Isabella took a seat next to Eunice. “Where are Virgil and Professor Walsh?”
“Your disappearance yesterday greatly disturbed Virgil. He couldn’t sleep for worry. I had Jaycee take him a sedative early this morning.” Eunice took a sip of coffee. “As for Mr. Pompous, I don’t know where he’s at. He seems to be gone more than he’s here doing his job.”
Pedro placed the family servings of eggs, ham, potatoes, and fruit on the table. “I will have my famous dessert just for you tonight, seño.”
“That would be wonderful Pedro. I look forward to tasting something I had a hand in bringing about.” Isabella dug into her food. Thankfully, no one asked further questions about her disappearance. She wasn’t sure she could keep the details straight if someone questioned her since she made it all up off the cuff.
After the meal she returned to her tent to gather the Mayan Book of Codes. If Virgil was sedated she could go in the altar chamber and finish the translation without his knowing.
*~*
Tino made his way without problems to the cave. He hunkered down behind a fern where he could watch the entrance. Now he had to wait for a sign from Hector that his team stood ready to seize the drugs and narcos.
He pulled an energy bar from his pack and ate it. The thought of Pedro’s good food turned the energy bar to sawdust in his mouth. Usually existing on these bars and water never bothered him. Having access to good cooking the last few days, it took effort to swallow the dry nourishment.
Had Isabella come up with a good story? He’d yet to hear anything other than the truth come out of her kissable lips. He must shake his worry for her and concentrate on his job. Pedro would look out for her. The cook’s comments that he watched Martin, and now Isabella too, had given Tino much to ponder as he observed the narcos who guarded his pack. Why did Pedro watch Martin? At first he thought Miguel asked the cook to keep an eye on his investment. But Isabella? Miguel would have no reason to spy on her. Who had hired Pedro and why? To see if Martin misused funds? Was it the Guatemalan government? Too many questions and not enough answers. He preferred finding the source of a problem and snuffing it out. Like this den of narcos and their goods.
Two hours passed without any sign of Hector or the narcos. He didn’t like the lack of activity from the cave. Every time he had observed the entrance before, someone would wander out or in. And where was Hector? He should have been close enough to the site to have moved in by now.
Tino crept along the edge of the forest near the cave entrance. He listened, hearing only the sounds of nature behind him and silence from the mouth of the cave. Did he dare enter? Did he have a choice?
¡Coño! He had to check out the cave.
He tucked a penlight in his back pocket, his gun in his waistband, and stashed his pack and radio at the base of a frond. With his back pressed against the cave entrance, he slipped into the darkness and stood waiting for his eyes to adjust.
Attentive to the sounds in the darkness, he heard his own breathing and nothing else. Where were they? Not everyone would be out searching for him. He skimmed his feet along the floor to keep from tripping. One hand on the dirt wall, he moved deeper into the dark, cool cavern. He’d traveled enough distance he should be standing in the main chamber.
No light.
No sound.
His hackles vibrated.
Swearing under his breath at the stupidity of his next move, he pulled out the penlight and switched it on. The strong but small beam confirmed he had entered the first chamber.
No supplies. No drugs.
¡Coño! They’d cleared out as soon as he and Isabella had left. He continued deeper into the tunnel and found the area where he’d been held cleaned out too.
Tino leaned against the wall. If he’d done his job and not run away to get Isabella to safety he would have caught them clearing out and brought Hector here sooner. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at the empty cavern. What an idiot he was to have neglected this chance.
He would contact Hector and let him know the drugs had slipped away. The thought ate at his gut like a caiman. He always stopped the shipments assigned to him. Always!
Heavy footsteps hurried toward him from the cave entrance. Tino ducked into the tunnel he and Isabella had used to escape but remained close to the entrance to listen.
“I do not care. I want that woman held until I am ready for her. I cannot believe that moron Martin let her slip away from him so easily.” The Spanish words boomed in don Miguel’s voice and echoed through the dark as a beam of light approached. “We had a deal and he will honor it or not only find himself with no funding but also humiliated as well.”
Miguel and two men passed through the chamber. The men by his sides carried a cloth sack and rope.
What woman? The only one he could think of that got away was Isabella. It would take him too long to go through the jungle to the dig compound and warn her. By the men’s steady pace through the tunnel, they were headed to the hidden door of the altar chamber. His heart squeezed as he slipped into the darkness behind them and followed.
Chapter 23
Isabella spent the better part of the day finishing her translation of the ceremony. What she’d found drew her to the altar chamber after the workers left to eat dinner. This room and the woman depicted on the wall and urn jangled her senses and drifted her into a meditative state.
Sorrow washed over her as she read the glyphs and now realized the woman had been sacrificed to the moon god to bring about good health and prosperity. The woman was to be a virgin, but she’d fallen in love with the moon god and had already given her virginity to him. Was that the sorrow? She didn’t come to the altar as a virgin and so they both wept knowing the sacrifice was for naught?
