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“But…” Ellie continued hesitantly. “I can’t help but feel…”

Her words trailed off.

“Feel what?” Adam prompted gently.

“It just reminds me of the cave,” she burst out. “And how you said that you stopped putting the new Mayan sites you found on the map because everything always ended up being looted. I think… I think I’m afraid if you share Santa Dolores with the world, there is a very good chance that the world won’t appreciate what it has to offer.”

“Or that they’ll appreciate it too much,” Adam added grimly.

Silence lingered for a moment as they considered each other across the close, green space of the forest.

“What will you do?” Ellie finally pressed.

“I didn’t come out here to draw any maps,” Adam concluded bluntly.

He pushed back from the tree he’d been leaning against. His tanned face cracked into a grin.

“Besides, you’ve got the only pencil,” he pointed out.

“I do not!” Ellie protested. “It’s in your rucksack.”

“Yeah, but it’syours,” Adam easily countered.

“I took it off your desk,” Ellie reminded him.

“Stolen fair and square,” Adam agreed.

He tossed up the machete. Ellie watched the blade spin, glinting, through the air until the grip landed neatly back in his palm.

“What if I lent the pencil to you?” she offered.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you need it for stuff,” Adam lightly returned.

He hopped up onto an enormous fallen tree that blocked their way forward. Pausing at the top, he turned back to offer her his machete-free hand.

“It’s slippery,” he warned.

His shirt was stained with dirt and his face was rough with four days’ worth of stubble. The gesture still made Ellie think of stories of knights errant rescuing maidens.

Slaying dragons,she thought distantly.

She wondered what sort of dragons a man like Adam Bates might be called to slay.

His hand was still extended. Ellie grasped it and let him lead her into what came next.

?

Twenty-Three

By the time sheand Adam stopped for lunch, Ellie was willing all manner of blessings on Cruzita. Hiking through a rainforest was hard work, with a great deal of scrambling over obstacles and pushing through thick growth. The stash of tamales would’ve been a godsend even if they hadn’t been possibly one of the most delicious things Ellie had ever eaten.

“Have another,” Adam encouraged her with his mouth half full of masa. “They won’t keep.”

By mid-afternoon, the land had grown more rocky, signaling that they were heading higher into the mountains. The notion sent an electric thrill across her skin.

The forest around Ellie buzzed thickly, while the heat continued to rise—until suddenly a cooler breeze brushed over Ellie’s skin, rich with moisture. The change in the air was accompanied by a soft rushing that rose through the constant rustling of the leaves as she and Adam pressed their way forward.

“What’s that sound?” she asked.