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mysterious-musings · 3 months ago

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Buried Secrets Chapter 4: X Never Marks the Spot

Buried Secrets Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Summary: After the harrowing events in South America, Frankie and the guys have returned home and opened their own private security business. They're eventually approached by an archeologist, named Mya, who is requesting their specialized services for an archeological expedition in the Amazonian jungle of southeastern Peru, hours away from where they stashed Lorea's money just over the border in the mountains of northern Chile. Frankie is hesitant to accept the job, but with Pope's insistence this could be their cover to go back for the money, he relents. However, Frankie soon learns their new job assignment only further puts them and his new love interest in danger in an unexpected way as they set out to find the lost Incan city of Paititi.

Word Count: 11.1 K

👉 Warnings: smut (MDNI), angst, mentions of mental health struggles and past drug use (it's Frankie), there are bad guys with weapons (gun violence, physical violence, death). Frankie Morales comes with his own warnings.

👉 Chapter Warnings: Crude guy humor, lots of cursing, jungle creatures (better get used to this one), mentions of ancient culture practices (divination, sacrifice), mention of blood (someone gets an ouchie), all kinds of tension

Chapter Quote: “Take a chill pill, Lady Croft. The temple isn’t going anywhere.”

Mya’s POV

My first night sleeping in the middle of the Amazon rainforest wasn’t as bad as I expected. I had sprung for an extra-large cot with a cushy roll up mattress. Truth be told, my setup was probably a little too glamorous given the location. However, I took my sleep very seriously and brought all the comforts I could get. I figured there was no sense in suffering from sleep deprivation through the entire expedition on top of everything else.

While I was physically comfortable, there was one thing that I hadn’t anticipated and that was the sheer volume of the jungle at night. The frogs and insects alone were enough to keep a person awake, but then you add the squawking and screaming of nocturnal birds, the puppy-like barks of geckos, and the clicking of bats to the mix and it could drive a person mad. Some of the sounds could only be described as unsettling, like something out of a horror movie. It took a while, but I eventually managed to shut it off and fall asleep. My last thought was of purchasing some ear plugs on our first supply run.

This morning, however, my thoughts were on Frankie. He was proving harder than I would have imagined to figure out. I really hated to admit it to myself, but it felt like there was a spark between us. When I had shown up at his house unannounced, he was welcoming - flirty even. He didn’t bother to try to hide his wandering gaze. I could feel his eyes raking over my body as I worked to remove the spark plug from the motor. When our hands brushed against each other, it sent a jolt through my body. It was unexpected and confusing. Things seemed to be going well between us until he pulled back suddenly, becoming distant and dismissive, prompting me to leave.

The exchange between us in the chopper the previous day had felt charged. My boldness at telling him to strap me in had obviously left him flustered, which told me he felt some sort of attraction toward me. I just needed to figure out how to exploit it in my favor. I was captivated by him as he flew. His focus fully on the task at hand as he obviously avoided my presence. Which only made his control of the aircraft and competence stand out further. Quite frankly, it was sexy as hell.

I couldn’t deny that I might be feeling some sort of interest in Frankie that went beyond my need of him keeping me and my secrets safe under any circumstance. Frankie in work mode had honestly taken me by surprise and was making me feel…something. His ingenuity and attention to detail as he managed the security setup for camp had my attention. He was authoritative as he handed out his orders, his men not questioning him at all. This was a side I hadn’t really seen of him, and I’ll admit - I liked it.

And then there were his interactions with Veracruz. Veracruz wasted no time attempting to establish his dominance, being possessive of me as soon as Frankie was in my vicinity. Frankie seemed almost amused by it, but he also wasn’t having it either. The minute Veracruz stepped over some invisible threshold into Frankie’s domain, questioning him about the camp’s security, Frankie put him in his place. The tension between them was obvious then. Navigating the dynamic between these two and myself was really looking like it could be a challenge, yet I was still entertained by it.

Frankie had made it clear that he was onto my manipulation bullshit, which meant he would have his guard up. He wouldn’t allow me to play him like I did everyone else. My flirty behavior would not endear him to me the same way it had with Veracruz. If I wanted to win his true loyalty, I would need to change tactics and I knew no matter how I handled it, it would only further the tensions between him and Veracruz.

I did, however, learn one thing from my first day observations of Frankie. He liked his buttons to be pushed. Being flirty with him would only get me so far because he would never trust it. He would see it as manipulation. Defying him, however, was a much different game. He wasn’t expecting that. There was a spark in his eyes when I got sassy. It was something I hadn’t seen from him, and I found myself wanting more. I decided this would be what broke him - and honestly, it might break me too. As I lay in my bed, listening to the sounds of our little camp coming alive, I realized that if I played my cards right, I might get more than I bargained for with Frankie Morales. That realization was both thrilling and intimidating.

With a sigh, I got up and moved toward a large bowl sitting on a nearby table and filled it with clean water. I spent some time washing off the best I could. I had already done this before going to bed, but the heat of the place already had me sweating bullets. It was definitely a feeling that I needed to get used to, because I probably wasn’t going to be properly clean until we got back to civilization. After that, I got dressed in my new uniform of a tank top, cargo pants, and lace-up boots, then headed outside.

I was greeted by a very sleepy looking Santiago as he exited their tent next door to join the Millers. Benny and Will were gathered around the fire, laughing among themselves as they cooked up some coffee. Veracruz sat nearby with a scowl on his face as he poked around in an MRE pouch, obviously not having slept well himself. Members of my team were already getting to work, clearing space for the remaining tents that would soon be erected once the rest of our group arrived. The remaining members of Frankie’s team were already geared up and on duty, keeping an eye on things.

I approached Santiago, Benny, and Will after surveying the area for Frankie with my eyes not immediately locating him. I paused next to Benny, giving him a questioning look as he held up two cups of coffee toward me. He jerked his head toward the small chopper sitting in the middle of the clearing where I could only make out Frankie’s legs as the rest of him was blocked from view. “You mind taking this to the boss man? I’m hoping this will get his ass out of that sour mood.”

My brow arched, “He’s in a bad mood and you're sending me to deal with him?”

Benny shrugged as a mischievous smile broke across his face, “He likes you more.”

I glanced over at Santiago and Will who were looking anywhere but at me as they fought smiles. Benny was seriously trying to wingman Frankie. I smirked, realizing this was something I could potentially use to my advantage in the future.

I took the cups and playfully muttered out, “Bunch of fucking babies,” as I turned. They all began to snicker behind me as I made my way toward Frankie. As I approached, I could hear the sound of a tool clattering down on metal followed by a low, “Fucking piece of shit,” being said to no one. I couldn’t help smiling over his frustration. There was something kind of cute about it. There was another clatter, followed by more cursing. I cleared my throat loudly as I bit back my smile. Frankie’s head popped around the side of the chopper, his eyes wide with surprise that someone was nearby.

