by Anya Nowlan
Naomi wanted to glance back, to try and make out the shape of him in the shadows, but didn’t want to draw attention to Sawyer if he did happen to be there. Her top priority would be to distract Roy, and to make sure the man didn’t get suspicious.
Other than that, she didn’t really have a plan.
She already knew she was going to get an earful from Sawyer after all this was over, about running off on her own. It was a split-second decision, that much she had to admit. All those old guilty, ashamed feelings had flooded back, and suddenly, she hadn’t been able to just stand there in the hallway and hide.
I’m not a coward, she told herself, even as her stomach churned and her palms got clammier and clammier.
“So, what do you think?” Roy asked, waving a hand around the whole room. “We’ve gotten some upgrades recently, thanks to having David here. A famous name like his in the archaeology community tends to inspire generosity.”
Naomi conjured up a smile. Roy was still as nonchalant about David’s death as before, not that she had expected anything different. But it wasn’t as if she could say anything. At that moment, everything hinged on Roy thinking she actually enjoyed his company.
“Very cool,” she nodded, walking around and glancing at the items on the shelves.
Most of the things there looked like shards of old pottery, with pieces of bone mixed in. Among the more intact items were some bowls and different kinds of vases. The surfaces were rough and worn, and for a moment, she felt the urge to reach out and touch, to feel the history of it all beneath her fingertips.
But she knew better.
“Feel free to look around. I’ll go check on the statue, make sure it wasn’t damaged in transit,” Roy replied.
Naomi watched him walk over to one of the steel doors, and open up what looked like a temperature-controlled room, with all sorts of controls and buttons on one side, and the temperature of the space featured prominently on a small screen.
The box she and Sawyer had seen being delivered earlier sat on one of the shelves, no more than two feet in height. Now that was good for her and Sawyer, since they were planning to steal the thing. Lugging a five-foot hunk of rock out of here without being noticed would have been a problem.
Naomi still walked around, pretending to be interested in whatever was lying around, but her eyes were really glued to Roy and the container he was opening. She was finally going to see the thing that Verin had killed to get his hands on.
Roy carefully lifted up the top part of the container, revealing the rough shape of the statue. There was no detail on the face or head, but the curves of it told Naomi it had to be a statue of a woman.
The stone it was sculpted out of was light Blake, and looked to be chipped in places. Still, if it was as old as Melanie had said, it was in remarkable shape. There were small indentations were the eyes should have been, but other than that, the thing was featureless.
So this is what all the fuss is about, she thought, drifting closer to get a better look at it.
“Undamaged, I hope?” she asked, getting on her tiptoes to peek over Roy’s shoulder.
“Seems so,” Roy sighed. “Ladley, the guy that sent it over to David, is anxious to get it back, so now it’s my job to make sure nothing happens to it before it gets back to where it belongs.”
“So you’re not going to be working on it after all? What about the tests?” Naomi asked.
“Turns out, I’m no David,” Roy shrugged. “The statue along with the test results are to be sent back to Pennsylvania as soon as possible.”
Naomi was now barely even listening to what Roy was saying. Most of her attention was focused on the statue, as if she could learn its secrets just by staring at it. This was what Verin was after. This was important enough to kill David over – a hunk of old stone.
A deep, reckless urge built inside her. What if she just grabbed it, threw it on the ground and watched it shatter? Verin wouldn’t have any use for it then, unless his bag of tricks included being handy with superglue.
Taking a breath, she took a moment to put her petty anger aside. Destroying something that demon wanted – that might have been satisfying in the short-term, but foolish in the long-term.
Who knew what secrets the statue was hiding. Maybe it could be used against Verin? And more importantly, would breaking it even do anything? There had to be something mystical about it that made Verin want it.
She had a feeling the demon wasn’t just hunting it down to display it on a shelf somewhere. He had a reason. If only she could figure out what that reason was…
Naomi almost jumped out of her skin when Roy waved a hand in front of her face.
“Hello?” he asked. “You still here?”
“Oh, yeah,” Naomi smiled, shaking her head. “Sorry. I kind of have a lot on my mind.”
“I hope one of those things is whether you like Italian food or not,” Roy replied.
Dinner was the last thing on Naomi’s mind, but she hoped she managed to put on an excited face nonetheless. Looking at Roy’s soft features and light Blake hair, she couldn’t help but think there was a very different man she would rather go on a date with.
And hopefully he’s sneaking around behind the bookcases right now!
Naomi had to suppress a laugh at that. How was this suddenly her life? Sneaking around, lying, plotting to steal from the university she worked at… Not to mention, every idle thought she had had suddenly been filled by a certain former cop turned PI turned consultant that she just couldn’t figure out.
Sometimes, when he looked at her from the corner of his eye, it almost seemed like maybe Sawyer was interested in her, too. She had to remind herself that she was probably imagining things. Not that she would ever act on any of the non-PG thoughts creeping through her brain.
I’ve never been good at making the first move. And the last thing I need is to make things awkward with the only guy that can help me with all of this. Especially when I have to share an apartment with him.
