed to be in less of a hurry than she was, Jodi wondered what city they’d made the connection in. She’d slept in a hotel and had no clue, nor cared where. It had all been one miserable blur.

Jodi and the marshal were the last to leave the plane. He escorted her to the main terminal above baggage claim, rattled off something about luggage and that she was to remain in New Orleans. He was saying other things that she didn’t comprehend as she watched a familiar-looking face approach.

“Jodi?” the woman said when the marshal walked off. Jodi knew that she should’ve known her name, but it escaped her.

“Do I know you?” Jodi asked.

“I’m Stacy Grant Weston. I’m…Nicolas’s sister…your aunt.”

Jodi looked at the dark hair and blue eyes she should’ve known. “I’m sorry I haven’t seen you in a very long time. I hate to be rude, but I need to get home.”

“That’s why I’m here. I was the next of kin,” Stacy said haltingly. “They notified me when you…and again when you were found. I thought that maybe…you’d need someone to give you a ride.”

“Thank you.” Jodi failed to move. Stacy looked uncomfortable.

“It’s no secret how you felt about my brother,” Stacy said as she fidgeted. “He was a hard man to love, and I know he was never a father.” She stopped speaking and flung her hand as if doing so would return the ability of speech. “I just want you to know that…I never agreed with how he did you and your mother. We fought about it the few times we did talk.”

Jodi held up a hand. “You’re not about to hand me a packet of letters from him, are you?”

Stacy looked stunned. “No.”

Jodi relaxed.

“I’m not going to try to defend him in any way. I’ve stayed away so long because I was afraid you would think of me as you did him.” Stacy’s face flushed. “That was a mistake he would make, and I did the same thing. But I’m here now, and I hope you’ll let me help you.”

“The ride is a start.” Jodi tried to smile but couldn’t quite get her face to comply.

“Did you check a bag?”

Jodi nodded.

“Well, let’s go down to baggage claim, and we can cross to the parking garage from there.”

Stacy talked and Jodi listened, sometimes even managing to nod. She had vanished at the end of the month, rent was due, and Stacy had paid it. Jodi was grateful. Her car that she was struggling to make notes on had been towed from the funeral home, searched by the police, and impounded. Stacy would help her retrieve it when she was ready.

When they arrived at her apartment, Stacy blocked the door, forestalling entry. “Your apartment was ransacked on the day you disappeared. The police did not say by whom, then they rummaged through it themselves.”

At any other time in Jodi’s life, this news would’ve floored her, but after everything she lived through, it just seemed…normal. “Okay.”

Stacy looked hard at her, specifically her eyes as if she thought Jodi might’ve been under the influence of some really good narcotics. “My husband and I did the best we could, but I have to warn you that—”

“I might not recognize it?”

“Ah, yes,” Stacy said with a nod.

“Okay.”

Stacy looked at her oddly again, then unlocked the door. As Jodi stepped in, she was hit with the scent of household cleansers and something else…paint. The bookshelves that had contained framed photos, books, and mementos had been wiped clean. The shelves were bare. Beneath them were three cardboard boxes. Stacy explained that she had packed the remnants into them just in case Jodi wanted to dig through the carnage for something she deemed salvageable. Her sofa was missing; it had been gutted and ripped apart. Stacy and her husband, Brian, had hauled it off since it was beyond repair. The coffee and end tables were all that remained.

“The kitchen was the worst of it.” Stacy nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “All the refrigerator contents had been poured out in the sink. I can’t imagine what they thought they would find in a plastic container of spaghetti. It was at least a week before I was allowed in and everything was rotting. Boxes of dried food in your pantry had been ripped open, and everything was poured out on the floor.”

Jodi tried to envision what Stacy was describing. Anger stirred somewhere deep inside but lacked the energy to propel her to do anything but stare.

“I have to tell you, I couldn’t make much sense of your office. Paper and files were everywhere. I tried to assimilate it in some kind of order, but I doubt I did you any favors.”

Jodi walked down the narrow hallway, her heels clacking loudly off the wood floor. Stacks of papers lined the walls. The drawers to her filing cabinet and desk sat at odd angles after being shoved back into the slots. The tip of her computer monitor was protruding from a box. As she grew closer, she saw that it had been smashed, as well as the CPU, which had also been gutted. Only pieces of circuit boards remained and mingled with the keys of her keyboard in the bottom of the box.

“Some of your pictures were salvageable along with your certificates. They’re in a file on top of your desk.”

Jodi didn’t bother to thumb through it. She looked strangely at a laptop next to the file she didn’t recognize.

“It’s Brian’s,” Stacy said as she walked in from the hallway. “He thought you might get some use out of it. He’s wanted to get another one for a while now, and this was his perfect excuse.”

“My bedroom?” Jodi asked with a rasp in her voice.

Stacy folded her arms. “I put your clothes back where I thought they belonged. They were in pretty good shape. Your mattress and box spring were treated much the same way as the sofa. We hauled them off with it. Brian and I took the bed out of our guest room and moved it in so you would have a place to sleep.”

