Untouched

by Jerri Drennen

  Christ Almighty. He was getting soft.

  Travis took the radio from Dana and clicked the Talk button. “Kane.”

  “It’s James. I thought I’d better update you. Drew is still alive. The medic has been able to bring his temperature down some. Strange, but he found a needle mark on his arm. He’s afraid he’s been injected with something. He’s doing what he can, but without toxicology, it’s hard to say what’s wrong with him.”

  Travis couldn’t have been more surprised if James had said the world was ending. Chaz’s death came flooding back. He’d been killed by some sort of injection.

  This wasn’t good. Did they have a murderer among them?

  He turned to Dana, whose eyes widened. He’d bet money her thoughts were running along the same vein.

  Mattie barreled to a halt in front of him. “Is Drew okay?” The worry on her face stopped his heart. She definitely loved this guy.

  “For now,” he told her, pulling himself together. “James just told me the doctor found an injection mark on his arm. He’s not diabetic or into intravenous drugs, is he?”

  Mattie eyes grew huge as she shook her head. “No. Drew’s a health nut. He’d never do any drugs.”

  “Then we have to wait and hope he wakes. Maybe he’ll be able to tell us how he got the mark considering there’s no way for the medic to run tests out here.”

  “What do you think could cause his symptoms?” Dana asked.

  Travis shrugged. He had no clue. “Hang on.” He clicked the mic button. “James?”

  “I’m here.” James’s voice crackled through the mouthpiece.

  “Does the medic have any idea what could have been injected to cause fever?”

  “He’s put in a call to a colleague on that. He hopes to hear back within the hour.”

  “Okay. Let us know when you learn something.”

  “Sure thing. How’s everything there?”

  “We’re going to stay put for now. If they transfer Drew to Manu and you and Beth want to come back to camp, let us know.”

  “Will do. Later.”

  Travis hung the receiver on the hook in the truck and turned back to the women crowded around him. They all looked shell-shocked.

  “What are we going to do?” Mattie asked.

  “We’re going to do what I told James. Stay put. I think this evening you should all stay close. I’ll sit outside the door. Make sure nothing else happens.”

  His gaze met hers. The sadness in her eyes just about floored him. No woman had ever affected him so deeply. She made him feel vulnerable. Their connection was strong—a link he couldn’t break no matter how hard he tried. Somehow she’d gotten into his blood and had managed to heat it to the boiling point every time she glanced his way. Not good. He’d come to the Amazon to find treasure, not an overwhelming passion for a woman.

  Chapter Eight

  Mattie held her breath and eased the tent zipper open, afraid if she made too much noise she’d wake Dana and Sara.

  She’d tried to sleep, but Travis, the events of the day with Drew, and her own suspicions had made that impossible.

  Someone had made her good friend sick. But why? It made no sense. Everyone loved Drew.

  She slipped a foot outside the tent and brushed something warm. Instantly she pulled her foot back inside. Her heart thudded crazily in her chest. She pictured a twelve-foot anaconda lying in wait.

  Cautiously, she ducked through the flap and found Travis asleep on the ground.

  She sucked in a relieved breath, then found herself mesmerized by his face, her attention drawn to the length of the man’s dark lashes—lashes any woman would kill for.

  In sleep, the planes of his face were somehow softer and gave him a less threatening appearance. But strangely, that was what appealed to Mattie. That air of danger surrounding Travis. She’d never known anyone like him. His mysterious darkness scared yet thrilled her.

  Entranced, she continued to watch him until his eyes fluttered open.

  He sat abruptly. “Is something wrong?”

  Mattie shook her head. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  He rubbed his eyes, then focused on her. “Did you bring along a pain reliever?”

  She frowned, confused by the question. How would acetaminophen or ibuprofen help her fall asleep?

  Catching on to her confusion, he said, “The cotton in the bottle. If you haven’t tossed it. Stick it in your ears. It will block out some of the noise.”

