by Jaclyn Hardy
Carlie leaned toward him. “Do you have a clue what she’s saying?”
The soft brush of her arm against his distracted him. He leaned closer. “No. I guess I should have thought about that when I booked this flight. I was just looking forward to their food.”
Carlie burst into giggles and covered her mouth. “Maybe next time you should choose somewhere you can actually understand the language instead of going for the food.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Braden grinned. He barely paid attention to the rest of the instructions—since he couldn’t understand them anyway— and enjoyed the fact that Carlie sat next to him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Carlie waited for the plane to stop taxiing down the runway. The flight had been long, but she’d been able to catch a quick nap on the way. She and Braden had talked for a while about their teaching careers and hobbies. She was surprised she’d never run into him at the gym or on campus. Of course, that would mean that she had to be paying attention to anything but her research.
They had been treated well on the plane, but still, nine hours was way too long to sit still. She had a necklace to find and a team to round back up. She just hoped she really could trust Braden. He was sweet, good looking, and had helped her get out of Egypt when everyone else had abandoned her. But that text …
“Ready to go see Thailand?” Braden popped off his seatbelt and stood to stretch.
“I guess so. How are we going to know where anything is?” Carlie picked up her bag and followed him off the plane.
Braden stopped and looked around before turning back and smiling sheepishly. “I don’t know. I guess I’d hoped there’d be English translations everywhere.” He looked over her shoulder and brightened. “Oh, look. There are under a few of the signs.”
Carlie raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t been out of the country much, have you?” She searched for the baggage claim and headed toward it. It was noisy as people hurried to catch up to their groups.
“Hey, wait up.” Braden grabbed onto Carlie’s hand. “There are too many people. I almost lost you.”
“Sorry. I just wanted to get through so we get our bags before someone else takes them.” Carlie blushed.
“People will take your luggage?” Braden’s eyebrows came together.
“Maybe not, but I’ve always been worried they would.” She noticed that Braden hadn’t let go of her hand, but she didn’t pull away. “Where are we headed to next?”
Braden shrugged. “I don’t know. I want to lay low here for a bit before moving on.”
“Does it have anything to do with the food?” Carlie let go of Braden’s hand to pick up her bags as they came around the carousel.
He laughed. “Maybe a little. I’m just trying to get ahold of some of my team. Once I know what’s going on, we can move to the next place.”
Carlie wondered if he meant to move on without her. She needed him right then, and it would be bad if he walked away now. Once they had their bags, she followed Braden to the car rental place. “Where are we staying?”
“I don’t know. I figured we’d just find something while we search the town.”
“That doesn’t sound very safe.” She could just imagine being kidnapped by some person willing to offer their house.
“I’m kidding. I have a friend who lives here somewhere. He was a guest professor a few years back.” Braden stepped forward and got a car arranged while Carlie looked around the airport.
The smells of Thai food wafted through the air, making Carlie’s stomach grumble. They’d had food in the airplane, but the curry smells pulled at her. Maybe this was the right place to come after all.
Once Braden was done, he checked his phone and started toward the exit. “Okay, we have a car. I’m not sure what it will look like. I could only understand half of what the guy said.”
Carlie’s phone beeped and she pulled it out. Besides a few texts from Dee, demanding to know what was going on, she found a text from Ed. Her heart skipped a beat as she opened the text.
Necklace located in Thailand. Grab before it gets to the buyer. Still searching for our mole.
Carlie bit her lip. Was it just a coincidence that they ended up there? She watched Braden whistling and taking in the scenery around him. If he knew about the necklace, he wasn’t letting anything on, but after that text she’d seen, it was possible he knew what he was doing. Carlie pushed the thought away, figuring she could give him a little time. She wanted to find out more about what was going on before she confronted him.
She sent a quick message to Ed, letting him know where she was and then slipped the phone into her pocket.
“Oh, sweet, we get a Honda. I can handle one of these.” Braden pushed the lock button and opened the trunk to put his bags in. “Let’s go find—” He stopped. “What’s wrong?”
Carlie shook her head, realizing she’d been staring at him. “Nothing. I guess I was hoping for a sports car.”
Braden threw her the keys. “I’ll have you drive if that’s all right. I’ll look for hotels.”
“Fine by me. But don’t you think we should know where we’re going before we leave?” Carlie climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Good point.” Braden glanced at his phone. “I heard back from my friend. I just have to look up the directions. For now, just pull out and head west. He lives inside the city, but I haven’t received his address yet.”
“All right.” Carlie backed out of the parking space and paused. “Uh, which way is west?”
“One sec.” He pulled up the map on his phone and pointed to the left. “Head that way.” A text came in and he read it, lips pursed.
“What’s up?” She forced herself to act nonchalant but she really wanted to rip the phone out of his hand. More so now that she knew the necklace was here somewhere. Once she got more information out of Ed, she’d have to ditch Braden to go find it. Before he did the same thing to her.
