by Anna Hackett
He possessed her, keeping up his hard, firm strokes. She felt his callused fingers sliding under her, tracing down her belly. He found her clit.
“Yes, Logan.”
A few hard flicks and the pleasure coalesced into a hard ball in her belly, then exploded. As she shuddered under the pleasure, he ground inside her and held himself there, growling as he spilled inside her.
They both stayed there, bent over the edge of the bed, breathing heavily.
“Hell of a way to wake up.” His voice was husky. He pulled back and pressed a kiss to her shoulder blade. “The best damn way.”
She felt the same. She’d never felt this close to any man before.
As he pulled out of her, she let out a little moan. “I really hope we don’t have to ride any horses today.” She was more than a little sore between her thighs.
He pressed another kiss to the back of her neck and then stood. As he walked over to the bucket of water, she managed to collapse on the bed. She watched him as he splashed water onto himself. It ran down his chest and he washed himself with quick, easy swipes—chest, underarms, genitals. Sydney leaned back on the bed, wishing they had a hot shower and she could be running soapy hands over his intriguing cock and balls. He dressed with quick, economical movements and she hated seeing him cover his muscles and tattoos.
“The sun will be up soon,” he said. “We’ll head across the lake and take a look at the burial sites. See what your brother’s left for you.”
Their interlude was over. She felt the rude sting of harsh reality creeping back in. For one night, for those long, hot hours, she’d been able to forget about the people after her and her brother. “And Silk Road?”
“We’ll see them coming. Dec’s got a few things planned.”
“Unless they ran into fake Piero and he told them everything.”
Logan’s face turned dark. “Hopefully a jaguar found him first.” He finished doing up his shirt, his gaze running over her. “I’ll get some fresh water from the lake.” He grabbed the bucket and headed outside.
Sydney worked on untangling her hair and preparing herself for the day. She hoped—prayed—they found Drew today.
Logan was back soon with the bucket. He set it down and strode over to the bed. He reached down, cupped her breast, then stroked down her belly. His touch was filled with an easy, possessive claim, like he had every right. Like her body was all his.
She felt her pulse spike. “Go,” she said. “Or we’ll end up naked again.”
“That’s not really a deterrent, babe.”
“Go.” She made a shooing motion with her hand.
He leaned down, pressed a long, deep kiss to her mouth, then he was gone.
Sydney took her time. She washed up, running the cloth over her body. She cruised it over each bruise, each patch of whisker burn, and the pleasant ache between her legs. She smiled to herself. Big, wild Logan was all hers.
It didn’t take her long to dress. She stuffed all the other items back in her backpack and Logan’s. She glanced around the hut. The simple beds. The dirt floor. She was almost sorry to leave.
She hitched her bag over her shoulder and strode out into the morning air. The sun was coming up, the faint blush of dawn coloring the forest. There was a hush over the lake and the trees. It was so beautiful.
She spotted the THS team nearby, huddled tightly and talking quietly. She joined them.
“Any sign of Silk Road?”
Logan shook his head. “Nothing.”
Declan pointed to an overgrown path down to the lake. “There are four small, wooden boats at the edge of the lake. We’ll head across the water and take all the boats with us. If Silk Road heads this way, we’ll see them from the other side, and they’ll have no easy way to get across the lake.”
They made the steep trek down to the water. The trees ran right to the edge in a wild tangle. Sydney stared at the boats dubiously. They looked handmade and not in particularly good condition.
Hale, Morgan, and Declan each climbed into a boat and pushed off. Logan held the edge of the final boat and waved her in. She climbed in and Logan pushed them away from the edge and leaped in behind her. It rocked under his weight. He grabbed some oars and soon they were powering across the still waters of Laguna de los Condores.
“It must have looked exactly like this when the Warriors of the Clouds were here,” she said. “It feels almost mystical out here on the water. It’s so easy to see why they chose this place.”
“Look.” Logan lifted his chin toward the approaching cliff face.
