On The Prowl Read Online Free Page B

tread lightly and humor him, or stand up to him and get things moving. There was only one path she could take.
    “Daniel. I appreciate how worried you are, really. But I’m going on. You can stay here. Or you can come along.” She took a step forward, ready to play the card she knew would get him to change his mind.
    “I need someone to watch my back. You know, I can’t really go alone into the jungle.” She would if she needed to, but Daniel was here. And arguing with him was wasting time.
    He shook his head. “As you’d say, low blow. Preying on my innate desire to protect you.” He poked at the ashes and then stood up, too quickly as it turned out, bumping his head on the overhanging rocks. Rubbing his head, he frowned at her.
    “And now I’m injured. So I guess we should get out of here and get on with where we’re going.”
    She chanced a smile, got a grudging one in return. But she knew they’d be fine. They always were.
    The hike to the ruins took them through dense jungle. Daniel’s machete came in handy, as he cut his way through some of the thickest areas. Addison tried to walk ahead on some of the less dense sections, but Daniel insisted on leading the way. She sighed, resigning herself to walking in his shadow. He’d even taken her hand-written map, using his compass to forge a path.
    It was well after lunch when she heard the first footfall behind her. She stopped, looking back, but all she saw was jungle. The air was still, and nothing moved. Ahead she heard Daniel hacking at the greenery. If there was anything making noise behind her, his grunts and swearing obscured it. She turned and followed.
    Not long afterward, Daniel stopped, holding up one hand. She strained to hear what he was hearing. But he turned, giving her a brilliant smile.
    “We’ve reached the ruins. They’re here. Or, rather, there.” He stepped aside and she saw a clearing in the density of their surroundings. She stepped around Daniel, walking toward the opening.
    The ruin appeared rather suddenly. One moment she was walking toward what looked like just a clearing, and the next she was looking down on a vine-covered city, cupped in the valley of two hills. Buildings, clearly Incan, rose up, their walls crumbling, doorways opening into darkness.
    As a scientist, she felt the familiar trill of excitement that she always did when she saw any ruin for the first time. But then the excitement leaked out, replaced with the knowledge that this was where her colleagues—her friends—had lost their lives.
    “Well, we’re on the right track. And we’re not lost.” She turned to Daniel, nodded at the map in his hands. “That is my map you’re holding.”
    He gave that familiar snort of a laugh and shouldered past her. “As much as I dislike the idea, we should think about camping here. You said the orchid is a long way past the ruins.” Pointing at the map, he looked up at the sky.
    “It looks like rain again, and I’d rather be under cover for the night.”
    She wanted to press on, but the sky was darkening dramatically. Reluctantly, she nodded. “We can use one of the smaller rooms, the ones used for storage, for the night. It’ll be easier to heat…”
    “And easier to defend.” He shot her a look that stopped any retort she might have made.
    “Fine. Let’s go then.” She started down the hillside, grabbing vines as she slipped, finally coming to rest near what she thought was the front entrance to the ruins.
    “This wasn’t a major city, just something like a way station, a place to stop between point A and point B.” The ruin had been spotted by a local scientist, who had contacted the Museum. The aerial photos Addison had seen had made it clear it wasn’t a typical city. The fact that it sat at something of a crossroads meant that many different kinds of people had passed through, and with any luck, they’d have left behind evidence of who they were.
    “It’s an odd little collection of buildings.”