Tata nodded and gave her a beaming smile.
She threw her arms around the small man, squeezing him tightly. Her voice quaked with emotion. “Gracias! Thank you!”
Tata’s wise eyes held Ari’s gaze. He spoke slowly in Q’eqchi’. Carlos stepped in as translator. “Tata says he is happy, Dr. Ari. He says you give good hug.”
Tata placed his hands on her shoulders, as if reading her, and spoke again.
“He says you are healing. Allow Luca to help you. In time, you will be whole.” Carlos mirrored his grandfather’s movements, touching his head and heart. “Here and here. Tata says he should go to the temple. There are unhappy gods, and he wishes everyone to be safe.”
“I feel better that Tata has determined you will be all right, but I will go over you thoroughly.” A dangerously sexy smile broke over Luca’s face. “Come here. God, how I have missed you.” He pulled her into his arms, speaking into her hair. “I am so sorry that I hurt you. Please forgive me. There was and never has been anything between Nat and me.”
Ari returned Luca’s kiss with everything she felt. Smiling coyly, she said, “I look forward to your medical opinion, Doctor.” She sighed into his broad chest. “I’ve missed you too, Luca. More than I can tell you. I’m sorry I ran off and you were trying to talk to me. It was wrong of me not to listen.” She tightened her arms around his waist.
“Get a room, you two!” a voice behind them said.
“Matt!” Luca said. Confusion covered his face. “I do not understand. You flew on this?” He indicated the helicopter. “With Natasha?”
Matt rocked up on his toes in excitement. “Yup, what a surprise, huh? She asked me to stay put until things settled down. You can’t see this site from the air. It’s camouflaged.”
“Indeed,” Luca said.
Ari looked from Luca to Matt and then back to Luca. “What am I missing?”
“Natasha has been secretly working with Interpol’s Heritage Crime Division, or something like that, helping to expose looters plundering antiquity. Cool how you knew and kept it quiet, Luca. Super slick.”
Luca remained silent.
“I overheard one of your radio calls with Natasha. Of course I told—”
“Me!” Meg bounded out of the helicopter behind Matt. “Girlfriend, you look worse for wear. Come here. I was so worried about you,” she said, yanking Ari out of Luca’s arms and into hers and about squeezing her in two. “Hi, Boss. You look bushed.” Meg gave Luca a kiss on the cheek.
“We’re here to help get the American out. We’ll be back.” Matt grabbed Meg’s hand. “Come on, sweetie.”
“Luca,” Ari said as she watched the two go. “Matt is going to shit when he sees what’s in that temple. If I’m right, it’s a new codex. There are crumbling paintings and walls and walls of glyphs, depicting, from what very little time I had to study them, a massive story.”
“Seriously? Is that what—” He threw his hands out. “You are saying this site is—”
“Significant. The temple is a portal to Xibalba. It’s the temple of a king. I want to go back in and study the temple. Not now but soon, before I return back to the States. And I’d feel better with Carlos. Thank God he showed up when he did. And Tata too. Does anyone have a camera in your group? Mine died, so I brought… Oh, my phone. It may still have power since I turned it off.”
He kissed her deeply, murmuring against her mouth, “You are talking too much.” Breaking the kiss, he looked into her eyes. “Easy, sweetheart. You have been through quite an ordeal.”
“Come with me to see it. As soon as they get Eric out, of course.”
“Eric?” His voice turned deadly. “As in the Eric you told me about?”
“Yes. Turns out he’s the American. Can you believe it? He orchestrated my kidnapping because he needed my expertise.”
“Stay here.” Luca gently pushed her away and strode toward the temple, fury evident in every step he took.
Ari stayed put, unsure what to do during Eric’s extraction. She mulled over Natasha’s unexpected appearance and her role in all this and that Luca had known she was with Interpol. Something just didn’t add up.