I gave him a toothy smile as I held out a cup in offering, “I come bearing gifts in the form of caffeine.”

He sighed, wiping his hands on an old rag as he approached to take the cup. He took a couple of tentative sips, eyebrows raising in surprise like he was shocked it was good.

“I take it Will made this? It’s bearable…Never drink anything Ben makes, you’ll regret it.”

I chuckled, “Noted.”

I motioned toward the chopper, “How’s the LiDAR coming along?”

Annoyance flashed across his face, “It’ll be ready soon.”

He obviously didn’t want to admit that it was giving him trouble. I smirked, then nodded as I moved closer to inspect his handy work. He had it attached to the frame with the wiring running up into the nose of the aircraft. There was a small compartment open on the front where Frankie had just been working. I peeked in, noticing the wires hanging loosely. I assumed he was trying to run them up to the cockpit to hook up to the receiver. I could see why he was struggling, the opening was tiny.

I reached for the bundle of wire, but before I could grasp it, Frankie’s lightning-fast hand was on mine - engulfing it and stopping it in its tracks. He held it there as he eyed me with furrowed brows, “I told you, I got it.”

He pushed my hand away as I chuckled, “I don’t think you do. That opening looks pretty small. I’ve got small hands…lemme help.”

He stared at me blankly, like something wasn’t computing. I arched my brows, “You're trying to run it to the cockpit, right?”

He licked his lips, teeth biting at his cheek before finally nodding.

“OK, so let me help. I’ll climb inside, stick my arm through, then you can hand me the wires…”

He puffed air through his cheeks, “Fine.”

I chuckled, “Don’t worry, your mechanic card won’t be revoked. Geez.”

He rolled his eyes as I quickly gulped down my cup of coffee. When I finished, I moved to the nearest door and opened it. Frankie offered his hand to help me up, but to his dismay, I ignored it and pulled myself up into the pilot’s seat. His lips set into a tight line as he watched me maneuver between the seats.

He pointed, “The opening is there just under…”

I cut him off, “I’ve got eyes. I see it.”

He scoffed, holding his hands up in surrender, “Excuuse me.”

I found the opening and stuck my arm through it. It fit, but only just.

I glanced over toward him, “You gonna stand there or you gonna hand me the damn wires?”

He walked away, huffing and scratching at his patchy beard as he went. Seconds later, I felt his hand. His fingers curled around mine as he passed me the bundle of wires. I was almost happy he couldn’t see my face, because I could feel the flush creeping up my neck from his touch. It was sending waves of electricity through my body.

Once I had a grasp on the wires, he fed them through the opening to me. After we had that part done, I moved over the seat to climb out. Before I even knew what was happening, Frankie was there with his hands on my hips to help me down. His sudden appearance caught me off guard and caused me to stumble into his chest.

I sucked in a sharp breath and quickly pushed him away, “I’m perfectly capable of getting out myself.”

His jaw ticked, “I know you are, don’t worry. I’m just being nice.”

My brow arched, “I’m not paying you to be nice.”

He barked out a laugh before shaking his head, “Don’t worry, that’s on the house.”

I sighed, “Right…well lemme know when you’ve finally got this figured out so we can get in the air.”

He put his hands on his hips, eyes narrowing on me as I turned to walk back toward the fire pit where Will and Ben were now cooking some sort of powdered egg concoction in a pan. They seemed to be fighting smiles as they avoided my gaze. Santiago, on the other hand, was looking right at me with a shit-eating grin on his face as he sipped his coffee.

A short time later, Frankie made his way over to the group and announced that the chopper was ready. I gave some quick instructions to the team on what needed to be loaded, then pulled Frankie aside. He followed behind me as I entered my tent, briefly hesitating at the entrance.

I chuckled, “I promise I don’t bite.”

He shrugged, “I just don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea…”

I rolled my eyes before walking over to the entrance to roll back the outer cover, only closing the see through mesh door flap. I turned to him and quirked an eyebrow, “Better?”

He gave me a dismissive huff, “What did you wanna talk to me about?”

I had to bite back a smile as I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip. He was too easy to fluster.

I moved across the tent and switched on an old battery-operated satellite radio, allowing 50’s Rock and Roll to fill the space around us to deter any curious listeners. Then I nodded toward the table in the far corner, both of us moving closer to it as I spoke to him in a low voice, “I wanted to touch base about our plans for today…”

He placed his very large palms on the table, leaning down to look at the topographic map rolled out across the surface and held down with books. His eyes were drawn to the large area that I highlighted as I worked to pull my journal out of my backpack. I laid it down in front of him, flipping to the page with the poorly drawn map.

“The writings say that Paititi is seven leagues north from Cusco and east of the mountains. This map suggests that it could be in a valley near the river. It’s not much to go on, but I think that highlighted area is our best bet. If the Inca built Paititi as a refuge, then it would make sense to put it between these tall, impassable cliffs.”

Frankie examined the two maps before thumbing through the pages in the journal. His face scrunched up once he realized he couldn’t read most of it because it was in Latin mixed with petroglyphs. He puffed air out of his cheeks, “Yeah, I mean…that would be my first thought. This map doesn’t even show a city though. How do you know the destination is the valley?”

I shrugged, “I don’t…but it at least looks like a starting point. I’m hoping there’s something there that will lead us the rest of the way…”

He huffed out a laugh, “Whatever happened to X marks the spot? It would certainly make things easier…”

I chuckled, “When it comes to treasure, X never marks the spot. You should know that. Otherwise, these things wouldn’t be called an adventure.”

He stood to his full height and crossed his arms, taking in the space around him for the first time with a smirk. “It certainly looks like you're adventuring really hard with this setup. This is more like glamping…I mean…is that a whole fucking bed in there?”

He raised his chin toward the other section of my tent where one of the flaps was folded back to reveal my extravagant setup. I shrugged and leaned back against the table, “Busted, I guess. What? Are you jealous?”

He huffed out a laugh as he scratched at the back of his neck, “Yeah, actually. I’m sleeping on a tiny ass military cot, with no cushion and old aching joints…and I got the Miller brothers that snore like freight trains next to me. Here I thought we were all roughing it together…but you obviously are not.”

My lips curled upwards as my eyes scanned him from head to toe, “No, I’m not. I’ve got a very plush, very large…comfortable bed all to myself with only the sounds of the rainforest to keep me company.”

I would let him decide if I was insinuating anything with that response because I wasn’t even sure if I was. At this point, I could be swayed either way. The thought of him sliding into bed with me and running those large hands over my body wasn’t completely unpleasant.

He smirked as he placed his hands on his hips, “Hmm, well…I hope you enjoy your alone time then.”

