Chapter 9

After showeringfor the second time that day, Ty joined the small group gathered in the mess tent.

Gunn sat scarfing down Cookie's delicious dinner while Cara sat, holding a mug of something hot between her hands.

When Cookie saw him, she quickly jumped up from her seat. "Can I get you some leftovers?"

Ty looked at Gunn's plate. He really shouldn't be able to eat—not after what he'd just seen and done, but the ceviche had been delicious. "You know, I wouldn't mind—but half of what you gave him."

She smiled and hurried away.

Ty sat beside Cara and then stretched his neck from left to right.

"That bad?" she said softly.

He gave her a curt nod. "Give me a minute, and I'll tell you all about it."

The microwave beeped, and Cookie returned. She set a steaming plate in front of Ty. "I'll leave you all alone. I know you guys need to talk."

Ty shook his head. "You may as well stay, Cookie."

Her face lit up. "Am I in the circle of trust?"

Gunn's shoulders shook. "Love that movie."

Ty shook his head. "Gunn's been read in on everything we knew until today."

Cookie slowly raised her hand. "But I haven't."

Ty glanced at Cara. "I guess we should start with the fact I'm not really Cara's boyfriend."

"He wasn't," Cara clarified.

"He is now?" Gunn asked, his eyebrows rising.

Ty gave him a quelling glare.

"Ah," Gunn said. "You've been struck by the Brotherhood cupid. You know, first missions who are gorgeous women…"

Ty groaned. "Shut up, Gunn."

Gunn mashed his lips together.

Cookie glanced at Cara, then Ty. "Missions? Explain?"

"I was hired to protect her," Ty said. "My brother's responsible for getting me involved. He called me, knowing I work for the Brotherhood Protectors, which is made up of ex-service members, mostly spec ops types. We provide protective services. After your student Duncan was kidnapped, he was worried about Cara."

"But not Roy?" Cookie said.

Ty cleared his throat. "I know it's not PC, but she's a woman, plus she tends to wander far from the site when she's going on supply runs—he was worried. My boss offered to send me down to provide protection. I arrived and pretended to be her boyfriend so no one would question why I was here."

"Great act," Cookie said, then gave Cara a wink.

"He was inspired," Cara said, her tone droll.

Ty shook his head. "Get serious."

"Of course," Cara said, wiping away her smile.

Cookie sat up straighter.

"Yesterday, I installed cameras around this camp when the guys left to head to the pyramid?—"

"Pyramid?" Gunn said.

"Jesus, Gunn. Hold your piss. We'll get there." He drew a breath. "Anyway, I accompanied Cara to Ma'ax on a supply run yesterday. On the way back, we almost plowed into a tree that had been dropped on the road."

"As in…deliberately?" Cookie asked.

"Someone took a chainsaw to it," Cara said, nodding. "It's why it took so long for us to get back. I hit reverse to get out of there in case anyone was waiting in the trees; then we had to backtrack and take another route."

"And you think the blockade wasn't random?"

Cara shrugged. "Maybe it was someone looking to rob whoever came along, but I don't believe in coincidences. There's more."

"Last night," Ty continued, "I played back the feed from the cameras I installed and observed two intruders sneaking into the professors' tent—or just one of them, the other stood watch. They weren't there long and didn't appear to carry anything out, so I had a look inside after everyone left for the worksite this morning. I think the intruders were interested in reading Professor Beacham's journal to see where they were in the excavations. I didn't know why that would be until later today."

Cara leaned forward. "While Roy and Paulo were running their Ground Penetrating Radar machine at the site—it's something they use to find underground chambers—we all observed what looked like three bodies inside a chamber. Next to them was a very modern shovel."

"So, not mummies…" Cookie murmured. "Shit."

"No, not mummies," Ty said. "Tonight, Paulo and I went to the site under cover of darkness."

"Wait," Cookie said. "Is that why Roy was so hot to send Raul back so soon with artifacts? So you two could sneak out while they were packing?"

"Yes," Ty said, giving her a crooked grin. "She's sharp," he said to Cara.

"Yes, she is."

"So, that catches everyone up until what went down tonight," Ty said. "Today, after we realized there were bodies in the pyramid, I called my boss to ask for another asset to help cover both this camp and the ruins."

"That would be me," Gunn said with a little wave.

"You're a bodyguard," Cookie said. "Is it possible to be any sexier?"

Gunn grinned. "Sorry, I'm taken."

"Right, that Brotherhood cupid. There's gotta be a story…"

"There is, if you love polar bears and the Arctic Ocean."

"Seriously?" Ty said, glaring at them both. "Paulo and I found an opening that had been dug into the side of the pyramid at ground level—likely by looters at some point. We found the bodies. There's no doubt they're kind of recent—not ancient. Bullets killed them. They were executed. I took samples from their bodies so someone can run DNA, and I found some pills under one of the bodies. I'm thinking it's fentanyl."

"So, this is cartel-related?" Cookie said.

"Looks like it."

"Well, shit," Cookie said. "I'd rather face another jaguar strolling through camp than have the cartel roaming the woods. What do we do now?"

"I'm waiting to hear from my boss about who I should give the evidence I collected to. The professors have to hurry up with closing down the site, and law enforcement needs to get their asses out here. It can't happen soon enough. In the meantime, everyone has to stay alert."

They were all quiet for a moment.

Gunn cleared his throat. "What is this stuff?" he asked, lifting the hard tortilla with the spicy mix of vegetables and shrimp.

"Do you like it?" Cookie asked. "It's called ceviche. I'm surprised you can taste it with as much hot sauce as you smothered it with."

"It's delicious."

