On Deadly Ground (Devlin Security Force Book 1)

by Susan Vaughan

  He stopped and unhooked his pack. “Let’s hydrate.”

  She slipped off her pack and drank from her canteen. They were drinking a lot. She’d have to conserve.

  “You seem to be managing the pace okay,” he observed.

  “I am, better than Mom predicted. Before I left the States, she reminded me of, um disasters from years ago on expedition. Said I wasn’t cut out for the wilderness. Or adventure. She’s right.”

  “Cut yourself some slack. You’ve had more adventure than you counted on. Me too.” He swigged more water, Adam’s apple moving in his strong throat. “No mystery why she’s worried. She lost her husband. Her son was injured and kidnapped. She’s afraid of losing her daughter.”

  “And her son.” Doug. No, she would not dwell on Doug’s plight.

  After another sip she sealed up her canteen. “You’re probably right but that’s only part of it. Mom hated going on expeditions. The discomforts, the uncertainty, the dangers in remote places. Bugs, snakes, strange food. At home she kept busy with friends, the garden club, university functions.”

  “She was protecting herself.”

  She frowned. “I never thought of it that way. Odd she married an archeologist if she didn’t understand what that life was like.” Her parents had married while still in college, so her mother probably considered her husband’s profession glamorous. At first.

  He hoisted her pack and motioned for her to turn around. “We’d better keep eating distance. The map shows a cenote coming up in about seven miles. Let’s get there before dark.”

  Cenote, a water-filled sinkhole. They were all over the limestone shelf that made up the Yucatan. “We can clean up and get more water.” She had plenty of water-purifying tablets in her pack.

  As they continued onward, sultry heat wrapping around them, a memory surfaced. She and Doug had been upstairs, supposedly asleep. She heard loud voices and tiptoed to the top of the stairs. Her mom accused her dad of ruining the children’s lives. He retaliated that she was narrow-minded and selfish. The kids’ lives would be broadened, enriched, if she’d only understand. Tears streaming down her cheeks at the harsh tones, Kate had crept back to her bed.

  She hadn’t thought of that episode in years.

  None of the chaos or disagreements or lack of explanations bothered her brother. Only her. When she’d told Max about the disorganized planning, he guessed that was the reason she liked to be in control. Maybe. Was that all it was?

  A deep baying blasted through the jungle—combination air-raid siren and growl on steroids.

  Her pulse jumped. She clutched at Max’s shirtsleeve. “What was that? Hound of the Baskervilles?”

  “Howler monkey somewhere way above us.” He covered her hand with his. “A male, judging from the basso voice.”

  To help calm her nerves, she focused on savoring the strength of his hand. Rough and wide, with long, thick fingers. “Howler. I remember. The world’s loudest creature on land. They use the calls to keep track of each other. This one’s telling the others his location.”

  He cocked his head, brows raised. “Something you learned on expedition with the professor?”

  “Yes, the memory just surfaced. I jumped a mile back then too. Doug laughed at my fright.”

  “He tease you much?”

  “We were about even in the teasing department. I let him get away with that one because the week before at school he stood up for me—his bookworm big sister—against some bigger kids. Doug was a head shorter than them but he backed them down.” She smiled at the memory. “But I know not to be frightened if a howler trumpets again.”

  She had to dig deep for that bravado that the howler’s call had evaporated. And keep in mind Max’s watchword—Be ready for the unexpected.

  ***

  They were making good time. Max figured they’d covered almost three miles in the last hour. They’d be okay for the night once they reached the cenote.

  At the top of a slight rise, he pointed out vultures circling overhead. “The jungle always provides plenty of carrion.”

  “Survival of the fittest.” Kate’s boots crunched on the limestone as she halted to have a look.

  “And those guys do the clean-up.” The songbirds had gone silent. The jungle seemed eerily quiet except for the whish of wings overhead. He studied the underbrush, saw nothing unusual. He’d stay alert.

