by Anna Hackett
“Yes. Charity’s money came from a wealthy grandfather. Max’s came from Silk Road.”
“He didn’t seem capable of hurting anybody.”
“He didn’t want to, and he broke down when we confronted him. His mother has a large gambling debt. Silk Road approached him, and offered him money to slip information to them. They provided him with a satellite phone.”
“And let me guess,” Morgan said, “after information, they kept wanting more and more.”
Declan nodded. “They threatened his mother if he didn’t attack you, Zach. He’s drowning in remorse, but we’ve sent him back to the States for the authorities to deal with.”
Shit, Max. Zach rubbed his temple. “Thanks, Declan.”
He climbed out, and Morgan leaped out beside him.
“We have SUVs waiting,” Declan said. “I guessed that you guys might like a night in Tolagnaro to rest. Darcy booked us rooms at one of the hotels. We’ll rest up, and then head back to the Storm Nymph tomorrow.”
“Sounds great.” A big bed in a hotel sounded perfect. He had a few X-rated plans for the evening…after a long, hot shower and a nap. “Thanks for everything, Declan.”
“Sure thing.”
They’d taken a few steps away from the chopper, when they were suddenly surrounded by a black-clad team of soldiers aiming weapons at them.
Zach froze. The soldiers were all wearing black masks, which entirely hid their faces. Beside him, Morgan lifted her weapon in a lightning-fast move. Declan and the others did the same.
Nobody moved.
Chapter Nineteen
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a standoff, here,” Dec said.
Morgan kept her gun aimed at the soldier closest to her.
One of the soldiers stepped forward. “We don’t want any trouble.”
From one look at them, Morgan could tell they were experienced. These weren’t mercenaries for hire. They held themselves ready, and their weapons weren’t like anything Morgan had seen before. There was nothing about their black tactical gear that gave away who they were.
She caught Dec’s eye, and he gave a tiny shake of his head. Dammit, it looked like Silk Road had wised up and hired the best.
Morgan’s muscles bunched and she assessed her options. She could take down the one in front of her, then go left—
Suddenly, a soldier came out of nowhere and pressed his gun barrel to her neck.
“Don’t even think about it.” A menacing, deep voice.
“Delta, back off,” the original man who’d spoken said.
After a humming second, the man pulled his weapon away from Morgan.
“We don’t want to hurt anyone,” the lead man said. “We just want the amulet.”
“Silk Road is not getting the amulet,” Morgan snapped.
The man stiffened. “We are not Silk Road.”
“We’re the opposite of Silk Road,” another soldier to the leader’s right, said. This one was female.
“The amulet is too dangerous,” the leader continued. “We are here to safeguard it.”
Morgan blinked and looked at Zach. He was watching the man carefully.
Zach cleared his throat. “The amulet is an artifact that deserves—”
The leader shook his head. “It needs to be somewhere where no one can misuse it.”
“You can’t believe it really has powers,” Zach said.
But Morgan was thinking of how the giant lemurs had reacted. She glanced at the amulet, uncertain.
“We’ve been tasked with putting the amulet where Silk Road, and others like them, can never get their hands on it.” The leader held out a gloved hand. “Please hand it over, Dr. James.”
Relaxed and easy, Zach stepped forward and handed the amulet to the man.
Morgan took a step. “Zach—”
He shook his head. “The amulet isn’t worth the loss of any more lives, or more people being hurt. Besides, I think this guy might have a point.”
The leader took it, slipping the amulet into a pocket on his combat trousers. As he did, Morgan saw his shirt shift at his wrist and caught a flash of silver. She frowned. It looked like his skin was silver.
She scanned the team of soldiers. Who the hell were these people?
“Thank you.” The man lifted a hand, and suddenly his team started walking backward. They moved in tight formation, turned around the terminal building, and were gone.
Morgan looked at Dec and the others.
“What the fuck?” Cal said.