Cara watched as Ty lifted his, took a bite, and placed it on his plate again. "Cookie's gonna give me the recipe," he said, although he looked as though he didn't want to take another bite.

"Maddie would love it," Gunn said.

Cara placed her hand on Ty's thigh and gave him a squeeze.

His head turned toward her.

She didn't say anything, just leaned against his arm, giving him whatever comfort she could. It couldn't have been easy witnessing the scene he had.

Gunn and Ty began talking about what was happening back in West Yellowstone. Gunn caught him up on what his Eagle teammates were working on. Slowly, Ty began consuming the meal in front of him.

"Things still going strong for Corbin and Gretta?" Ty asked.

Gunn smiled. "Yeah. She's back working at the gun range. Corbin's always walking around with a smile the size of Montana on his face."

Ty's glance went down to Cara. "Glad he's happy."

She thought maybe he was thinking of how "happy" he'd felt earlier that day.

The men finished eating. Cara and Cookie picked up their dishes.

"Not because it's women's work," Cara said, glaring at them both.

"No, but it is mine," Cookie said, then turned to Cara. "What's your excuse?"

"Thought I'd leave them a second of privacy if they needed it."

Cookie turned on the spigot on the sink and began to wash the plates and utensils. "If you like, I'll get Gunn settled in a tent. I was thinking of giving him the one next to mine—not because I'm going to hit on him—but because I'd kind of like having someone like him nearby in case shit goes down."

"That would be great—and yes, I'd feel better if he was near you as well. Not that we're all that spread out."

"Just remember, sound carries in the dark," she teased.

Cara shoved her arm.

Cookie chuckled as Cara turned to make her way back to the guys.

They both stood.

"Cookie is going to show you where you can bed down," she told Gunn.

"I'll take you by the latrines and shower tent, too," Cookie called out as she walked toward them.

Gunn gave her a nod, then lifted his fist to bump it against Ty's. "See you in the morning."

Then Ty reached for Cara's hand and held it as they left the tent and their friends behind.

She bumped his shoulder with hers. "What did you do with your evidence?" she whispered.

"It's in my locker—and it's double-bagged."

They arrived at the tent and entered. Ty didn't lower the outer flap, so they had the meager light from the tiki torches as they grabbed water bottles and toothbrushes.

"This feels so domestic," Cara said as she held out her toothbrush for him to load it with paste.

They brushed and then went back inside. Cara lit her citronella candle. Ty lowered the outer flap this time, and they commenced stripping for bed.

Cara paused after she'd toed off her boots, wondering if Ty would give her a hint of what he hoped would happen that night. Yes, sex would be challenging, given the fact everyone around them was quiet, but it was not impossible.

His head turned her way, and he shoved down his cargo shorts.

Question answered, she quickly pulled her tee over her head, unhooked her bra, and shimmied it down her arms, and then she shoved down her shorts so that, now, she stood nude in the candlelit tent.

He snagged the sleeping bag from his cot, shook it out in the center of the floor, and then held out his hand. She allowed him to draw her downward, arranging her in the center of the bag. Then he moved over her, first opening her thighs with a nudge from a knee and settling between her legs.

"This okay with you?" he whispered.

"I wouldn't be butt naked on the ground if it wasn't."

"Think if I keep my mouth on yours, we can be quiet enough?"

"Only if you don't get too slap-happy," she said, then grinned.

He pressed his mouth against her shoulder as his shoulders shook.

She didn't wait for him to initiate the action. Her hands went straight for the small of his back and smoothed lower. He came up on one arm and dropped something on her chest. She lifted one hand from his ass and picked up the condom he'd dropped on her skin.

"I want your hands on me," he said.

Lord, the man needed to stop talking. He'd already convinced her he was the sexiest man alive.

She opened the packet and efficiently rolled it down his engorged shaft. Then she plucked the tip to make sure there was room.

"You finished?" he asked, staring down at her fingers still smoothing the latex.

"Just admiring my work."

"Since you're already there, put me inside you."

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, then raised her knees, tilted her pelvis, and placed the tip at her entrance.

"I'll go slow since I didn't do a thing to get you ready," he said, his voice a quiet growl.

Her gaze rose to lock with his. "Me being ready isn't a problem."

"Is that right?"

She swirled her hips and lifted them, taking more of him inside her. "Does it feel like there's a problem?"

His hips flexed, thrusting his cock deeper inside her. "Fuck, no," he said with a soft groan. "This is gonna be hard."

She snickered. "It already is."

"No, I meant keeping quiet."

She undulated her hips. "Maybe we could just rub against each other. Might be enough for me."

"Shallow thrusts," he whispered. "Can't slap."

"Grind," she said, the word stretching because she was straining to do it.

They pressed together and apart. Friction built slowly. Below, her inner muscles clenched and released, not by her volition.

Sweat eased the slide of their bodies together and apart, and they quickened their shallow movements.

"There, almost…" She thrust back her head and gasped.

He gave a quiet groan and jerked inside her.

They grew still, bodies relaxing.

"We can't sleep on the ground," he said, kissing her cheek and then taking her mouth.

She pulled away from the kiss. "Who says?"

"It's too hard. You'll wake up with a backache."

"That's only if I sleep on the bottom."

His teeth gleamed in the candlelight, and he rolled them carefully, keeping them both atop the sleeping bag.

She nestled her chest against his, placed her head on his shoulder, and dropped her calves to the ground so that she straddled his lower body. "This is nice. Are you sure I'm not crushing you?"

"I'll survive," he whispered in her ear.

"We should probably get rid of the condom."

"Later." His hand pressed on her bottom so they maintained their connection.

"I like your friend," she said sleepily.

"You will like my team." His voice faded.

Her heart skittered. He'd said, You will.