Unexplored (Treasure Hunter Security Book 3)

by Anna Hackett

  They’d taken two steps when more bullets whizzed passed them, pinging off the stone walls.

  “Keep going, Sydney.” He set her against the wall. “Let me see where these guys are exactly.”

  He turned back, ducking his head around the stones. Sydney took a deep breath and edged along the wall, her side burning with each step.

  She was passing a ruined doorway, when hands reached out and yanked her inside.

  ***

  Bullets slammed into the ancient stones, flecks of rock flying. Logan pulled back. Damn, he really wished he had his gun.

  He turned back to Sydney, and his heart gave a hard thump. She was gone.

  “Sydney!” A frantic whisper.

  “Logan.”

  He heard her voice through a nearby doorway. He moved inside and saw she wasn’t alone.

  Drew Granger stood beside her.

  Hearing Silk Road advancing, he nodded to the man. “I’m Logan. We need to get out of here. She’s hurt and these guys are out to kill.”

  Drew nodded. “I know a way out. There’s another exit out of the city.”

  Logan saw blood on the man’s shirt. “You hurt?”

  Sydney’s brother swiped at his side. “It’s nothing. I fell and cut myself.”

  Seeing no other choice, they followed him. Logan slipped an arm around Sydney again. He took as much of her weight as he could, and followed Drew as Sydney’s brother picked a winding path through the ruins.

  “There’s another narrow exit through the outer walls.” Drew’s gaze dropped to Sydney’s bloody shirt. A concerned look flowed over his boyish face. “Sydney, I’m sorry—”

  “Not now.” She reached out and squeezed her brother’s hand.

  Logan knew he had to get her out. That imperative was beating in his head. He needed to treat her wound and get her to safety.

  They turned a corner, and Logan found the barrel of a gun in his face.

  “Fuck.” Logan stared at Declan. “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Stopped for a steak and a beer. You guys okay?” Then he saw Sydney’s shirt and his gaze shot to Logan’s.

  The grim look in his friend’s gray eyes made Logan’s gut tighten.

  “The treasure—” Drew began.

  “Fuck the treasure,” Logan bit out. “Your sister’s life is far more important.”

  Drew paled and nodded.

  “Drew, I’m Declan. We’re here to get you out of here.” Dec pulled out his secondary weapon and handed the gun to Logan. “Now, let’s get moving.”

  Hale and Morgan moved past them, giving them cover fire. Logan was practically dragging Sydney now, as they moved through the ruins.

  Then a Silk Road man stepped out of nowhere. He raised a weapon… Morgan spun, fired, and took the man down with a single shot.

  But shouts echoed from all around them. More were coming.

  “Move,” Dec called out.

  “Too many,” Morgan shouted.

  Now Logan saw them coming in from all directions. They’d received back up. He counted at least eight of them.

  God, they weren’t going to make it.

  “Stop!” Piero’s shout echoed across the ruins.

  Logan looked over his shoulder and saw Piero advancing, surrounded by a large group of men. Morgan was still on one knee, firing back.

  “Logan.”

  He heard the desolation in Sydney’s voice. She knew the situation was dire.

  “Leave me. I’m slowing you down.”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Never.”

  Her hands clenched on his chest. “Logan, I love you.”

  “Tell me later.”

  “Stop being stubborn. We might not have later.”

  “We will,” he growled.

  The Silk Road team closed in.

  She squeezed her eyes closed and Logan gripped Sydney harder.

  A high-pitched scream ricocheted around them. Logan’s head snapped around. One of the Silk Road men fell back clutching his chest.

  Another scream, and another man fell, a hand pressed to his neck. This time Logan saw a small dart sticking out of the man’s skin.

  Logan’s gut went tight. What the hell?

  ***

  Sydney leaned heavily against Logan, fighting back the pain.

  With disbelief, she stared at the group of people creeping up behind the Silk Road men.

  They wore modern clothes, but had white paint smeared across their cheeks and feathered headdresses on their dark hair. They were carrying spears and clubs.

