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“Don’t be too sure. I’ve been finding out all kinds of things I didn’t know about Riley recently. She’s a constant mystery to be solved.” He grinned. “If she lets you.”
“Thanks for the tip.” She shrugged. “But I imagine you might have more problems than I would. I’ve been taught to negotiate rather than dominate.”
“Hmm…” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Is that why you stabbed Nadim and caused all this uproar?”
“That was an exception to prove the rule.”
“If you say so.”
“I do say so.”
“Then I wouldn’t think about arguing, given your faultless negotiating skill.” He leaned back in the seat. “I’d rather concentrate on remembering every twist and turn we’ve been making on the way to your temple.”
“And you think you’ve done it so far?”
“Yes, though I expect it will get more difficult.”
“You have no idea. We have guards at the temple who have worked there for years, but they have to be led out by special escorts or they become hopelessly lost. Would you care to make a wager?”
“No, because that would mean I’d have to offer proof, and I prefer to avoid letting you know that I’ve succeeded. That might become dangerous.”
“And it might also mean you’ve failed and don’t want to admit it.”
He nodded. “That could happen, too. Another reason not to give you proof either way.” He was silent for a moment. “I have a question. If what you’ve said about those special escorts is true, you have to be one in order to take us to the temple. How do those escorts learn the way? How many of them are there?”
She chuckled. “Wait until you get to the temple and count them… if what I’ve said is true.”
They arrived at the point where they were to leave the jeep two hours later. Riley was wide awake again and gazing outside the vehicle shaking her head. “This is incredible. I’ve never seen such deep foliage or complicated trails, it’s almost… smothering. So much dazzling greenery.” She turned to Maya. “How far away are we from this temple?”
“Only a few miles. But you’ll have to stick close or you’ll lose me on the trail. You wouldn’t want to do that.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Riley made a face. She glanced at Cade. “Unless you think you’ve got all the trails in these entire woods memorized?”
“I believe we should rely on Maya for the time being. It will be interesting to see her woodland technique.”
“Yeah, sure.” Maya laughed. “Then keep up.” She started down the trail. “And watch close. In about a hundred yards you won’t see the trail any longer. I’ll be your only point of contact.”
Riley instinctively increased her pace.
Then she felt Cade take her hand. “Don’t rush. That warning was really for me. There’s no way she’d ever really lose you. She just wanted to point out how helpless I could be.”
“And are you?”
He shook his head. “I’m like Maya. I’d never lose you.”
“I don’t believe I like the idea of being caught in the middle of this game the two of you are playing.”
“You should. It shows how special you are.”
“I already know that.” She pulled her hand away. “No more games. Or I’m on my own.”
He held up both his hands. “I surrender.”
She nodded. “Wise move. Now can you get me back to Maya?”
He took her hand again. “This is a bad move if we can’t trust her.”
“Then make certain we can. How far ahead is she?”