Jillian inhaled. No.
“Is that right?” Kesel said, looking interested.
Celina smiled. “Make me a partner and I’ll tell you where.”
“Don’t bother,” Simon said from behind Jillian.
Kesel immediately turned his gun on Simon.
Through gritted teeth, Jillian said, “I was trying to save you.”
His gaze cut to her. “Doing a damn fine job, too, babe. But this is between me and Kesel.” Then his eyes shifted to the main entrance. He had a plan to escape. Well, so had she, right up until he decided to play hero.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, Bonner,” Kesel said.
Simon stepped forward. “Go for it, asshole.”
Her breath caught. He was going to sacrifice himself so she could make a break for it. After she’d chosen the archives over him. She gave a last look at the civilization she was about to abandon.
Make your choice.
And she did.
“Kill him and you’ll never see the treasure. Ever,” Jillian said, holding the bag to drop. “I’m the only one who can get it, and this is your only chance, Kesel. The treasure in exchange for me and Simon. Last offer. If you don’t accept it, you get no toys to take home.”
“Don’t bother negotiating,” Simon told her. “He won’t let us out alive.”
Celina said, “Take it. Take the treasure. We can always track them down later.”
“Shut up, Celina,” Kesel said. He glared at her. “I didn’t give a damn about it before. But stealing it from you? That’s worth a few minutes of my time.” He looked at Jillian. “Deal. Now find it.”
He was lying, of course, but so was she.
Jillian slipped the crystal out of the bag and swung it out over the blue liquid. “It’s under the model. The whole thing will rise up when the crystal reaches the bottom of the pool.”
Simon was watching her, his eyes wary. Trust me, she thought. Believe in me.
She let it drop. The crystal plunked into the thick liquid and disappeared instantly. Nothing happened.
“She lied,” Celina said. “I told you she’d never—”
The floor started to vibrate, and the model began to shudder and rise. The liquid in the pool rippled and sloshed over the sides. Stone ground against stone. Dust floated down from the ceiling overhead.
“Yes!” Celina shouted, her eyes wild.
Jillian looked at Simon and cut her eyes to the main entrance. He blinked confirmation.
They both took a step back from the pool as the floor trembled. A piece of the ceiling broke off and crashed to the city model, showering them with thick liquid.
“No!” Celina screamed in horror at the pool. “You’re destroying it!”
Just as Kesel raised his gun toward them, Simon kicked it out of his hand and threw himself at Kesel. With a hard thud, they landed on the floor next to the pool, trading bone-crunching punches.
Celina just stood and screamed at the pool as the island rocked and split into pieces.
Simon yelled, “Jillian, go!”
She eyed the ceiling as it made its slow descent, pushing the columns and all their knowledge down into the ground. Burying history yet again. A few of the columns twisted under the pressure and buckled with a spray of stones. The place was coming down, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t leaving without Simon.
Jillian picked up a nearby chunk of stone and ran toward the two men. She threw it at Kesel’s head. It hit and bounced off with no apparent effect. Neither man could get a good footing in the slippery blue liquid on the floor, and she had to step back to avoid getting knocked over.
All she could hear were meaty blows and pained grunts. They rolled over, and she caught a glimpse of Simon’s bloodied face. Kesel outweighed him by at least fifty pounds and was using all that extra leverage to crush Simon’s neck.
She was about to throw herself on Kesel’s back when Celina grabbed her neck from behind. “You ruined everything!”
Jillian reacted without thinking, reaching behind her to scratch Celina’s face. The grip around her neck eased up and Jillian twisted, using Celina’s raging momentum against her to throw her aside. Celina came around swinging, catching Jillian in the head hard enough to make her see stars. Then, Celina kicked her in the gut.
Jillian stumbled backward, sucking air. She braced herself against a column. The ceiling was noticeably lower now—ten feet away and still dropping—although Celina didn’t seem to notice as she smiled and stalked her.
Jillian heard Simon give a feral growl and turned to see him use his legs to push Kesel off him. Kesel made a grab for Simon, missed, and disappeared over the edge of the pool with a splash.
Then she had other things to worry about as she dodged Celina’s next blow and ducked under her arm. Celina’s fist connected with the column, and she howled. While Celina gripped her hand, Jillian picked up a nearby stone and whacked her in the back of the head with a sickening thud. Celina dropped.
Screw self-defense class. Nothing beat a good, heavy rock.
Jillian swayed on her feet and turned to see Simon on his side, grabbing his throat as he spit up blood. She dodged debris on her way to him and helped him to his feet. Cuts and blood covered his face and arms.
Simon glanced at Celina and rasped, “You okay?”
Jillian managed a smile. “Never better. You?”
Simon looked over at Kesel, who was sliding under, his eyes wide. He grappled for the edges, but the liquid sucked him down. He didn’t ask for help. He just stared at them with those soulless eyes and slipped under. Jillian almost felt bad for him, but she had bigger problems.
The ceiling was low enough to touch now, and whole sections were crashing around them. There was a great wail as the main entrance they planned to use disappeared under a pile of rubble.
