A Trick of the Moon (15 page)

As she hung up she realized that, while she'd been thinking of family, friends, and coworkers, she hadn't thought about the most important part of this equation: Declan and Dario. They hadn't discussed making things 104

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permanent. No one had said a word about relationships. Their time together had been great, and the sex was magnificent. But not once had any of them mentioned what would happen on their return to Albuquerque.

Dario had his job, which took him to different places in the state. Declan traveled to various dig sites when he wasn't lecturing at the university. And she had her work, or at least she hoped she did, which kept her at home but busy.

Perhaps she was overthinking things. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done it. In fact, she was notorious for doing it. It was why she and Declan had never gotten together, despite the obvious attraction.

What she needed to do was talk to them. “Hey, guys, I've had a great time and thought maybe we should continue it. What do you think?”

Oh yeah, that sounds real mature. Don't overdo it, just let it flow as it will, and if it doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be.

A glance at the clock showed it was just after five. She shut down the computer and went to the kitchen, then loaded up the food in the cooler. She put other things she thought they might need in the truck, then went around to make sure the doors were all locked.

Dinner, a little stargazing, and then some sweet loving at the hands of two gorgeous men. What more could a girl ask for?

* * * * *

Dario figured he was looking for other signs of a civilization here, something he might have missed with his other treks. With Deck gone and no one to talk to, he'd quickly become bored.

A walk had revealed nothing of value he could use to help identify who'd been using the kiva. His failure to find any kind of evidence was frustrating to him. He helped put away major drug dealers, and he couldn't find a shred of A Trick of the Moon

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proof that someone had even been here. Well, there had been the offerings they'd left behind, but that wouldn't help him identify a suspect.

The sound of an engine filled the otherwise-still air. Was Maura here? He started to walk back to the site, then stopped. No, it was too early in the day for her to come out. The engine he was hearing belonged to a motorcycle, not a truck.

Dario stopped and listened. Had someone seen Declan leave the site, then decided it would be empty? That would be a very amateurish mistake to make, since it was obvious there were two of them out here. But if their visitor was nervous about his use of the kiva being discovered, he might not have been thinking and decided to act on the fact Declan was gone.

Dario moved toward the camp slowly, knowing that if he ran, even in this dirt, the sound would carry in the vast desert. As he neared the site, he saw exactly what he'd expected to see: a motorcycle, more of a dirt bike, really, propped up next to the kiva opening.

Whoever had come calling was obviously inside, either adding something to the shrine or taking it all away. He approached cautiously, not wanting to raise the alarm. The main objective here was to identify the unknown kiva user, and he'd been given the opportunity to do just that.

He stopped on the outskirts of the camp and looked around. There was no movement, and he strode silently across the camp, using the tent as a barricade to stop and look around again.

Definitely time for a trip to the kiva opening
. Dario was just about to move beside the tent flap, when it opened. He turned his head and looked down, then grunted in surprise as a hand wrapped around his ankle and pulled. He toppled forward onto his chest, landing with a loud groan.

The heavy weight of a man landed on his back, pushing him deeper into the ground. Dario tilted his weight, and the person on top of him shifted.

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“Son of a bitch.” Dario threw a punch over his shoulder. A grunt of pain came from his unknown assailant. He tried to move again, but before he could turn his head, something came down over it, turning everything to black.

“Motherfucker!” Dario threw all his weight back, and the person on top of him rolled to one side. Dario stood, then pulled the object from his head. He looked at the pillowcase he held before tossing it aside.

Dario lunged for the legs of the young Indian male who was now running toward the bike. He caught a pant leg and pulled, but the worn material ripped, sending Dario flying onto his stomach yet again. The youth kicked out, connecting with Dario's hand.

Sharp pain spread up his arm, and he grasped his palm, rubbing his thumb against it to try and relieve the pain.

“Damn it!” He held his throbbing hand, then looked up to where the man straddled the bike. “Stop! I just want to talk.”

The bike engine roared to life, and the driver spun the tires, kicking up clouds of dust as he roared off.

“Son of a… Crap that hurt.” He stared after the retreating bike, mentally kicking himself in the ass for not thinking his visitor could be going through the tent. How could he have let something like this happen?

He turned toward the tent, ducked inside, and looked around. The fact the youth had time to snatch a pillowcase and devise a plan on how to use it let Dario know he'd been less than quiet as he'd approached.

Either that or the boy had supernatural senses that allowed him to see people even when they weren't close by. A quick survey of the surroundings showed nothing to be missing, or at least he didn't think anything was.

He cussed himself as he realized he hadn't gotten a good look at the boy's face. While working a beat, he'd been pissed at people who had witnessed crimes and could say no more than, “A tall white male.”

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Now all he could say was a Native American youth, between the ages of sixteen and twenty, maybe twenty-two. A hell of a lot of good that description would do him around these parts.

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Chapter Eleven

“We don't have to go all the way to Mesa Verde.” Maura ran her hand down her jean legs, keeping her gaze trained on the road. “Do you think this will flush out Bear or whoever is using the kiva?”

She sighed heavily, then giggled like a schoolgirl as Declan put his strong arm around her shoulder, turned her head, and kissed her, capturing her lower lip between his teeth and nibbling.

Beside her, Dario whispered the words “not fair” before tightening his grip on the wheel and clearing his throat as if to get their attention. “I think this is a great idea, skipper. The only time our friend came around was when he thought everyone was gone. I think it will work this time too, and we'll get some new information.”

