9 Ways to Fall in Love

by Caroline Clemmons

  “He is the man funding the dig. I followed him into the tunnel.”

  “Virgil is funding his dig with drug money?” Isabella couldn’t believe the man she knew would stoop that low. “He hates drugs. He helped an assistant go through rehab.” Did her father know? Was that why he had stopped funding Virgil? Stopped inviting him to family gatherings?

  Tino shook his head. “I do not know if it is drug money or Miguel’s money. From what I have heard Miguel is friends with the man I am trying to bring down. But I cannot say it is drug money he is using to fund the dig.”

  The helicopter rose and skimmed across the tops of the trees.

  “They are looking for me.” He peered into her eyes. “The quicker we get you away from me the better. I do not know what you will tell them at the dig about being gone, but you cannot let anyone know you were with me or helped me.” Tino grabbed her upper arms. “Promise me you will not let anyone know you were with me. It could be your death if they think you know anything.”

  Isabella gulped, shoving the lump of fear back into her bubbling stomach. If she hadn’t been through so much lately she’d think she had an ulcer the way the acid seemed to burn in the lining.

  “Promise.”

  She nodded. “But what do I say?”

  “We must continue. We will think of something as we walk.” Tino wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her to the edge of the forest. “We need to stay inside the cover of the trees. That helicopter could come buzzing back by here at any time.”

  She nodded and snuggled deeper into the security of his arm. What could she tell Virgil and the others when she reappeared at the dig? That she’d disappeared during the time Tino was caught and freed would be looked at with high suspicion. Her fib had to be fool proof.

  Chapter 21

  The shimmer of moonlight reflecting through the clouds afforded little light as Isabella stepped from the trees at the edge of the compound. No one milled about. Everything looked as it had when she left. The quiet, with the faint background of night sounds, unnerved her. She had walked across this compound many nights with the same quiet, but tonight she wished for more sound to cover her entrance.

  Her gaze lingered on the dig entrance. Of their own volition, her feet started that direction, but Tino’s insistence she not go in the altar chamber without someone with her ate at her conscience. Her rumbling stomach broke her stride. She peered around to see if others heard.

  Food, then a shower. She’d worry about telling anyone where she’d been until she was discovered and asked. Cautious steps carried her to the mess tent. She entered and, using her honed recall skills to visualize the layout of the tent, she found food and drink in the dark. Her stomach satisfied, Isabella left the mess tent and hurried into her tent, found her toiletries, and entered the shower tent.

  If her luck held out, she’d get a good night’s sleep before anyone found her. The water pelting her head and skin revived her lagging spirits. How could she converse with Virgil knowing the things she now did? Knowing who he allowed to fund the dig made her wonder if this don Miguel was the man who was paying for the ceremony translation. If so, she wasn’t sure she wanted to give him the knowledge or take his tainted money.

  Her desire to keep her department funded warred with her intuition that don Miguel was up to no-good. From what she’d deciphered so far, this ceremony was special and the outcome wasn’t what the Mayan’s had hoped. The element she didn’t know yet was what caused the ceremony to go wrong and what they’d expected from the ceremony.

  Lost in her thoughts she stepped out of the shower and reached for her towel. The nail was empty. Before she dropped her gaze to the floor, her towel swung into view.

  Virgil’s hard stare made her take a step back.

  “Looking for this?” Venom dripped from his words.

  “Yes. I’d like to dry off before I put my clothes on.” Isabella snatched the towel and wrapped it around her body. A quick scan of the interior of the tent registered they were alone.

  “You’re the only person I know who takes showers in the middle of the night. When I saw the lantern in here, I knew you were back. Where have you been?”

  The barely controlled rage in Virgil’s voice puzzled more than frightened. What did he care where she’d been?

  Isabella dried the best she could without leaving parts of her body for his viewing and quickly donned her clothes.

  “I went for a walk and became disoriented.”

  The skepticism wrinkling his brow and drooping the corners of his mouth set her stomach twisting.

