Chapter 23

 

Julia, Elle and Patricia were sitting in a dark booth in the back of Cusco’s Irish bar. The place was crowded with tourists who were seeking food from home and like-minded travellers. There was a soccer game playing on the massive screen behind the bar, and the patrons were very vocal in their support for each team. Through it all, the women sat with one eye on the doors and the other on Elle’s laptop, where they were working to decode the last of the images on the mummy’s textiles.

After listening to her gran and Elle talking about the decoding process for hours, Julia had come to a few conclusions. First, Patricia was never going to decode the map by the time Esteban called the following morning. Second, Ed had probably told Esteban about their plan to con him with fake treasure, rendering that option useless. And third, they no longer had a mummy to trade.

Basically, they were stuffed.

“Stop worrying,” her gran said. “He’ll be here soon.”

“I know.” Joe had texted her to say he was on his way, but had to get cleaned up first.

Julia hadn’t shared the last part of the message because she feared that he didn’t mean he had to wash off a little mud.

Her eyes drifted towards the door again, although it was getting hard to see the entrance now that the bar was filling up. They’d been watching for Esteban’s men since they sat down, which was ludicrous, because none of them knew what the men looked like—except in the surveillance photos Elle had dug up online. But Julia figured that anyone who came into the bar and wasn’t wearing Gore-Tex and fleece was probably suspicious.

She saw the door open. The crowd parted for the newcomers, as though a sea parting for Moses. And Julia knew. Her heart sped up, her nerve endings tingled and she knew. Then the bodies thinned and he was there.

“Joe!”

Julia was out of her seat and running to him before she could think. For once in her life, she wasn’t afraid about being the centre of attention. All she cared about was that Joe was there and he was safe.

She launched herself at him, her arms going around his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist. He caught her without hesitation and held her tight.

“I was so worried,” she said against his throat, breathing in the scent that was only Joe.

A large hand ran down her back. “We’re okay, baby. You can rest easy now.”

Julia leaned back to look up at him. “Ed?”

His face became stone, his eyes dark pools of pain. “He’s dead.”

“Oh, Joe,” she whispered, devastated at the news of the man she’d grown fond of. The man she’d thought was a friend.

She wrapped her arms back around him, giving what comfort she could. He stroked her back and nuzzled at her temple.

“Oi, lovebirds.” Ryan appeared beside them. “You’re blocking the path to the bar.”

Julia looked around her and blushed. She was greeted by several smiling faces. And then she remembered she was supposed to be in hiding. “Oh, no. We were trying not to attract attention.”

“Yeah,” Ryan said. “Well, that’s the way to do it. Come on. We need to get the other two witches.”

“Hey!” Julia smacked him on the chest. Her eyes went wide, and she wasn’t sure who was more astonished, her or Ryan.

He grinned wickedly. “Would you prefer I call you Charlie’s Angels instead?”

“Next time,” Joe said, “hit him harder.”

When they got back to Elle and Patricia, Julia beamed. “Joe’s okay.”

“So I see.” Her gran gave her an indulgent smile.

“So am I,” Ryan said. “In case anyone was wondering.”

Patricia looked behind Joe. “Where are Callum and Ed?”

Julia tensed and felt Joe do the same.

“Callum’s back at the new hotel. We’ll fill you in on everyone and everything when we get there.” Ryan made a circular gesture with his finger. “The walls have ears. Pack up, ladies.” He looked at Joe. “Have I got time to get some burgers to go?”

“No.”

“You are a crap partner.” Ryan pouted, his eyes on a plate loaded with a burger and fries that was being carried to a table near them.

“You can get food at the hotel,” Julia said. For some reason, she wanted to pat him. As though he was a puppy.

“Bet it won’t be as good.” He let out a heavy sigh.

Patricia stepped out of the booth and tapped Ryan on the shoulder. “They deliver.” She pointed to a sign over the bar. “Pick up a card on the way out and order from the hotel.”

His grin was blinding. “If I were twenty years older, I’d run away with you, Patty.” He headed towards the bar and the takeaway menus.

“Patty?” Joe asked, his lips quirking.

Gran shook her head. “That boy has the cheek of a teenager.”

“Let’s go.” Still holding Julia’s waist, Joe aimed them for the door. “Keep together. Follow our lead. The hotel’s only a couple of blocks from here, and it’s busy outside. We’ll blend with the other tourists until we get where we need to be.” He stopped beside a woman wearing a grey fleece beanie and spoke to her. As Joe dug into his pocket, the woman smiled and took off her hat. She handed it to Joe and he handed her money. In turn, he gave the hat to Elle. “Cover the blue hair.”

Elle looked at the grey beanie in disgust. “What if she has lice?”

“What if you get dead because you’re the only person in Cusco with luminous blue hair?”

Elle pulled on the hat.

The pub was facing Cusco’s huge cathedral. The red-brick building lit up orange in the night, and there was a massive crowd gathered outside it.

“Festival,” Joe said, answering Julia’s unasked question. “Although most nights in Cusco are party nights.”

