V
I thought you said you were heading toward the Serra da Mocidade. This is nowhere near there.
Quinn
That idiot journalist got us lost. Jacobs trusted him to navigate. I think I can use this to take over as lead.
V
Do it.
Ten minutes passed between texts.
V
Update?
Another five minutes.
V
Update?
Ignoring me isn’t going to get you out of this.
I’m sending Hunter and Kevin out to find you. Remember our deal. Break it and you’ll regret it.
That was the end of it.
Miri set the phone on the edge of the sink near Anissa, then she walked out of the bathroom and collapsed on the bed, lowering her head to her hands with her elbows braced on her knees. Her mind raced. Surprisingly, confirming Dr. Quinn’s involvement didn’t make her feel any better.
This was a disaster. A complete fucking disaster.
So much for not creating a scandal.
“Well, that was something,” Anissa said, joining her after turning off the shower and sitting on the bed across from Miri.
Not that Miri was looking at her. No, Miri’s eyes were squarely focused on the wide wooden planks of the floor. Maybe if she counted the striations in the wood grain everything else would fade away?
Miri lowered her hands and pinched the webbing between her thumb and index finger.Ouch. Nope. This was all real. Very,veryreal.
“At least now we know how those guys found you,” Anissa continued. “I can’t believe Dr. Quinn was working with Vautour the whole time. Dropping our coordinates? Now I’mdefinitelymore than a smidge glad about his injury.”
“I hope he never gets to go on a dig ever again,” Miri said.
“Well, he won’t get the opportunity once you tell everyone what he did. You should gethisass fired!”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t what?”
“Tell people about this. Not yet.”
Anissa eyed Miri curiously. “Why not? That guy’s an asshole! After the Joukowsky Institute finds out that he fraternizes with the likes of Pierre Vautour, he’ll lose his job. Don’t feel sorry. He deserves whatever’s coming to him.”
“It’s not that. Once we find the Moon City, I’ll have no problem taking down that pompous sack of shit. But until then, no one else can know. I already had to convince Rafa not to tell his boss atGloGeo.”
“Oh really?” Anissa said, waggling her brow. “Convince him how?”