  Kate mopped her brow with one of the bandannas he’d encouraged her to buy in Cabo Blanco. She was keeping all her fears inside, putting one foot ahead of the other, emotionally as well as literally. Covered in a damp sheen, her face glowed. Clearly fascinated by the vultures, she kept staring upward.

  Until she stumbled.

  Her backpack threw her sideways. Before he could grab her arm, she grabbed a sapling for support. A strangled shriek tore from her throat.

  Then he saw what frightened her.

  A jaguar stood in the middle of the trail, a fawn clamped in its jaws. The tiny creature, its newborn spots still visible, jerked and then fell limp. Sunlight gleamed on the jaguar’s golden fur dotted with rosette-shaped brown and black spots. A big male, more than two hundred pounds. The black nose twitched as it scented the intruders. Fangs flashed with a curl of blood-stained lip. The tail flicked back and forth. Yellow eyes flickered from Kate to Max and back again.

  Cautious. Calculating. Deadly.

  Adrenaline surged his heart into a sprint. Madre de Dios. He flicked open the strap on his drop holster. Withdrew the Glock and released the safety. He’d hate to kill the big cat. This area was its territory. He steadied his breathing, but before he could sight his target, the tawny-eyed beast vanished into the trees with its prey.

  Max holstered the pistol. “Reckon he figured keeping his next meal was better than facing two humans.”

  She didn’t move. Clutched the sapling for dear life, focused on the empty trail where the jaguar had stood.

  “You okay?” He stepped to her side, not liking the pallor in her cheeks.

  She panted as if she’d run a mile. “So much for being brave.” Easing away from her tree support, she nearly fell.

  “Darlin’, take it easy. He’s gone.” He grasped her elbows and steadied her. “Breathe.”

  He unhooked her pack and slid it from her, then shrugged off his. “Hey, jaguars rarely attack humans. Seeing one is a rare thing. The ancient Maya revered the big cat.”

  She nodded. “I know. There are several jaguar gods. It’s just—” She sucked in a breath. “I saw that spotted body. And the poor little fawn...”

  “Poisonous spiders and scorpions are a worse threat. Most won’t kill you but you’d be damned sick. Not to mention malaria-carrying mosquitoes.”

  “What a relief. I’ll be sure to tell my mother.”

  Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. His heart slowed to a jog, but hers was thudding. She felt good in his arms. Too good. “Your scream stopped that jaguar in his tracks. That’ll teach him to look both ways before crossing.”

  She let her head rest against his chest. “I’m such an idiot. I’ll try not to do that again.”

  “No big deal. Let’s hope that’s all you have to panic about.” He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in her sweet-spicy scent.

  She raised her chin and their eyes met.

  Her yellow cap had fallen off in her fright. Sweat plastered hair to her temples. He pulled curls free and tucked them behind one ear. Of its own volition his finger slid downward and along the plump curve of her lower lip.

  Her blue eyes went smoky and her lashes lowered. “Max.”

  Man, that breathy whisper was a yes. But a kiss wasn’t enough. Not by half. He burned to touch her everywhere again, in every intimate way possible. He started to settle his mouth on hers.

  A deafening screech jerked him back into reality with a thud. He stiffened, clawed his way back to alertness.

  “Howler.” Kate shook her head as if to dispel the mood. The smoke in her bluebonnet eyes
cleared and she stepped back.

  Cursing silently, he scanned the area but saw only the surrounding trees. A yellow-and-black bird stared at him from a branch. Kate bent and replaced her cap, face pink instead of the earlier pallor.

  Beautiful. Sexy. And his desire for her had put her in danger.

  “Damn careless and unprofessional of me. Out here, vigilance is key.”

  “You’re right.” She blinked and dropped her gaze to her pack. “I forgot, too. My brother’s kidnapping, Kizin, the danger all around us—everything. I wanted to forget.”

  He wanted her still. And she wanted him. Enough that she’d set aside her distrust and his suspicions of her brother. Rotten timing. “We need to get moving.”

  By the time they slung on their packs, he’d pulled himself together. So, it appeared, had she. Stick-straight back, compressed mouth. They traipsed onward, accompanied by bird chatter and monkey hoots.