She wandered down to the kitchen to eat since she had nothing to do but wait while Eric was extracted. Ari surveyed the mess. Food, plates, and utensils that hadn’t been taken were strewn all over the area, along with trash. Insects coated the discarded and half-eaten food, and small rodents scurried away when she approached. A few bins remained. All perishable food was gone, as were the coolers. Two grills were stripped bare, and it looked as though someone had tried to dismantle the filtration system. Bags of rice and beans shared a shelf with a large pot. Ari laughed to herself. The Maya left, but they made sure they were paid. She wandered over to the remaining bins and opened them. They were empty.
“How’s the grub?”
“Meg! Did they get him out? There isn’t any, except rice and beans, which need to be cooked. This place has been tossed.”
“We’re pulling out as soon as they load the American and the other bad men.” She hung her arm loosely around Ari’s shoulders. “We have food on the helicopter. We can eat and talk while the pilot flies us back.”
“You, Matt, Luca, and me?”
“Yup. Natasha and her Interpol associates are taking the American to a hospital to address his injuries. They will be escorted by a few Guatemalan military coppers. The rest of the coppers are taking the arrested men somewhere to await charges and whatever follows from there.”
She held up her finger. “Just clarifying. When you say coppers, you mean police, not helicopters?”
“Yup, as in the Guatemalan special operations, the Kaibiles.”
“Whoa. Those guys have a scary reputation. I wouldn’t want them taking me anywhere. Natasha is brave to ride with them.”
“She holds her own, let me tell you,” Meg said, sitting. “She has a whole different vibe when she steps into the Interpol identity. The bitchiness disappears, but she has a don’t-fuck-with-me thing going. I think the Guatemalans didn’t know what to think of her, especially because she was giving the orders to the other Interpol agents, who happened to be men.”
Ari was dumbfounded by everything being revealed. She sat across from Meg at the long table, elbows resting on the table, knuckles supporting her chin. “A lot has happened. I need time to process all this.”
“We all do. This summer will go down in excavation history. Let me briefly bring you up-to-date. It was a treacherous walk down to where Eric was. Did you go down there, girlfriend?”
Ari shook her head. “I was going to. He demanded that I go down there. I was on the second tier with Carlos, looking over wall paintings and what I believe is an undiscovered codex, when we heard his screaming.” She wiped at the tears wetting her cheeks. “Oh my God, Meg. It was awful. Carlos took me out, tended to Eric, and radioed for help. Then you all showed up, suspiciously fast.”
“We were in the vicinity. Luca radioed earlier, saying they had found you.” She reached across the table and held Ari’s hands in hers. “Matt and I helped with the ropes. I couldn’t see much. It was black as hell, except where the lights lit the walls and water.” She paused, tapping the table in front of her. “Otherworldly… Yeah, that’s the perfect word to describe it. Luca had to be held back when he got down there. Looked like he wanted to tear Eric apart. It took, like, five men to hold him back. What a miserable scene. I think we almost lost the bastard, but Natasha’s and Luca’s training kicked in. They were amazing, along with the medics. Got him stabilized. We did our best not to cause damage. Tata… You met him, right?”
Ari nodded.
“He has this amazing presence. The Maya were so reverent with him. He also tended to the American and said a bunch of words in some Mayan language. Carlos said he was talking to the lords of Xibalba so that we all could exit safely. Omigod. That’s why they took you! To help explain all this!”
“Yeah, and examine any remains. The temple is that of a king. It’s been sea
led for centuries from what we can tell. It’s very likely that the king is entombed. There are probably others as well.”
“Wow. That’s unbelievable.” Meg swatted at a passing fly and scratched her nose. “Matt wants to come back. He was over the moon with excitement, said you were right, there’s a new codex within the temple.” She stopped talking, looking past Ari. “They’re coming out now. I guess he’s okay to fly for further treatment.”
Ari rose and walked toward the ambulatory basket, meeting Natasha, who blocked her access. Eric moaned loudly behind her.
“You don’t want to see him. He’s been given pain meds and is delirious, raving about being marked by Xquic. He has a tattoo of a serpent extending down one side of his face. It’s the oddest thing. Carlos said his face was unmarked before he descended,” Natasha said.
Xquic. The Blood Maiden. The Hero Twins’ mother. Ari shivered, and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. Her voice was full of disbelief. “Carlos is right. Eric’s face was unmarked. I don’t understand all this, Natasha. But… thank you.”