She registered the sound of stone on stone at the same moment she caught a flash of color out of the corner of her eye. Then all went dark as rough cloth cloaked her head and shoulders and hands gripped her arms tightly. She balanced on one foot and kicked out, landing a blow. A foreign curse filled the darkness. The round cords of a rope bit into her arms and bound them to her body. Isabella tried to kick out again but landed on her bottom when her other leg was knocked out from under her.
“Do not bruise her. She needs to be perfection,” a male voice said in Spanish.
His comment made her struggle even more. If he wanted her unblemished she’d do all she could to be damaged merchandise. Hands pinched as they dug into her armpits, raising her body. Her legs were lifted and her body swayed to the awkward gait of the men carrying her.
The grinding of the boulder closing the passageway echoed in her head as the men carried her into a cooler, darker environment. The musty smell and muffled footsteps confirmed they carried her into the tunnel.
It led only one direction—to the drug traffickers.
Did the traffickers also sell people? Surely they couldn’t think someone of her scholastic aptitude could be sold as a slave?
She hung between the two men for five hundred and twenty-two steps. They stopped and her bottom hit the floor, then her back, head, and lastly her feet.
“¡Suave!” The only voice she’d heard so far other than cursing urged them to be gentle.
“You stay here and make sure she does not hurt herself. You, come with me and bring back supplies. She will remain here until I am ready for her,” the voice commanded.
Isabella moved her feet, hoping the bindings from her knees to her ankles would prove to be loose. They weren’t. Her hands were free, but with her arms bound to her sides, she had only the maneuverability of her wrists and fingers.
“Could you at least take the cover off my head?” she asked, inhaling dust from the cloth and sneezing.
The sound of a blade hacking through burlap held her motionless. The cloth whipped over her head. Her glasses caught on the fabric and disappeared.
“I need my glasses.” Isabella strived for composure, shoving her fear to the back of her mind. The world blurred without her glass
es. The man standing several feet away didn’t make a move to get them. “Por favor, my glasses.”
The darkness and her blurred sight made it impossible for her to see where the sack and her glasses had landed. If she could find either one she could wiggle her way close enough to grasp her eyeglasses. Of course how would she get them on her face? One problem at a time. First the glasses then she’d figure out the rest.
Another blurry object moved slowly behind the man standing above her. Was it his companion? If so, why was he trying hard to not announce his arrival? She watched as the man behind brought something down hard on the other’s head. The thud and crack turned her stomach. The man crumpled and the other blurred form surged toward her.
Her heart raced.
Her protective instincts didn’t give her time to be scared. She curled her legs up tight against her body, ready to catapult her feet into the assailant’s knees.
“Ezzabella, it is Tino.”
The blurry form dropped to her side as his voice sprung loose tears of relief.
“Tino?” Her glasses settled on her nose, and she focused on the face of the only person she trusted. “How did you know I was here?” The ropes slipped from her upper body, and he sliced at the ones on her legs.
“I came here to capture the narcos but they had left. Then don Miguel and two men entered the cave talking about capturing someone. I followed. I could not do anything when they grabbed you since it was three against one, so I waited until the odds were better.”
He captured her head in his hands and kissed her until all her fears were dwarfed by the realization this man would move mountains for her. She returned the kiss and leaned back.
“Thank you for saving me, again. I’m beginning to feel like a damsel in distress.”
His lips hovered above hers. “I prefer the scholar whose passion cannot be contained.” He kissed her hard and quick. “Come, we must leave before the other returns.” He rose, pulling Isabella to her feet.
“Please, don’t drag me through the tunnel with the bats.” Her body froze at the thought of their past encounter.
“We will go back to the dig. Come.” He gripped her hand and hurried into the dark tunnel.
His warm hand in hers gave her added strength and security.
“Does don Miguel also deal in human trafficking?” She couldn’t shake his comment about not damaging her.
“That activity was not on his dossier. But with someone who is friends with a drug dealer and linked to stolen artifacts, I would not doubt it.” Tino’s heart was finally settling after seeing the men kidnapping Isabella. He flipped off his penlight and approached the secret door. A light shone from the other side.
His heart had nearly stopped when he watched the men tie up Isabella and haul her through the tunnel. Were they after any female? He didn’t think so, considering the comment Miguel had made. Why were they after Isabella? A frightening thought pulsed at the back of his mind. The sacrifice. He planned to remain by her side until he could get her safely away. Once the cook heard about the kidnapping, Pedro would help him convince Isabella to leave.
“Is someone out there?” Her warm breath whispered across his neck as her chin rested on his shoulder.
The intimacy they shared warmed his heart and slowly, inch-by-inch, cracked open the door he had slammed shut when he lost his family.
“No, the light is the one you were using before they kidnapped you.” Precautions were now more important since he had no idea who to really trust, other than Isabella. He grasped the stick handle protruding from the boulder, pulled the rock, and stepped through the opening. Isabella followed.
Tino shoved the stone back. He searched the area for a rock to wedge under the entry stone and detain the men should they come this way. Securing the door, he faced Isabella and noticed tears glistening in her eyes.
“Shh, mi pichón. No one will harm you as long as I am around.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her forehead, breathing in the exotic scent he associated with Isabella.
