Page 56 of Wild Temple

Caspian agreed to the location. He didn’t put up a fight or suggest alternates.

That made me nervous.

He wasn’t stupid. But maybe Rex was right. He was so used to getting his way that he got lazy.

I called Talia and had her track his phone. “Keep me updated when he moves.”

“Sorry. He’s already off the grid,” she said.

I filled her in on our plan, which meant we’d be off the grid soon, too—completely out of touch and with no support.

“Any word on Isabella?”

“Caspian says he doesn’t have her,” I replied. “But I don’t believe a word out of that guy’s mouth.”

“I know I don’t need to say it, but stay sharp out there.”

“We will.”

“When can I expect you back on the grid?”

“If all goes well, we’ll have Hannah back by noon tomorrow. You’ll be my first call.”

“Looking forward to it. Good luck!”

I ended the call and slipped my phone back into my pocket.

The Jeep bounced down the highway, the knobby tires tearing up the asphalt. The sun beamed down, cooking us. On any other day, it would feel like a road trip to the beach. But this drive was somber.

Rex took us to his buddy’s place, tucked away in the jungle on the way to the Twin Sisters.

You didn't find Duke’s if you didn’t know where to look. And you shouldn't be looking if Duke didn't want you to find him.

After traveling down several narrow dirt roads, Rex turned onto another short dirt road, then pulled off and parked by a towering palm tree with aDcarved into the trunk.

We hopped out of the Jeep and followed Rex. Just off the road, hidden in the underbrush and covered with camo netting, was a drab green truck with a rattle can camouflage paint job. No doubt the truck belonged to Duke.

We followed Rex down the trail, pushing through leaves and branches that grabbed and clawed at us. If you knew where to look, you could follow the path. Otherwise, it wasn't that well-worn. The dense foliage sheltered us from the harsh sunlight. It was hot and sticky, and mosquitoes were hungry. It would only get worse later, and I didn't have any bug spray.

"Are you sure you know where we’re going?" Brooke asked.

"We're almost there," Rex said.

I kept my head on a swivel, not knowing what we were getting ourselves into.

A few paces down the trail, a wooden sign, hammered to a tree, read:No Trespassing. This means you, dipshit!

It was hand-painted and written in multiple languages.

I had no doubt Duke was serious about the sign.

We continued following Rex for another 10 or 15 yards when he held up his hand and made a fist. We stopped instantly, remaining still in the jungle. The sounds of critters rustled through the underbrush, and birds squawked in the trees.

Rex pointed to a tripwire across the trail. It was connected to a claymore. A CLAYMORE!!!

Duke was hella serious about theno trespassingsign.

Rex took a cautious step over the tripwire, and we followed with care. One misstep and you'd have a really bad day.