Luca motioned Ari aside after the group unloaded the tents and supplies from the shuttle. “Tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“About your arachnophobia.”
Well, that is better than explaining why my finger ended up Natasha’s nose. “I really don’t want to discuss it.” She looked past him, trying to see Tikal.
Luca waved his hand in her line of sight. “You cannot see much of Tikal until you walk in. The vegetation hides it.”
She glared at him and batted his hand away. “Stop it. I can see a temple from here.”
“You may not know this, but many, many people have a fear of spiders.” He put his hands on his hips, his words taking on a lecture tone. “It is believed to result from evolutionary selection, because spiders are associated with disease and pain, especially the venomous varieties. They are very effective vectors. The fear is often inherited, but something tells me you may have had a negative experience that was traumatizing. You appeared terrified.”
“Do we really need to have this talk now?” she asked, exasperated. “I want to see Tikal. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life to see this.”
“Fine, I understand,” he grumbled, throwing his hands up. “But it is difficult to absorb something fully when you have fear. It creates a wall, effectively diminishing the experience. I was under the impression that talking might help.”
“I’ll be fine. We can talk later, okay?” She found it difficult to pull her gaze from his.
“Promise?”
“Yes. Thanks for your concern. I kinda overreacted.”
“If you say so. Until later then.” He turned away, effectively dismissing her. “Everyone. Over here, please,” Luca called, raising his arm overhead. Belting out over the symphony of animal and bird sounds, he laid out the day’s plans. “First we will attend to our campsite—”
A chorus of disappointment met his words as the group stood in a haphazard circle.
“I realize you are eager to explore. We set up now while we can see and before it becomes too hot. You have until 1700 to walk the park, and then we meet at our campsite. Everyone is to explore in pairs or larger groups. Tikal is large and can be treacherous. Go slowly. Pay attention to the terrain and steps. Any questions?”
Natasha raised her hand. “I’d like to shadow you, Big Guy.”
“That is fine, Natasha.”
Big Guy. I’m going to puke. Ari walked to the edge of the group and studied the ruins in an attempt to block out Natasha and her annoyance. She couldn’t see that much from the campsite.
Joan chimed in. “I’d like to go with you too. I understand you’ve been here several times before, Luca. You can provide me with some lovely insight, I’m sure.”
“Why don’t you keep Ari company, Joan? After all, this”—Natasha extended her hand and swept it in a wide arc toward the ruins—“is Ari’s thing. She’s an expert on Maya culture.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass for now.” Joan turned so that Natasha couldn’t see her wink and winked at Ari, adding, “I’ll pepper her with questions later, after I’ve walked the ruins.”
A sour expression had replaced Natasha’s smug one. Feeling much better, Ari smiled at the ground, appreciating Joan’s purposeful and unwelcome intrusion. Other colleagues broke into groups, mostly threes and fours, and headed to get tent and camp supplies from the shuttle.
Meg came over and threw an arm around Ari’s shoulders and giggled. She kept her voice low. “Hey, mate. Natasha looks mad as a cut snake. Why doncha come with Matty and me? We’re both expert climbers.” She nodded over at Luca, Joan, and Natasha. “And no dramas.”
“I’d enjoy that,” Ari said, warming to the idea of scaling a temple or two. She could use the support. The steep, uneven steps had looked challenging. Grabbing one end of a tent, she said, “Come on. Let’s get our tent up first. You bunking with me tonight?”
“Where else would I be sleeping?”
“I thought—”
“Hey, we’ll be out in the open. Matty and I should try to maintain a professional appearance.” Meg grabbed the other end of the tent and put a bag of gear over her shoulder.
“Oh my word. Everyone has to know you’re hooking up.”
“Possibly. And I’m sure everyone is aware of the sizzle between you and our boss.”
Ari groaned. “I hope not. He’s just handsome and, okay, sexy…”
“Yeah, says you with your panties on fire and your tongue down his throat. All of us here are scientists. We study, question, observe. We research and look for the patterns and draw conclusions based on them. No one here is blind or stupid. We’re also human and adults. Well, some of us more than others. I do think dear Natasha had her hopes dashed when Joan joined what she hoped would be a twosome. Gotta love Joan. She’s cheering for you and Luca.”
