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north-south thoroughfare where Aztec priests had once paraded sacrificial victims before throngs of bloodthirsty citizens, and ascended to the Plaza del Sol, the courtyard that abutted the western edge of the pyramid. Up close, Jade could see the individual stones that comprised the pyramid. Unlike the pyramids of Egypt, these structures had been built with small irregular chunks of rock, sealed together with limestone mortar. Jade knew that, in its heyday, the pyramid had been coated with a limestone veneer and painted with elaborate murals of feathered gods, priests and victorious warriors. The construction of the pyramids had been a massive undertaking, requiring centuries of focused cooperative effort, and had placed an extraordinary drain on the natural resources of the region. The deforestation of the surrounding landscape to fire limestone kilns was believed to be a major contributing factor to the decline of the city, but that was just one more theory that, while plausible, would never fully be proven.
    “ Dr. Ihara!”
    Jade lowered her gaze from the pyramid to find a middle-aged man in khakis and a dress shirt, with a canvas duffel bag slung over one shoulder. She stepped forward and took his proffered hand. “You must be Dr. Acosta,” she said.
    Jorge Acosta, a professor of Pre-Columbian art history, presently serving as curator in residence at the on-site museum, was the project coordinator, and the man who had hired her on after a team member had been called away by a family emergency. The excavation at the Pyramid of the Sun was only one of many archaeological investigations going on in the ancient city, and it was Acosta ’s job to ensure that the cultural sanctity of the site was preserved, and all relevant laws obeyed.
    “Welcome to Teo, Dr. Ihara.” His English was impeccable, without even a trace of an accent. “I imagine you’re eager to get right to work.”
    “ Please, call me Jade.” His smile slipped a notch and Jade realized that she had committed a minor faux pas.
    Smooth move, Jade, she thought. Somebody loves his title. This is why I hate being an archaeologist.
    At least when digging holes in the middle of nowhere, she didn ’t have to deal with the fragile egos of academicians.
    “I of course will continue to call you Dr. Acosta,” she hastily added, smiling and doing her level best to keep her tone free of sarcasm.
    Acosta diplomatically changed the subject. “We were quite fortunate that you were available on such short notice.”
    “ Actually, I’m the one who got lucky. I just finished some work in Japan and was looking for…” She paused, not sure quite what she meant to say. Something different? Something to keep me busy? Something to take my mind off him ? “A challenge.”
    “ Japan? That’s a rather strange place for an expert on early American cultures to be working.”
    “ You’re telling me,” Jade muttered.  Her work in Japan, specifically at the Yonaguni monument near Okinawa, had been a roller coaster of excitement—for which she had a healthy appetite—and drama—something she had lost her taste for. Her research had been pivotal in battling a threat from the international quasi-religious conspiracy known as the Dominion, ultimately making the difference in thwarting a Dominion plot to throw the world into chaos. Unfortunately, it had also meant working with her ex,  Dane Maddock, a former Navy SEAL and professional treasure hunter. Maddock had moved on with his life and that made working with him—working closely with him—almost unendurable for Jade. She had made herself vulnerable, put her undiminished love for him out in the open, and he had ultimately refused her.
    The rejection burned like an open wound, and the only way to get past it was to get away from anything that reminded her of Dane Maddock. It was time for her to get on with her life.
    She sensed that Acosta was still waiting for an explanation. “The circumstances were unique. I speak