  More Silk Road thugs fell.

  Logan pulled Sydney closer and Drew stepped nearer to them. Declan and the others moved in front of them, forming a protective wall.

  Sydney didn’t tell Logan that she could still feel blood pumping out of her wound.

  Everything went still and quiet. All of the Silk Road members were down. She had no idea if they were unconscious or dead.

  One of the warriors stepped forward. He had a strong face and a muscled body. His gaze drifted over them, studying them intently, his expression impassive. He had dark hair like most of his other warriors, but Sydney noted that his eyes were a bright green.

  Something moved behind him, and she saw the jaguar stalk closer, brushing past the warrior’s legs before it stopped to sit nearby.

  The warrior spoke to them in what Sydney guessed was some local dialect. She looked up at Logan and he shrugged.

  Drew pulled a small smartphone out of his pocket. He tapped on the screen and an electronic voice sounded from the phone.

  “The treasure of my ancestors has been protected for centuries. It is not for the benefit of the greedy.”

  Drew swallowed and spoke slowly and clearly. “We come to study, to learn, to help you safeguard it.” The translation sounded back in the local dialect.

  The warrior tilted his head, studying Drew. “Others have coveted it. Others have lied to get what they wanted.”

  Sydney straightened. “Then keep it hidden, if you want. Where it helps no one.” Her words translated. She held up her bloody hand. “I’ve bled for your treasure, and right now, I just want to go home.” She looked up at Logan, then back to the warrior. “You can keep your treasure. I found something far more valuable than gold and silver.”

  “And what is that?” the warrior demanded.

  “I found myself, and I found love.”

  Logan’s hand tightened on hers. “Sydney, I’m…I’m falling…”

  “Come on, Logan,” Dec said. “It’s not that hard.”

  “What is it with you guys?” Morgan muttered. “Your timing always sucks.”

  “Let me do this myself,” Logan growled at them. “Sydney, I’m falling in love with you, too.”

  “Logan.” Her chest felt like it was going to burst.

  Then her legs gave out.

  “Sydney!” He scooped her into his arms.

  Next thing she knew, he was laying her down.

  “I need help here,” he called out.

  She was vaguely aware of his words translating on Drew’s smartphone, and the warriors stoically watching.

  Declan knelt beside her, tearing open a backpack and yanking out the first aid kit. He probed her wound, frowning, and she squeezed Logan’s hand to stop from crying out.

  “We need to get the bullet out. Logan, have a look in the kit and give her something for the pain.”

  Logan fished around in the kit and pulled out a pressure injector. He pressed it against her arm. “This’ll help.”

  She found herself flickering in and out of consciousness. Her vision was blurring. She stared up at Logan’s face, trying to hold out against the pain tearing through her like fire. “Logan.”

  “I’m here, Syd. Hang in there. Do you hear me?”

  But the black blotches in front of her eyes were growing…and then there was nothing.

  ***

  No. No. Logan clutched Sydney’s limp hand. “Dec! Save her. Please.”


  Declan was working feverishly, Morgan kneeling beside him to help. He was using long tweezers and digging into the wound on Sydney’s side.

  Even with the pain relief and out cold, she reared up against the agony.

  “Logan, hold her down.”

  He pressed his hands down on her shoulders, feeling her fight against him. Every pained sound she made cut into him.

  It took far longer than Logan wanted, but finally, Dec pulled out the tweezers. On the end, was the bullet.

  But there was blood everywhere.

  “Pressure,” Dec said. “Let’s get the bleeding stopped.”

  Morgan pulled out a wad of gauze and pressed it over Sydney’s wound. Logan took over, pressing down hard.

  Logan looked up at the warriors still standing over them, weapons at the ready. “My woman is hurt. I need to get her to help. I don’t care about your treasure, either. Just her.” Only her.

  The lead warrior watched him for a moment, then his gaze moved to Sydney.

