Chapter 6
Ididn’t bother taking the phone off Pedro. The storm report would be in Spanish, and translating the language was another reason Pedro was valuable to me.
Most of the time, Pedro was laid back and slow, which often drove me crazy. But Pedro was terrified of storms, and I’d been deceived a few times when he’d blown the details of an impending storm way out of proportion.
I gripped his shoulder, forcing him to calm down. “Tell me exactly what the report said.”
“Big storm coming.” His eyes bulged.
Out of the corner of my eye, Kat emerged from the pool with water glistening off her finely-toned legs. But anger and disappointment tangled her expression.
“Yes, you said that. How far away is the storm, Pedro?”
“Three hours.”
“Three hours?” It was too specific. “Is that exactly what they said?”
“Maybe four.” His eyes darted to the sky as if expecting thunder to boom overhead.
“What direction is the storm traveling?”
Kat approached me, stopping four feet away on the sand with her hands on her hips. “How far away is the storm?”
I raised my hand, halting her as I spoke to Pedro. “What direction, Pedro?”
“Here, to us. It coming. We need to go.”
“I’m not leaving.” Kat folded her arms across her chest.
I glared at her. “We can’t dive in the cave during a storm.”
“We can dive before it gets here and after it’s gone.”
I groaned. “Just give me a minute, Kat.”
I grabbed Pedro by the arm and dragged him away from her and the others who were still in the water.
Standing so I could see Pedro and the rest of the group, I grilled Pedro for more answers. If I believed him, the storm was only a few hours away. But the more I asked him, the more nervous he became, suggesting that the storm wasn’t as bad as he let on.
Kat stood on the sand, glaring at me like I was an ax murderer.
What’s her problem?
“We go now?” Pedro’s eyes pleaded.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Not yet.”
Groaning, he seemed to melt.
I strode back to the group.
“And?” Kat blurted.
“We have a storm coming, so?—”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Kat shook her head. “We have to get wet in the cave anyway. A little more water won’t hurt.”
“So . . .” I continued with a stern voice, “We need a break anyway. We’ll rest and grab a bite to eat, and I’ll get an update on the storm in an hour. Then I’ll make my decision.” I glared at Kat.
“Cool. I’m starving. What are we having for lunch?” Ethan scooped his hands through the water.
“Pedro has lunch ready for us. Right, Pedro?”
“Not yet, boss. Sorry.”
Pedro would have been hoping that the oncoming storm would get him out of work. “Okay, get started on the meal now. I’ll help you in a minute.”
Pedro backed away, heading toward the mound of gear he’d carried down from our trailer.
As I returned to the group, Kasey and Charlie emerged from the water holding hands and smiling like happy tourists should. Kat, however, had clenched fists and a glare that radiated fury.
“Pedro is making us lunch now,” I said. “So have a quick nap or a swim or walk. Whatever you want.”
Lara released an ear-splitting squeal as Ethan tossed her over his shoulder and carried her from the water like a caveman, giving us a view of her ass that I didn’t need to see.
“Put me down, you animal.” Giggling, Lara smacked his back.
He lowered her feet to the sand, and as she wrestled herself back into the bikini, Ethan patted his stomach. “Did someone say lunch?”
“Yes. Pedro is getting food ready now,” I said.
“Are we doing another dive?” Kat demanded.
“I’m not sure yet, Kat. As I said, I’ll check the weather in an hour.” I clenched my jaw.
She stormed across the sand, heading away from us.
Kasey and Charlie watched her go, then turned their gaze to me.
“I think somebody is pissed at you.” Lara looked way too happy about that.
I shrugged. “Won’t be the first time I pissed off a woman.”
“I hear you, brother. Women are fucking crazy.” Laughing, Ethan raced away and swan-dived into the water.
“Hey.” Lara’s butt bounced all over the place as she raced across the sand and ungracefully splashed into the pool with him.
I turned to Pedro and just about burst out laughing at the startled expression on his face.
“What would you like us to do?” Kasey asked.
“Nothing. Just relax and enjoy this spectacular view.” I waved toward the mouth of the cave.
“In case we don’t get another chance to enjoy it?” Charlie raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is cancel our plans. But your safety is my priority.”
“I’m confused.” Kasey tugged a wet curl around her ear. “As Kat said, we’re going to get wet anyway. What difference does a little rain make?”
“Around here, it’s never a little bit of rain—it’s torrential.” I spoke loud enough that Kat would hear me. “This cave system was formed by thousands of years of monsoons. It flows down from up there and enters the cave like a freight train. Believe me, you don’t want to be in there when that happens.”
Charlie cocked his head. “But where does the water go? Is there an underground river in the cave?”
I frowned. I hadn’t contemplated that. “If there is, I haven’t seen it.”
“If there’s that much water, it must go somewhere.” Charlie turned his attention back to the water where Lara was sitting on Ethan’s shoulders.