“Huh? What?” Surprise stopped Ari in her tracks. In the corner of her eye, she watched Matt and Luca pitch their tent. The two of them laughed and worked together as if they had known each other forever.
“Joan knows. Keaton told her.”
“Keaton?”
“Crikey, it’s close. Feel like I’m steaming in an oven.” Meg cleared her throat, wiped her face, and retied the scarf around her hairline to catch any other sweat. “He saw you two walking the promenade. Before you disappeared for some time last night. Happened to look out his window. I guess it overlooks the water.”
“Oh no—”
“Yep. He and Joan were examining maps and geology info.”
“And you know this how?”
“Joan likes to share, but I asked her not to say anything to anyone else.”
“Do you think Luca knows they suspect?”
“Come on, Ari. They don’t suspect. They know. I have no idea if he knows they know. And what are you going to do about it if he does?”
“Hell, I don’t know. I didn’t come to Guatemala looking for this. I’m so overwhelmed with so many different feelings, confusion being one. I refuse to become his toy.”
“There is no way you’re a toy. Do you see the way he looks at you?”
Laughter burst from Ari. “Yeah. Pure lust.”
“Don’t be daft, girlfriend. There’s more than lust. Granted, he looks like he wants to jump you half the time. Drag you off. Do something dirty in the bush.”
Ari laughed harder and wiped her eyes. “You’re so funny! Now he sounds like a caveman or some predatory animal.”
“Well, you did point out he moves like a big cat.”
“Guilty. He reminds me of a jagu—”
“And he watches you, a lot.”
She remained silent, blushing and busying herself with organizing the tent poles.
Hands on her hips, Meg studied the ground sheet and tent she’d unfolded. “Hm. I think that we need an additional tent. This tent is supposed to be a four-man, but it’s smaller. The three of us could squeeze in, but it would be really tight, especially with Joan being a bigger woman. In this heat, I really don’t want to sleep any closer to someone than I have to, unless it’s Matt, and that isn’t an option tonight. I’ll still share with Joan since he’s bunking with Luca.” She elbowed Ari. “You can have the single. You know, just in case.”
“Knock it off. I am not sleeping with him or inviting him to sleep with me.”
“Okay. Didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers. Believe me, I’d sleep with Matt if Luca hadn’t assigned him to his tent.”
“I’ll see if I can find a smaller tent.”
Meg looked around, observing the tents in various stages of completion. She nodded at the diminishing pile of tents. “I think small is all that’s left.”
Ari left and returned with a smaller tent, dropping it to the ground. “This seems awfully small.” She stared at it.
“It looks like a pup tent, maybe slightly bigger.” Noticing that Ari wasn’t moving, she asked, “What’s wrong? Is it missing something?”
“Um”—her voice drifted off as she leaned all
her weight to one foot and placed a hand on her hip—“I’ve never camped, Meg. I have no idea how to put a tent together.”
“Pitch a tent,” Meg corrected her gently.
“Yeah. See? I don’t even know the correct jargon.” She sighed deeply and offered in a loud whisper, “This is my first Indiana Jones adventure.”
Meg bent over laughing. “Crikey, that’s rich! Really? I thought you’d excavated before.”
“I stayed in housing or large platform tents. This is”—she looked around, throwing her hands out from her sides—“very primitive. I assumed we’d be staying in something similar to what I had in the past. Guess not.”
“Okay. Let’s get your tent up first. I’ll pitch it; you watch and see how easy it is, okay. Then you can help with Joan’s and mine. Looks like our men are well into it. You good with that?”
“Absolutely,” Ari assured her, nodding. Her focus drifted to where Luca and Matt worked, and she became so quickly engrossed she forgot to pay attention or listen to Meg’s instruction.
Ari hugged herself, trying to contain her joy as she stood in the Great Plaza facing Temple I—the Temple of the Great Jaguar, which rose forty-seven meters. She felt like a giddy child before opening her birthday gifts, times one hundred.
