Found in the Lost

by Tarina Deaton

  Kinley looked at the three of them, suspicion pinching her brows and turning the corners of her mouth down. “It’s only a little after seven.”

  “Yeah, but we had a looong day. Delayed flight. Saving the world. Wears a guy out.”

  Shane shook his head and Phantom chewed on a tortilla and watched Ace make a fool of himself.

  “Well, if you’re that tired, don’t stay on my account. I can find my own way back to the hotel.”

  “No, no, no.” Ace stood and scraped his chair back under the table, smacking Shane on the shoulder. “Ban’ll keep you company and walk you back. Let’s go, Phantom.”

  Phantom grunted and stood. “Have a good night.” He snagged another tortilla and followed Ace to the door.

  Shane signaled for two more beers and relaxed down into his seat, pulling Ace’s empty chair around to rest his arm on the back of it.

  “So, Kinley. How are you finding Guatemala?”

  She laughed. “It’s been way more exciting than I was expecting.”

  “It hasn’t all been bad, has it?”

  “No, not all of it.”

  Deciding not to press any further for the moment, he asked, “Where do you live—when you’re not running around Central American jungles?”

  “Well, this is a little embarrassing,” she said, twirling her bottle. “I’ve been couch surfing for the past four months or so.”

  “Why is that embarrassing?”

  “Because I’m almost thirty-one years old, have two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s, and I don’t have an apartment or a house or any of the other adult things you’re supposed to have by now.”

  He didn’t know if this was something she felt strongly about or if it was something other people felt strongly about and made it known. “Who says you have to be an adult by thirty?”

  Her eyes widened. “Everyone!”

  “I don’t know this everyone, but they sound like real assholes.” He held her gaze and drank his beer, challenging her to tell him why she cared about what other people thought.

  “No…that’s not…. You know what I mean.”

  He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “I don’t think having a permanent address is what defines you as an adult. The only reason I have an apartment, and am not still living in my kid brother’s basement, is because he and his wife are expecting and they need the space. Otherwise, I’d still be sleeping on their pull-out.”

  Kinley rested her chin on her fist. “What do you think defines you as an adult?”

  “I don’t know. You should probably ask an adult.” He winked.

  She threw her head back and laughed, exactly as he was hoping. What he hadn’t counted on was the way it exposed the long column of her neck and drew attention to the skin of her chest above the v-neck button-down.

  “Where do you do all this couch surfing?” he asked.

  Her shoulders still shook a little as her laugh died. “Right now, I’m staying with a friend in Raleigh. I’m waiting to hear if I’ve been accepted to UNC’s PhD program.”

  “We’re neighbors.” He calculated the drive time. It was four hours to Fort Bragg, so it couldn’t be that much more to Raleigh.

  “Where do you live?” she asked.

  “I’m in Charleston, South Carolina. Mount Pleasant actually, but most people don’t know where that is.”

  “Why do Ace and Phantom call you Ban?”

  He wondered when that was going to come up again. “That’s a story for another time when I’m not trying to make a good impression.”

  She smiled. “Is that what you’re trying to do?”

  “Yes. Is it working?”

  “Maybe a little,” she said with a shrug. “Why aren’t you married?”

  “Who said I’m not?” he asked, teasing.

  Her face fell and she leaned back. Immediately, he realized his mistake.

  “I’m not.” He placed a hand on her forearm. “I’m sorry—I was teasing. I didn’t expect you to take me seriously.”

  “I don’t know too many people who would joke about being unfaithful,” she said.

  “I have a really warped sense of humor, some would even say nihilistic.”

  She nodded and seemed to accept his answer, even if it was begrudgingly. It felt important that she understood it really was his poor attempt at humor.

  “I’m divorced. It was finalized three years ago. Which is when I started sleeping on my brother’s couch.”

  Her eyes filled with concern. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It had been over for a while, but it was easier to stay married—especially since I was always deployed. She filed when I had to get out. She liked the prestige of being able to say she was married to a SEAL, but it wasn’t about me, it was about my Trident.”

  She frowned. “Your what?”

  “Trident. It’s the emblem of the SEALs.”

  “The eagle thingy?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “Yeah. The eagle thingy.”

  “You said had to get out. Did something happen?”

  “I blew out my knee. It required complete reconstructive surgery. I recovered enough to stay in the Navy, but not enough to go back to my unit. If I couldn’t be a SEAL, I didn’t want to be in the Navy.”

  “I’m sorry.” She placed her hand over his this time. “It sounds like you loved it.”

  He nodded. “I did, but nothing lasts forever. What about you? Why aren’t you married?”

  She tilted her head. “Who said I’m not?”

  Shane smirked, knowing she’d forgiven him for his blunder. “Good one. I’d bet my vintage MG convertible you’re not. You don’t strike me as the type of woman to linger over the last two tortillas with a guy you just met.”

  “You’re right. I was engaged.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Was—but not anymore?”

  “No, not anymore. He stole my thesis idea and tried to pass it off as his own.”

  “Motherfucker!”

  Kinley’s eyes widened.

