One thing was certain, though—Corrie didn’t trust him, which didn’t exactly instill the confidence in Ford that would make him want to divulge any specific details until she agreed to stay. After all, what if she hired someone to sneak into their camp and snag the artifacts? Assuming they ever found them, that was. He didn’tthinkCorrie was the type, but then again, she had an axe to grind. People did strange things when they wanted to exact revenge.
“We’re here,” Ethan called out to Corrie as Ford slowed down and eased the Jeep into the camp.
Several large tents outlined the perimeter of the small clearing in the forest—a few bunk tents for the crew and interns and two singles that Ethan termed “glamping” tents for Ford and Ethan—all built on platforms to protect them from the frequent unrelenting downpours. A larger mess tent with picnic tables and a makeshift kitchen sat in the center of camp, and a couple of padlocked equipment sheds sat outside the main camp area near the bathrooms, although calling thembathroomswas generous. They consisted of little more than pit toilets and flimsy stand-up showers. But the fire pit was the best part of camp. Out there, the team could unwind after a long day, drinking, telling stories, singing songs. Out there, surrounded by the towering mahogany and ceiba trees, abundant feathery palms and ferns, fluttering bats, and raucous spider monkeys, they were a family.
The lights strung high in the trees’ vines were already turned on as the rest of the team sat around waiting for dinner. Just in time. Even with all its creatures and mysteries, the middle of the jungle wasn’t so bad with home-cooked meals every night. If anything, Agnes’s cooking might help tip Corrie in favor of staying.
“All right, this is it. Home sweet home,” Ford said, putting the Jeep in park and shutting off the engine.
“Where’s the site?” Corrie asked, taking in their surroundings.
“We’ve gotta hike in. It’s about a mile from here,” Ethan responded.
Her eyes flickered for a moment, as if realizing the additional demands placed on the participants in this expedition. Not wanting to wait until morning to clarify that it got even worse, Ford added, “The terrain is treacherous. Uneven and hilly. Virtually impossible to get a vehicle through. And when it rains, which happens almost daily this time of year... well, it’s a mess.”
Ford didn’t particularly enjoy tramping through the mud and muck on a daily basis. Was it really so bad that he missed hot showers and dirt-free living quarters?
“I’ve been on digs, you know,” she sassed. “Besides, isn’t getting dirty part of the fun?”
Her rhetorical question ended with a flourish and a hint of suggestion, piquing his interest and sending a healthy surge of blood to his core.Well, when you put it that way...
“Let’s introduce you to the gang and then have some dinner,” Ethan said, snapping Ford out of hisdirtythoughts.
“What about my things?”
“They’ll be fine in the Jeep for now. We’ll grab them later,” Ford said, climbing out and offering Corrie a hand.
But one sneer at his hand and she jumped out without assistance. Sigh. Yep, it was going to be like that.
“And here I thought you two went into town to go drinking without me.” Lance, Mr. Vautour’s personal associate, emerged from the outskirts of camp, turning Ford’s attention away from Corrie.
Ford smiled. “And ditch the third amigo?” They slapped their hands together in a solid handshake. Lance might havebeen there to make sure everything was going according to plan, but they’d formed a sort of friendship over the last few months, despite the fact that he preferred scotch over rye.
“Who do we have here? A new recruit?” Lance asked, looking past Ford and eyeing Corrie curiously.
Shit. Ford hadn’t really thought this through. The last thing he needed was for Lance to report back to the investor that they were stuck and that they’d sent for reinforcements. Especially when those reinforcements happened to have been the investor’s first choice for this expedition.
“Uh, Lance, I want to introduce you to Dr. Socorro Mejía, our old college buddy.”
Corrie’s brow quirked up as both she and Ethan shot suspicious looks over at Ford.
“She’s here, uh, for research,” Ford said, ignoring their glances. “Dr. Mejía, this is Lance. He works for the investor.”
Her head raised an inch, as if understanding the awkwardness behind the introduction. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand.
“Likewise. How nice that the three of you have maintained your friendship after college.”
“Oh yes. Ford, Ethan, and I were thebestof friends in grad school. We hadsomuch fun together, didn’t we, Ford?” she asked, playfully punching him in the arm with a little too much oomph.
“Mm-hmm,” he murmured, fighting the urge to massage the sting in his bicep.
“Will you be staying long?” Lance asked.
“Not sure. We haven’t really talked about it. This was somewhat of a surprise trip,” Corrie responded.
What was she up to?
“A surprise trip to Mexico? You archaeologists sure do live fascinating lives.”
