by Anna Hackett
“Great.” Josh straightened, baring his dentist-whitened teeth. He launched into a blow-by-blow discourse of his work and finds. He made it sound like he was the only person working at the site.
January immediately tuned him out. Josh had always loved the sound of his own voice. And he was less about the work, and more about talking about himself. He also loved hogging all the credit for everything his team did.
The minutes passed, and January suddenly yawned.
Seth took her plate. “January’s had a rough day. She needs some sleep.”
“Or Josh’s voice has put her to sleep,” Rachelle muttered quietly.
January choked on a laugh.
“Right.” Josh was frowning. “Of course.”
Seth helped January up. “I’m going to take a walk around camp. I’ll meet you at the tent.”
January knew that meant he was checking things out. She nodded at him, and watched him disappear into the shadows.
“Girl, that is one fine specimen of man,” Rachelle said.
“He drives me insane.”
“Even better.”
With murmured goodnights, January headed for the tent.
“January?” Josh appeared.
She turned.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“And this guy—”
“He’s none of your concern.”
Josh gripped her arm. Annoyance flared and she knocked his hand away.
“There was a time you enjoyed me touching you,” he said.
Not really. She’d made a bad decision years ago, before she knew Josh well, and let him talk her into bed. He was as self-absorbed in bed as he was out of it.
“That was a long time ago. I’m exhausted, Josh. Thanks for dinner.” January slipped into the tent. It was lit with a small, portable, battery-powered lantern.
She had stripped off her boots when the tent flap opened and Seth appeared.
“You and Dr. Wonder Boy, really?”
He’d obviously been skulking in the shadows. “Oh, you’ve never made a bad decision?”
He sat down on one of the sleeping bags. “I’ve made loads of them. I’ve gotten pretty good at never believing what a person says.”
She lay down on the sleeping bag, folding her arms beneath her head. “God, that’s cynical.”
“But realistic.”
It was far too hot and humid to need to get into the sleeping bags. Seth shifted next to her, and she scented clean, damp skin. He’d clearly found time for a quick shower, too.
An uncomfortable flutter flitted in her belly. Oh, no. She needed an attraction to Seth Lynch like she needed a hole drilled into her head. Her life was already crazy, and the man knew just what to do to drive her even crazier.
“So you don’t trust anyone?” she asked.
“Only my team. Majority of people will stab you in the back if they get the chance.”
His words were so clinical and she wondered who’d done a number on him. It made her sad.
“The artifacts okay?” he asked, quietly, shucking his boots, gloves, weapons, and vest.
She nodded at her backpack, safely stored in the tent. He reached over and unzipped it. He tugged out one of the spheres, pushing the wrapping off it. She watched him lift the sphere, careful not to touch the smooth, jade surface.
The man had nice, long fingers. The belly flutter returned and she bit her lip.
Then he tucked the ball back into the backpack. He lay down beside her, and flicked off the lantern. For a long moment, they were both silent, each staring up at the tent roof.
“Hell of a day,” she finally muttered.
“You did good out there, James.” His voice was deep and quiet. “After everything you went through, a lot of people would have fallen apart.”
His quiet praise warmed her insides. “You being nice to me again?”
He laughed. It was a sexy sound. “You’re a pain in the ass.”
Outside, the sound of others heading toward their tents echoed in the night, and then silence fell over the camp. She was still excruciatingly aware of Seth, so close by.
“We first met on a night like this one,” he said.
She snorted. “Where you snuck into my dig camp, scared the bejesus out of all of us, and stole my artifact?”
“Where my team infiltrated to secure a dangerous piece of ancient technology and stop anyone from being hurt, or worse. For my troubles, I got smacked in the head with a metal pipe.”
“It was a pole. A fence stake.” She still remembered the chaos in the camp and the big, solid shadow looming over her. He’d subdued her pretty quickly, and after a short tussle, Lachlan had appeared to talk with her.
Seth laughed again. “You going to apologize?”
“Hell, no. If you’d just approached me and talked—”
“We don’t usually have that luxury.”
No, she guessed they didn’t. She’d hated seeing her student hurt by the crystal sphere, so she better understood the job Team 52 did.
“I guess I’m a bit sorry that I gave you a black eye.”
His sleeping bag rustled. “A bit?”
“That’s all you’re getting, Lynch. Be thankful.”
He made a choked sound, and she couldn’t tell if he was pissed or amused. Probably both.
Exhaustion finally started to drag her eyelids down.
“Oh. Oh! Yes! More.”
January tensed. The sound of moaning came from the neighboring tent. It was followed by loud masculine grunts.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Seth muttered.
Yep, Josh was up to his usual tricks again. “He could never keep it in his pants. And he likes young grad students.”
“He cheated on you?”
There was disbelief in Seth’s voice, and that made warmth bloom in her belly. “I made a mistake once, and was done with him the next day. A few hours later, I saw him kissing another woman by his car.”
“He’s a bigger idiot than I thought.”
She glanced Seth’s way, but it was too dark to see him.
“Get some sleep, James,” Seth murmured.