  “Sorry, but that’s a shitty thing to do. Tell me you piled all his shit in the driveway and set it on fire.”

  “No, but my advisor was on the board and I’d already cleared my topic with her so she knew it wasn’t his. They kicked him out of the program.”

  “Good.” He caught the older woman peeking out of the kitchen again. “I think she’s waiting for us to leave.”

  Kinley glanced over her shoulder, then at her watch. “We should go. I need to be in the lobby really early tomorrow to meet my ride.”

  Shane nodded and finished the last of his beer, washing it down with a large gulp of water. The older woman came from the kitchen, a big smile on her face.

  “She’s very beautiful,” she said in Spanish.

  “She is.”

  The woman winked and accepted the bills he handed her. Fanning them out, she tried to give back some of the bills.

  “No.” He pushed her hand back. “Thank you for letting us stay.”

  Kinley waited for him near the door. “Can I walk you to your room?”

  “Sure.” A faint pink stained the top of her cheeks.

  Outside, he used a hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the hotel. “How long are you in Guatemala?”

  “A few weeks at least.” She twisted in his direction while she walked. “It depends on how the excavation goes and how much translation I have to do on-site.”

  Shane held open the door to the hotel and let her go ahead of him, following her up the stairs to the second floor. “Will you go back to North Carolina after you’re finished?”

  “Yes, unless I get an offer to participate in another excavation or don’t get into the program I applied to. This is me.” She stopped in front of a door a few down from his.

  “Kinley, can I ask you a question?”

  Her pulse throbbed in the small hollow of her throat and, if he had to guess, she held her breath a moment before answering. “Of course.”
/>
  “May I kiss you?”

  Her pupils dilated and the tip of her pink tongue licked her lips. “Yes,” she whispered.

  He stepped inches closer and eased his hand behind her neck. Bending his head, he pressed his lips to hers. He kept the kiss simple, not trusting himself. If he deepened the kiss, he’d have her pressed against the door with her legs wrapped around his waist in a heartbeat.

  Her lips moved under his and he pulled away. Her sigh feathered against his lips, testing his resolve.

  “Can I ask you something else?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Her voice was breathy and a little hoarse.

  “Can I have your phone?” he asked.

  She pulled away and blinked up at him. “Why?”

  “So I can give you my number.”

  “Oh.” Her gaze lowered. “Sure.” She pulled it from her back pocket and handed it to him.

  He programmed his number and handed her phone back. “Let me know when you find what you’re looking for.”

  She grinned. “I will. Let me know how you like your hike.”

  “I will. Goodnight, Kinley.”

  “Goodnight, Shane.”

  He walked backward down the hall until she unlocked her door and entered the room, closing the door behind her. He fist-bumped the air and strutted the last few feet to the room he shared with Ace and Phantom.

  Pushing open the door, he said, “Guatemala rocks.”

  Phantom grunted from his twin bed. Ace looked up from his book, but whatever smartass comment he was going to say was cut off by a sharp scream.

  Shane’s eyes widened. “Kinley.”

  Chapter 6

  Kinley pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled, pushing the door closed and throwing the bolt. Meeting a tall, funny, good-looking guy was the last thing she expected from this trip. And that kiss…

  Something dark and rough landed on her head and over her face. She flinched and shook her head, trying to dislodge it. A strong band wrapped around her, trapping her arms and squeezing her chest.

  Her sharp scream was cut off when something slapped her in the face, hitting her nose and causing tears to well up in her eyes. Her brain finally caught up with her body and she realized someone was attacking her.

  “Where is the notebook?” a harsh voice asked.

  Even if she wanted to answer, the cloth over her head combined with whatever was pressing against her mouth stifled the air, making it difficult to draw breath. White spots danced in the darkness in front of her.

  The attacker picked her up and she kicked out, hoping to strike something or someone, and maybe throw them off-balance.

  A huge crash from the front of the room made her attacker loosen his arms briefly and she twisted her body even more, to no avail. He tightened his hold, but the hood over her head came loose and fell.

  Something cold and hard pressed against her chin. A gun. Holy shit. She froze and stared at Shane—the reason for the huge crash judging by the mangled doorjamb behind him.

  “Leave or I will shoot her,” the man behind her said.

  Kinley froze and watched Shane. He appeared insanely calm.

  “Not happening,” he said.

  A low whistling sounded near her ear and the man behind her screamed, dropping her and the gun. She stumbled a few steps to the side, catching herself on the edge of the bed. In the blink of an eye, Shane wrapped his arms around the man’s head and twisted, dropping the body to the floor.

  Kinley could only stare between the body and Shane. Shane and the body.

  “Seriously?” He spread his hands wide and glared at Phantom. “You could have hit her.”

  Phantom grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled it from her attacker’s shoulder, wiping it on the man’s shirt. “Not likely.”

  “You killed him,” she said.

  “Yeah,” Shane said.

  “He’s dead.”

  “It was you or him, honey,” Ace said from the doorway. “We need to go.”

  Shane grabbed her upper arm and pulled her toward the door.