The dark angry side of Jodi piped up in her mind. They didn’t want you staying with them. She kept that notion to herself. The idea of having to live with virtual strangers wasn’t appealing in the least. Frankly, her long-lost relative had gone above and beyond to make her place livable for whatever reasons, and for that, she was grateful.

“Thank you.”

Stacy nodded and looked away. “It was the least I could do. The police questioned me extensively about you and Nicolas. As I said earlier, we didn’t talk much, but when we did, the conversations didn’t end well. I knew you were estranged, and whatever he was involved in had cost you plenty, even though you had no relationship with him.” Stacy licked her lips and tried to tuck the same strand of hair behind her ear. “I saw you at the graveside ceremony, and I was making my way over when that man grabbed you. The whole thing was horrific.”

“You feel guilty,” Jodi said without emotion.

“I do.” Stacy nodded again. “For keeping my distance, especially when your mother was sick. You were strangers to me. I didn’t know how to be there, but I should’ve.”

“I could’ve reached out, too. It goes both ways.” Jodi cleared her throat and tried to swallow away the ache there. She’d screamed at everyone until she was wrangled onto the plane. Her throat felt raw.

“I managed to find a grocery list in all the mess, so I restocked your refrigerator and pantry as best as I could.”

Jodi reached out and touched her arm. “Stacy, thank you. I’ll repay you for everything when I get on my feet.”

“There’s no need for that,” she said with a shake of her head. “Brian and I were happy to help. Would you like me to stay?” Stacy pulled a key from her ring.

“I appreciate the offer but no.” Jodi walked back into the living room and stared at the empty space. “I think I need a little time alone to mentally regroup.”

Stacy nodded and picked up her purse. “This is your key. I figured you would need it.” She pressed it into Jodi’s hand. “My number is on the counter in the kitchen. Call me when you’re ready for your car or if you need anything. I’m a stay-at-home mom, so my schedule is flexible if you allow me enough time to find a sitter.”

“I appreciate that.”

Stacy looked like she was debating a hug. Jodi gave her a simple wave, and she was gone. Jodi listened to the door close and sighed.

There were obvious patches in the drywall, but the entire room had been repainted to its original taupe. She imagined her landlord had nearly had a heart attack when he saw the damage. She couldn’t imagine what Stacy had described and cleaned and wondered if she would’ve done the same for her.

She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, feeling like a stranger in her own home. She poured herself a glass of apple juice and swallowed down two Tylenol capsules. Stacy had even replaced her pain relievers and antacids. Jodi took another swallow of juice and held the cool liquid against the back of her burning throat.

A little over twenty-four hours earlier, Blair had pulled her aside and kissed her with a desperation that should’ve pulled Jodi up short. She should’ve known then that Blair was withholding again. Everything had been moving so fast she didn’t have the presence of mind to force Blair to explain what she had felt in that frantic touching of lips.

Jodi glanced at the phone sitting on her counter. She had calls to make.

Chapter Thirty

“Do you want to see her again?”

“That’s a stupid question, counselor.” Blair picked up a pen, then tossed it back onto the table.

Ben was in her face then, his fingers gripping her shoulders, squeezing hard. “Then get your head in the game and stop being so obstinate. You despise Abbott, and you’ve made that clear, but he’s your ticket out. Your curt and snide responses to his questions aren’t winning you any points, Blair. I cannot represent you in this country.”

Blair sank into the high-back chair when Ben released her. “You’re right,” she conceded. “My mind isn’t where it’s supposed to be. I’ve been operating on pure anger just to stay awake.”

“That’s another thing,” Ben said calmly as he poured a glass of water and set it in front of her. “You’re not eating, and it’s blatantly obvious that you haven’t been sleeping.” He pulled a bottle from his suit pocket and shook out a pill. “I suffer from insomnia. These are over-the-counter but effective.”

Blair popped the pill into her mouth without argument and swallowed it down with the water.

“Take a quick shower. You’ll start to feel the effects of the medication rather quickly.” Ben loosened his tie and softened his tone. “She made it home safely. I spoke personally with the marshal that escorted her.”

Blair scrubbed her face with both hands. “Thank you, and I’m sorry about what I said to you the other night. I spoke out of desperation and anger.”

Ben knelt in front of her. “I never thought I’d see my baby sister fall in love. I’m genuinely happy for you, and she’s a lovely woman that seems to be as enamored with you as you are with her. My goal,” he said as he took her hand, “is to see you two living out the rest of your lives together wherever and however you choose.”

“That means a lot,” Blair said, unable to meet his eyes.

“I need you to trust and work with me, so I can make that happen.”

“You’ve made that point insufferably clear.” Blair grinned when Ben squeezed her hand and dropped it in her lap.

“Now shower and go to bed. Tomorrow morning, you’re going to eat a decent breakfast, and we’re going to work.”