  Declan sat back, Sydney’s blood staining his hands. “That’s as stable as I can get her.” He let out a deep breath. “Logan, I don’t know if she’ll make it. She’s lost a lot of blood, and she’s still bleeding. It’s a two-day trek back to civilization, and she needs medical help right now. Out here, infection will likely set in fast.”

  “Any good news?” Logan asked, his insides turning cold.

  “No. I’m sorry. She’s going to be in a lot of pain, and I don’t have enough painkillers for a two-day hike.”

  No. The word echoed in Logan’s head. He cupped her face in his hands. “She’s tough.” She had to make it.

  “Her life is worth more than the treasure?”

  The warrior’s translated words broke through Logan’s agony. He looked up. “To me, her life is worth everything.”

  The warrior stared at Logan, like he could see right through him. Then he nodded.

  The crowd of warriors parted, and a young woman stepped forward. She had the same green eyes as the lead warrior, her dark hair falling down her back. She knelt by Sydney, and with gentle hands, lifted Sydney’s shirt. Logan lifted the bandages off.

  The young woman clucked at the wound. Then she reached into the small pack hanging from her side. She pulled out a small wooden pot. She lifted the lid and Logan watched as the woman scooped out some sort of pungent, natural paste. She leaned over Sydney.

  Logan grabbed her wrist. Behind them, the warriors all lifted their weapons.

  “Our shaman will help,” the warrior said.

  Logan waited a beat, then let go of the woman’s wrist.

  Calmly, she started rubbing the paste onto Sydney’s side. Suddenly, he noticed Sydney stopped struggling and her body relaxed. Next, the woman pulled a small bottle containing brown liquid from her pack. She gestured for Logan to lift Sydney’s head.

  He did, and the woman poured some of the liquid into Sydney’s mouth. A second later, Sydney sat bolt upright with a gasp.

  “Logan?”

  “Sydney. Take it easy. You’re hurt.”

  “God, there’s a burning in my throat. It tastes horrible.” She blinked, her gaze focusing on the woman kneeling by her side.

  “She put some sort of poultice on your wound, and she gave you some liquid medicine.”

  Sydney’s brow knitted. Then she looked down and lifted her shirt.

  Logan looked at her wound…and froze. No way.

  He heard his friends gasp.

  Before his very eyes, he saw Sydney’s wound healing, the edges of her torn flesh knitting together.

  How was this possible? Logan shook his head. He pulled Sydney closer and looked up at the warrior.

  The man gave him an enigmatic smile. The shaman woman patted Sydney’s arm, then rose gracefully, and went to stand by the warrior’s side.

  “Our treasure was never gold or silver—” the warrior said “—but the knowledge of the plants of our home and their healing bounty.” Another warrior stepped forward, holding something in his hands. He held it out and Logan saw it was a knotted quipu. The man rested it on Logan’s palms.

  “I give that knowledge into your safekeeping.” A serious smile. “Along with much of the gold and the silver of our treasure. As your woman said, it does no good hidden away.”

  Logan’s hand tightened on the knotted string. “Why? Why give it to me?”

  “When I look at you and your woman, I see the souls of warriors. Honest. Brave. True.” He gave a single nod, as though the subject was closed.

  Then the warrior called out something that Drew’s translator couldn’t decipher. The warriors all started to pull back.

  “Wait,” Logan said. “What about these men?”

  “The cloud forest will take care of them. We will see to it.”

  The unconscious Silk Road members were flung over shoulders. Then, the descendants of the Warriors of the Clouds disappeared quietly into the ruins.

  Sydney stirred. “Wild Man? I’d really like it if you took me home.”

  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “My pleasure, Syd.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Morgan had decided she quite liked the cloud forest—even with the jaguars and black market mercenaries in it.

  She pushed through some vines, following the others, and glanced at her watch. They should be getting close to Laguna de los Condores. She still felt pumped, energy buzzing through her. It was the same after every mission where they found the treasure and beat the bad guys. Best feeling in the world.

  It was going to take some time to process that they’d not only found the ancient treasure of the Warriors of the Clouds, but also some miracle cure. Morgan still couldn’t believe she’d seen Sydney’s wound heal before her very eyes.