“My friend says it’s not safe to go there. He’s getting us a hotel room on the other side of the city.” He punched a few buttons on his phone. “Okay, it looks like you’ll want to take a right and we’ll take this road for a while.” He pushed another button and the phone started giving directions. Otherwise it was silent in the car.
Carlie checked her mirrors to make sure that no one followed them. It was something that came second nature to her and had come in handy one too many times in the past. So far it was clear.
Braden leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. They’d done a lot of traveling in the last couple of days and she was ready to sleep as well. At least she had the navigation to keep her company.
The roads were packed, and it was hard to get anywhere. It would have been faster to walk at that point. Carlie pulled forward at a stop light and immediately slammed on her brakes. Two cars went flying through the intersection, barely missing her.
“Go. Now. Step on it.” Braden was suddenly fully alert.
Carlie stepped on the gas and their Honda jolted forward. She weaved her way through the traffic the best she could, but it wasn’t fast enough to dodge the bullets that suddenly shattered the back windshield. Carlie ducked the best she could as bullets continued hitting the car.
“There goes that deposit,” Braden muttered. “Time to ditch the car. Pull into the alley up there and be ready to run.” He pulled their bags out of the backseat and took off out of the car as soon as they stopped.
Carlie took off after Braden who was several yards ahead by then. He handed Carlie her bag and they continued on, constantly looking back to make sure no one followed them.
Once they hit the marketplace, Braden took Carlie’s hand and pushed his way through the crowd. Carlie apologized as they went past, even though she wasn’t sure they’d understand her anyway. She needed to add Thai to her list of languages she wanted to learn.
Out of the corner of her eye, Carlie caught two men at the edge of the stalls who were edging their way toward her.
“H
ey, behind us,” Carlie whispered to Braden.
Braden cursed under his breath and ducked into a stall. “We’re going to have to blend in. Grab what you can, ditch your bags, and we’ll come back later.”
Carlie grabbed some clothes and handed a wad of cash to the stall owner. She’d probably just overpaid but at that point it didn’t matter. She changed quickly, then went through her bag to find her wallet, then stashed the rest. Clothes were easy enough to come by. While she waited for Braden, she bought a hat with a wide brim and a pair of sandals.
“Oh, hey, you’re ready. We need to get out of here.” He stepped outside the stall and looked both directions before joining the crowd.
Carlie pulled her hat down farther over her face, hoping the disguise worked. She should have grabbed some sunglasses. Braden was several paces ahead of her. Carlie made sure to stay behind enough that no one would suspect that they were together, but close enough she could see which way he went.
The first thing Carlie was going to ask Braden when they were safe was just how well he’d known this “friend” he’d planned to stay with. He sent them the opposite direction and now they were running for their lives without anything but the clothes on their backs. Her fingers itched to check her phone for a message from Ed, but any distraction could cost her life.
Braden took off down an alleyway. Carlie slid between two couples and turned, hoping she could find him, but it was empty of people. She cursed and turned trying to catch sight of him in the crowd.
Carlie had to hold in a yelp when she was grabbed and pulled in through a door. Braden shut it behind her and bolted it.
“That’ll hold them for a minute. Come on. We have a car waiting for us in front.” Braden started through another door but stopped when Carlie didn’t follow. “We need to go now.”
“How do we know that the car isn’t a trick? There’s been nothing to show me that we should trust anything we’ve been told.” Carlie pulled out her phone. No texts. Ed needed to come through for her sooner rather than later.
Braden crossed the room and leaned in, his breath tickling her ear. “We can’t trust anyone, but we have to get out of here. I’m sorry I got us in this mess. Give me a chance to make it right.”
Carlie couldn’t think with him that close to her. She just wanted to lean against him and take a break for a moment. But right now wasn’t the time. She finally nodded. “Okay, but can you at least tell me where we’re going?”
Instead of answering he pointed up at the cameras in the corner, then headed for the front door. Why would this place have cameras? It looked like it hadn’t been occupied for months. Whatever the reason, she wasn’t going to wait around to find out.
The compact car sitting out front looked like it would barely fit one person. Carlie glanced around to make sure no one was ready to ambush them, then climbed in. She had to scoot as close to the window as she could so Braden could climb in. As soon as the door closed, the car pulled away from the curb.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Braden stared at the message on his phone. Yet another warning for him to drop Carlie and go get the necklace. He looked over at Carlie sleeping against the window. She’d drifted off once they’d left Bangkok. The thought of leaving her here wasn’t an option. Too much had gone into finally getting the nerve to talk to her. And besides, she’d saved his life when she could have left him there in the pyramid. He owed her.
The driver pulled into a driveway lined with palm trees. The lawns were well manicured with flowers of every color and variety. As they went around a bend, a large stone mansion came into view.
“Where are we?” Carlie asked. She sat up and stretched the best she could in the small vehicle.
“I have no idea.” Braden put his phone back in his pocket. No need for her to see the message. It would just upset her.
The car stopped in front of the house, and the driver turned to face them. “Ask for Chet. He will take care of you. Good luck. Trust no one.”