Blair stood and gave him a brief hug. “Good night.” His cell phone started ringing as he walked out of the room.

*******

“I want to talk to her, Ben.”

“Just a minute.” Jodi heard a door close and was let down when she heard Ben’s voice instead of Blair’s. “She’s getting into the shower right now.”

“You can talk to me until she gets out. What happened at her hearing today? The news says she’s being detained pending investigation.”

“That’s correct. We’ve been stymied by Tad Connelly’s disappearance. Jodi?” Ben said when she failed to respond.

“He’s not there?”

“He failed to meet with the agents. We have people along with the authorities searching the area.”

“I can help. I know where he planned to camp. Can you get me back into the country? Please.”

“I can’t do that,” he said somberly. “Blair gave me information on where he might’ve been hiding. Our people have been all over the area.” Ben continued when Jodi didn’t argue. “You don’t know me very well, we weren’t even formally introduced, but I need to ask you a favor.”

“Okay,” Jodi said warily.

“I love my sister dearly, and I want so badly for all this to move quickly, so I can bring her home. She’s so distracted with you that sometimes I don’t even recognize her. Please don’t interpret this the wrong way, I’m truly happy you’ve found each other. I hope to get to know you and that Blair has a long and wonderful life with you. But right now, I need Blair back in proper form. She’s shrewd and intelligent as I’m sure you’ve seen, but her mind is solely focused on you, and that has got to change if she’s to go free.”

“So what you’re saying to me politely is to back off.”

“As unkind as that sounds, yes. The Peruvian government saw it as a benefit to clear you, so they could focus on Blair. Your testimony may’ve benefited her. That’s why they deported you so quickly. They want her.”

“I know how I feel about her, and I believe she feels the same about me. I’d be despondent if she didn’t make some effort to get in touch.” Jodi heard Ben exhale.

“I see your point. I’ll tell her that you called if I see that in her, but for now, her focus needs to be on the case.”

Blair felt so far away, and being told that she could not even hear her voice tore down the last of Jodi’s resolve. “I will leave her alone,” she said through emotion that was threatening to choke her. “Please give me your word that you’ll keep me posted.”

“I will,” Ben said tenderly. “And when this is over, I’ll personally deliver her to your doorstep.”

“Thanks.”

“Get some rest. I’ll call you when I can.”

Jodi held the phone tightly in her hand when the call ended. “Nothing cleanses the soul like a good cry” was something her mother used to say. She worried for Tad and ached for Blair as tears began pouring down her cheeks.

*******

Though it infuriated Jodi to learn that she couldn’t do anything without proper identification, it kept her mind occupied. She’d wasted cab fare on a trip to the impound to collect her car. Without her driver’s license, she could not prove she was the rightful owner, so she caught another cab home where she tore her apartment apart looking for a copy of her birth certificate, so she could go to the DMV. Armed with a spare car key, the certificate, her Realtor’s license, and proof of residence, she threw open her front door intent on catching another cab. She did not expect what came next.

“Ms. Grant, how does it feel to be back in the United States?” A microphone was shoved in her face as she looked into a camera.

“What can you tell us about Dr. Whittington?” a different voice asked and another camera bore down on her.

Jodi took a step back and slammed the door. She leaned against it bewildered. Undaunted, reporters pounded and begged for a moment of her time, an opportunity to strip away her anonymity, so everyone could speculate about her innocence or guilt. She slid down to the floor and raked a hand through her hair. For twenty minutes, she sat there listening to one question after another bounce off the wooden door, then it went silent.

Jodi climbed to her feet, looked out the peephole, and recognized an NOPD uniform. She went to the window and peeked through the blinds. Her landlord flailed his arms wildly as he talked to the police officers. For once, Jodi was thankful that he lived on the other side of the converted house. The reporters had been relegated to the curb and sidewalk.

Jodi looked down at the articles in her hand and dashed out the back door. She ran a few blocks before hailing a cab and went on to the DMV. Of course after she retrieved her car, she was presented with another problem—parking. Normally, she parked on the curb in front of her apartment, but as she turned onto her street, she realized that her place had been nabbed by a van with satellite dishes on top.

Celebrity did have its perks, though. The owner of the salon where she got her hair cut was more than happy to allow her to leave her car behind the building in the employee parking area. And she was treated to a trim and deep conditioning treatment to repair the damage done by washing her hair with bar soap.

She answered questions about her ordeal for the patrons and stylists who appeared fascinated with her stint as the modern-day Indiana Jones’s assistant. No one seemed to care about her kidnapping or dealings with the Peruvian judicial system; they wanted to know about the treasure. They wanted to know what she wore while tramping around the jungle. And they wanted to know all about Dr. Whittington, but what Jodi knew about the famous doctor, she kept to herself. She knew the woman who had become some fabled character as a tireless lover who had a birthmark above her left breast. Whose kisses left her breathless. That’s all she thought of when she heard the name Dr. Blair Whittington.