Julia knew if they turned right, they were a short walk to their last hotel. Joe turned left and took them away from the crowded Plaza de Armas. The cobblestone street was full of tourists and locals. There were traditionally dressed women, their arms full of woven souvenirs, walking amongst the crowds, attempting to sell their wares. At the edge of the road, covered trailers acted as portable stores, selling everything from snacks and drinks to hand-crafted ceramics. Behind the trailers was the grey stone brickwork of the Incas. The irregular stones fit together like massive puzzle pieces. Somehow it fit perfectly to see the Incan stonework merge with the plaster and carved wood of the Spanish architecture that had been built on top of it.

“One day,” Joe said in her ear, “I’m going to bring you back here so you can look all you like.”

Julia blinked up at him, aware that the crowds moved around Joe and no one jostled them. “You mean when we aren’t running for our lives?”

“Yeah.” His smile was devastating. “Hard to be a tourist when you’re running for your life.”

“Hardly a relaxing vacation.”

“Hardly.”

They turned the corner into a narrower street. “The hotel’s at the end of the block,” Joe said.

“Isn’t that a bit close to the last hotel?” Patricia asked.

Ryan had her and Elle wedged between him and the wall, acting as a barrier to everything in their path, as they made their way along the street.

“It’s as safe as anywhere in Cusco right now,” Joe said.

“That isn’t reassuring,” Patricia muttered.

“There it is,” Ryan said. “The Marriott.”

The high stone arches of the hotel came into view, and Julia read the plaque that said the building used to be a convent. “Do you think every hotel in Cusco used to belong to a holy order? Is anyone else bothered by that?”

“Nope.” Ryan held open the door for them.

“The history of societal change from a religious paradigm to a secular one is fascinating,” Patricia said. “You can see it in everything, not only the repurposed buildings, but art, literature, styles of government, everything. The questions are, is the building still sacred when it isn’t being used for holy purpose? Is the art still divine when it isn’t used for worship?”

Julia nodded along with her gran. At least someone was on the same wavelength. She glanced up to see Joe grinning and Ryan gaping at Patricia.

“You really were a professor, weren’t you? I thought that was a nickname or something.”

They groaned and passed him on their way to the reception desk. Joe got two keys and handed one to Ryan.

“Ryan, Elle and Patricia are in something called a mini-suite. We’ll meet you there in an hour. Get cleaned up and have some food. Callum already has a room.”

Julia tugged his hand. “What about me?”

“You’re with me.”

There wasn’t time to process his decree before he was dragging her across the lobby towards the elevator. Julia glanced over her shoulder to see her gran and teammates smiling after her.

The lift door opened and Joe stalked in, taking her with him.

“You could have asked me to come with you.” That was all Julia managed to say before she was pressed up against the wall and Joe was in front of her.

A second later, his mouth was on hers. His kiss was ferocious. It was a claiming. A taking. A branding. It left her weak and desperate for more.

The elevator stopped all too soon, and an older couple smiled at them knowingly as they exited. Joe dragged her down the corridor to their room. He had the door open in seconds. As soon as she was inside, he had her pressed against it.

He kissed her with a desperation that was almost brutal. But somewhere, in the deep recesses of her mind, Julia knew he needed this, and she gave him everything he wanted. Her terrible tourist t-shirt came flying off, followed quickly by her white cotton sports bra.

“Beautiful,” he growled as he fell to his knees and feasted on her breasts.

Julia could do nothing but gasp and hold on tight. He sucked and licked and scraped his teeth over her breasts, until she was ready to explode. The room was spinning. There were no thoughts in her head but Joe.

She was vaguely aware of the button on her shorts popping open. The zip lowering. He sucked her nipple hard, making her wail as he removed the rest of her clothes, tugging off shoes and lifting her feet to get rid of her shorts. Once he had her naked before him, he didn’t hesitate—he lifted her knee and hooked it over his shoulder, and then his mouth was on her.

It was a ravishing. He didn’t tease. He kissed her most private place with abandon. He was relentless, driving her as high as he could, as fast as he could. Julia lost the ability to stand and felt Joe’s hands on her hips holding her up. Her head was swimming. Her only sounds were moans of surrender. She felt herself race towards climax. Too fast. Too hard. Too much. She couldn’t get the words out to tell him to slow. And then it was too late. He pushed her over the edge. Her body spasmed with the agony of pleasure that overwhelmed her, and she collapsed—straight into Joe’s arms.

Julia was gasping for air, fighting for reason, when she felt the cool cotton of the sheets against her back. A second later, Joe thrust inside her. Her back came off the bed with a desperate wail of pleasure.

“Need. You.” Joe pressed his face into her throat and bit the muscle in the crook of her neck.

The sting of the bite, accompanied by the devastating pleasure of him driving into her, sent her spiralling into another orgasm. Time suspended. It was as though she was outside her own body, yet completely aware of it at the same time. She was split. Soul and body. And then she came crashing back together, with one word on her lips.

“Joe.”