“I will. You, too.” Her eyelids were heavier now. She hadn’t been able to get any rest in the jungle. She’d been too wired and too scared. But knowing the power and strength of Seth Lynch was only inches away…
January smiled and fell asleep.
Seth clapped his hand over January’s mouth and yanked her up against his body.
She sprang awake and started struggling wildly. His palm muffled her screams.
He pressed his mouth to her ear. “Shh. It’s me. Camp’s under attack.”
She stilled, her body quivering.
He lifted his hand.
She swiveled. “Who’s attacking?”
“I don’t know, but we need to move. Get your boots and gear.”
Rustling noises told him she was pulling her boots on. Seth threw on his own pack, and paused to listen. He could make out the faint sound of hushed voices not too far from the tents. Then, a woman’s scream pierced the night.
Shit. Seth pulled his knife off his belt, and sliced the back of the tent open. There was just enough moonlight to see. “Go.” He gripped January’s waist and pushed.
“What about the others?” She paused, half in, half out of the tent.
“No time.” His priorities were the artifacts and January.
He nudged her, grabbed his CXM, and then followed her out of the tent.
And smack into a tangled mess of vines that were half covering their tent.
Seth froze. He’d done several rounds of the camp earlier…this vegetation had not been there before they’d gone to sleep.
Confused, frowning, he pushed them away. “Go.”
January shoved through the vines, then paused to wait for him. Together, they jogged toward the trees. The grass had also grown longer and thicker, brushing their knees.
“The others—
”
“Keep moving,” Seth said.
All of a sudden, a light shone on them.
“There!” a voice shouted.
Gunshots broke the silence of the night.
Seth dived, hitting January, and taking her down to the ground. “Crawl. We need to find cover.”
She nodded and rose on all fours, crawling into the trees. Seth followed, and behind them, heard the sounds of pursuit.
As soon as they reached the trees, he yanked her up.
“We can’t leave the others,” January cried.
“These people are after the artifacts, not your colleagues. We have to safeguard the spheres.”
She looked conflicted.
The next second, a red dot appeared on her chest. Fuck. Seth didn’t stop to think, he just moved, stepping in front of her.
The bullets slammed into his back, and he heard January cry out.
Pain exploded, as though he were getting hammered by a giant’s fist. He gritted his teeth, lifted his CXM, and spun.
As he fired his rifle, shouts and screams punctured the night.
Breathe through the pain, Lynch. “Move…have to…”
“Quiet.” January pressed one shoulder in under his armpit. He draped his arm across her shoulders.
“Are you bleeding?” she asked, tone businesslike, but he heard the concern in it.
He shook his head. “Hit my vest.”
They hobbled forward.
“But it must hurt.”
“Like a bitch.”
Each step they took felt like agony. Together, they staggered deeper into the jungle. It was dark and hard to see. They were moving too damn slowly.
Something slammed into January, knocking her over. With a cry, she fell, and they both went down. Seth groaned, nausea hitting him.
He saw a flashlight on the ground, illuminating a man with long, blond hair. He was half on January, tearing at her backpack, trying to get it off her. She kicked him and the man growled.
Seth reached for his CXM, but it was several feet away. Dammit. Instead, he reached for his SIG Sauer.
The attacker pulled out a knife and cut one of the backpack’s straps.
“No.” January kicked him again. “You are not taking my pack, asshole.”
“Give it to me.”
“Screw you!”
The contents of the backpack spilled open, and one jade sphere rolled out of its covering and into the dirt.
Dammit. Seth shoved the pain away and swiveled. He sat up and kicked the man. A lot harder than January had.
The man grunted and then Seth aimed the SIG right at the man’s head.
The man went still. His glittering blue eyes glared at Seth. He had pale skin and his hair was tangled around his shoulders.
“Who are you?” Seth demanded.
“A crusader.” He had a Scandinavian accent.
Seth fought to draw in a breath. He could hear other people crashing through the jungle. He watched the man’s gaze shift over Seth’s shoulder.
January stepped into view, holding the jade sphere.
Seth tried for another breath. Damn, it felt like he had an elephant on his chest. He needed his vest off, and then to sell his soul for some painkillers.
“You hold the chance to change the world in your hand.” The blond man’s hungry gaze was on the sphere.
January flicked a worried glance at Seth. Yeah, she’d heard it too. Fanaticism. He hated fanatics. They were impossible to reason with.
Seth jammed the gun hard against the side of the man’s head. “Who do you work for?”
“You’ll never stop us.”
January huffed out a breath. “He has a gun to your head. Answer him!”
The man’s lips pressed into a hard line.
He pressed harder until the man winced. “Tell me about Gaia.”
The man’s eyes flickered. “We have a mission. We’ll never stop.”
“I’ve heard it all before, man,” Seth said. “Every iteration of why you think you get to be an asshole. Just answer the question.”
The man smiled. “I’m a knight. A warrior of Gaia.”
The man leaped up, headbutting Seth’s chest.
Fuck. Outrageous pain speared through Seth and he staggered back, trying not to vomit.
