He’d rather leave her behind, but he didn’t know who was involved in what happened or where they were. The intruders could be somewhere in the dig site or hiding in the jungle surrounding the place. “He’s dead. We need to check the rest of the ruins. I want you to cover my back.”
“I will. Let’s check the pit and inside the temple since that’s the only places we’ve uncovered.”
“I agree. Then we’ll search the tents and campsite.”
When Guerrero moved toward the Temple of the Stars where the trench was, he found another dead Mayan, Fabio, whom Aapo had recruited to help them. Guerrero swept his gaze over the area. With the help from the night vision goggles, he didn’t have to go into the pit to see that no one else was there.
Tory came to his side. “Where’s Katie and Mario? Maybe they got away.”
“Let’s go into the temple, using the steps on this side in case an assailant is in the common area.”
Guerrero went first and paused at the top to peek over the stone structure to the area where the tents were. “I don’t see anyone.” He removed his flashlight from his belt. “Get yours out in case we need them. Since the torches outside aren’t lit, they might not be lit inside either.”
They descended into the temple ruins. Guerrero removed his night vision goggles because the torches were still burning. Tory followed suit then returned her flashlight to her pocket. When they reached the level where they’d been working, Guerrero was glad the area was small with only two tunnels to check. He’d been in other ruins that had several levels where a person could hide.
Keeping Tory behind him, he made his way to the room Ramon was excavating, hoping to find the man alive. With his back pressed against the tunnel wall, he crept close to the door, drew in a settling breath, then pivoted into the opening, his gun pointed into the vacant area.
He looked at Tory and shook his head. Then he pointed toward the place where Tory had been working. Again, he found it empty, and her painstaking work had been destroyed.
When he stepped inside to allow Tory to see the damage, the urge to fold his arms around her and protect her from learning the truth deluged him, and he hesitated for a few seconds.
Tory pressed forward. Her gasp at the sight of the dug-up bones thrown everywhere, resounded through the small enclosure. “They used a shovel and destroyed the skeleton. They must have taken what artifacts they found while digging up the rest of the body. No telling what damage they did to those artifacts in their haste.” The sound of tears being held back filled her voice as her gaze fell upon a bowl in the corner, shattered in pieces.
Guerrero took her hand. “We need to find Ramon, Mario, Katie, and any of the Mayans who are left.”
“What if the intruders took them?”
“I might be able to track them but not until tomorrow morning.”
“What if they killed them?” Tory’s voice wobbled.
“I hope they got away. They could be hiding somewhere. I promise you I’ll find out what happened to them and go after the people behind this.” Guerrero kept his link to her hand while holding his weapon, ready to protect Tory and himself if the assailants were still here. “I hope the soldiers arrive soon. I need to take the two murdered Mayans to their village. And discover what went down here.”
“Do you believe the others fled back there?”
“I hope so, but I’m not leaving until I know you and the others are guarded by the army. I’m hoping someone in the village will be able to tell me what happened.”
Guerrero went first up the steps, keeping their physical connection intact. When he reached the top of the Temple of the Stars, he paused, poking his head out cautiously. He scanned the area below, especially where the campsite was, although he couldn’t see everything there because of the slope hiding some of the terrain. When he didn’t see anything to be concerned about, he dropped back into the opening.
“We can use the darkness to help us check our surroundings. I don’t want us walking into a trap.” He put on his night vison goggles and waited while Tory did the same. “We’re going back down to the ground using the way we came up, so hopefully, if anyone is in the camp, they won’t see us.”
“Could you see