She stared, not seeing what he was talking about. Then she spotted one of the chullpas nestled against the cliff under an overhang. Her heart sped up. It was high above the water.
Soon, the boat nudged up to the shore. Logan climbed out, secured the boat, and then helped her out.
Declan pulled out a machete, and they started the steep, muddy hike up to the chullpas. Sydney grabbed onto anything she could to keep her balance and to stop from slipping. Finally, they reached some rough, wooden ladders pressed into the side of the steep hill.
“Left by the archeologists,” she said.
They climbed steadily. Sydney paused once to look back over the lake and surrounding forests. Stunning.
Soon, she reached the top and climbed up onto a ledge. Right in front of her was a chullpa. It was carved into the cliff face, and in places, she could see remnants of white, red, and yellow paint.
“Hale, keep watch,” Declan murmured.
The other man nodded, pulling a set of binoculars from his backpack.
“Drew’s notes said there are six surviving chullpas, and the remnants of one that didn’t survive,” Sydney said, stepping carefully as she moved closer to the chullpa. “They each housed mummies and offerings. The mummies were all wrapped in textiles and well-preserved.”
She looked at the carved holes and ledges, imagining the funerary bundles that must have sat there for so many hundreds of years.
“Freaky,” Morgan said.
Sydney turned and looked at a row of skulls and bones lined up on a rock ledge. “When the place was looted, some mummies were destroyed, as the looters looked for metal and jewelry. I guess the archeologists didn’t take anything that wasn’t intact.” The empty eyes of the skulls looked out over the lake. “The offerings here were only ceramics, textiles, feathered headdresses. A shame the grave robbers destroyed so much.”
And now Silk Road was looking to pillage the Warriors of the Clouds once again.
“So, was it the Chachapoyan bigwigs who were buried here?” Logan asked. He was staring at some of the artwork still visible on the stone walls.
“No one knows for sure. It seems that some of the mummies didn’t have the kind of wear and tear that life back then inflicted, which means they were probably elite. But the Cloud Warriors seemed pretty egalitarian, and mummies of people at all social levels have been found.”
As she touched the stone where a mummy must have rested, she imagined Drew standing there, doing the same thing. What would he have done here? Where would he leave her a message?
In her mind’s eye, she could picture her brother wandering around, snapping pictures, recording what he saw.
She turned and saw Logan and Declan looking back across the lake, alert and tense. Hale stood beside them looking through the binoculars.
“Any movement?” Declan asked.
“Nothing,” Hale responded.
Sydney sat down near the row of skulls, looking out at their fabulous view. “I’m sorry your rest has been disturbed,” she said quietly. She noticed one skull was turned, looking back at the chullpa. It reminded her of the time Drew had scared her at Halloween with a plastic skull. He’d left it beside her bed.
Her gaze narrowed on the skull. She rose, moving closer. The skull was looking at a crack in the stone.
And there was something wedged in the crack.
Her heart started thumping. It wasn’t big, but whatever it was
, didn’t belong in a Cloud Warrior ruin. She reached in and pulled it out.
Sydney held up the memory card. “I think I found what my brother left me.”
***
Logan felt the excitement and hope radiating off Sydney. She handed the memory card over to Dec with a shaking hand.
But Logan’s gaze was snagged on her face. He’d watched every flicker of emotion cross over her elegant features throughout the night.
It was the wildest, hottest night of his life. She’d not only kept up with him and his sexual demands, she’d not been afraid to demand her own pleasure. Under the classy, elegant exterior was a woman who knew what she liked and took what she wanted.
Whatever happened on this job, he’d decided he was keeping her.
Sydney was his.
Hell, he’d even drink her fancy wine and mushy cheese if he had to.
Dec slipped the memory card into his tablet and handed it to Sydney. She tapped the screen, and smiled. “There’s a video recording.”
A second later, Drew Granger’s face filled the screen. “Sydney. God, I hope it’s you watching this and that you’re okay.” Her brother released a long breath.
“He looks tired,” she murmured, gripping the edges of the tablet.
