The Treasure (7 page)

He clearly wasn’t. He had gone very still, eyes narrowed, scanning the jungle around them.

“Mr. Kern — ”

His hand clamped over her mouth. He put a finger to his lips, silently telling her to be quiet. Every muscle in his body coiled tight.

Something banged inside the hangar. Amelia looked wide-eyed at Brody, but he was looking into the jungle. Hoping it was just the wind catching an open door, she tried to free herself from his grip.

“Stay here,” he ordered without removing his hand. “Do not, for any reason, move from this spot until I come get you. Understand?”

Amelia nodded. His hand moved slowly from her mouth.

“I mean it. Stay here.”

Before she could stop him, Brody moved nimbly through the jungle. How did he do that when she had so much trouble? Probably scared the fauna right out of his way with his scowl, she thought, looking warily around her. She didn’t like not knowing what he was thinking.

Brody disappeared inside the hangar and she realized she’d only gone a few feet. It certainly seemed like she’d gone farther. Mind racing, she leaned down and picked up her suitcase. What was going on inside the hangar?

Her answer came in the sound of shouts, a loud crash, then silence. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled. Where was Brody?

The door to the hangar flew open. Brody popped his head out. “Miss Sawyer, we have to go. Right now. Move it.”

Not the words she wanted to hear, but his tone and the red welt on his cheek got her moving. Clutching her bags like a shield, she hurried toward the hangar, tripping only once in her rush to see what happened.

She stumbled through the door. “What happened?” she asked, staring at the crumpled body of Mr. Newton and another man she didn’t recognize on the floor.

Brody, who was throwing side panels on the plane, barked, “Get in the plane.”

“
That
plane?” Getting in the red and white piece of tin didn’t sound like a good idea. The plane looked even less reliable than his Land Rover. And wasn’t that an engine part lying on the floor beside his toolbox?

“She’ll run fine.” Brody ran around to the other side of the plane, obviously to finish his hasty repair and put his plane back together. “Now, get the hell in.”

Mr. Newton groaned.

“I’m not sure about this,” she said. “What did you do to them?”

“Nothing they didn’t invite.”

In other words, he wasn’t going to tell her.

“If you don’t get in this plane right now, then our friends there are going to wake up and they aren’t going to be happy. They want the map, Miss Sawyer, and I have no intention of giving it to them. Do you?”

Amelia shook her head, looking at the two men who were beginning to stir. “Okay, okay.” She hurried toward the plane. “You’re giving me answers to your change of heart just as soon as we get out of here, Brody Kern.”

He opened the door for her, took her bags and tossed them in the back, then lifted her in the front seat before he slammed the door closed. Once he was in the seat next to her, he brought the plane to life. It choked and sputtered before gaining power.

Reaching over her shoulder, she put on a seatbelt as Brody maneuvered the plane out of the hangar and onto the runway, which was nothing more than a cleared path through the jungle. The plane bounced and shook as they gained speed. It was nothing like the jet she flew in on. Nothing at all.

She had loved the plane ride over. Loved flying the second she set foot on the jet. Maybe because it was the official start of her adventure, but either way, it was more fun than this. Safer, for sure. Brody’s plane sounded like a tank rattling down the road and it rode like one too. And she thought his Land Rover was bad. It felt like riding in a tin can with seats. Very close quarters. Every time they hit a bump, her shoulder hit Brody’s.

“Are we going fast enough?” Amelia asked, worried they would hit the end of the runway before they gained enough speed. “Do you know how to fly this thing?”

Brody didn’t answer, just concentrated on his task. He seemed confident enough with his hands on the oddly shaped steering wheel and his eyes watching the many dials. She had one of the funny shaped wheels on her side too, but she didn’t touch it. It moved with Brody’s so she let him have it.

Nerves pounding, heart pumping, Amelia held on for dear life as they barreled down the runway. Frightened and excited, she watched the runway get shorter. Her life was in Brody’s hands and somehow that exhilarated her. Trees rushed past, her heart raced.

They were almost at the end of the path. Trees loomed ahead, tall and unyielding, creating a barrier. Amelia gripped the seat in anticipation.