  “A walk in the jungle? You’re too smart to go for a walk alone. Did you meet that guide?” He stepped forward his hands gripping her upper arms. “If I find out you were with him I’ll…” He jerked her hard against this chest. “Are you still a virgin?”

  Her heart banged against her ribs as fear and revulsion coursed through her body. She’d never feared this man. Thought of him as a second father and now he was treating her like a drug addict whore.

  “Yes! Why do you care? The way you’re treating me it’s obvious all these years you’ve only been nice to me to suck up to my father and his money.”

  His face relaxed and his features softened. “Good Isabella. You’ve always been a good girl. I just…To think you might have thrown your career and life away by consorting with the likes of that guide. It hurt to think you’d do that after all I’ve done to help you.”

  He released her arms and backed away. “I’m sorry. I was just so worried I wasn’t thinking straight.” His lips curved into the doting smile of her childhood. “Forgive me?”

  She swallowed and peered into his face. “I’m sorry I frightened you. I’ll not wander off again.” She sounded like a recalcitrant child, but all she could think of was getting away from Virgil and thinking. She’d confess to anything he wanted to get him to leave.

  Isabella pulled her vest off the inside of the partition and slipped her arms through. She took two steps, and Virgil placed a hand on her arm.

  “Do you forgive me?”

  “Yes.” She’d never choked on a word before but right now her throat felt like she vomited hot lava.

  “Good.” Virgil patted her arm and strolled out of the tent.

  A chill slid up Isabella’s back. She hurried to her tent, placed her vest under her pillow, and set the large knife beside her bed. Her encounter with Virgil had her nervous and scared. He was up to something and it had to do with her. She’d figure it out in the morning when there were people around and he couldn’t bully her.

  *~*

  Tino waited for Isabella to enter the shower tent before he made his way to the cook’s tent. He ducked through the flap and stopped. The hard round barrel end of a gun jabbed him in the side.

  “Who sneaks into my tent?” Pedro’s low whisper held an edge of menace he wouldn’t have attributed to the good-natured cook.

  “Tino.”

  The gun immediately disappeared. “Has Isabella been with you? Dr. Martin has been storming around searching for her.”

  “Sí. How upset was the doctor?” Tino didn’t care about the man, only Isabella’s safety.

  “He interrogated everyone, tore through the tents, and sent groups into the jungle looking for her. His excitement seemed loco.” Pedro drew Tino farther into the tent and handed him a folding stool.

  Interesting, the man was sitting down for a talk, but he didn’t light a lantern which would project their images on the tent wall. Who exactly was this cook? Tino took the offered stool and sat.

  “Ezzabella is fine. But no one can know she was with me. Her life depends on it.” His gut told him this man could be trusted.

  “Are you the one the narcos look for?”

  He was right. The narcos had come to the dig. He had to make the call on whether or not to trust this man.

  “I sense you do not trust me, no?” Pedro’s hand rested on Tino’s shoulder. “I know you are DEA. I am paid to keep an eye on
Dr. Martin and since the arrival of Isabella, her as well.”

  “Who is paying you?” This new information lightened Tino’s worries. He could trust Pedro to keep Isabella safe. But how did Pedro know he was DEA?

  “I am not allowed to say. Where is Isabella now?”

  “In the shower tent. We still need a good excuse for her being gone. She cannot say she was with me.”

  “No. Do not tell her I am watching her or the doctor.” Pedro’s hand lifted. “I only told you to ease your worries. I know you have to dodge the narcos. You can continue, and I will protect Isabella.”

  “It will be a relief to know I can do my job and not worry about her.”

  “I have seen how close you two have become. Do not hurt her. She is a good girl.” The fatherly tone in Pedro’s voice surprised Tino.

  “I do not plan on ever hurting her.”

  “Bueno. Vamos. You have work to do, and I need sleep before I prepare the morning meal.” Pedro stood.

  Tino stood and held out a hand. Pedro grasped his hand in a firm shake.

