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“Jane Louise was waving at a kid outside,” Suki whispered. “The dad saw her. Then he saw me. I think he might have recognized us.”
Lund went to the edge of the curtain and parted it to peer outside. “The GMC?”
“Yeah.”
Lund frowned. “Most people ignore Good Samaritan opportunities. He’s on his cell phone. Sitting there. The whole family is in the vehicle.”
The warning feeling was throbbing hard now. “We’d better go.”
“Agreed,” Lund said. “Let’s get moving.”
Sarina nodded and hurried off the bed. Taking Jane Louise by the hand, she moved to turn the TV off, but Lund told her to keep it on. It would help convince the hotel staff they were still there.
“Out the side door,” Lund said. “Like the way we came in.”
As they left, the nervous feeling continued to build inside Suki. She was so tired of feeling it, so she started to repeat the calming mantra. They walked down the corridor swiftly and exited through the side door. Even though it was morning, it was still humid, although the temperature was only in the fifties. Suki rubbed her arms.
Lund unlocked the car, and they got inside the minivan. The Yukon appeared around the side of the hotel, creeping slowly. Suki saw the dad in the driver’s seat, still on the phone.
“Buckle up,” Lund said. He fired up the engine and then did a quick reverse. The Yukon stopped.
Lund put it in gear and started out of the parking lot. The Yukon began following them. How long before the police were dispatched?
Suki clicked her seat belt, remembering the morning after Christmas when they’d escaped another Yukon, full of MS-13 members. No snow on the roads this time, at least.
Lund clicked the side of his phone. “Driving directions to Everglades City,” he said to it.
The CarPlay app on the rental put up driving directions from Naples to Everglades City. It was southeast of Naples, deeper into Florida.
“What’s in Everglades City?” Suki asked.
“A way out where no one can follow us,” Lund said with tightness in his voice. He sped out of the parking lot toward the highway. Palm trees stood in thick walls around the edges of the parking lot. The Yukon started after them.
“Let’s see how well you can drive, Mr. Hero,” Lund grunted, accelerating toward the intersection instead of slowing down.
“Turn left on US Highway 41, Tamiami Trail,” said the robotically female voice on his phone.
Suki gripped the safety handle and grimaced as the minivan sped into the intersection in the middle of the slow-going morning commute without stopping. She closed her eyes.
Honks, brakes screeching. Her stomach was flooded with butterflies as the van accelerated.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
JAGUAR TEMPLE
CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE
January 10
“I salute you, Huracán, enemy of both sides. Lord of the Near and the Nigh. God of the Furious Winds, Possessor of Sky and Earth. Open.”
The stela ground opened again, and once more Jacob lowered himself to pass beneath it into the sacred chamber with the obsidian mirrors. He wore a casual business suit, open-collared shirt—no tie. In one pocket, he carried a blowgun and a brace of poison darts. In the other, a Glock with hollow-point bullets. He wasn’t sure he’d need either, but it was good to be prepared.
The other jaguar priests had already gathered within the close space and were waiting for him. The thrill of anticipation was dulled by the disappointment that he hadn’t yet achieved all of his aims. Roth continued to defy him. So did Suki.
The other jaguar priests took a knee as soon as he was with them. Each bowed his head. Each man had been chosen for his dedication and skill. This would be the ultimate test.
“Welcome, my brothers,” Jacob said. “Today we are one in purpose. Each of us must do his part to fulfill the Jaguar Prophecies. If all goes well, this night will be a special celebration, a special sacrifice. On the altar of the temple, I will cut out the heart of the president of the United States. If I should fall or fail, one of you will step into my place. Angélica will announce who I have chosen. This is the moment we have trained our whole lives for.”