She sniffed. “I’m not crying because I’m scared. It’s this room. Every time I step into it emotions overwhelm me. The sensation is stronger each time. I don’t understand. First it was fear of Virgil, which I learned was real. Then it was a deep sorrow, and now…I can’t explain it. I feel as if I’ve lost my lover, yet, I’ve yet to have one.” Her glistening eyes stared into his.
His groin ached and his heart flipped. “Querida, I will gladly be your lover when you are ready.” He kissed her with all the pent up desire raging in his body.
Her arms wound around his neck, pressing her body the length of his. His resolve wavered at the heat and urgency of her passion. Pounding in his temples pushed away all thoughts other than loving her—here. Now.
In the back of his mind he knew this wasn’t the time or place having just eluded the kidnappers, but his body and mind pulsed with the demand to make Isabella his.
He maneuvered her against the altar and worked his hands under her vest and shirts, relishing her hot, soft skin under his fingers. He seduced her with kisses as his hands worked the buttons on her vest and shirt loose. Pushing the garment down her arms and to the floor at their feet, he pulled the tank top over her head and stared at her heaving chest. His gaze traveled to her face. The rapture of her curved full lips and the heat in her eyes brought a groan from deep inside. He had never wanted a woman as he wanted this one. She would be his after tonight and no one would keep them apart.
Tino bent, taking Isabella’s hardened nipple into his mouth to savor her taste. Her hands ran though his hair, holding his mouth to her as she moaned with pleasure. He captured her mouth and tangled their tongues as he unbuttoned her pants and slid a finger into her hot, hidden treasure. Her moan of appreciation caught in his mouth. He savored her shudder and couldn’t hold back.
Isabella wanted Tino with an ache so sharp it nearly took her breath away. Her body craved his touch. A Chol chant circled and repeated in her head asking for his body to complete hers and reassuring her this was the time.
He slid her pants and panties down her legs, his warm hands heating her skin. His hands grasped her bare waist, lifting her to sit on the altar. The cool stone grew hot under her.
She reclined on the altar and watched him reveal a muscular body with a patch of dark hair on his chest that arrowed down to dark curls cradling his engorged passion.
“You are as magnificent as I dreamed.” She held out her arms, uninhibited, and he balanced his body over the top of her on the altar.
“You will forever be mine after I make love to you.” The finality of his words lit her passion even more.
She nodded and gulped at the knot of emotion clogging her throat. This man knew her like no other and he wanted her, a misfit no one else wanted.
His mouth captured hers, and she lost track of time and place. All that mattered was the completion of their communion, their commitment. The urgency that they must become one spun in her mind. After tonight, she would be whole and need no one but Tino.
The heat of the stone, mixed with Tino’s passionate kisses and hot length gliding inside her, rippled flames along Isabella’s skin and ignited unsurpassed pleasure. Her fingertips skimmed down his muscled back and squeezed his buttocks, marveling at the hard muscle and rhythmic movement, spurring more sensations.
Chol words stole through her lips in a chant. Her body shook, shuddered, absorbed, drawing Tino deeper, making them one and melding their hearts. He covered her mouth with his. Their breath mixed, their bodies shuddered, and white light burst in her head showering her body in electric sparks.
The light faded, the world stopped spinning, and Tino’s reassuring weight pressed her to the stone. He pushed up, his biceps bulging, then descended to kiss her lips one more time, before lifting his whole body off her and sitting on the edge of the stone. “I do not know what came over me. We should not have stolen these moments.” He frowned. “But it was as if my body and mind were separate.”
Tino stared at her. “What do you mean?”
“The gods held time for us to mate.” She waved a hand at the wall carving. “As it was pre-ordained that woman would be sacrificed to bring the Mayans good health and prosperity, it was per-ordained you and I would make love on this altar.”
“How do you know this?” He watched her like a doctor watched an unstable patient.
“The chant in my head while you loved me, and I’ve translated the tablet. The ceremony went terribly wrong because the virgin wasn’t a virgin. She’d been the moon god’s lover. That nullified and actually made the opposite happen. Instead of prosperity, illness came that wiped out a large number of Mayans.”
Tino picked up her hand and played with her fingers. “If anyone else told me this I would believe they were crazy, but knowing you like I do I can believe.” He gazed into her eyes. “This was not a very romantic place to make love the first time. But I swear I felt the Mayans give their assent.”
Isabella sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I agree. It was magical.”
“What were you chanting?” One by one he kissed her fingers.
“I honestly don’t know. My head filled with the wonder of the moment and the words just fluttered out.” A delightful shiver slithered up her arm as he kissed her palm and the underside of her wrist. “Keep this up and I’ll drag you back onto this stone.”
“I would love to accept the offer, querida, but we have lingered too long as it is. The men could come looking for you.”
Tino kissed her lips, long, deep, and with such sweetness, that her heart ached with love.
He drew back. “I will help you dress, wait here.” He slid off the stone and quickly donned his clothing, all the while devouring her with a heated gaze. “You are such a passionate woman; I am blessed to have found you.”
9 Ways to Fall in Love Page 104