Why had it taken her so long to get here? She acknowledged that if she’d visited at a younger age, she would have had a tenth of the perspective and appreciation for what she was now experiencing. Words failed to describe her depth of wonder as she stood within the Forest of Kings, surrounded by overgrown ruins and vine-shrouded bushes and trees, in once thriving, powerful Tikal—a Classic period Maya city-state. The surrounding jungle was a symphony of animal and bird chatter.
The Maya were geniuses. Awe and reverence filled Ari. Despite Tikal’s location in a landlocked area, the Maya had built a massive reservoir to address its population’s need for water. Walking through the ball court, seeing how the city had been laid out, and climbing the temples—it was surreal. The Maya were sturdy, shorter people. They had to be agile and athletic to manage the large steep, uneven steps of the temples without injuring themselves or falling to their deaths.
“Are you all right, mate?” Meg asked. “You’re going to catch some of those big insects with your maw hanging open like that.”
“I am so all right,” she said, wiping away unshed tears. “I know I’m gaping. There are truly no words to describe it. It’s just, well, I’ve dreamed of seeing this forever. The structural architecture and planning is astounding, similar to other sites I’ve explored or excavated in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Just feeling overwhelmed, emotional, in the best way. This place is part of the Maya mystery, you know? Like, how did they maintain an enormous city and grow enough food to support the population in a hilly territory like this?
“I mean, Meg, you’re going to be looking at the bajos—the low-lying wetlands ringing our site, right? For long-lost technology that allowed the Maya to cultivate corn? Don’t you ache to know? That’s part of why you’re on the project, right?”
“Seeing all this gets me jumping, and I can’t wait to get on-site,” Meg said. “Tikal is stunning. I’ve seen pictures, but they don’t do it justice. You’ve got to experience it, get your feet on the ground, like our Outback. You should come visit sometime.”
“I’d like to visit, see the Outback through your eyes.” Ari continued, “We’re in the middle of antiquity. Can you feel it? The energy? I swear, I close my eyes and Tikal comes alive.”
A look of bemusement passed across Meg’s features before she spoke. “No worries. Soak it all in, but keep us in your sights or stay out in the open. Remember what the boss said.” Crooking her head in Matt’s direction, she added, “I’m going to sit in the shade with Matty. Looks like he’s studying some glyphs and taking notes. I might learn a thing or two.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, grumbling. “It’s bloody miserable in the sun. I didn’t think it would be this hot.”
The majesty surrounding Ari was dazzling. She was aware of the scorching yellow disk in the sky and the sweltering air, but it wasn’t really all that bad. She waved at Meg. “Joan did mention it’s warmer than usual for this time of year, something to do with the trade winds. I’ll be with you later.”
“In thirty, okay?”
“Are you kidding? How about two hours?”
“Agreed. Set your watch, mate. You have that starry-eyed look, which makes me think you’ll lose track of time and place.” Meg stood next to Ari, making sure she was setting her alarm. “We’ll take a hike then. The Petén Basin is loaded with biodiversity. I’m chomping at the bit to see it. I can expand your scientific knowledge and appreciation for Mother Nature. Promise. And it’s gotta be twenty degrees cooler out of this direct sun.”
Ari lingered in the Central Acropolis in a dream state, taking pictures of the ruins, limestone stelae wiped mostly blank by centuries of erosion, and crumbling cartouches. She climbed the stairs to one of the nobility’s palatial residences and sat on a stone platform off a hallway in a sliver of shade, allowing her an unobstructed view of the Ceremonial Court through the partially deteriorated wall. Tikal was magical. Ari drank from her bottle, having no trouble imagining what Tikal might have been like when sixty thousand people lived here. Or hearing the avid cheering as the bruising and bloody high-speed game of pitz was played between the men of Tikal and neighboring cities. She took another swig of her water and let the past slowly absorb her.
“Ari! Psst… Ari… Wake up!”
“What? Go away,” Ari mumbled through the fog of sleep, wisps of her dreams of trekking through Tikal dissipating. There was the sound of a zipper, and then someone reached through the small opening and shook her by the shoulder.