Logan didn’t know Drew Granger, but the young man did look exhausted.
“I never meant for this to happen,” Drew continued. “I was having a blast researching the Chachapoyas. They are such a fascinating people. I believe they were even more advanced than history remembers. Their advanced surgeries, the advanced training of their warriors, their building techniques…and, Sydney, they were metalsmiths. They had gold, silver, and other metals.” The man smiled. “I found reference to them hiding their treasure in a temple. They were fighting the Inca and they knew they couldn’t hold out against the Incas’ superior numbers. Like the Inca, the Cloud Warriors used knotted quipus to record their information. No one has ever decoded a quipu, they remain a complete puzzle.” He grinned wildly. “But I did, Sydney! I decoded a Cloud Warrior quipu and discovered they moved their valuables deep into the forest. Gold, silver, jewelry, and best of all, records of their knowledge.” He threw his hands out. “It’ll be the biggest find of the century.” Then he frowned. “But I messed up. I was celebrating in a bar in Lima and a beautiful woman…she seemed so interested in me and my work. I told her everything.” He shook his head. “I’m such an idiot. I should’ve known a woman like her wouldn’t really be interested in a geek like me.”
Logan could guess what happened next. He felt for the man. Logan knew exactly what a betrayal like that felt like.
“They came after me the next day. I managed to get away.” Drew sighed. “They call themselves Silk Road and they’re dangerous. Really dangerous. Sydney, I know they’re coming after you to get to me. You have to be careful. I’m sorry, sis.” A weak smile. “At least I know you can look after yourself.”
Logan flexed his fingers. So Drew was happy to throw his sister to the wolves? Logan felt a muscle tick in his jaw. He’d have a few things to say to the man when they found him.
“I’m going after the treasure, Sydney.” Now the man’s smile was rueful. “This time I’ll make it a little easier for you. No more games. My research shows they moved their treasure to one of their most remote cities. A place called Lapoc. I’m going there now. See you when you find me.” The recording cut off.
“He’s okay.” Sydney smiled, then she muttered a curse. “I wish he’d just come home. Screw the treasure. It isn’t worth his life. I just want him safe.”
“Don’t worry.” Logan pressed a hand to the back of her neck and squeezed. “We’re going to find him.”
***
“All right, I’m going to try and contact Darcy,” Declan said.
Nodding, Sydney handed back the tablet.
Declan used his satellite connection. “If anyone can work out the location of this city of Lapoc, it’s Darcy.” He shot a look at Hale. “Any sign of our friends?”
Hale lowered his binoculars. “Still nothing. Doesn’t feel right.”
Sydney watched Logan and the others scan the far side of the lake. They were all tense, Logan most of all, and she could tell that he didn’t like it either.
“Where the hell are they?” Logan said.
“Maybe Piero lied?” Sydney suggested.
Logan’s scowl said he wasn’t buying it.
“Connection’s going through.” Declan held up the tablet.
Darcy’s face filled the screen, but the connection was bad and her image flickered.
“Hey, Darce, we made it to the lake,” Declan said. “We had a little trouble along the way.”
Darcy leaned forward. “Let me guess. First word starts with S and second word starts with R.”
“We took care of it, but we know more Silk Road members are on the way here. We found another clue from Drew Granger. What can you find out about the location of a place called Lapoc?”
Darcy tapped the keyboard. “What is it?”
“A remote jungle city of the Cloud Warriors, according to Granger.”
Darcy shook her head, her hair brushing her jaw. “There’s no record of a Lapoc in connection with the Cloud People.” She frowned. “No mention of it at all.”
They all fell silent. Sydney felt her stomach fall to her feet. “That can’t be. My brother definitely said Lapoc, and he said no more games—” Sydney broke off.
“What?” Logan asked.
“Another silly game from when we were kids. He’d always say ‘no more games’ to lull me into a false sense of security, then fool me one more time.”
Logan stroked his stubbled cheeks. “So Lapoc isn’t really the location?”
