Tony stretched. “Can we hit the sack now?”
“I’m too excited to think about sleep.”
“We could always think about something else.” He waggled his brows.
“You mean like our visit to Chichén Itzá tomorrow?”
“Exactly. Should be as thrilling as our snorkeling adventure this morning.”
She socked his arm. “No way are we missing the ruins, bub. And the only decent time to visit them is before the tour buses come in. We can’t reschedule dawn like a snorkeling boat.”
“Okay, okay.” Tony raised his hands. “Let’s get some shut-eye, wife. Were on the road at sunup tomorrow.”
Tony woke up before the alarm clock shrilled. Predawn haze filtered through the blinds on the French doors. His wife slept on her side facing him, lips parted, and there was that cute little snore. Yep, he could wake up next to this every day. He kissed her nose, and she stirred, sighed, and rolled over. Shame to wake her just because he couldn’t sleep anymore.
He slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom to put on his running shorts. It’d have to be a quick workout this morning. Oh, blast, was that his cell phone? That’d wake Desi for sure. He hustled into the bedroom. Too late. She was sitting up, scraping her hands through her hair.
She blinked at him owlishly while he grabbed his phone off the side table. “I’ll go in the other room.”
She waved him off and flopped back onto the pillow.
Checking his caller ID, Tony left the room. “Lucano here. And you’d better have a great excuse for bugging newlyweds before 5:00 a.m. on their honeymoon, Stevo.”
“Yeah, well, it’s about six here. Time to be up and at ‘em. You two okay?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t we be?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. At least, you sound as ornery as ever.”
“And you sound—I don’t know—uncertain. Very un-Stevolike. I know you didn’t call to exchange unpleasantries. Some emergency back there?” He perched on a kitchen stool.
“Nothing like that.”
“No emergency. Then what? Do I have to fly home and choke it out of you?”
Long growl. “I’d tell you the problem if I could, but I don’t know what it is.”
“You’re not on the juice again are you?”
“Okay, I’ll confess. It happened again last night.”
“It?” Tony pounded the counter with the side of his fist. “You broke up with Lana. That’s the only thing that would get you drinking again. I—”
“Who said I was drinking? And I did not break up with Lana. What are you drinking?”
Tony held the phone away from his ear. Where did this conversation go wrong? “Stevo, it’s too early in the morning for a mystery. Spit out what you called to say.”
“I didn’t call to say anything. I needed to find out how you two were doing.”
“This is all about ‘Hi, how are ya?’”
“If I explain any more, you’re going to think I’m nuts.”
“You’ve already got me half convinced, so try me.”
Heavy sigh. “I woke up last night in the dinky hours with this feeling I needed to talk to the Big Guy about you—Desi too. Been pacing the floor ever since. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I call and find out the whole things bogus.”
“Whoa!” Tony jumped up. “I can hardly believe it.”
“Yeah, sorry for bothering you. I just—”
“This is…amazing.”
“Does that mean I’m off my rocker?”
“Not at all,” Tony said. “You haven’t been a believer very long, and you’re already getting assignments from heaven. Pretty awesome there, buddy.”
“But why was I praying if there’s nothing wrong?”
“Maybe God had you pray in order to prevent something from happening. Or maybe there’s something up ahead none of us knows about, and we need prayer to see us through.”
A beat of silence. “I’ve still got this wound-so-tight-I’m-gonna-bust feeling in my gut.”
“Then keep praying. We’d appreciate it.”
“You doing anything dangerous today?”
“A drive into the jungle to see some Mayan ruins.” Tony checked the clock. Forget the run this morning. He’d have to make it up this evening, big time. If his endurance didn’t improve soon, he’d have to admit—Don’t go there!
“Well, keep your eyeballs peeled, pal.”
“You got it.” At least this broken-down agent could do that much.
“Call me if anything exciting happens.” Steve cleared his throat. “It’d make me feel better to know I’m not out of my gourd.”
