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CHAPTER 14 Nigel awoke with a fuzzy head, heavy limbs and a very dry mouth. He blinked a few times, disoriented, and then everything came flooding back and he bolted upright, forgetting about his ankle which twisted as he sat up and caused him to cry out in pain. “Nigel?” He turned and saw her there, standing at the window, and then she was in his arms. “Syd!” He squeezed her tight. “I thought…I was so worried…” “Likewise!” Sydney seemed almost on the verge of tears. “When I saw that field, I was so afraid you had still been inside.” “Likewise!” He hugged her even tighter. “How did you escape? They said the field went on for miles.” “That’s a story for another time.” Sydney continued to cling to him. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Nigel suddenly pulled back. He was happy to see her, but how could she be here? He glanced around and noticed that he was in the same bedroom in the villa. Had Mason changed his mind and decided not to leave? A moment of relief was quickly squashed by an intense fear. Had Sydney been kidnapped again? “You can’t be here!” He shook his head. “Syd, you can’t…They’ll do horrible things to you! He’ll…” Sydney shook her head. “He’s gone, Nigel.” She was touched by his fearsome concern for her safety. “When we arrived the only one here was you and Maria.” He frowned, confused. “Maria?” “She stayed behind to take care of you.” “I…I don’t understand.” “I thought you had been burned to death in the corn, I thought…” Sydney lowered her eyes for a moment to compose herself. The rage, the utter sorrow and intense guilt that she had experienced for leaving him behind had almost overwhelmed her. “I wanted to kill Mason, I wanted to come back here and watch the life squeeze out of him, but suddenly, I knew you weren’t dead. I could feel that you were still alive.” Nigel blinked that their feelings had been almost exact. “Me too,” he whispered. “I could feel it too, that you were okay, it was the only thing that kept me from killing Mason with my bare hands. I was so angry when he set that field on fire. His own men were in there.” “They were?” “Yes, didn’t you deal with them?” “No, Nigel, I didn’t see anyone after I left you. I got so turned around that I was completely lost.” She shook her head, her great sense of direction had deserted her inside the field, where all she could see was cornstalks surrounding her. “I tried to make my way back to you, but I couldn’t find you either.” “But, the scream, and the gunfire,” he protested, “That wasn’t you?” Sydney shook her head. “I didn’t hear anything until…” She paused. “Nigel, there was something strange about that field. Did you notice?” He nodded. “Yes. I thought maybe it was just animals foraging for food but…it wasn’t, was it?” “I was completely lost, Nigel. I should have died in that field, especially once it was set on fire, but just as I started to smell the smoke…” She paused again. “Do you remember our hunt for the Mochica Vessel?” He nodded. “Remember what came out of the vessel?” Nigel stared at her. “Syd, are…are you saying you saw a spirit in the cornfield?” “I’m saying that…something was there and it led me out.” Nigel was immediately cynical, but he’d learned from working with Sydney that there were many unexplained things in the universe. “Mason’s men, they said it was built over an Aztec ritual site. Do you think…?” “That might explain…” She shook her head. “You said there was screaming and that Mason left his men in the corn?” Nigel nodded. “There were…five, I think, that ran of after you,” he said. “Only two came out and they were scared to death. They said something about the men disappearing, but I thought it was you.” “I didn’t see anyone until…until the guide led me out, Nigel. I never tangled with Mason’s men.” “Do you…What do you think would have happened to us if we’d stayed there, Syd?” She shrugged. “Maybe nothing, I mean whatever it was helped me, but…” She shook her head. “I just don’t know.” She smiled and hugged him again. “What does it matter? We’re both okay.” “You said Mason was gone when you arrived?” She nodded. “Yes, Cate was already on her way, but we ran into the typical red tape and it was over an hour before we managed to get here. Cate and I had wanted to storm the place on our own and to hell with the bureaucrats, but the local authorities were giving her a very hard time, because this wasn’t her jurisdiction. Finally, they believed us and agreed to come out to the villa, but when we got here, the place was deserted. Maria let us in and showed me where you were.” Nigel frowned. “Why didn’t he take me?” he wondered aloud. “He said he was going to, they even sedated me because he knew I wouldn’t go willingly.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand.” “Maybe he had a change of heart?” “He’d have to have a heart to change it, Syd.” Sydney shrugged. “Nigel, I know you don’t want to hear this, and I am certainly not advocating Mason, but he did care about you, in his own twisted way.” “Are you condoning…?” “No! No, of course not. He was a ruthless bastard and he deserves to be in prison, but…well, I saw how protective he was of you, Nigel. You are his son, that obviously means something to him, and maybe, he decided to let you go because he cared about you.” Nigel shook his head as Cate entered. