Redemption (8 page)

“I don’t like you working alone.” Adriano heard the sound of a door closing and the background noise faded abruptly. He’d rather hear the engines than that note of concern in his brother’s voice. Nic was younger by three years. Adriano should be the one protecting him. Not the other way around.

He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a harsh breath. “I’m not alone, not ever. I’m surrounded by people.”

“Humans.”

He thought of Sophie. “They’re not all bad.”

Nicolas grunted. “I have a run to make tonight but—”

Adriano cut him off. “I can handle this. Don’t come.”

He imagined Nic meeting Sophie and what he would think of her, what he would read from Adriano’s reaction to her. No, he didn’t want Nicolas here. Adriano would get the stone and he’d get out. The sting of Sophie’s rejection would fade. His curiosity over whatever the hell she was hiding—that would fade too.

“If you hear anything else, you know how to reach me.”

Nicolas hesitated a second then said, “Alright. Call me if you need me. I mean it, Adriano. For anything.”

“Will do.”

He’d lied to his brother. He knew it was an organized team of mercenaries, comprised primarily of wolf shifters, five or six of them, and at least one mutant Yaguara. A team like that wouldn’t waste their time scavenging a well-stripped site. They were after the Bloodstone. But if he’d told Nic the truth, there’d be no stopping him from coming and Adriano needed to think of a plan before that happened.

He could call Gabriel. The king had been sympathetic to his situation right up until the moment he stood aside to allow the queen to pass a sentence of exile. Adriano hadn’t spoken to Gabriel since then although the king had tried to contact him several times. He wasn’t interested in an explanation. He didn’t want to try to understand how Gabriel could privately call him a hero and publicly name him a traitor. No. He wouldn’t speak to Gabriel again until he had the stone.

He’d already taken the fall once for the good of his people. He didn’t relish the thought of being screwed over again. He wasn’t even certain Gabriel would send help. Most pure-blooded Yaguara didn’t believe in the legend. Gabriel was a mutant. He might not know the story or be aware of the danger the stone represented.

So fucking close. Just a few more days. Adriano needed to keep his focus. Five years of his life positioning himself so he could take advantage of an opportunity like this one. An image of Sophie flashed through his head. Hands pressed to her belly, guarding the hem of her shirt, eyes wide and wounded. What secrets could she possibly be hiding? He pushed the thought aside just as she’d pushed him away. It didn’t matter. He had enough trouble on his plate.

What was Adriano doing out here? She’d skipped dinner to shoot pictures of the black-and-white portal and was just returning. The sun had dropped behind the mountains. The sky was still warm with the colors of sunset but the valley was in shadow. The others would be heading over to the museum soon.

He strode purposefully across the plaza in the direction of the Rocas. The light was too dim and he was too far away for her to see him clearly but she was sure it was him. Something about the way he moved, a quick powerful grace that she wanted to feel moving against her again. She wanted to try to explain, needed at least to apologize for overreacting.

“Adriano,” she called out.

He didn’t acknowledge that he’d heard her. He didn’t turn his head or even slow down. Still pissed. Who could blame him? She’d freaked last night. No wonder he ran away from her. She hesitated. She should get back to grab something to eat and a bottle of water before going to work. But then Adriano ducked into the black mouth of the Rocas and she started across the plaza. What the heck was he up to?

The place had always creeped her out. Ethan speculated that the priests had performed sacrifices here. He’d held a séance just last week. At night, she found herself wondering how much blood this ground had absorbed over the years. At night, the smallest sounds echoed off the rock and often she’d felt that someone was following her, watching her from the shadows.

But she wasn’t a little kid who still believed in monsters under her bed. She would find Adriano, see what was up and if she was lucky, she wouldn’t have to walk back alone. If she was
really
lucky, maybe she’d skip dinner altogether. The tunnels were dark and, standing at the gaping mouth of the canal, she realized she hadn’t seen Adriano turn on a flashlight. She pressed a sweaty palm to the cool rock that framed the entrance and leaned forward.

“Adriano,” she called and the darkness seemed to swallow the sound.

He had to be in there. There was no other way out. There. Distant and muffled, Adriano’s voice called her name. She dug in her pocket for her penlight and took a deep steadying breath. She didn’t want Adriano to think her a coward, and maybe here alone in the dark, she could apologize for overreacting. Maybe she could feel all that powerful grace moving inside her again before she went back to work.

That decided her and she slipped inside, reconsidering her decision when, after only two steps in, heavy silence wrapped around her. Her penlight bobbed against gray stone. These had been drainage canals. The floors were rough and the uneven rock made the shadows move strangely. Why would Adriano come down here at night? She couldn’t think of any reason unless maybe there’d been another collapse. He kept insisting these tunnels were unstable. He’d probably be pissed that she’d followed him. But then, if there was danger, he shouldn’t be down here alone either.

