The Treasure (2 page)

“Please,” he growled. Thirty seconds and his luck would run out.

“I really would like to see your credentials — ”

Too late.
Brody pushed past her and positioned himself between her and the four men who now formed a horizontal line in front of him. To the biggest, the leader, he said, “I don’t want any trouble, Javier.”

“You should have thought of that before you took money from the boss.”

Amelia whispered behind him. “I have a cell phone. Should I call the police?”

Brody glared over his shoulder at the woman who didn’t have the good sense to stay quiet. She sent him a militant look in return.

He turned back to Javier and his thugs. “
I
didn’t borrow from Tito.”

Javier shrugged his beefy shoulders. “Minor detail. You find your partner?”

Brody wished to hell he had. “Not yet.”

The man next to Javier cracked his knuckles.

Javier took a step closer so they stood practically nose to nose. He reeked of cologne and cigars. Brody held his ground.

“We talked about this,” Javier said. “The boss is growing impatient.”

Their “talk” had included them assaulting him outside the bar a few nights ago and roughing him up a little. Not enough to really hurt him, but enough to get their message across. Bastards had stolen his poker winnings.

“I’m working on it.”

“How about we give you a little incentive?”

Incentive meant busting his kneecaps. “Not necessary. I got the message.”

Javier’s gaze dropped to the woman listening to their conversation from behind his arm. “Then maybe we’ll just take what you owe out of her.”

Over his dead body.
“She’s nobody. Just some stupid tourist looking for directions.”

She gasped in outrage.

Brody shot her a warning glare before speaking to Javier. “Tell your boss I’m working on it.”

“I’m afraid he’s tired of hearing that.”

Javier threw a right hook that caught Brody on the jaw and snapped his head back. Brody returned with a left to the ribs, knocking the breath out of Javier. He shoved Amelia out of the way. “Get in and lock the doors!”

Two of the thugs latched onto him and knocked him backwards against the Land Rover, rocking it. Amelia cried out from the front seat as she fumbled to pull the door closed.

A piece of molding dug into his back hard enough to piss him off. His arms were pinned while Javier stood back and grinned as the third landed a fist in Brody’s gut and another into his jaw.
Shit. That hurt.

Brody rammed his booted foot into the knee of the guy in front of him, taking him down. Javier watched as the other two used Brody as a punching bag. Every time the Land Rover rocked from an impact, Amelia yelled at them to stop. She opened the door.

“No!” Brody hollered and she retreated back inside, slamming the door closed.

Her distraction worked to his advantage. The one holding his right side loosened his grip long enough for Brody to pull back and throw an elbow into his nose. Blood spurted and the guy let go to cup his face. Javier stepped in. Brody caught him in the chin with an uppercut that snapped Javier’s head back with a painful
crack
. He shoved the leather-clad guy backwards, sending him toppling over the hood of a compact car.

Taking the opportunity to escape, he ran around to the driver’s side and jumped in after Amelia quickly unlocked the door. He brought the engine to life and threw it into gear. They shot across the parking lot, Javier and his men shouting things that couldn’t be heard over the roar of the engine.

Amelia grabbed the roll bar as they bounced past a row of cars and looked over her shoulder. “How do you know those men?”

Brody maneuvered the Land Rover onto the bumpy dirt road that led into town. Glancing in the rear view mirror, he shrugged.

The road evened out and she let go of the bar to wrap her arms around her waist. “What kind of trouble are you in?”

“Not important.”

“Not important? I think it is.”

He slowed for a curve, the headlights bouncing off the jungle hovering on either side of the narrow road, and didn’t answer. The less she knew the better. Javier wouldn’t hesitate to make good on his threat to take what he owed out of her.

“Is the law after you?”

Depends on who you asked.
“Nothing to worry about.”

“You like giving cryptic answers, don’t you?” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her lips tighten.

“I consider you on a need-to-know basis.”

She stiffened in her seat. “Need to know? What do you mean by that?”

“It means I don’t know you and you don’t need to know me, lady.”

She pinned her gaze on him. “Are you serious? Do you know how archaic that sounds?”