  She gave him a weak smile. “I’ll give it a try.”

  Mattie shifted from one foot to the other, sensing that he expected her to go back inside. She didn’t want to. She’d rather stay and talk a while, get some perspective on Drew’s illness. From what she could gather, someone among them had to be the one to inject her friend with whatever made him sick, and Mattie had known most of the team for years, though just in a working environment. The only person in camp she didn’t know was Travis.

  Could he have done it? If so, what was his motive for harming Drew?

  “Did you need something else, Mattie?” Travis’s voice sounded husky from sleep and sent a tingle rushing down her spine.

  “I can’t get Drew off my mind. It makes no sense. He doesn’t have an enemy in the world.”

  “Have you and Drew known each other long?”

  “Three years. We met at Washington University. He’s the nicest man I know. That’s why this doesn’t make any sense to me.”

  “Maybe he wasn’t the target.”

  Travis’s suggestion gave Mattie pause. “What do you mean?”

  “James was inside that tent. Maybe the injection was meant for him. It’s dark inside at night and if you didn’t know whose cot was whose…”

  Mattie considered his words. James Franklin was the last man to be commissioned for their expedition. She didn’t know him all that well, though she still knew James much better than their guide. Perhaps Travis was deliberately trying to mislead her to deflect suspicion from himself?

  “How well do you know James?”

  “Well enough. I know he’d never hurt Drew.”

  “Look, Mattie. I don’t think we’re going to get anything solved tonight. Why don’t you go back to bed? Maybe a good night’s sleep will help give us a revelation to the mystery in the morning.”

  Mattie studied his face, wondering if he was trying to get rid of her. Maybe he was afraid she’d come on to him again. Throw herself at him, hoping to get laid. Her face heated at the thought. She couldn’t help being embarrassed by her wanton behavior, yet she was still drawn to him. Thank God her brain had assumed control for now. She’d be scolding it for weeks for having taken the evening off the night before.

  *

  Travis saw suspicion in Mattie’s gaze and wondered what had caused it. All the questions she’d asked made him wonder if she thought he had something to do with Drew’s unexplained illness.

  Could he really blame her? If he were put in her place, he’d probably have his suspicions as well. After all, she knew the team she traveled with. She knew nothing about him besides the taste of his lips.

  Maybe he should tell her straight out he had nothing to do with Drew getting sick, but would that curb her suspicions? Travis had his own. James was the only one sharing a tent with Drew, had been the person to tell them the man was ill. Maybe there was animosity between the two, something Mattie knew nothing about?

  “I’m going to turn in.” A hint of regret edged her words, like she’d wanted to stay. Maybe Drew’s illness had brought her back to her senses.

  “Night.”

  Travis lay back once she’d secured the flap. Every muscle in his body tensed. Her mere presence messed him up, made him wish for something he knew would never happen. She was taken and he needed to remember that. Keeping her at a distance would help immensely.

  With that in mind, an idea formed. Maybe if he showed some interest in another woman, Mattie would stay away. That might just work. Now who? Dana was pretty enough but see
med too innocent to play games with. Sara could work though, especially when Mattie had seen him cozying up to her earlier that day. She might actually believe he was attracted to the redhead.

  A wry smile curled his lips. Right now he could use a distraction. Mattie had consumed his thoughts for the last couple of days and he needed a change, fast, or he was going to lose it.

  Resigned to his plan, he rose and made a beeline for the thick brush just beyond the perimeter. He needed to relieve himself and then he’d circle the torch lights to make sure camp was secure.

  He still found it hard to believe he’d fallen asleep. He’d only closed his eyes for a moment and the next thing he realized, Mattie was standing over him.

  Travis scowled at the thought. So much for keeping an eye out for trouble.

  Once around the camp and he was back in front of the tent. He pulled a cot in front of the door and sat, then glanced around. Now he was wide awake. What was he going to do? Cedric’s journal entered his thoughts, but he wasn’t ready to subject himself to that again.