A cold breeze caressed her cheek and she shivered. Already, she was coming up on one of the first vents. She turned her head and a hard hand clamped over her wrist, jerking her forward and swinging her around. He slammed her against the wall, the impact stealing her breath and cracking the camera she’d slipped into her front pocket. The penlight dropped from her numb fingers and light bounced wildly on the walls before blinking off, plunging the tunnel into complete darkness.

She hadn’t gotten a look at her attacker before the light turned off but she knew it was a man by the heavy hand that covered her mouth and the big body pressed hard against her, legs positioned to spread hers wide to keep her from kicking out. A warm trickle slid down the side of her face where it was pressed to the rock.

Not Adriano. She would have recognized his body, the feel and scent of it, and Adriano would never hurt her. She tried to twist around and a flare of pain shot from her shoulder. The man pulled back abruptly, turned her around to face him and slammed her back up against the wall again. “Don’t scream and don’t even think about running. You’re as much use to us dead as alive.”

The voice stilled her more than the actual words. Low, deep and completely devoid of emotion, his tone chilled her clear to the bone.

“Good girl,” he murmured against her ear and then turned his head to inhale deeply. “You wear his scent.”

Dear God, he was nuts. Crazy and huge and incredibly strong. She was in deep trouble here. Her self-defense classes had never covered this. Most had assumed a city, that there would be someone close enough to hear her scream. That she would be able to move, an arm or a leg or her head to strike out and run away. But he was strong and so incredibly fast, she couldn’t get loose. He seemed to anticipate her every move.

“Don’t scream and I won’t have to hurt you. We’re in deep enough that I doubt anyone would hear you anyway. Agreed?”

She nodded frantically and his hand eased away from her mouth. “There you go. Meek and docile as a little lamb. We’ll get along just fine, the two of us.”

She wiped at her bruised mouth when he lifted his weight from her body. “What do you want?”

She looked in his direction but couldn’t see a damned thing. She edged a step away, quietly, toward the entrance. If she couldn’t see him, then he wouldn’t be able to see her. If she could slip into that vent she might get lucky. Many of them were large enough for a person to pass through and some were still connected to other buildings. If nothing else, if she was very quiet, he’d have to find a light to search for her. She tried to remember the layout of the tunnel system and if this was the first opening she’d passed.

Right when she’d decided to make a break for it, his hand closed on her elbow and she jumped. She hadn’t heard him move but there’d been no hesitation in his hold.

“Other way, little lamb. I’m going to stake you down in the pit. We need Adriano and as luck would have it, you’ll make perfect bait for that trap. Do you think the scent of your blood would make him come sooner?” She heard him inhale again. “Or maybe just the stench of your fear will do, yes?”

“Where’s Adriano?”

“That’s the question now, isn’t it? We laid a trail outside his tent a pup couldn’t have missed, but there’s no sign of him. Of course this would be the night he breaks routine. I’m betting you had something to do with that.” His fingers dug into her skin and he shook her arm. “Where were you going to meet him? Not here I bet.”

What kind of trouble was Adriano involved in? It had always struck her as odd that such an intelligent, hardworking man was only a simple bureaucrat. Maybe he was running from something, hiding. Clearly, he was in big trouble.

“I wasn’t going to meet him anywhere,” she said, shuffling her feet to feel her way and buy her some time to think. “I thought I saw a friend of mine and I wanted make sure there wasn’t a problem.”

The man laughed. “You’re an awful liar. You really think you could do anything to protect him? Don’t worry, I need him alive. This was supposed to be a quick job. Get in, grab the stone and get out. But he never said anything about a maze and we can’t find our way past the first chamber. Now the buyer wants a translation too or I don’t get paid. Greedy fucker. That was never part of the deal.”

“A translation?” Sophie repeated, trying to make sense of that. What stone? And if he was looking for someone to interpret a carving, why go after the site manager instead of one of the scientists? Unless…maybe he just didn’t know who she was. If she offered to help him willingly would he let her go and leave Adriano alone?

He jerked her arm to hurry her up. “Adriano cooperates and no one has to get hurt. You don’t want to see anyone get hurt do you, Sophie?”

She stumbled and he caught her, hauling her upright against his hard chest. He was thinner than Adriano, so lean she could feel the bones in his hips. He knew her name. “I’ve been studying this place for years. If you want someone to examine a carved stone then you want me, not Adriano.”

He paused a moment before answering. “Sweetheart, you should be more worried about yourself.”

She was plenty worried about herself. The man was unstable, unnaturally strong and had the uncanny ability to push his way through the dark without missing a step. She’d been waiting for him to stumble, for his grip to loosen just enough for her to tug free. He had to be wearing night vision goggles.

It didn’t matter. She had to escape. That, she remembered from her self-defense classes. Don’t let your attacker drag you away. He paused and she dropped all her weight to the ground. His reflexes were incredible. His grip didn’t loosen at all. She gathered her legs under her and lunged, trying to throw him off balance, but he caught her easily, grabbing her wrists in one big hand and maneuvering her as easily as if she were a rag doll.