“Come on, sloth. Your alarm is beeping. Didn’t you hear it? I’m ready, except my bladder is full to burstin’. I certainly don’t want to go to the loo myself. It’s flipping black out.”
Meg. Ari grunted. Her alarm was indeed beeping. She looked at her watch. Two thirty. I’ve gotta move. An urgency hit her. “Ooh. I’ve got to use the toilet too.” Ari kicked off her top sheet, exposing the fact that she had slept in her panties and a cami. “Hold on. I’ll go with you.”
Joan popped her head into Ari’s tent. “Come on, missy. We’re cutting it close, and you know how Luca doesn’t appreciate stragglers.”
Ari sat up and opened her eyes, wincing in the light pooling over her. “Can you please turn those down or off. Hurts my eyes and attracts the insects.”
“Okay, girlfriend. One is off and Joan, dim yours. Point it away from the tent, like that. Yup. Open your eyes and get moving. The boss is expecting us in”—Meg checked the glowing dial on her watch—“ten.”
Ari huffed and groaned, falling back onto her bedroll. “It’s too early,” she whispered to herself, but even as the words left her lips, another thought, that of seeing the sunrise from Temple IV brought Ari to her unsteady feet. “Lead the way, girls.”
“Dear, you need to change into something appropriate for hiking. Lace panties and a cami aren’t going to do the job.”
Ari looked down. Her face flushed with embarrassment at Joan’s words. “I went to bed dressed so I could just pop out of bed ready this morning. I forgot I shed some clothes during the night. I was burning up.”
Meg laughed. “You’re right, Joan. Although I have to think there is a certain someone that might enjoy Ari’s choice of sleepwear.”
“Shut it, Meg.”
“Oh, aren’t we snarly in the morning? Come on. Grab your pants and shirt over there in the corner.” Meg motioned with her flashlight, and Ari moved unsteadily to slip on her clothing. “Well done. I see some socks rolled up too.” She motioned again with the flashlight. “Over there. Slip everything on. You can zip and button as we walk, and clean up after we get back.”
“I need to brush my teeth.”
“Fine. I could do with some of that too. Stick your finger out.” Meg pulled a tube o
f toothpaste out of nowhere and squeezed a dab onto Ari’s forefinger. “Want some, Joan?”
“Why not? I’m sure others will appreciate my fresh breath.” She held her finger out.
“Probably. Right, Ari?”
“Meg…,” Ari warned.
“Definitely snarly,” Meg said, placing a dab on her tongue. “Ow! Forgot how it burns without water.”
Ari ignored Meg and worked the paste around in her mouth. It stung like a bitch. But if she did get close enough to Luca…
The women passed around a bottle of water in the emerging moonlight, water-falling a mouthful each to avoid touching the lip of the bottle, swishing the toothpaste, before spitting onto the ground.
“Thanks, dear,” Joan said. “Much better!”
Meg jumped. “Hey! You splashed some spit on my legs, Ari.”
“I did? Sorry, Meg. You’re wearing shorts? What are you thinking? Get some pants on. The mosquitoes will eat you alive.” She looked around. “Wow! Look around. This is spectacular! You can see the silhouettes of some of the ruins.” She took her lens cap off her camera, adjusted the aperture and speed. “I think I might be able to capture this. Remarkable…”
Meg slipped back through her tent flap. “Give me some extra light so I can find my pants, will you, Joanie? That’s good—”
A deep, accented voice asked, “How much longer?”
Ari slapped her hand to her chest as she jumped. “Luca! You.” Her heart skipped. “I didn’t hear you come up.”
“That is a problem. Be aware, always.” Luca’s tone was measured, but his expression softened when he saw the fear in her eyes. “I am sorry if I frightened you. Please be more aware.”
Ari nodded, swallowing. Her heart hammered as she lost herself in his eyes. How did he look so sexy after just waking up? His hair was down. She remembered what it felt like when she wove her fingers through it, when he was kissing her, touching her.
Joan focused on holding the flap closed while sliding her flashlight under the flap to provide illumination for Meg.
Afraid to Fall (Ancient Passages Book 1) Page 12