the tourist was still alive, I’m thinking yes. Although it never occurred to me that he could have been looking for me. He did try to take both of us away with him.”
“ Try being the operative word, I’m assuming.” She could hear the smile in Avery’s voice.
“Yeah. I managed to get the gun away from him and then knock him out. We ran for the boat and thankfully made a clean getaway.”
“And if I’m guessing right, he’s most likely out there somewhere nursing a hell of a headache and waiting for payback.”
“Probably.”
“And if he does work for Shrum—”
“Then that makes me even more of a liability,” she finished for him.
“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Avery said, his voice sounding gruff with anger. “But we’ll have to play it carefully if we want your cover to stay intact.”
“To hell with that. The only thing that matters right now is getting you safely to Shrum and to the truth.” Sydney pulled up short as the trees cleared slightly. In the open space a yellow-and-green-covered boulder sat at the foot of a large teak tree.
“Is this it?” Avery asked, coming to stand beside her.
She nodded, her eyes welling with tears as her memory trotted out the vision of Tim hanging from the branches. Avery reached out, his big hand covering her shoulder, his warmth seeping into her, helping her to pull away from the pain.
“I’m sorry about your friend.”
“I know. Me, too. He was a good guy.” Guilt cut through her, and she wished again that things could have been different.
“It’s a risk we all take.” Avery’s voice carried a note of hard truth, but he kept his hand on her shoulder, his touch somehow making the words more palatable.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t make it any easier to lose someone.”
“No. I don’t think anything can prepare us for that. But what we can do is honor them in the best way we can—by doing our jobs well.”
“Which means finding Shrum and taking him down.”
“Metaphorically speaking.” He smiled at her, the warmth easing her pain. “But in order to do that we’re going to need to locate this cavern of yours.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were no closer to finding it. Despite Sydney’s coordinates, the rock-studded hillside had stubbornly refused to produce anything at all that looked like an opening.
“It’s got to be here somewhere,” she said, pushing her sweat-damp hair out of her face. “We’re just not seeing it.”
“Could be that Shrum had it destroyed if he realized that Tim had found it.”
“It’s possible. It’s definitely where Tim was headed, but you saw where we found his body.”
“Placed for maximum impact, I suspect. Not just for you but for other drug lords.”
“It makes sense, I suppose. Even if Shrum’s not a major player, he probably thinks he is. Or at least he has designs on climbing the ladder.”
“And if he’s got to keep a strong force on the main entrance to his compound, he might not want to expend an equal number on his back door. Especially now that it’s no longer a secret. Better to just close it once and for all.”
As if to underscore his words, the trees ahead of them parted, and a stark wall of fallen rock filled the path in front of them.
“Looks like you’re right.” Sydney sighed, frustration welling.
Avery bent, ran a hand across the rocks at his feet, then lifted his fingers to his nose. “I can smell powder residue. Someone definitely blew these rocks.”
“So now what?” Sydney asked. “We’re back to walking in waving the white flag?”
“I don’t think we’re quite ready to go there yet.” He pushed to his feet, dusting his palms against his pants legs. “Although under the circumstances, it’s still got to be an option. But let’s move closer to the main entrance first and do a little reconnoitering.”
Half an hour later, they’d made their way to the rocks guarding the entrance to Shrum’s compound. Two outcroppings of limestone
“ Try being the operative word, I’m assuming.” She could hear the smile in Avery’s voice.
“Yeah. I managed to get the gun away from him and then knock him out. We ran for the boat and thankfully made a clean getaway.”
“And if I’m guessing right, he’s most likely out there somewhere nursing a hell of a headache and waiting for payback.”
“Probably.”
“And if he does work for Shrum—”
“Then that makes me even more of a liability,” she finished for him.
“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Avery said, his voice sounding gruff with anger. “But we’ll have to play it carefully if we want your cover to stay intact.”
“To hell with that. The only thing that matters right now is getting you safely to Shrum and to the truth.” Sydney pulled up short as the trees cleared slightly. In the open space a yellow-and-green-covered boulder sat at the foot of a large teak tree.
“Is this it?” Avery asked, coming to stand beside her.
She nodded, her eyes welling with tears as her memory trotted out the vision of Tim hanging from the branches. Avery reached out, his big hand covering her shoulder, his warmth seeping into her, helping her to pull away from the pain.
“I’m sorry about your friend.”
“I know. Me, too. He was a good guy.” Guilt cut through her, and she wished again that things could have been different.
“It’s a risk we all take.” Avery’s voice carried a note of hard truth, but he kept his hand on her shoulder, his touch somehow making the words more palatable.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t make it any easier to lose someone.”
“No. I don’t think anything can prepare us for that. But what we can do is honor them in the best way we can—by doing our jobs well.”
“Which means finding Shrum and taking him down.”
“Metaphorically speaking.” He smiled at her, the warmth easing her pain. “But in order to do that we’re going to need to locate this cavern of yours.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were no closer to finding it. Despite Sydney’s coordinates, the rock-studded hillside had stubbornly refused to produce anything at all that looked like an opening.
“It’s got to be here somewhere,” she said, pushing her sweat-damp hair out of her face. “We’re just not seeing it.”
“Could be that Shrum had it destroyed if he realized that Tim had found it.”
“It’s possible. It’s definitely where Tim was headed, but you saw where we found his body.”
“Placed for maximum impact, I suspect. Not just for you but for other drug lords.”
“It makes sense, I suppose. Even if Shrum’s not a major player, he probably thinks he is. Or at least he has designs on climbing the ladder.”
“And if he’s got to keep a strong force on the main entrance to his compound, he might not want to expend an equal number on his back door. Especially now that it’s no longer a secret. Better to just close it once and for all.”
As if to underscore his words, the trees ahead of them parted, and a stark wall of fallen rock filled the path in front of them.
“Looks like you’re right.” Sydney sighed, frustration welling.
Avery bent, ran a hand across the rocks at his feet, then lifted his fingers to his nose. “I can smell powder residue. Someone definitely blew these rocks.”
“So now what?” Sydney asked. “We’re back to walking in waving the white flag?”
“I don’t think we’re quite ready to go there yet.” He pushed to his feet, dusting his palms against his pants legs. “Although under the circumstances, it’s still got to be an option. But let’s move closer to the main entrance first and do a little reconnoitering.”
Half an hour later, they’d made their way to the rocks guarding the entrance to Shrum’s compound. Two outcroppings of limestone