the largest pre-Inca ruins in South America. It gets some tourists, but it’s quite remote, so it isn’t overrun like the more well-known Inca ruins in the south.”
“All right,” Declan said. “Looks like that’s where we need to head next. You’ve got directions?”
“Yes.”
“Any sign of Silk Road?” Logan asked.
“Nothing.” Declan frowned. “I hate when there’s nothing. Park your vehicle. We may as well just take one to see these ruins.”
Sydney found herself pressed between Morgan and the window. Logan rode up front with Declan.
Sydney stared out the window as the town gave way to cleared patches of forest and small villages. In the distance she saw the mountains, covered in dense forest, and some with clouds hanging over them like a blanket. The very thing that had given the cloud forests their name.
She was cataloguing every little detail before she admitted to herself it was just a way to stop thinking about Logan. And that kiss. She looked forward, at the back of his head and broad shoulders. She was excruciatingly conscious of him.
That kiss. God, she should not be thinking about him. The man was too big, too annoying, too opinionated. She sighed. But a part of her was glad that he knew all about her, who she really was. She’d kept an important part of her life hidden from her friends, her father, even Drew. Most days she’d been okay with people thinking she was just a society woman who liked the arts and attending parties. But now, these people with her—honest, real, hard-working people who risked their lives to keep other people safe—knew who she was.
Logan knew.
Sydney tapped her fingers against her knee. She could understand why he’d been angry she hadn’t told him about the CIA. That this foreign agent—someone he’d cared about—had tricked him, used him. He must have hated that, and knowing a friend had been injured. A man like Logan wouldn’t easily forgive himself for that.
It wasn’t hard to picture the kind of woman who would appeal to Logan O’Connor. A woman with brash confidence, a body that never quit, and who was just a little wild.
Nothing like Sydney.
The others didn’t notice she was quiet and lost in her thoughts. Their easy banter filled the vehicle. They acted like a big family—joking and teasing each other. Declan and Logan especially. The bond between them was clear to see.
It took them right on two hours to reach the base of the hill where the Kuelap ruins were located.
Declan got out of the car. “Looks like there’s a kilometer-long walk up to the ruins.” He was studying his tablet. “It says the path should be pretty easy going.”
“You get signal up here?” Sydney asked.
Declan smiled. “I pay a small fortune for top-of-the-line satellite connections. Doesn’t always work, but it’s worth every penny.”
Logan climbed out, looking at the few empty cars parked nearby. “Looks like they don’t get too many tourists.”
“Nothing like Machu Picchu, or Cuzco, or the Nazca Lines,” Sydney said. “It’s only been the last few years that the roads up into the north of the country have been improved, and more tourists have started venturing off the beaten track.”
Sydney pulled on a light jacket. It was a little cooler up here, and she was grateful it wasn’t winter. She could feel that the air was thinner and she needed to breathe deeper. The five of them headed off along the track leading up the hillside. The view in all directions was amazing—the deep green of the forests and mountains dipping down to the valleys below.
They walked up the track, moving into some trees. The walk was fairly easy, but she imagined if it rained, it wouldn’t be much fun.
Sydney looked up as they cleared the trees, and the breath caught in her chest. “My God, it’s amazing.”
The top of the long, narrow plateau was ringed with a high stone wall. The walls had to be at least twenty meters tall, and to think it had been built by
“All right,” Declan said. “Looks like that’s where we need to head next. You’ve got directions?”
“Yes.”
“Any sign of Silk Road?” Logan asked.
“Nothing.” Declan frowned. “I hate when there’s nothing. Park your vehicle. We may as well just take one to see these ruins.”
Sydney found herself pressed between Morgan and the window. Logan rode up front with Declan.
Sydney stared out the window as the town gave way to cleared patches of forest and small villages. In the distance she saw the mountains, covered in dense forest, and some with clouds hanging over them like a blanket. The very thing that had given the cloud forests their name.
She was cataloguing every little detail before she admitted to herself it was just a way to stop thinking about Logan. And that kiss. She looked forward, at the back of his head and broad shoulders. She was excruciatingly conscious of him.
That kiss. God, she should not be thinking about him. The man was too big, too annoying, too opinionated. She sighed. But a part of her was glad that he knew all about her, who she really was. She’d kept an important part of her life hidden from her friends, her father, even Drew. Most days she’d been okay with people thinking she was just a society woman who liked the arts and attending parties. But now, these people with her—honest, real, hard-working people who risked their lives to keep other people safe—knew who she was.
Logan knew.
Sydney tapped her fingers against her knee. She could understand why he’d been angry she hadn’t told him about the CIA. That this foreign agent—someone he’d cared about—had tricked him, used him. He must have hated that, and knowing a friend had been injured. A man like Logan wouldn’t easily forgive himself for that.
It wasn’t hard to picture the kind of woman who would appeal to Logan O’Connor. A woman with brash confidence, a body that never quit, and who was just a little wild.
Nothing like Sydney.
The others didn’t notice she was quiet and lost in her thoughts. Their easy banter filled the vehicle. They acted like a big family—joking and teasing each other. Declan and Logan especially. The bond between them was clear to see.
It took them right on two hours to reach the base of the hill where the Kuelap ruins were located.
Declan got out of the car. “Looks like there’s a kilometer-long walk up to the ruins.” He was studying his tablet. “It says the path should be pretty easy going.”
“You get signal up here?” Sydney asked.
Declan smiled. “I pay a small fortune for top-of-the-line satellite connections. Doesn’t always work, but it’s worth every penny.”
Logan climbed out, looking at the few empty cars parked nearby. “Looks like they don’t get too many tourists.”
“Nothing like Machu Picchu, or Cuzco, or the Nazca Lines,” Sydney said. “It’s only been the last few years that the roads up into the north of the country have been improved, and more tourists have started venturing off the beaten track.”
Sydney pulled on a light jacket. It was a little cooler up here, and she was grateful it wasn’t winter. She could feel that the air was thinner and she needed to breathe deeper. The five of them headed off along the track leading up the hillside. The view in all directions was amazing—the deep green of the forests and mountains dipping down to the valleys below.
They walked up the track, moving into some trees. The walk was fairly easy, but she imagined if it rained, it wouldn’t be much fun.
Sydney looked up as they cleared the trees, and the breath caught in her chest. “My God, it’s amazing.”
The top of the long, narrow plateau was ringed with a high stone wall. The walls had to be at least twenty meters tall, and to think it had been built by
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