Jodi left the salon with an intense desire to hear Blair’s voice. Knowing that she’d given her word to Ben to leave Blair alone, she tried to push the idea out of her mind. Wind blew softly through the trees as she wandered the block and reminded her of the nights she had despised sleeping beneath them. Now she wished she had stayed in that inhospitable place with Blair. She had fantasized about food then, and the smell of it filled her nostrils. She could have whatever she wanted but had no appetite. She smiled wryly at the irony.

She cut down a side street that would take her to her landlord’s gate. She’d enter on his side and slip through the opening in the chain-link fence dividing their narrow strip of yards. Jodi heard his voice when she shut the wooden gate behind her.

“Some fiasco you got going on out there, Jodi.”

“Hi, Mr. Lee.” She gestured to her side of the yard. “You mind if I cross?”

He shook his head as he puffed on the cigar that Mrs. Lee would not allow under her roof. The metal chair he was sitting in groaned beneath his weight as he leaned forward. “You okay?”

“The answer will be yes, if you’re not planning on evicting me.” She nodded toward the front of the house. “I’m sorry about that.”

“They’ll go away in a couple of days, when some congressman gets caught with his pants down. You need anything?”

“No, sir. Thank you, though.”

“Gladys has been chomping at the bit to see you.” Mr. Lee leaned back in his chair and made it complain again. “I’m not going to tell her you’re home unless you want a sixty-year-old woman grilling you more than the media would.”

Jodi flashed him a genuine smile. “Thank you.”

He pointed his cigar at her. “Rent’s still due on the first.” He smoothed his hand over his slick bald head as his dark eyes softened. “Don’t worry about the damage, filed it on my insurance. I’m glad you’re home safe and sound.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lee.” Jodi waved at him as she moved through the opening in the fence. She was safe, but the jury was still out on sound. Hold your head up high. Let everyone see you. You’re better off that way. Blair’s words filtered through her mind as she entered the back door. Jodi laid her only two keys on the kitchen counter and chewed her bottom lip. Was she safe? The benefactor, as Blair had referred to him, had no need for her now. The find had been located and exposed. She turned on lights around the apartment and double-checked her new locks. He had no need to look for her. She couldn’t identify him, anyway.

Hold your head up high. Let everyone see you. You’re better off that way. The words slipped through her mind again. She could not talk directly to Blair, but she could send her a message if she were watching. Jodi turned on her front porch light and opened the door.

*******

If she had to be imprisoned, the embassy wasn’t half bad. Blair tried to look on the bright side, but a jail was a jail no matter how good the food and furnishings were. She had done everything Ben had asked of her, ate three meals, and answered all the questions civilly that Stephen Abbott and his people threw at her. She’d bathed and swallowed down another sleeping pill and was already feeling its effects as she stretched out on the bed with the TV remote in her hand and switched on her only view of the outside world.

“…that’s all I have to say at this time.”

Blair sat straight up when she caught a glimpse of Jodi’s face right as she closed a door. She went through every channel looking to see if someone else was running the piece and found nothing. She went back to the original channel where she’d seen Jodi and waited for the segment to roll around again. Her heart was pounding in her chest, staving off the sleepiness brought on by the pill. She’d wait all night if she had to.

Thirty minutes later, as she paced to keep herself awake, Blair heard Jodi’s voice.

“I’ll answer all your questions if you’ll give me a little space and pose them one at a time.” Jodi squinted against the harsh light being aimed at her.

“Ms. Grant, can you discuss the details of your release?”

Jodi nodded. “I’ve been exonerated of all charges.”

“Do you think the same thing will happen for Dr. Whittington?”

Jodi looked directly at the camera. “I have no doubt.”

“Have you been in contact with Dr. Whittington since leaving Peru, and if so, what does she say is going on?”

“I have not.” Jodi looked directly into the camera again, her eyes telegraphing her sadness. “Dr. Whittington, I imagine, is busy with her case. I’m not going to do anything to disturb her and impede her release, which I hope will be hasty.”

“What was the state of the Sican tomb?”

Jodi smiled, and her eyes glittered in the light. “I’m not an archaeologist. I didn’t even realize it was a tomb until afterward. Dr. Whittington was concerned with preserving the find. We didn’t go any farther than the entrance. Dr. Whittington noted the location and submitted her findings to the proper authorities. The tomb was left untouched for the people of Peru to investigate.”

“But a Sican knife was produced by Dr. Whittington.”

Jodi nodded. “As proof that the tomb had been located. Nothing else was touched.”

“Will you describe the tomb?”

Jodi shrugged. “Dirty.”

“Ms. Grant, can you disclose your father’s involvement in all this?”

Jodi’s expression was guarded. “I can’t elaborate at this point, but let it suffice to say that he is the reason that Dr. Whittington is being held in Peru. He was less than forthcoming with significant information.” Jodi looked directly into the camera, and Blair felt the sting of her stare clearly on a separate continent.

