Page 39 of Wicked Intention

“What am I going to do with you?” she asked softly.

The vibration increased, and the disk began to glow. At that moment, she sensed power, something strong, something that would be dangerous in the wrong hands. “Don’t worry,” she whispered, feeling slightly silly, talking to a relic. “I’ll protect you no matter what the risk. I know how important you are.” A stronger humming sensation traveled through her fingers, and the illumination intensified.

She shook her head. Her imagination was getting the best of her. The disk glowed because of the angle of the sun, not because of some innate power. The buzz? Her imagination. She wasn’t seven anymore. Magic didn’t exist. There was no such thing as doorways to the world of the gods, and this was a ceremonial object, not the key to open a wormhole.

The sun shifted. Enough for the glow to stop, and the pulsing ended.

Giving the disk one last caress, Zo returned it to her jacket, and considered what lay ahead. The undergrowth wasn’t going to disappear simply because she wished it would, and the temple truly was the best place to hide the artifact despite Al’s familiarity with the interior.

No more delaying. Squaring her shoulders, she pulled the machete from its sheath and headed for the trail down to the ruins.

Zo relaxed her hold on the knife, automatically adjusting to grip it correctly. She could almost hear Señor Garcia’s voice in her head, telling her how to manage the blade to avoid blisters and also prevent herself from tiring quickly. The park where she and Finn had kissed was the older man’s favorite project, and while others in town assisted, he had been tireless about keeping it clear. She’d helped him more than once.

The proper angle, the proper swing, came back to her. Whenever she saw an opening in the greenery big enough for her to squeeze through, she did that. There was no point in exhausting herself. Zo went around a break in the trees and nearly walked into a downed tree.

A downed tree with a snake sliding across it. She backed up a step and waited for it to slither away before she resumed her trek.

When her arm got tired, Zo took a few minutes to relax and have some water. It was too risky to swing the blade when she was fatigued. She checked the time on her fitness tracker and frowned. Cutting her way through the rainforest was taking forever. She had to move.

An eternity later, she spotted the long stone wall across her path. A closer look showed it was filled with carved faces. Closing her eyes, Zo envisioned the ruins she remembered from ten years ago. This was the wall her parents believed held likenesses of the Huarona leaders. She blew out a long,slow breath. It was near the temple, facing it at an angle, and it helped her get her bearings. The clearing was on the other side.

Zo slid the machete back in its sheath, but instead of entering the plaza, she stuck to the cover the foliage gave her until she reached the other end of the wall. Edging forward, she studied the ground that lay before her. It was fifty yards, maybe sixty, to the temple, and it remained mostly free of vegetation, although there was a stray bush here or there. She looked up at the towering pyramid. The sky was heavy and gray, the mist hanging low—monsoon season in the rainforest.

Damn. She wanted to reach the entrance to the temple before it started raining. Even she wasn’t crazy enough to try to climb up or down a wet, slippery rock stairway. She took another glance at the clouds, but she couldn’t guess when the sky would open up. She’d have to start ascending the stairs and hope she made it in time.

She took a step away from the wall but froze when she heard voices headed her direction. Right now, they were behind her and far enough off her track that they were unlikely to see the trail she’d left with her machete. Ramos’ men. It had to be them.

The entire side of the pyramid was exposed. She couldn’t attempt those stairs now—she’d be seen immediately. They could pick her off, climb to her body, and take the disk off her corpse.

They were close. She could hear them complaining. The good news was it was abundantly clear they had no more skill than she had at wilderness things. The bad news was they were gaining fast, and she needed to move her ass now.

Zo turned and darted back into the growth behind her. It wasn’t thick enough to conceal her well, but she kept moving, trying to be quiet until she could reach an area full of greenery.

She was going to have to hide the disk in the rainforest,whether she liked it or not. And she was going to need to be able to find it again. Here, close to the ruins, was probably the safest option. Looking around, she tried to find somewhere recognizable.

Suddenly, a bullet gouged out a portion of the tree trunk next to her shoulder, and Zo took off running.

Chapter Fifteen

Trujillo, Puerto Jardin

27 Months Earlier

ZO WAS BEGINNING to wonder if she’d lost her mind. Why the hell was she wandering around Trujillo in the rain looking for a mercenary who was perfectly capable of taking care of himself? He probably already watched his back and didn’t need her to warn him.

At least she’d been smart enough to wear her waterproof raincoat. With the hood up, the olive-green jacket was doing a good job keeping her dry. Zo wished, though, that it was longer. Her butt and thighs were getting wet, and the denim was weighing her down.

How did she find a mercenary anyway?

The times she’d run into Finn, he’d either been meeting with Silva or following the man. There was no reason to believe he’d be discussing anything with the arms dealer today—Silva spent Sundays with his wife and family—but even if he was, Zo had promised to steer clear. Since the bruisingaround her mouth had barely faded, the last thing she wanted to do was cross paths with the asshole or his bodyguards.

She was walking in a working-class area of Trujillo, thinking Finn might be staying at a rooming house here because it would be inexpensive, but she didn’t know what mercenaries earned. Maybe he was staying at a four-star hotel in the middle of the business district.

The next stop was a block ahead—a low-cost motel—and with a grimace, she slogged onward. He’d protected her with Silva, and she owed Finn, that was the bottom line. She’d keep looking for him until late afternoon and start again tomorrow morning if she needed to.

When she reached the motel, she pushed the door open, wiped her feet on the small mat, and lowered her hood. The girl behind the counter didn’t look older than fourteen. Zo guessed this was a family-run business. She was reading something on her phone and didn’t bother to glance her way even after Zo approached the desk.

“Perdóneme,” Zo said.

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