Page 21 of Wicked Intention

It took another half an hour to reach the customs agent. At least it shouldn’t take long to search his bag, and with some luck, maybe the car rental place had stayed open to accommodate the hundreds of people waiting to be cleared.

Putting his backpack down on the counter, Finn dug out his passport and handed it to the agent.

The man stiffened as he glanced at it. The motion was nearly imperceptible, but Finn caught it. He also caught the slight step forward. Fuck, the agent had triggered the alarm button.

Finn shifted his stance—not enough to be noticeable, but enough to be ready for anything.

In his peripheral vision, he saw the presidential guards moving. He kept his hands in plain sight, his body relaxed. He was unarmed, and they were carrying automatic weapons. The chances of them shooting in here weren’t high, not with so many people crammed into the space, but he wasn’t betting on it. The Puerto Jardinese government played hardball.

A captain came up to his side. “Señor Rowland?”

There was no point in lying, not when his name was on his passport. “Sí.”

Finn didn’t have time to react before two soldiers grabbed his arms and forced them behind his back.

In accented English, the officer said, “You are under arrest.”

Chapter Eight

Huarona Ruins

Near San Isidro, Puerto Jardin

Present Day

THE DARKNESS REMAINED absolute when Zo reached the top of the hill near the ruins. She stopped, unwilling to head down a trail that steep without more light. She turned off the penlight and tucked it into her pocket.

Without light, the sounds around her seemed louder—the constant twinkling-trill of insects, the deep bass of frogs, and a distant laugh from some unknown animal.

It had been ten years since she’d last gone to the Huarona ruins. That had been the final summer before the civil war had begun, although no one had known it at the time. Her parents and Doctor Castillo had been working the site as they had every year for as long as Zo could remember, and she and Mari had been allowed to help.

Maybe fifteen percent of the city had been uncovered at that last visit—the rainforest cut back to expose the stonebuildings and statues in the areas that had been excavated. The main plaza had been cleared more completely than any other part of the city, and the step pyramid had held the most prominent position at the end.

She’d played in the temple as a child, examining every nook, every crevice, and searching for the Lost Disk of the Gods. Zo would bet she was more knowledgeable about the pyramid than any of the archaeologists or students who’d been part of the excavation team. But Al was familiar with the temple, too.

For three years, until he’d left for university, he’d helped her search. She’d wanted to find the artifact to prove her parents wrong. Al had wanted to find it for his grandfather.

Zo looked up at the sky but didn’t see any hint of dawn. What she did see was a million stars through the treetops, more than she could ever remember seeing filling the sky.

The disk seemed to vibrate lightly against her side—she could feel it through the lining of her jacket, and Zo put her hand atop it, her fingers stroking it over the leather. Concealing it in the temple was the safest course of action—Al would send his men to search, not come himself—but she was punchy from lack of sleep, so she ran through the alternatives again. She needed to be sure. Shehadto be sure.

Hiding it in San Isidro was completely out of the question. Tucking it away there would endanger the people who called the town home. If the disk was located anywhere near the city, Al would assume her friends were helping her and that they’d lied to his men. His retribution would be frightening.

Hiding it in the rainforest also presented problems.

She didn’t have a phone, so she wouldn’t be able to record the GPS location. That meant relying on landmarks. Her frown deepened as she recalled the overwhelming foliage and how she’d needed the trail, overgrown as it was, and a compass to find the ruins.

There was another factor to consider, too. If she werekilled, the disk would be lost again until the weather or an animal exposed it. Given the poverty of the country, whoever found it would sell it, and a priceless artifact would disappear, possibly forever. The idea made her stomach turn inside out, and Zo shook her head.

She could keep the disk with her, but if Al’s men captured her, they’d have it. If she were caught by the authorities, she’d go to prison, and the Puerto Jardinese government might sell the relic on the shadow market.

Her original plan was probably the best. The spot she’d picked was in a room with an opening so small that very few men would be able to enter, and there was a ledge around the chamber that would keep the disk unseen. Al knew her well enough to order the city searched, and that included the step pyramid, but would an employee bother with a room he couldn’t enter himself? And if they did send someone who could slip inside, would they take the time to explore every inch or look around and write it off?

Closing her eyes, she visualized the Huarona city. Even after a decade, she could see it clearly in her mind’s eye. To reach the entrance to the temple, she’d need to climb the steps of the pyramid to the top. She’d have to get in and out before Al’s men arrived.

How much time would she have?

They wouldn’t move until first light, but she needed daylight, too. Zo tried to guess how long it would take Ramos’ men to make it from his estate to the ruins. She didn’t have a good answer. If they used the main road, the one she was familiar with, she’d probably have until mid-morning, but what if there were faster routes?

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