by Ann Charles
“What makes you so sure it’s a hat?” Steel asked, seeming to pay attention for the first time since he’d joined them fifteen minutes ago.
“We’re not,” Juan answered after swallowing his last bite. “But it’s definitely not a piece of the ceiling.”
Steel lowered his fork to his plate. “What sub chamber are you clearing?”
“L.”
“You never mentioned clearing that area of the temple in the plans you submitted to the university.”
Juan swallowed. “The university shortchanged me this year, so we had to modify our plans when money ran low for supplies.”
“You should have updated the board with your plan modifications.” Steel’s lips were pressed thin as he stabbed his food. “That’s standard procedure.”
“You’re right. I’d forgotten the university’s rules.”
“How far did you get on the pile?” Fernando asked.
“What do you think, Quint? About three feet in?”
“If that.”
Juan sipped from his coffee cup. “The darned wheelbarrow tire kept going flat. We had to stop and pump it up four times this morning.”
“I told you not to buy that cheap wheelbarrow,” Pedro told him. “This jungle will chew up a good wheelbarrow in a week.”
“You should have tried harder to convince me back when we were picking up supplies for this year’s dig.”
“So, it’s my fault now, old man?”
Juan grinned. “Isn’t it always?”
“Sí.” Pedro swallowed the last of his lunch, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I’m working with Fernando this afternoon, right?”
Juan shook his head.
“Teodoro gave me a clearance to work, remember? The screwdriver didn’t go very deep. It’s mostly a flesh wound.”
“I know and I do remember what Teodoro said and you will be working this afternoon, but not with Fernando.”
Pedro’s eyes widened. “No!” He pushed his empty plate away. “I’m not going in that temple with you, you’re loco.”
Juan twitched purposefully several times. “I’m only crazy in the morning, boy. Come afternoon, I’m just slightly insane.”
Turning to Quint, Pedro said, “I count my ducks lucky every time I walk out of that temple alive after working with him in there.”
Juan snorted with laughter, which in turn made Quint start chuckling and even garnered a grin from Fernando. Steel, on the other hand, seemed bent on playing the straight man.
The sight of Angélica in the entryway quieted Quint. He noticed a rosy glow on her cheeks when she joined them, a plate of food in hand. For the first time in over a week, she was quick to smile, which seemed odd since today should be one of the worst days of her career.
“What’s so funny?” Her gaze traveled from one man to the next as she lowered onto the bench next to her father.
Wiping tears from his eyes with his napkin, Juan explained, “Pedro is being Pedro. Same as always.”
Pedro pointed at Juan, frowning at Angélica. “I’m not working with him, Angel. I’d sooner spend the day scrubbing down the latrines. Or working with Fernando.”
A grunt came from the foreman at Pedro’s backhanded compliment.
“Fernando is working with Dad this afternoon,” she said, tearing into her panucho. “So is Jared for that matter. We’re shutting down the work in the Owl Temple for the season to focus more energy on clearing and stabilizing the Dawn Temple.” She took another big bite, making quick work of her lunch.
“What about you?” Pedro asked her.
She held up her finger until she swallowed. “I’m going to close up the other temples for the season.”
His face suddenly sober, Juan tapped her on the wrist. “Did you tell them?”
“Yep. They’re packing as we speak. Not too happy about it either.” She grimaced at her plate before taking another bite.
Fernando stood with his plate in hand. “Full pay?”
She nodded.
“Plus the bonus?” Juan asked.
She nodded again, and then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “They earned it for their commitment, even if they weren’t able to stay through the end.”
“That’s expensive,” Steel said, pointing out the obvious.
“Yeah, well they were willing to put their lives at risk.”
“When are Teodoro and María leaving?” Pedro asked.
“Tomorrow morning. María wants to make us some extra food before she leaves.”
“One of these days I am going to steal that wonderful woman away from Teodoro, mark my words,” Pedro joked.
Angélica swallowed another big bite of panucho. “I don’t think you’re man enough for her.”
Looking at Quint, Pedro asked, “Why do I put up with this harassment?”
“Because you love us and we’re the only family you have,” she answered for Quint, laughing at the face Pedro made at her. “How’s the leg?”
“Sore, but healing. That goop Teodoro uses is magic.”
“He’ll be happy to hear that. He’s going to put together a first aid kit so I can take care of your leg after he’s gone.”
“So much for our nightly watches,” Steel said, dropping his fork on his plate.
Juan sighed. “It doesn’t seem right, ending it this way.”
Wiping her hands on a napkin, she grabbed her empty plate and stood. “It could have been worse, Dad,” she said, dropping a kiss on his temple. “Much worse.” She pointed her plate at Quint. “If you’re about finished, I need your help with something.”
Quint pointed at his chest. Holy chicken molé! Did she actually say she needed him? Was Rover flying around outside? “Me? Right now?”
“Yes, you. Since you refuse to leave with the rest of the crew like I ordered, I’m going to put your ass to work.”
God, he loved it when she got feisty with him.
He pushed to his feet. “Let’s roll!”
