Temple of the Jaguar Read Free Page B

“You still don’t trust me.”
    “ If you were in my position, would you?”
    “ Point taken,” I said, scanning the pages. “What do you want from me, Miss Da Vinci?”
    “ I need someone who knows the land. Someone who can follow these ancient directions.” As she spoke she circled around me. She put a hand on my shoulder. The final sales pitch. “My father had in his notes that you were that man. And from what I’ve seen and heard, you will more than do.”
    I shrugged my shoulders and stepped away from her. I did not like the way my heart skipped a beat at her touch. I was serious about not getting involved with another woman—especially after what happened last time.
    I said, “At some point you will have to furnish the rest of the document, Miss Da Vinci. At some point you will have to trust me.”
    She crossed her arms over her chest; her soft lips grew much harder. “Once we agree to be partners I will furnish the remaining documents. But trust is another matter, Mr. Caine. Trust must be earned.”
    “ Does your lack of trust have something to do with my occupation?”
    “ You are a looter and a thief. It has everything to do with your occupation, Mr. Caine.”
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
     
    Looters get a bad wrap. Just because we steal and plunder and operate outside of the law doesn’t mean we’re all bad guys.
    We spent the remaining night going over the first two pages of the translation. The trail began at a river whose Mayan name never changed, which was lucky for us. From there things got a little tricky, but I was relatively certain I knew of the route, although the names for some rivers had changed. One thing was clear: the route led into the heart of La Mosquita. The Mosquita Coast. Little Amazon. Some of the last unexplored terrain on earth.
    The rivers were accurate, their lengths and widths described were accurate enough, too. Whether or not this map led to Ciudad Blanca remained to be seen.
    One thing was for certain...the path seemed to lead into the mountains. Not through... into .
    “ We’ll be traveling through tunnels,” I said.
    Marie clapped her hands. “I just love a good adventure story.”
    “ Oh. You have many?”
    Still grinning, she looked at me. “No, this will be my first.”
    I rolled my eyes. Had Ishi been here, he would have rolled his eyes, too. Looters didn’t have much use for amateurs. Amateurs tended to get in the way...and to get killed.
    Anyway, Marie seemed quite pleased with my grasp of the map’s instructions. She had feared, she said, that the directions would make little sense, even to an experienced guide like myself, and that her father’s life work had been for not.
    “ So, Mr. Caine, will you guide me into the jungle?”
    “ One condition?”
    “ What’s that?”
    “ Quit calling me Mr. Caine.”
    Actually, there was a second condition. We looters always have a second condition. Next, we discussed my guiding fees, and when we were both satisfied, we agreed to meet tomorrow to coordinate the expedition. She gathered her stuff and made a beeline to my door. I was beelining right behind her.
    “ What do you plan on doing once you get there?” I asked.
    She spoke over her shoulder. “Where?”
    “ Ciudad Blanca?”
    “ Conduct a full excavation,” she said. “With much of the artifacts going to a bigger and better museum, built in my father’s honor.”
    “ And what of the supposed treasure?” I asked.
    She turned and faced me. Her eyes touched upon different features of my face. “Why there will be no treasure...Nicholas.”
    “ Nick,” I said. “Oh, really?”
    “ Not after we split it.”
    I grinned. “You would make a hell of a looter.”
    “ I suspect most of us would, when it comes right down to it.”
    “ And what if your uncle happens upon the city?”
    She set her jaw. “I have plans for my uncle. Now, good night, Nick. I will see you tomorrow.”
    She left. I watched her go and when she disappeared down a