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” He looked up and smiled. “Cate!” Cate grinned at him. “Damn, Bailey, could you get yourself into any more trouble?” “Are you kidding?” he scoffed as Sydney helped him to stand. “Try a day in my shoes working with Sydney Fox.” Cate laughed and Sydney poked him with her elbow, before sliding an arm around his shoulders. “Watch it or you can crawl out of here on your own.” “Wouldn’t be the first time you had me on my knees, Syd.” Sydney laughed and Cate flushed, the double meaning was completely lost on Nigel. “What about Maria?” he asked, suddenly. “She isn’t going to be in trouble is she, she helped us escape.” “Yes, and that went so very well,” Sydney retorted Cate moved to Nigel’s other side and the two women helped him out of the room. “You can’t blame Maria, because you weren’t a better pilot, Syd.” “Give me a break!” Sydney gasped, more amused than outraged. “I can’t control gravity, Nigel!” Nigel glanced at Cate. “Sounds like a personal problem.” “You’d better lighten up or you’ll be feeling the pull of gravity very soon,” Sydney warned as they headed for the stairs. “At least it won’t be from twenty thousand feet.” “I’m going to be hearing about this for a while, aren’t I?” “Months, at least.” Sydney sighed as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The house was full of local police and Interpol agents in suits. They stepped into the parlour, where several people had gathered. Maria bolted from a chair, where a she was being guarded, hurried over to Nigel and started speaking rapidly in Spanish. He calmed her easily, the beautiful language rolling off his tongue as if he was a native Spaniard, and then, in English, he said to Cate. “She thinks she is being arrested. She isn’t is she?” “The locals want to take her in because she works for Mason.” “She’s innocent in all of this, Cate! You can’t let them put her in jail!” “Nigel, it isn’t my call.” Nigel glared at her. “Okay, the sheriff might be willing to relinquish jurisdiction to Interpol, but we still need to hold her for questioning.” Cate offered the girl a sympathetic look. “If you want to be her interpreter, we could probably do that here, or they’ll have one of the locals…” “She speaks English, she’s just frightened, Cate.” He indicated the nearby sofa. “Let me sit down.” Cate and Sydney helped him over to the sofa and Maria almost fell at his feet, in tears, again pleading for him to help her. “No, no, it’s okay, Maria,” he assured gripping her arms and pulling her up to sit beside him. “They just have questions for you. You’re not going to jail. Just answer their questions.” Maria became even more distressed and the pair continued a long conversation that the non-native people present had no chance of understanding. Nigel turned to Cate, again. “If she tells them anything, Mason will kill her.” “We’ll protect her, Nigel.” Nigel shook his head. “Not against him,” he refused. “You already let him out of your custody once, I can’t trust that you’d be able to keep him from getting to her.” “Nigel!” Cate stared at him hurt. “That wasn’t our fault…” “I won’t have another death on my hands, Cate!” he snapped and Cate shut up, stunned. He turned back to Maria and his expression softened. “Maria, he left you here, knowing that you might be arrested.” “For you!” she insisted in English. “I begged him to leave me to care for you.” Nigel smiled at her. “I truly appreciate that, but Mason isn’t stupid. He had to realize that you might be questioned, so anything you know is probably useless.” He paused. “You’re just the housekeeper, you couldn’t know anything damaging. Do you understand?” She shook her head. “It’s okay to tell what you know, he knew you would have to. It won’t harm him so he won’t come after you, do you see?” “I am just the housekeeper,” she repeated, catching on. “Yes, tell them what you know of Mason while he was here.” Nigel’s warning was subtle, but Sydney caught it and she could see that Maria had understood as well. He was suggesting that Maria tell only what had to and to keep any other knowledge, any secrets that might get her killed, to herself. He didn’t believe his own story about Mason, he feared for her safety and he knew how Mason felt about loyalty and betrayal. He was trying to protect her. His lie that Mason wouldn’t care about Maria was for everyone else’s benefit, so they would think the woman would be totally honest when questioned. Sydney understood his reasons, but she didn’t have to like it. She wanted Mason put away for everything he had done, but, it was Nigel’s decision and she would respect that. Maria nodded as an Interpol agent stepped up to her at Cate’s direction. “Uno momento por favor?” she pleaded and retrieved the