  Maybe he should take another look at the map in his boot. Figure out where the landmarks were located. He’d been through this area of the rain forest before but couldn’t place the location where the marks on the map were. It was like nowhere he’d ever been. Not too surprising considering that more than half of the Amazon was uncharted.

  Travis had to also remember the map was old. Things could have changed since it’d been drawn up. A rock formation indicated on the map could have been worn away by time. Anything could change in hundreds of years. It’d be a miracle if he found the treasure, though he didn’t plan to stop until he did. An image of him at sixty, still searching, made his stomach clench. It was possible and he had better resign himself to that fact.

  He reached for his knapsack, unfastened the hooks and opened it, drawn to the journal on top.

  He snatched it out and opened to page two. The entry was from January 5, 2004.

  Dear Travis,

  Your mother called this evening—in tears. She said that you hadn’t contacted her in months. She told me that she felt guilty for not being a better mother while you were young. I blame myself for that. She had no idea how to be a good parent. Not when her own mother left when she was nine and I distanced myself from Lucinda. I didn’t handle my wife's desertion well, actually took it out on your mother. I have so many regrets and no way of making them right with her. I have no excuse. I was brought up to know how to be an honorable man. My father was an exemplary example—the kind of person any Templar Knight would be proud to call brother. The last twenty years I’ve been working on living up to his standards. I just wish you could have been alongside me in that journey, learning honor and loyalty. I pray that when you have your own children, you don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made. Or your mother did.

  Travis snorted. He’d never have any kids. He’d be too afraid to. Who was to say he wouldn’t be like his stepfather? Didn’t abuse breed more abuse? He wasn’t willing to take the chance. No child deserved that.

  With a sense of regret, he closed the journal and placed it back inside his bag. Every time he read one of Cedric’s entries it worked on his gut, made him feel things he didn’t want to feel, for a man he hardly knew. One thing, however, was clear: this letter gave him some insight into his mother. It still didn’t excuse her for allowing Jackson to raise his hand to Travis, but now he understood her a little better.

  He glanced around camp again and took a deep breath.

  Now what?

  Maybe James was up and would have some news about Drew. He didn’t know Mattie’s man, but still, he didn’t want him to die.

  He rose and started toward the truck. Surely if he had passed away, James would have radioed to let them know. That thought reassured him as he opened the door and grabbed the receiver.

  “Anyone read?” Seconds ticked by with no answer.

  Maybe they were all asleep.

  Travis re-hooked the mic and closed the door.

  What was he going to do? It wasn’t as if he’d be able to sleep. Not with the events of the day running through his mind now.

  The pool of dark water drew his attention. Maybe a swim would clear his head enough to help.

  He walked to the edge of pool and stripped off his clothes. He’d stay close to the edge to keep an eye on the tent. If James had nothing to do with Drew’s illness then someone else did—maybe someone watching from a distance. The memory of the reflective light he’d seen on the way to the falls came back to give him pause. Could someone be trying to sabotage their expedition?

  Travis waded out into the water. What would they have to gain by doing so? The whole idea was too far-fetched. His overactive imagination or the lack of sleep had to be getting the better of him.

  Yeah. That was it. It wasn’t as if any member of the expedition had something valuable that someone else would want. At least that he knew of, and no way did anyone know about the map he carried in his boot. That was Cedric’s and his secret.

  Or was it?

  He slowly dipped under the surface and came up, wiping the water from his face. He needed to keep an eye out, just to be on the safe side.

  After a quick wash, Travis walked from the water and dried, then dressed. Now that he was relaxed, he hoped he’d be able to sleep without anything else creeping into his mind to prevent it.

  Chapter Nine

  Mattie dragged her tired body out of bed and rubbed the sandy grit from her eyes. She’d barely closed them all night. Too many doubts and questions had been rolling around in her head to even try.