They covered their heads as stones filled the air like shrapnel, and dust rolled toward them in a cloud.
Simon waved at the air and yelled, “That’s bad.”
She nodded. “I know another way. Help me move Celina.”
They grabbed Celina by the arms and half dragged, half carried her to where Jillian would find the exit. To where the priest had shown her before he’d forgiven her for the choice she’d made.
Just as they ducked into an alcove in the wall, the ceiling dropped to under five feet, their tiny bit of space becoming the only refuge. Jillian pounded against the back wall, but it didn’t budge and there was nowhere else to go.
“It’s here. I know it is,” she said to Simon.
“I believe you,” he replied, and settled Celina against one wall. The ceiling disintegrated beside them, filling the alcove with dust and debris.
Simon pulled Jillian against him, covering her body with his. Exhausted and drained of any hope, she held on to him with all her might, feeling his heart beating against hers and his warmth when he kissed her.
“I love you,” she said.
His response was lost in the final destruction.
CHAPTER
29
As dawn approached, Donovan watched the site implode. They had vacated the area when the ground started shaking last evening. Now he stood nearby as entire sections continued to collapse. Yancy and Mancuso stood next to him in silence. Sitting on a rock with his head in his hands, even Paulie was quiet.
Walsh came up beside Donovan and asked in a hushed voice, “Any orders?”
He pressed his lips together. “We wait until the site settles. Then we’ll launch a rescue operation.”
Walsh stared at the ruins. “You think that’s a worthwhile mission?”
“I do,” he said.
Walsh nodded and vanished from his side.
The jungle had come alive with the promise of morning. The mountain range in the distance was etched with gold. How many ancients had stood in this spot as they toiled to build the archives? To save their culture from extinction and to make the next world better?
He’d tri
ed to do that, and he’d failed. He was going to have to accept that. His final gift to Mexico would never be. He couldn’t save even this much.
And the lives. He swallowed the lump in his throat. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They weren’t supposed to die. He hadn’t cared in the beginning, but their struggle to do the right thing, their sacrifice . . . He cared now.
“I knew it!” Paulie suddenly yelled behind him. “I knew you’d make it!”
Donovan spun around to see Celina emerge from the forest with Simon and Jillian behind her—all of them covered from head to toe in grime and dirt and blood.
Paulie jumped up and ran past Celina, who broke free and headed directly toward the group. She frantically scanned everyone assembled, no doubt looking for a partner in crime.
Sure enough, her eyes narrowed when she saw him. “Donovan?”
He grinned. “Hello, Celina.”
She raced to him and grabbed him by the arms. “Thank God you’re here. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been through. Those two tried to kill me. Kesel and Lance tried to kill me. But I can still get you the archives. We found a tunnel out. The deal can still be on. There’s enough in there—”
He cut her off. “Celina, the Ministry of Culture would like to have a few words with you about your smuggling activities.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What?”
“As well as your involvement in the death of your husband, and anything else I can think of to charge you with.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re a cop?”
He smiled, feeling better by the minute. “For the people of Mexico, I am.”
“You lied to me,” she said as Walsh’s men took her into custody. “You son of a bitch. You lied to me!”
Celina screamed all the way through the forest. Donovan pulled a cigar from his pocket. It wasn’t going to be such a bad day after all.
After big hugs from Paulie and Elwood, a marriage proposal from Mancuso, and some cleanup, Jillian felt a lot better. At least until she surveyed the full extent of the damage. The site was pocked and battered. The structure had been reduced to a pile of rubble, and under it all was a forgotten world.
Jillian closed her eyes at the sting. She’d tried her best. In her heart, she knew there was nothing more she could have done. Sadness filled her, but also a strange sense of freedom.
She couldn’t do it all. Just as that civilization had passed into oblivion, so would others. Perhaps the fate of man was to reinvent himself over and over until he got it right. Would the archives have made a difference? Would anyone listen?
There were no answers here.
Jillian gave a sigh and wandered over to meet Donovan. He was an older man with gray-shot hair and hazel eyes. His brown skin and broad face belied a distant Mayan ancestry. His hunched shoulders betrayed his failure.
He looked up at her somewhat sheepishly when she shook his hand and said, “Thank you.”
He grimaced. “Don’t thank me for using you for my own selfish dream.”
She smiled. “Yancy told me who you are. I understand why you did it.”
“Doesn’t make it right,” he said with a sadness that tugged at her heart.
“You’ve made a dent in a major smuggling ring. I think it was worth it for that alone.”
He gave a little grunt. “Perhaps. Unfortunately, it got a bit out of control, and there were too many casualties.”
Jillian nodded silently. Jackson, the man they found in the Jeep, Kesel, and probably Lance. Or maybe he escaped.
As if reading her mind, Donovan asked, “Is anyone else coming out of there alive?”
“I don’t think so.”
He stared over the ruins for a long time before speaking. “You know I left Mexico long ago. Left it open for anyone to walk in and out with our culture. All of this is my fault. I should have been working with the authorities a long time ago to prevent it. Making a difference.”
“You can’t do it all, Donovan. Sometimes you have to live in the present.”