“Ms. Grant, there are allegations of corruption within the Peruvian government. We have learned from sources inside that your deceased father gained access into the country illegally and was aided by someone within the border. Can you confirm?”

Jodi’s calm façade cracked. “He was a master manipulator and a liar. He deceived a lot of people, including Dr. Whittington. I can’t tell you anything about the Peruvian government.”

Blood was in the water, and all the questions began to center on Nicolas Grant.

“That’s all I can discuss with you.” Jodi backed toward the door and was about to slip inside when a question caught her attention.

“Ms. Grant, what do you plan to do now?”

A slight smile passed over her face. “I have a brand new pair of snow boots. I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to use them. That’s all I have to say at this time.”

“She cut her hair,” Blair said aloud as she dropped onto the bed. And Jodi had sent a message—she was waiting on her to get home. Nothing had changed. Blair switched off the TV and burrowed down into the bed. She would surrender to the pull of the sleeping pill, and the next day, she would be sharp.

Chapter Thirty-one

Blair was dressed and ready at five, waiting impatiently to be taken to the conference room. Six thirty came and went. Ben had not come to get her. At seven, she knocked on her own door. She stood back as it opened.

“Yes, Dr. Whittington?”

“Is there something wrong? I usually go to the conference room at this time.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get that information for you.” The guard nodded, and she stepped back. He closed the door and locked it.

Minutes seemed like hours as she waited for an answer. She was still at the door when she heard a knock, then it opened. The same face looked in. “Mr. Whittington had to step out on business. He said to tell you that he’ll return later this evening.”

“Thank you.” Blair watched as the door closed again. There was nothing to do but wait and watch TV.

*******

Tad felt groggy. He fought to keep his eyes open and trained on the door of the hospital room listening to the commotion that went on just outside. People argued in Spanish, some of it he understood. When two men in dark suits like the one Denton wore walked in, he stiffened and regretted the action immediately as a sharp pain went up his back.

“Are you Tad Connelly?” one asked as he approached the bed.

“I won’t speak to anyone but Dr. Blair Whittington.”

The man who had addressed him first nodded to the other, and he promptly left the room. The same doctor who had talked to him about his injuries and recovery entered and stood next to the bed. “Are you up to having a discussion with these gentlemen? They’re from the American embassy.”

Tad shook his head.

“We’re here on behalf of Dr. Whittington,” the suited man said and produced an ID that Tad couldn’t clearly read.

“The other guys were, too, and they put a bullet in my back.” Tad watched as the agent’s brows rose.

“Could you identify them if I produced a photo?”

Tad looked at the doctor. “Does this place have security?”

“It does,” the doctor said, looking amused.

“Call ’em.”

Tad had learned a valuable lesson, and the only person he trusted was Doc. He wasn’t going to utter another peep until the room was filled with hospital staff and their security personnel. He watched as the other suit stepped into the room, and the agent who had flashed his ID pulled him aside. They had a hushed conversation, and the suit was off again.

“Mr. Connelly, I’m Agent Arden. I assure you that you are safe.”

“I made the mistake of believing that already, yet here I am.” Two men in uniform entered the room, and Tad felt some relief. At least this time there would be witnesses.

Arden glanced at them, then turned his attention back to Tad. “Your backup is here,” he said with a slight smile. “Now will you answer my questions?”

Tad looked at him warily and debated for a moment before saying, “Yes, but only if they remain in the room.”

*******

Blair had just finished picking at her dinner that had been served in her room when she heard a sharp knock on the door. Ben walked in grinning. “Tad has been found alive.”

“Can I see him?” Blair asked as she got to her feet.

“He’s in the hospital.” Ben held up his hands when her face fell. “He’s alive and conscious. Sit back down.” Blair did so, and Ben took a seat on the ottoman. “He was shot by the people that were sent to collect him.” He held his hands up again when Blair gasped. “Listen, fortunately, they did not hang around to make sure they did the job correctly. Tad is fine and doing well. He identified the agents, and there’s pandemonium downstairs. The best part is that Tad decided it wasn’t safe to keep the phone on his person. He left it in the hotel in Tarma locked up in their safe. It’s being searched now.”

Blair put both hands over her mouth and dared to be optimistic. Ben grabbed her knee and grinned. “Just a little longer, Blair, and we’ll be out of here.”

Chapter Thirty-two

Jodi snatched the phone off her bed stand and looked at the clock. It was just before four in the morning. “Hello?”

“It’s me.”

“Blair?” Jodi sat up and switched on her lamp.

“I’ve missed you so much. Did you break in the boots? You’re going to need them.”

“It’s July,” Jodi said with a laugh. “What’s happened?”

Blair sounded tired as she relayed the story about Tad. “I’ve been up all night. So much is going on, you’d think it was the middle of the day.”

“When are you coming home?” That was the only thing Jodi wanted to know after being assured that Tad was okay.

“Ben says it could be days or it could be weeks. It’s too early to tell.”

