A Trick of the Moon

by Melinda Barron

  Maura looked up at the stars, noticing the moon directly above them now.

  She closed her eyes, seeking to record every feeling she'd had tonight, every touch, kiss, and stroke of their cocks. It was something she never wanted to forget, for as long as she lived.

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  Chapter Ten

  Maura checked the computer screen, then turned to the couple standing at the counter. She gave them a warm smile, feeling it all the way down to her belly. She felt that way a lot, lately. For five days now, to be exact. Ever since Declan and Dario had appeared at the Full Moon.

  “We have you in cabin three, Mr. Harrison, from today until next Saturday. There are towels, blankets, and pillows in the cabin. And of course there are cooking utensils, plates, cups, and anything you would need of that nature. Anything extra in the way of furnishings you might require, just come and see me here. If we don't have it, we'll see about getting it for you. If you want to book a trail ride or ask a guide to take you and your family on a hike, I can arrange that for you also.”

  “Sounds good.” Mr. Harrison's East Coast accent made her smile. She loved introducing people to this area that she loved so much. “We've never been in this part of the country before, and my kids are looking forward to a trail ride. Can I schedule that for tomorrow?”

  “You certainly can.” Maura pulled out the book, her smile staying in place as Bear opened the door and walked inside. His smile wasn't nearly as bright as hers, but he was still polite to the newcomers, telling them his son Mikey would lead them on the ride tomorrow, take them out to the bluffs, and then show them some Indian ruins.

  Maura watched the two men talk about the region, and when he was ready to leave, Mr. Harrison shook both their hands, telling them once again how happy he was to be there.

  Bear turned to her as their guest left. “It's payday.”

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  “Yes, I know that.” She went behind the desk and took envelopes out of the drawer. She handed Bear his, then riffled through them until she found Mikey's. “Here you go.”

  “Thought you might have been too busy with your friends to remember.”

  The sarcasm in his voice made her smile falter just a little. But then she thought about those two friends, about being in their arms, making love with them, or just talking, laughing, and joking, and she shrugged.

  “Sorry to disappoint, Bear, but I remembered my duties. Would you like to hand these out, or shall I?”

  “I'll do it.” He took the envelopes and sifted through them. “If those two are workers, how come theirs aren't in here? And how long you gonna let them waste your father's money?”

  “Excuse me?” It was best if she tried to keep her cool. Blowing up at Bear would serve no purpose.

  “You know what I mean. Those two in the desert. Exactly what the hell are they doing out there?”

  For the first few days after he'd discovered her in bed with Declan and Dario, he wouldn't even speak to her. Now he spoke, but from the tone of his voice it was obvious he wasn't happy about it.

  The question he asked seemed strange, because she knew Bear and everyone else at the Full Moon knew exactly what Declan and Dario were doing.

  She'd heard two of the hands discussing it the other day at the stables as she'd retrieved a horse to ride out to the kiva. They were speculating about other ruins or artifacts that might be found. The gist of their conversation had been wondering if they could find something they could sell to a collector, to make a little extra money.

  But Bear didn't seem to be worried about using the site to make money.

  He was just worried about what Declan and Dario were doing. Was he trying to A Trick of the Moon

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  trip her up, see how she would answer him? Maybe she could learn his real reasons if she pissed him off.

  “They're not part of the actual resort staff, so you don't have to worry about it. I'm their immediate supervisor.”

  “You just brought them out for your little campouts, huh?”

  His words proved he knew what was happening out there. Why did this bother him? Unless…the idea came to her so fast that the words were out of her mouth before she could think about it.

  “Actually, we're going into Durango tomorrow. We're going to go to Mesa Verde and just relax a little.”

  She couldn't read the emotion that flickered across his face so quickly.

  Was he happy they were going to be gone? Or was he angry that she was going out to play instead of staying to work?

  “When were you going to tell me I needed to watch the office?”

  “You haven't exactly made yourself available to me recently.” This time she could interpret his look. She shouldn't be blaming him for the rift that had developed between them. It was all her fault: well, hers, Declan's, and Dario's fault. “Is there a problem?”

  “Not at all. Stay gone as long as you like.” He banged out the door, and she stared after him, wondering exactly what she should do next. It was almost time for the office to close, and no one was expected for a late check-in, unless the couple scheduled to come tomorrow showed up early. If that happened, Bear's number was on the door for them to call. She had everything packed up for them to cook hamburgers at the site tonight.

  What would the guys think of her impromptu trip? Would they also think it would be good for them to vacate the site for a while? There had to be a way for them to set up something so they would know if someone had come to the kiva while they were gone. It wouldn't show what they'd done, but a trip wire, 102

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  or some other similar device, would show someone had been there. Maybe from there Dario could figure out who it was.

