by Anna Hackett
“So the Horus followers started bad-mouthing Seth?” Declan gave a thoughtful nod. “Propaganda.”
“Exactly. Seth got relegated to being god of the desert, destruction, storms, foreigners, etc. Anything scary.”
“So, there is a myth about a lost oasis filled with treasure, and you think it was the home of Seth, a demonized god.” Declan shook his head. “The world is littered with myths and legends of lost cities, sunken cities, destroyed cities…all of them filled with treasure.”
Layne nodded. “And lost cities are for fools.”
“I thought you’d made a few legendary discoveries, Rush?”
Just how much did he know about her? “All on well-researched, legitimate digs. I don’t go dashing into jungles and deserts on a whim and a myth.”
“Nor does Anders. Unfortunately, he’s no fool.” Declan scowled at the wall, lost in thought.
Layne sensed something. Declan and this Anders had some sort of history, and from the bad vibes coming off Declan, it couldn’t have been good.
“Anders is either really desperate, or he has something that makes him think Zerzura is real,” Declan said.
Layne’s heartbeat tripped. How amazing would it be if Zerzura was real? Her mother’s voice echoed in her head. You have to believe in wonderful things, Laynie. Or life isn’t worth living.
Well, Layne had stopped believing the day she’d stepped in her parents’ blood.
Declan looked at his friend. “Hasan, this man, Anders, is dangerous. Steer clear if you can, tread carefully if you can’t.”
The dealer nodded. “I appreciate the warning, although I have dealt with some unsavory characters before.”
“I bet,” Layne said dryly. “But you still do business with them.”
“Dr. Rush, the way I see it, I re-acquire artifacts from them, and in my own way, stop those artifacts from disappearing for good or being damaged. I try to sell them on to reputable collectors and sometimes, even a few museums. I’m doing the same job as you, safeguarding our history.”
Layne didn’t say anything.
Hasan grinned. “I am really just carrying on the family business—”
Declan groaned. “No, Hasan. Just keep that story to yourself.”
The man ignored Declan. “—like my grave-robber ancestors before me.”
Layne’s mouth dropped open. “Grave robbers?”
“Yes. But don’t worry, I don’t raid tombs.” He winked.
Layne couldn’t help but laugh, but she smothered it quickly. “You aren’t going to convince me that what you do is right, Hasan.”
He sighed. “I see that. Declan, sadly, your lady is not very impressed with me.”
“I think she’s pretty hard to impress, Hasan.” Declan clapped the man on the shoulder. “If Anders contacts you again, you call me, okay?”
“I will.”
“And be careful.”
“I will, old friend. You, too.”
Declan pressed a hip to the desk. “Now…how much for the artifact?”
Hasan’s lips morphed into a knowing grin.
Layne spluttered. “You aren’t paying him—”
“I paid a lot of money for it.” Hasan straightened. “And I have a family to feed.”
Declan shook his head. “Let’s negotiate.”
Layne closed her eyes and wondered how she’d even ended up here.
***
Darcy Ward took a sip of her chai tea latte, then reached across the desk and tapped on the keyboard. A screen on the wall flashed and the new search initiated.
She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs and swung her foot. Nothing had popped up yet on the background searches for the archeologists. They all looked clean, well, so far. She set her favorite red mug down, her mind ticking over the things she still needed to do. She still had to look into the local workers, which was a bit trickier since they were foreign nationals. She waggled her fingers. Luckily she liked tricky.
Glancing at the farthest screen to the left, she checked on all the THS members in the field. Everyone had checked in. And everyone was out on jobs which meant the office was blissfully peaceful.
She loved having the place to herself. Just her and her computers. She’d outgrown the geeky, unbearably shy teenager she’d been, but something about being hunched over her computer, hard drive whirring, and just her wits against a problem sang to her.
While the searches were running, she needed to take care of some of the business things—accounts, expenses, payroll. She frowned. Callum had charged a speedboat rental to the company account. She rolled her eyes. She was damn sure it would have been completely unnecessary, but her brother liked to go fast. Too fast.
But right now, she was more worried about Declan. He and Anders…it was just a bad combination. She tapped the keyboard, pulling up some files. She prayed Declan didn’t take any unnecessary risks. He wasn’t the same easy-going man who’d joined the Navy so many years ago. She knew everything he’d been through had changed him, but she sometimes wished he’d smile more.
The front door clicked open and footsteps sounded, echoing in the warehouse. Prospective customers? She stood and turned with a smile. It withered away in a second.
Two men were crossing the space toward her. One, she hadn’t seen before. The other was staring right at her, his green eyes intense.
A dark suit draped his well-built physique. His thick, brown hair was cut short and he had a shadow of scruff across his hard jaw. Here was another man who never smiled. She couldn’t see the bulge of his handgun, but she knew he had a holster under his jacket.
Why did the most annoying man in the world have to look so damn good?
“Ms. Ward.”
Ugh, the way he said her name set her on edge. “Special Agent Burke.”
She watched as his gaze lifted from her and scanned the warehouse.