Natasha slipped her sunglasses off. Compassion filled Natasha’s eyes, turning them to slate. “I have to accompany him, Ari. We’ve been looking for the American a long time. Eric Schaus did a great job covering his tracks and hiding in plain sight. I have mounds of paperwork to fill out, so I doubt I’ll be back before the project closes for the summer. You’ve been through a traumatic experience. I understand he is a horrible, violent man. I wish you the best, truly. And I wish you the best with Luca. He deserves to be happy, and you make him happy.”
“I thought you disliked me, as well as the idea of him and me. I was certain of it. Why the change of heart?”
Natasha’s warm smile was tinged with sadness. “We discovered Eric was the American before he took his position as dean at your university. Interpol was delving into all his relationships. You were under suspicion due to your affair with him. His wife and daughters were also under surveillance. I kept an eye on both of you all year and was added as Luca’s assistant after you agreed to participate.
“Luca knew why I was here, to track down and apprehend the American. However, he had no idea Eric was the American or that you were also under suspicion. I apologize for the subterfuge. I hope you can forgive me, Ari. Rumors were that Eric might surface in Guatemala. He had been here before. People disappeared. It’s awful you were sucked into all this, how Eric involved you in all this. I have some”—she held her hand up, her thumb and forefinger just a breadth apart, and smiled again—“regret how well I played my part. From how you reacted, I was very convincing. It was all part of my cover. Most importantly, I want to clarify something. Luca and I were talking about the project the night before you were abducted. We had some project issues to deal with. When I think back, I realize it appeared otherwise. I did not mean for our discussion and friendship to be misconstrued. I’m sorry if you thought differently. I think you’re remarkable, Ari, and I think the world of him. I believe you are who Luca needs.”
She totally fooled me. Wow. Her voice broke with emotion. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Take care of yourself.” She reached up and hugged Natasha. “Be safe.”
Ari stepped back as the blades and tail rotor roared to life, glancing at Eric, whose eyes were closed in pain. She glimpsed the tattoo on his face as they loaded him. She shuddered. A strong arm encircled her waist. Luca.
Natasha disappeared into the helicopter and came back out, carrying her vermillion suitcase by its handle. “Come with me, Luca. Ari, you can come as well.”
They accompanied Natasha back to the kitchen where she lifted the suitcase onto one of the tables and opened the lock. She extracted a red accordion folder and handed it to Luca. “I was legally bound to confidentiality by Interpol. I only shared with you what I was allowed. I have things to tie up with the American, so I’ll call you in the next day or two, get you current. Until then, read what is in the file.” Her eyes swept her surroundings. “This site will be secured by Interpol, working in tandem with Guatemala’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs until someone reputable can take over. The infrastructure and supplies will remain. This is an exceptional find.”
She nodded at Luca and Ari and Meg, and Matt, who had joined them. “Can I clarify anything else before I leave?”
Meg spoke. “We, myself and Ari, have been dying to know. What’s with your red sidekick port?”
Natasha laughed. “So I don’t misplace it. I carry important and confidential reports and information. So, logistics… Two more helicopters are en route and will arrive shortly. One will fly you all back to Kanul. The other will escort the American’s unsavory comrades to Guatemala City for processing. Interpol agents will accompany you and stay at Kanul, escorting you safely back to Flores when you and the team are ready. John Robert is the lead agent. He has a remedial understanding and appreciation for archaeology, so he won’t drive you too crazy.” Her voice grew more serious. “Luca, it’s likely there will be unrest and a possible uptick in crime due to this site being shut down. I suspect the American promised the Maya payment and hasn’t followed through.” She squeezed his bicep, emotion filling her eyes. “So stay alert, Big Guy. Keep Carlos and his friends and family close, especially Tata. Having a powerful shaman such as him can help.”
Luca pulled Natasha into his arms, giving her a hug, then releasing her. “Thank you, Nat.” He smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling with humor. “And sorry that I was so tough on you, my far-more-accomplished-assistant-than-I-realized.”