“Perhaps.” He turned and smiled at her. “Did you see it?”
She understood what he was asking her. He was the right man to tell. He was the right man to take it from here. “The Archives of Man is a library, a culture’s collective knowledge. No gold. No artifacts. Just irreplaceable knowledge. I’ll try to write down what I can remember.”
His tired eyes met hers. “Is there nothing left?”
She hesitated and then said, “The archives are still there.”
Donovan stared at her. “What?”
“It wasn’t destroyed, at least not all of it. The knowledge was recorded on the library’s supporting columns. They just sank into the ground.” She nodded toward the site. “All you have to do is move a few thousand tons of stone.”
His eyes lit up. “You haven’t told anyone else?”
She shook her head. “And I won’t if you don’t want me to.”
“I don’t want you to.”
Jillian grinned. He understood. Donovan would do the right thing.
She noticed Simon waiting for her on the edge of camp. He’d trusted her with the most important thing he could—his life, and she’d been right. When the last of the chamber collapsed, the pressure blew out the hidden entrance, giving them an exit.
Her heart filled her chest when he smiled, looking more beautiful than any relic. More amazing than a room full of history. More promising than any legend. It was time to write her own history.
“Good luck,” she told Donovan and walked away.
Mancuso’s beach looked quiet at 1:00 a.m., but Simon knew she was out here. A big moon dominated the Mexican sky, illuminating the strip of sand. Dark waves stretched lazily to the shore.
As he made his way to the beach, he realized what a welcome change this was from the jungle just two days before. He’d finally caught up on his sleep. His wounds were healing nicely, thanks to Jillian’s TLC. Mancuso’s house had filled up with Yancy, Paulie, and Jillian’s sister, father, and brother-in-law. As soon as Jillian had called them, they’d swarmed in like . . . family.
Family. He’d have to get used to that. Maybe. Maybe not.
Jillian hadn’t said she loved him again. She’d taken care of him, made love to him, treated him the same as before. But the words weren’t there. Had she only said it before because she thought they were going to die? He didn’t know, but he was going to find out tonight. He couldn’t wait any longer.
He found her, naked except for the sarong tied around her hips as she stood silhouetted against the moon’s reflection across the water. The breeze swirled her hair behind her. She turned and smiled a smile that was meant only for him. Flawless skin and ivory breasts gleamed in moonlight.
His pulse quickened as he came up beside her. “See anything?”
“Just the moon,” she said. “You?”
The woman I love. “The moon’s okay, but I like the view from here.”
She laughed when he pulled her close and kissed her, breathed her into his soul. Her skin, her lips, the way she moved, talked, walked; he’d never get tired of any of it.
“I have a confession to make.” She leaned back and peered at him with her clear blue eyes. “I’ve been meaning to show you something.”
He stilled as she opened her hand between them. The crystal lens glowed in the moonlight. He shook his head in disbelief. “How?”
“You owe me a new necklace,” she said with a sly grin.
He realized he hadn’t seen her wearing the crystal necklace since they got back. “That’s the crystal you dropped into the pool?”
She nodded. “When I was standing next to the pool, the priest appeared and showed me that the model was sacred, never to be touched. Disturbing it in any way would seal the chamber. I took a chance the crystal would be enough.”
“A fail-safe,” Simon noted.
She nodded. “Yes. The ancients didn’t want the archives falling into the wrong hands, and they managed that risk by leaving it
up to the Seer to decide. For me to decide.”
He wrapped her up in his arms. “I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry you had to make that decision.”
She leaned into him. “I had no choice. They would have killed us both and desecrated the archives.”
It still hurt her, and he knew it would for a long time. “You can’t let anyone know you have the lens, Jillian. It’s not safe.”
“I know. I brought it out here to throw in the ocean,” she admitted and relaxed in his arms. “But then I thought, ‘What if there are more archives?’ Maybe we’d get another shot at it.”
The “we” part gave him hope. “Sounds like an adventure to me.”
“Me, too.”
She kissed his shoulder, and he forgot about the lens as her heat seeped into him, warming his heart.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?” she asked softly.
“Just one thing.”
He felt her body tense as he lifted her palms to kiss each of them in turn. “The most important thing.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Really? Sounds serious.”
He kissed her wrists and heard her inhale. “Better than anything you’d find in a museum.”
“Better than that?” she whispered.
“Much.” He took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. “Te amo. Do you know what that means?”
“No,” she said, her voice hushed. He saw her eyes rim with tears and held on to his resolve.
“It means I love you, Jillian Talbot. How’d you like to make an honest man out of me?”
She burst into laughter as a tear ran down her cheek. “It’s about time, Bonner. I thought I was going to have to tie you up and torture you until you figured it out.”
“Hell, if I’d known that, I would have waited.”
She put her arms around him. “Oh, no, you don’t. Can’t take it back now.”
He wouldn’t dream of it.
She pressed her body against his, her eyes hooded. “By the way, I knew what te amo meant. I just wanted to hear you say it.” Then a slow, sexy smile crossed her face. “In fact, I’ve been working quite a bit on my Spanish.” She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Quite mis ropas.”
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