by Belle Knight
Someone had been smuggling in rhino horns, and using mammoth ivory and bone carvings to cover up the smuggling. That one pair of elephant tusks had tainted the whole lot. Otherwise whoever had done this would have gotten away with all of it.
Even though she didn’t want to leave the rhino horns unprotected, cell phones didn’t work at this level of the museum. She would have to go upstairs to make the call.
Reluctantly, she set aside her tools. Part of her was still filled with horror but another part of her felt alive, so alive, for the first time in a long time. Maybe her discovery would make the difference that would help track down the smugglers.
Laura left the bubble of light and headed for the basement door.
It was time to call Director Stone.
Chapter 5
Heald realized two truths almost at the same moment.
Things were not going as planned.
The job was a lot bigger than Station had claimed.
Both of these truths meant a great deal more trouble for Heald.
But his brother’s life was at stake, and the bounty that hung over Heald’s own head was nothing to sneeze at. Heald wanted to curse his brother for getting involved with Station in the first place, but that didn’t change a thing about the current situation.
Heald had wandered the museum like any other patron, taking in the exhibits, the artwork that looked like a child could have painted it, the chintzy miniature statues behind glass, lasers, and glowering security guards, even the education walk-throughs, until he had slipped out of sight of guards and cameras, waiting for the museum to close down for the night.
His little hiding alcove was exactly where Station’s map had said it would be. No one hunted him down to usher him out after the museum closed its doors.
But the security camera lights still glowed red.
That wasn’t supposed to happen.
He slipped out his cell phone and texted Station.
Cameras. WTF?
He waited in the alcove for his answer, even as his mind wandered and settled on that woman—Laura. Her curves had felt lush and warm against the length of his body. This time not even the cold reality of that red camera light could prevent a tight, hot knot in his jeans. It had been a long time since he’d let himself get that physically close to anyone.
His younger brother was the only family Heald admitted having. Mixed up in a poaching deal gone bad, his brother should have been working in customs the day some rhino horns were smuggled through. He’d partied too hard the night before and though he struggled to work, hungover, with bloodshot eyes, to fulfill his end of the deal with Station, he’d gotten sent home when he started vomiting.
The horns had gotten stuck in customs, then passed through to this museum.
And now, somehow, it was Heald who had to make things right, or Station had promised to make both he and his brother pay with their lives.
Heald frowned at the vibrating buzz of his phone.
Taking care of it, Station texted.
Heald texted back. Should’ve already been done.
Your brother misses you. Do a good job.
Heald silently cursed to himself. He couldn’t go to the police with what had happened. Station was an asshole, but he wasn’t stupid. There wasn’t a single text or phone conversation where Station didn’t carefully choose his words. Heald had no real evidence to prove what had happened to his brother or why he was in the museum after hours like this.
Fake volunteer badge and all.
Thinking about the badge made Heald’s thoughts drift back to Laura. He wondered if she was still in the building. She seemed like the kind of girl to get lost in her work. Long hours spent focusing on some special museum artifact, her lips pursed in concentration, her delicate hands examining the artifact’s features. Heald’s boner throbbed with frustration. He told himself he had her all wrong. She was probably a bitch. She probably volunteered her time to score brownie points with the neighborhood PTA or—hell—she had kids and a husband somewhere and she was really as dense as a doorknob.
But he knew it wasn’t true.
He had known there was a lot more to her the moment he had looked into her eyes when she accused him of breaking in. She was smart. She hadn’t taken him at his word but had demanded his ID and compared it to her own, even though they had been outside alone together and it had been growing dark.
The woman had courage too.
There was a sudden silence. Heald realized a low hum that had been there all along as background noise had suddenly gone silent.
Done, Station texted.
Heald let out a silent sigh. Laura was long gone and it was better that way. Safer.
He had a job to do. He wasn’t going to let anyone get hurt while he did it. Especially his brother.
Before stepping out from the alcove, Heald peered at the nearby by cameras. The red lights were gone, the cameras dead. He hoped Station had done his job right or Heald was about to trip the security system and rain police down on his head.
But Station supposedly had a million or so dollars at stake here, so Heald figured Station probably knew what he was doing. Sending an unconnected person like Heald to steal the rhino horns back made perfect sense, especially since Station had Heald’s brother as blackmail. It all gave Station a layer of protection if Heald got caught.
But Heald wasn’t planning to get caught.
He’d washed out of the Marines, but had gotten decent mercenary experience around the world. He had always been proud of the jobs he took on. He was picky. Careful. He wasn’t going to soil himself with something illegal or doing something he believed was wrong. That didn’t mean situations always went right. That didn’t mean he had avoided doing things he wasn’t proud of. He had his ghosts. His regrets. But none of that mattered right now.
His brother had gotten mixed up with Station and given up Heald as a man with experience who could finish the job that he had fucked up. Heald didn’t blame his brother. If this saved his brother’s life, then he’d gladly steal some rhino horns. But when he got his brother out of this alive, he was surely going to kick his ass and make Station pay.