My smile faltered. I really couldn’t get a read on him, and it was frustrating as hell. “Well, I guess we’re ready then. You have your heading…so let’s get going.”

Within minutes, we were all loading into the chopper. Benny and Santiago came along while Will stayed back to keep an eye on things. Veracruz, of course, made sure to secure himself a seat as well. We spent the entire afternoon flying a grid pattern to scan the valley below the thick tree canopy.

Benny was extremely interested in learning about the scanning process, leaning into the cockpit to look at the screen with me as I explained the different things we were seeing. Frankie remained quiet for most of the trip, staying focused on flying the correct path and keeping it steady. Santiago and Veracruz kept their eyes on the sights below, looking for anything that might be worth checking out. Those two didn’t have much to say either, mostly just giving each other side eye when they thought the other wasn’t looking. It was clear, there was entirely too much testosterone crammed into that small space, and it was slowly coming to a boil.

This was our routine during the days that followed. It was tedious, frustrating, and exhausting. Veracruz was clearly getting restless. The man obviously didn’t have the patience for something like this, yet he insisted on coming. Frankie and Santiago seemed to be bothered by Veracruz more and more with each passing second. Benny had quickly become my saving grace. His enthusiasm and excitement never wavered and honestly, it’s what kept me sane.

The rest of my team had begun to arrive at camp. Rows of tents now lined the outskirts of the clearing as everyone settled in. There were still things to be done in preparation for us actually finding something, but I couldn’t keep this many people busy for much longer. They needed something else to occupy their time.

Things with Frankie seemed to become strained during this time. When we weren’t in the air, he avoided me. Some of it may have had to do with the fact that Veracruz was damn near glued to my side. It was becoming obvious that those two had some sort of alpha male bullshit brewing between them and it was really starting to grate on my nerves. In fact, most of Frankie’s team seemed to dislike Veracruz. However, it’s possible they were all just going by the vibes of their grouchy boss.

Even though Frankie spent much of his time avoiding direct contact with me, that didn’t mean he wasn’t nearby. I lost count of the number of times I had caught him glancing my way. For the most part, he would look away. However, there were a few instances when he held my gaze for a beat with a look of frustration on his face before he turned away. I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on with him.

Eight days into conducting our LiDAR scans, something finally caught my attention. A square shape that didn’t look natural. Benny immediately began whooping at my side without me having to say anything as the image populated the screen in front of us. For the first time in days, Frankie’s full attention turned toward me, waiting for confirmation as he tried to keep the chopper steady.

I nodded, “Yeah, this is something. We need to check this out. Is there somewhere nearby we can touch down?”

Frankie shook his head, “Closest spot is back at camp.”

I huffed out in frustration, “Can we rappel down then?”

His eyes snapped to mine, “Absolutely not.”

My brows furrowed, “Why not?”

He scoffed, “First of all, this bird isn’t rigged for that. We need one of the bigger ones. Second, we don’t know what that is. It could be a narco encampment for all we know. I’d like to get some thermal scans first. I’d also like to take a team in…with weapons. And, we need one of the other pilots because you’re not going unless I do.”

It was my turn to scoff, “Excuse me? I’ll go where I damn well please with or without you.”

Veracruz cut in then, “Really Morales, I think we can manage without you. I can keep an eye on her. In fact, I think you should just send another pilot and take the day off. You’ve done your part.”

Frankie was facing forward, focused on the horizon as his jaw clenched. If he could have reached Veracruz, I think he might have punched him in the face. Instead, he collected himself enough to reply, “I need to do a security assessment of the area before we allow anyone in there. I would much rather you two hang back and give my team a chance to check it out first…make sure it’s safe.”

I leaned forward to catch Frankie’s gaze, “If you really think that I’m…”

His head snapped toward me as anger flared in his eyes, “It’s not up for discussion. I’ve made my decision, so drop it.”

I leaned back in my seat as I eyed him, “It is up for discussion. We’ll talk about it when we get back to camp.”

He rolled his eyes before shifting his focus back to flying. You could have cut the tension in that cockpit with a knife as we finished out our last circuit for the day. None of us said a word until we landed.

Benny and Santiago shared a look as they climbed out, taking their time to gather their things in hopes of overhearing something, no doubt. Veracruz exited, then came over to help me. I brushed him off, in no mood for his clingy bullshit. Frankie was avoiding all of us, pretending we weren’t even there as he began his usual post flight inspection of the chopper.

I sighed, rubbing at my forehead as I realized these men were going to drive me insane. Literally. I turned, finding Veracruz loitering around waiting on me. I met his gaze, “I need to talk to Frankie…in private. Please.”

A crease formed between his brows as his nostrils flared in frustration before he turned to storm off toward his tent. I couldn’t even bother to care. I walked around the side of the chopper to find Frankie. He was giving me serious side eye as he fiddled with something near the tail.

“Frankie, I wanna be clear about something…I hired you to look after my team. You remember that conversation? I don’t need you to look after me. I can take care of myself. I’d like you to stop acting like you have some kind of authority over me, because you don’t. I don’t give a damn what you say, I’m going in with you guys with or without your permission.”

He sighed in defeat, “You know, you’re just making our job harder. Right?”

I huffed out a laugh, “Yeah, we’ll see.” I turned to walk away, not even giving him a chance to respond.

The tension between Frankie and I seemed to be shifting. His constant need to treat me like a delicate and fragile object was beginning to piss me off. I’m not someone who likes to be coddled, especially by a man. At least Veracruz had enough sense not to do that. That was his only saving grace at the moment. On the other hand, Frankie didn’t know me. He didn’t know what I was capable of. However, he was about to have a rude awakening because I left my delicate damsel act at home.

Frankie’s POV

Our first week in the jungle hadn’t exactly gone as I expected. Things with Mya started off fine, but her constant need to ruffle my feathers was beginning to grate on my nerves. Add that to my shitty sleeping accommodations and the Comandante’s impatient and irritable mood during our flights, and I was already over this whole thing. I could only hope that we found something quickly so that we could move to the next phase of the expedition that didn’t involve being locked up in a small space with those two.

To make things worse, Pope and Benny had been giving me absolute hell over Mya, insisting that the tension between us was all sexual. Will didn’t help the goading much. He never really said anything, but he didn’t hide the fact that he found the entire situation to be hilarious. When they weren’t making jokes about me and Mya, they were making jokes about disappearing Veracruz. I had lost track of the different “accidents” he could possibly meet with in the middle of the jungle. I have to admit, I found this line of conversation far more entertaining.

We were on our ninth day. The sun was still rising as my team and I prepared to head out to check on the LiDAR scan anomaly that Mya had discovered the previous day. I had my gear laid out on a table, double checking that I had everything I needed before packing up. Will and Pope stood nearby suiting up.