She mumbled a yes, her concentration half on what he was saying, half on his lips, then pushed slightly against Declan's chest. As much as she loved kissing him, doing it in a car going seventy miles per hour didn't exactly seem like a great idea.

“We should be concerned about what happened today. This may not be the best time to leave.”

“Relax,” Declan said, taking one last nibble on her lip. “We've got it all set up, remember?”

Oh yes, she remembered. Upon arrival at the campsite, which was now called the Half Moon Ranch, she'd been informed, the men were ready to eat.

They had a fire blazing, and it hadn't taken long for Dario to fix their dinner.

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She's explained about the going-out-of-town remark, and both of them had been quiet, at first. Then they'd said it might help them to draw out the mysterious kiva user. Declan had told them about a motion-activated video camera that could be set up inside the kiva.

“
We'll have to do a little camouflage to make it blend in, but it's a very high-tech piece of equipment. It will work in low light, and it will definitely give us a
good picture of the visitor
.”

Both men had then spent the next hours of available light setting up the camera inside the kiva, hopefully hiding it enough so that someone who came down wouldn't see it. She knew it had been hard work for them, since they'd hauled down dirt and other items to use. Afterward, they'd all bundled into the tent where they'd talked about what they would possibly find when they got back.

“
I'm still voting for Bear
,” Declan had said.

“
That wasn't Bear I fought
,” Dario had replied. “That was a kid, and he got the better of me, damn it.”

“
Bear's anger over us being out here could have to do with the fact we're on
the payroll and boinking the boss. Maybe he hired someone to search the
campground
.” Declan had started to kiss her then, and Maura had tried to push him away, intent on continuing their conversation. But Declan had been too fast, putting her on her back. The two of them had ganged up on her, tickling and kissing her.

She'd been surprised they'd all settled into one wonderful heap with her in the middle. It didn't take long for the men to fall asleep, and for the first time since they'd arrived, they hadn't made love. She'd missed the physical contact, but she'd also loved the emotions that she felt with the two of them wrapped around her, arms and legs intertwined, soft snores from the two of them making her smile as she'd stared up at the moon through the open flap of the tent.

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Lying in their arms had been perfect, and it brought back to mind the discussion she'd had with herself that afternoon, about their relationship.

Whether at the kiva site or at her father's house, she wanted to know if what she was feeling would transfer out to the real world, or if it was just a trick of the moon.

This trip, she realized, would help her decide just that. Seeing how they reacted to each other around others could be an eye-opener. Mesa Verde was busy during the summer season, and she'd been lucky enough to find a hotel in Cortez. She would have preferred to stay in a tent at the park, but all the campgrounds there were full.

It took them a little less than an hour to reach Cortez. They'd checked into the hotel, and now, as they were driving up the narrow, curvy road that led to Mesa Verde, Maura checked her watch and chuckled. “You've got a lead foot, don't you, Officer Fuentes?”

“You want to give me a ticket? Or maybe you think it's your turn to perform a strip search.” He stuck his tongue out and wiggled it back and forth.

Warmth spread through Maura's body, settling in her clit. She wanted to tell him to pull over and make good on the promise of his tongue, but the road was narrow and heavily traveled.

Maura's eyebrows raised in mock chagrin. “I'm sure I've already seen all you have to offer.”

He didn't take his eyes off the road, but the sound of his voice swept over her, and she felt as if he were looking her up and down, licking his lips in anticipation. “I'll let you play with my nightstick.”

Declan's laughter punctuated Dario's statement. “Cut it out, you two. I have a strong desire to visit some ruins while we're here. You can wait for sex later.”

The sound of Dario's snort almost made Maura produce one of her own.

“You want to visit ruins? I'm sure you know as much about this place as the people working here. How many times have you visited Mesa Verde?”

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“Lots.”

“Me too,” Maura said, looking out over the valley as the SUV continued to wind its way up the road. “But that doesn't stop me from loving it more every time I come. Look at it. It's magnificent.”

“I have to admit, you're right,” Dario said. “I should have made Declan drive so I could sightsee more. It is definitely one hell of a ride.”

The car grew quiet as they all admired their surroundings. Now, as she sat snuggled between Dario and Declan, she wanted to bring up exactly what seemed to be happening between them; but she was afraid if she did, she would ruin the atmosphere. Maybe later, back in the hotel room, she could bring it up.

But how did you do that?
So, are we just going to be fuck buddies, or is
there something else going on here? I think something's building, but if it's not,
tell me now so I can stop thinking that way. I don't want a huge letdown back
home.

“Pull into this area.” Declan was pointing to a parking lot off to the right-hand side of the road. “I'll take the wheel and drive us around, and then we'll take a guided tour with a ranger.”

Dario pulled the SUV into the lot, putting it into park. “Do we need a guide with you around?”

“Yes,” Declan replied. “The guides know far more than I do.”

Once he was behind the wheel, he started to talk about the area, how the ancient Publoeans had mostly lived on top of the cliffs until the later part of their lives at the park. At that time they'd made their homes on the cliff sides.

As he talked, Maura's mind wandered to what life would have been like for these ancient people.

The landscape was beautiful, true, but living out here without the modern amenities people were so used to would have been tough. She couldn't imagine 112

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