“I guess it does. The cave hasn’t been fully mapped out yet, so who knows where the water goes.” I turned toward Kat. She had her hands folded over her chest, looking toward us. “I better talk to her.”
Charlie clapped my arm and whispered, “Good luck.”
I rolled my eyes. Good luck with women was not in my wheelhouse.
Opening my hands as I approached her, I tried to portray a peace gesture. “Hey, Kat, are you okay?”
“That depends, Colton. Are we doing more dives?” She tilted her head, and her cropped, wet hair framed her rosy cheeks.
I sighed. “I don’t know yet.”
Clenching her jaw, she shuddered. Even angry, she was beautiful.
She glanced at the blue sky above. “Pedro said the storm was a few hours away, so we can do at least one more dive.”
“Maybe. I said we would check the weather report in an hour.”
Her anger was out of proportion to the situation.
“Did you hear what I said about the cave flooding?”
“Yes.”
“But you still want to dive the cave.”
“I am diving this cave, Colton, and if you won’t take me, I want my money back so I can find someone who will.”
“I’m the only English-speaking dive expert who knows this cave.”
A fierce smile crossed her lips. “You only need hand signals under the water, so language doesn’t matter.”
What’s driving her desperation?
“This is a dangerous cave, WildKat. You need a diving expert.”
She glared at me. “I bet there are other ex-Navy SEALs who aren”t so stubborn and closed-minded who can take me into the cave.”
“It’s not about being stubborn. It’s about being safe.”
As I waited for her reply, she curled her hair behind her ear, revealing a colorful compass tattooed inside her wrist.
Was she willing to risk her safety for some stupid cave dive?
She was a natural beauty. Flawless olive skin. Rosey, round cheeks. Even her chin was special. And her gorgeous pink lips. But there was a sadness in her eyes that made me want to pull her to my chest and take away her pain.
Whatever she’d been through, it was still crushing her.
Usually, I didn’t notice stuff like that. I have no idea why I noticed it now. Kat was capturing my attention way more than I wanted, and I needed to stop that shit. There wasn’t a chance in hell that a sexy woman like her would be interested in me. I’m damaged goods.
“I know you don’t believe me about Mayan ruins being in this cave.” Her voice was calm, yet somehow still seething with frustration. “But I know there are.”
“Kat . . .” I kept my tone neutral. “It’s a myth. Nobody has ever provided proof of the ruins.”
She raised her chin, meeting my gaze square on. “My father did.”
I cocked my head. “What did your father do?”
“He photographed the Mayan ruins.” She clamped her jaw.
I had the impression she was defying me to refute her.
Releasing a sigh, I said, “Show me.”
She walked around me, flicking up sand with her feet as she marched back to her gear.
Following her, I studied her incredible ass and wanted to punch myself.
She’s not interested in you, Colton.
Kat fished into a dry pack she removed from her bag and held a photograph toward me.
The faded image was a photocopy of a photograph of Mayan ruins that looked to be in a cave. “Kat, that photo could have been taken anywhere.”
“It was here. In this cave.” She raised her voice, and everybody else turned toward us.
“How do you know?” I kept my tone calm.
Clenching her jaw, she looked up to the blue sky.
I glanced at Kasey, and she formed a troubled expression.
Kat returned her attention to me. Tears swam in her eyes, and a knot swelled in my chest at how vulnerable she looked.
“My father was a journalist, and he came to Mexico for a story he was digging into. But the annoying bugger kept all the details secret.” She heaved a breath as if preparing a speech that broke her heart. “Anyway, Dad sent a text saying that the cave really did whisper and sent that photo to my mom. Then Dad vanished, and he’s never been seen since.”
“Ah, shit, Kat. I’m so sorry.” I stepped forward, wanting to crush her to my chest, but I fought that urge.
“Oh no, that’s terrible.” Kasey pulled a sad face.
“Where did he go?” Lara asked.
Kat rolled her eyes to Lara. “If I knew, then he wouldn’t be missing.”
“Oh yeah, I guess. Sorry.” Lara scrunched her nose.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Kat. Are you sure it was this cave?” Kasey asked.
Kat nodded. “It’s the Cave of Whispers. And I read articles about Mayan ruins being here. So, it has to be.”
“They’re all rumors, Kat. None have been substantiated.”
“That photo and his message are proof.”
I stifled a groan. “When did he vanish?”
“Eight years ago. When I was seventeen.”
Now I knew why she was so determined.
I also knew she wouldn’t give up on this crazy quest.
And that meant if I didn’t take her into this cave, she would hire someone else to take her.
Nobody knew this cave like I did.
Although I was not looking forward to proving to her that the ruins in that photo were not in this cave, I also didn’t want some cowboy taking her exploring Las Cuevas de los Susurros either.
And I couldn’t ignore her pleading eyes or the sadness that seemed to smother her.
Despite my mind telling me it was my dick doing my thinking, I said, “Okay, WildKat, I’ll take you into that cave for one more dive.”
I just hoped that decision didn’t end in disaster for both of us.