I had seen Mya earlier as everyone gathered to have breakfast, but then she disappeared back to her tent. I was silently hoping she would stay there until we left to do our security checks because I absolutely did not want her with us. She would only serve as a distraction. I would have to divide my attention between keeping an eye on her and checking for possible threats. I didn’t really want Veracruz to come either, but honestly, I didn’t give two shits about him. Maybe he would fall in a hole, never to be seen again. He was on his own as far as I was concerned.

I was in the middle of loading rounds into a spare magazine, when I heard Will mutter out, “Hoooly shit…” from somewhere behind me. I turned to look toward him and Pope with questioning eyes just in time to see Pope snort out a laugh as he looked off in the distance.

My eyes followed his line of sight, finding Mya strutting out of her tent with an authoritative air about her. That wasn’t completely unusual, but the tactical gear that she was wearing over her tight fitted pants and tank top was. I damn near choked on my own spit at the sight, which only made Pope laugh harder as he turned his attention to me. He managed to wheeze out, “You’re so fucked,” between his guffaws. Will was laughing now too.

I turned my focus back to Mya as she paused to talk to her Archivist, Emily, who had arrived with the last wave of the expedition crew. I could feel the anger bubbling inside of me as I took in her appearance. She was wearing a green tac vest that looked like it was made for her body, molding to every curve it touched. That wasn’t what made my blood boil though. It was the thigh holsters. One side was a bag to carry gear, and the other carried a pistol. I could feel the anger vibrating through my body as I walked toward her.

She was just finishing up her conversation with Emily as I reached her. When she turned to face me, she had that defiant look in her eyes as her lips set into a tight line. She crossed her arms over her chest, her glare almost daring me to say something. I put my hands on my hips as I returned her heated gaze, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Her brow arched as a smirk formed on her lips, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I scoffed, “Don’t play with me. Why do you have a gun?”

Both of her brows were raised now, “What, you guys can carry big guns around and I can’t even have a small one?”

I huffed out a sardonic laugh, “Do you even know how to use that thing properly?”

Irritation flashed across her face as she held my gaze for a beat. Then she did something I wasn’t expecting. She drew the weapon, switching the safety off with practiced ease. Without hesitation, she turned and aimed at four bottles of liquor that were sitting on a crate between our tent and hers. She fired, hitting each one in quick succession, then holstered the pistol. She turned back toward me, the defiant glint still in her eye. The move was impressive, but stupid.

After the initial shock and ducking for cover wore off, everyone’s eyes were on us. It only pissed me off further. I shook my head, “That was fucking careless. You could have hit someone.”

Her head tilted to the side as she took a step closer, “There’s nothing over that way but the river. I can see it from here. You need to remove that stick from your ass and calm the fuck down.”

My mouth fell open as I scoffed, completely taken by surprise at her words. Benny chose that moment to appear at our side, “You know, that was my alcohol you just shot up…”

I looked at him in disbelief that he would even go there right now, “Ben, you’re working. You don’t need that shit anyway.”

He gave me an incredulous look, “Umm, Excuse me? I’m not working 24/7…I do have free time.”

Mya rolled her eyes at me before turning her attention to Benny, “It’s OK, Ben. You can have some of mine. I’ve got the top shelf stuff.”

She then shot me a mischievous smile, “So…this conversation is done, right?”

Benny was holding back laughter as I stared at her in disbelief. She didn’t bother to give me a chance to answer before turning to leave me standing in my spot. Not only was she being difficult, but she was also undermining me in front of my team. Fucking perfect.

Benny slapped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, then gave me a toothy grin, “You think she’s into roleplay? If she can pull off a halfway decent British accent, you could have your very own Lara Croft. That’s fucking hot.”

I raked a hand down my face and sighed, “Fuck off, Ben.”

He shook his head, “Oh no, Fish. I’m never letting that one go.”

His chuckles trailed off as we watched Veracruz make his way over to Mya. He too was dressed in tactical gear. I huffed out a low, “fucking hell,” at the sight of him.

Benny groaned, “I guess this means Don Juan is going too?”

I puffed air out of my cheeks, “Yep, I guess so.”

“Maybe he’ll fall into an ancient booby trap while we’re out there.”

I snorted out a laugh, “Please don’t get my hopes up…”

I went back to the table where my gear was laid out, so that I could finish packing up, trying to push all the ways this could possibly go wrong out of my mind to avoid making myself crazy. I needed to focus. I could feel the guy’s eyes on me as I worked. I knew they wanted to make jokes, but they somehow managed to keep their mouths shut for once.

Soon we found ourselves loading into one of the bigger choppers. The team that I had chosen for the trip consisted of 7 guys and a pilot, including myself. I was hopeful that the extra muscle wouldn’t be needed, but we had no way of knowing what we were about to get into. On top of that, I knew Mya was going to put me to the test. I had a feeling that keeping up with her and making sure she didn’t get into any trouble was going to be a job in and of itself.

I was settling into my seat for the ride, making a point to ignore the idiots to my front and right when Mya boarded. She eyed the open space next to Pope for a moment before her eyes landed on me. She didn’t hesitate to take the open seat to my left. I diverted my gaze as she got situated, completely aware of the looks that Benny, Will, and Pope were exchanging. Will sat to my right, gently nudging me with his elbow and motioning with his eyes for me to talk to her. I sighed, shaking my head as I turned to stare at the floor. I was in no mood for their shit.

Veracruz filed in behind Mya and sat on her other side. He really was attached to her like Velcro. It was almost nauseating watching the two of them. He was very clearly trying his best to win her affection. The part I didn’t understand was that she didn’t outright dismiss him. She gave him just enough to keep him interested while still keeping him at arm's length. The only conclusion I could come to was that she was playing some type of game with him, getting what she needed without giving anything back.

I half wondered if this had been her intention with me in the beginning, but to what end? I had nothing to give her except for the services she was paying for. The only thing I could think of was that she wanted to insure my silence about the Vatican documents. She no longer seemed to be playing that game with me though. Now it was all bickering and tension between us, and I hated it.

Once everyone was strapped in and had their headsets on, we were off. It was quiet for a time, but that didn’t last. It would never last so long as Benny Miller was in the vicinity.

He was wearing his serious face as he asked, “Hey Mya, what sort of predators do we need to worry about around here?”

Mya chuckled, “Figures you would be the one to ask about that…”

She brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face, “Hmm, well, there are green anacondas.”

He grimaced, “Do those things really get that big? Could one eat me?”

She shrugged, “Well, they’ve been known to eat deer and capybara…which are decently sized.”

I glanced at Pope, who was fighting a smile. We both knew it, Benny was totally going to psych himself out. Benny seemed to catch the exchange, now looking to his right at Pope, “You know…you’re about the size of a capybara. IF one can get its unhinged jaw over your ass, I bet it could easily eat you.”

