Into the Fray (Daring Escapes #3) - Margaret Daley Page 0,51

the people who raided the site took when they left.”

He sighed and pulled off the driveway, parking behind a storage building. “Okay. For the time being, you can go with me at least to the university. Don’t tell Juan where we might be going. I don’t want anyone knowing what we’re going to do.”

“Why not? Juan might be able to help us.”

“Because Juan is the one who recommended Ramon to help you on the dig site.”

She sucked in a deep breath then released it slowly. “I didn’t…” A lump in her throat cut off her words. Guerrero was right, but not just Ramon but Mario was also recommended to her by Professor Molina.

“I don’t think it’s Juan. We’ve been friends for years, but I have to consider everyone involved. If I can find Ramon, I’ll get the answers from him.”

“Juan’s been behind me from the beginning. I don’t think he’s involved, too.” God, I hope I’m right. His betrayal would devastate Guerrero and me.

Guerrero exited his vehicle and paused by the passenger door.

She climbed from the Jeep and stretched to loosen her tight muscles. Right now, she could fall asleep practically anywhere. The lack of sleep for the past twenty-four hours was catching up with her.

“Stay close. Juan is here. First, I’d like to check to determine who else is in his home.”

“You’re going to surprise him? Is that why you didn’t call him back at the village.”

“Yes. I told the medic I’d take care of contacting Juan.”

“So, you really do think he did this?” Tory asked, taking in the tired lines on his face. The urge to smooth them away tempted her, but with all that was happening, they both had to keep their focus on staying alive and getting to the bottom of what was happening at the dig.

“No, but someone could try to stop him from backing the archaeological site or try to get information about what we brought to Senor Sauto that changed his mind about protecting the site. While we were securing help from the government, assailants invaded the Temple of the Stars. We were lucky we weren’t there. They invaded a couple of hours before we arrived. Our visit to the capital hadn’t been known until we had indicated we needed supplies only an hour before we left. If we hadn’t departed the night before, we could have gotten caught in the middle of assailants coming up the mountain. Ramon wouldn’t have known we left until the morning. Too late for him to get to a place to call off the raid.”

“No one knew about the headdress. All they knew was that we’d taken artifacts from the trench.”

Guerrero headed for the side of Juan’s home. Tory followed him. He rounded the house to the rear and came to a halt.

She nearly ran right into him. “What’s wrong?”

He pointed to a black sedan. “That’s not one of Juan’s cars.”

“Someone’s here?”

“Yes, and whoever is here parked in the back. Every time I visited Juan, I parked in the front.”

“Could it be someone who works here like a housekeeper?” Tory had only met Juan at his office. “Does he have house staff?”

“Yes, but that’s not Anita’s vehicle. Something might be wrong. You stay and hide.”

“No. I’m coming with you. I’ll protect your back.”

Guerrero frowned. “Stubborn. It would be easier if you would do what I said.”

“That’s just not me. We’re in this together. That means we protect each other.”

Shaking his head, he withdrew his weapon as he hurried toward the rear of the house. He plastered himself against the house next to a window with the drapes open then slowly peeked inside. He stiffened.

Tory leaned close to his ear. “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“Ramon is with Juan. I can’t see Juan’s face, but I can tell by Ramon’s body language he’s angry.”

“So, Juan is involved?” Tory felt like the air had deflated her lungs. She had trusted him. She needed to see for herself because she had a hard time believing Juan would betray her. Low walking under the window, she made her way to the other side and peered inside. Ramon held a gun on Juan.

Chapter Eleven

After picking the lock on the rear exit, Guerrero sneaked into Juan’s house. He glanced back before shutting the door. He half expected Tory to be right behind him even though he’d made it clear to her that she had to stay where she was. His cell phone was on vibrate. He needed her as a lookout to let him know