  “Look out for her. We have future plans.” Tino ducked out the tent and into the forest. He wondered how Pedro knew the things he did, but the man had always given him the impression he was on the right side. He would listen to his gut instinct on this one. With worries about Isabella off his mind, he could concentrate on the mission. He flicked on his penlight, checked his GPS, and headed toward his radio. He would know soon if the narcos had discovered it. If they had, he’d go to plan B.

  Improvise.

  He worked his way through the jungle cautiously, listening for any unusual nocturnal sounds. Bumping into narcos searching for him would hinder his assignment. A large flock of macaws squawked and flew from a tree ten yards to his left. Their disturbance activated his survival mode. He had been walking on a relatively easy trail he’d used quite often. He changed course, veering to his right and quietly wove his way through a denser section of vines, ferns, and fronds. He didn’t need to stay on the trail with his GPS.

  His mind wandered to why Martin was upset about Isabella’s disappearance. Did it have anything to do with what Martin and Miguel talked about? A virgin. His chest tightened. If they were planning some kind of re-enactment they would need a Mayan virgin. Did they plan to use Isabella to find them one? Would she stoop that far to re-enact history and get her funding?

  He checked his watch. Twenty yards to the left and he’d know if his equipment had been found.

  A cough resonated through the foliage. ¡Coño! They found his pack and waited for him to come for it. His heart accelerated and his mind raced through possible actions.

  Plan B.

  Tino retraced his steps, putting distance between him and the narcos. He pulled out his knife and sawed at a vine. He walked back toward his equipment’s hiding spot, stopping a safe distance away and used the method Isabella taught him earlier to climb the tallest tree.

  He spotted movement of a man mixed with the darker shapes of the forest near the spot where he’d stashed his equipment. The dusky gray of dawn lightened the area with the glow of the emerging sun. There stood another man. And yet another. Three men were positioned too close together to take out one without the others noticing.

  He had to get to the radio. They couldn’t stay alert forever. He’d hang out in the tree and see if they had replacements. He shimmied farther up into the limbs and greenery of the tree, rested his back against the trunk, and watched the men.

  The howler monkeys’ morning tribute rolled through the canopy. New noises on the ground proved to be the arrival of three men with guns slung over their shoulders emerging from the east. They exchanged greetings with the three standing guard. Their conversation floated up to Tino in pieces. They were still searching for him. If he didn’t show by the end of the day his equipment would be taken to the cave. The three new men moved into the positions around the pack and the other three left

  I have to get my things.

  Tino peered through the canopy to the floor of the forest. His pack and radio bag sat in the open, ready for him to snag if he could just distract the men guarding it.

  A snuffling, grunting sound registered in the distance. Pecarí. He slipped down the tree and headed toward the sound. With a little luck, they just might be the diversion he needed to get his gear.

  Over a dozen of the smelly creatures rummaged across the forest floor, grunting and squealing each time a smaller one would get in the way of a larger one. If he could just get them headed toward the men…

  The sweet scent of ripe fruit slithered by Tino’s nose. He scanned the area and spotted a papaya tree. The animals snuffled along the ground toward the fallen fruit. Moving slow and quiet to not frighten the pecarí, Tino slid his shirt off and piled the rotting fruit into his makeshift sling. He left half a dozen overripe fruit under the tree and walked toward his equipment, dropping fruit along the way. Twenty feet from the guards, he dropped the remainder of the papayas on the ground and found a spot where he could get behind the pecarí when they stopped to eat the fruit.

  He didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes he heard the animals moving through the forest toward him. His adrenaline rose. Tino zeroed his senses into the men he wished to distract. The guards’ voices rose as they registered the animals coming their way. Tino jumped out of the brush, scaring the pecarí toward the guards. He ran behind the animals, but stayed back far enough to avoid the men seeing him.

  Crashing and swearing echoed in front of him. Tino hurried to the tree and grabbed his bags, darting off in the opposite direction of the stampeding wild animals and men. He traveled steady for two hours before he stopped and checked his GPS. The archeological dig and the narcos cave measured close to the same distance from him in different directions. He pulled out the radio and dialed in Ginger.

