Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  “Where did you live after your father died?”

  “I went to live with my aunt Edna. She was kind, but she didn’t know what to do with me. I was a mess. I’d lost my entire world. One day Adam and I were exploring, the next everything I knew was gone. Just like that. I didn’t even get to say good-bye.” Or to apologize to Adam for the fight. “Losing Adam hurt more than losing my father. I always felt guilty about that.” Kendall noticed that Jake looked pale. “Are you OK?”

  “Death sucks when it takes the young.”

  Something in his tone caught her. She gave him a sharp glance, but he was staring at the scar on his hand, his face a mask. Maybe he was thinking about the girls the prince had stolen. She started to pry, to see for certain, but that wouldn’t be fair. She wouldn’t want him digging through her memories of Adam.

  Jake blew out a breath. “That’s enough of the past. We need to worry about now. Why don’t you grab a nap? I’m going to call Roberto and see if he’ll give us an update on his guests.”

  “Turn on the charm,” Kendall said with a smile. She repaired the chain that held the cross and slipped it over her head. No rush of memories. No pain this time. She yawned. She was probably too tired to pick up anything. Jake let her choose beds and she lay down, wondering why he wasn’t making his usual play.

  Finally, she fell asleep. She dreamed of Adam again and the stupid fight. She couldn’t remember what it was about. When she tried, the effort made her head throb. She woke up, her pillow damp, and found herself looking around the room, even though she knew she wouldn’t see him. It happened a lot, usually when she least expected it. She would be working on a relic and feel him behind her. She would turn, certain she’d see his grin, knowing she couldn’t. She’d never had a connection like that to anyone else. She loved her father, and he loved her, but he was busy and always worried about something. Adam was the one who had laughed with her and had taken the time to explain things, to show her a fragment of pottery and explore what it might have held and who might have touched it. When he died, half her heart died with him.

  Kendall dried her damp cheeks. She was tired of crying and tired of ghosts. She heard soft breathing from the other bed. Jake lay on his back, legs slightly spread, with one hand underneath his pillow, the other resting on his stomach. She watched him for a minute, watched his chest rising and falling with each breath. Alive. Easing back the covers, she slipped out of her bed and crossed to his, sliding in beside him.

  He was on his knees in a flash, his gun pointed at her head.

  “Jake! It’s me.”

  He’d already lowered the gun. “Damn. Don’t ever do that again,” he said, sliding the gun back under the pillow. “What’s wrong?” He brushed a thumb over her cheek. “Why are you crying?”

  “I had a dream.” How pathetic did that sound? Like she was a five-year-old. “I have nightmares.”

  “I figured you did,” he said softly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No, but I don’t want to sleep alone.”

  His brows slightly lifted in surprise. “OK.”

  “If you don’t mind.”

  “You’re welcome in my bed anytime.” He moved over and lifted the covers, inviting her in.

  She crawled in next to him, lying on her back. He was warm, and thankfully, not naked. That was good. Maybe. The mattress moved as he settled his head on the pillow. She could feel him watching her. She stared at the ceiling, wondering if she’d lost her mind.

  He stretched out a finger and touched the pulse ticking at the base of her throat. He slowly dragged it over her collarbone, climbing the curve of a breast. “When you say sleep, exactly what do you mean?” he asked, his breath warm against her ear.

  She turned her head and looked at him. “What do you want it to mean?”

  He was on her in a second. His body pressed close to hers, and she could feel his excitement at the prospect of sleeping. He balanced on one elbow, chest against hers, one muscular leg wedged between her thighs. His eyes glinted in the dark as his head lowered, his bruised eye making him look like a pirate. His lips touched hers and every nerve in her body electrified. She could feel him, inside and out, taste the frustration and stress and passion, all balled up in his kiss. His mouth was everything: warm and tender and rough.

  She ran her hands over the lean muscles of his shoulders and back, desperate to get closer to him, to get inside him, in his head, on his body. She was drowning in his passion. She didn’t just feel hers; she could feel his too. He leaned back far enough to slide a hand inside her shirt. Their kisses and hands grew hotter, trying to touch everything at once.

  A phone rang, and Jake froze, his mouth still on hers. “Damn.” He rolled off her and picked up his phone from the nightstand.

  Kendall could still feel his touch all over her body.