Instantly, her team rushed forward, weapons up. They circled the terminal building and saw…
Nothing. There was no sign of the man and his team in black.
“Fuck.” Dec looked pissed.
“Who the hell were those guys?” Cal said.
“I don’t know, but I plan to find out,” Dec said darkly.
Morgan moved back to Zach. “Are you okay? I’m sorry we lost the amulet.”
He shrugged. “All along, I was more interested in finding the Soleil d’Orient, really, and we still have that and all her other artifacts. The amulet was fascinating, but maybe it’s better off this way.” He looked into the distance. “Maybe the amulet was too dangerous.”
She smiled. “You buying into the mystical resonance-technology theory?”
“Right now, I don’t care.” He wrapped an arm around her. “How does a night in a big bed sound? Followed by some wreck diving, and hot sex in a narrow ship bunk for the next few weeks?”
She leaned into him. “It sounds pretty darn good.”
***
Hale leaned over the conference table at the Treasure Hunter Security warehouse, fiddling with a prototype grappling gun he was working on. He’d pulled it all apart, finetuned some parts, and was now trying to put it back together.
He heard the click of heels on the floor and looked up.
He let out a whistle. Morgan stopped to strike a pose. She was wearing a sleek, black dress, with a black coat over it. The outfit showed off her grade-A legs.
“Welcome back,” he told her. “Nice tan.”
Hale had returned to Denver from Madagascar a few weeks back, while Morgan had stayed on with Zach and his team to complete the diving on the Soleil d’Orient.
“What’s with the dress?” He knew Morgan didn’t like dressing up.
“I have a date,” she told him, a smile crossing her face. “A third date.”
It didn’t take much to see that she was happy. Hale had known Morgan a while, and considered her a friend. She’d always had this edge…a sense of dissatisfaction. Like she was searching for something.
It seemed like she’d finally found that something, and it was Dr. Zachariah James.
“Zach been treating you right?” Hale asked.
Her smile widened. “Oh, yeah.”
“No details, please.” Hale shook his head and picked up one of his parts again. He’d been watching all his friends fall in love, lately. It was great to see them all happy, but it wasn’t for him. He didn’t want just one woman. There were so many lovely ladies out there, and so much variety to choose from. How could a guy possibly pick one?
For a second, black memories flashed in his head, before he clamped down on them. Besides, if you got close to one woman, it meant you had to share. He had things inside him that no woman should ever see.
“Any luck identifying the team in black?” she asked.
Hale shook his head. “It’s driving Declan insane.”
More heels clicked on the concrete floor. Darcy and Declan appeared.
“Hi, Morgan. Welcome home.” Darcy gave Morgan a quick hug. “You look stunning, by the way. Zach won’t know what hit him.” Then Darcy’s nose wrinkled. “Our mystery team is still just that, a mystery. There is no record of a team like that entering Madagascar. I’ve tapped my contacts and no one knows anything.” She heaved out a frustrated sigh. “I even resorted to asking the FBI.”
She said the acronym like it was poison.
Dec rolled his eyes. “She means Burke.”
“Yeah,” Morgan said. “I’ve noticed she doesn’t like saying his name.”
Darcy crossed her arms over her jewel-blue sweater. “The arrogant man just clammed up and gave me nothing. So much for sharing.”
“It was for your own protection.”
Everyone’s heads whipped around. Hale saw that the man in question stood in the doorway, and he wasn’t alone.
Hale studied the female agent with Burke. She was short, with long, blonde hair. Her features were attractive, but without a smile, they held an edge. She wore a dark suit, and Hale had to admit it showcased some nice, compact curves. As the agents approached, the woman’s ponytail swung like a pendulum behind her.
“Burke.” Dec came forward, holding out his hand. The two men shook.
“Nice to see you, Declan. Heard you had an interesting expedition in Madagascar.” The agent’s gaze moved to Darcy, and the two of them glared at each other.
