Always and Forever (31 page)

"I haven't met him yet," Quinn confessed.

"That's interesting," Tessa replied curiously.

"I finally met my boss," Quinn added.

"No way!" Tessa shouted.

"His name's Gabriel McCabe."

"
The
Gabriel McCabe?" Tessa looked almost star struck.

"I don't know what that means. Is he famous?"

"Is he famous? How many altruistic billionaires do you know? He took over my study, when the powers that be threatened to close me down. He stepped up and took over and is fully funding us."

Quinn didn't know that but then she didn't really know very much about Gabriel, despite all the time they'd spent together both in person and via email. She felt a pang of something like jealousy but pushed it away and grinned at Tessa. "So technically we work for the same person."

"Oh, yeah, we do and I met your Cole. Quinn, you didn't tell me he was so beautiful. I swear I almost drooled on myself when I met him that first time."

Quinn turned in her chair. "First time? How often does he visit?"

"Never and then this month he's been here three times."

"Really? And his interest?"

"Same as you but he has nothing. It's a fishing expedition."

"Sons of bitches. And you didn't share, right?"

"Of course not but what am I missing?" Tessa glanced over and saw that Quinn's anger was making her eyes look more silver than grey.

"Did you mention my inquiry to Cole when he was here?"

"No. I figured if you wanted him to know, you would have told him."

"Thank you."

"What's up, Quinn?"

"Nothing, just two over-protective men being high-handed. Are you any closer to understanding time travel's negative effects on the body?"

Tessa pulled her car into the lot and parked. "This is all conjecture but I think it has to do with aging, potentially very rapid aging, as the body and mind re-sync."

"Like the effect of a fountain of youth that is suddenly taken away, leaving the body to come back to its appropriate age... very quickly?"

"Yeah, something like that. Whatever it was had the Mayans burying their knowledge of time travel so deeply that it's only now being uncovered. What I'm curious to know is how did Derek realize what he found? To most his necklace would be a valuable artifact but certainly not a map to travel time."

Quinn hadn't thought of that but he must've known someone who was knowledgeable enough with the Mayans to recognize the glyphs when they saw it. "He has to be working with someone. You'd know better than anyone else in your field who would have that kind of knowledge."

"There are a few," Tessa speculated, "I'll have to think about it." They climbed from the car and headed to the trailer located in trees that surrounded the temples.

"Don't want to throw off the scene with a big old double-wide sitting out in plain sight," Tessa teased from over her shoulder before she keyed into the trailer and held the door for Quinn.

Inside the place was as neat as a pin, which didn't surprise Quinn. Tessa was organized, almost pathologically so. Quinn followed her to the small office in the back where she settled at the desk, unlocked a drawer and pulled out a file.

"I took the dates of Derek's digs, specifically when his discoveries were made, and referenced those dates to the celestial mappings of the Mayans. You can see for yourself, the celestial sky looks the same for each discovery, the same pattern detailed on his necklace. This is proof, Quinn, that the Mayans did discover time travel."

"It's unreal but scary, Tessa, because going back in time alters the future. And when someone is doing so for personal gain, he isn't thinking at all about what he's messing up."

"True."

"And how is he learning of these finds? It's almost like he's working with someone, someone who's doing all the leg work and he just claims the prize."

"Takes the idea of team work to a whole new level, but I agree. There has to be someone else. This is for you." Tessa handed Quinn a sheet of paper. "Based on the mapping of the sky, I've charted the future dates when the celestial pattern will be the same."

Quinn looked up at Tessa. "When Derek, or his accomplice, can slip back in time."

"Exactly."

After business came pleasure. Tessa and Quinn decided on one of the many outdoor bars on the beach. Tessa dressed in a one piece silk sarong in the vibrant colors of red, pink, green and blue. Her hair was pulled up into a messy knot and her feet were bare. Quinn decided "when in Rome" and wore an amethyst silk sarong paired with a black tube top. She left her hair down and went barefoot, too.

The outdoor bar had grass umbrellas scattered along the beach and the bar, itself, was massive. There was a makeshift dance floor on the sand and a band was just setting up.

"Live music, sweet," Tessa said as she called the waiter over.

"That's Enrique. Hot as hell and as sweet as can be. Grad student who works for me so..." Tessa threw up her hands and grinned, "...I have to keep my hands off."

Quinn shook her head. "Don't look at me!"

"Why not? You're young, beautiful, single. You
are
single, right?"

How did she answer that?

Luckily, she didn't have to because in that moment Enrique appeared. Quinn had to give it to Tessa, the woman had taste. He looked like a darker version of Johnny Depp and his body was Brad Pitt, circa Thelma and Louise. Simply beautiful.

"Enrique, this is my good friend Quinn."

He reached for Quinn's hand and lifted it to his lips. "A pleasure."

"It's nice to meet you, Enrique."

"Quinn's an archaeologist and anthropologist currently working the Whispering Winds castle."

Enrique's expression changed to one of fascination.

"Is the place as grand as it looks in all those magazines?"

"More so and when you walk through the halls you can practically feel the others that have walked there before you."

"Amazing. I'd like to talk later when my shift ends," Enrique said enthusiastically.

