to do when I saw him again was to kill him.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I couldn’t. God will deal with Juan. He will face his crimes in court. I know Sauto won’t let him get away with it. Chan had a lot to tell me. Lopez and Juan ran the smuggling ring from their positions in the government. Professor Molina was their connection to the world of archaeologists to monitor various sites around Puerto Sierra and the surrounding countries. Drugs were smuggled in and out of Puerto Sierra through artifact shipments, often to museums. Chan was there when Juan killed Anna because she discovered drugs in a beautiful Mayan urn from the Temple of the Stars.”
Tory took hold of his hand and hauled him against her. “I hope you’ll return with me to the dig site. I may still need someone to look out for the temple.”
“I’m not leaving your side. I want to be there when everything is revealed.”
She smiled. “Thank you. We’re a good team.”
“I totally agree with you.”
She tugged his head toward her, settling his mouth over hers. She surrendered to his kiss.
Epilogue
Two years later
Tory stood back and let Rafael and Mario lift the gold jaguar mask from the soil where it had been discovered a couple of days before. The artifact would be the prize in the collection from the Star People who lived in the area thousands of years ago before the Mayans. The Temple of the Stars would be a major archaeological site.
She placed her hand over her stomach as her baby kicked her several times. In a month she would have to turn over her supervision of the dig, but with the rainy season coming not long after that, she wouldn’t miss a lot while she gave birth to her son.
After placing the exquisite artifact in its box to go to the capital, Rafael glanced at her and rose. In the newest room they had found in the old temple under the new temple, her husband covered the few feet to her, a smile lighting his face. “He’s at it again?”
She nodded. “Your son is very active. I think we’re going to have our hands full when he’s born.”
Rafael slid his arm around her and pulled her up against his side. “Will you be okay to turn the reins over to Mario and Katie while you’re gone for a few months?”
“Yes, but it will be hard. I’ll feel better with you checking in on the site.”
“It’ll give you more time to write your book about the Star People.”
She laughed. “Remember I might have my hands full with your son.” She turned toward him and embraced him. “I can’t tell you enough how much I love you. If you hadn’t helped me two years ago, this site would have been robbed of all its unique artifacts they could get. The rest would most likely have been destroyed.”
“I never get tired of hearing you say that you love me. I thought I would never love again after Anna was murdered, but she got justice when Juan’s network was taken down. I was able to move on knowing that. These past two years have been wonderful. I’ve found a profession that I’ve enjoyed.”
“Helping the underdog?”
“I’ve liked doing that, but I’ve loved working alongside you, revealing a story about an ancient group of people.” Rafael wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
Tory relished the kiss. She felt at home in his embrace among the ruins of the Temple of the Stars.
Dear Reader,
I really enjoyed writing Into the Fray although it was difficult at times. My husband had tons of books on the subject of archeology, especially about the sites in the United States, Central America, and South America. For years when my son was young, we drove out to the West to explore all the Indian ruins. We even stayed at a dig site and worked on it for a day. Fun and informative. The most important and fun trip we took as a family was going to Belize and exploring several of their Mayan ruins. I climbed to the top of each of them. The view was breathtaking.
My story was fiction. I used what I learned from research and put my own twist on the past. The Star People was a figment of my imagination, but who knows. Maybe there was a group of people that lived thousands of years ago like the peaceful Star People.
Take care,
Margaret Daley
Books in the
DARING ESCAPES Series
INTO THE DARKNESS
Book One
Adventure. Betrayal. Murder.
Dead?