Truth was, she did. Which put her in grave danger. Abby and everyone else involved in the search. Until the gold was found and brought out—or they gave up and left Mexico—they needed to be on constant alert.

“Two men posing as waiters came into the room while I was away from the hotel,” Gage explained as he and Mateo loaded the luggage into the back of the Hummer. “They were after Abby.” Turning, he caught her chin and moved her face to display the dark bruise on her jaw.

Mateo frowned.

“I got back in time, or they would have succeeded,” Gage said. “I’m damned glad Edge is here.”

“Sí, your brother arrived well-prepared.”

After his years in Special Forces, Edge never did anything without being prepared. There was no way to tell just how much opposition they would be facing before this was over. Or how far their pursuers would be willing to go.

They climbed into the Hummer. With Mateo at the wheel, they left the airport and took Mexico/261 to Mexico/180E for the hour-long drive out of Mérida, a city with one of Mexico’s largest populations, half of which was of Mayan descent.

Gage had chosen to stay at the historic Hacienda San José, an upscale boutique hotel, because it had been one of the oldest sisal plantations in the Yucatán and was located not far from the ruins. There were hundreds of haciendas in Mexico, some still beautifully maintained, others falling into disrepair or almost totally gone.

Though the Hacienda San José had been completely remodeled, its historical aspects hadn’t been altered. Gage figured it would give them some sense of what the original Peralta plantation might have looked like before it descended into ruins.

At the last minute, he’d had Maggie extend the reservation, giving any interested party the illusion that the hacienda was their headquarters for the search.

Instead, they would be taking rooms in what barely passed for lodgings about an hour’s drive away, in the tiny town of Alux’ob, the Mayan name for the spirits the locals believed inhabited the area—small invisible creatures who supposedly whistled to scare off predators or thieves.

Fitting, Gage thought, considering what they had come to retrieve.

The Hummer turned off the main highway onto a narrow road lined with lush green tropical vegetation. Vines covered stone archways, and palm trees sprouted alongside the road.

The vehicle continued to the hotel, and Mateo pulled to a stop in front. Gage helped Abby down from the Hummer, his insides tightening as his gaze snagged on the spreading dark spot on her jaw.

As much as he’d wanted to call the police, there was no way he could. Too many people knew about the expedition as it was.