Through Ancient Eyes (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 13

  Communication between the two of them was still a little shaky and involved a lot of hand gestures, but they kept at it until she understood there was another doctor in the next village, one who had seen Jake before and would be able to help him. Her suspicion that the boy was extremely bright was well confirmed as his English improved dramatically throughout the course of their hike.

  Danielle vowed that if they ever made it back to the states in one piece Alvaro would receive a welcome invitation, and he would be the first person she was going to choose the next time she got suckered into a game of charades. She also decided she was going to eat as much pizza as possible in one sitting, or maybe hamburgers. Whatever it was, she had never been so hungry in all her life and though Jake had plenty of dried fruit and nuts in his backpack, it didn’t really hit the spot like a hot meal would do.

  That was why she didn’t complain after they got the fire going, and Alvaro pointed over his shoulder at the stream in the distance while pantomiming fishing casts. When the boy was out of sight, she carefully crawled into the back of the wagon to check Jake’s blankets.

  He looked so handsome, his features perfect and relaxed in his restful state, and she desperately wanted to reach out and touch his face with her fingertips. Instead of acting on her impulse and risk waking him, she took the blanket from her own shoulders and arranged it over the two of them while she lay on her back at his side.

  The stars were brilliant. She had seen them on occasion from her loft in Manhattan, maybe just a handful of them, which shone bright and strong through the hazy reflection of civilization that tainted the sky from the city lights.

  When she’d moved to the country it was a shock to see how many stars there really were in the night sky, but nothing compared to this. It was almost like they were on another planet; the vista from her vantage point was clear, colorful and alive in more ways than she could ever have imagined.

  She recognized a few of the constellations and remembered the myths behind each legend. As an adult she would gaze into the distant heavens and wonder how anyone could ever believe a silly set of stars could be a hunter, or even a dragon. Now, as she regarded them from a beautiful mountainside in a nearly pristine landscape largely devoid of human life, she could well understand the plausibility of those ancient, magical tales.

  “When I was a little girl, I used to believe the last real magic left in the world was the magic of true love,” she said not just for Jake’s benefit, but for her own, because her heart truly felt extraordinary at his side.

  “What happened to change your mind?”

  Danielle nearly jumped out of her skin as the heavily accented voice spoke from the head of the cart. The words mocked her and the deep male tones told her right away it wasn’t Alvaro as she sat straight up in the hay, dislodging the blanket she had been sharing with the feverish professor.

  “How touching.” The heavy accent came again as she twisted around to see the perspiring village doctor she had despised so deeply, holding the reins for the passive oxen.

  “What are you doing here?” She tried to pull her thoughts together in a panic, thinking perhaps he had given them the wrong medication and came to rectify the mistake as she tried to logically place his appearance in their camp, before she realized he understood every word she’d just said.

  “You speak English?” she asked him incredulously, staring in disbelief at his black, glittering eyes in the darkness.

  “Of course I speak English, you stupid American twit.”

  She might have argued with him about his insult, but she really was feeling a bit like a twit at the moment. Instead, she cut straight to the point.

  “Then tell me why you are here.”

  He looked at her like she didn’t have the sense God gave a goose before he indulged her with a response.

  “Do you really think the description of the two of you didn’t go out over the wire before you even made it to the village? I knew the price on your head before that pious clergyman sent his boy to fetch me.”

  He came closer to them as he gloated over his victory, and Danielle could smell the scent of old sweat, desperation and uselessness that clung to his swollen form. She knew he was dangerous, because a man who doesn’t have a lot to lose will do anything to score a big win.

  “Why bother to save Professor Wilde if you’re just going to turn us over?”

  “He’s worth ten times more with a pulse, I was told. It’s all I know, but it’s all I need to know.”

  “Did it ever occur to you that perhaps he has some information which could benefit you in the same way it would benefit the person who wants to question us?”

  She was gambling with that statement, she knew it, but the repulsive doctor must have garnered some type of education to practice his feeble medicine, so he might have a shred of intelligent deductive power in there somewhere.

  His black eyes narrowed at the thought she planted in his head, and she could see the greedy wheels turning. Jake Wilde was an archaeologist, after all, and everyone is interested in treasure.

  “Enough of your talk.” He shook his head to clear it. “Either way, you two are coming with me, and either way you two are valuable. I don’t know how you made it as far as you did on your own, but your little expedition ends here.”

  Her eyes flashed from one side of the camp to the other and she realized he was unaware of Alvaro’s presence in their group. The bloated swine thought she had come this far by herself and was patronizing her for it. All that was fine with her, because if Alvaro could get to safety, he could warn Father Alejo about the danger and he could come back with help.

  “You look a little out of shape,” she snapped as she leaped to the edge of the wagon. “I think I can take you.”

  “You might, that’s true.” He smiled a wicked grin, full of nauseating promise. “But I don’t think you can take my friends.”

  She heard the click of the revolvers before she saw his little band of thieves emerge from the shadows.