Jodi had thought of many things she wanted to ask and say to Blair over the last week, but nothing came to mind, only a peaceful stillness brought on by the sound of Blair’s voice.

“Was that your front door,” Blair asked unexpectedly, “on the news?”

“Yes,” Jodi said with a bewildered laugh.

“Two things struck me when I saw the interview. Well, many, but what stood out for me was that you’d cut your hair. And that I feel like I’ve known you for years, but I’d never been to your home,” Blair said with a yawn.

Jodi thought about her barren living room and the remnants of her things encased in cardboard boxes. “You aren’t missing much.”

“I miss you.”

A warmth filled Jodi’s chest at Blair’s words spoken on a sigh. “I miss you, too. I’m home, I can eat what I want, and sleep without worrying about insects and snakes or other creatures. None of it makes me happy. I’d rather be back beneath that rock ledge with rain splashing in on me and you by my side.”

“I have to go,” Blair said abruptly. “I have company, and they look like they aren’t interested in my privacy. I’ll see you soon.”

“I can’t wait.” Jodi heard many male voices begin talking at once before the connection broke. She sank back onto the bed clutching her phone to her chest. Blair was coming home. What exactly did that mean?

*******

Jodi turned up the volume on her new TV as yet another message began to play on her answering machine. She’d had to order it from Staples because they delivered, and she was barricaded in her apartment. Her bank account was dwindling as offers for her story came in by mail and phone with hefty incentives for an exclusive.

A stranger’s voice melded with that of the reporter’s on TV. Fragments of information were leaked and the world now knew about Tad and was speculating on his involvement. Jodi watched as his parents and one of his sisters were besieged at the airport as they walked through the terminal with a mixture of elation and discomfort on their faces.

Another knock sounded at her door, and she didn’t have to get up to know that it was another envelope awaiting her signature. Mrs. Lee had appointed herself Jodi’s assistant and would sign on her behalf. She’d already brought in an armload of packages and dropped them on the counter.

Normally, Gladys Lee piddled around her flower gardens wearing a straw hat, jeans, and denim shirt. But her gray hair was coiffed, her black slacks and blouse pressed. “Black makes you look thinner,” she had said with a broad grin that morning, “and being on TV adds ten pounds.” Unlike Jodi, Gladys enjoyed talking to the reporters. And now the world knew that Gladys thought that Jodi Grant was the perfect tenant, was a loner as far as Gladys could tell, and had no evidence of a love life.

The recorder beeped again, and she heard another voice speaking in an officious tone. “Ms. Grant, we’re very interested in your story…”

Jodi pressed the volume button on her remote, drowning out the voice that wasn’t Blair’s or Ben’s. The tiny town of Tarma filled the screen, and Jodi recognized the hotel where she and Blair had spent their last night with Tad. An older woman speaking in rapid Spanish stood next to an interpreter who struggled to keep up with the reporter’s questions and her answers. She had not seen Blair or Jodi, but she had talked to Tad and agreed to store the much sought after phone. She had given it to the policia when they filled her tiny office and demanded it.

Jodi had never been fond of news channels, but she was watching them all now, awaiting new revelations. Information was being leaked and fed the media frenzy. The Peruvian government was tight-lipped and refused to comment on the investigation. The discovery of an ancient tomb had blossomed into a scandal and put the government of a country seldom mentioned in a very disparaging light.

The back door swung open, and Gladys came in breathing heavily as she waved an envelope. “This is from The Tonight Show.” She pointed to the back door. “We have police in the backyard, and the block is full of people.” She pulled a chair from the kitchen table and joined Jodi, who had done the same in the living room.

“The whole neighborhood is abuzz with talk of treasure maps and how you and that doctor found a tomb full of gold and priceless…things. Did this really happen?”

Jodi smiled. Ben had spun the tale well. He had disseminated just enough information to pique the imagination of everyone who remotely cared. It had worked in their favor. The public was on their side, rooting for Blair’s release and waiting to hear the full story.

“I can’t comment on all the details, Mrs. Lee. The investigation is still going on.” That was sort of a lie. It probably didn’t matter what she told Gladys Lee. Anything she had to say probably wouldn’t hurt Blair, but it was her story and Blair’s and Tad’s. And when they were together again, they would share it as a trio.

Gladys seemed disappointed but shrugged it off. She was becoming famous herself. “My cousin in Arizona called me a minute ago, she saw me on TV. This is the most excitement I’ve had in years.”

Jodi grinned when Gladys giggled like a child.

“Arnold put on clean clothes this morning, and he’s acting like he’s on the police force barking out orders at the reporters and gawkers. They’ve trampled my roses, and I don’t even care.”

“Sorry about that.” Jodi frowned. “I know how much you love your gardens.”