Tlatilco ceremonial bowl from it’s pedestal. She held it out to Nigel, reverently. “Vuestro.” He shook his head. “No, Maria. That isn’t mine.” “Si! Por regalo,” she insisted. “You will keep safe, no?” He smiled at her and wrapped her hands around the artefact. “This belongs to your people, Maria, not mine. If you want to give me a gift, then give this to the museum and let everyone enjoy it.” She stared at him and shook his head. “You are a strange gringo, Seńor Bailey.” She smiled, shyly. “You remind me of my Papa, very noble and strong.” Nigel flushed. “I think that’s the nicest compliment I have ever received, Maria. Thank you.” She set the bowl aside and pulled a long white envelope from her skirt pocket. “For when you are alone.” She kissed both of his cheeks. “Adiós.” “Gracias, Maria,” Nigel returned as she rose to allow the agent to lead her away. “Adiós.” He slipped the envelope into the thigh pocket of his cargo pants. Sydney helped him up and tossed an arm around his shoulder, as she looked at Cate. “Do you need us for anything else?” Cate regarded Nigel quietly, as if trying to make up her mind about something. “No.” She glanced at Sydney, searching for confirmation of her suspicion, and found challenge in the relic hunter’s gaze. Cate understood that she owed them one, especially Nigel, for getting him messed up in all of this, for changing his life irrevocably. Sydney was reminding her of that fact, because Nigel would never hold her accountable. “One of my men will take you to the hospital to get your ankle looked at.” “Thank you, Cate.” He wasn’t talking about her concern for his ankle. She nodded and stepped aside as Sydney led Nigel out of the room. They had Nigel’s ankle checked at the local hospital and he was relieved that it was only fractured and not broken this time. They agreed not to put it in a cast, and advised that a wrap and small splint would work just as well, until his doctor, back in the States, could see him. Sydney waited as Nigel finished up, and then drove to a local motel. The sun had been up for about an hour, but they were both exhausted and needed sleep. She booked just the one room, so she could help Nigel get around, and luckily it had two beds. “I am taking a shower,” she advised, once she had settled her injured friend on one of the beds. “I smell, my feet hurt and I have bits of corn stuck in places that I don’t even what to consider how it got there.” Nigel grinned sat back against the pillows. They were both sweaty, dirty and exhausted. “Good luck with that,” he sighed and popped a couple of painkillers that the doctor had prescribed, swallowing them with the bottle of water that he’d grabbed at the hospital cafeteria. His ankle was killing him and it felt good to stop moving. He leaned back and closed his eyes. “Nigel?” He opened his eyes and noticed Sydney standing beside the bed and wrapped in a skimpy motel towel, her freshly washed hair flowing over her shoulders like silken waves of chocolate, already dry from the heat. “Finished already?” he asked, sleepily. “It’s almost noon, Nigel.” He sat up, startled. “What?” He glanced around, slightly disoriented. “How…how long was I asleep?” “You were out when I came out of the bathroom.” She smiled and moved over to the window air conditioning unit to switch the cool air a notch higher. “How do you feel?” Nigel carefully slid his legs over the side of the bed and sat all the way up, mindful of his ankle. “A little sluggish, must be the mediation.” “Do you still want to take a shower?” “I should.” He looked down at his splint. “Don’t know if I can.” Between his injury and his sudden sense of instability, left over from his sleep, he’d probably fall had hurt himself worse. There was a knock on the door and Sydney moved to answer it, delighted to see that it was the pizza she had ordered. She had been relieved to find her satchel and Nigel’s knapsack, still at the villa. Nigel had taken his wallet and passport with him when they escaped, but she was glad to get her own papers and belongings back, especially her money and credit cards. “That smells wonderful, Syd,” Nigel said as his stomach growled. Sydney paid the driver, then closed and locked the door. She set the steaming pie box on the bed and offered him one of the ice-cold sodas that had accompanied their order. “I figured you’d be hungry,” she admitted as she sat opposite him on the bed and opened her soda. “You’ll have more strength after you eat and can shower then.” Nigel didn’t argue. He drank thirstily from his can, and then reached for a slice of pizza. He indicated her attire. “Starting a new fashion trend?” She grinned. “My clothes were filthy, I couldn’t put them back on my nice clean body.” “What do you plan to wear when we leave?” he asked, amused. “Not that I mind the view, but you probably won’t get past airport security in that.” Sydney’s eyes widened innocently. “Where could I hide a weapon?” Probably nowhere, but the men would enjoy the search, just the same, he thought and then looked down at his own rumpled and