"I'd like that."

"Great. What can I get you?"

It was Tessa who answered. "Two frozen margaritas with salt."

Enrique grinned. "Coming up."

Quinn had lost track of how many margaritas she'd consumed but she was pretty sure it was more than four which explained why she was feeling nine feet tall and bullet proof. She wasn't drunk but she was very, very happy. The band had started a set just after the second margarita which immediately had both she and Tessa moving onto the dance floor.

It was sort of liberating being in a different country, knowing no one, and allowing herself to just have fun. Enrique had finished his shift and, as promised, they chatted about Whispering Winds.

But now, after drink four, he was her dance partner. She didn't know what Latin dance he was currently leading her through but she couldn't deny that there was something altogether sexy about Latin dancing and she suspected it had to do with all of the hip action.

Tessa was dancing with a man who could easily pass for Dwayne Johnson's twin and boy, did he have moves for being such a big guy. When the dance was over, Enrique led Quinn to a stool then took another lady out on the floor.

Quinn signaled for a glass of water as she watched Tessa. The music was so loud she almost didn't hear her cell phone. She answered it without looking at the display.

"Hello."

"Quinn?"

And that quickly the happy buzz faded. "Gabriel."

"Where are you?"

"Visiting a friend."

She heard his frustrated exhale before he asked again, "Where are you?"

"The last time I checked it was the weekend and I don't work over the weekends. So where I am, what I'm doing, and who I'm with is none of your damn business."

"You didn't leave word, Quinn. People have been looking for you," his tone softened.

Déjà vu swamped her remembering a similar instance with Archer. The conversation was almost word-for-word.

"I informed Cole of my plans being that he is the person to whom I've always coordinated my activities," she said coldly.

"Why didn't you call me?"

Quinn leaned back in her chair as she signaled for another drink. "Let me think? Maybe because the last time I saw you, you were storming out of my house like a spoiled child."

Silence.

"Look, Gabriel, I'm working a very nice buzz while being in the middle of paradise so if you don't mind I'd rather hold this conversation until I get back. Is there anything else you wanted?"

The click in her ear was her clue that, no, he didn't want to discuss anything else.

"Cole, I need a meeting with Nicholas."

Cole lifted his bottle of beer to his lips but his focus was completely on Quinn. "To share with him what you're about to share with us?"

"Yes."

"All right, so what's up?"

Charles and Cole sat across from Quinn in her kitchen. She invited them over for lunch to fill them in on what she'd learned so far about Derek. She wanted to include Gabriel but he was not returning her phone calls. She couldn't blame him. She hadn't been very nice when he called her while she was in Mexico.

"Derek has figured out a way to travel through time and before you tell me that's insane, I can prove it."

"How?" Charles asked as he leaned up and rested his elbows on the table.

She pulled Archer's journal from her lap and placed it on the table in front of Cole. She knew it was real but she had carbon dated it anyway to prove its age and placed that report next to it on the table.

"Read it."

Charles was looking at the report and when he saw the date he looked up at Quinn. "1700s? Really?"

"Yes, but it isn't so much the age of the journal that's important but its contents. Please just read it."

Cole moved the journal so that it rested between himself and Charles and for the next two hours they sat and read Archer's words, a story that starred Quinn. Charles looked dumbstruck when he leaned back in his chair but it was Cole's expression that drew Quinn's attention.

"What was it like?" he asked.

A tear rolled down her cheek which she immediately wiped away. "Magical."

"When?"

"Just before the accident."

"Jesus. So to you this just happened, but to him it happened over three hundred years ago."

Quinn didn't answer since she really didn't need to.

"There's more but we need Nicholas. I also suspect that Archer got wise to Derek's movements which is why he's digging where he is."

"I don't understand?" Cole said as he again reached for his beer.

"I think they're leaving Derek false clues hence the four kilometer requirement for his digs."

A smile spread over Cole's face. "This is unreal, Quinn."

"I don't want it shared with anyone else but Nicholas and Gabriel."

Cole stared her from across the table. "Speaking of Gabriel why is he missing from this little gathering?"

"He's angry with me."

She didn't offer more and Cole knew her well enough to know that pushing the point was useless. He looked to Charles who seemed to be taking the unbelievable news in stride.

"How are you doing with all this?"

"Surprisingly well but then I've been working with Quinn for a while now and knew what it was she was trying to prove." Charles looked over at Quinn. "So where does this leave us with Derek?"

Quinn grabbed a folder from behind her and placed it on the table.

"These are the dates that Tessa identified as potential days Derek will jump through time. Stopping him is priority because every time he goes back he's changing history. How we stop him, though, I don't know." Quinn hesitated a moment before she looked to Charles and added, "I think his partner, the one you can't find, may still be working with him. We need to find her."

"I'm working on it," Charles acknowledged.

Quinn continued, "Secondly, we need to figure out what the hell he's after at Whispering Winds and how he learned of it. I think Nicholas can help us with that too."

"Derek is mentioned in the journal." Charles offered quietly.

"Yes, and through his interference, there was a plot to murder Archer and Nickie. If he's done it once there's no reason to believe he won't again."