  At the top of that list was: should she trust Travis Kane? It wasn’t like she’d known him for years. She’d just met him, and being attracted to him didn’t help her perspective.

  At the washbasin, she bathed her face, the tepid water doing nothing to revive her.

  If she didn’t get some rest soon, she’d become ill.

  As quickly as she could, she dressed, then exited the tent, her gaze instantly connecting with Travis’s, who sat at the table next to Sara. He laughed at something the woman said and Mattie’s gut tightened. They looked as if they were flirting.

  Mattie glanced away and retrieved a coffee cup, then filled it to the brim.

  Too bad she didn’t have anything to spike it with. She could use a stiff drink right about now.

  Brushing the idea off, she trudged to the end of the table. She didn’t feel like being social, especially when Travis and Sara looked like they wanted to be alone. She placed her cup in front of herself and sat, her mind in a haze.

  This trip was supposed to have been a dream come true for her, yet it had turned into something very different. She didn’t know where to turn. Didn’t have Drew to talk to and the women left in camp weren’t people she’d confide in. While she was well acquainted with Sara and Dana professionally and trusted their work, she didn’t know them well enough on a personal level to share her innermost concerns.

  Then again, Mattie had never had that many friends, none she could open up to, besides Drew. He had made it so easy to divulge her hopes and dreams—had actually cared about what she was going through—had been there to help with Gerald Elders and the mess he’d created. She’d give anything to have him sitting next to her now so she could ask his advice about Travis. Like should she steer clear of the man or find out what, if anything, he was hiding?

  What if he was the man from her dream? What would that mean? He could be her destiny and here she could be letting him slip through her fingers.

  She sighed and stared at her cup. Somehow she needed to quiet the chaos in her head. Her mind had worked overtime since she’d met him and it was burning her out mentally and physically. Besides, Travis seemed to be a player. Most gorgeous men were.

  She glanced toward him and caught him watching her. He quickly returned his attention to Sara.

  Great.

  Why did he seem to be able to read her thoughts? Ever since they’d met she�
�d felt strange around him, as if they’d had some odd connection, one she’d never shared with anyone before. But he obviously didn’t think much about her. Sara had clearly captured his eye now.

  All men were the same—cut from the same bolt of cloth. Seeing how many women they could attract in their lifetime. That was one thing she’d give credit to her father for. He had always been loyal to her mother, unless you considered gambling an affair. It had proven to be the real love of his life—the need to bet the shirt off his and his family’s backs for a chance at winning the jackpot. It hadn’t helped that they’d lived in Atlantic City, the gambling mecca, a place that had destroyed hundreds of people’s lives with the lure of striking it rich.

  First chance Mattie got, she’d moved away from the nightmare, hoping to forget all the tainted memories. She’d also hoped to talk her mom into joining her but Jane Wentworth refused to leave a man who clearly could have benefited from an intervention. Gambling was an addiction according to all who shared the disease. Who was she to say it was or not? All she knew was she never wanted to catch it.

  As Mattie sipped her coffee, a squawking noise drew her attention to the trucks.

  Her gaze flew to Travis. He’d heard it too and was already stalking toward the cab.

  She jumped up and shot after him. It had to be James getting back to them about Drew.

  As she reached Travis’s side, he had the mic in his hand.

  He pushed the Talk button on the receiver. “Kane here.”

  “Yeah, it’s James. I have an update on Drew.” James’s voice crackled on the line. “His fever is under control. The doctor was able to get him to drink fluids. He has no idea what happened to him. But the doctor seems to think he’ll be all right.”

  Drew was doing better. A ten-ton weight lifted from Mattie’s chest.

  “Glad to hear that,” Travis said, glancing her way.

  At that moment, she knew he had nothing to do with Drew’s illness. He looked too relieved.

  “Doc said he’s going to take Drew back to Manu. He wants him closer to a hospital just in case he has a relapse. Beth wants to go with him, but I’m not sure she should be in the city by herself,” James said.