Natasha entered the helicopter after the medics secured Eric. She waved at Ari, Luca, Matt, and Meg, yelling over the thumping and winding of the craft. “You all take care. Keep in touch. I look forward to hearing about everything.” The door closed and locked behind her, and the helicopter rose, quickly disappearing over the jungle canopy.
Ari slowed and stared, a stupefied smile lighting her face, and she squealed with glee. “Luca! How? It’s safe, right?”
“It is,” he said with satisfaction. “You have been talking about little other than a good bath since you woke from your very long sleep. I asked our Mayan friends where you could bathe. They showed me this place.” He paused, enjoying her giddy reaction. The timbre of his voice changed. “You had me scared, Ari.”
“I guess I was incredibly tired,” she replied, spellbound by the river gently lapping at the green bank in front of her. It was clearer than any water she had seen over the past weeks. No churning. No muddy eddies. No white water. Instead, it was calm, beckoning. The sun sparkled off the surface, creating a magical scene as water bugs and dragonflies played on its surface.
“You were recovering from injuries.” He stepped in front of her, cutting off the view. “You are still weak, even after two days of sleep. I see it in your movements. Your face is drawn, and there is paleness under your freckles. You appear to have lost some weight too.”
“Maybe just a teensy.” She began to argue but then amended her statement under his intense look. “Okay. Maybe my strength is not my usual.”
“And?”
“And my clothes are looser. I’m sure I’ll fill back out. I mean, I eat like a horse. You know that. Hell, you’ve commented on it more than a few times, to the point I was getting embarrassed…” She looked at her sandal-clad feet, feeling uncertain. “Are you worried I won’t?”
“There is not so much to you. I just want you to be healthy.” He slid his thumb under Ari’s chin, gently lifting her face, encouraging her to look him in the eye. He pushed away stray curling tendrils that had escaped her french braid. “Are you worried I have lost interest?” His expression flickered, moving from concern to a crooked, sexy smile. “That has not happened,” he said, enclosing her hand.
Ari’s breath quickened, and her stomach flipped.
“Come with me.”
They set out, meandering away from the river and walking farther from camp. “Where are we going? What all is in that bag? I thought I was going
to get to dip in the water. I want to wash,” she said, whining like a child.
“So many questions.”
Frustrated, she stopped, yanking her hand from his. “Where are we going?” she demanded. “I just want to get clean.” She spoke louder and faster, her hands clenched at her sides. “I want to wash the dirt of Eric, Inés, Beto, and Harry off me. The taint of being kidnapped. I feel so… so dirty—” Sobbing washed out her words.
“Ari.” He gathered her to him, stroking her back softly while she let it all out.
She snuggled in deep, drawing strength from his silence and solid presence, finally crying herself out. The sure beating of his heart and his gentle touch calmed her.
“Better?” he asked.
She nodded into his chest.
He placed his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back from him. “Walk with me? I have a surprise for you,” Luca said, smiling, offering his hand to her. Although pleasant, holding hands was not enough for him, so he gathered her to his side and slipped his thumb into the belt loop of her pants, pulling her alongside him. His body stirred from the multiple points of contact. She fit perfectly under his arm—granted she had definitely lost weight. And although he towered over her, they walked comfortably in lockstep. “Not too much farther.” He ached to extract his thumb from her belt loop and run his palm over her ass. How I have missed her, worried about her.
“I hear humming. No, like”—she cocked her head, listening—“like loud rumbling. Rapids? I don’t know if I have the strength to bathe in those. Let’s go back to where we were.”
“We could, but I believe you would be disappointed.” Luca pushed through dense vegetation, pulling her behind him. A few more steps and they were again at the riverbank. On the other side of the river was a waterfall. He dropped the bag and released her hand, his green eyes glowing with a mischievous glint, daring her. “I wanted to grant your wish. Want to get wet?”
“A waterfall! It’s perfect, better than a shower!” Ari threw her arms around his neck and squeezed, peppering him with tiny kisses all over his face.
Afraid to Fall (Ancient Passages Book 1) Page 26