“Stevo, intercessory prayer is a normal part of the Christian life. But it sounds like the Lord’s tapping you for serious duty. It’s an honor.”
“I don’t feel honored, just…heavy.”
“Hang in there. You know I’ll watch over Desi.”
“Yeah, but who’s gonna watch over you?”
“Guess that’s up to you and God.”
“Oh, look.” Desi pointed into the jungle. “There’s a spider monkey.” She laughed. “No, don’t turn your head. We’ve whizzed past it already, and I’d rather have your eyes on the road.” She found him staring at her. “Hey, I said eyes on the road, buster.”
“Hard to do when I’m distracted by the great view sitting next to me.”
Would that just-for-her smile always turn her insides to warm taffy? Hah! When it didn’t, she’d be ready to check into the morgue. “Oh, right. With my hair torn apart by the wind.” She lifted her face to catch more of the tropical airstream. “I love this convertible.”
“What about me? Whoo-hoo! I’m a thirty-six-year-old kid in a candy shop. Who would have thought the villa came with access to the Ferrari in the garage?”
“There are some advantages to doing favors for presidents.”
“Good thing the honeymoon gift came for you and had nothing to do with me. Even so, it was iffy for the bureau to let us accept the trip. The fact that I’m on leave and not active tipped the scales in our favor.”
“You never told me that before.” Irritation ruffled the edges of her happiness.
Tony shrugged. “You had a lot on your plate, planning the wedding and everything. Since we got the go-ahead all right, I didn’t want to bother you with the details.”
Okay, he meant well. At least he had told her about Steve’s troubled phone call. “Details, shmetails. This day is too beautiful to set up a fuss, but you’d better not make a habit of keeping things from me. Except work stuff, of course.”
“That was work stuff.”
“You know what I mean. Confidential case information.”
“So I should’ve granted you the privilege of worrying about something you couldn’t influence or change?”
“Right.”
“Sounds like a waste of brain cells to me.”
“At least I would have known there was a possibility we’d have to change our plans.”
“But the problem never occurred.”
“Not the point.”
“I give up.” He lifted his hands from the wheel.
“Good. Now drive, sweetheart. This rocket won’t steer itself.” She gazed at the jungle. “Did you know jaguars roam in there? The four-footed kind,” she added quickly.
Tony snorted “Probably less dangerous than the two-legged variety.”
“Strange to think somewhere in the rain forest a human animal directed the destruction of so many lives. Smuggling drugs. Forcing young girls into prostitution. Robbing his country of it’s heritage. And the stupid young men he recruited. Agh!”
“You count the Fraternidad members as victims?”
“I’m not that naive. Some enjoy the evil they do. They’d sign on with whatever bunch offered them a way to make quick bucks. But then there are the others, the ones who join to find hope.”
“Hope?” Tony’s glance said he was convinced she’d finally lost her last marble.
“Society hasn’t given them any. They can’t get an education, a job, a decent home, or common respect. The gang offers them those things and a place to belong. I’m thinking about Zapopas grandson. So close to grabbing the fools gold the gang offers, all because he had nothing else to look forward to for himself or his children after him. Do you see what I mean?”
Tony downshifted as they neared their turnoff. “I know what drives people to join gangs, but I’ve never heard it boiled down to hope. If that’s what they’re after, here’s the real tragedy.” He guided the vehicle into the paved parking lot at Chichén Itzá. “Joining a gang steals whatever hope they had left. They’re gun fodder for whoever’s at the top. They never see the high life they craved, and the end of the road is prison or death. What a waste!”
He parked the Ferrari near booths where Mexican vendors were starting to set out homemade wares. Few other vehicles stood in the lot.
Desi consulted her watch. “Fifteen minutes until the gate opens. This place is amazing. I can hardly wait to show it to you without the crowds or a pesky tour guide.”