  Danielle still might have risked it, but one of his men stood very close to Jake, and the thug held his gun recklessly near the sleeping professor’s head as he lounged against the rickety wooden side of the cart.

  “Fine, we’ll go with you. Just back your people off, ok?”

  “You never had a choice,” the doctor said grimly, gesturing at the man nearest to her position.

  The scent of rotten leather and dingy cloth enveloped her senses as a huge mitt of a hand covered her mouth so she couldn’t scream. She briefly wondered who would even hear her voice if she could call out, but she didn’t want to chance it. Alvaro might hear from a distance and stumble into the same trap she had fallen for.

  Danielle quickly decided the best course of action was to play along for now. The doctor wanted them alive if at all possible, and she was going to make sure they stayed that way. Even if they were turned over to Britton for the reward, she was certain he’d keep them with his party until he got what he wanted. He’d have the silver mask, finally, but there had to be more to it and he must think Jake knew what it was.

  “Let’s go for a ride, girl,” the doctor said gruffly, pushing her face down into the hay next to Jake while he roughly tied her hands behind her back. She tolerated his callous treatment as best she could, because any effort to fight back would have jostled her unconscious companion or possibly caused him harm. She quickly turned to her side the moment he released her and settled a cold glare in his direction, but it was met with a salacious leer that left her more than a little uncomfortable.

  The doctor apparently had a little more on his mind than money, and though the thought of any kind of attention from him made her ill, it was good to know he could be distracted if necessary. She rode on in silence, not bothering to ask where he was taking them. It was unlikely he’d answer, and she didn’t want to engage him in conversation until it was absolutely necessary and she had some kind of plan to go on.

  For the moment, her hope was wit
h Alvaro and the knowledge he had gotten away.

  * * * *

  “It’s not the Ritz of, course. All you Americans are so spoiled, but you could at least thank me for my hospitality.”

  The interior of the tent smelled musty, like it had been put away wet and left to mildew over a long period of time. Her captor had left a glowing lamp inside the empty dome and nothing else at all, though the seemingly kind gesture was more likely an attempt to watch the movements of her shadow when she was alone, in the event she should try to escape.

  “I have the men roasting fresh fish on the fire as we speak.” He stood outside, half hunched at the opening flap of the tent.

  Danielle didn’t doubt his words. Her mouth watered despite her determination to quell her hunger when the scent carried in on the breeze.

  “You didn’t move Mr. Wilde from the cart, did you? You ought to know he’s really in no condition.” She tried to sound clinical as she questioned, but his grin let her know he was aware of her real concern.

  “You are a beautiful woman. I knew it the first moment I saw you in the church.” He boldly came all the way into small tent. “Perhaps we can exchange a little information between ourselves and everyone might come out of this…satisfied?”

  She desperately tried to repress the vomit her stomach automatically ejected into her mouth, and was successful enough that she was able to cover her real feelings long enough to draw a deep breath and respond.

  “You know, you’re right. I’d love to get a glass of wine if you have any at camp.” She smiled widely and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “It’s been so long since I’ve had anything decent to drink in this God-forsaken country, and it seems to me an important man like you would have a nice bottle or two.”

  His eyes widened at her request, and she hoped he wasn’t any smarter than she gave him credit for.

  “You are wiser than I thought you’d be.” He sounded smug as he placed his thumbs in his belt loops and nodded at her sitting figure with approval.

  “I’ll be back shortly, and I’ll give you everything you deserve.”

  “I hope that’s true,” Danielle whispered under her breath, thinking his opinion of what she should get probably differed greatly from her own.

  He left the flap unzipped, probably because he intended to return in a hurry. The fire at the center of camp blazed with no regard for a low profile and she wondered how long they had before Britton Majers came upon their location.

  She thought about inching toward the opening in the tent, perhaps even slipping outside if the way looked clear, but her hands were still securely bound behind her back. Even if she were able to escape, she would be of little use in her present condition. Her only hope lay with the disgusting advances of the treacherous doctor. She prayed she could keep up the ruse long enough to gain a tiny bit of freedom, but her stomach turned at the thought of his intentions.

  Danielle barely began to consider her options when the bulky shadow of the doctor fell across the front of her vinyl prison, and she immediately ceased the struggle against her bonds. She noticed he had removed his jacket and changed into a yellowed, old linen tunic, nestled underneath red suspenders that must have been the only thing holding up his trousers because the waistband could not possibly encircle his massive girth. He had slicked back his greasy black hair, but the dark, dirty looking stubble on his face remained.

  “This bottle of wine is from Argentina.” His face split into a wide, self satisfied grin. “It’s always a favorite with the ladies.”

  Danielle had a moment to wonder what type of ladies he could possibly be entertaining, or how much they might cost, before he was looming over her in the small space. Even though she had tried to prepare for his advances, she instinctively stiffened as he brought one meaty paw forward to clumsily stroke her hair.

  “I’m not a fool, stupid girl,” he growled under his breath, sensing her reticence. It stank of stale beer and tobacco, which made it all that much more difficult to turn to him and soften her expression.