Gladys waved her off. “I’ll plant new ones.” She looked at Jodi as a mother would her child. “You’ve lost an awful lot of weight, hon. You don’t look well. I’m going to make lunch, and I expect you to eat every bite.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jodi said as her gaze moved back to the TV. A picture of Blair was on the screen. She was in the middle of a lecture, her mouth open, a hand raised while the other rested on a podium. She looked confident, relaxed, and so different from the filthy mess that Jodi had first laid eyes on.

“She’s a very elegant-looking woman,” Gladys said. “I can’t imagine her wielding a whip and dodging poisoned darts.”

Jodi laughed at the absurdity but let Gladys go on believing the myth. “There are many sides to Dr. Blair Whittington.”

*******

Jodi tossed her phone angrily on the counter, then picked it up to make sure she hadn’t broken it. It had been two weeks, and the only information she was getting was from the news channels. Neither Ben nor Blair had called. She sat poised over the answering machine waiting to hear their voices and was enraged to hear yet another request for the story that had not yet ended.

The information leaks had stopped. Those who covered the story speculated on the outcome, and some of it chilled her to the bone. She believed Ben and more importantly Blair would call if they were able, and that was gnawing at Jodi’s soul as she climbed into bed at the end of another fruitless day. She’d called Ben’s phone and gone to voice mail more often than she was willing to admit to herself. Attempts to get in touch with Tad had been futile, as well. The hospital operator had very curtly explained that Tad Connelly was not a patient there, though Jodi knew differently.

She had been eating, thanks to Mrs. Lee, but she had not slept. Fearful that something would break on the news and she would miss it, Jodi slept with the TV on and awoke frequently to watch. She stacked up her pillows and stared at the TV hoping.

*******

She was awakened from a restless sleep when she heard shouting from somewhere outside. Voices male and female began in a chorus she could not understand. Not bothering with a robe, Jodi crawled out of bed, still dressed in the clothing that she’d worn that day, and went into the living room with her arms folded over her chest listening as the words became clear. “Dr. Whittington.”

She raced across the room and threw open the front door. Lights were bright, police were shoving, and as the crowd split, a familiar and tired face smiled up at her. Ben was walking briskly, a hand behind him clasping another. Jodi stepped back as the two entered, slamming the door behind them.

“As promised,” Ben said with a smile and a slight bow as he stepped out of the way of Blair.

Neither of them moved as they stared at each other for a second, then Blair closed the gap and wrapped Jodi into her arms. Jodi closed her eyes and breathed in her scent and ran her hands over Blair’s back to make sure she was real and she wasn’t dreaming. No words were spoken. Nothing they had to say would convey more succinctly than what their bodies were already proclaiming.

Ben cleared his throat. “The bathroom?” he said with laughter in his voice.

Jodi released Blair with one hand and pointed to the hall. She traced Blair’s face and mouth with her fingertips. “You’re home,” Jodi whispered.

“I am?” Blair looked into her eyes.

Jodi nodded and grinned. “You are.”

Epilogue

Real estate had become a thing of the past for Jodi. She’d made more money in the past six months than she had in her entire life on talk show circuits and a book deal. Everyone had wanted their story, and the three had served it up. They’d traveled the country and to date had refused all offers to leave the States. Canada wasn’t even a consideration.

Tad’s vision had come true. They had been sitting around a table for hours laughing and talking about what had happened in Peru, and it all seemed like a dream, another life. Blair was wearing the faded jeans that Jodi had imagined as she lay in a Peruvian jail cell. The button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up just below her elbows wasn’t white but pale blue. Jodi wasn’t wearing running clothes but grinned down at the snow boots on her feet.

Blair’s prediction also came true. She was not given official credit for the discovery of the Sican tomb. When it had been thoroughly investigated, cataloged, and revealed to the world, it made a relatively decent splash. The world that had been watching, however, was more interested in hearing how the three of them used ambiguous clues, traversed the Peruvian jungles, and battled for their lives. Their tale was an adventure movie come to life, and so far, it seemed no one tired of hearing it.

All charges against Blair had been dropped by the Peruvian government in an attempt at damage control. The more they dug into Blair’s story, the more corruption in their government came to light. Arrests were being reported nearly on a monthly basis as the Peruvian and American governments weeded through the debris of the storm they’d made. The benefactor remained to be found as his carefully assembled network was chipped away. The phone that had one time been considered a precious link led them nowhere. Jodi, Blair, and Tad had serious doubts that he ever would be caught. They had gone past the point of caring.

Jodi had gotten to know Ben and his wife, Mallory, quite well, and she and Blair were on their way to getting to know her Aunt Stacy and her family. But most of their time was spent with Tad and his new wife. She too had waited for her heart to return home, even though Tad had given up all hope that she would.

“We need more bourbon,” Tad said as he stood, “and nachos. Be right back.”

Jodi and Blair watched as he disappeared behind the door of his patio, then Blair took Jodi’s face in her hands and kissed her. The kiss spoke of contentment, joy, and the love that was steadily growing between them. Jodi knew it to be the truth because a kiss doesn’t lie.

