To the left of the courtyard, she glimpsed the kitchen, dining room, and great room, and another structure which must be the master bedroom and likely an office.
Carolina pulled open a door across from the pool and dragged the litter inside. Together, they lifted Max from the floor to the comfortable looking king-sized bed with hammered copper and unique black iron work. There were matching nightstands and a dresser. The colorful art on the wall depicted Muertos, Mayan and Aztec motifs in the sun and moon duality.
The walls were a gorgeous mustard yellow and the ceiling hues of blue. Colorful Mexican-themed carpets brightened up the tiled floors.
“I have some clothes you can change into and a bathing suit if you’d like a dip in the pool.”
Renata covered Max up. He was sleeping deeply from the midazolam. She felt his forehead, her instincts tweaked. “We’ll have to watch this fever,” she said. “If it spikes, we’ll need to cool him down.”
Carolina nodded, concern in her expressive eyes. “Have a shower and get changed. We’ll get something to eat. I’ll feed Jugs for you. Be right back.”
Moments later she came back with a coral tank top, a pair of blue cotton draw-string shorts, underwear and a skimpy black bikini. “There are towels in the bathroom cupboard and shampoo and conditioner inside the shower along with body lotion on the sink.”
“Thanks.”
She checked Max one more time, but he was resting comfortably. Hot, dirty, and feeling the effects of too much sun, she went into the beautifully tiled bathroom and the large open shower and turned on the water, setting it to cool. She unleashed the beast that was her hair. Long and curly, it was a bear in humidity, and she kept it tightly braided to keep it under control.
The black locks sprang free and it felt so good to have the strands loose. She shook it out and stripped off her sweat- and blood-stained clothes, discarding them into a pile on the floor. The cool water felt heavenly, but her palms stung as she soaped up and rinsed, then washed her hair. After her shower, she towel-dried her hair, put on her underthings, and used the blow dryer to tame her unruly locks, working them into a loose side braid. Then pulled on the shorts and tank top. She collected her dirty clothes, the wet towels, and Max’s bloody clothes from the bag Carolina had dropped them in. When she set his boots near the bed, a dog toy popped out of his bag. She bent down and tucked it into her pocket, then gathered up the pile and left the room, crossing the courtyard to the kitchen.
“Hey, how do you feel?” Carolina asked.
“Like a new woman.” She lifted the soggy bundle. “Where do you want these?”
“Laundry room is straight through the breakfast nook to the left of the powder room. Feel free to start a load.”
She followed Carolina’s directions and found the washer. Renata tossed the towels, her vest, top, khaki shorts and underthings into the washer, then Max’s stuff. She stopped at Max’s shirt and fingered the hole, the dried blood, a fierce, protective sensation rolling over her, clutching her heart.
She braced her hands on the edge of the washer, struggling to squash the reaction, a thick ache stuffing up her chest. With her eyes tightly closed, she allowed the relief she felt to wash through her. This…this reaction was why she didn’t want to ever hold anyone’s life in her hands. She couldn’t handle this but knew her reaction was intense because not only did she like the SEAL duo, but she was heavily attracted to Max.
She got ahold of herself, tossed in his shirt, added detergent, then started the washer. She squared her shoulders and went back into the kitchen. Carolina was setting down a metal bowl full of chicken, rice, carrots, peas, and sweet potatoes onto the floor when Renata entered. Jugs sat there looking up at her.
She frowned. “You don’t like chicken?” She looked at Renata. “He’s got to be starving.”
“I think you have to give him permission.”
“Oh, you only eat on command. You’re such a well-trained trooper. Go ahead, boy. Dig in.”
He jumped on the bowl like a starving wolf.
“You wouldn’t believe he almost took my arm off three days ago.” Renata described how she had found Jugs and Max.
“How ingenious and brave of you. But he is part of a military team and doing his job. They train them to attack and to protect.”
Renata nodded. “I decided not to hold it against him.”
Carolina smiled and picked up two plates with grilled chicken, chipa—a simple bun made with cassava flour, lard, cheese and anise—a small salad, and kivevé, made with pumpkin, cornmeal, and fresh cheese. It was delicious and the most popular vegetarian dish in Paraguay.
“Grab that bottle of wine and those two glasses, and we’ll go out to the pool area to eat. It’s closer to Max.”
“You’re making me sound like a mother hen.”
“No, just a dedicated doctor. We can’t help it. I check on my patients often, too.”
“I’m not exactly a doctor,” Renata said, and Carolina’s surprised gaze snapped to her.
“This sounds like an intriguing story.” She set the plates, napkins, and silverware down on the tiled table, inlaid with a sunflower motif.
Renata placed one goblet in front of Carolina and uncorked the already open bottle, pouring out the pale white wine.
She sat across from Carolina, the sky darkening and the lights coming on in the pool, the water a glowing aqua.
A soft breeze blew across them, rustling the trees in the back along with the exotic flowers, releasing their delicate fragrances.
After Renata finished filling her in, Carolina, her plate almost empty, sighed. “Wow, you’ve really tackled some schooling. Retraining after becoming a surgeon. I couldn’t imagine.”
“Getting my Ph.D. in Anthropology wasn’t as much a chore as medical school. I loved every minute of it.”
“So, what are you doing in Paraguay?”
“That’s even more exciting. Let me show you.” She ran quickly to the bedroom and grabbed her pack. When she got back to the table, she opened it, expecting to find the Spanish helmet, but it was…gone.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered.
“What is it?”
“I had a priceless artifact in here…”
“Was it metal?”
“Yes.”
Carolina let out a soft chuckle. “I saw Jugs with something metallic.”
“What? Where?”
“Around the side of the house.” The two of them jumped up and ran to the spot where Carolina said he’d disappeared. There, in some bushes, was the helmet.
“Oh, no. I think Jugs thinks this is a good item for hide and seek.”
“That silly dog.” He materialized next to them, panting and looking from the helmet to Renata as if he was impressed that she had found his hiding spot.
She swiped her hand over his head and silky ears. There was a much more appropriate game they could play besides hide the helmet. She pulled out the neon green toy from her pocket and threw it for him. He ran after it and brought it back.
Renata bent down and retrieved the helmet. “Here it is,” Renata said, setting it into Carolina’s waiting hands.
“This is beautiful. So well preserved,” Carolina said. Renata took back the helmet and Carolina took the toy from Jugs and threw it for him. “He is a rascal. Isn’t he?”