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“Somchai Inkong,” he introduces, in English even more accented than the professor’s, making it a task in concentration to understand him. “Horses and mules handler, local fixer, and”—he gives a cheeky grin—“machete operator.Sawatdee khrap.”
“Sawatdee khrap,” we repeat.
I turn to my right to encourage Tucker to speak—he’s the only other known factor in this group besides myself and Archie. He hasn’t been with us from the start, but since our first trip together in Guatemala, he has become an invaluable member of every new expedition Archie and I plan.
“Tucker Wallace,” he announces in his clear baritone voice. “Logistics, cooking, and first aid.”
“We have a cook?” Winter says. “Yay! I’d assumed we would eat beef jerky for a month.” She smiles at Tucker, probably more pleased at the thought of his cooking skills than anything else, but there he goes turning into an adoring puppy like the rest of them.
Not him, too!
Women are Archie’s weakness, but Tucker is usually smarter than that. With brown eyes and a mop of curly brown hair, he’s the shy, responsible guy in our group. The teddy bear looks don’t fool anyone for long, though; when it comes to his job, Tucker is a dictator with an iron fist.
The next man in our circle, at least, has no puppy in him. Although I’m not sure “hungry wolf” is much better. I’ll have to keep an eye on him and his pack when they’re around Winter. Because I didn’t have enough to do already.
“Smith,” the mercenary says, not shifting an inch from his military resting pose?feet hip-width apart, puffed out chest, hands clasped behind his back. “Head of security.”
His two deputies echo him, keeping the same stance and not providing any additional personal details.
“Carter.”
“Montgomery.”
These military guys are so full of themselves, they’re ridiculous. And I can tell from the mocking twinkle in Winter’s eyes that she’s thinking along the same lines. She bites her lower lip as if she’s having to physically stop herself from uttering whatever barb she’s thinking.
Definitely distracting.
“All right, that was everyone,” I say, ready to wrap up the meeting. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to become more familiar with each other in the upcoming weeks.” Archie throws me a rakish, I-plan-to-get-oh-so-familiar-with-our-photographer look. I pause to scowl at him, then add, “Tomorrow we leave at the crack of dawn. Before you go enjoy your last day in the comforts of civilization, I’ll ask Tucker to walk us through the logistics of our first stretch on the road.”
“Great.” Tucker takes out his rugged tablet and shows the group a map on the screen. “The first part of tomorrow’s journey will be on the Jeeps.” He traces the path on the map with his finger. “Our destination isn’t far from the resort, but the road to get there is more of an abandoned dirt trail winding up the mountains.” He points to the three peaks on our left. “Halfway up, we’ll stop at the only village inland to collect our last few provisions. From there, we’ll continue the crossing on horseback while the mules will carry most of the equipment and supplies. If everything goes according to plan, we should reach our final destination, the hidden valley beyond the peaks, before the sun sets. Once there, we’ll build our base of operations and proceed with our exploration on foot over the next days with the support of our local bushwhacking guide.”
Tucker nods at Somchai, who returns the gesture with a grin.
“Anyway,” Tucker continues, “we meet in the parking lot tomorrow at 5a.m., so we should all get an early night.”
He steps back, and I take the floor again.
“I’m sure there’s no need to point this out,” I say, staring directly at the photographer. “But we’re going to be traveling through a hostile environment, so we should all dress appropriately. And,” I add, “punctuality is of the essence.”
Winter bites her lip again, but doesn’t comment. Even if the hard stare she’s giving me promises hell.
Before I dismiss the meeting, I deliver one last warning. “And finally, just a reminder that the nature of this expedition is confidential. If someone asks, our cover story is that we’re in Thailand to study the ecology of the region. Flora, fauna, rock formations… that kind of stuff. So, please, no loose talk about a lost city of gold. See you all at five tomorrow,” I conclude.
After my dismissal, the group breaks apart. The military guys leave, marching away in single file. The two locals speak among themselves in thick Thai and then walk off in the opposite direction. Archie and Tucker join me to go over the last details of tomorrow’s journey.
I hope the photographer will head back to her bungalow without any further demonstration of her saucy attitude.
“Excuse me?”
No such luck. I’ve just started talking to Archie when she materializes behind my back, demanding attention.
“Yes?” I say, turning to her. Archie stands on my left, Tucker on my right.
I tower a good few inches over her, but the photographer doesn’t appear one bit intimidated as she asks, “Do you have a problem with me?”
Busted.
“Is it because I have tits?”