  They’d just checked it again a few miles back. The skin was still a bit pink, but other than that, perfectly healed. Damned incredible.

  Ahead, she watched Logan scoop a tired and protesting Sydney into his arms. After a short argument Morgan couldn’t quite make out, Sydney finally settled her head against Logan’s broad shoulder.

  God, the looks on their faces. Morgan shook her head. She couldn’t believe that in under a year Dec, Cal and now Logan had all tumbled down the steep, rocky cliff of love. And Logan—wild, grumpy Logan—now had love stamped all over his rugged features.

  Maybe miracles did happen.

  Nah, Morgan wasn’t planning to drink the Kool-Aid. She’d tried numerous times, subdued her own nature and desires, to find a decent guy.

  She was done. She had her work, her friends, and her trusty vibrator, Big Red. That was enough for her.

  “Man, I feel like a pizza.”

  Morgan glanced at Hale and snorted. “I’ll call for delivery. You’re paying the tip, though.”

  He pulled a face at her, then his gaze moved to Logan. “Never picked the big buy to be the next one to topple.”

  “So, you signing up to be next on the list?”

  A vaguely horrified look crossed Hale’s handsome face. “What? No. Too many nice ladies out there. I think I should be kind and share myself around.”

  Morgan snorted. “I seem to recall Callum saying that, and look at him.”

  “Maybe you’ll be next, Kincaid.”

  Her snort this time was rude.

  Hale laughed. “Right. He’d have to be a brave man.”

  As Hale moved to catch up with Declan, Morgan acknowledged the sting of pain in her chest. Screw that. She deliberately turned her thoughts to Silk Road.

  The bastards were really becoming a problem and something had to be done. She just wasn’t sure what. How did you fight people who stayed in the shadows?

  “Come on, Kincaid,” Dec called back. “Catch up.”

  Morgan lengthened her stride and pushed all the tangled thoughts out of her head.

  ***

  Logan leaned back on his large leather couch, picked up the remote, and flicked on his television.

  The couch dipped as Sydney sat b
eside him. She looked all pressed and elegant in her slacks and silk shirt. She set two glasses and a plate of food on his coffee table.

  On the TV, the news was on. “Today, the anonymous discoverer of the Andes Miracle Cure released the recipe to the public. It looks like no pharmaceutical company will be raking in the profits on this one. Clinical trials are only in the early phases, and the full extent of the mixture’s healing properties is not yet known. But the potential appears to be limitless.”

  Sydney leaned her head on his shoulder. “Logan O’Connor. Hero.”

  He scowled at her. “Shut up.”

  She grabbed the long beer glass she now made him drink his beer from and handed it to him. Then she picked up her glass of wine. She took a sip and made a humming sound. Blood rushed to his cock. Damn, that was exactly the same sound she made when he was thrusting inside her.

  And he tried to spend as much time as possible doing that. Those harrowing moments in the Andean forest, where he’d thought he was losing her, still haunted him. He needed to prove to himself daily that she was alive and his.

  “I spoke to Drew.”

  Her words scattered the little fantasies he was concocting in his head. “How is he?”

  She smiled. “The new CEO of Granger Industries is as happy as a pig in mud. I cannot believe that it was his dream job all along. There I was, suffering through the work, while he was secretly pining to run the company.”

  Well, at least the guy was staying out of trouble.

  “He’s also organizing a special exhibit of Cloud Warrior artifacts at the Smithsonian later in the year, in conjunction with the Peruvian government.”

  “Good.” Logan liked to think that the warrior who’d gifted him the trust of taking care of the treasure would be pleased. “I love you.” He pressed a kiss to her hair, pulling it out of the fancy twist. He was planning to mess her up a little.

  She smiled up at him. “Logan, you didn’t even hesitate that time. Or get that twitch under your eye—”

  He sank his hands into her hair and tugged her back against him. “Shut it. I really do love you.” So much it hurt sometimes. “And what do you have to say to me in return?”