They weren’t going to make it.

The wheels lifted off the ground and suddenly they were airborne. Elation rushed through Amelia as the force of it pushed her back in her seat and made her feel weightless.

She laughed in delight. “This is incredible.”

Peering out the window, she watched the trees shrink as they flew higher. The plane rattled and shook before it leveled out. She didn’t feel the least bit safe, but she loved every minute.

This must have been what Aunt Pandora experienced when she flew, why she loved it so much. Tears filled Amelia’s eyes even as she smiled at the clear, blue sky. She never felt so close to her aunt as she did now.

The plane straightened out, flying smoothly now. The engines settled into a comfortable rhythm. Amelia relaxed in her seat, putting her confidence in Brody.

“It’s beautiful up here,” she said, feeling slightly euphoric. Like the possibilities were endless. Like she could do anything.

“Then why are you crying?” Brody asked gruffly.

“I’m not … ” Touching her cheek, she realized she was. “You wouldn’t understand,” she wiped away the tears.

“Probably not.”

Amelia stared at him in disbelief. “Brute. You could be a gentleman and ask what was wrong.”

“I’m no gentleman.”

“The world’s biggest understatement. What happened to you, Mr. Kern, to make you so callous?”

“I’m not callous.”

She didn’t want to argue so she turned her attention to the vast blue sky in front of them.

Her indignity about Brody’s rough handling was mostly for show; she didn’t really mind because she knew there was a softer man buried beneath. And, not that she would ever admit this to her sisters — especially Brit, who would run with it — but Brody’s darker side drew her in. Maybe those women who went for his type were on to something.

Or maybe the altitude was messing with her hormones.

“Where exactly are we going?” Amelia asked to break the stony silence that had filled the plane.

Without looking at her, Brody said, “Exactly where you wanted to go.”

Despite her desire to go this course alone, Amelia brightened. “
Paraíso
,” she breathed. “You
do
believe.”

“No, I don’t believe it exists. I believe it’s a myth told to give people ridiculous hope of buried treasure that will solve all their problems.”

“Then why are you helping me find it?”

“Because you need a bodyguard.”

“I’m not arguing over this again. I get that Mr. Newton — and others — believe my map will lead them to their heart’s desire and they’ll end up wealthy beyond belief. Believe me, I get it.” She shuddered, caught in the memory of guns being pointed in her face. “But, what I don’t get is why you suddenly changed your mind. You were adamant about me leaving the country.”

“I told you, you need a keeper so consider yourself lucky to have been directed to me.”

“I don’t need a keeper.”

His expression indicated he didn’t believe her.

Ignoring it, she said, “
If
I needed a bodyguard, what makes you qualified?”

“Military background.”

She turned to look at him. “Military? Really? What branch?”

“Air Force.”

“Pilot?”

“Fighter pilot. Does that qualify me to protect you?”

“I suppose.” Amelia couldn’t help but push his buttons to get him talking. “I mean, if it was a long time ago, maybe you’ve forgotten what to do.”

Brody’s scowl deepened. Amelia stifled a smile.

“It wasn’t
that
long ago. I haven’t forgotten a damn thing, so stop worrying.”

“I’m not worried.” She looked out the window at passing clouds. “Were you a hero?”

“No. Nothing like that. I served my time and retired. That’s it. End of story. I’m qualified and I haven’t
forgotten
how to do it. Will you drop it?”

• • •

“Um, it looks pretty dark up there,” Amelia said, pointing at the black, billowy clouds in front of them. “Are we going to fly into them?”

“Can’t fly around them.” Brody’s tone wasn’t as reassuring as she hoped.

“We can’t fly through them, can we? They look like storm clouds.” Seeing storm clouds from the air was nothing like seeing them from the ground. They were much more frightening up here.

“They are storm clouds, and no, we can’t fly around them.”

A bolt of lightning cut through the sky, breaking free of the clouds and shooting toward the ground. Alarmed, Amelia turned to Brody. “Is it
always
raining here?”

