his wife. She hoped he would get closure.
When she closed the space between her and Ramon, she slanted a look at the man whom she had counted on for months.
“I didn’t kill Aapo and Fabio. I wounded Aapo and fired at Fabio, missing him. I tried to give him a chance to escape as the others were doing. The mercenaries were invading the site. One of them killed Aapo and went after Fabio.”
His account didn’t agree with Aidan who said Ramon killed Fabio. She believed Aidan, but she didn’t want Ramon knowing that. “Why did you betray me?”
Ramon remained silent for a couple of minutes, his gaze staring at the back of Juan. “What I said earlier is true. They threatened to kill my family. They have people watching them.”
“How do you know that? Why didn’t you go to the police?”
“Because when I tried, they shot my father. He almost died. He’s in a wheelchair now because the bullet hit his spine. They made it clear that others in my family would be targeted too.”
“Who are they?”
“The only one I know is a professor at the university. He was my mentor. Santiago Molina.”
Shocked by the name, Tory stumbled over a root in the path and nearly went down. She quickly caught herself and kept her balance. “He’s the one who recommended you and Mario. Is Mario also involved?”
“No. He knows nothing. What will happen to my family? If they find out I’m talking to you, they’ll be murdered.”
“We’ll deal with it when we get out of here.” Although not totally believing him, Tory wanted to calm Ramon to keep him sharing what he knew. If a renowned professor recruited Ramon, who else was involved in the scheme to steal national treasures?
Juan stopped walking through the thick vegetation, raising his hand to halt them. “I see a car parked on the dirt road.”
Tory came up beside him then glanced back at Guerrero who nudged Ramon forward.
Guerrero peered in that direction. “That’s Bob. Let’s go. We need to get away and figure out what to do next.”
This time Guerrero led the group toward Bob’s vehicle with Juan and Tory boxing in Ramon although she didn’t think he would make a break from them. When they reached the muddy Jeep, Guerrero introduced them to Bob, the man they’d dealt with at the marketplace. He was probably in his late thirties and looked like he lifted weights. The muscles in his upper arms and chest bulged from the tight T-shirt he wore.
“I have a safe house you can use.” Bob found a spot to turn his car around then headed out of the rainforest.
“Who else knows about the place?” Guerrero asked from the backseat next to Ramon. Juan sat on the other side.
“No one. I haven’t used it yet. I’ve heard chatter about a big shipment leaving Puerto Sierra soon.”
“Drugs? Weapons? Artifacts?”
“Artifacts and drugs hidden inside.” Bob paused at the intersection with a paved road.
Tory turned toward Bob in the front seat. “Those could be the pieces we brought back from the Temple of the Stars.”
“It might not be. You just brought them to Senor Sauto two days ago unless…” Juan’s voice trailed off into silence.
“Could he be the head of this group?” Tory asked, hoping it was only Ramon and Molina.
Juan shook his head. “I don’t think so. He loves this country and is the one who has pushed to unearth our heritage for all to see. He is the one who was responsible for building the Puerto Sierra National Museum in the capital.”
Guerrero shifted toward Ramon. “Are you trying to protect him? Is he the leader?”
“I don’t know. I only dealt with Professor Molina.”
“Who is a good friend of Senor Sauto,” Juan murmured so low Tory barely heard him.
“After I drop you off at the safe house, I’ll check with a couple of informants to learn what they know about the drug shipment.” Bob increased his speed as he went farther from the capital. When he turned down a rutted path that didn’t deserve to be called a road, he said, “This can’t even be considered a one-star accommodation.”
Tory widened her eyes as she took in the shack surrounded by thick jungle. “Is there water, electricity?”
“Yes to water in bottles. No to electricity, but there’s a fireplace you can cook on, a couple of cots and lanterns, as well as an outhouse. The place is stocked with can goods and a table with four chairs. It’s only one room.”
After Bob parked in