“I love Italian food,” she blurted out, realizing she had been silent for just a moment too long.
“Great,” Roy beamed at her, oblivious to what was actually going on in her head.
And for once, Naomi was glad to have fooled a potential date with a bogus smile.
“So are you ready to go?” she asked, turning toward the door.
She could have sworn she spotted just a flicker of movement by one of the bookcases, but that might have been her imagination. Either way, she had to assume he was there. If he wasn’t, then that was that. But if he was, she had to be mindful of Roy not noticing anything was off when they got to the door.
Putting the top of the container back on and closing the door of the temperature-controlled room, Roy nodded.
“I’m ready,” he replied. “And I already have a great restaurant in mind.”
“Can’t wait,” Naomi smiled, even as another wave of adrenaline coursed through her.
They both started toward the door, with Roy getting closer to her with each step. When they reached the shelves, he flattened the palm of his hand against the small of her back, while he got out his key card with the other.
The gesture made Naomi’s skin crawl. It was amazing, really, how quickly she had gone from indifference toward Roy to being downright repulsed by him. Did comparing Roy to a certain wolf cast the man in an especially unfavorable light? Or was it just that Roy’s true colors were showing?
Either way, she made sure to smile at him and keep him engaged as they got to the door.
“I’m glad I got a peek at all this,” she said. “Your job is really interesting.”
Wow, that sounded so lame, she chided herself, but Roy seemed to be eating it all up.
“I can tell you even more about it now that we have some time all to ourselves,” he replied, sliding his keycard through the reader and opening the door.
Naomi awkwardly bumped shoulders with him, all but pushing him to go through first. He shot h
er a grin, probably thinking she just couldn’t keep away from him. His hand slid across her back as she brushed past him, holding the door open for her once he was through.
“Thank you,” she batted her lashes at him, taking a moment to push the door wide open so it would take some time to drift shut.
She followed Roy out of the basement, listening to the soft whoosh of the door creeping closed behind her. There was nothing more she could do. If Sawyer was in the room, it was all up to him now.
Good luck, she thought, biting her lip as she ascended the stairs behind Roy.
Twenty
Sawyer
Listening to the footsteps of Naomi and Roy leading away from the artifact room, Sawyer was ready to act. He already had a book he had swiped from one of the shelves in his hand, and he dashed toward the closing door, sticking it between it and the doorframe.
Things had worked out better than he had thought when it came to his and Naomi’s mission to get their hands on the statue before Verin got his chance. But that didn’t mean things had gone according to plan…
Logically, Sawyer knew that it was more important to get the statue than it was to save Naomi from a bad date. But that didn’t stop a rumble building in his chest when he thought about the way he had seen Roy place his hand on her back.
Focus, he had to remind himself.
With all his senses on high alert, he waited until he could no longer hear anything from the hallway before he walked away from the door. Naomi’s scent still lingered in the room, mixed in with all the other smells in there – clay, stone, latex… His nose went through all of them.
And even though he had seen the statue firsthand, and knew Verin hadn’t gotten here yet, he couldn’t help but scan for the demon’s distinctive scent. It had become second nature at that point, since his nose was far more reliable at detecting Verin than his eyes.
Making his way over to where he knew the statue was being stored, Sawyer pulled open the metal door in the wall. Cool air washed over him as he reached inside, grabbing the container that the statue was in.
It was just the right size for him to tuck it under his arm. And thanks to the convenient packaging, no one would even look twice when he strolled off with it. He couldn’t help but grin at that.
Verin’s going to be in for a surprise when he comes looking for this.
Sawyer strolled back over to the exit and removed the book holding the door open. He stepped outside, through the other set of double doors, and pulled his cap lower over his eyes as he walked out into the hallway.
Gaze darting around for any witnesses, he casually walked back the way he came, up the stairs, past Naomi’s office, and straight out of the building. He made sure to look down in places he knew he would be caught on camera, but he wasn’t really that worried.
Surveillance video might have come a long way since he started as a cop, but he knew most people still preferred to skimp on that technology. It was more of a deterrent, after all, and Arizona State wasn’t exactly Fort Knox.
He hung back for a moment once he got outside, wanting to make sure Roy and Naomi had gotten far enough away so he wouldn’t be spotted by them. With neither of them in sight, he made his way to his car.
Fishing his keys out of his pocket, he placed the container in the back seat before getting in himself. Once he was behind the wheel, he let out a sigh, rolling his shoulders. Now that the mission was done, and he actually had the statue in his possession, his thoughts drifted back to Naomi.
She had gotten way more involved in this heist than he would have liked, but he also had to admit, at the end of the day, that had been a good thing. And it seemed good girl Naomi had a brash side to her.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth at that thought. Even though he didn’t like the idea of her getting in trouble, having someone who challenged him was somewhat exciting. And his wolf definitely agreed.
Starting the car, Sawyer pulled into traffic, setting his sights on the familiar streets that would bring him home. The only thing getting him down was the thought that the apartment would be empty when he got there, and Naomi would be off eating pasta somewhere with Roy of all people.