“Seth!” January reached for him.
The man leaped at January, trying to wrench the sphere from her. She fought back like a wild hellcat and the pair hit the dirt, struggling like wrestlers. The blond man hit her in the head.
She cried out, clearly dazed. Seth fought to get his feet under him, but the pain held him pinned, only letting him move as fast as a damn snail.
The man yanked the sphere from January’s hands.
“No!” she yelled.
Dammit. Seth got up on one knee and lifted his SIG.
The man sprinted into the jungle. Seth took a shot, but knew he’d missed. He managed to stagger to his feet.
“January, you okay?”
She stood a few feet away, her face twisted in anger. “Yes. He got one of the spheres. We have to stop him.”
Seth nodded, but several armed attackers exploded out of the trees. They were closest to January and trained their guns on her.
Her eyes widened, and she held her hands out at her sides.
In that second, Seth knew he had a choice—go after the artifact, or save January.
Fuck.
He spun, swiveled on one knee, and aimed at the newcomers. “Down, James.”
She dropped, and Seth fired. Bam. Bam. Bam.
The men fell, all neutralized.
“We need to move.”
January raised her head. “But the sphere—?”
“Fuck the sphere.”
She sucked in a breath. “You did not just say that.”
Seth grabbed her hand, fighting off his pain. “First, let’s stay alive.”
Her gaze dropped to his chest. He knew she couldn’t miss his labored breathing.
“Fine,” she said.
He yanked her into the vegetation.
Chapter Six
January ran, harder than she’d ever run before, fueled by her fury.
These assholes had tried to kill her…again. Seth had stepped in front of bullets for her. And now, these bastards had one of the spheres.
“We can’t let them have the artifact.” She slapped at a vine.
“We can’t stop them if we’re dead,” Seth gritted out.
She glanced up at him. She could hear the pain in his tone, and in the light of the flashlight he’d finally allowed her to switch on, his face held a grayish sheen.
“How bad’s the pain?” she asked.
“Just keep moving.”
She wanted to shoot all these bad guys. God, she hoped Josh, Rachelle, and the others were okay. January was angry and she was afraid. She hated being afraid.
Old memories, with very sharp fangs, rose up. But like she always did, she pushed away the fear and embraced the anger.
“So, what’s our plan, 007?”
“Not get riddled with bullets.”
She rolled her eyes. Again, the image of him stepping in front of her, taking those bullets for her, rocketed through her head.
Suddenly, he yanked her to a stop.
“Shh.” He pulled her close, flicked off the flashlight, and cocked his head.
Then she heard it. Bodies crashing through the jungle.
They were being hunted.
“Go.” Seth shoved her hard.
“I’m going.” She’d lost her unlaced boots in the fight, and running in bare feet in the dark jungle was not fun. Something sharp sliced her foot and she winced. But she didn’t complain. They had to get away.
They reached higher ground and she swiveled to look back. Her stomach clenched. A row of flashlights bobbed in the darkness, coming through the trees.
Straight for them.
“Faster, January.”
She turned and kept going. “I’
m going as fast as I can considering I can’t see a damn thing.”
“Find some more speed, or you’ll find yourself tortured, raped, or killed.”
She felt the blood drain out of her face, and she stumbled.
“James?” His fingers tightened on her arm.
She shook her head, stubbornly. “I’m fine.” She barged on ahead.
They kept running, but they hadn’t gone much farther when she heard voices off to the left. Really close. Oh, no. Her heart sank.
“Shit. They’re flanking us,” Seth muttered.
Her heart was pounding. Trapped. Afraid. Helpless.
Suddenly, a soldier crashed out of the vegetation.
Seth yanked January back and lifted his weapon.
“Drop the gun,” the man growled.
More people came out of the trees from all sides, surrounding them.
Trapped. January swiveled her head. No.
A tall woman with short, black hair stepped forward. “We want the other artifact.”
January bit her lip. Where did these people get their information from? How did they know about the two spheres? How did they know that they potentially had abilities?
Screw being afraid. Seth was beside her, and she wasn’t a little girl anymore. She glared at the woman. “Go to hell.”
Seth made a sound. “Don’t goad people aiming guns at you, hellcat.”
“Fuck them,” she said.
He sighed.
“Drop the weapon and get on your knees,” the man said.
“I’m not getting on my knees,” January muttered.
Seth shook his head. “Why am I not surprised? Even in a really bad situation you can find time to argue.”
She raised a brow. “Are you going to drop your weapon?”
“Hell, no.”
She smiled. “You are, minutely, in very small doses, starting to grow on me, Lynch. But don’t tell anyone.”
“Don’t worry, hellcat. I’m sure the feeling will pass.”
“Stop talking and get down on the fucking ground,” the man shouted.
“So, we going to go down fighting?” January had been too young to fight back when she’d been attacked as a girl. Now, she was more than ready.
She saw Seth stiffen. She lifted her arms, willing to fight.
But he grabbed a fistful of the back of her shirt, and yanked her to the ground. What the hell?