She didn’t see it coming. Of course she didn’t. She couldn’t see a thing. He swung her out over a great gaping hole, supporting her entire weight in that one hand and lowering her down slowly. Instinctively, she kicked out her legs.

“Don’t jerk about. You’ll only land badly. Here.” He swung her to the left and then released her.

The drop seemed endless, an eternity of panicked suspension. Falling down in the pitch dark, cast there by a madman and with no idea how deep the hole was. But she landed before she could even manage a scream. In a pool of water, hot water that came up to her waist when she stood, shaking and sucking in air.

She tried not to panic. Tried to reason it through but her brain had gone numb with shock. The temple had been built here in part because the hot springs in the mountains had been considered sacred. But there weren’t any at the site. No big gaping holes with hidden spas within the crumbling Rocas either. She surely would have noticed that.

“Where am I?”

“An old Chavín hot tub.” The voice floated from above, tinged with amusement. “Feel free to undress and make use of it if you’d like. I won’t mind.”

“I mean—”

“I know what you mean and I regret that I can’t give you the answers. You’ve become part of the game, love, and part of my bargaining power might lie in keeping you ignorant. It all depends on how highly he values you, I suppose.”

She started to shuffle her feet along the bottom of the pool, hands outstretched searching for the edge. Where the hell was she? She froze when she heard a thud and felt the movement of air against her cheek. Oh, God. He was down here with her now. Fighting the instinct to hide, she forced herself to keep moving.

“He’s not one to fuck around with your kind. Interesting that he chose you.”

“Maybe you have the wrong woman,” she suggested.

“
I
can see the appeal. You’re young, healthy and have all the right scent markings.” She hated that she couldn’t see him. His deep, emotionless voice seemed to come from a different direction every time he spoke. “He never went for humans before. Not even that time in Caracas after Lucas died and he was piss drunk, babbling about old legends and lost treasures. As soon as I heard he bribed his way in here, I knew exactly what he was after.”

Finally, she found the edge of the pool and hauled herself out. The air was cool, her clothing soaked and goose bumps sprang up all along her exposed skin. She winced at the loud splash. Even without night vision goggles, he’d know where she was.

Maybe there was another way out. There had to be. He wouldn’t have trapped himself down here. Another exit or a ladder beneath the hole. Even if she couldn’t see, she could use her hands and her brain to figure a way out of this mess. The vents in the tunnels connected to all the main buildings. If she started screaming, maybe someone would hear her if not now then tomorrow when the tours were running. Provided she made it until tomorrow.

She stifled a sob and started moving. With the horror of that drop still fresh, she stayed on her hands and knees because it seemed safer when she was so uncertain of the floor. She was aware of the sound of her rasping breath and the silence surrounding her which was not empty at all. He could be anywhere, watching her, playing with her like a cat. The stone beneath her fingertips was gritty but the surface was worn smooth, square cut and set in flagstones. Despite her fear, a little thrill of interest sparked in her. Somehow Mr. Crazy had found an undiscovered level beneath the old temple. Adriano had been right after all, the tunnel had collapsed.

She heard a sharp metallic noise and looked up, flinching away from the bright flame so close to her face. Squinting, she saw a rusted-out old lantern like a miner might use. Not bright enough to light more than six feet around it or even touch the walls of the cavern. But enough for her to see the face of the man who set it on the ground.

He had a cruel mouth, flat black eyes and a faintly amused expression on his narrow face.

“Stubborn too,” he murmured, before bending to clamp a big hand around her arm and haul her up. “You should be curled up in a little ball, sniveling with fear by now. But you’re what? Still trying to escape?” A blunt-tipped finger traced the curve of her lips and she bit him. Hard. He only laughed and pushed his hand further into her mouth, deep enough that she lost her hold on him and started to gag. She tasted blood and his eyes narrowed. “Oh yes, I can definitely see the appeal. Feel free to scream for help if you like. I’ve change my mind. Maybe that’ll help move things along after all.”

“Where is she?”

Adriano looked at Sean blankly. “Who? Sophie?”

One of the men had taken a fall on the south slope and by the time they’d gotten him patched up it was already an hour past dusk. He glanced around the small building, crowded with students and makeshift tables, cameras and crates. No Sophie. He ignored the sick feeling in his gut and resisted the urge to shove Sean out of his way until he had all the information.

Sean ran a hand through his hair. “Damn it. Ethan said she’d gone off to photograph the portal stones but I thought for sure she’d be back by now. I know she’s pissed about the extra hours but I didn’t think she’d blow it off.”

“She wouldn’t have,” Adriano said. “I heard her say she’d be here.”

Mia stood at Sean’s shoulder looking worried. “She wouldn’t lie. If she said she was coming she’d be here. I thought maybe she got…you know…distracted.”