Fingers squeezing the steering wheel, he focused on the drive, watching the flow of traffic around him. The city was going about its business, blissfully unaware there was a demon lurking around somewhere.
All in all, that was probably a good thing. But it was still odd, knowing that he and Naomi were the only people that were aware of a danger most people dismissed as myth and fantasy.
In no time, Sawyer found himself pulling up to his street, the top of his apartment building already in view. Securing the statue would be his first priority. Luckily, he had a safe already waiting.
He wasn’t sure if a metal box would really do anything to keep out a demon, but he would still feel better once he got the statue in there. Yet, the closer he got to his home, the more clearly Naomi’s face popped up in his mind’s eye.
Combing through every Italian place in town to try and find her would probably be overkill, he thought to himself. And the injured cat story had been pushing it. If neighbor Tom showed up again…
Rationally, he knew there was no reason for him to even be thinking what he was thinking. But it was like his whole body had suddenly turned into a magnet, fine-tuned to hone in on Naomi and Naomi alone.
The reason why that might be niggled in the back of his mind. The answer would have been clear if he had let himself think it. But he wasn’t ready. His past still hung over him, an invisible shield that he had had in place for far too long to just abandon.
Pulling into the parking lot opposite his building, Sawyer got out of his car, taking in a deep breath as he did. There was no sign of Verin. But another familiar scent drifted into his nostrils.
Naomi?
As he got his precious package out of the backseat, his head was on a swivel. Had Naomi really gotten so deep under his skin he was imagining her smell wherever he went? Looking across the street, he almost thought he was seeing what he wanted to see when he caught the sight of blonde hair blowing in the wind.
But there she was, in the flesh. Naomi, sitting on the front steps of his building, face turned up toward the sun. Damn, she was beautiful. Her eyes were closed, but Sawyer could easily imagine their vibrant green color, and the glimmer of things hidden beneath the surface.
He crossed the street, the statue tucked beneath his arm once more, with a sense of urgency in him he couldn’t ignore.
Hearing his footsteps, Naomi opened her eyes, holding her hand to her forehead to block out the sun. She smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back. When her gaze darted to the package he was holding, she jumped to her feet in an instant.
“Oh my god,” she whispered. “You got it.”
Sawyer took a step closer, the damn statue he was carrying the last thing on his mind at that moment.
“You’re here,” he remarked, as if that wasn’t already obvious.
Naomi blinked up at him, seeming to read his face. What she saw there, he couldn’t know. But her expression turned more serious.
“I told Roy I felt sick all of the sudden,” she replied. “He tried arguing that some food might make me feel better, but I insisted I needed to go. He probably thinks I’m a lunatic now, but I don’t really care,” she shrugged.
Acting more on instinct than anything else, Sawyer stepped even closer. His hand reached out, trailing up her arm before resting on her shoulder. Their eyes locked, the world standing still for a moment as something unsaid hung hot and heavy between them.
Naomi’s breath caught, a soft, inviting sound that made his wolf claw at him in anticipation. When she licked her lips, Sawyer couldn’t have helped himself even if he’d wanted to.
Slowly, he bent his head, almost waiting for her to pull away. When she didn’t, he pressed his lips to hers. And that was all it took to change everything forever.
Twenty-One
N
aomi
For a moment, Naomi was stunned. Was this really happening? Had Sawyer just come and swept her off her feet with a kiss? But before she could even contemplate that, she found herself too caught up in the moment to think about anything but his lips on hers.
Soft yet demanding, he pulled her in like no one else. And when his hand moved from her shoulder to her waist, crushing her to his hard body, all Naomi could focus on was the delicious way her head was spinning.
Sawyer was warm and gentle, yet there was just a hint of danger to the way he kissed. Like he was holding himself back from gathering her up and marching her upstairs, no questions asked. Naomi had to admit, she might not have objected to that…
When Sawyer deepened the kiss, she couldn’t help but sag against him, totally under his spell. It just felt right. Her body was calling out to his, as if this had been a long time coming.
So there they were, making out on the sidewalk like a couple of teenagers who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. And Naomi couldn’t have cared less. Now that she had given herself over to the unquestionable attraction between Sawyer and herself, it seemed like a whole other side of her was opening up.
Before him, she would have never considered this level of PDA appropriate, but then again, she wouldn’t have thought herself capable of being an accomplice to theft either. So throwing whatever caution she had left to the wind, she locked her hands behind his neck, and poured everything she had into their kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, both of them were out of breath. Naomi clung to him, afraid she might still be a little weak in the knees. The passion he had shown her had caught her off guard, not that she was complaining.
“That was quite the welcome,” she said, trying not to blush now that she was looking at him again.
“I had to do that,” Sawyer simply replied.
Naomi nodded. Oddly, that made sense. Hadn’t she had a feeling all along that something had to happen between them sooner or later? She knew she couldn’t afford to get wrapped up in a budding romance right now, not with everything going on, but it wasn’t like she could exactly help it.
