*~*
Isabella woke feeling refreshed. She dressed and stepped out of her tent as Tino turned from talking to one of the British students.
His blue eyes crinkled at the edges and a warm smile curved his lips. Lips that had kissed her with passion early this morning. His words had played in her head while she slept. Could she believe he really cared for her and wasn’t toying with her inexperience in matters of men and women?
“Did you retrieve your things from the settlement?” she asked, walking toward him.
“Sí, I have all my belongings.” He stopped in front of her, close enough to carry on an intimate conversation. “You look rested.”
“I just woke from a wonderful nap. I’ve decided to sleep in the afternoon and work in the cool of the evening and mornings.”
His lips curved into an even more devastating smile and his eyes sparked with desire.
“Mi pichón, are you inviting me to visit you each evening?”
The innuendo in his voice and desire in his eyes jolted her libido and snagged her virgin body like a sexual magnet. Heat scorched from her toes to the tip of her ears. She had no doubt from his searing kisses, he would be a great lover.
“We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we.” Flirting with him was dangerous, but she loved the freedom she found in bantering with Tino.
“I will take that as an invitation.” He winked.
Her insides tumbled with elation and nerves.
“There you are.”
Virgil’s voice broke into her sinful fantasy involving her and Tino entwined like the vines she’d hacked at in the jungle.
“You asked me to get you up for dinner.” His gaze landed on Tino. “I trust you retrieved your supplies. You’re still more than welcome to eat with us.” He cleared his throat. “It’s the least I can do considering.”
“Gracias, doctor, I would enjoy sampling more of your cook’s food. He is an interesting fellow.”
The undercurrent between the two men rippled with distrust and animosity. However, they seemed to have bonded over something mutual. She believed it was keeping the camp safe. When they each grasped one of her elbows, she realized their mutual bond—her.
Isabella grinned and enjoyed the attention. There had never been a time in her life when she’d felt wanted. Having the two men use her like a rope in a tug of war would get old after a while, but for now, she’d bask in the warmth of their attention. It would be all too fleeting. Tino would move on any day, and once she and Virgil deciphered the ceremony, he’d be back to digging up artifacts.
Mosquito netting draped the opening of the mess tent. Virgil pulled it to the side and she entered, followed by Tino. Isabella scanned the interior. Counting twenty heads, the number added up to everyone being present. Heat from the cooking and sweating bodies made the tent interior hotter than a sauna and just as moist.
Tino directed her to one of the smaller tables. Before she could sit, Pedro placed a cool glass of juice on the table.
“Gracias. Dinner smells delicious.” She smiled at the cook.
“I have prepared roast pecarí.” He licked his lips. “It is bueno.”
Isabella faced Tino who sat beside her. “¿Pecarí?”
“They are kind of like domestic pigs only they are wild, smaller, and without snouts.” He guzzled down the juice Pedro had placed in front of her.
“I was looking forward to drinking that.” She eyed the empty glass still in Tino’s hand.
“Save my seat. I will get you more.” Tino rose with her glass and headed to the containers of drinks laid out on a table to one side of the cooking station.
“How much do you know about this guide?”
Virgil’s comment twisted her in her chair. She’d been so engrossed in the cook and then Tino, she’d forgotten Virgil had entered the tent with them. Scanning the tables, she found Jaycee once again staring daggers.
“He tags wild cats for the government besides being a guide, and he’s skilled in jungle travel.” She slid her gaze from Jaycee and back to Virgil. She’d have to have a talk with Jaycee and let her know Virgil was all hers.
Virgil shook his head. “He isn’t what he seems.”
She stared into his weathered but still handsome face. He’d noticed Tino’s dual personalities as well. “What do you mean?”
“Juan wouldn’t hand over a job I gave him to just anyone. Something isn’t right. And Kosta agreed to stay without my offering him money. Every person in this damn country has his hand out, government included. He’s up to something. I don’t want you to get messed up in whatever he’s doing.” Virgil straightened and smiled at Pedro as the cook placed bowls of food on the table in front of them, family style.
“I’m glad you found such a good cook, Virgil. The ranks shouldn’t get unruly when their bellies are filled this well.” Isabella believed in giving credit where due.
Pedro flashed a toothy smile.
“I’ll probably have trouble sending them home when their tour is up.” Virgil laughed.
Tino had watched the earnest conversation between Isabella and Martin while filling the cups. He returned to the table placing a glass of juice in front of Isabella and one in front of his plate. Taking a cue from Martin’s last comment, he asked, “How long will you be here?”
Isabella raised the juice to her lips. “Gracias,” slipped through her sweet lips before she took a drink.
¡Coño! He had to forget her wide, full mouth on his if he planned to accomplish his mission.
“Ahem.”
Tino’s gaze snapped from Isabella to the stern face of Doctor Martin.
“I could ask you the same thing. How long will you be in the area?” The doctor’s question was hard edged and his stare held suspicion.
“Here the two days you requested. A week along the Usumacinta. If I do not find a trail or sign of the cats, I will move on.” He shrugged as if Martin’s not answering his question didn’t matter and he wasn’t offended by the man’s questions. He would show Isabella he was the bigger man.
