his weapon and then turned to the team. “Drake, I want you and Nash to take the lead. Our first priority is to find and immobilize the guards. Tyler and I will follow, with Madeline.”
“Me?” Madeline asked. “Can’t I just stay here with Jason?”
“He’s too damn busy to baby-sit,” Drake said, irritation flashing. “Just follow orders, keep quiet, and everything will be fine.”
“Not a problem,” she snapped, surprised at how easily he managed to push her buttons.
Behind her Avery cleared his throat. “If everyone’s ready? We move on my signal.”
And with that, they were off. Nash and Drake on point, Tyler flanking Madeline, and Avery bringing up the rear. As they neared the opening in the rocks, Drake fanned to the left and Nash moved to the right, the two of them keeping low as they circled cautiously toward the gorge.
About fifteen feet from the entrance to the ruins, Drake stopped and held up his hand.
Avery touched his head, and Madeline nodded, reaching up to turn on the communication device they’d given her.
“I’m not seeing anyone,” Drake said, his voice absurdly intimate as it resonated against her ear.
“Me either,” Nash responded. “But that doesn’t mean there’s no one there. It’s hard to see anything beyond the rocks.” Madeline watched as they inched forward, gunsat the ready, Nash crossing to the far side of the gorge as they passed between the rocky sentries.
The silence stretched out as they waited, and then her earpiece sprang to life. “We’re clear,” Drake said.
Madeline followed Avery and Tyler as they made their way through the gorge and into the ruins. Inside, the ground leveled out into a circular clearing paved with small beveled-edge stones. The stream cut through the middle, widening into a peaceful series of concentric ponds that formed channels leading to a central pool. The edges were adorned with carvings, forgotten images of a vanished culture.
To the left on the far side of the clearing statues stood silently along the edge of the enclosure, their faces worn and ravaged with time. On the right of the stream, jagged steps rose from the jungle floor to a platform leading to what must have once been a temple or tomb. Parts of the stone structure had collapsed, and there were vegetation-filled gaps in the masonry, but the doorway stood solid, its dark mouth gaping open. The sound of the waterfall punctuated the calls of the birds and somewhere in the distance the chittering of monkeys.
“Looks like we’re definitely alone,” Tyler said, as she and Madeline joined Drake in the main courtyard. Nash and Avery had moved to the far side of the stream, surveying the area for any sign of activity.
“I don’t like it.” Drake shook his head, his eyes narrowed as he turned to Madeline. “I thought you said there were supposed to be guards?”
“There were.” She nodded, trying not to squirm under the heat of his gaze. “At least when I was here before.”
“Maybe di Silva called them back to the compound,”Nash said, as he and Avery joined them on the terraced paving. “There’s no sign of anyone.”
“It gives me the creeps,” Tyler said, her gaze shooting around the clearing, still scanning for danger.
Drake moved away from them, kneeling beside the pool to examine one of the carvings. Without thinking, Madeline followed him. “Any idea what they are?” she asked.
“Petroglyphs,” he answered, without looking up, his fingers tracing the curve of a spiral and then the scarlet-edged line of what appeared to be a crested bird. “Sacred ones, if I had to guess. Created by
jeques
or priests.” He brushed off his hands and pushed to his feet, his gaze moving across the ruins. “This was definitely a ceremonial place.”
“You seem to know a lot about it,” she said.
“There actually isn’t a lot known about the ancient peoples who inhabited this part of Colombia. But I know enough to recognize what we’re seeing
“Me?” Madeline asked. “Can’t I just stay here with Jason?”
“He’s too damn busy to baby-sit,” Drake said, irritation flashing. “Just follow orders, keep quiet, and everything will be fine.”
“Not a problem,” she snapped, surprised at how easily he managed to push her buttons.
Behind her Avery cleared his throat. “If everyone’s ready? We move on my signal.”
And with that, they were off. Nash and Drake on point, Tyler flanking Madeline, and Avery bringing up the rear. As they neared the opening in the rocks, Drake fanned to the left and Nash moved to the right, the two of them keeping low as they circled cautiously toward the gorge.
About fifteen feet from the entrance to the ruins, Drake stopped and held up his hand.
Avery touched his head, and Madeline nodded, reaching up to turn on the communication device they’d given her.
“I’m not seeing anyone,” Drake said, his voice absurdly intimate as it resonated against her ear.
“Me either,” Nash responded. “But that doesn’t mean there’s no one there. It’s hard to see anything beyond the rocks.” Madeline watched as they inched forward, gunsat the ready, Nash crossing to the far side of the gorge as they passed between the rocky sentries.
The silence stretched out as they waited, and then her earpiece sprang to life. “We’re clear,” Drake said.
Madeline followed Avery and Tyler as they made their way through the gorge and into the ruins. Inside, the ground leveled out into a circular clearing paved with small beveled-edge stones. The stream cut through the middle, widening into a peaceful series of concentric ponds that formed channels leading to a central pool. The edges were adorned with carvings, forgotten images of a vanished culture.
To the left on the far side of the clearing statues stood silently along the edge of the enclosure, their faces worn and ravaged with time. On the right of the stream, jagged steps rose from the jungle floor to a platform leading to what must have once been a temple or tomb. Parts of the stone structure had collapsed, and there were vegetation-filled gaps in the masonry, but the doorway stood solid, its dark mouth gaping open. The sound of the waterfall punctuated the calls of the birds and somewhere in the distance the chittering of monkeys.
“Looks like we’re definitely alone,” Tyler said, as she and Madeline joined Drake in the main courtyard. Nash and Avery had moved to the far side of the stream, surveying the area for any sign of activity.
“I don’t like it.” Drake shook his head, his eyes narrowed as he turned to Madeline. “I thought you said there were supposed to be guards?”
“There were.” She nodded, trying not to squirm under the heat of his gaze. “At least when I was here before.”
“Maybe di Silva called them back to the compound,”Nash said, as he and Avery joined them on the terraced paving. “There’s no sign of anyone.”
“It gives me the creeps,” Tyler said, her gaze shooting around the clearing, still scanning for danger.
Drake moved away from them, kneeling beside the pool to examine one of the carvings. Without thinking, Madeline followed him. “Any idea what they are?” she asked.
“Petroglyphs,” he answered, without looking up, his fingers tracing the curve of a spiral and then the scarlet-edged line of what appeared to be a crested bird. “Sacred ones, if I had to guess. Created by
jeques
or priests.” He brushed off his hands and pushed to his feet, his gaze moving across the ruins. “This was definitely a ceremonial place.”
“You seem to know a lot about it,” she said.
“There actually isn’t a lot known about the ancient peoples who inhabited this part of Colombia. But I know enough to recognize what we’re seeing
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