  Kate’s last words replayed in his mind. “I wanted to forget.”

  Forget her troubles? Not a hell of a lot different from what he usually wanted from a woman. He limited himself to casual hook-ups for recreation or escape. Why did it tick him off she was ready to do the same?

  Chapter Seventeen

  The sinking sun wasn’t lowering the jungle’s temperature—or Kate’s. Her shirt and camisole clung to her skin like plastic wrap. Humidity frizzed her hair into clown curls. Her feet and back hurt, her shoulder ached, and her thighs wobbled. For now, she just wanted to reach that cenote, where she could ditch her pack and rest for the night.

  She pushed on beside Max, slanting a quick glance his way.

  He was fast becoming a dangerous passion, like an intoxicating potion. If she’d resisted sex with him to begin with, maybe she’d have an easier time resisting him now. How could she be with him again, suspecting his attraction to her was only to weasel out information about Doug?

  “Your brother will have to face up to what he’s done...”

  Was Max talking about the amphora and helmet? Or that criminal syndicate, Centaur? Was it possible? Doug was a good guy, but tunnel vision took over when he wanted something. He had such a fixation on ancient treasures and making big deals. If Max—and Devlin—had proof of some sort, shouldn’t she ask? But did she really want to know? Her head ached with the dilemma.

  As if to remind her why she was here in the damn jungle, Kizin’s weight seemed to drag her pack lower. She had to trust that Devlin’s agent—something Del Rio?—would rescue Doug. And the truth, whatever it was, would come out. Stay strong, Kate.

  Max looked fresh enough, damn him, as he marched along. No hitch in his step or bowing of the back. Squinting, his head cocked, he stared ahead into the gathering dusk.

  “Max, how fa—”

  He stopped her with an arm across her chest. “Listen.” His voice was low and tight.

  At the fierce look in his eyes, her throat tightened. She held herself still as a tree and listened.

  No birdsong. No chatter. Only the scratch and rustle of small creatures in the underbrush and the incessant whine of mosquitoes. In the distance the high-pitched hoot of a screech owl. Then she heard something else.

  A laugh. Male voices talking.

  Icicles pricked her spine. “Bandits?” she whispered.

  “Maybe. They’re off to the right,” he murmured. “We almost walked into them.”

  “We should hide.” She surveyed the shadowed jungle. “Over there, behind the giant agave plant.”

  “Good call.” Grim-faced, he allowed her to tug him into the trees.

  They hunkered down among the huge, fleshy spears of the agave, and he tucked their packs beneath the plant. “They’re speaking Spanish. Wait here while I check out the situation.”

  The low rumble of his voice soothed her but only marginally. She gripped his knee. “I’ll go with you.”

  “You’ll be fine.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “I can slip through the trees and back before you know it.”

  Stay here alone? “No, I’ll come. It’s better if we stay together.”

  “Too dangerous. I won’t risk your life even if you would.” His mouth flattened. “Kate, think. I have military training and experience. Can you move silently and unseen across rocky ground and through dense jungle? In the dark?”

  Night was nibbling away at the graying daylight. Small bats flitted through the shadows. Darkness deepened the shadows to purple, making the jungle impenetrable to searching eyes. And to city girls who would stumble over rocks and into trees. This wasn’t gymnastics or climbing Sedgwick’s scaffolding.

  If she went, she’d only make the situation more dangerous. For Max.

  She slumped, her chest tight. “You’re right, of course. I’ll wait here.”

  He rubbed dirt over his forearms and face, then checked his big pistol. He sketched a salute before the jungle swallowed him whole.

  ***

  Keeping low, Max crept from tree to tree. Just enough light remained to show outcroppings of low-growing plants that would muffle his footsteps.

  The strangers’ laughter died and he heard only conversational tones as he approached. A rising chorus of caws and chirps signaled a return to the normal forest cacophony. Max crouched behind a flowering vine to observe.

  In the center of a small clearing, soccer-ball-size boulders formed a barrier around a hole about as wide as a child’s wading pool.

