The Unseen (21 page)

* * * *

After climbing over a boulder field, dripping wet, the group wandered through the maze of tunnels that led to the gemstone stash. “It’s this one.” Kent deviated from the main tunnel into a narrower passage that branched off to the left and broadened into a large chamber draped with stalactites. Once everyone had followed him inside, he pointed out the sorted piles of raw unpolished rubies and sapphires and then asked everyone to split up to look for the inscriptions on the walls. An hour later, no one had found a thing.

Rich glanced at his watch. “We should get back into phone range soon. By now, Seth might have information about Bunny.”

A drop of mineral-rich water from the cave ceiling landed on Kent’s nose. He wiped it away and nodded. “There’s a doline a short walk away. We’ll probably be able to get a signal there.”

“Can you speak some English around us non-science types?” Rich’s brows drew together and his voice sounded almost angry.

Kent paused, surprised by the curt response. Rich usually tended toward blunt but not rude. He’d been arguing with Roberta constantly—maybe that had stirred him up. “Sorry, a doline is a collapsed cave roof open to the surface. Anyway, getting Bunny on the line might be helpful. She overheard the smugglers talking—maybe she can help direct us to the site of the drawings.”

Around the rims of the subsiding limestone, the jungle had stepped its way down into the cool realms of the cave. Trees and plants grew on every collapsed shelf of rock, more thinly foliated than the varieties growing at the surface. Many of the stalagmites were carpeted in green moss. Rich pulled the satellite phone from his pocket. “Oh, shit, hang on. Seth’s calling in.”

Kent paced across the stone floor of the cavern, anxiously waiting to hear what had transpired. If Bunny was dead, he’d not only feel responsible, but there’d be no chance of learning more about the whereabouts of the drawings. He clung to a thread of hope that she’d somehow survived the night.

“Rich here, what’s happening.” His forehead was etched with tension lines. He leaned against a wall of limestone, occasionally nodding or grunting in response to the caller’s report. “Hmm, I’m not sure about that. Hang on a second, let me talk to Kent.”

Rich covered the phone and looked toward Kent. “Don’t worry, they’re alive and well. But you’re not going to believe this. Bunny and this Winston guy she’s hooked up with want to fly over and help.”

Kent’s irritation superseded his relief that Bunny was still alive. “That’s out of the question. The woman’s been nothing but trouble since day one.”

Rich gazed unblinkingly at him. “But she knows where the drawings are, right?”

“I’m not sure whether she does or not. Here, let me talk to her.”

Rich spoke back into the phone. “Kent wants to speak to Bunny. Can you put her on?” He passed the phone to Kent.

Kent gritted his teeth and feigned he was thrilled to speak to her. He figured if he spoke first, it would delay the onslaught of her complaints. “Bunny, I’m so glad to hear you’re safe.”

“Oh, hi, Kent. Thank you so much for sending those men to check on us. I really appreciate it. But I’m so worried about Rebecca and Amanda. I have to come back—”

Kent struggled to reign in his irritation. “That’s really a bad idea. There are still killers on the loose out here. Please just describe the area where you saw the drawings. Do you remember if they’re in the same room as the gemstones.”

There was a long pause. Certainly she wouldn’t keep it a secret unless she got her way? Or would she? Kent drummed his foot on the ground.

“No. They were in a different room, but all those corridors kind of look the same and I was so scared during the kidnapping, I don’t remember much detail. But I’m sure it would all come back if I were there.”

Kent frowned. Maybe they really didn’t have any choice other than to bring Bunny back.
Talk about lousy luck.
“Are you sure about that, Bunny? When you were with us bef—”

“I know, Kent. I was a huge pain in the ass. But I’m not going to be like that anymore. The old Bunny is back. An invisible man tried to kill us last night so I took him out with a wine bottle.”

Kent shook his head and wondered if he’d misheard what she’d said. “You did what?”

“I took him out with a wine bottle.”

Bunny’s confident voice struck Kent as surprisingly un-Bunny-like. “So you used to be a hit woman in your previous life?”

“Very funny. No, but I used to be pretty tough. And I really do think I can help.”

