Words of Love - By Hazel Hunter Page 0,32
and slowly came to a stop.
“Brett, what’s the matter?” Jesse said. He looked at her and blinked and his mouth was suddenly like cotton. “God, you look awful,” she said, stepping closer, her voice tense. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m going to be fired,” he said in a dry throat.
“What?” She blinked several times. “I don’t understand.”
He shook his head as he felt a sickening, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“You’re a student,” he whispered. “Oh, god. What have I done?”
“Stop it, Brett,” Jesse said, her voice taking on a tinge of panic. “You’re scaring me.”
“Scaring you? I think my career is over.”
“But why?” she pleaded.
“Because you’re a student.”
“I’m an adult,” she replied quickly. “And I’m not even your student. We’re in different departments.”
He shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said as the shock started to hit home. “Do you remember what happened to that math professor?” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, feeling a little nauseous.
“It does matter. Tell me.”
“He was fired. They were even engaged. She was a student in geography.” He shook his head again. “Oh god.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” she argued. “How can–”
“Zero tolerance,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “The new university policy. How many emails did I see? How many training sessions hammered it home? I’d never worried about it before…”
“Then we won’t tell anybody,” she said.
He stared at her.
“You think they won’t know? You think they won’t assume, like they already do? Only this time, it’ll be true.”
He looked down at the blue jade in the plastic bag, not even seeing it. Had it all been for nothing? His mind was reeling. What were the options? What could he do? Then he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
“We can’t be together.” Jesse backed up a pace as though he’d struck her and the utter shock in her face instantly made him regret the words. “Not at first,” he said, quickly.
But the damage was done.
She backed away from him, looking as unsteady as he felt.
“No, Jesse,” he said, reaching toward her. But she spun away, gripping her stomach, and staggered a few steps before she began to run, back to camp. “Jesse,” he gasped, trying to get his breath, as he sank to his knees.
He stared at the ground.
“Oh my god,” he muttered. “What have I done?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Frederico throttled the engine back.
That was his boat all right. He angled toward it.
The Zodiac was tied off at a muddy embankment. The rope was stretched taut as the swollen river tried to take the boat away. He looked up at the jungle behind it.
This was an area he’d always meant to explore. But the rich finds that surrounded it were more than enough to keep him busy.
What did that gringo find?
“Ernesto,” he barked. “Get the rope and tie off the boat.”
As the two boats bumped, Ernesto jumped into the water and quickly waded ashore.
Frederico jockeyed the boat as Ernesto tied a knot and then he killed the engine. He picked up Ernesto’s rifle and tossed it to him. Ernesto caught it with both hands. Then he took his pistol from its holster and tossed him that too, followed by the burlap sacks.
Then, he stepped from his boat to the other.
Two life jackets.
That’s right. The woman had been with him this time. He smirked. This might actually be fun.
He pulled his hat down tight, stepped onto the edge of the boat, and jumped all the way to the mud.
Ernesto immediately handed him the pistol. He thumbed the cylinder open out of habit, checked the bullets, and snapped it back closed before holstering it. His other hand went to the handle of the machete.
He pushed past Ernesto onto what looked like a small footpath.
“Follow me,” Frederico said.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jesse stifled a sob with her hand as she stumbled back into camp.
What an idiot.
She came to a stop, her eyes full of tears, staring at the tent. Had she and Brett only been here a couple of days? It felt like a lifetime. She and Brett had made love in that tent only yesterday.
She angrily shook her head.
“Fool,” she muttered.
She’d really deluded herself this time–a guy like him and someone like her. Here he was, on the verge of the most important archaeological discovery of all time.
And she was a Jittery Jessica.
His stricken face hung in the air in front of her when he’d realized they couldn’t be together. The words he’d said rang in her ears. She pushed her hands down over