  “It’s just that you changed into a nice outfit, and here I am, still in my dusty old travel clothes.” She did her best to look ashamed of her disheveled state.

  “It didn’t really matter how I looked before, I really wasn’t around anyone important. But now that you have gone to all this trouble yourself, I wish I had on one of my silky, little short dresses that I keep in my bag.”

  Fortunately he was a fool, with a lofty ego to boot, so he quickly took the bait.

  “I should have known you’d want to freshen up before you spent some time with me.” He leered in anticipation. “Why don’t you come over to my tent and go through your bags? We have much more room in there to…move around, anyway, if you get my meaning.”

  Danielle certainly did get his meaning. The boisterous cheers and off color remarks coming from his ragged companions around the campfire as they made their way across the compound drove his point home.

  His tent was much larger and contained a few necessary furnishings, though her attention immediately fell on a pile in the corner which consisted of her purse, their bags and the hard shelled case that she prayed still contained the silver mask. It didn’t look as if anything had been rifled through, and she considered Britton would have been very specific about that.

  Her momentary joy abruptly ended when he came up behind her, setting his fat, grimy palms on her shoulders. He ran his fingers down her arms, rubbing in excited little spurts as his breathing began to escalate.

  “You like that?” he panted in her ear, and though his actions made her cringe on the inside, they actually facilitated the return of some of the circulation to her hands and fingers.

  She nodded to him in response, afraid if she verbally answered his question her voice would be filled with the repulsion she was so desperately struggling to hide.

  Danielle was so focused on controlling her reactions that she barely noticed when he cut her bonds and freed her movements.

  “You get ready, baby,” he whispered with his thick accent one last time in her ear. “I’m tired of waiting.”

  Even if she had a new dress to change into, she wouldn’t have given him the pleasure of watching her disrobe. Her hands were free at least, the main thing she had wanted to accomplish, and she could only hope her captor was as greedy as he seemed. The next part of her plan hinged on it, as she slowly moved away from his wandering paws to the corner where their things sat.

  “I think I can show you something you’d like a lot better than my new clothes.”

  Danielle laid her hands on the case, her fingers still numb from their bindings, but she succeeded in wrapping them around the handle.

  “No tricks!” the doctor said behind her back as he roughly grabbed her right arm, dragging her to her feet and ignoring her cry of pain as his fingers dug cruelly into her soft flesh.

  “Half the reward money went into my account before we left,” he growled menacingly. “The other half will arrive as soon as the boss does and he sees that everything is left undisturbed. He said there is a cursed object in the case, a fatal curse that caused the fever in your friend out there. Maybe he’s bluffing, maybe he’s not. The balance of the reward is enough for me to believe.”

  “You’re a learned man of medicine…at least, I think you are. Are you really going to let some superstitious story prevent you from seeing what I have inside this carrier? Has it occurred to you that maybe your boss wants you to keep Mr. Wilde alive because he’s the only person who knows how to get more and you’re going to hand him over for a pittance, compared to what you could gain?”

  He regarded her with interest after her lengthy speech, and she could see the wheels turning behind his watery brown eyes. She was taking a big gamble, playing with this dangerous man in such a way, but if he understood Jake was the only person who knew the location of the treasure he’d surely keep him alive for the time being.

  He released her arm with a shove that caused her to stumble ba
ck a few feet. She was relieved to put even a little distance between herself and the offensive man in front of her, until he pulled a pistol out of the waistband of his trousers and pointed it directly at her face.

  “You open the case, girl. You’re gonna show me what you got, one way or the other.” He smirked at his clever remark, and she did the best she could to steady her shaking hands. She wasn’t about to show him any fear, he didn’t deserve it, so she kneeled on the ground, working the latches with forced confidence.

  The lid snapped open to reveal the black mass of velvet along the bottom, and for a moment she thought someone else might have removed it ahead of her. With careful movements she pulled the fabric out in waves until she felt the weight of the mask shift inside the wrapping.

  “Get on with it.” He cocked the gun impatiently, waving it with a careless gesture in her direction.

  She tugged the last remnant of the wrapping free and though she told herself she wouldn’t look at the mask when it was exposed, she was compelled to see it one more time.

  A cold, blue light radiated from the surface, and she heard the rattle of the gun in her captor’s hand as he began to shake uncontrollably.

  He whispered something under his breath in Spanish, and when she didn’t respond, he shoved her onto the ground in front of the case.

  “You pick it up first,” he translated as he grabbed a fistful of her hair with his free hand, perhaps thinking that if there was a curse, she’d get the brunt of it.

  He hadn’t needed to instruct her. She discovered her hands were reaching for the mystical relic before he got the last word out. The soft light crept outward as she neared the surface of the flawless metal and spread from her fingertips to her hands before she made contact.

  Her current environment, the doctor, the tent and all the sense of danger around her became surreal as her palms fell on the exquisitely carved features of the smooth metal.

  His violating fingers in her hair disappeared as the unearthly glow enveloped her prone figure. All her surroundings faded into the light, and she knew she was wearing the mask.