Page 30 of The Guardian

“A list?” she asked.

Nodding, I replied, “About you…There are sparkling gold flecks in your eyes. I have never seen that before either. Then your hair is so damned silky.” I reached up and rubbed a lock of it between my fingers. “I also love the tone of your skin. You have like a beautiful sun kissed look.”

She dropped her gaze down as if she couldn’t look at me.

“Then this shyness,” I added with a chuckle. “It is adorable.”

Raising her head, she looked at me. “I really like you Henry…a lot. But we can’t…

I cocked my head at her. I knew what she meant but I intended to change her mind. I really liked her too. In fact, more than any woman I had met in a long time. I took her hand in mine again. “We can wait on deciding that. What I need to know about is that you told the twins you would need to leave soon.”

Nodding, she sighed. “I have to be in Catemaco before the blood moon. And that will be the day after tomorrow. I will be leaving here as soon as I can.”

I paused at this odd answer to ask, “What?”

“It is a lunar eclipse where the moon turns red and—”

I nodded as I raised my hand up at her. “I know what that is, but why?”

“It will happen over Catemaco…” She shook her head.

“But according to my brother, you were already in Mexico, looking for your family.”

Nodding, she looked away.

I waited for her to give me more information. “Maya, I can help you. I—”

She stood from the sofa and snapped at me, “No!”

“You can’t go back there by yourself.”

“I was there for three years by myself.” She moved away from me.

“Then why didn’t you leave in those three years? I mean obviously they aren’t there or you never found them.”

“I did not find them,” she replied as she paced the area in front of the bar.

“I’m confused. You said you stayed because of the kids?”

She halted her pacing and finally looked at me. “I did, but this is set to happen…” She shook her head. “It is really dangerous, Henry.”

I stood and went over to her. “Yes Maya, kidnappings in foreign counties is usually dangerous. That is why you need help.”

Shaking her head, she stepped back. “I do not want anyone else to get killed over this.”

“Anyone else?”

She bit at her lip and nodded. “I hired a private detective to look for them and he was murdered.” She stared at me as he lips trembled. “Then my brother went looking…He was killed too.”

“In Mexico?”

“Yes. So, I cannot let you—”

I grabbed her upper arms. “You are going back there by yourself after people have been murdered because they were looking for your parents?”

“Yes, Henry and my sister.”

“You already placed yourself in danger there. You must have known…”