Pope was staring daggers at him as everyone on board erupted in laughter. The jokes about Pope’s ass were honestly a gift that keeps on giving. They never got old and always dissolved the team into fits of giggles.

After the laughter subsided, Benny was at it again. “What else do we need to worry about out there, Mya?”

Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, “Well, there’s also black caiman. They get up to 15 to 20 feet (5 to 6 meters)...their razor sharp teeth would have no problem tearing into Pope’s ass, or yours for that matter.”

That sent another roar of laughter through the confined space. Pope wasn’t amused, but Benny was. He finally pulled it together enough through his guffaws to ask, “Anything else?”

She was still chuckling, “Oh yeah, there are pumas, jaguars…and since we’re camping next to the river, I should probably mention the piranha, electric eels, and otters too…I don’t recommend getting in the river.”

Benny snorted out a laugh, “Otters? Whatever. Those things are too cute to be mean.”

Her brow arched, “Oh they can be friendly, until you piss them off. Best to avoid them…especially if they have babies.”

He rolled his eyes and waved her off. Sam, the pilot on duty, spoke up at that point to let us know we were approaching the drop point.

“Anything on the thermal?” I asked.

“Negative. I think the canopy and vegetation are too thick to penetrate in this area. There are minor traces, but it’s probably small animals in the trees.”

I sighed, “Fuck. Ok. So, we really are going in blind...”

Will leaned forward, catching my sightline. “So, what’s the plan?”

I puffed air out of my cheeks, “We’ll go down two at a time. York and Resnik will go first, then you and Ben. I need you guys to cover each other the best you can. Pope and I will make sure Mya and the Comandante make it down if you give the all clear.”

They all nodded along before standing to prepare for putting boots on the ground. Sam managed to find a nearby spot where the canopy was less dense. It would require a little trekking through the overgrowth, but it was the safer option.

The first two began their descent as we kept an eye out the best we could from above. They wasted no time getting in a defensive position as Benny and Will began to lower themselves from the chopper. I motioned for Mya to stand as I pulled some spare radio kits from my bag so that we could have her and Veracruz on comms with us, just in case.

I tossed one kit to Veracruz, leaving him to his own devices as I helped Mya get hooked up. After hooking it to the back of her waistband, I helped her loop the cord through her vest. Her eyes were on mine the entire time with an expectant look on her face.

I glanced up to meet her gaze, “I’ve got a double harness. I’ll take you down myself.”

She snorted out a laugh, “No need. I can take myself. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

I could feel my jaw tightening. Is this chic serious?

I glanced over at Pope, who was passing equipment over to Veracruz. He shrugged.

I inhaled a steadying breath, “I would feel better if you let me take you down. It’s not as simple as it looks…”

She gave me a tight smile, “Again, not my first time.”

Pope handed her a single harness without question. I watched with my hands on my hips as she began to put it on - correctly.

I could feel Veracruz’s smug expression without even looking his way. One day I will punch that fucker, and I won’t regret it.

Several minutes passed before we heard Will’s voice break through on the comms, “All clear down here. It is in fact an old temple. We’ll meet you guys back at the drop point.”

I watched Mya’s eyes light up at the news. I couldn’t deny it, I felt a similar excitement and relief. At least there weren’t any narcos to worry about.

I pressed the button on my vest to respond, “Copy that. We’re about to descend.”

Sam circled back to the spot where the others had been dropped. He gave us the all clear to go just as Benny confirmed they were down below waiting for us.

Mya didn’t hesitate to hook onto the rope and begin lowering herself. She didn’t even give me the opportunity to double check it. I huffed in frustration as I pressed the comms, “Mya is coming down…by herself. Keep an eye on her please.”

I could hear the laughter in Benny’s voice as he replied, “Aye aye captain.”

I glanced over at Veracruz, who still had that fucking smug look on his face. I made a quick mental note of how close his tent was to the river…

“You know Morales… She is ex SWAT. Give her a little grace. She is capable of far more than you realize.”

My brows furrowed as Veracruz moved to lower himself from the chopper. Then realization set in as my eyes met Pope’s amused gaze, “Fuuuck me. She was at the gun range.”

Pope gave me a confused look. I sighed as I waved my arms toward the general direction Mya had gone, “That day…the chic with the long-range rifle that you were drooling over? It was her.”

Pope’s brows shot up to his hairline before he burst into laughter. He didn’t even bother to try and hold back. “Oooh shit, hermano. I was so fucking right. She IS too much woman for you…but hey…she’s right. You should really get that stick outta your ass. You know what would help? Maybe let her handle your big gun a little. At least you know she’s got the experience. Something tells me she might teach you a thing or two.”

I blinked at him for a few seconds, “Jesus fucking Christ…some of the shit that comes out of your mouth is ridiculous.”

His only response was to give me a shit-eating grin as he lowered himself out of the chopper.

I glanced over at a smirking Ari, who was staying behind with Sam to assist with extraction and gave him a nod before I began my own descent to the forest floor below.

I was barely over the side before I heard Benny’s voice in my ear, “Better hurry it up Catfish…your girl is going exploring without you.”

I muttered out a low, “Fuck,” then promptly picked up my rappel speed.

Once my feet were on the ground, I was met with the sight of a very annoyed looking Mya as she stood with her hands on her hips, glaring in my direction. Benny stood next to her with a smirk, obviously having told her to wait for me. Pope and I took a minute to remove our harnesses and stashed them away in the pack that York was carrying before heading in the direction of our set coordinates.

Mya huffed, “About damn time…took you long enough.”

I rolled my eyes, “Take a chill pill, Lady Croft. The temple isn’t going anywhere.”

Benny snorted out a laugh as Mya’s brows arched upward. I couldn’t tell if she wanted to bitch slap me or laugh. Maybe a little bit of both.

I motioned for Ben and Will to lead the way as we all fell in line behind them. Even though they had already cut a tight path through the dense vegetation, they both had their machetes out, hacking a bigger path as they went.

Mya trekked along in front of me, pausing every so often as Benny and Will hacked at thick growth in front of us. It took everything in me not to stare at the curve of her hips and ass as we made our way up a small incline. I had done well to keep my physical attraction for her under control, but sometimes it was unavoidable.

It was interesting watching her in this environment. She wasn’t the dainty clumsy girl type at all. She was sure footed as she navigated through thorny brush and didn’t shy away from the dirt. She was definitely proving herself to be more capable than I had given her credit for. Part of me suddenly felt like a dick for how overprotective I was being with her, but I didn’t regret it. I felt like there was a reckless edge to her that needed to be balanced out. If left unchecked, she most certainly was going to get herself in trouble. I just wasn’t sure what type of trouble that was going to be.