  It was a huge long shot, but it might go toward helping them find their kiva user. Thinking about him brought a hitch to her breath. She hadn't talked to him in three days, but the last time he'd sounded as if nothing had even happened to him. The therapy was obviously working wonders, and he was supposed to be home in a few weeks.

  She wanted this taken care of before he returned, wanted to be able to give him some answers so he wouldn't have to worry about things. It would be absolutely perfect if she could lay a solution on the table, tell him the site needed to be excavated by professional archeologists and that nothing was happening there to cause problems. But first she had to figure out exactly what was happening.

  And what would happen between herself, Declan, and Dario when this was all over? Right now everything was wonderful. They acted like one big happy family, cooking together, talking together, and eventually crawling into the tent or staying out under the stars to make love together.

  But when they left the Full Moon and went back to their normal lives, would things be different? Of course they would. Society wouldn't look kindly on a woman who had two lovers. She couldn't marry both of them, couldn't have any kind of legal relationship with the two of them. She'd have to pick one or the other.

  How would she do that? She'd known Declan far longer and had thought of him in a romantic way for almost all that time. But that didn't change the fact she now had feelings for Dario too. It wasn't supposed to be this way, was it? In real life, a man and a woman fell in love, they got married and stayed that way, had kids, lived together, faced life together, died together.

  She picked up a pencil and started doodling on a sheet of paper, as she always did while pondering a case she'd just taken. That wasn't “real” life. That was the way people wanted life to be, but in reality, things changed. People fell A Trick of the Moon

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  in love, got married, and then sometimes got divorced after finding someone else whom they fell in love with.

  Why couldn't she pick her own reality? Why couldn't she fall in love with two men and want to have them both in her life?

  The lawyer in her sat up straighter, ready to argue points, the first one being her father. He wouldn't take kindly to her
living with two men. He would consider her a freak, and she was sure his reaction would mirror Bear's on the morning he'd found her in bed with Declan and Dario.

  She might be able to talk him into a semiacceptance, and he might treat both men with a sort of restrained pleasantness, but she was sure that deep down he would always frown upon her relationship, and that would hurt.

  Then there were her bosses and coworkers. She'd taken her hiatus from her firm with the caveat that she would be reinstated if there was still a position open when she came back. She'd talked to her bosses just last week, informing them that her father was on the road to recovery and doing much better than they'd all expected. Would they want her if she lived with two men?

  They were a fairly conservative bunch. Having two lovers wouldn't fit their mold, she was sure.

  Her friends were something else to consider, but not as much as her bosses. Most of her friends worked in the legal profession. Only one had called her in the time she'd been at the Full Moon. Sylvia Martinez was a paralegal, and she was, without a doubt, Maura's best friend.

  The last time she'd talked to her was right before the men arrived. Things had been crazy since then, and she'd neglected her phone calls. She picked up the phone then dialed, getting Sylvia's voice mail. She left a brief message saying she would be out of touch for a while but would get back to her after she returned to Albuquerque.

  As she hung up she realized that, while she'd been thinking of family, friends, and coworkers, she hadn't thought about the most important part of this equation: Declan and Dario. They hadn't discussed making things 104

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  permanent. No one had said a word about relationships. Their time together had been great, and the sex was magnificent. But not once had any of them mentioned what would happen on their return to Albuquerque.

  Dario had his job, which took him to different places in the state. Declan traveled to various dig sites when he wasn't lecturing at the university. And she had her work, or at least she hoped she did, which kept her at home but busy.

  Perhaps she was overthinking things. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done it. In fact, she was notorious for doing it. It was why she and Declan had never gotten together, despite the obvious attraction.

  What she needed to do was talk to them. “Hey, guys, I've had a great time and thought maybe we should continue it. What do you think?”

  Oh yeah, that sounds real mature. Don't overdo it, just let it flow as it will, and if it doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be.

  A glance at the clock showed it was just after five. She shut down the computer and went to the kitchen, then loaded up the food in the cooler. She put other things she thought they might need in the truck, then went around to make sure the doors were all locked.

  Dinner, a little stargazing, and then some sweet loving at the hands of two gorgeous men. What more could a girl ask for?

  * * * * *

  Dario stopped and took a deep swig from his water bottle. Declan had gone walking a few hours ago, saying he would be gone for quite some time. Dario figured he was looking for other signs of a civilization here, something he might have missed with his other treks. With Deck gone and no one to talk to, he'd quickly become bored.

  A walk had revealed nothing of value he could use to help identify who'd been using the kiva. His failure to find any kind of evidence was frustrating to him. He helped put away major drug dealers, and he couldn't find a shred of A Trick of the Moon

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  proof that someone had even been here. Well, there had been the offerings they'd left behind, but that wouldn't help him identify a suspect.

  The sound of an engine filled the otherwise-still air. Was Maura here? He started to walk back to the site, then stopped. No, it was too early in the day for her to come out. The engine he was hearing belonged to a motorcycle, not a truck.