Sydney ran a hand through her hair. “I’m not sure. Darcy, can you run combinations of the letters in the name. See if something pops up? It was another thing Drew always liked to do. Anagrams of letters.”
Darcy nodded. “It might take a little while—” A beep came through the connection “—or not. Not much is known about the Chachapoya language, but it is theorized that lap means fortress. It’s added to the end of place names.”
“Like the Kuelap ruins,” Sydney said.
“Right. Oc isn’t so clear cut. It is speculated it means puma or bear, or maybe jaguar.”
Sydney straightened. “So not Lapoc, it should be Oclap. Fortress of the Jaguar.”
“I’ve found a very vague reference to the ruins of a remote city that was found in dense, overgrown forest not too far from your location. It showed characteristics of Chachapoya cities—large defensive walls, ruins of circular buildings. But that was years ago, and no one’s been back to investigate it. It’s about a five-hour trek from Laguna de los Condores.”
“That must be it. Thanks, Darcy,” Declan said. “Can you send the info through to me?”
“Already done. Declan, you guys stay safe.”
“Always try to,” Declan answered. “Tell Layne I said hi.”
“Will do.” Darcy blinked off.
“Plan?” Logan asked.
A map flashed on the screen. The lake was clear, as was the glowing yellow dot to the south-east of the lake.
“We trek to the location.” Declan touched the dot. “We’re looking for any sign of Drew Granger.”
“And the treasure?” Morgan asked.
“Not our priority. If we find it, we’ll note the location, and I’ll ensure the Peruvian government knows about it.”
Sydney wasn’t so sure Drew would give the treasure up so easily. But Declan was right, finding Drew was the only thing that mattered.
“Dec!” Hale’s urgent voice. The big man spun to face them. “I’m sure I saw movement in the trees. Very stealthy.”
“Jaguar?”
“I don’t think so.”
Declan was frowning. “By the huts?”
“No. This side of the lake. Just south of our location.”
Declan and Logan cursed. Sydney felt them all
stiffen. She turned and scanned the trees.
She didn’t see anything.
Then she smelled something. With a frown, she took a deep breath. Oh, no.
“I smell smoke.” Her gaze met Logan’s. “Fire!”
Chapter Eleven
Down the hill, Logan saw the flames licking up the trees.
Declan spun and shoved the tablet into Logan’s hand. “Logan, take Sydney and get to the ruins.”
“This is a trap, Dec. They want us to run—”
“That’s why Hale, Morgan, and I will hold them off and give you a chance to get away.”
The flames were growing, the crackling sound of it becoming louder. Then he heard a very familiar sound. Gunfire.
Bullets slammed into the trees behind them.
Fuck. He ducked for cover, wrapping one arm around Sydney and taking her with him.
Dec crouched beside them. “Keep going up. We can’t go back down the ladder.”
Logan felt torn. He hated to leave his friends to face these bastards alone. But a part of him wanted to get Sydney to safety. Hell of a choice. His friends or his woman.
Dec made the decision for him. “Go.” Dec clasped Logan’s hand. “We’ll catch up. I promise.”
And his friend had never broken a promise to Logan. He’d been stupid to trust Annika, but his trust in Dec had never been wrong. Nor his trust in the woman pressed to his side, watching him with faith on her face.
“Don’t get shot,” Logan growled. “Layne will be pissed if you do. She wasn’t that pleased the last time it happened.”
A faint smile from Dec. “You got it. Now go.”
Logan tossed Hale and Morgan a quick salute and grabbed Sydney’s hand. He pulled her along the ledge and into the trees. Shifting his grip on his machete, he started hacking a way up the steep slope.
Smoke thickened around them. Sydney started coughing. Logan pulled his outer shirt off and tore strips off the bottom. “Here.” He tied it over her mouth and then did the same for himself. “Now, we need to move fast—” his words were muffled by the cloth “—and put as much distance between them and us as we can.” He pulled the tablet up to check the map again, looked up at the sun, and then he set off.