They got out of the car, browsed the native crafts, and purchased a couple of souvenirs. Then they stowed the packages in the trunk in time to be the first people onto the grounds. An hour later, after exploring a tomb pyramid and the Plaza of a Thousand Columns, they left a Mayan dwelling. Desi laughed as Tony turned at an angle to get out the door.
“These people must have been no bigger than you,” he groused.
She bumped him with her hip. “Not everybody’s built like Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
“I don’t plan on bulking up that much, but I’d like to be fit again.”
Desi stepped in front of him. “I don’t want to hear one more negative comment about your physical abilities. Don’t trainers teach positive self-talk with their exercises?” She planted her hands on her hips. “And doesn’t faith rejoice over the desired outcome before it happens?”
“I’m not where I should be, and progress is nil. The clocks ticking, babe. We might have to face it—you won’t be married to an FBI agent. And that’s the facts, ma’am.”
“I don’t care if you’re a dogcatcher. I exchanged vows with Tony Lucano, not a G-man. Besides, I’ve got Plan B in mind, but I wasn’t going to mention it…yet.” Desi gulped down a lump in her throat. By the look on his face, she shouldn’t have brought it up now either.
He stepped back and folded his arms over his chest. “Real heartwarming. Faith Woman has an alternate plan for her struggling hubby. Let’s hear it. Some cockamamie idea of hiring me as an HJ Securities investigator, I’ll bet. What were you going to do—pair Stevo and me?”
Desi’s cheeks warmed. No one ever said her husband wasn’t sharp on the uptake. “Were on our honeymoon. Can’t we save business talk until we get back to Boston?”
“You pushed the subject.” He stepped around her. “But if you don’t want to talk, by all means, let’s continue the tour. Where’s this Pyramid of Kukulcan you’ve been bragging up all morning?” His words were clipped, like he was addressing a suspect.
Heat boiled through Desi’s veins. Of all the stubborn… “Fine. We came here to see ancient ruins, so let’s see them. That way.” She pointed up a wooded path.
He stepped in that direction. “You coming?”
They walked—correction, stalked up a tree-covered path side by side, but with enough distance between them to fit the Temple of the Warriors. The forest loomed low and thick. Insects buzzed in the dead air. With no structures in sight, if Desi didn’t know better, she’d think they were lost in the jungle. Then they burst into a vast open expanse dominated by a mammoth pyramid that surged toward the sky. They stopped in one accord.
“Way impressive, isn’t it?” Desi’s aid.
“That’s a major understatement.” Tony headed across the field.
Desi trotted to catch up. Tony reached the base of the pyramid and stood, legs splayed, head swiveling from statues to stairs to the temple at the top. She came up beside him.
“The Mayans built this temple pyramid to worship the god-king Kukulcan,” she said, “but the Spanish call it El Castillo, the castle. See these stone snake heads at the corners?”
“Nasty-looking critters.”
“During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the rising and setting sun casts shadows down the sides of the steps that appear exactly like writhing snake bodies attached to the heads.”
Tony shook his head. “Figuring out that trick took genius-level math. Goes to show that an advanced civilization can exist without electricity or the Internet. Then here we are with all the whiz-bang conveniences, and we act like savages.”
Desi snorted. “These guys were pretty savage for all their smarts. Lots of bloody war topped off by human sacrifice. I’ll tell you more about that when we gçt to the sacred cenote.”
“Cenote?”
“It’s pretty much a big sinkhole with water in the bottom. An underground river makes it a natural well. But it’s a spooky place, unearthly quiet, and the water’s scary deep and still. Like it’s biding time for more gold and jewels and pots and people to be thrown into it.”
“Enough on that subject. You game?” He pointed upward.
Her gaze traveled the steep stone stairs. “Of course.”
“Race you.” He charged upward.
“No fair!” Desi followed. “Your legs are longer.”
“Since when does that bother you when were out jogging?”
Desi ducked her head and moved her feet raster. Faster. Her legs ached, and her lungs strained. She wasn’t going to make it. Then she hit something.
Strong arms caught her. “Hold on, darlirí. Were at the top. Enjoy the view.”