  This cenote looked more like a well than a sinkhole. Somebody had tied a long rope to a plastic bucket for thirsty travelers to dip water from the well’s depths. A slender tree anchored the rope’s other end. The five men in the clearing took turns dipping water for their canteens.

  Uniforms. Gray and green camouflage with Costa Verde emblems. Rifles lay propped against trees and holsters hung from their belts. Not bandits. Were the soldiers on regular patrol or maneuvers? The hairs lifting on his nape said neither.

  “Why does he want these Americans?” one grunt asked as he screwed the top on his canteen.

  A hook-nosed soldier wearing a sergeant’s insignia spat at the ground beside the other’s boots. “¡Bruto! Fool, that is his business. Yours is to follow orders.”

  “But it makes no sense, sending us from our regular patrol to search for them here. Why not east, between the city and that temple place?”

  “That I will tell you, bruto. Reports that their helicopter went down do not say where. Now ask no more.”

  A third man laughed, poking a fourth in the arm. “Do not give Roano a hard time, Sargento. His woman left him, and he heard the norteamericana is beautiful. Hair like the sun.”

  “We must deliver them alive—if they are still alive.” Roano grabbed his crotch. “But why not have a little fun with the woman first?”

  The sharpness of splintered glass ripped into Max’s chest. He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to go pound the man’s head on one of those rocks.

  Shaking his head, the sergeant made shooing motions. “Time to move out.”

  The five hoisted their rifles and canteens. Still boasting and jostling each other, they disappeared down the rough trail toward the sacbé.

  When Max could no longer hear the scrape of their heavy boots on the limestone surface, he pushed through the thick growth back to Kate.

  She threw her arms around him. “I was so worried. You were gone forever.”

  He ached to hold her tight, to absorb her scent and the softness of her body, but she pulled away, brows snapped together like she regretted the impulse.

  Fuck his needs. She was his priority. Keeping her safe just became harder because of the soldiers—an undisciplined and dangerous bunch. No way in hell could he let her fall into their hands. Monkeys jabbered above him as if in agreement.

  He sat back on his heels. “Did you see the soldiers?”

  “Soldiers? I heard their boots on the stone, but they didn’t come this way.” She gripped his arm. “What did they say?”

  He gave her the gist of it, omit
ting the boasts of the animales. “They didn’t name their commander. President Aguilar or General Lopez, take your pick.”

  “Does it matter?” Disgust sharpened her voice.

  He hesitated to lay out the rest. “More news. The authorities know the chopper went down, but they don’t yet know where. There must be more squads of soldiers spread out searching for us.”

  “Julio was on the radio just before I reached him. He must’ve reported the trouble.”

  “But he didn’t have time to give the coordinates. Lucky for us.”

  “And because they didn’t come back this way, that must mean they’ve gone ahead. They could ambush us.”

  “Give the lady a hundred dollars.”

  She swigged water from her canteen, then set it down with the firm hand of a woman who’d made a decision. “You’re the expert. What should we do?”

  One eyebrow raised, Max pressed a hand to his heart. “You trust me with something? Give me a minute to recover.”

  She swatted him on the arm. “I trust you to keep us safe. How can we stay out of their way? We can’t let them get Kizin.”

  Or you, Kate. She trusted him with her life but not with her jade statue. He clenched his jaw. He’d take what he could get. For now. “I have a plan, but you won’t like it.”

  “If it’ll work, I don’t have to like it. Shoot.”

  “First, we get cleaned up at the cenote and have some chow. We can’t remain there long. The clearing’s too exposed and the soldiers could return. Or others. We’ll go ahead a few hundred yards and make camp in the jungle.”

  She cast a skeptical glance at the dense tangle of trees and vines but nodded. “That makes sense. So what’s second?”

  “We have to stay out of sight. Leave the track and beat through the bush.”

  Her worried gaze veered again to the darkening jungle. Roughing it wasn’t her thing, and she panicked every time the ground trembled, but she was tougher than he’d thought. Tougher than she thought.

  “If we do that, how can we get to K’eq Xlapak on time?” she asked, her tone brittle.