The veteran Shepherd and Florida native shrugged. “Not really. It’s kinda a hassle. Edgewater’s got everything I need—good fishing, Dustin’s Bar-B-Q, and Daytona Beach. Other than Nashville, that’s the only place I really care to be .”

“That’s a very Eli thing to say,” Bex said.

“Just being honest,” Eli said. “But hey, Bex, knock yourself out, keep reading. I’m happy to hear anything you wanna tell me about this place.”

“Well,” Bex said happily, having been given free rein to geek out, “according to this, Cuzco was founded in 1100 AD by Manco Capac, the first Incan ruler. It became the capital city of the empire, and they believed spiritual lines of power, or ceques, radiated out from here. Oh, and here’s a fun fact: it says that the Incans considered Cuzco to be ‘the navel of the world.’”

“Hold on,” Eli said with a chuckle. “You’re telling me this place is the Earth’s belly button?”

“Apparently,” Bex said.

“So if we’re inside it, what does that make us?” Nisha said.

“Belly button lint?” Jed offered.

Eli’s laughter at the joke was so contagious it got them all going.

“I think the high altitude is making us all slaphappy,” Nisha said.

“I think you’re right—that and lack of sleep,” Bex said, wiping tears from her cheeks as they all settled down.

Jed smiled and shook his head. He’d been blessed with an incredible team. Ben had let him decide who from Joshua Bravo would travel on this mission, and it had been a tough decision.

Leaving Johnny behind, however—that part had been easy. Jed had dropped the exasperating Shepherd from his short list first, unwilling to suffer Johnny’s incessant second-guessing and snide comments. After Rome, Jed knew he had to figure out a long-term solution for managing the talented operator who was letting his resentment of Jed’s promotion to team leader affect his work. Ignoring the problem and leaving Johnny behind would only make things worse. He’d have to do something soon—but what?

He pushed the thoughts aside for another time.

With fits and spurts, the bus navigated midday traffic along Cuzco’s main thoroughfare, traffic which Jed noticed was barely regulated. When they finally arrived at their hotel, Palacio del Inka, Jed couldn’t get out fast enough. He stepped off the cramped minibus into the cool mountain air and immediately stretched his back. While he twisted at the waist to work out the kinks, a young woman—mid- to late twenties—marched straight up to him and stuck out her hand.