“It’s the rainy season.” Brody looked out the side window with a frown as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

“I don’t like this.” Amelia watched as they drew closer to the clouds. “Lightning kills, and we happen to be in a large tin can that I
know
is a conductor. A big red and white conductor.”

The plane bumped along as it picked up turbulence from the storm. Brody was still looking out the side window.

“Stop worrying,” he said. “There’s a static wick on the plane to divert electrical strikes. Would you please stop talking so I can find a place to land?”

A place to land? In the middle of the jungle. In a storm. And what the heck was a static wick?

“So landing in the jungle is a more suitable option than flying through the storm?” she asked, her voice rising.

“We stand a better chance of landing than making it through that storm. Ice can build on the wings and take us down. Lightning is still a danger. Visibility will be zero. We’re landing, so hold on.”

The plane suddenly dipped down and her stomach dropped with it. Amelia held on to her seat for dear life, feeling a rush as they swooped through thinner, gray clouds. She looked at the man whose hands held her life and saw nothing but grim determination.

Visibility wasn’t all that great as they cut through the clouds, but Brody seemed to know exactly where he was going. To Amelia it looked like they were headed straight for the trees.

Thunder boomed, startling her. The plane shook beneath her feet. Brody flipped switches and checked gauges as he guided them down, the storm hot on their tail. The noise deafened her. If her life hadn’t flashed in front of her eyes before, it certainly did now.

What an adventure she was getting.

Even though right now she didn’t like it very much. Falling to her death wasn’t exactly what she had in mind when she decided to come to South America. Her heart pounded in her chest.

“Put your head between your knees,” Brody ordered. “This isn’t going to be a smooth landing.”

Amelia did as told, bending over and covering her head with her hands. She looked over at Brody. “I’m scared.”

“Me, too.”

Not what she wanted to hear, but for all his rough edges, she trusted Brody to get them on the ground safely.

“Brody?”

“Not now, Amelia.” White-knuckled, he fought the steering wheel. His lips pressed into a determined line as he focused all his attention on saving their lives.

The plane suddenly dropped into a free fall.

The impact jarred her forward, then tossed her back against the seat. She wasn’t able to stay in her safe position. All around her, she heard the sound of metal crunching. Someone screamed.

The plane bounced and scraped, battering her against the door. Amelia tried to protect herself, tried to stop the screams escaping her mouth, but failed miserably. Brody slammed into her repeatedly, cursing. Oddly, it was music to her ears. It meant he was alive.

Or, at least she thought so, until a deafening thud filled the cockpit and sent her crashing into darkness.

• • •

Amelia woke up in the crash position with her head between her knees. Stunned, she listened to the plane groan and settle. Rain bounced off the roof. Something brushed her hair.
Please don’t let it be a snake.
She looked up to see a tree branch sticking through the hole where the windshield used to be. A giant leaf danced above her, almost filling the cockpit. She sat up slowly and brushed her cheek, her fingertips coming away with blood on them.
Brody!

“Brody?” She turned toward him with a grimace when pain shot through her neck.

When he didn’t answer, she fumbled to unclip her seatbelt and threw it off. She shoved the leaf out of the way and ducked under the branch to see Brody slumped in his seat, blood covering the side of his face.

“Brody?” she said, louder, wishing he would answer her. But he didn’t, and she started to panic for real. She reached under the branch to press two fingers to his neck.
Please, please, let her find a pulse.

His skin was warm and slick with blood, but after a little fumbling, she located his pulse. It beat strong and steady beneath her trembling fingertips. She let out a sigh of relief and pulled her hand away, now covered in his blood as well as hers. Wiping it on her jeans, she willed her hands to stop shaking. Brody was hurt, but alive. She could work with that. But not here. She needed to get them out of the plane.

She looked around and saw nothing but jungle and demolished plane. The tin can had sustained the crash landing mostly in one piece, despite the windows being blown out and the tail in the backseat. It would probably never leave this jungle gravesite; but thanks to Brody, they would.

The plane shuddered and moaned around her. With a lurch, it rolled and crunched onto its side, throwing her into Brody. The tree limb snapped and whipped out the window. Pain shot through her body as she landed in a heap against Brody, who leaned at an odd angle where his window was supposed to be.