  Dario stopped and listened. Had someone seen Declan leave the site, then decided it would be empty? That would be a very amateurish mistake to make, since it was obvious there were two of them out here. But if their visitor was nervous about his use of the kiva being discovered, he might not have been thinking and decided to act on the fact Declan was gone.

  Dario moved toward the camp slowly, knowing that if he ran, even in this dirt, the sound would carry in the vast desert. As he neared the site, he saw exactly what he'd expected to see: a motorcycle, more of a dirt bike, really, propped up next to the kiva opening.

  Whoever had come calling was obviously inside, either adding something to the shrine or taking it all away. He approached cautiously, not wanting to raise the alarm. The main objective here was to identify the unknown kiva user, and he'd been given the opportunity to do just that.

  He stopped on the outskirts of the camp and looked around. There was no movement, and he strode silently across the camp, using the tent as a barricade to stop and look around again.

  Definitely time for a trip to the kiva opening. Dario was just about to move beside the tent flap, when it opened. He turned his head and looked down, then grunted in surprise as a hand wrapped around his ankle and pulled. He toppled forward onto his chest, landing with a loud groan.

  The heavy weight of a man landed on his back, pushing him deeper into the ground. Dario tilted his weight, and the person on top of him shifted.

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  “Son of a bitch.” Dario threw a punch over his shoulder. A grunt of pain came from his unknown assailant. He tried to move again, but before he could turn his head, something came down over it, turning everything to black.

  “Motherfucker!” Dario threw all his weight back, and the person on top of him rolled to one side. Dario stood, then pulled the object from his head. He looked at the pillowcase he held before tossing it aside.

  Dario lunged for the legs of the young Indian male who was now running toward the bike. He caught a pant leg and pulled, but the worn material ripped, sending Dario flying onto his stomach yet again. The youth kicked out, connecting with Dario's hand.

  Sharp pain spread up his arm, and he grasped his palm, rubbing his thumb against it to try and relieve the pain.

  “Damn it!” He held his throbbing hand, then looked up to where the man straddled the bike. “Stop! I just want to talk.”

  The bike engine roared to life, and the driver spun the tires, kicking up clouds of dust as he roared off.

  “Son of a… Crap that hurt.” He stared after the retreating bike, mentally kicking himself in the ass for not thinking his visitor could be going through the tent. How could he have let something like this happen?

  He turned toward the tent, ducked inside, and looked around. The fact the youth had time to snatch a pillowcase and devise a plan on how to use it let Dario know he'd been less than quiet as he'd approached.

  Either that or the boy had supernatural senses that allowed him to see people even when they weren't close by. A quick survey of the surroundings showed nothing to be missing, or at least he didn't think anything was.

  He cussed himself as he realized he hadn't gotten a good look at the boy's face. While working a beat, he'd been pissed at people who had witnessed crimes and could say no more than, “A tall white male.”

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  Now all he could say was a Native American youth, between the ages of sixteen and twenty, maybe twenty-two. A hell of a lot of good that description would do him around these parts.

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  Chapter Eleven

  “We don't have to go all the way to Mesa Verde.” Maura ran her hand down her jean legs, keeping her gaze trained on the road. “Do you think this will flush out Bear or whoever is using the kiva?”

  She sighed heavily, then giggled like a schoolgirl as Declan put his strong arm around her shoulder, turned her head, and kissed her, capturing her lower lip between his teeth and nibbling.

  Beside her, Dario whispered the words “not fair
” before tightening his grip on the wheel and clearing his throat as if to get their attention. “I think this is a great idea, skipper. The only time our friend came around was when he thought everyone was gone. I think it will work this time too, and we'll get some new information.”

  She mumbled a yes, her concentration half on what he was saying, half on his lips, then pushed slightly against Declan's chest. As much as she loved kissing him, doing it in a car going seventy miles per hour didn't exactly seem like a great idea.

  “We should be concerned about what happened today. This may not be the best time to leave.”

  “Relax,” Declan said, taking one last nibble on her lip. “We've got it all set up, remember?”

  Oh yes, she remembered. Upon arrival at the campsite, which was now called the Half Moon Ranch, she'd been informed, the men were ready to eat.

  They had a fire blazing, and it hadn't taken long for Dario to fix their dinner.

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  She's explained about the going-out-of-town remark, and both of them had been quiet, at first. Then they'd said it might help them to draw out the mysterious kiva user. Declan had told them about a motion-activated video camera that could be set up inside the kiva.

  “We'll have to do a little camouflage to make it blend in, but it's a very high-tech piece of equipment. It will work in low light, and it will definitely give us a good picture of the visitor.”

  Both men had then spent the next hours of available light setting up the camera inside the kiva, hopefully hiding it enough so that someone who came down wouldn't see it. She knew it had been hard work for them, since they'd hauled down dirt and other items to use. Afterward, they'd all bundled into the tent where they'd talked about what they would possibly find when they got back.