With its stained-glass dome above an open lobby surrounded by ornate wrought-iron balconies, the five-star luxury Gran Hotel was beautiful. A crystal chandelier hung over the entry as they made their way inside and were checked into the roomy master suite Maggie had reserved for them.

The spectacular view of the Zócalo, with its magnificent Metropolitan Cathedral and the Palacio de Hiero Centro, distracted Abby for a while, but by nightfall their encounter with whoever was following them kept her on edge, and even Gage’s skillful lovemaking in a spectacular four-poster bed couldn’t put Abby to sleep.

Sometime near dawn, she dozed for a couple of hours, then opened her eyes when she heard the shower running and realized Gage was already awake and preparing for the day ahead.

She passed him on his way out of the bathroom, went in to shower, then dressed in the apricot skirt suit and cream silk blouse she had brought for their meeting with Victor Luego Alamán.

Grabbing her small leather clutch, she walked into the living room to see Gage dressed in an expensively tailored dark blue suit, white shirt, and red and yellow tie. With his height and broad shoulders, he exuded power and authority, exactly his intention, and Abby felt an embarrassing shot of lust.

The corner of Gage’s mouth tipped up. “I wish I had time for what you’re thinking. I’ll make up for it when we get to Mérida.”

Warm color flooded her cheeks. Pride demanded she ignore him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m ready whenever you are.”

He grinned. When he noticed her business attire, his dark brown eyebrows drew together. “I’m sorry, Abby, this is something I have to do alone. If Alamán agrees to our terms and gets us the permissions we need, we’ll be paying him a substantial fee for his efforts. Taking a bribe isn’t something he’s going to want to do in front of a witness.”

Inwardly, she sighed, surprised she hadn’t thought of that herself. “It makes sense, but surely there’s something I can do to help.”

“If the deal goes down, we can head for Mérida. I’m already packed. I’ll text you as soon as I know what’s going on. If it’s good news, you can call the airlines and change our flight.”

“All right, I’ll take care of it.”

“And stay in the room. If you’re hungry, order room service. If they know about the treasure, whoever was following us might come after you for information. I don’t want to take any chances.”

Her stomach did a roll. Kidnapping was a constant problem in third-world countries, even a developing country like Mexico.

She walked over and pressed a soft kiss on his lips. “Good luck with Alamán.”