dirty clothes. “I don’t have any spare clothes either, Syd.” She dismissed the problem with a wave of her hand. “No worries, I grabbed some clothes for both of us while waiting for you to wake up from whatever Mason gave you.” Nigel nodded. “Ah.” Sydney was always thinking ahead. She’d ordered food, knowing he would be hungry, how could he believe she wouldn’t have thought of getting them a change of clothes? “Then why don’t you change into what you brought?” “I’m cooler this way,” she replied. Even with the cheep air conditioner rattling at full blast, the oppressive heat outside still left their motel room very warm. “Those clothes are for tomorrow, I only grabbed the one outfit.” “What are you going to sleep in?” Sydney smiled, seductively and crossed her legs, deliberately causing the towel to ride just a little higher up on her thigh. “You don’t believe in going, au natural, Seńor?” Nigel flushed and grabbed another slice of pizza. He was suddenly very glad that there were two beds in the room. “Have you called Cate?” “Yes, I told her where we were and she said she’ll probably drop by later. I called Karen and she’s booked us a flight home first thing in the morning.” She reached for another slice of pizza, after finishing off her first. “I also called my friend at the Mexico City Museum and he is going to get Maria a good lawyer, make sure they don’t try to hold her for anything.” Nigel stared at her. “Remind me why you hired me again?” She was obviously perfectly capable of doing all the things that she usually relied on him to do. “Because you look killer in khaki.” He glared at her. “Oh, don’t get in a huff. I need you, you know that and if you doubt for one minute that I can do my job without you, then you must have lost some brain cells on you way out of that plane.” He slowly smiled and took a bite of his pizza. “Oy, okay, I can’t stand it anymore,” The smell of his own sweat was starting to bother him. “I’m disgusting myself. Help me to the loo.” She laughed and tossed an arm around him to guide him to the washroom. She turned on the shower, set the remaining towels within his reach and helped him off with his shirt. “I can do the rest,” he assured, when she reached for his belt. “Oh, you’re foot!” she remembered. “Hang on.” She left the bathroom and a second later returned with the plastic bag that had contained their sodas. She carefully wrapped it around Nigel’s foot, and sealed it with the leather strap around her neck. “There we go.” “Thanks, Syd.” “Okay, holler if you need anything, and don’t fall.” He nodded and waited for her to close the door, before dropping down on the toilet seat to pull off his slacks and underwear. Luckily, the shower was a simple, tiled stall, so he only had to hop over the barrier ledge in the front to get inside. He washed himself with one hand and kept his other hand on the wall for balance, as he stood on one foot. He used the small travel-sized bottle of shampoo that Sydney had left behind and scrubbed his hair clean. He felt a hundred percent better by the time he stepped out. He rubbed the moisture from his skin and hair, and then wrapped the towel around his waist. He glanced in the small mirror over the sink, examined the bandage on his head, which he had forgotten about, and then pulled the wet dressing off. There was only a small, clotted cut across his temple from Ricardo’s weapon. He tossed the bandage in the sink. Mason had killed Ricardo for his indiscretion. Mason seemed ready to kill any and anyone that got in his way. He didn’t kill you, a voice inside his head reminded him. No, Mason hadn’t killed him, he hadn’t even continued with his plan of kidnapping Nigel, after he’d ordered the field burned. Why? Nigel didn’t want to believe it was like Sydney had said, that Mason spared him, left him behind out of some distorted sense of fatherly affection. He wanted no warmth, no love from a man that could so easily have killed Sydney. He refused to believe that a man like that could feel love for anyone, but himself. He leaned on the sink and stared at his reflection. He needed a shave. He leaned in, closer, and realized that he was finally starting to look his age. His resemblance to his father was growing, and that would have pleased him at one time, but now it frightened him. He lowered his eyes. He couldn’t go on like this, questioning who he was and worried there was anything in him that could resemble Max Mason. He glanced at his slacks that lay crumpled on the floor and carefully bent to pick them up. He pulled out the envelope that Maria had given him, tossed the slacks aside and settled back on the commode. He needed his glasses, but he didn’t want to go out and get them. Instead, he stared at the letter, wondering what to do with it. He knew who it would be from and that worried him. The last letter he had opened that involved Max Mason had changed his life forever. Finally, he released a deep breath and tore the end off the envelope. He shook out the contents, a folded letter, a key and the photograph of Roseita that