  “Wait!” She reached between the mattress and the box spring and pulled out the travel sleeve which held her laptop and notebook, then grabbed her pack from the chair next to the bed.

  Shane took her pack and shuffled her down the hall to their room. Ace closed and locked the door, pushing a chair under the handle as an extra precaution.

  “Shouldn’t we call the police?” Kinley asked.

  “Not this time,” Phantom said.

  “There’s no such thing as coincidence,” Ace said.

  “Agreed.” Shane shoved clothes into his brown duffel.

  Kinley’s gaze jumped from one man to the other, trying to keep up. “What’s not a coincidence?”

  “The carjacking. This attack. They’re looking for something,” Shane said.

  “The question is, what do they want?” Phantom asked.

  Blood pulsed through her body and her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. She looked down at the case cradled against her chest and worked her jaw side to side.

  “This.” She unzipped the case and pulled out her notebook. “They’re looking for my notebook.”

  “Why?” Ace asked.

  Kinley took a deep breath. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think it’s because I deciphered the Lago Azul text.”

  Two…three seconds of still silence. “You say that like it’s important,” Phantom said.

  “The Lago Azul texts predate current deciphered Mayan texts by two-to-three hundred years,” she said. “They’ve never been deciphered until now.”

  “Okay,” Shane said. “I can see why that would be a big deal, but why would someone try to steal it?”

  “Because within the text is what people believe are directions to a fabled Mayan city—the same city I’m supposed to go to tomorrow.”

  “Why would someone try to steal a book with a map for a city they’d already found?” Phantom asked.

  Kinley sat on the edge of one of the beds and rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the pressure building behind her eyes. “There’s a myth about a powerful Mayan ruler named Aapo who poisoned and killed all his people and then buried himself with his earthly riches so he could take them to the afterlife with him. The myth says the burial chamber is at the very center of the great pyramid of this city and the key to opening the burial chamber is contained in the Lago Azul text.”

  “Which you deciphered,” Shane said.

  She pressed her lips together and nodded.

  “How many earthly riches?” Phantom asked.

  “All of them,” Kinley said. “Basically the Mayan version of Croesus.”

  Ace leaned over to Shane and stage whispered, “Who’s Croesus?”

  Shane shrugged.

  Kinley couldn’t stop the small smile. “Think El Dorado, but ten times bigger.”

  Ace and Shane nodded and looked suitably impressed. The illusion was ruined when Ace leaned over again and whispered, “How big was El Dorado?”

  Shane pushed him away. “How many people know you broke the code?”

  “My mentor and she shared the sample I sent with all the team leads because some of them didn’t think I’d really done it,” Kinley said.

  “How many people is that?” he asked.

  “Five or six. More if they passed the information on to their assistants or other people in their departments.”

  “So, anyone who knows you broke the code could be behind this,” Phantom said.

  Her shoulders sagged. “Yeah.”

  Betrayal and dejection warred for top spot on her emotional ladder. Was this because someone was greedy and wanted all the glory for themselves or because she, a basic nobody, had translated texts that preeminent Mayan experts in the world had been unable to translate?

  “Do you think the story about the rich Mayan guy is true?” Ace asked.

  Kinley shrugged. “The myth of El Dorado lasted centuries and no one ever found it. I
t’s probably the same with this one.”

  Shane looked at the window and strode over to it. The other two men joined him and they gathered around, peering through the curtains.

  “What is it?” Kinley asked.

  “Three large black SUVs,” Shane said.

  “Those are nice cars,” Phantom added.

  Ace nodded. “Too nice for a little town like Carmelita.”

  She joined them and peeked around the edge of the curtain. A woman got out of the back of the middle SUV. Kinley gasped. “That’s Christine.”

  “Who?” Shane asked.

  “Christine Banks—my mentor. She was supposed to pick me up at the airport this morning but never answered any of my calls.” Had it really only been this morning? It seemed like days ago that she tripped over Shane’s bag. “She left me a note at the hotel telling me a car would pick me up tomorrow morning.”

  A tall, well-dressed man exited the vehicle behind her and took her elbow.

  “That man was at the airport,” Kinley said.

  “Are you sure?” Shane asked.

  “Yes. He sat next to me after I called one of the other professors. He said he overheard my conversation and offered to bring me to Carmelita.”

  Christine pulled away from the man and he grabbed her arm again, pushing her against the car and wrapping his hand around her throat.

  “She doesn’t look like she’s all that happy to be here,” Ace said.

  Kinley’s brows furrowed. “No, she doesn’t.”

  “We need to get out of this hotel,” Phantom said.

  Shane couldn’t agree more. He was only just starting to form a picture of what they were up against, but priority one was to get Kinley away from it.

  “Grab your gear,” he said.

  “What about…?” Kinley pointed out the window.

  Shane glanced out again in time to see one of the police officers from earlier in the day jog over to the man who’d grabbed Kinley’s friend.

  “I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but I do know it’s never a good idea to turn yourself over to the bad guys.” He slung his duffel over his shoulder. “Especially when the local cops are involved.”