Sucking air like a bellows, she scanned the vista. “This is like…sitting at the top…of a giant Ferris wheel. You can see everything.”
Beyond the ancient city, the deep green canopy of the rain forest spread toward the horizon. Within the grounds, temples, platforms, pillars, and tombs looked small, and clusters of tourists moved around like swarms of beetles. A glint of sunlight off glass near the Platform of the Skulls caught her eye. A lone figure studied the pyramid with a pair of binoculars. On a whim, she lifted a hand in greeting. The person lowered the binoculars and turned away.
“Who are you waving at?” Tony tugged a strand of her hair.
“Some guy scoping out the area with binoculars.”
“Where?”
She pointed. “Oh, he’s gpne. Must have wandered off to the next attraction. I’m glad we came up here.” She rested her head against his chest. Should she point out which one of them was the most out of breath? And it wasn’t him.
“I’m glad too, and sorry for being touchy.”
“No, I’m sorry. I was double minded without realizing it. I tell you to have faith and then I announce a secondary plan.”
“Planning for eventualities is good.”
“Not when I truly believe you’re going to get your badge back.”
“You do?” He stared like she’d handed him the Holy Grail. “I don’t want to disappoint you.” He put his hands in his pockets.
“That’s what I keep trying to get across. You can’t disappoint me.”
“Oh, yes, I can. I’m a fallible man, Mrs. Lucano. I just hope you’ll hang in there with me when I mess up. Your confidence helps, and maybe it’ll put me over the top with a miracle, because that’s what it’s going to take to get my career back.”
Desi wrapped her arms around his middle, her throat too full for words. What could she say? She’d already told him every way she knew how that he could make it, but he was the one who needed to believe. If he didn’t…or couldn’t… She drew in a shaky breath.
Tony nudged her. “I can’t come all the way up here and not kiss my wife at the top of the world.”
He lowered his head, and she lifted up on her toes. The kiss deepened, lengthened. Warmth and well-being sifted through her. What problem could st
and before their union?
Clapping and cheering erupted from below. Desi gasped and pulled away. A large tour group was climbing the pyramid, applauding and waving.
Desi grinned. “Might as well play to the crowd.”
Tony shrugged. They joined hands and flourished a bow.
Laughing, she tugged Tony into the temple at the top of the pyramid, and they browsed carvings of the Mayan rain god Chaac. Then they headed down the stairs at a leisurely pace.
“Well, that was fun,” Tony said when they reached bottom. “What next?”
“There’s a doorway on the north side of El Castillo that leads to a tunnel and a set of stairs up to a room where we could see King Kukulcan’s jaguar throne, but I’ve done enough steps for now. So it’s the ball court. If that doesn’t inspire you, Mr. Athlete, nothing will.”
They crossed the open field and approached a vast, high-walled structure. Sticking out from it was a platform with a short tower built on top of it. Desi pointed toward a series of carvings on the tower. “More jaguars. The Mayans revered them, even named a military order after them. This is the Temple of the Jaguars. Makes you wonder if our modern-day El Jaguar is of Mayan ancestry. Sure would explain his choice of nom de guerre.”
Tony took her hand and moved on. “I guess I can tell you this, since you’re brilliant as usual. The bureau and the Mexican federales share your conviction that we’re dealing with a descendant of the
Maya. Unfortunately, that narrows the suspect list down to a third of the population of the state of Yucatán, not to mention the other Maya scattered throughout the country.”
“Never mind then. Here’s the ball court, and it’s much more interesting than some slime-ball gangster.” Desi watched Tony’s slack-jawed face as he took in the massive stadium.
“The Patriots could play here.”
She laughed. “What do you mean? The Patriots and the Celtics could play at the same time and not even bump into each other.”
“The walls are at least four times my height”
“See the two stone rings sticking out near the tops on either side? The Mayans played with an eight-pound rubber ball, and the object was to get it through one of the rings.”
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