Mason had shown him. He wet his lips, wishing that he’d brought something in to drink because his mouth was suddenly very dry. He squinted against the wording and started to read. Son, You may be confused when you wake up, but I want to assure you that everything will be fine. I decided that it would be better to leave without you, rather than force you to come with me. I never intended things to go as far as they did, I truly only wanted to get to know you. I lost Ian and it almost destroyed me, in you I saw hope for a different future. You were right in your opinion. I am a monster; I lie, steal and kill when necessary. I’ve grown set in my ways, in having my way, and I am not accustomed to anyone challenging me. My own son grew up to be just like me, cruel, thoughtless and greedy. You however, are much different, so proud and defiant; I believe you would have killed me, to avenge your ladylove. I believe I would have let you, but then, I have always spoiled my children. I will not trouble you with further discussion of my feelings for you, you are my son and I am your father, that is all there is to say. I can only hope that one-day, you might be willingly to sit down with me, to truly explore a relationship, on your own accord and without my bullying. I expect you to tell the police everything; it is your nature to be moral and just, so very different from your brother and myself. Lizzie raised you well, Nigel. I might even concede that Ross was a good father to you. You turned out so much better than you would have, had you been with me. That pleases and saddens me. I have only one thing to ask of you, one last favour and if you do this one thing, I will never trouble you again, if that is what you wish. I ask that you look after Rose. She is young and naive and I will be unable to care for her properly, now that the authorities are watching for me so closely. Perhaps, in a few years, I may be able to be a father to her again, but now I cannot. Enclosed is a key to a safe deposit box that you will find at the People’s Bank of Mexico. Inside will be Rose’s identification papers, where she goes to school, where she was born and her medical history. There is also a trust that I have set up for her to live on, I have made you the executer and there is more then enough for you both to live comfortably for the rest of your lives. I turn these over to you, her brother, because I know that you will see she is taken care of, you have a soft spot for the innocents, don’t you son? In regards to that, please let Maria know that she is safe. I would never harm her. She is like a daughter to me. I know that she helped you and Professor Fox to escape, that is why I left her behind with you, she is not cut out for my world, anymore that you or Rose are. I have made my decisions and I must abide by them, but I am not so cold that I wish such a life on my children. Your Father, Roger Bailey There was a knock on the bathroom door and Nigel quickly shoved the letter, key and photo back into the envelope. He slipped it back into the pocket of his slacks, as the door opened a crack and a long, beautifully naked leg appeared, seductively rising and lowering against the door. “Are you all squeaky clean, good lookin’?” Sydney teased as a naked arm appeared, twirling a pair of boxer briefs. “I have something for you, interested?” Her timing couldn’t be more perfect. He was so unsettled by the letter, that her little intro was enough to break his sudden nerves and cause him to laugh. “I hope that isn’t all you’ve got for me,” he replied, grinning. She tossed the underwear inside and a moment later, she played the same trick with a pair of khaki safari shorts. She twirled them around and around on her finger. “You like these?” she purred. “Come and get’em.” He rose and hopped over to the doorway to grab the shorts. “These aren’t mine.” Sydney peaked her head in and grinned. “Don’t worry, they’ll fit.” She glanced down at the towel wrapped around his waist. “Unless you want to wear that the rest of the day, I have no complaints.” Nigel scoffed. “I think the heat is affecting your brain,” he teased. “Do I get a shirt?” Sydney pouted and disappeared. She was back a second later and opened the door all the way to offer him a black T-shirt with La Cucaracha stitched in neon yellow over the top of a bottle of tequila. “Party pooper.” He smiled, amused to see that she was wearing a pair of tight black shorts and a halter top with two dancing jalapeno peppers. “Where did that come from?” “There’s a little gift shop across the street, I ran over and got us something.” She smirked. “Since you were so opposed to my towel.” “I wasn’t opposed, I just…” He paused. “Wait, you went to a gift shop? Not in just the towel?” “I had to get something to wear,” she shrugged. “Get dressed, Cate just called she’ll be here soon.” Nigel nodded and closed the door. He glanced at where the letter lay enclosed in the pocket of his pants, then shook his head and quickly dressed.
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