* * *
Angélica wasn’t kidding around; she really did need Quint.
However, rather than helping to close up the other temples, she needed him in the Temple of the Water Witch. Quint was the only logical choice of helpers since Pedro was injured. Her father and Fernando had to keep Jared busy and distracted. Besides, Quint acted as the perfect repellent for Jared. Her ex-husband had told her again yesterday how much he disliked working in the same room as Quint in the midst of lobbying once again for her to kick Parker off the dig site.
As she led him into the Temple of the Water Witch, she explained all of this to him. But she waited until they had reached their destination—the chamber with the curse glyph that had started the whole mess—to show him what she’d found.
“Guess what?” She grabbed his arm and towed him over to the wall adjacent to the glyph-covered wall. “This morning, a mouse showed me where the king’s tomb is hidden.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Were Minnie and Donald Duck with him?”
“No, smartass.”
He leaned over and peered into one of her eyes and then the other. “How much sleep did you get last night?”
“Enough.”
His eyes narrowed to a squint. “Were you out gathering magic mushrooms in the jungle this morning?”
“Parker, I’m not hallucinating. I threw the mouse a piece of one of María’s tortillas that I was planning to take back to Rover. The mouse grabbed it and slipped through that thumb-sized crack over there.” She pointed her flashlight at the crack. “The king is on the other side.”
Quint squatted in front of the wall. “Right here?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t think he has a little burrow in the crack?”
“No.” She dropped onto her knees next to him. “For one thing, it’s too narrow for a mouse his size.”
“True. I imagine those big yellow shoes of his would cause problems in that tiny crack.”
She punched him lightly in the shoulder.
&n
bsp; “Ow, you brute,” he complained, chuckling. “You’re going to need to kiss that better later. And while you’re kissing places on my body, I have another spot that needs your—”
“Anyway,” she interrupted, ignoring his flirting. “My theory is that there is a cavity on the other side of the stone block.” The thought of the artifacts that might be hidden there made her heart zing. Maybe she’d even find the shell, which could possibly save her career after this year’s dig site fiasco.
“No wonder you were so happy at lunch.”
“I was that obvious, huh?”
“Well, I was paying close attention.” He ran his hand over a different carving of the king in which he was getting his tongue pricked with a stingray spine. “So how do we break through without ruining the carvings on this wall?” He surveyed the wall from floor to ceiling. “Or bringing the whole thing down on us?”
“That’s the tricky part. Normally, I’d have Dad in here with me, and he’d have all of these ideas on what is the safest bet structurally. But he has to babysit Jared, so you and I are on our own.”
He looked at her, his gaze smoldering, giving her all sorts of naked ideas.
“Knock it off, Parker. We have a lot of work to do.”
“That’s too bad. All work and no play makes me hot and sweaty, and not in a fun way.” He grabbed the small hammer and chisel from her tool pouch. “Okay, boss lady, show me where to start.”
“I think if you loosen the joints on this block,” she pointed at the one with the crack, “you’ll hit the edge of these two glyphs. I’ve already photographed and made charcoal rubs of this section in detail, so I’m willing to take the gamble that whatever is behind this wall is worth the possibility of marring it.”
… An hour later, Quint had the two-foot square block wiggling.
Angélica put down her notepad and scooted over next to him. “How are you doing?” She held out the jug of water she’d brought along after lunch. The back of his shirt was soaked, but he hadn’t spoken a word of complaint. “Want me to take over?”
“What? And have a woman do a man’s job?” he joked. “Maybe in a little while.” He swigged a drink of water.
She inspected his work, appreciating his care with the surrounding glyphs.
“You know what I don’t get?” He handed the water back to her. “If you compare the joints on this wall to those on one of the walls in the Dawn Temple, the workmanship is as different as night and day.” He pointed at one of the joints. “See how smooth and tight this is? Someone worked very hard to practically mold these together. Hell, if this stress crack hadn’t developed, I bet this wall would’ve lasted for another millennium without a problem, especially since it’s protected inside the outer temple walls. So, what’s the difference? The builder? Or is the Dawn Temple centuries older than this one?”
She tucked her pencil behind her ear, happy to share her ideas about what had happened here long ago. “According to the glyphs in this room, the king who had this chamber built seemed to be paranoid about his wealth and possessions. My guess is that this wall was purposely designed and built to keep strangers like you and me out.”
“I hope that guy got paid well for his hard work.” He swiped the sweat from his forehead. “You really think the shell is behind here?”
“I sure hope so. I’m out of places to look if it’s not, and probably out of a job. You interested in hiring someone to carry your tripod?”
His smile made her forget about how much it hurt to say goodbye to her crew this morning. “In my line of work, tripod carriers are a dime a dozen.” He wiped his hands off on his pants and picked up the hammer and chisel again. “What I need is a beautiful woman experienced in exotic dancing and intimate massage. Interviews will be held later in my tent if you’re interested in applying.”
… Two hours later, Angélica stopped hammering for a moment and reached for the water jug. She pushed against the loosened stone with her boot. The block shifted in its bed.