“How long do you think you’ll be here?” Isabella asked Martin.
Tino smiled inwardly. The man would be rude not to answer his protégée.
“That depends on how much we find that gives us insight into the people who lived here and how long the Guatemalan government allows us to stay.” The man smiled at Isabella and dug into his food, dropping the subject.
Isabella chewed a couple of bites, took a drink then looked at Martin. “When I’ve been at other digs, the workers came and went. Is that going to happen here or is everyone here for the long haul?”
Irritation flickered in the doctor’s eyes before he wiped his mouth with a cloth and faced Isabella.
“Professor Walsh, Eunice, Pedro, and I are the only people who will remain until I say we are finished.” Martin peered around the room. “And the few locals who are helping. They’ll be here until we leave or they need to go.”
Tino had a pretty good idea of who was who from the conversations he’d had with most of the workers. He scanned the tent. “Is everyone here right now?” Walsh sat at a table with a couple of the local workers. For once his British voice didn’t boom across the room.
Martin searched the room and nodded. “It appears so.”
Now would be a perfect time for someone to sneak in and cause havoc or steal artifacts. He wouldn’t eat when the whole camp did; instead he would stand watch. This was his first encounter with archeologists. They were too trusting. Just because artifacts had remained undisturbed for hundreds of years, did not mean no one besides scientists wanted them.
The trafficking of artifacts had become a big enterprise in Central and South American countries. Another faction he dealt with in conjunction with drugs. There were park guards stationed throughout the parks to deter artifact stealing, but he’d yet to see one in this area. Ch’ujuña was such a new dig it hadn’t made it on any of the tours. Its small size and poor funding, no doubt, led the governme
nt officials to believe little would come of it. They would pad their pockets with the proper fees and paperwork and forget to send protection from the park guards.
“Tino? Tino, I’m anxious to hear your answer, too?” Isabella nudged him with her shoulder.
He stared into her eyes. Who asked him what? “I am sorry. I dozed off with my eyes open.” Tino tilted his lips into a roguish smile. “I was preoccupied last night and missed siesta earlier.”
Isabella’s cheeks deepened to a bright red. Her eyes glistened with mischief. Ahh, she is one magnificent señorita.
“Virgil asked you how long you’ve been a guide and tracker.” Her right eyebrow peaked provocatively waiting for his answer.
“In Guatemala, three years. Before that I was an assistant on the Amazon.” The truth was a little different, but if anyone investigated his past, it fit Tino Kosta’s history.
“How did you get from the Amazon to Guatemala?” Martin asked, shoving his finished plate away.
Tino took a bite of pecarí, chewed, swallowed, and answered. “I have always wanted to see the United States, no? As a boy mi abuela, grandmother, spoke of her grandparents on her mother’s side traveling to the United States and no one has heard from them since. I have always dreamed of finding out what happened for my abuela. I started working my way toward the United States and ran out of money here.”
“What a wonderful gift. I can help, I have contacts—”
Tino cut off Isabella with a hand on hers. “By the time I made it into Guatemala, mi aubela, had left us, and I had run out of money. The only trade I know is tracking and guiding.” He shrugged. Isabella’s small hand turned, clasping his.
“I’m sorry to hear about your abuela. I would still be honored to help you find your great-great-grandparents. I’m sure the rest of your family would like to know what happened to them.”
There is no one left. The words stuck in his throat. Her large caring eyes and warm smile spun his thoughts in a million directions. He wanted to tell her the truth, but Tino Kosta had no living relatives. Augustino Constantine died in the eyes of his country when his father fled Venezuela in ‘84 during the university riots. No longer able to contain his anger at what the Venezuelan government was doing to its people, his father slipped out of the country with his family to keep them alive. Tino hissed disgust out between his teeth and shoved his anger back where it belonged—in the graves with his family.
“When I’ve saved enough to move on, I will continue my search. I would be pleased to accept your help when I set foot in your country.” He included Martin in the comment, but he had no intention of ever seeking the man. His interest only encompassed Isabella.
“I love a good puzzle. It will be fun helping you.” Isabella refilled her plate with a spoonful of every food on the table. “I missed lunch.” She giggled, pushed her glasses tighter on her nose, and continued eating.
Tino glanced at Martin. The man watched Isabella eat with a hunger in his eyes that had nothing to do with a platonic relationship. Jealousy smoldered in his gut and scorched up his spine, singeing the hair on the nape of his neck. The thought of the two being intimate burned his throat with rancid bile.
He peered at Isabella. She chewed her food, eyes closed, enjoying the delicious fare. He would bet his abuela’s Bible Isabella didn’t have a clue the doctor harbored lecherous thoughts. If he brought it up, she’d call him a liar. If she discovered it on her own, he would remain in her favor.
Tino pushed back from the table. The motion captured Isabella’s attention. Her eyes opened and she put down her fork.
“Are you leaving?”
“I did not get a siesta.” He didn’t have to fake a yawn. “I am turning in early and will take a turn around the compound later tonight.” He added the last for the benefit of the man on the other side of her. After all, he was allowed to remain at the compound by keeping an eye on things.