When the temple came into view, Mya suddenly stopped in front of me without warning. I had been too distracted by the sway of her hips to notice in time, causing me to bump into her back. My hands instinctively found her waist to hold her steady as she turned to give me some annoyed side eye. I smiled nervously, apologizing as I backed away to give her some space.

Will and Benny worked to remove some more brush around a small tree that was lying across our path, making it easier for us to climb over to reach the clearing in front of the temple. I held out my hand to help Mya over the tree. She glanced at it as Benny offered his hand from the other side of the log. After giving me a pointed look, she chose to take his instead. I sighed, letting my head drop between my shoulders in frustration while I waited for her to cross the obstacle in front of us.

After we entered the clearing, the full extent of the temple came into view. It was square and had 5 levels. The bottom one being the biggest with the next being slightly smaller than the previous. It sort of reminded me of the step pyramids of Egypt but looked completely different. Almost every inch of the dark stone was covered in bright green moss. Where there wasn’t moss, there were vines covering the walls. It was eerie and beautiful, like something out of a movie.

We were all standing in awe of the structure, taking it in, when Veracruz brushed past us as he let out a disbelieving laugh, “I’ll be damned…Mya, you were right.”

She shook her head as she moved toward one of the tall pillars that stood in front of the temple at the base of the steps, “We don’t know that yet.”

I followed behind her, watching as she gently pulled moss from the stone with her fingers to reveal carvings. The intense concentration on her face as she worked was something to behold. This was my favorite version of her. The one that felt most like her true self. I watched her brows twitch as she revealed more and more of the markings. Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath, one side curling upward in awe.

“I think…I think these petroglyphs are referencing Inkarri,” she said to me in a near whisper.

I leaned in for a closer look, “I assume that’s a good thing?”

Her eyes were sparkling with excitement when she peered up at me, “Yes. It’s a very good thing. The legend is that he founded Paititi…and Cusco. It’s said that when the Spanish conquistadors took Cusco and executed Atahualpa, who was the last known ruler of the Inca…Inkarri swore he would return and avenge Atahualpa’s death. So, the conquistadors dismembered Inkarri and buried the pieces throughout the empire so he couldn’t return, but the tales say that he will grow underground and one day emerge to restore harmony.”

Pope and Benny appeared on Mya’s other side.

“This sounds like some Mummy Returns type shit…do we need to be worried about curses?” Benny asked with an amused tone.

Pope snorted out a nervous laugh, “Don’t even joke about that bullshit, pendejo.”

Mya laughed and nodded, “They did believe in curses and spells and even practiced divination rituals. There’s also evidence that they conducted ritualistic animal and human sacrifices.”

I glanced up at Pope as a shiver ran through his body. “So, this place has bad juju. Got it. Fan-fucking-tastic,” he said as he scrunched up his nose and walked away.

Benny chuckled, “Maybe we don’t read any incantations from ancient books, yeah?”

Mya was fighting a smile, “In this case, it would probably be a stone slab…but yeah…none of that. I promise.”

Benny sat a bag down next to her. “You need any equipment?” he asked before giving me a mischievous smile and wink while Mya was still focused on the carving. I narrowed my eyes on him. He was trying to rile me up.

“Yeah…actually…gimmie a brush and pull out that 3D laser scanner and a camera. I want Adrian to have a look at this when we get back to camp. She’s my petroglyph expert.”

I watched Benny kneel down beside Mya, pulling items from the bag as she asked for them and listening to her explain what she was doing and why. He was completely engrossed in the process. Meanwhile, I was completely engrossed with her. She was so fucking intelligent about this stuff, and she was going full nerd over it. It was hot as hell.

“Frankie?” Mya said, breaking through my thoughts.

I had been so zoned out that I hadn’t realized she was speaking to me. “Hmm…Sorry. What?”

Her and Benny were both kneeling now, looking up at me with furrowed brows.

She smirked, “You’ve got a steady hand…you think you can do the scans as we clean this off?”

My hand instinctively moved to nervously rub at the back of my neck, “Yeah, sure. Just show me how to work it. What does this thing do anyway?”

Her head tilted as her smile widened, “Did you just completely tune me out?”

I gave her a sheepish smile, “Sorry, I was focused on the…thing…”

Her left brow arched, “Right…the thing. Anyway…the laser scanner will give us a better look at the carving. It can scan through all the dirt and grime, picking up anything we can’t see with the naked eye. It’ll construct a 3D image for us to review. I’d like to get as much data to take back with us as I can…I wanna be sure this is where we need to be before we get the team in here to start excavating.”

I nodded, “Yeah, that makes sense. Good call.”

We spent about an hour cleaning and scanning the pillars on either side of the steps while everyone else stood around waiting and keeping an eye on things. Veracruz seemed restless, eager to enter the temple as if there were stacks of gold and jewels just waiting for us as soon as we walk through the doorway. It was distracting and annoying as fuck.

Once Mya was satisfied with the data we had collected on the pillars, she moved to go up the steps.

“Mya, wait. Let them check the place out first…make sure it’s structurally sound before you go poking around in there.”

She laughed, “These old temples are more structurally sound than most newly built…”

I huffed, cutting her off before she could finish. “Humor me. Please?”

She rolled her eyes and held her hands up in surrender, “Fine…whatever.”

I stared at her for a beat, my lips setting into a tight line over her attitude. Will and Benny moved past us, both looking back at me with a smirk as they ran up the steps. I met their smirks with a scowl. They really needed to lay off me about the whole Mya thing. When I glanced back at her, she was smirking too. I sighed, shaking my head as I moved to follow them up the stairs. I could hear the rest of the team falling in line behind me.

We reached the landing and waited while the Millers worked their way inside to check things out. It took several minutes as they had to clear the entryway, which was covered by vines and what appeared to be the root system of a walking palm tree. I watched Mya visibly cringe as they hacked away, machetes clinging against the rock a couple of times.

After pushing the obstacles aside, they stepped through. Mya glanced at me, exhaling nervously before worrying at her bottom lip. She looked like she was about to implode from the anticipation. Crackling static sounded on the comms, followed by Will’s voice. “Everything looks pretty sturdy. Just be careful with all the roots and vines across the floor.”

“Copy that. We’re coming in,” Pope replied as he walked ahead of me toward the entrance. I watched as he worked to pull back the chopped roots and vines on one side, holding them out of the way so that Mya could cross the threshold. She gave him a polite smile and thanks as she stepped through the entrance. He gave me a cocky grin as he motioned for me to go ahead of him. I responded with a sarcastic smile as I made my way through the entrance just in time to see something fall from the vines draped across the ceiling onto Benny’s pack, which was still on his back.

Benny froze in place. “Guys, what the fuck was that?” he asked rather loudly with clear panic in his voice.

Will walked toward him for a better look. He was a few steps away before he jumped backward, mumbling out a low, “Fuck!” as he nearly tripped over a root. It took me a second to process what was happening. Then I realized that a snake had just struck at him. It was hanging by its tail from one of the straps on Benny’s pack.