Special Agent Alastair Burke was part of the FBI’s specialized Art Crime Team. The group—made up of a small team of agents—was in charge of investigating art theft and recovering stolen artifacts. He’d been equal parts roadblock and ally to Treasure Hunter Security over the years. Burke had stonewalled THS before on certain jobs. She forced her face to stay cool and composed. He might feed Dec and Cal information sometimes, but for her, it didn’t outweigh the times he was a damn thorn in their side.
Besides, the way he looked at the office, looked at her… The man just thought he was superior to everyone else.
“I need to speak to Declan.”
Darcy crossed her arms over her chest. “Sorry. He’s not here.”
Burke’s face was impassive. “He’s in Egypt. On the Rhodes dig.”
She hated that he always had information he shouldn’t. She guessed that’s what made him good at his job, but it still irritated. She stayed silent and kept her gaze on his.
Burke sighed. “I need his number.”
“You’re the fancy special agent, can’t you find out his number?”
Burke’s eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to her. So close she felt the heat radiating off him and his crisp, clean cologne hit her senses.
“You want me to arrest you for obstructing—”
The other man moved now. He smiled at her and Darcy noted he was younger than Burke with a clean-cut face and what could be some Indian heritage. “We’re sorry to intrude, Ms. Ward. I’m Special Agent Thomas Singh. We have information we think your brother might need.”
“Are you the good agent to his bad agent?” She nodded at Burke.
Agent Singh’s smile widened. “He can’t do good agent. Just not capable. So I’m usually stuck with it, although I do a mean bad agent.” His smile morphed into a scowl.
“Singh,” Burke growled. Then his laser-sharp gaze pinned her again. “It’s about Ian Anders.”
Darcy froze.
“And Silk Road.”
She hissed out a breath. She didn’t know much about the shadowy black-market antiquities ring. Not for lack of trying
. But even with her best hacking, she’d discovered very little about them. She knew she didn’t want them messing with her brother.
“I can talk to Dec. Ask him if I can give you his number.”
Burke stepped closer and it made Darcy hate the fact she was short, even in her heels.
“I could force you to give it to me.”
She lifted her chin. “Try it.”
He stared down at her.
“Uh…no, that’s fine,” Agent Singh said. “We’ll wait while you call your brother.”
Darcy yanked her Bluetooth headset on and walked across the warehouse, taking a few deep breaths.
But she still felt Burke’s gaze on her.
***
Declan stepped out onto the street and slipped his sunglasses on.
“I cannot believe how much you paid for it.”
He could practically feel the anger wafting off Rush. He eyed her and her flushed cheeks. She was kind of cute when she was riled up.
“I know you don’t like it, but we got your artifact back.” It was safely wrapped and tucked into his backpack. “And Hasan will let us know if Anders comes back.”
She gave a resigned nod and together they headed down the street. “So, you and this Anders have a history.”
Dec stiffened and didn’t look at her. She hadn’t made it a question. “Yes.”
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me?”
He stopped and swung her around to face him. “Anders is dangerous and you’re damned lucky to be alive. That’s all you need to know.”
She stared at Dec for a second. “You can just say ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’” She pulled her arm from his grip. “So, what now?”
Dec exhaled a long breath, trying to push back the dark anger churning in him. “I’ve already sent a text to my tech expert to find out anything new on Anders. I need to know why he’s after Zerzura, and why he’s going off his usual script.” It made Declan nervous. Anders was dangerous enough without adding unpredictable and desperate to the mix.
“Well, the university offices are a few blocks from here,” Layne said.
They were halfway there when Dec felt a tingle along his senses. He slowed and scanned the street, but nothing stood out in the hustle and bustle.
His phone rang, vibrating in his pocket. “Hang on, Rush.” He opened his phone. “Ward.”
“Dec, it’s Darcy. How’s Egypt?”
“Warm.”
His sister sighed. “Always a man of many words.”
“Shut it. What have you got for me?”
“He who thinks he is far better than all of us paid me a visit.” Darcy’s voice was sharp and annoyed. “He wants to talk to you.”
“I take it you’re talking about Special Agent Burke.”
“God, that man is so fricking annoying. He talks to me like I’m an idiot.”
“He talks like an FBI agent.” If Burke wanted to talk, then he had information. “Okay, Darce, give him my number.”
“Roger that. You please deal with him, so I don’t have to.” His sister hung up.
“Problem?” Layne asked.
“Nope. It might be a break.” Like clockwork, his phone rang. “Ward.”
“Ward, it’s Burke. Heard you’re after Anders.” Burke’s voice was grim.
“Yeah. He attacked a dig in Egypt. We’ve been hired to get the stolen items back and provide security for the dig.”
“You and Anders don’t mix, Ward.”
“Appreciate the concern. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.”
“Fuck you,” Burke said good-naturedly. “Word is, Anders is in deep.”
“To who?”
“To whom,” he heard Layne mutter under her breath.
“No one warm and fuzzy,” Burke replied. “You know I’ve been investigating this global black-market ring, they call themselves the Silk Road. I’ve never gotten close to the head of it. Don’t know who the main players are.” A frustrated sound. “But Anders has been selling to them and it sounds like he borrowed money from them at some stage. Money he’s having trouble repaying.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. If he doesn’t pay them back to the tune of twenty million in the next month, he’ll be dead. These people don’t dick around. The last one of their guys who screwed them over was found with his head stuck on a spike outside the Tower of London.”