“If only this wall was outside,” she told Quint. “The exposure to the elements would have made this job much easier.” She gulped down the water and then splashed some on her face.
“Whatever possessed you to marry Steel?” Quint asked, his voice soft, like he’d woken from a dream.
His question stopped her short. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, lying on his side about three feet away, his head propped up on his elbow as he watched her.
She lowered the water, slowly twisting the cap on as several answers played through her mind. In the end, she settled on the truth: “I was pregnant.”
“Whoa.”
She stared blankly at the block they were working on, slipping into the past.
“We’d been engaged for several months before tying the knot, so it wasn’t like it was a shotgun wedding or anything. I never told my parents about the baby.”
“Why not?”
“When I first told Jared, he insisted on secrecy and pushed me to marry him as soon as possible. At the time, I thought he was being romantic.” She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. “Looking back, I see how naïve I was. He was worried about his reputation and what his colleagues would say about him having a pregnant fiancée.”
“Have I mentioned my dislike for your ex-husband?”
She doubted Quint’s feelings for Jared came close to hers after the bullshit he’d put her through.
“I lost the baby in the third month, about two weeks after our wedding. At the time I was devastated, but now I realize how fortunate it was for all parties involved.” She let out a hollow chuckle. “Jared isn’t exactly the best father material.”
“He’s certainly no Andy Griffith.”
The memory of how brokenhearted and alone she’d felt at the time still made her feel melancholy. “I don’t think he would have let me walk away from him so easily if we’d had a child.”
“He didn’t own you.”
“No, but I did let him run my life for a while.” She realized suddenly what she’d just disclosed and to whom. “Anyway,” she waved off the concern on Quint’s face, “it’s ancient history—my specialty.”
“Did you ever tell your parents about the baby? Even after you left Steel?”
She shook her head. “Only Jared and I knew about it.”
And now Quint. She hit him with a warning glare. “I’d rather nobody else found out either, if you get my point.”
“Not a word, I promise.” He placed his hand over his heart.
“Thank you.” She wiped away the drop of sweat making a beeline for her eye and then lifted the chisel again.
“Why’d you tell me that?” His voice stopped her.
She wasn’t completely sure. “I guess I wanted you to know the truth about why I married Jared.”
He flinched slightly and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I know how much you detest him,” she continued, “and I wanted you to understand the main motivation that drove me to the altar. Had it not been for the baby, I probably would’ve come to my senses before taking that vow.” She focused back on the wall, feeling all kinds of foolish for sharing something so personal.
“Why else did you tell me?”
“There is no other reason.”
“Your father told me that you only trust those you care about.”
A red-hot blush made her sweat all anew. “My father causes me a lot of grief.” She was going to duct tape his mouth shut if he didn’t stop giving details about her. She shoved the chisel toward him. “Enough talking. It’s your turn.”
He grabbed the chisel and took her place. “Let’s clear the air on another truth before I start.”
“Okay, shoot.” She tried to brace herself for whatever was to come, schooling her face.
“I understand why you married Steel. I understand even more why you divorced him. But in case you think I have an issue with your past love life, you need to get it through that overly brainy head of yours that I
don’t.” He ran his finger down her cheek. “My only concern since I met you is who comes next.”
She had little doubt, but the suspected consequences kept getting in the way. For now she needed to keep her focus on finding the shell.
“You want to know who’s next?” She batted her eyelashes at him, needing to diffuse the sexual tension that filled the chamber before she did something really, really stupid. “Well, I do have a few candidates in mind.”
He laughed and focused back on the wall, raising the chisel. “Let’s hurry up and find that damned shell.”
Chapter Twenty
Descubrimiento: Discovery.
They’d come so close, Angélica thought later that evening. She sat at her desk inside of her tent, her head in her hands. How in the hell was she going to figure out a way to get that damned loose stone out over the lip that was blocking it without bringing the whole wall down? She’d have to take her dad in there tomorrow without raising Jared’s curiosity. Or maybe she could wake him later and they could go in the middle of the …
“Angélica,” Quint’s voice came from the other side of the tent flap. “I need to talk to you.”
A glance at the dirty clothes, books, artifacts, and notes strewn around her tent made her wrinkle her nose. She decided to meet him outside, stepping out into the sticky night air.
The lantern light filtering out through the mesh flap cast a soft glow across Quint. His shirt was unbuttoned halfway down, giving her a glimpse of his chest.
“I had an idea while I was showering,” he told her.
She dragged her gaze north. With his wavy hair slicked back and a couple days’ worth of stubble on his chin, he looked good enough to eat. She probably shouldn’t have skipped supper again.
Pretending she wasn’t thinking about joining him in the shower some time, she played along. “An idea about what?”
“How we can move that block out of there without having the wall collapse on us,” he said in a quiet voice and glanced around suspiciously. “Can we go inside your tent to discuss this?”
Oh, hell no. Besides her tent being a pit, she stank like three-day-old underwear and didn’t doubt she’d do something to embarrass herself within minutes. “How about we go in yours instead?”