Finally, Burke gestured to the woman with him. “This is Special Agent Elin Alexander. She is assisting me on the Silk Road investigation.”
“Nice to meet you,” the woman said in a neutral tone.
Hale had always had a thing for blondes, and this one intrigued him. She was so…cool and composed. There was no expression on her face, but he saw a sharp intelligence in her eyes.
“We’d like to know more about this mysterious team in black,” Declan said. “I don’t like anyone interfering on our jobs.”
“It’s best you forget you saw them,” Burke answered. “All I can tell you is that they are the good guys, but they’re dangerous. Just hope that you never see them again.”
Declan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“Fine. Why are you here?”
“I have a job for you,” the agent said.
Hale set down his tools and leaned forward, his curiosity piqued.
Burke’s intense gaze swept over them. “We’ve gotten intel on an expedition that Silk Road is planning. I want you to help me take them down.”
Declan’s gaze turned considering. Hale knew his boss was eager to see the end of Silk Road, once and for all.
“Go on,” Dec said.
“Agent Alexander will be going undercover on the Silk Road team.”
Hale’s eyebrows shot up. Undercover?
“I’ve been working on infiltrating a local Silk Road group here in the US,” the woman told them. “They are not the most…trusting people, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve been assigned to this expedition.”
“Where’s the expedition to?” Hale asked.
Pretty blue eyes met his. “Africa.”
“You think this’ll bring us one step closer to bringing the entire organization down?” Dec asked.
“I do,” Agent Alexander said.
Even if it meant Agent Alexander had to walk into a nest of murderous thieves.
“We’d want your team to keep track of the expedition,” Agent Burke said.
“Well, count me out of this one,” Morgan said. “I have a date, and I’m still recovering from giant lemurs.”
Burke frowned at her, before continuing. “I’d also like one of your men to get hired onto the expedition—”
Hale stood. “Count me in.”
Dec shot him a sharp look, and Hale returned it steadily. He was the newest member of THS, but he knew he’d proved himself.
Finally, Dec nodded. “Hale’s our man. All right, Burke, you have a deal.”
***
“Here we go. One Sex on the Beach.” Zach handed the cocktail to Morgan.
“I believe we’ve already done that.” She winked at him as she sipped the orange-red drink, and leaned against the railing.
She made a sexy humming noise that arrowed straight to Zach’s cock. It didn’t matter how many times he’d had her, or how long he’d spent exploring her body, he still wanted her, more than ever.
They were on the rooftop deck of the museum. The sun was setting, and despite the cool, late-winter weather, she looked killer in her dress, shoulders covered by an aqua-blue wrap. Zach had pulled a few strings, and they had the entire place to themselves.
He leaned beside her. “Missing the Madagascan weather?”
She shook her head. “Maybe a tiny bit. But frankly, it’s nice to be back.”
“Come on, let’s have dinner.” He turned and pulled out a chair for her at the table he’d had set up. In the center was a fondue set, with melted chocolate and various pieces of cut-up fruit.
“You know me pretty well,” she said.
He did. Every inch of her. Over the last few weeks, he’d spent his days diving the Soleil d’Orient and bringing up artifacts, and the nights exploring everything Morgan offered to him. They’d completed the dive, delivered the bulk of the artifacts to the Madagascan government, and brought back a collection of artifacts to Denver. He had a lot of research to conduct, and an exhibition to plan.
But this whole expedition had taught him that there were things in life that were more important than his work.
He sat, pulling his chair closer to hers. “I’ve got something to ask you.” He pulled a small box from his pocket and set it on the table.
Her eyes went wide and her face turned an interesting shade of gray. She stared at the box like it was a hissing snake. “Zach…? Are you…?”
“What?” He suddenly realized what it looked like. “No! Not yet.” He looked at her, a small smile flirting on his lips. “Why is your voice so high-pitched? You look terrified.”
“So do you,” she countered.
