Page 8 of Wicked Suspicion

A stirring among the entourage caught Case’s attention. He looked past Vargas, watching them shift positions. Something was going on.

“Is there a problem?” Case asked, gesturing toward the men.

“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll know in a few moments.”

Vargas looked over Case’s shoulder again. He turned to see what was going on behind him. Two of the drug lord’s men had a tight grip on a woman wearing a tan LA Dodgers baseball cap, a long-sleeved olive shirt, and brown trail pants tucked into hiking boots. Smart rainforest attire. A third man walked behind them, carrying a small backpack, a phone, and a pistol. Confiscated from the woman?

They drew closer, and Case stiffened. What the fuck was she doing at the ruins?

The drug lord caught his slip. “Friend of yours?”

Vargas’s men drew to a stop. Case glanced down at the brunette he’d shared his table with over lunch a couple of days ago. Her face was impassive. She should be scared. Didn’t she realize she was in deep shit?

“More than a friend. She’s my fiancée.”

Chapter 4

Nyx took a long pull from her water bottle and looked around the ruins. Coming here alone was risky. More than risky. It was downright stupid. Her dad would rip her a new one. She should have had at least one other person with her because the rainforest—any wilderness—was more dangerous without a buddy.

But what were her alternatives?

Bring Frankie and Ellis? Even using the pathway she’d been told about, the hike in from her Jeep had been rough. Nyx couldn’t imagine either woman reaching the site without injuring themselves.

Hire some stranger? That was every bit as dangerous as coming alone. The Lost Treasure of Trujillo was estimated to be worth a billion dollars. She couldn’t trust anyone she hired, especially if they discovered why she was here.

She’d left the inn at first light to get started before it became too hot, but it was only mid-morning and she’d already surveyed the exposed area as well as some of the less overgrown sections next to it. Without a lidar scan or a machete, there wasn’t much more she could do. But she needed to be thorough or her teammates would insist on another trip.

Sliding the water back into the holder on the side of her backpack, Nyx considered her options. There was only one.

Climb the pyramid and get a view of the site from elevation.

Three sides were invisible, with the trees and other vegetation nearly swallowing the structure. The front side facing the clearing was accessible, but she couldn’t be certain what erosion had done to the steps. Another risk, especially when she was here by herself. If she fell, there’d be no one to help her.

Nyx checked the sky. Not too cloudy yet, but it wouldn’t stay that way. It might be the dry season, but it still rained nearly every day. She wanted to be off the pyramid before the afternoon storm rolled in.

The top seemed impossibly high, and there was nothing to grab onto if she slipped. Hesitating, she took another look.

The pyramid had three small sections of steps with a wider platform added at strategic intervals for about one-third of the distance. Then she’d hit the big section of steps. From where she stood, they appeared steep. Instead of a capstone, the top was flat and had four long stone buildings set parallel to each other. There were probably birds or animals living there now, and even if she didn’t go inside, Nyx might startle them.

She needed to reach the top to get the best view of the site.

An image of Ellis trying to scale the steps in trousers and low-heeled shoes made Nyx shudder. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—lie to her teammates and that meant she needed to get up there to keep them safe.

Dawdling didn’t help. Nyx didn’t want to be caught on top when the rains came—or on that steep section of steps. The stone would be slippery when it became wet. With a scowl, she walked to the base, decided the erosion wasn’t bad enough to make the climb unsafe, and began to ascend.

By the time she was a third of the way up the last section, Nyx was glad she had a robust workout regimen. If she didn’t, she’d never make it. Even with her program, she was breathing hard.

There were no railings, so she didn’t pause to look around. She kept her focus on the steps in front of her, making sure her balance was steady before continuing.

The top of the pyramid was above the treetops in the area, and she had an incredible view. Green, green, and more green as far as she could see. It didn’t help her identify possible treasure burial sites because she couldn’t see beneath the canopy, but the beauty made it worth the climb.

Reaching for her water bottle, she took a sip and studied her surroundings more carefully. Not quite all trees, after all. Off in the distance, Nyx saw a road and several paths leading into the ruins. Señor Alvarez, the innkeeper, had told her the people of San Isidro kept the one she’d used sort of clear of vegetation, so who maintained the other ones? And why?

Nyx was still sipping water when she spotted vehicles on the road. More than one. The traffic made her uneasy. She capped her water and stowed it. Her eyes never stopped sweeping the terrain.

That’s why she spotted it. Motion on several of the paths she’d identified that led to the Huarona city. There was nothing else around here. They were coming to the site.

Her heart rate picked up. Señor Alvarez had warned her the ruins were close to the hacienda of a drug lord named Vargas. An assassination had taken place here a year ago.

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