Brody slowed as he proceeded through the quiet town. The children that played in the dusty streets earlier that morning were now inside, the shops in the square closed down for the night, and the freely roaming livestock out of sight.

“Archaic?” he repeated as he pulled into the parking lot of the only hotel in town and turned off the engine. “Which room is yours?”

“That’s need-to-know information, Mr. Kern.” She smirked. “I may have been given your name, but that doesn’t mean I’m inviting you to my room.”

“I wasn’t looking for an invitation unless you meant something else when you said you were looking for paradise.”

Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp of outrage. Exactly what he wanted. Tahua was no place for a woman alone and there was no such place as
Paraíso
so she may as well go home.

She stiffened in her seat, but didn’t flee. “That’s not what I meant,” she said tightly. “Look, what I want is simple. A ride. I’m willing to pay top dollar. Here, I have traveler’s checks.” She dug through her purse and pulled out a handful of checks, but he stopped her by laying a hand on top of hers, odd little sparks traveling up his arm. Her eyes widened as if she felt them too.

Jerking his hand away, he met her eyes. “The answer is no. Do yourself a favor and go home. Forget about
Paraíso
.”

“You keep saying that. Why do you want me to leave so badly?”

He stared out the windshield. “Just trust me on this one.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kern, I can’t do that.” She reached inside her purse and pulled out a wad of tissues. Before he could guess her intention, she leaned across the seat and pressed it to his right eyebrow. Vanilla filled his senses.

“You’re bleeding,” she said softly.

Her hand brushed his cheek. Brody grabbed the tissues before her touch made him do something stupid like agree to fly her to
Paraíso
. Or kiss her. “I got it.”

Amelia pulled back and reached for the handle. She pushed the door open. “Thank you for saving me cab fare.”

She climbed out, closed the door and walked inside the hotel.

Amelia Sawyer closed the door to her hotel room, put her purse on the dresser and dropped onto the bed. This night certainly hadn’t gone the way she’d imagined. Finding Brody Kern hadn’t been easy. Aunt Pandora gave her his name and location, but she never guessed it would lead her to a shady bar and a ruggedly handsome man. His eyes were the most unusual color, amber wrapped in a dark ring of gold. By tomorrow, encircled with bruises. Images of the fight filled her head and a chill swept through her.

Unanswered questions raced through her head. Why would Aunt Pandora send her to a man who was so obviously troubled? It made no sense. Aunt Pandora knew she never ventured outside the small town where she grew up. Maybe her sisters were right and Aunt Pandora really had lost her mind before she passed.

A door slammed down the hall. Amelia jumped. She wrapped her arms around her waist, suddenly very alone. What had she been thinking coming down here? There were no sandy beaches, exotic colorful birds, or bright city lights. Only a hot, humid climate, pesky bugs, and a small jungle town that wasn’t on any of her tourist maps.

Amelia scanned the small room, the most expensive one, only three American dollars to rent. Expensive in this case meant a shabby room with four-foot high walls that opened to a tin roof. The room sweltered even with the gentle breeze seeping in. The beige carpet was dirty, stained with an unknown substance. The single bed seemed clean enough, although the springs creaked every time she moved. A faded yellow bedside table held an ancient phone and cracked vase without flowers to brighten the dingy room. She refused to acknowledge the smell.

And mosquitoes, she thought, slapping one that feasted on her arm. Privacy was non-existent. She could see out the large opening between rooms and hear voices next door. Intimidating, but she wanted this trip, embraced the adventure. Right now though, even with the open room, it seemed very isolated. Maybe coming to South America to hunt buried treasure was a mistake. Maybe she was chasing a pipe dream just as her sisters had said, because all she had now was a map and no way to get to
Paraíso
.

Brody Kern had thwarted her plans. She hoped her vacation would go off without a hitch. Come to South America, find a pilot named Brody Kern, have him fly her into the jungle to the first checkpoint on the map, then trek the rest of the way to
Paraíso
and find the gift her aunt left for her. Her inheritance from a woman she missed more each day.