He shook his head. “I’m asking you to move in with me.” He flicked open the small box. His front door key was nestled inside it. “I love you, Morgan. And one day, I’d like to talk about the M-word. But since getting you to agree to a third date took us being kidnapped, attacked by giant lemurs, and almost drowning, I thought I’d start with something a little simpler, first.”
She was smiling, her eyes looking a little watery.
He smiled at her. “You tearing up?”
“No. I don’t cry.”
Sure. His tough Morgan with her prickly exterior and soft heart. “I want the adventure of you in my life. I love you, and while I came from nothing, I’m offering you love, laughter, adventure, and lots of hot sex.”
“I love you, too, Zachariah James. I love the man you’ve made of yourself, and I’ll take that love, laughter, adventure, and hot sex.” She took the key, slipping it into the neckline of her dress. Then she cocked her head, her gaze warming. “So…how about we get started on the hot sex bit? I’ve always wanted to do it in a museum.”
Instantly, Zach was hard as a rock. She pushed her chair back and stood, and he let her pull him to his feet, conscious she couldn’t miss the raging hard-on tenting his trousers. He pulled her closer, sliding a hand under that maddening dress.
He moved his fingers up, then paused, desire throbbing through him.
“That’s right,” she murmured. “No underwear.”
She started dragging him inside and shot him a sexy smile.
He found his voice. “There are cameras—”
“Lucky for you, your girlfriend is rather handy with security systems. Come on, Dr. James, time for us to have a new adventure.”
---
I hope you enjoyed Morgan and Zach’s story!
There are more Treasure Hunter Security adventures on the way! The series will continue with UNTRAVELED, Hale’s story, out in mid-2017.
For more action-packed romance, read on for a preview of the first chapter of Among Galactic Ruins, the first book in my award-winning Phoenix Adventures series. This is action, adventure, romance and treasure hunting in space!
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Preview: Among Galactic Ruins
As the descending starship hit turbulence, Dr. Alexa Carter gasped, her stomach jumping.
But she didn’t feel sick, she felt exhilarated.
She stared out the window at the sand dunes of the planet below. Zerzura. The legendary planet packed with danger, mystery and history.
She was finally here. All she could see was sand dune, after yellow sand dune, all the way off into the distance. The dual suns hung in the sky, big and full—one gold and one red—baking the ground below.
But there was more to Zerzura than that. She knew, from all her extensive history training as an astro-archeologist, that the planet was covered in ruins—some old and others beyond ancient. She knew every single one of the myths and legends.
She glanced down at her lap and clutched the Sync communicator she was holding. Right here she had her ticket to finding an ancient Terran treasure.
Lexa thumbed the screen. She’d found the slim, ancient vase in the museum archives and initially thought nothing of the lovely etchings of priestesses on the side of it.
Until she’d finished translating the obscure text.
She’d been gobsmacked when she realized the text gave her clues that not only formed a map, but also described what the treasure was at the end. A famed Fabergé egg.
Excitement zapped like electricity through her veins. After a career spent mostly in the Galactic Institute of Historical Preservation and on a few boring digs in the central systems, she was now the curator of the Darend Museum on Zeta Volantis—a private and well-funded museum that was mostly just a place for her wealthy patron, Marius Darend, to house his extensive, private collection of invaluable artifacts from around the galaxy.
But like most in the galaxy, he had a special obsession with old Earth artifacts. When she’d gone to him with the map and proposal to go on a treasure hunt to Zerzura to recover it, he’d been more than happy to fund it.
So here she was, Dr. Alexa Carter, on a treasure hunt.
Her father, of course, had almost had a coronary when she’d told her parents she’d be gone for several weeks. That familiar hard feeling invaded her belly. Baron Carter did not like his only daughter working, let alone being an astro-archeologist, and he really didn’t like her going to a planet like Zerzura. He’d ranted about wild chases and wastes of time, and predicted her failure.
