Into the Fray (Daring Escapes #3) - Margaret Daley Page 0,49
bear hug. “I thought you were dead or kidnapped.”
Tears coursed down Katie’s face. “I’m alive because Dacey spotted me near the trench and grabbed me. We ran deep into the jungle. When it was dark, we slowly made our way here.”
Behind Katie, Dacey approached them. “We didn’t see much. What happened at the site?”
“Aapo and Fabio were murdered. Ramon and Mario were beaten up. The dig site was compromised, and possible artifacts were stolen.”
Tory started to mention Ramon’s part in what happened, but Guerrero shot her a look that told her not to say anything. “We’ll be leaving to go back. There are twelve soldiers guarding the ruins.”
“I’ll come with you,” Katie said.
“I’d like you to wait a couple days.” Guerrero looked over the intern’s shoulders at Dacey. “Will it be all right with your family if she remains until everything is settled?”
The Mayan nodded.
“Thank you. We’ll be back soon. Then we’ll need all of you to help with the excavation.” Guerrero took Tory’s hand and turned toward the house where the two mules were, the bodies of Fabio and Aapo already taken to their homes.
As they walked away leading the animals, Tory glanced up at Guerrero. “With all that’s happened lately, I know I’m on the right track about the Temple of the Stars. The two tunnels we’ve revealed so far might be nothing compared to what’s really under the temple. I think this site might be a similar find as the Copan ruins in Honduras.”
* * *
Two hours later, Guerrero and Tory entered the dig site, and immediately he knew something else was wrong. He hurried to the captain in charge of the soldiers. “What’s happened?”
“The archaeologist, Ramon, disappeared last night. I sent out some of my men to find him and whoever took him.”
“He could have left on his own.”
Xavier’s brow wrinkled. “Why? He was safe here. The jungle isn’t.”
“Because he took part in the murder of Fabio, possibly even Aapo’s.”
“Why do you say that?”
“When I went to the Mayan village, a worker who fled when the attack started said Ramon killed Fabio. Is Mario okay?” Guerrero prayed that he wasn’t involved too.
“No. In fact, we need to carry him out of here. He needs more medical help than my medic can provide.”
Guerrero glanced at Tory. She gave him a nod as though she could read his mind. “We need to go to the capital to provide the details of what’s happened here. The village at the base of the mountain range doesn’t have the medical facilities. Mario needs to be transported to Bella Ciudad. My Jeep is in the village. I can transport the medic with Mario to the hospital in the capital.” Guerrero wasn’t going to let Ramon get away. He could have been behind Anna’s death. He needed the ones responsible for murdering his wife and unborn child to be held accountable.
Tory took his hand, bringing him back to the present. “I want to come with you. I need to work with Juan to keep the Temple of the Stars safe from looters and recruit even more help. Katie, if she wants to stay, and I can’t process this site by ourselves.”
He kept the connection between them intact. “We’re going.”
“Good. I’ll send the medic and another soldier with you two. The rest will stay to protect the grounds and the site,” Xavier said.
Guerrero hesitated. What if Xavier was involved in raiding the ruins? He knew the man professionally, and he had a good reputation. But in spite of that, Guerrero didn’t want to leave Tory here by herself while he went after Ramon. And there wasn’t much she could do until she had more help with excavating the site. He’d use his connections through Anna and press Juan for more to help Tory.
Thirty minutes later, Guerrero led the team into the jungle. The medic and soldier carried Mario on a stretcher while he and Tory carried weapons to protect them. They led the way while keeping their attention on the dense vegetation. He didn’t think whoever raided the dig site had stayed to ambush anyone who left. But he’d been taught to never let down his guard.
For the first hour of their trek, the foliage was thick with possible deadly creatures nearby. Wherever he placed his foot, he made sure it was clear to do that. He still couldn’t shake thoughts of the fer-de-lance in Tory’s tent. She’d come very close to possibly being killed. He didn’t want to lose another woman under his