Page 68 of Wicked Suspicion

“None.”

Ramirez studied her dispassionately, but she suspected he’d long ago lost the ability to feel real emotion. At last, he said, “Señor Case ran off when they reached Trujillo. My men can’t find him.”

Nyx swallowed hard. “He wouldn’t want to expose his contacts. It’s easier for him to work without an audience.”

“You don’t believe he’s going to disappear into Trujillo and leave you behind?”

“No, Colonel Ramirez. He would never forget about me.” Nyx was able to say that with complete conviction.

There was a long silence, and Nyx nearly began to ramble again, but she pressed her lips tightly together and waited. This hut had screened windows and there were no gaps in the walls. Large ceiling fans spun lazily, offering a breeze her hut lacked. She suspected Ramirez lived here, in another room, as well as conducting business.

When he finally spoke, it was on a different topic. “Why are you in Puerto Jardin?”

How did she answer this question? What did he know? What was he guessing? How much trouble would she be in if she miscalculated? Soulless. Nyx decided to stick close to what Vargas knew. “My fiancé is down here, and I missed him, so when the Paladin League contacted me about a contract job, I jumped at the opportunity.”

“The Paladin League?”

Nyx nodded. “It’s a small nonprofit that gives grants to archaeologists to conduct excavations.”

Ramirez waved an impatient hand. “What is the Paladin League’s interest in Trujillo?”

Her heart stopped before it jumped into her throat. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what he knew. People were looking for the treasure like the dead Norwegian dude who would have killed Frankie, Señor Vargas, and the arms dealer that Case was after. Then there was the fact a brooch from the cache had been auctioned. Ramirez might very well know, or at least suspect, why she was here.

Telling the truth this time, though, could get her imprisoned longer, make her the prize and not the weapon. That couldn’t be a good thing. “I was sent to do some research,” she said, keeping her answer vague. “I’m working on my degree in geoarchaeology.”

“What were you sent to research?” The question was flat, giving her no hint which direction to go with her answer.

“I was out at the Huarona ruins, near Señor Vargas’s hacienda. There were years’ worth of excavation done there before the civil war began. Many archaeologists believe it would be worthwhile to return to the location. There are only two known sites of these people, and?—”

He straightened in his chair, his flat gaze pinning her in place. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Nyx struggled to remain composed. Struggled to hide her terror.

“Really, Señorita? You’re here for the ruins?” Ramirez turned to the credenza behind him. When he faced her again, he had a sheaf of papers in his hand.

The documents she’d hidden in the lining of her backpack. She could feel the blood drain from her face.

Ramirez laid the pages out on the desk and tapped them once with his hand. “While the notes are rather opaque, anyone familiar with the topic would recognize it. You’re here for the Treasure of Trujillo. I want it. And you’re going to help me find it.”

Chapter 28

Nyx stared. This was like one of those classic screwball comedies her mom liked to watch. Did everyone know the Paladin League was here to look for the treasure? Did everyone think they had some inside intel that would allow them to be successful when no one else had managed it in over two hundred years?

“Colonel Ramirez,” Nyx said, keeping her tone conciliatory, “Señor Vargas said something similar to me a couple of days ago. The problem is that I don’t know where the treasure is hidden. Those papers are the only new information I’ve discovered.”

Ramirez appeared skeptical. If he had clues to the treasure, he would lie to anyone who wanted to beat him to the cache. Ergo, she must be lying and maybe she even had the exact location of the riches. There was literally nothing she could say to change his mind.

“Do you have historical documents you want me to study?” Nyx asked. “That’s what Señor Vargas had me do.”

Silence. It felt heavy. It sucked the oxygen from her lungs, and Nyx forced herself to draw a slow, careful breath. She wished this really was one of her mom’s screwball comedies where no one was ever in real danger.

Unlike now.

Nyx never scared easily, but in the past five days, she’d been in more than one terrifying situation. She didn’t like it. She liked being in control of her emotions and her circumstances. Unfortunately, control was in short supply.

“You expect me to believe that the Paladin League sent you to Puerto Jardin with nothing to go on? No plan to find the treasure?” The flatness of his voice was worse than anger.

“Colonel, I’m a geoarchaeologist. I study the land to gather information about archaeological sites. I have more than two years left before I earn my PhD.” Nyx hoped that made her sound like a novice playing Indiana Jones. “I was ordered to come to Puerto Jardin and await further instructions.”

“You were at the Huarona ruins.”

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