About the Author

Robin Alexander is the author of the Goldie Award-winning Gloria’s Secret and ten other novels for Intaglio Publications—Gloria’s Inn, Gift of Time, Murky Waters, The Taking of Eden, Love’s Someday, Pitifully Ugly, Undeniable, A Devil in Disguise Half to Death, and Gloria’s Legacy.

Robin spends her days working with the staff of Intaglio and her nights with her own writings. She still manages to find time to spend with her partner, Becky, and their three dogs and four cats.

You can reach her at robinalex65@yahoo.com. You can visit her Web site at www.robinalexanderbooks.com and find her on Facebook.

Also by Robin Alexander

The Gift of Time

ISBN: 978-1-933113-82-1

Leah Marks has no idea what is missing from her quiet, uneventful life until a simple change in her daily routine alters her existence. From the moment she meets antique dealer, Reagan Montgomery, Leah’s world is turned upside down. A unique gift given to her by Reagan leads them on a journey that defies logic and the laws of time.

The Gift of Time is a story of love, devotion and a bond that has carried two women from one life to the next.

Love’s Someday

ISBN: 978-1-935216-08-7

Ashleigh Prather committed the sin of omission when she failed to reveal secrets of her past to her lover of five years. Her relationship becomes the casualty when the past and present collide. Erica Barrett’s world is turned upside down when she is forced to watch Ashleigh confront old demons and become someone she doesn’t recognize.

Is love worth fighting for when you realize that you never truly knew the person you’ve shared five years of your life with?

Pitifully Ugly

ISBN: 978-1-935216-21-6

Shannon Brycen has decided to enter the dating world again after taking a hiatus from love. There’s only one problem—well, many—but her reclusive personality and her sister’s disastrous attempts at matchmaking force Shannon to try a different approach.

Hiding behind the online persona of Pitifully Ugly, Shannon finds the confidence she needs to pursue women, and the hunt is on. Many humorous lessons are learned along the way to her perfect match.

Undeniable

ISBN: 978-1-935216-28-5

After twenty years, Samantha Jackson comes face to face with Jennifer Tanner at a memorial service for a mutual friend. Her plan is simple—pay her respects and maybe have an amicable conversation with the one person who affected her life the most.

Jennifer needs answers to questions that she has carried into adulthood. Circumstances, though unfortunate, have given her that opportunity. She wanted closure; instead, the revelations leave her with anything but resolution.

Two souls come to realize that sometimes love is simply—undeniable.

Devil In Disguise

ISBN: 978-1-935216-26-1

After suffering a life-changing accident, Natalie Simmons is ready to begin living again. Two distinctly different women enter her life, and she finds herself drawn to both. A choice has to be made. Will she pick the right one or unknowingly choose the devil in disguise?

Half To Death

ISBN: 978-1-935216-31-5

Sloan Hawkins cheated death when she slipped from its icy grip. It wasn’t until then she realized that she’d only lived half a life in more ways than one. She now accepts that to truly live life to its fullest she must bring down the walls she had built to protect herself. She is ready to let go and love, but finds herself behind a new wall not of her own making.

Corrine Verner (Jade) has also lived her life behind an emotional fortress, but as she gets to know Sloan she begins to hope that she might be different from the others. In her wildest dreams she never could have imagined just how different…

The Gloria Series

Gloria’s Inn

ISBN: 1-933113-01-4

Hayden Tate suddenly found herself in a world unlike any other, when she inherited half of an inn nestled away on Cat Island in the Bahamas. Expecting something like the resorts found in Nassau, Hayden was shocked and a little disappointed to find herself on a beautiful tropical island undiscovered by tourism. Not only did Hayden’s aunt leave her an inn, but the company of her former business partner as well. Strange as she is beautiful, Adrienne turns Hayden’s world upside down in many ways. Hayden quickly learns that being with Adrienne will always be an adventure.

The tranquility of the island is shattered with the disappearance of a mysterious guest. Hayden and Adrienne soon find themselves at the center of a murder investigation. The eclectic mixture of guests and staff make their efforts both interesting and humorous.

Gloria’s Secret

ISBN: 978-1-933113-93-7

Hayden Tate had hoped that life on Cat Island would be peaceful with her former trouble causing handyman Hank out of the picture. But when strange occurrences and noises begin to happen around the inn she operates with her partner Adrienne once again the top suspect is Hank the only problem is – Hank is dead.

In this long awaited sequel to Gloria’s Inn, Hayden and Adrienne join their zany guests for another madcap adventure.

Gloria’s Legacy

ISBN: 978-1-935216-30-8

In the third installment of the series, Hayden and Adrienne have decided to take the next step in their relationship—motherhood. Adrienne embraces the challenges that pregnancy presents, Hayden…not so much.

To convolute matters, a strange guest has arrived at the inn alone. Along with her baggage, she carries two secrets that bring disruption and danger to the island paradise.

Published by

Intaglio Publications

Walker, La.

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