Isabella’s eyes sparkled and she winked. She wouldn’t make a good spy. Their clandestine meeting would soon be all over the camp if anyone glanced at her face at this moment.
“Good,” Martin lowered his voice and glanced at the people nearby. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about, but I don’t want to arouse any fear if we can help it.”
Isabella spun in her seat. Tino only witnessed the back of her head as she leaned closer to Martin. He couldn’t watch her leaning into the man. He scanned the room and found one of the female interns staring daggers at the couple.
Witnessing the woman’s obvious hatred, he decided to make sure the camp knew he and Isabella were intimate. That would possibly get Martin to leave her alone and save her from whatever vicious thoughts the intern might have in mind.
Chapter 12
Isabella stretched her back and unfolded her legs. She’d worked on the stone for three hours and had dislodged the worst of the centuries old dirt from the carvings. The majority of the glyphs were in excellent condition; if she only knew more about the code. That was why Virgil had called her. He hadn’t the time to research the origins while running the dig and knew she couldn’t leave any puzzle unsolved.
She blew out a huge, disgusted sigh and stared at the drawings. The curve and slant of the carvings was familiar. In the back of her mind she reconstructed why it was familiar.
A cool breeze rippled across her sweaty skin causing her to shudder. Would tonight bring a blessing of cooler air? Another cool puff fluttered the hair on her neck. She peered over her shoulder. A face appeared mere inches from hers, blurred in the shadow of her body. Her throat constricted, emitting a squeak.
“Shh… Mi pichón, I will not harm you.”
Tino’s soft, melodic voice hurtled her racing heart from a tempo of jarring fear to elation. His arms wrapped around her, drawing her against his hard body.
“Do you wish the same as last night? A shower and a walk in the jungle?”
“Yes. The heat and humidity are stifling tonight.” She’d come close to removing her vest earlier as the heat baked her skin and the humidity trickled down her neck but remembering the reason Virgil asked Tino to remain at the dig, she kept the garment firmly buttoned.
He rose, drawing her to her feet. Tino pulled her into his arms and nibbled on her lips. She drew back, fighting the urge to succumb to his wishes. It was obvious he thought nothing of kissing her freely. She wasn’t willing to acquiesce.
“Your attention is exhilarating, but I’d like to take things slower.” She enjoyed his affection but refused to induce Virgil’s anger and lose her chance at the money.
“Slower or do you fear someone will see us together?” He leaned back, his eyes black as the darkness behind him. A faint glow from the lantern revealed his features in sepia.
“Both. As much as I want to believe you, your infatuation with me doesn’t add up. And I don’t want to lose anyone’s respect.” The minute the words slipped out her lips, they hung in the air like a wall between them.
Tino released her and stepped back. “I see. A doctor of anthropology cannot be intimate with a lowly ladino guide.”
“No. That’s not how I feel, I just…” Shamutz. “I don’t care if you’re a guide. You show more sophistication than half of the nerdy archeologists I’ve encountered. And your attention has gone to my head. But you’ll move on, as will I, and I can’t afford to have people twice my age who are the pillars of the archeological an anthropology society have any more reasons to turn their noses up at me than they already do.” She grasped his arm. “Do you understand? It’s not your position. It would be my cavorting with anyone that would raise eyebrows.”
He nodded curtly and picked up the lantern.
“Thank you.” She stopped him with a tug on his shirt. “You have allowed me to feel pretty and flirty. For that I will be forever grateful and your friend. But I’ve spent the last nine years proving to people I belong in this profession, and I can’t allow anything to interfere.” She placed a finger on his lips. “Even your wonderful kisses.�
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“We will remain discreet. Your things are in the shower tent.”
Tino snuffed out the lantern, and they exited the tent, stepping into the light of a half moon. Nocturnal chattering and rustling spilled into the compound from the forest around them.
“I’ll only be a few minutes.” Isabella ducked into the shower tent, excited to have confronted Tino with her fears and expectations of their friendship.
Tino stared at the shadow alongside Walsh’s tent. The darkness undulated and grew, unlike the staid darkness around the other enclosures. He walked casually toward his tent and circled around to a position between the professor’s tent and the jungle. Within minutes, the British archeologist slithered from the shadow and hurried into the jungle.
Where was the man going at this time of night? Tino glanced at the shower tent. Isabella was a nice distraction, but he must focus on his mission—to stop drug trafficking. The muted shadows of night wrapped around him as he entered the jungle. Steady rustling to his left gave away Walsh’s direction of travel. Tino followed, silently sliding between the foliage and placing his feet slow and deliberate. Monkeys chattered and played overhead masking the sound of the professor’s movement through the forest.
Tino strained to hear at ground level and kept a steady forward motion. Voices registered and he stopped to reconnoiter their distance and direction. Using their conversation as a beacon, Tino found Walsh and another man standing in front of a cave entrance.
Two men dressed in fatigues and cradling AK 47s stood guard at the mouth of the cave. Narcos. Was this their base camp? Tino set the coordinates on his GPS and started to his left, making a wide circle around the entrance and searching for another entry or their mode of transportation. They couldn’t move large quantities of drugs without the aid of motorized vehicles.
9 Ways to Fall in Love Page 94