“Obviously they can’t. Otherwise, they would have answered.” She moaned. “So shut up.”
“You shut up!” I glared down at the skinny asshole on the floor, and rage rose in me. Would it be wrong for me to kick her? Just lightly? “Get up and let’s explore,” I said with anger.
She rolled on her side, stuffing her arm under her head. “Can’t we wait for them to find us? Or maybe you can climb and try to open it back up?”
I scoffed. I liked howIhad to climb, not us or her. “I’m not Spiderman. Without a ladder, there’s no way for us to reach that wall.” I pointed with the flashlight to the edge of the suspended sloping wall we’d slid down before dropping about twenty feet.
“Can’t you at least try?”
I rolled my eyes. “Do I have to tell you in six different languages that there is no fucking way to get up there?” I stepped over her. “You stay here, and I’ll go.”
I walked to the enlarged tunnel, which had man-made chisel marks. Could this lower cave be another passage network that led to and from the palace? It wasn’t all just nature; it had many human touches: cut stone, timber framework, leftover lumber. What if these were emerald mines? Colombia was famous for the precious gem. I just didn’t know if we were in the right part of the country. If we were, maybe Pérez made his fortune by robbing other ships, but this was the primary source of his wealth and the reason for keeping it so secretive.
The moan, then shuffling behind me, made me turn. Brie slowly approached me. Her light brown pants were torn at her thigh, and her blouse had a gaping hole around her right boob. She wore a lacy bra. I wouldn’t wear these kinds of bras unless it was a special occasion or cold weather so I could hide the unevenness of the fabric.
“I don’t want to stay here alone.”
One of her front teeth has broken off in half. Dirt covered her face, and her blond hair stuck out in different directions. I winced and held in a laugh.
She scowled at me. “What is that face for?”
“I cannot be held responsible for what my face does when you’re talking.” I ran my tongue over my teeth. My appearance wasn’t any better, but at least all my teeth were whole.
“Seriously,” she snapped. “Why are you looking at me like that? You look like shit too.”
I pulled a smile and pointed at my mouth. “You’re missing something.”
Her mean expression dropped, and her tongue touched the broken tooth. She sank to the ground, and the sound she released nearly burst my eardrums. She was an ugly crier. With every passing second, the question of what Andrew had seen in her pounded harder in my brain.
“I hate this,” she wailed. “I hate Richard. He made me come on this trip!” Brie patted her face and looked at me with huge Puss in Boots eyes. “Do I look horrible?”
Something moved in my heart. Pity? I had to admit—as much as I hated it—she was still pretty, but her character ruined her beauty. Right now, she looked like a sad and tired teenager.
I shook my head. “No. You can fix that tooth when you’re back in London.” Would it have killed me to say more to make her feel better? Yes. I didn’t like her and wasn’t trying to become friends.
Leaving Brie to collect herself, I searched for a rock that I could use to leave markings in the tunnels. I picked up a smooth, large pebble and scraped it on the wall. It left a faint streak. I dropped it and chose a stone with sharper edges. It wouldn’t fit into my pocket, but it left a fat mark when I ran it over the surface.
“What are you doing?” Brie’s voice came not far behind me.
“We should indicate which way we came from so we won’t get lost if we need to return. It also ensures that we aren’t making an infinitive loop. Try to find a good rock or two.”
To my surprise, after several minutes, Brie returned with three stones. “I’m thirsty.”
Until she said that, I hadn’t realized I was, too. And I needed to pee. “Maybe we’ll come across an underground spring. Excuse me for a second.”
Brie stood by the door when I came back. “Were you not going to tell me about this door?”
“I assumed you weren’t blind and saw it yourself.”
“Where does it lead?”
“What am I, Google Maps?”
“You’re the one who said you knew the way around here.”
“I knew the way around at the level above us.” Saying I knew was a stretch, but I’d not give her the satisfaction of knowing that. My torn sleeve hung over my wrist. I ripped it off and stuffed it into my back pocket. “Ready?”
“Don’t you want to check this first?” Her hand went to the handle.
