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a few things about her. His Sweetwater intuition had not failed him. For all her hostility toward him, personally, and the company in general, she would never leave five trapped and helpless people to their fate.
    “Lyra,” he said gently. He started to reach across the counter to touch her bare arm.
    She straightened abruptly, stepped back out of reach, and came briskly around the end of the counter. “No one got caught in the doorway itself, when it closed?”
    “No.”
    “Good. Give me a few minutes to change my clothes. I don’t intend to ruin this dress in the jungle for the sake of Amber Inc.”
    He watched her walk toward the sliding screens that concealed the bedroom area.
    “About the orchids,” he said.
    She disappeared behind the screens. “What about them?”
    The screens were opaque but translucent. He could make out tantalizing glimpses of her shadow as she unzipped the little black dress and stepped out of it. Everything inside him got tighter.
    “Just wondered who sent them,” he said. “Given the fact that it wasn’t me.”
    “Haven’t a clue. There’s never a signature.”
    He looked at the stack of cards. “Must be someone you know well, if he figured he didn’t need to sign the cards.”
    “Mmm.”
    He contemplated the graceful shadow of her leg and the curve of her hip as she stepped into a pair of pants. She had a very fine rear, he thought. Truly excellent. The presence of the flowers indicated that some other man admired the same assets.
    “What do the cards say?” he asked, unable to stop himself.
    She appeared at the opening in the screens dressed in jeans, a faded denim shirt, and a pair of low leather boots. She had a jungle pack slung over one shoulder.
    “See for yourself,” she said.
    He could tell from her smile that he was not going to like whatever was written on the cards. But he had to know. He rose from the stool, crossed to the coffee table, and picked up the top card. A strange, icy feeling twisted through him.
    “ ‘We belong together,’ ” he read aloud.
    “Romantic, don’t you think?”
    It took some major willpower, but he managed to suppress the urge to rip the card into little pieces. “That’s a damn personal message from someone you can’t identify.”
    “Yes, it is,” she agreed. “Guess I’ve got myself a secret admirer. Never had one of those. You know, my life has suddenly become a heck of a lot more interesting.” She looked at Vincent. “Ready to go on a trip to the jungle, buddy?”
    Vincent chortled enthusiastically and scampered across the room. Lyra scooped him up and headed for the door.
    “Let’s go,” she said to Cruz. “The sooner I get your cretins out of the chamber, the sooner I can go to bed. It’s been a very long day.”

Chapter 4

    THEY ENTERED THE CATACOMBS THROUGH ONE OF THE official gates located inside the Dead City. That alone told Lyra just how seriously everyone was taking the situation.
    “Oh, wow,” she said when Cruz brought her to a halt at the doorway of one of the ethereal green quartz towers. “I get to go in through an actual authorized gate? I thought the only people allowed to use the Guild gates were corporate- and academic-sponsored R&D teams that paid top dollar for the privilege. I’m just a small-time independent, remember? Are you sure the Guild honchos know about this?”
    “I’m aware that you don’t like the Guild any better than you do Amber Inc.,” Cruz said.
    “Mostly because they have always worked hand in hand with AI to monopolize exploration underground and in the jungle, not to mention crush small indies like Dore Tuning & Consulting. Aside from that, I have absolutely nothing against either AI or the Guild.”
    “Do you think you could hold back on the sarcasm until we get those five people out of that chamber?”
    “Sorry. Sometimes I just can’t help myself.”
    “I noticed.”
    She gave him another glowing smile, aware that she was feeling downright reckless. Okay,