Chapter 26

Stefan surveyed the ditch as it cascaded down the mountain. Piles of organic material that wasn't natural to the forest—the rotting rinds of fruits and vegetables, disintegrating paper and grease—littered the area, but the tree cover was less intense, allowing bugs and animals and rain to pound down on the detritus, returning it to the earth. There were other more permanent junk items as well. Utensils and clothing mostly, nothing of value.

"No way are we going to find something legit here," Nicki said, coming up beside him. "They're not stupid. This could be anyone's junk."

"Agreed. The fact that it's here, though, lends credence to someone living in the warehouse. Not that anyone would necessarily listen to that proof unless we were in the midst of an international incident."

"Still." Nicki peered off into the trees. "If this is where they're dumping stuff, it has to be the shortest distance to the warehouse, right? I mean, wouldn't they cut a path of literal least resistance?"

"They would." Stefan stood and bent into the foliage. "They wouldn't be dumping anything in broad daylight, either."

Silently, they moved out of the ditch and into the thick underbrush, following a trail beaten down by what appeared to be months of travel back and forth. The warehouse was only a hundred feet into the brush, the fence not gated but bent back and secured with thick twine, making a makeshift opening.

"Not very secure."

"It is if no one knows it's here." Stefan pointed past the opening. More foliage loomed beyond the fence, the jungle ever encroaching, and then a flat asphalt drive and an equally blank wall. "If the workers never saw anyone dumping the trash, they wouldn't have any reason to suspect this is here. And no gate saves the need to either explain why there's a gate here in the first place, or to entrust your guards with keys that they'll inevitably lose. With this setup, they can rescue the fencing as necessary, no one the wiser. The entire building and fence line will be torn down soon enough, I suspect, as construction ramps up on the ruins."

Nicki poked at the fence. "Should we go in?"

"I don't think so," Stefan said. "Still not enough proof that there's anything on the other side, and we'd be seen if that courtyard is open to the sky. But…" he smiled. "This definitely argues for no dogs. They'd never leave this open if losing dogs were a concern."

Ari was close. Stefan knew it. Still, he forced himself to remain calm as he and Nicki traced their way back to the main ditch, then kicked at a few more mounds of trash. Bugs skittered away, but nothing more useful revealed itself.

"I say we go down," she said, scanning the trail. "We need to know where this ends up, and what kind of climbing we'd need to do." She flashed him a quick smile. "You know, hypothetically."

The ditch went on for another few hundred feet before the cliff wall that had been evident below the warehouse showed its face. The ground dropped off precipitously into maybe a thirty-foot drop. Nicki peered over the edge, but there was no denying the delight on her face.

"Not really worth ropes," she shrugged. "How're your free climbing skills?"

"Adequate," Stefan said. "A descent isn't necessary, though. We don't know where that bottoms out."

"True." She picked up a good-sized rock, leaned further over the edge and dropped it. They heard the crashing of tree branches, then a distant splash. "Water," she said. "Not deep. Probably where the ditch drains. Maybe houses beyond it, but I bet it's a shared ravine system, probably more trash in it—yard waste, scraps, that kind of thing."

"Snakes, bugs," he said. "Rodents."

"Excellent." She squatted down and surveyed the rocky outcropping. "Seriously, they might as well have cut stairs into this thing. Totally no big deal." She rolled back up to her feet and turned to him. "You up for it?"

They went over the side minutes later, their feet clad in climbing shoes, and ropes attached to their belts in case they were needed.

As Nicki had predicted, the ridge was thick with crags and handholds, and the cliff face angled out slightly, offering a gentler grade than straight down. Gravity was also on their side, allowing them to scramble more quickly than an upward climb would allow. As he'd seen before, Nicki proved to be a fast and nimble climber—better than him at discerning footholds and ledges. She went first and proved her value by calling out the path in a low, clipped voice. It took the guesswork out of the descent, and within a few minutes, they were hovering over a small stream.

"Not deep," she said. "But the rocks could be slippery."

Stefan peered down as well. "To the right?"

She nodded, and he noted the leaves and dirt tangled in her hair. She seemed completely oblivious to them as she glanced back at him and grinned. Then she was off the wall, dropping in a crouch with a small splash, making sure her feet were steady before she moved out of the small stream.

"That hurt like a bitch." She laughed. "Hang down closer to the ground, and bend your knees more. There's not enough water to give you any sort of cushion."

He moved down quickly, following her direction. "You're injured?"

"Eh, not really." She was sitting on the grass, working off her shoes. She rotated her ankles and gave him the thumbs up. "Jarred me, that's all. And thank God we've got dry socks and shoes. Because it'd be a long soggy walk back to the street otherwise.

They changed and headed out of the woods, but there was no denying that Nicki wasn't moving as fast. "You are injured," Stefan said as they cleared another stand of underbrush. They were in a shallow ravine behind a row of brightly painted cottages, but they could see a cobblestoned street above. "I should call a car."

"You should shut up and let me get out of the forest. I'm fine," Nicki said, her tone unusually tight. "Quit lagging. I need you to stamp down the brush or I'd set the pace."

He turned back, not fooled by her vocal bravado. Her stride appeared steady, though, and they made it to the street quickly enough. From there, they hiked toward the center of town, and the moment Stefan saw a cab, he hailed it despite Nicki's protests. She wasn't limping, but she was…off.

In the cab, she leaned back against the seat, rolling her eyes as they set off. "I'm fine," she said. "You worry too much."

"It's an occupational habit."

She snorted. "One you've honed over a long, long time."

"So, you should trust my instincts."

"Yeah, yeah."

When they reached the hotel, she exited the vehicle with surprising speed and Stefan quirked a glance at her. "You're better. That was fast."

"I told you I was okay." She grimaced down at herself as they stood on the front steps of their hotel. "But I'm not gonna lie. I'm a little gross. We totally just climbed through a garbage dump. You know that, right? Even if it was a really nice one."

He laughed, gesturing her up the stairs. "I need a shower as well. And I can arrange for our medic to see you."

"Oh for God's sake, Stefan!" Nicki stamped ahead of him, clearly recovered, but with a speed that didn't make sense to him. "I'm fine. I would tell you if I was hurt, and I'm not hurt. I'm good. I stink, but I'm good."

"Perhaps." Smiling at her groan, he watched her as she crossed the lobby and punched the elevator button.

When they reached their rooms, he addressed the neatly outfitted guard who stood at attention inside Nicki's room. "Any issues? Visitors?"

"No sir," the operative said. "A sleepy day in Ala?ati."

"Good," Stefan nodded as Nicki moved out of earshot, and focused on his man. The operative's face had changed subtly.

"Everyone's back aboard the yacht, sir, and ready for your orders. Tonight?"

"No," Stefan said. "The official tour isn't until tomorrow, and if we find anything in our recon, we'll need to leave quickly. But unless I miss my guess, we're stable until tomorrow. You find out anything else?"

"We've pulled out of the parks and surveyed from a distance. The squatters keep to themselves. They took the money and blankets and supplies, then vanished back wherever they came. I don't think we'll have any trouble there."

"Good." Stefan glanced back to the door that led to Nicki's sleeping area. Nicki had already turned the shower on. "I need eyes on the excavation site, as much information as we can get. Security should be light—no more than three men, standard weaponry. If you see anything more involved, notify me immediately."

The man stepped away and Stefan secured the hotel door, then considered the second closed door between him and Nicki. Something was definitely unsettled about her, and he was determined to find out what.