  “Ginger, over.”

  “Constantine, over.”

  “Are you ready for Hector? Over.”

  “Sí. Send him to these coordinates. Over.” He read off the coordinates to the cave he’d locked into his GPS. “I will be waiting for him. Over.”

  “I’ll tell him. Be careful. Out.”

  Tino flipped the radio off. He didn’t know how close Hector and his men were to the cave. He would head in that direction and hope they arrived at the same time. He shouldered his pack and moved out in a straight line for the narcos’ hideout. After stealing back his belongings, he didn’t doubt they would turn over every fern looking for him. He’d have to take his time and use extreme caution.

  Chapter 22

  The whisper of air carrying a fragrant scent seeped into Isabella’s consciousness. She fought the need for sleep as the memory of her confrontation with Virgil shred her sleepy haze. Who had entered her tent? One eye slowly opened as her hand clutched the knife by her side.

  Empty.

  She was the only person in her tent. The spicy scent filled the small confines. She pushed to a sitting position and noticed a cloth bag next to her pack with a note pinned to it. Had Tino left this for her?

  She unfolded the note and glanced at the name on the bottom. Pedro. Opening the bag, she scanned the contents. Spicy, aromatic leaves.

  Returning to the note, she read:

  Isabella,

  These are allspice leaves. Tell the others you heard me say I ran out of them and while wandering in the forest you ran across a tree. You picked the leaves and lost track of time. When you returned it was after dark and everyone was in bed.

  Tino and I have spoken.

  Pedro.

  Isabella smiled. She’d known Pedro was a good person and could be trusted. He and Tino concocted this alibi. She hummed a jaunty tune as she dressed and prepared to face the others. How could she concoct the story to make it plausible that she was gone all day just picking these few leaves?

  Something would come to her. She hated lying, but fabricating a good story to keep herself and Tino alive was worth the small fib. She exited her tent and swallowed the lu
mp creeping up her throat as the others filed into the mess tent. Shoulders back, spine straight, she walked to the mess tent with the small bag.

  She opened the tent flap and stepped inside. Eunice ran forward.

  “Isabella! Where have you been?” The woman wrapped her long arms around Isabella and squeezed. “We thought the worst had happened to you.”

  “I’m sorry to have worried you.” She scanned the tent for Virgil. Not seeing him gave her more confidence.

  Pedro emerged from the cook tent. Isabella slipped from Eunice’s embrace and walked up to the cook.

  “I overheard you saying you were out of these. I happened across them yesterday on a walk and set my mind to getting them for you.”

  Pedro opened the sack. “Seño, these are the leaves of the allspice tree. Now I can make my secret recipe. You are so kind to give these to me. But how did you find them?”

  “I was out for a walk, trying to clear my head after so much studying on the tablet.” She peered around the room at everyone. Besides Virgil and Jaycee, Professor Walsh wasn’t present. Some nodded, others looked skeptical. “I saw the allspice tree and remembered hearing you say you needed some. Only I had to wait for a herd of pecarí to leave the area.” Someone snickered. “I wasn’t sure if that many of them were dangerous or not. They finally left, then while I was climbing to get the best leaves, I slipped and twisted my ankle so I had to sit awhile and wait for the pain to ease.”

  “How awful. Do you need me to take a look?”

  Eunice’s concern had guilt burning a hole in her stomach. “No, it’s much better this morning. Anyway, by the time I could walk, it was growing late and I became disoriented. I heard men in the jungle, but they sounded angry so I hid, and I was right to hide, they were carrying guns.” She shivered and watched some of her audience nod. “And I eventually found my way back to the camp.”

  “I think after that adventure it would be best if you stayed inside the compound from now on.” Eunice’s face wore motherly concern.

  “I agree. Pedro, I’m starving.” She faced the cook who winked and headed to the kitchen.