“Oh, right. Over here.” He moved to the right of the opening he had created with the sledgehammer. There, in the corner, was another pile of rocks. Like the others, they were fused by the eroding limestone.
“I’m surprised you even noticed this,” she commented.
“I notice everything.” He scanned her body, observed her blush. She rubbed down the goosebumps on her arms. Cam wanted to raise them again. He wanted to lick the nook of her neck, leave a mark of possession.
“Do the mines and caves interconnect throughout?” she asked.
“I’ve only just started exploring the mines. My job is new. From what I’ve seen, yes. I imagine the miners use the caves as natural tunnels. As the mine shafts move higher into the mountains, there are probably fewer caves,” he noted.
She assessed him, a bit of suspicion in her cocoa eyes. “You know a lot about geology for a miner.”
Cam met her gaze. “I know a lot about a lot. And I’m not a miner.”
“Then what are you doing down here?” she questioned.
“Security,” he replied.
She blanched.
“Don’t worry. You can look for your treasure. My job does not include chasing mice.” He smirked.
She was apparently so relieved at his declaration, she ignored the insult. “Thank you.”
“What's so interesting about piles of rock?”
She waved for him to follow her to the marker in the corner. Evan knelt beside the pile. Using a small tool, she separated two stones, revealing a bit of metal embedded in the center.
“What is that?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. Some kind of links from a chain. All the formations have two of these pieces set between the second and third rock in the stack.” She removed the pieces and held them in her open palm.
Cam sat on his haunches beside her and ran his index finger over the two connected, rectangular links. “Looks like gold.”
Cam's finger strayed to her skin. Evan closed her fist, but Cam didn’t miss her shiver at his touch.
She cleared her throat and stood. “I agree, but I’ll need to test them. Thank you for showing me. I’ll check with the mine executives if my team thinks this warrants further investigation.”
She was adorable. Did she really think he was buying that load of crap? She wasn’t going to get permission from the March Mining higher-ups; she was trying to get rid of him. Cam forced his face to neutral and played along. “The executives are in Palma. I’m sure you can figure out how to get in touch.”
She nodded, half-listening, her mind no doubt already racing with plans for her search. He threw her a bone. “The mine is open until midnight when the last shift leaves and reopens at 6 a.m., but the executives in Palma keep regular hours.”
“All right.” She extended a shaky hand. “Thank you. It was nice to meet you.”
When he didn’t take it, she turned and scurried through the hole they had entered. Cam almost laughed. She really did look like a little mouse, and just like the shy creature, she would wait until no one was around to sniff out a prize.
He knew he shouldn’t get involved, but he had four days until Gemini March returned, and he did need to map these mines. He pictured Evan's angelic face with those wide eyes the color of chestnuts, full pink lips, and her blush of innocence. Then he envisioned his alter ego, Miguel Ramirez spending hours and hours alone with her, making lewd comments and treating her like every other woman he encountered.
Cam rearranged some crates to hide the hole and returned the sledgehammer to the row of tools against the far wall. When he was satisfied the room looked relatively undisturbed, he walked to a free-standing wooden closet the men had brought in to use as a pantry, took a deep breath, and plowed his fist through the door.