The woman had definitely learned the art of persuasion almost overnight. Kent felt his resistance slackening. “Okay, so you really think you can find the drawings?”

“I’m sure of it,” said Bunny.

“Fine. I’ll send Ray to get you.”

“Me and Winston.”

Kent rolled his eyes. Soon she’d be asking for money to be tossed into the deal. “Okay, you and Winston.” He yanked the receiver away from his ear when she let out an ear-piercing whoop. He did his best to don a stern expression, hoping the others wouldn’t think he’d given in too easily. “Now be ready when the helicopter arrives and don’t bring anything that doesn’t fit in a normal-sized backpack, is that clear?”

“Thanks, Kent. I promise you won’t regret this.”

Kent gritted his teeth.
Famous last words.
“I sure hope you’re right.”

When he finished the call and handed the phone back to Rich, eager faces looked his way. “Bunny sounded really excited—I could hear her all the way over here,” said Rebecca. “What was that all about?”

“She’s excited because she thinks she can show us where the drawings are located.”

Rebecca’s mouth fell open and she looked over at Amanda, who looked similarly stunned. “Bunny’s coming back out here? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yeah, she’s coming back and no, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. She says she’s turned over a new leaf and I have to say she sounded convincing. She apparently whacked one of the smugglers in the head with a wine bottle last night and he’s not around to tell anyone about it.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened and the tenor of her voice rose. “Are you kidding me? Bunny killed someone.”

“Despite all her whining, I always thought the woman looked like she had a good arm on her.”

“Whenever I saw you staring at her, it wasn’t at her arm.” Rebecca said.

Kent had no intention of letting this no-win discussion persist. “Enough idle chatter. It’ll be a few hours before Bunny and Winston arrive. In the meantime, let’s go back to the tunnel where we found the rubies and sapphires and see if we can find any unusual rocks.”

* * * *

Roberta’s nipples tightened whenever Rich walked near her.
Why am I so goddamn attracted to him?
The man’s personality is enough to give me a rash.
But still, she couldn’t help noticing he walked like a panther—every strong muscle in his body flexed as he moved with athletic, fluid grace. And he had a gorgeous face, despite the feather-shaped knife scar on one cheek.

She’d written off relationships decades ago. She had a waiting list a mile long of companies around the world requesting her expertise on various projects. She was the archaeologist everyone wanted to hire. She’d interpreted writings from the most ancient on earth to recent and had even found writings likely left behind by visiting aliens.

Every trip was an adventure.
Like finding true love is for other women.
Roberta wasn’t like other women. She was unusual. She was an outdoorswoman. And men were a quick fix for a horny moment before she boarded her next flight.

A masculine voice broke into her reverie. “I guess I’m more likely to find something interesting if I hang around you.”

Roberta turned toward Rich and conjured a cool stare she hoped would obscure the raging attraction she felt toward him. The man’s brilliant blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Finding them distracting, she jerked her head away. “And why would you assume that?”

“You’re the world famous archaeologist. Who better to latch onto?”

She flipped on her helmet light and scanned it methodically over the walls. “I know very little about geology. If you want to follow someone who knows something about rocks, I suggest you latch onto Kent. Of course, he might not be too keen about your little dick poking up his butt.”

* * * *

A surge of blood raced to Rich’s crotch. He pretended to study the limestone walls. “You got an awfully smart mouth for a woman.”

She whipped her head around, blinding him with her headlamp. “How would you know my way of speaking is unusual? I thought you avoided women. I hang around lots of men. And you’ve got the most odious personality I’ve ever encountered.”

He shielded his eyes with his hands to block the light. “Ha. Well, your personality isn’t exactly what I’d call charming.”

“And this comes from your vast experience with women, I suppose.” Roberta burst out laughing. “You’re almost as funny as you are annoying.”

Rich never imagined a verbal battle could harden his prick this much. He hoped they wouldn’t have to walk far anytime soon. He shook a leg to release the squeeze of fabric around his crotch. “Kent gave us a job to do. Now get that goddamn light out of my face and direct it toward the rocks.”