Pope came rushing through the entryway, no longer bothering to hold back the roots as he heard the commotion, which resulted in Veracruz getting smacked in the face by them as he followed. I couldn’t even take the time to enjoy it because Benny had started to panic.

“What the fuck is it?” he asked again.

Will moved to stand in Benny’s line of sight, speaking in a calm voice, “Ben, I need you to take your pack off very slowly, OK?”

“No! Don’t do that,” Mya interjected.

Benny was still frozen in place as he asked, “What is it? You better fucking tell me. Is that a snake?”

Will exhaled slowly as I shook my head at him not to answer. Ben hated snakes. He was absolutely going to lose his shit over this.

I glanced over at Mya, who had her eyes fixed on the green reptile that had Will in its sights. I knew that look. She was calculating.

I sucked air through my teeth, “Mya, don’t you fucking dare.”

Her eyes briefly cut toward me before going back to the snake, “Shut up, Frankie. Ben…don’t move, definitely don’t wave your arms. Just be still, OK? Will…keep it distracted, but don’t get too close.”

Will huffed out a laugh, “Yeah…right.”

I moved over next to Will to help keep the thing preoccupied while Ben stood as still as a statue. Pope stayed in the doorway with a horrified expression on his face as he told the others to hold their positions outside.

Mya slowly moved to stand directly in front of Benny. “Does anybody have a pair of thick gloves?” she asked.

Benny gave her a tight smile, “I do…in my pack.”

She huffed, “Thanks, Ben. That’s helpful.”

I stood staring at the snake as it tried to strike at Will again, before turning to crawl up the bag.

“Fuck, we need to do something. Like now,” I called out.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Pope said, sounding just as panicked as Benny looked. “I have some leather gloves!”

He quickly dug around in the side pocket of his pack before pulling them out and tossing them to Mya without a second thought.

“Dude, really?” I said as I gave him a pointed look.

He grimaced and shrugged, “She asked for them.”

Mya was pulling them on as she mumbled, “I need for you two to shut the fuck up so I can concentrate.”

“Yeah, shut the fuck up!” Benny whisper-yelled at us.

The snake was now making its way toward Benny’s left shoulder. Without thinking, I broke off a long piece of a nearby root and wedged it under the snake just enough to make it fall back toward the back of the pack. It was still hanging on with its tail.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Mya asked, clearly annoyed.

I huffed in frustration, “I’m keeping it away from his face, obviously.”

The snake's attention was now on me, and it was pissed. I worked to keep it distracted as Mya inched around Ben and waited for the right moment. After a final strike, the snake turned to make its way upward again, giving her the opportunity to swoop in and grab it behind the head.

We all stood motionless as we watched her untangle the tail from the strap with her free hand as she held its hissing head in the other.

“Bunch of fucking pussies. Thanks for the help guys,” she muttered as she stepped away holding the reptile tightly in her grip.

Ben turned around, now laughing at the scene before him. Me, Will, and Pope stood frozen in place with fear on our faces as Mya grasped the snake in her hands, looking a hell of a lot calmer than we were.

“Is that a green pit viper?” Benny suddenly asked as he began to back away.

“Yes, Benny. It is. Thank you for that observation,” Mya replied sarcastically.

“Those are poisonous you know…” he added, sounding more worried now.

She let out a nervous laugh, “Only if they bite you.” Her smile faded as she puffed loose strands of hair from her face, “Can someone please help me take this thing outside?”

Will and I moved toward the doorway, pulling back the roots and vines so that Mya could easily step through.

“York!” I called out. He appeared outside the door. “Make sure she doesn’t fall coming out of here please. She has a snake…a poisonous one.” York’s eyes widened before he nodded.

Once we had the doorway sufficiently clear, I looked at Mya and jerked my head to the side, signaling her to go ahead. She took her time stepping through the threshold as York worked to steady her from the outside. As soon as she was through, I followed. We all gathered round as she walked to the edge of the landing and tossed the thing off in the bushes down below.

There was a collective sigh of relief before we all glanced at each other and burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Well, boys. Looks like we’ve still got a few things to learn,” Benny said through a chuckle.

The humor faded as I watched Mya’s brows furrow. “What the hell happened to him?” she asked as she brushed past me. I now realized Veracruz was sitting on the top step with a bloody rag pressed to his forehead as Ari dug around in his pack, no doubt looking for a first aid kit.

I had to bite back a laugh. I didn’t realize he had been hit in the face that hard. I knew I shouldn’t find it as funny as I did, but I couldn’t help it. Karma is a bitch. However, my excitement over the incident was quickly deflated as I watched Mya walk over and take the first aid kit from Ari and proceed to tend to Veracruz’s smarmy looking face herself.

She stood a couple of steps below him, allowing him to rest a hand on her hip as she grasped his chin and tilted it upward to inspect the damage. They seemed deep in conversation as she leaned in close to his face and got to work. However, their conversation didn’t stop him from shooting smug glances my way. Their familiarity with each other once again had me questioning their relationship.

Benny, Will, and Pope gathered round, obviously seeing what I was seeing as they gave me knowing looks. I turned away, looking everywhere but at Mya and Veracruz.

Pope patted me on the shoulder, “Looks like Cassanova is making his move, Fish. I think you’ve missed your chance.”

I scoffed, “Doesn’t bother me. I’m not interested.”

Benny squeezed my other shoulder, “Na, she’s not gonna go for that. She obviously has a type…but that guy is like TEMU Frankie. He’s not the real deal. Unless of course…you don’t shoot your shot. Then she might.”

I rolled my eyes, “Fuck off, Ben.”

Pope snickered, “I dunno, Ben. I mean, maybe Frankie is just a TEMU Veracruz. He’s obviously missing his balls. Apparently the Comandante has those.”

I shrugged Pope’s hand off my shoulder, “You guys have got to stop this shit, OK? It’s not happening.”

Pope gave me a mischievous smile, “So then you don’t mind if I…”

I didn’t even give him a chance to finish that sentence, “Don’t even fucking think about it. I told you, she’s a client. She’s off limits.”

Will had a tight smile on his face as he rubbed at the back of his neck before finally speaking, “Ya know, Fish, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you’re interested in her. She’s clearly into you. We won’t hold it against your upstanding history of professionalism if you shoot your shot with a client.”

I scoffed, “I’m not sure if that’s meant to be an insult or not. I’m gonna pretend it’s not…but my answer is still no. She’ll be a distraction…and I still feel like there’s more to this job than she’s telling me. I’m just not sure what it is. Besides, we all need our heads in the game…especially with our other little problem we’ve gotta figure out.”