Heald stepped out from the alcove and hurried back through the museum. He skipped the exhibits and the elevator. Everything should be down, but not for long. If the security system stayed down for too long, it would notify the police.
He had two minutes to get to the basement.
The security system would switch back on after that, but it would be too late. Only the door to the basement was part of the security system. Once he was inside he would have all the time in the world to gather the rhino horns. He’d make a run for the outside with the package on his back, careful to hide his face from the cameras. Station’s people would be waiting nearby, ready to pick him up before security could alert the police.
Heald jogged down the stairs as his pulse picked up. The museum was dead quiet, but moments like these, in the middle of the job, always made his adrenaline race, even when everything was going right.
He found the door he wanted, matching it to the one he had memorized in his mental map.
The lights around it were dead at the moment, otherwise someone would need a special card to swipe their way through.
Like a curvy woman’s volunteer badge.
He pushed thoughts of Laura away as he opened the door. He crossed over the door’s threshold and stepped onto the landing that ended in stairs. These stairs led down to the basement floor. He felt the low hum of electronics whirring back up to speed. The door clicked closed behind him just as the lights flashed back on and an interior lock stuttered into place.
Heald grit his teeth. That had been too close for comfort. No way had Station given him a full two minutes. What the hell? Did the guy want his rhino horns or not?
Heald pulled out his cell phone to give Station a piece of his mind, but saw it would do no good.
The signal was gone.
Just as well. No good would c
ome of him mouthing off to Station. It was time to finish this job and get his brother back.
Heald sniffed, taking in the musty scent of things long dead but also well-preserved. The basement was climate-controlled and dry—the better to preserve its contents. Racks of shelves stretched into the darkness on either side. The space looked like it might run underneath the entire museum.
There was one glowing orb of light that pierced the basement darkness. It looked like an orb of gold. Within that orb, it was easy, even from this distance, to make out the gargantuan tusks pulled from the crates and the smaller curved horns laid out in a line, side by side, as if ready for a photograph.
Shit.
Someone had found the rhino horns.
But it was worse than that.
There were way more rhino horns than there should have been. He had been told about five or six horns worth a million or so dollars altogether. He counted somewhere near twenty horns neatly organized on that table.
Yeah, he was strong enough to carry them all out in a couple of sacks, but it was going to be painfully noticeable and unwieldy.
Heald picked his way down the stairs, mentally preparing himself for what was about to come next.
To save his brother’s life—and his own life—he had to get those horns out.
He would go through anyone who stood in his way.
Violently, if necessary.
Chapter 6
Laura ran into something.
In the dark, searching her way toward the stairs after leaving the blinding light she had used to examine the tusks, she had lost her sense of direction amongst the artifact stacks. Once she was hopelessly lost, she had to head back for the light to reorient herself to the basement door that accessed the rest of the museum and then restart.
But that restart had blinded her even more. Now she had run into something that must have fallen from one of the shelves.
Then the something swore.
Laura stumbled backwards, her heartbeat ratcheting up in her chest, hitting her back against boxes that rattled around like they were full of bones.
She let out a pathetic yelp because she was in the dark, defenseless.
AND THERE WAS SOMEONE HERE IN THE DARK WITH HER.
“Who are you!” Laura said, gathering her composure. “You’re not supposed to be down here. I’ve called security.”
There was a long silence. Laura blushed in the dark. Any idiot would know she was bluffing, but that was all she had at the moment. She was weaponless, with no cell phone signal, and whoever was down here blocked her way to the only escape and clearly shouldn’t—
“Laura?”
The voice was deep and held surprise, and also something else, like a mixture of fear and chagrin. Her spine shivered as if caressed, though it took Laura a long second for her mind to place the voice.
“Heald?” Laura’s original suspicions came roaring back.
She had never seen him before tonight.
She had just discovered 10 million dollars worth of poached rhino horns.
“What are you doing down here?”
Shit. She was an idiot.
“You shouldn’t be down here,” Heald replied.
Laura still couldn’t make out his face in the dark, just the sinewy outline of his body as he towered over her. There was nowhere for her to go. She should be scared, alone in the dark with this man who she suspected shouldn’t be down here.
“I was—”
“Laura, we have to get out of here. There’s somebody in the building,” Heald said, then he rushed on, as if warming to the idea as the words left his mouth. “I was working late and these guys busted in. I think they’re trying to steal something from the museum.”
“What are you talking about?” Laura said.
In the dark, she felt his hand settle on her, cupping her waist. He moved closer to her and she felt his heat like a shiver. His breath was hot against her ear and made her melt.
“Come on,” Heald said, his voice barely above a whisper.
She wanted to drown in that warmth, she wanted to move her hands along his chest and confirm his hardness, she wanted to drop to the floor in the open privacy of the dark basement shadows and feel his need for her drive her into oblivion. She wanted to forget being responsible and proper.