“I would if you’d stop distracting me.” She shook her head and swirled her light around on the rocky spot where she’d last searched. “The magic rock I’d really like to find would be the one that would get you to stop pestering me.”

Rich flipped off his headlamp and took a step toward her. Fiery electricity jumped from her body straight to his, blocking out all rational thought. He wanted her naked and wriggling underneath him with a wide swath of tape over her mouth. “Get me to stop pestering you? It was you who struck up the first conversation, as I recall.”

“Yeah, that was before I knew what you were like. Now that I know you’re a—”

He pinned her body against the wall and claimed her lips in a fierce wet kiss.

He pressed her lips apart with his tongue, penetrating her mouth. He ached to push his rock-hard cock inside her wet hole. Instead he ground his hips in closer to her body, imagining what it would feel like to sink into what would undoubtedly be a tight squeeze.
How many men would put up with her?
“I’m thinking we should try to get along. You know, for the sake of the mission.” His voice came out sounding breathless.

“Mmm, yes. For the sake of the mission,” she whispered before kissing him again.

Tas would be well cared for until Winston returned from the jungle, a neighbor down the road had assured him. Now back at the house, the four of them waited for the arrival of the helicopter. Bunny heard the whirring sound of the blades before its dark shape appeared in the sky. A cloud of sand rose from the beach as the black aircraft landed. “Okay, we’re good to go,” Seth shouted.

Holding hands, the couple followed the two men to the helicopter and climbed up inside. Bunny and Winston’s shoulders pressed together as they squeezed into their seats. The last time she’d been in this helicopter, Bunny had been fleeing a terrifying experience set in a backdrop of shame.

Today, Bunny felt exhilarated. She pattered her feet on the floor, eager to reach the cave and find the drawings. The skin on her face tingled pleasantly as she realized she’d be the person to make a difference today. She looked at Winston and smiled. Their faces were only inches apart.

Smile lines radiated from Winston’s twinkling blue eyes. “You just can’t wait to get started, can you?”

Bunny bounced in her seat, gesturing with her hands. “No, I really can’t. I know I can find that spot and I’m eager to learn what this mystery’s all about.”

Winston reached out and playfully tweaked her nose. “I have to say the last twenty-four hours have been more exciting than any excursion I’ve ever led. I might miss the adrenaline rush after all this is over.”

Bunny leaned in toward him and whispered. “Maybe you can get one a different way.”

The sensual curl up of his lips proved that he understood her meaning. “I definitely fancy that idea.”

He locked his gaze on her and Bunny saw the depth of feeling in his eyes. A warm softness spread through her center. She gripped his hand and squeezed. Bunny’s backside pulled up from the seat as the helicopter made a rapid descent. She leaned over Winston’s shoulder to peer out the window.

Lush jungle intermingled with jagged limestone features Kent had referred to as karst. Before, she’d looked at the jungle as a threat, today she saw its beauty—the canopy of lush green trees, the dark cave mouth surrounded by a pool of brilliant blue water so transparent, the rocky features on the bottom looked like they lay below a sheet of glass. Bunny pointed toward the cave opening. “We’ll wade through that water to get inside.”

“It looks like the ocean.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck. “It sure doesn’t feel like it. Cave water is ice cold.”

He turned his head toward her, nearly colliding with her face. “That might feel rather good in this heat.”

“You’ll like it for about five seconds until your bones get so chilled, you’ll crave scorching heat.”

Once the helicopter landed, Bunny and Winston followed the two men, jumping down onto the muddy ground. Kent and the others stood waiting for them.

Introductions were made and then Kent queried her about the cave drawings. “Where do you suggest we start?” He rubbed his fingers over his cheek dimples.

Bunny was determined to convince him of her competence. She raised her head a little higher to boost her confidence. “It was along that main corridor beyond where they set up camp, near where they stashed the gemstones. If we walk out that route, I think I’ll remember.”

Rich spoke to a group of the soldiers, including the members of the Vietnamese army, instructing them to guard the perimeter of the cave in case anyone hostile showed up. Kent urged his team into the water. “Okay guys, let’s get a move on. We’ve got a cold water wade ahead of us.”