Dec winced. “Anders appears to be going after the lost city of Zerzura.”
“Shit. He must be feeling the heat.” Burke paused. “Zerzura isn’t real, right?”
“So the experts tell me.” He saw Layne watching him steadily. No doubt piecing everything together from her side of the conversation.
“He might make mistakes, then, Ward,” Burke said. “You might be able to finally nab him.”
Dec grunted. “Or it just makes him even more dangerous.”
“Tread lightly. You need help, give me a call. I have some friends in Interpol who could help you out. They’d be very happy to get their hands on Anders.”
“Got it. Burke…thanks for the info.”
“You know I’m keeping a tab. You’ll owe me.”
“Screw you.” Dec ended the call. But he knew he had a small debt owing to the FBI agent, and if and when Burke came calling, Dec wouldn’t hesitate to help the man. Even if he did drive Darcy crazy.
“What?” Layne demanded.
“That was my contact at the FBI. Said Anders is in deep debt to some very nasty people. He’s desperate.”
“That’s not good.”
“No. Rush, I think it’s time we head to your dig.”
“The train to Luxor leaves this afternoon. We have to overnight on the train, and then it’s several hours’ drive in a four wheel drive to get to the dig site.”
He smiled. “I have my company jet on standby at Cairo airport.”
Now her mouth dropped open again. God, Dec was getting a real kick out of surprising Dr. Rush. “The university is paying me very well to keep you and its artifacts safe.”
But as they headed off down the street, Dec once again got the feeling they were being watched.
Anders wasn’t gone. He was just biding his time.
Chapter Four
Layne stepped out onto the tarmac at Cairo Airport and spotted the sleek black jet.
Wow. She traveled a lot—but it was always in narrow Economy seats, or crammed into the back of small charter planes.
“Come on, Rush.” Declan walked two steps ahead of her. “I’ll introduce you to the team.”
She followed him up the steps and ducked inside.
She’d expected leather seats and plush décor, but this jet had been outfitted very differently. The seats were, indeed, leather, but other than that, there were sleek computer screens along one wall and lots of built-in storage compartments beneath.
But what dominated the small aircraft were the three tall people lounging around.
They all called out hellos to Declan, but Layne felt her eyes widen. She’d never seen a more dangerous-looking, intimidating crew in her life.
“Everyone, this is Dr. Layne Rush,” Declan said. “She’s head of the dig, from Rhodes University.”
She felt all eyes on her, assessing. She got the feeling these people spent all their time assessing, calculating, and planning to attack. “Hi.”
“Rush, this guy here is Logan O’Connor.”
The big man, with his long hair and scruffy beard, raised a hand. He appeared to be relaxed, draped over a chair, but Layne knew it was just for show. Instead, he made her think of a predator, ready to explode in a fighting rage at any moment. If she had to pick one word to describe him, it was wild. He looked like he should be living in an isolated cabin, wrestling bears or wolves, or something else with sharp teeth.
“This is Hale Carter. Man is a genius with anything with an engine or electronics. You need something fixed, he’s your man.”
“Nice to meet you.” Hale’s smile was
wide and charismatic. “Sorry to hear you got hurt.”
“Thank you.” A bit of a charmer, this one. He had a handsome face and dark brown eyes, along with broad shoulders and muscled arms. She was sure he was as deadly as the rest of them.
“And this is Morgan Kincaid.”
Layne nodded at the woman and she returned the gesture. She was seated, cleaning a hand gun on the table in front of her. From her moves, it looked like she’d done it many times before. The woman looked like she had tough and badass down to a fine art.
“Well, I welcome all the help you’re bringing to keep my dig safe,” she said.
Declan shifted. “That’s not what you told me. You started bitching about us getting in your way.”
“That was because you were being a pain. Issuing orders and getting all bossy.”
Declan’s gray eyes darkened and Layne heard Morgan snort.
“She’s already got your number, boss man,” Morgan said.
Declan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, everyone strap in. We’re about to take off.”
Layne settled in her seat. Before she could do anything, Declan dropped down beside her and reached over and fastened her belt.
Even though they’d been pressed together already once before, this time, she was able to get the scent of him. Man with a hint of perspiration. Something told her Declan Ward didn’t bother with fancy colognes. Warmth poured off his hard chest.
His fingers brushed her belly and she felt a tingle of heat. She sucked in a breath. His eyes whipped up to hers.
Shit. He felt it, too.
“I can do my own belt up, Ward.”
“Your safety is my number-one concern now, Rush. Just doing my job.” He sat back in his chair.
Layne’s stomach did a funny flip-flop. She’d lost her parents when she’d been in her teens. Since then, she’d only had herself to depend on. No one else had ever worried about her safety.
He’s getting paid for it, Layne. Don’t get mushy. She looked away from him and felt the rumble of the jet’s engines.
A man was not in her plan. Evan had made her swear off men for a few years. She had more to achieve in her career, more adventures to go on, and then she’d think about finding the right man.