Coming here had been a huge decision for her. Stepping outside her comfortable, predictable life into one she always dreamed of hadn’t been easy. She spent her life looking up to her favorite aunt, trying to be like her. Of course, Amelia’s adventures turned into mishaps that only worried her family, but she’d never given up. She wasn’t giving up now.

Amelia lay down on the scratchy blanket and stared at the night sky through the tiny holes in the roof. She wasn’t going home, no matter how much Brody Kern wanted her to. She wanted this adventure. Aunt Pandora wanted it for her. She had willed it to her.

Thinking of Aunt Pandora made tears well in her eyes, but also gave her clarity. There was only one thing for her to do. Amelia smiled. There had to be more than one pilot in town. How hard could it be to find another one?

• • •

Brody braked for a small herd of goats that blocked the street and rubbed his pounding temples. He’d woken this morning with a killer headache and a few other aches and pains from the fight the night before.

Not to mention the restless night a certain redhead had caused him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw big green eyes full of hope tucked into a pretty face and heard the words he never wanted to hear again.
Take me to Paraíso.
With luck, the woman was already on a plane and heading back to wherever she came from.

He grabbed the aviator glasses off the dash and put them on. Heat rained down on him like enemy fire, putting him in a damn fine mood. When he got his hands on Jeremy, he was going to wring his neck.

With a scowl, he slowed to a stop. The square was busy, people milled through the street vendors and shops. Rusted-out compact cars crept down the street, slowed by pedestrians. The scent of smoked fish filled the air. Every weekend it was like this when the tribal people canoed in with their goods. They came from miles up and down river to the jungle port town along the Rio Napo to sell and trade.

Tahua was fairly quiet during the week. The way Brody liked it. He had come down here on a whim with Jeremy after retirement from the Air Force. With no family to hold him back, he had jumped at the opportunity to use his flying skills in civilian life and open a charter business. Hell, being a bush pilot wasn’t dog fighting, but it got him in the cockpit of a plane and that was all he wanted. Figured he may as well get paid for it.

Two boys ran up to his window, brown eyes wide with mischief. They clung to his doorframe and jumped up to see inside.

“
Un dulce,
” they said, dark heads bobbing.

Brody leaned an elbow out the window, putting the Land Rover in park. “
Por favor
?” he chided without censure, reaching into the glove box. The boys nodded, eyes tracking his movements. With a shake of his head, Brody pulled out two melting Snickers bars and handed one to each of them.

“
Gracias
.” The boys grinned in unison and let go of the window to devour the treats Brody always kept for them. Their father had died of sickness a year ago, and their mother barely made a living selling handcrafted jewelry to support her seven children. The twins were the youngest. Brody suspected they sent goats scattering into the street just to stop him.

“
Alborotadors
,” he muttered, giving a two finger wave as the boys ran off, licking melted chocolate off their fingers. He didn’t really think they were troublemakers and suspected they knew it.

The goats trotted across the street in pursuit of the boys and Brody rested a hand over the steering wheel to wait, his mood lightened.

A flash of red hair caught his attention. Narrowing his eyes, he saw a woman in a colorful sundress and straw panama hat duck around the corner of one of the shops.

With a curse, Brody slammed the Land Rover into drive, twisted the wheel viciously and pulled into an empty parking spot. He climbed out and gave chase. What was Amelia doing going into the back alleys alone? Even in the middle of the day, it was dangerous for a woman alone. Especially an
American
woman with a purse full of traveler’s checks.

Brody rounded the corner and headed down the narrow alley, away from the din of the market. He dodged open doors, which allowed air to move through the shops since there was no air conditioning in Tahua, and weaved around cans of garbage. Amelia moved with purpose ahead of him, the sway of her hips beneath the dress enticing him to stay back and watch.

The scent of smoked fish and yucca bread filled the alley as he passed a restaurant. Brody’s steps faltered as he caught sight of a panama hat inside, his stomach reminding him he hadn’t eaten this morning. Not Amelia.
Dammit.

Sweat rolled between his shoulder blades as he continued his search. Where the hell was she? Reaching the end, he stopped, his irritation rising.