want it out of my sight. I didn’t see you around when I decided to finally clean all the dirt off me. Sponge baths don’t do the trick.” She opened her backpack and showed him the gold and jade artifact. Its beauty stole her breath. “We need to get this to Juan as quickly as possible.”
“I agree, but we have to keep this from the others. Since the food is low, we’ll use that as our excuse to go to the capital.”
“We can also take the few artifacts Ramon has discovered. They’re beautiful and well preserved, especially for something that could be three thousand years old. I’ll tell Ramon that Juan wants updates and this would be a good time to do it before we’re overwhelmed with a lot of potential discoveries.” She looked at the blood still oozing from his wound. “Aapo needs to doctor your arm before we go anywhere.”
“It’s nothing but a flesh wound. I can take care of it. We’ll leave in the middle of the night and walk the horses until daybreak. We’ll take our night vision goggles. I’ll leave a note for Aapo to tell them in the morning. I trust him.”
“I know the men Aapo recruited to help respect him. Between you and Aapo, I’ve felt my find was safe when I had to get sleep and food while working in the small burial room. I didn’t want anyone else getting curious and snooping. I hated keeping this from the others, but I want to be extra cautious after the Mayans ran away and I was attacked here and in the capital.”
At her tent, Mario held a gun as he approached them. “What happened?”
“Someone fired on us while I was taking a bath.” She gestured in the direction of the pool.
Mario frowned and glared at Guerrero. “You were with her?”
“Yes, and I returned fire. Two guards are scouring the jungle around the pool.”
Mario dropped his gaze, his eyes widened. “You’re wounded.”
“I’m fine.” Guerrero trapped Tory’s attention. “I’m going to get the first aid kit.”
“You might want to get another shirt. The rip and blood aren’t a good look, especially at dinner.” She gave him a smile and a wink as he ducked into the tent.
If he hadn’t been at the pool today, she would probably be dead. She’d always thought she could take care of herself, especially with the self-defense and gun training her father had insisted she learn, but in this case, she had to admit she needed help. She’d prayed this would be the site that would prove her theory concerning the Star People and their existence before the Mayans ruled the area.
“Tory, are you okay?” Mario asked as Guerrero left the tent and walked toward the main campsite.
His question brought her thoughts back to her colleague. “Yes, now. But I need to get out of this wet bathing suit and into my dry clothes. Pass the word around for everyone to stay away from the pool.”
“I will.”
“Anything turn up today where you’re digging?”
“A bowl similar to the one we already found.”
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow to get food and some supplies. Also, I’ll be meeting with Juan, so bring me any artifacts you think will help me to persuade Juan to give us government assistance, especially after what just happened. Have everyone work in the trench with you. I think it’s best if you’re all together.”
Mario nodded then left. Tory ducked inside her tent to change quickly.
If she couldn’t convince Juan and Senor Sauto, she didn’t know what else she could do. She might have to shut down the dig site and return to the United States to see if she could raise money to keep working here. Her research could open up a discussion about a new group of people who occupied this area before the Mayans and possibly had a vast network of roads that connected this area to places where gold had been mined. There were similarities to the Aztec Indians who lived in central Mexico between the 1300s to the 1500s but thousands of years before the Aztecs rose to power. The gold and jade headdress had resemblances to pieces she’d seen of the Aztecs. What if there was a connection to them? Her question sparked her curiosity. Archaeological finds all over the world had changed the knowledge of the past. She would love to contribute to that.
But first, she had to convince Juan of the possibility.
* * *
Guerrero and Tory entered Senor Sauto’s home, catching the