CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
ABBY CALLEDTAMMY, AND SHE AGREED TO SUBLEASEABBY THEapartment. With a trip to Mexico in the offing, she wouldn’t be moving in for a while, but she would take over the rent. Gage needed her close by, he’d said. There were details to discuss, preparations to make.
He’d kissed her again and told her how much he wanted her, shown her as soon as they were back upstairs in his apartment.
The man was insatiable. Abby smiled. Recently, she had discovered she was too.
She was working downstairs, her laptop on one of the desks in the main part of the office, when Maggie Powell walked in.
“Good morning,” Maggie said.
Abby smiled. “Gage said you were coming in sometime today.”
“I prefer working here instead of at home when Gage is planning an expedition. I thought . . . after he returned from Arizona. . . I thought he’d be starting something new, but apparently his plans have changed.”
Abby could hear the censure in Maggie’s voice. “We’re going to Mexico, following a new lead.”
“That’s what Gage said.”
“You don’t sound pleased.”
“I’m surprised, is all.”
“Because of what happened to Cassandra.” It wasn’t a question. They were both women. They shared a certain intuition, particularly about situations involving a man.
“I was working for Gage when it happened. He was devastated. Cassie’s death nearly destroyed him. Unless I’m wrong, the two of you are involved in more than just a business relationship. Taking you to Mexico puts him in a risky situation. If something happened to you down there, I don’t think Gage could survive it.”
Abby’s chin went up. “Then I had better do my best to stay alive.” She thought of the woman who had loved Gage and died for it. She tried not to imagine the horrific sight of Cassandra plunging to her death, or think of Gage and the incredible pain it must have caused him.
“Gage is a professional,” she said. “We both know the risks. Gage wants to find the Devil’s Gold as much as I do.”
“This isn’t the same as a trip to Arizona. Are you sure about this, Abby? Because if Gage had his way, there’s no question he would leave you at home.”
“This is my quest, Maggie, not his. It’s something I have to do.”
Maggie said nothing.
“It isn’t just the money,” she added. “It’s my legacy. Something I need to do for my grandfather. Gage understands that. That’s why he’s coming with me.”
Abby read the worry in Maggie’s face, and her voice softened. “I care about him, Maggie. I don’t want Gage to be hurt any more than you do. But I believe we can do this if we work together. I’m not like Cassandra. And I won’t let him down.”
Maggie watched her a moment more, then seemed to relax. “Thank you for being so frank. Gage has never really gotten over what happened to Cassandra. Maybe you’ll be able to help him put it behind him.”
Abby felt a bond forming between them. They both cared about Gage—in different ways, more than cared. “I know he’s still suffering. I’ll help him any way I can.”
Maggie smiled. “Then we had better get to work. It takes a world of preparation to put a trip like this together.”
Abby returned the smile. “That’s for sure.” Turning, she went back to work on her computer.
Aside from finding, printing, and otherwise securing maps of the area, and helping Gage with miscellaneous research, over the next weeks Abby purchased personal items she would need, checked with her doctor, and took care of a tetanus booster. She’d already had her hep A and B shots. She and Gage were prescribed malaria drugs to begin a few days before they left.
She was only taking her small camera, the Canon Powershot Elph, this time. The danger element had grown tenfold. Everyone needed to concentrate on staying safe and finding the treasure. If she got a few good photos to document their efforts, she would be happy.
As the research unfolded, Abby discovered this was going to be a far different trip from the first. Though surrounded by tropical forest, the ruins of the hacienda were less than twenty miles from the nearest small village. And the forest itself was very different from what she expected.
A tropical dry forest consisted of thick scrubby trees and bushes, dense plant life, tenacious vines, and sticky leaves. The weather was hot and dry, not moist and wet like a rain forest, with its drenching daily showers.
But even the inhospitable terrain of the forest wouldn’t be their primary obstacle, the way the desert had been in the Superstitions.