“Thank you.” Braden climbed out of the car. This was not how he expected this trip to go. The dull ache in his leg told him this wasn’t the only thing that hadn’t gone as planned. He took the bags out of the trunk that the driver had gone to the market to recover.
“Wow.” Carlie stared up at the house.
“I know.” Braden took her hand. “Listen, the easiest way to explain why we’re here together is to pretend we’re together.”
She laughed. “I’ve been on several expeditions. I get it.”
They walked up to the front door and knocked. It was a moment before someone finally answered.
Braden cleared his throat. “Hello, we’re here to see Chet.”
The man nodded and moved to allow Braden and Carlie to come in. “I will tell them you’re here.”
“Thank you.” Braden gave a small bow.
They stood in the entry while they waited. Braden took in what he could. There were few vantage points for snipers, but he still needed to keep an eye out. A short balding man in a sharp white suit approached them.
“Welcome. It is good to see you.” The man beamed and gave a slight bow. “Shall we have tea?”
Braden glanced over at Carlie who shrugged. He had no clue who this guy was, but with the way he had welcomed them, it was obvious he knew who they were.
“Of course. Thank you.” Braden put an arm around Carlie as they walked through the house and out onto a porch. A servant stood just outside with a tray of drinks and bowed to them. Braden took a glass of water but Carlie waved it away.
“You are welcome to stay here while you find what it is you’re looking for.” The man raised his glass, then took a drink.
Braden wanted to relax and take the man at his word, but the whole thing was too strange. None of his team should have known exactly where he was, and as far as he knew, Carlie hadn’t heard from hers. “Please forgive me. Who are you exactly?”
Chet’s eyes narrowed and his hand twitched at his side. “It seems that I have made a mistake. What are you doing here?”
Braden’s eyes twitched toward Carlie who looked just as shocked as she felt. “We were brought here and told to ask for Chet. That’s all we know.”
“Who brought you?” Chet’s voice rose. Guards seemed to appear from nowhere to stand around him.
“Our driver. I asked for a car from my colleagues and he was told to come here. That’s all I know.” Braden backed up a step and set his glass on a table. “We’ll go.”
“I don’t think you will.” Chet cocked his gun.
This had gone downhill fast.
Braden studied the guards to determine which one he should go for first.
A sudden gasp came from behind him. Carlie stepped forward, her hands up. “Friends for a meal are easy to find . . .”
Chet suddenly froze and studied her face. His eyes lit up and he lowered his gun. “Friends until the end of life are difficult to find. Carlie, right?”
“I didn’t recognize you, old friend.”
Chet grinned and pulled Carlie into a hug. “You’ve changed much since you were three years old.”
Braden felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. “You two . . . know each other?”
Carlie laughed. “It’s been years. Obviously. He was one of my dad’s best friends. It took a moment to recognize him, but I had to give him the code just to be sure. Which means that driver . . .?”
“I don’t know. Whoever it was must have come from your father.” Chet tilted his head to the side. “I thought your father left all this behind.”
“He did.” Carlie rubbed her forehead. “My handler must have contacted him somehow.”
Braden held a hand up. “Can we just take a step back here? Who exactly is he and what does your dad have to do with all of this?”
“I told you that my dad was the one who told me about the necklace. What I didn’t tell you is that he’d searched for it before me. He was in an accident a few years back and gave it up to teach a
t the local college instead.”
“Wait, so your dad is . . .” Braden’s mind slowly put the puzzle pieces together. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t figured it out sooner.
“Professor Anderson, yes.” Carlie turned back to Chet. “Do you know anything that could help us? The necklace is supposed to be here somewhere.”
Chet shook his head. “There has been talking of where it could be, but nothing has been confirmed. I’ve tried to stay out of it, but it’s possible I can find something. Let’s get you two settled in and then I can try to make contact with my old team.”
Braden bowed. “Thank you. We both appreciate it.”
“You are most welcome.” Chet clapped his hands and two maids were there immediately. “Make sure these two have anything they ask for. And don’t interrupt me in my office. I have work to do.”
Braden followed the maids, still in a daze. Things had happened so quickly that he wasn’t sure what he’d just seen. He was shown a bedroom that was almost the size of his apartment back home. He dropped his hat onto the bed, wishing he had his bag with him. He pulled his shoes off and flopped back onto the mattress. He needed to sleep for a bit, and then it was time to have a good, long talk with Carlie.
***
Braden felt much better after a long, hot shower. A tray of food sat on the table just inside the door. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he caught the scent of curry. The spices were perfect, and he knew the cheap American version would never be enough for him again.
He pulled out his tablet he’d kept hidden in his backpack and typed in his password. Several emails pulled up with location possibilities. They apparently had no clue where it was.
His phone rang. “Hey, Stephen. Have any information for me?”
“Where’d you go? My men couldn’t find you at the pickup location.” Stephen’s voice boomed through the phone.
“We were ambushed and had to take off in the closest taxi.” Braden’s eye caught a discrepancy in the map. He zoomed in. There weren’t any towns nearby, but there were mountains. “Hey, what do you know about the mountains in Thailand? Are there caves?”
