Page 31 of Wicked Suspicion

Nyx stood in front of Vargas’s desk and tried not to think about how uncomfortable her damp clothes were. She had more important worries than a little chafing. Case wanted her to convince the drug lord to allow him to help her in the library today and who knew how the man would react to that?

Then there was the thing with the phone. If the Wi-Fi was monitored, and if they figured out she’d connected on the old mobile, Nyx might find herself in deep shit with no one to help her.

She looked around the office, trying to find something to absorb her attention, but it was the same as yesterday, right down to the two guards who stood on either side of the entrance. This time, she didn’t wait long before Vargas strode into the room. He barely spared her a glance as he rounded the desk, unfastened the button at the waist of his suit coat, and took his seat. Only then did his dead eyes settle on her. “Your clothes are wet.”

“I washed them last night. They were starting to smell.” He spoke in Spanish, so she did as well.

Vargas studied her for a moment and then shrugged. “Enrique,” he said, turning to one of the guards at the entrance. “Tell the housekeeper to bring the visitor clothing Señor Ramos purchased last year to our guests’ suite.”

With a nod, the man left his position.

“Perhaps there is something there that will work for you and Señor Case.”

“Gracias,” Nyx said.

With a wave of his hand, Vargas said, “I do not appreciate a stench.”

Uncertain how to respond, Nyx nodded. The drug lord didn’t speak for a long moment, studying her intently. Did he know about the phone? Was he hoping she’d implicate herself somehow? She wouldn’t. She could remain quiet. Squaring her shoulders, Nyx waited.

“Did you learn anything about the treasure?” he asked.

“No, nothing.”

“Nothing?”

Something in the way he said that made Nyx’s breath catch. She nearly mentioned she was working on her degree in geoarchaeology, and that while she knew how to research, she wasn’t an expert. But she stopped herself. If she said that, she made herself expendable. “Sorry, Señor Vargas. I found nothing.”

“I had someone check the library. You didn’t accomplish much research yesterday.”

Nyx saw an opportunity, and she took it. “I was uneasy by myself and that made it hard for me to focus. I kept jumping at every noise.”

“You don’t strike me as a timid woman.”

“I’m usually not, but I’d feel safer—and have an easier time concentrating—if I had Charlie by my side.”

Those hard eyes made Nyx want to fidget, but she remained still, meeting Vargas’s stare. It lasted a while, long enough for the guard to return and resume his post near his compatriot. Long enough for it to become difficult to swallow because of how constricted her throat was.

Vargas leaned back in his chair, the pose indolent. “You believe you’ll be able to comb through the documents faster if Señor Case is in the library with you?”

“Sí,” Nyx said while nodding. “Not only will I be able to stop jumping, but Charlie can assist me. We’ve been together long enough for him to know what’s helpful and what isn’t.” That flat stare combined with the silence made her stomach knot up. Did he realize she was trying to maneuver him? A man like Vargas wouldn’t take that well.

“Or he might be a bigger distraction than your nerves.”

“I don’t believe he will be, Señor.”

More silence. More staring. Why didn’t he just give her an answer? Nyx wasn’t good at game playing and that’s what this was.

Clearing her throat, she decided to take a small risk. “When we spoke of the treasure yesterday, you mentioned you sometimes like to play long shots. Might I ask you why this one, and why now?”

His expression never changed, but Nyx felt as if she were walking on thin ice. She could almost hear it cracking.

Vargas straightened in his chair and leaned forward. “We’ve had a Norwegian adventurer, you and your Paladin League, Señor Torres’s second in command, and now Señor Torres’s men seeking the Treasure of Trujillo. This many people looking in such a short period?” He shrugged. “Where there’s smoke and all that.”

Nyx nodded. It made sense when he put it that way. “My boss at the Paladin League believes it’s unlikely I’ll find the treasure. He merely sent me to check.”

“It seems he and I share the same thought on this quest.”

Nyx would swear Vargas’s lips turned up the slightest amount. Maybe. “It seems so,” she agreed. Except that Archer wanted these items in a museum and Vargas would sell them for his own personal gain. “My boss is playing a lottery ticket.”

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