They sobered a bit with that reminder. We had thrown around a few ideas since we returned from our little side mission, but we hadn’t come up with anything that we thought would work. It was beyond frustrating.

A short time later, Mya finished patching up Veracruz, now seeming annoyed as she removed the rubber gloves she was wearing and asked, “Now that the men are situated, can we get back to the reason we’re here, please?”

I couldn’t help smiling as she made her way back over to the entrance of the temple with a scowl on her face. Veracruz had obviously pissed her off.

We all made our way back inside. Benny and Pope now had their flashlights out checking the ceiling very closely as they moved around the open space.

I hadn’t had the chance to take in the space before, now realizing the sheer size of it, even with tree roots and vines growing through it. There appeared to be some sort of stone table in the center of the room underneath a circular opening in the ceiling. A beam of light shone down through the opening, illuminating the smooth grey rock. At the back of the room were three doorways that led to nothing but darkness.

Mya approached the stone slab in the center of the room, pulling vegetation away as she examined something underneath. She smiled, “This is a temple for Inti. The sun deity. I bet this is a sacrificial altar. They probably performed rituals here.”

Pope groaned at that news, “I better not go home with any bad juju from this.”

Mya chuckled before moving to shine a light into the middle of the three dark doorways at the back of the room.

“This slopes down, like it goes underground. There’s a labyrinth of tunnels that run under Cusco, and they all start from the sun temple. If Inkarri did in fact found both cities, it could be the same here.”

Without another word, she disappeared down the dark hallway.

I didn’t hesitate to move to follow her. “Mya! Wait…fucking hell, woman…” I paused briefly, looking at the others, “You guys wait here. I’ll get her.”

When I caught up with her, she was standing at the end of a corridor that split off into three directions.

“Can you please not wander off alone? We have no idea what’s in this place.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, “Jesus, Frankie. I wasn’t going that far in. Calm down.”

She turned her attention back to a carving above where the corridor split, shining her light on it as she leaned in closer to speak to me in a low voice, “Does that look familiar to you?”

For a moment the only thing I could focus on was her closeness and the heat of her body, but I finally forced myself to look at what she was seeing. It was familiar.

“Fuck me, is that…the symbol from those documents?”

She nodded, “Yeah, I think it is. I’ve never seen it anywhere else and I dunno what it means…but I think we’re in the right place.”

“I thought Paititi was a city though? This is the only structure around.”

She shrugged, “That’s a fair question. Maybe we need to go further east with the LiDAR scans? They were strategic with where they placed their temples. They were known to pick sacred sites that aligned with celestial events…”

She turned to look at me then, eyes wide and bright as she grabbed onto my arm and continued. “I think this is a start. That symbol means something…I know it.”

I nodded, “I’ll trust your judgement on that because I have no fucking clue about any of this.”

She smiled then - a big toothy smile that caused her eyes to crinkle and a small dimple in her cheek. It was infectious, causing me to match it.

“Don’t mention that symbol to anyone. No one else knows about it. Let’s keep it between us for now, yeah?”

I nodded again, “Of course.”

She pulled away, continuing to look around the space, but not really finding anything else that stood out. She began to pace, “OK, so I think we head back and have the team analyze the data we collected. I’d like to know more about those petroglyphs out front, but I feel like this is where we start. I’ll get the workers started clearing a path from camp to here first thing in the morning. We can continue to do the LiDAR scans while they work on that. Something tells me there may be more in the area…we just need to find it.”

I stood with my hands on my hips, watching her. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. This discovery was igniting something in her, and in turn, waking something up in me. A part of me wanted to be the one to do this with her, be her partner in every way she would let me. We mixed together like oil and water, but she was still trusting me with this above anyone else. Including that greasy haired asshat that was no doubt anxiously awaiting our return in the altar room.

I shook my head to clear it. I couldn’t think that way. I needed to keep this professional, for both of our sakes. I was here to do a job, and that’s what I was going to do.

Chapter 5: Into the Fire

A/N: Hello my lovelies! I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. We are digging into the really fun stuff now and are in full adventure mode.

This chapter is really beginning to establish the dynamics between everyone. Mya seems to fit right in with the guys, to Frankie's dismay...or maybe not? She and Benny are becoming fast friends, nerding out together while he lives out his Indiana Jones fantasies.

As you can see, I have started working in some of the tidbits from the polls we did. I plan to continue this as we work our way through the plot. It's been fun incorporating these things into the fic based on your feedback. It's almost like we're writing it together! 😘

We had another Pedro boy surprise in this chapter. It wasn't planned. I needed names and those just worked. Mr. York was a military man after all. It makes since that he would be working with other veterans...in my mind anyway. Just go with it, OK? 😅

How are we feeling about the dynamic between Frankie and Mya now? Honestly, they are both kind of a mess. They are both stubborn, and clearly, Mya is a little reckless. Veracruz is definitely not making things easier either.

Next Chapter Teasers:

More exploring and more jungle critters causing chaos (let me have fun with this, OK?)

More goading Frankie about Mya by the guys during a group activity. Alcohol is involved, and so is Mya.

Mya does what she does best and goes against Frankie's request not to wander off. Things get a bit heated when he goes after her...in more than one way.

Mya gets called in for a meeting to update Collazo on her progress. Frankie goes along against his wishes, while Veracruz is made to stay at camp.

We had some fun bits of History mentioned in this chapter. I'll list those below:

The mention that Paititi is thought to be seven leagues north from the Inca Capital of Cusco and east of the Andes is some of the rumored information contained in the infamous sealed Vatican documents.

The legend about the Inca hero, Inkarri, is real. He is rumored to be the founder of the Inca Capital, Cusco, and the legendary lost city of Paititi. The story about his body parts being buried throughout the empire is real too. This is just one of many stories about Inkarri and some of them conflict with each other. For the purpose of this fic, this is the one we are going with. And no, we are not raising any dead Inca warriors. We might joke about it though. 😬

The rumor about a labyrinth of tunnels under the city of Cusco existed for centuries, but they were recently confirmed by Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and are thought to extend from the sun temple, Coricancha, for up to a mile. One main branch is known to connect to a nearby fortress called, Sacsahuaman. Researches believe that the tunnels mimic the city streets above ground. No one has entered these tunnels yet, but they plan to begin excavating sometime soon.

The Inca did indeed practice divination rituals and participate in various types of sacrifices to the sun deity, Inti (and others), in hopes of blessing their people with successful crops. They did also build their temples based on celestial events.

Now, a lot of stuff going forward will be completely made up based on old legends for the purpose of the story...so sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. I'll let you know what parts are based on history as they come up. 🤓

That's all my ramblings. Until next time... 💜Mysty

P.S. There are some lines from one of my favorite adventure movies in this chapter. If you can guess the movie and the lines...I will answer one question you have about this fic without a cryptic bullshit answer. 👀🤣