She turned her head in the dark, pretending not to know where he was even though every nerve in her body screamed the lie. Their lips caught, hot and searing, and suddenly Heald pressed her against the shelves. A cardboard box dug into her back, sending Laura into a spinning sensation of drowning heat and arousal. Their tongues searched each other out, hard and demanding, as if both knew this was a stolen kiss.
The kiss broke.
Heald stepped away. Cold air rushed in. Laura’s mouth felt swollen. Deep inside, she burned with sensation, and knew she had become wet. Heald took in a ragged breath and if he went for her again she would tear her own clothes off her body.
Instead, Heald said, his voice catching in his throat, “We have to hide.”
Chapter 7
Heald had to think.
He couldn’t think.
He had to though, he had to force himself to think through the next dozen chess moves or things were going to get ugly.
He tugged Laura along, thankful for the cover of darkness. His kiss had distracted her enough. He had practically attacked her and a part of him was ashamed, but another part of him didn’t care. His erection throbbed, demanding release in exactly one specific way. To nestle deep into the hot, swollen folds of this woman who somehow could light a fire in his belly by trailing a bit of her hair across her cheek.
But he didn’t like that at all because he prided himself on always being in control.
Kissing this woman, even as a way to distract her? That was beyond stupid during a heist. That was complete and total lack of control.
People who lost control got other people killed. He’d learned that the hard way more than once.
He’d used that to his advantage more than once too.
He damn well wasn’t going to lose control now. Not with so much at stake.
He had waited for her to flinch away, searching for any sign that she didn’t want his touch, but she had kissed back. Good god, how she had kissed back and when he had broken away, he swore he saw a hint of disappointment. But it was hard to tell in the shadows.
She let him lead her around by the hand, but he didn’t dare do more than that, otherwise he would not be able to think straight.
Of course she was the one who had stayed late. Of course she was the one who had to discover the rhino horns.
That knowledge put her life in danger and tore his plan to shreds.
Station didn’t want any witnesses.
“We can’t hide,” Laura said. “We have to let the police know what’s happening. Cell phones don’t work down here. We have to go up. There’s precious artifacts everywhere. They’re worth—”
“Nothing is worth your life,” Heald said. “We can’t face them.”
“Them?” Laura said. “There’s more than one?”
“I think so.” Heald thought fast. Whatever it took to get her to come with him, that’s what he would say. “They had guns, Laura. And masks.”
“The art,” Laura said. “They’re probably after—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Heald said. “We can’t confront them.”
“The alarms should be going off,” Laura said. “The museum has major security. It’ll bring the police.”
“Exactly,” Heald said. “Let the police take care of it. We have to hide and wait them out.” But wherever they hid he had to make sure it wasn’t anywhere near the basement door or the rhino horns shining under that lamp like they had a spotlight on them. “Is there a place down here to hide for a while?”
Heald hoped he could tuck Laura away somewhere and complete the job without anyone needing to get hurt. By the time she realized he had left with the rhino horns, he would be lon
g gone, taking Station with him, and keeping her safe.
He would never be able to look her in the eyes again. He would never be able to see her again once she realized what he had done, but at least she would be safe, his brother would be alive, and Heald would no longer owe Station anything.
Simple.
Yeah, right.
“There’s an office down here,” Laura said, interrupting Heald’s thoughts. “We use it for filing paperwork until it can all go into the computer.”
Heald paused, thinking hard. Her hand was soft and trusting inside his own. They were both pretending the kiss hadn’t happened, but Heald felt the need thick in the air between them. “Okay that sounds perfect. Where is it?”
“I’ll show you,” Laura said, beginning to lead the way.
She knew how to keep her cool. That was good. He just needed to do the same for long enough to keep everyone safe.
Control. He was good at staying in control.
It seemed like an eternity of shuffling feet, shelves stacked high overhead with boxes of bones and dead things and smashed pottery. The shadows seemed to dance every now and then, messing with his vision. But there wasn’t much light to see except for some faint emergency lights that glowed a soft red at various intervals. Just enough light not to trip, and to make out Laura’s lovely shape as she tugged him along. He could gather her up in his arms if he wanted to. He wanted to. He wanted to feel her thighs grip him on either side of his hips as he drove his—
He bit down on his lip, tasting blood. He would have to get long gone of her, fast. He wouldn’t be able to trust himself alone in a room with her, even with their lives at stake like this.
They finally reached the office. It was little more than plywood walls that had been drywalled to form a small room. The door looked flimsy, but had an electronic keypad that locked it.
Laura released Heald’s hand and he felt an ache at that loss. Just touching her seemed to calm him somehow. Steadied him even as it made him lose control of his carefully held emotions. He didn’t know why that would be. It shouldn’t be like that. There was something in his body that called to her and he knew her body called back to him.