  “It’s Nathan.”

  “Don’t answer. He’s going to kill us,” she said, feeling a chill douse her passion. She was here because she had seen him and Nathan dying, and she had to do something to stop it. Rolling around in bed with Jake wouldn’t help.

  Jake put the phone down on the table and sat on the edge of the bed looking at her. He linked his fingers through hers, resting their joined hands against his thigh. “What are we doing?”

  “Not sleeping,” she said.

  He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at her with...regret?

  “I know. We can’t do this,” she said, sighing. “It’s complicated enough as is.”

  He climbed back under the covers and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head and tucked his feet next to hers without speaking.

  She lay there, her face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

  “I have to send you home,” he whispered.

  “I won’t go.”

  “Yes you will.” He dropped another kiss on her head and they were both silent, wrapped in each other’s warmth. Kendall wasn’t sure what they were doing, or how to stop. It wasn’t long until she fell asleep.

  Sometime later, a soft noise woke her. A shadow stood by her bed, just like in her dream the first night in Rome. Jake? Before she could say his name, a cloth covered her face, cutting off her air. Instinct took over. She lashed out with a foot and heard a grunt. He straddled her, pushing the cloth tighter over her face. She felt herself slipping into darkness.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  JAKE’S HEAD WAS spinning when he woke. Kendall! He looked around and saw he wasn’t in the hotel. He was on a cot in a room or two cots and two rooms. Double vision. He struggled to focus. The walls appeared to be concrete, the door metal with a small window. Where was he? Where was Kendall?

  He’d no sooner asked himself the question than a guard stepped inside the room. “Come with me.”

  Jake rose, his head still groggy from the drug. He pulled himself up and stumbled along in front of the guard. He felt a little better after he had managed a few steps. Partway down the corridor, an old man hurried past them. The guard turned back to give the man an irritated look, taking his eyes off Jake long enough for him to hit a pressure point in the back of the guard’s neck. He dropped like a rock. Jake checked the doors nearby and found a closet. He dragged the guard inside and shut the door.

  There were several doors along the corridor, some with small windows like the one in his room. He ran from door to door, searching for Kendall. He found her in a room around a corner at the end of the corridor. She was lying on a cot with her eyes closed. He stared at her, not daring to breathe, until he saw her chest rise. She was alive. What the hell had Nathan gotten her into? Jake tapped once at the door, but she didn’t wake. He couldn’t keep knocking or he’d get caught, and he didn’t have the strength to deal with several guards at once.

  He heard footsteps coming and hid against the wall, waiting. A guard rounded the corner, holding a set of keys. His eyes widened when he saw Jake. Before the guard could react, Jake sidestepped and struck him on the neck, a
pplying the same pressure point move he’d used on the first guard. He took the keys and opened the door. After dragging the guard into the room, Jake closed the door and checked the corridor. Still clear. He hurried over to Kendall.

  “Wake up.”

  Her eyes flew open and she punched him in the chin. It lacked power, but the hit caught him off guard. “What’d you do that for?” he asked, holding his jaw.

  She struggled to a sitting position. Her hair was sticking up and she looked like a wild woman. “I’m sorry. I thought you were the kidnapper. Where am I?” She looked around the room, and then back at him, her brow wrinkled.

  “I don’t know, but we have to get out of here.”

  “I don’t think I can walk. I have too many feet.” She studied her fingers, twisting them. “And fingers.”

  He walked to the door and checked the window. “More guards. They’re talking. We’ll have to wait until it’s clear.” He was still too shaky to take them all on. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

  “I woke up and someone was pressing something over my face. I passed out.”

  “You didn’t see who took you?”

  “I think it was him.” She pointed at the guard. “I’m going to go kick him.” She tried to get up, but Jake knew she wouldn’t get far.

  He eased her back down. “Don’t get up yet. We’ll kick him later.”

  “How’d they get you? You’re big and strong. You have lots of muscles. I like muscles.” She frowned, as if trying to figure out who was controlling her mouth. She seemed more out of it than he was. They must have given her too much of the drug.

  “I didn’t see or hear anything. I think they hit me with a tranquilizer gun.” He wasn’t a heavy sleeper. He doubted anyone could have gotten close enough to administer a drug. He walked back to the door and checked the window. The guards had left. “Come on, let’s go. If you get tired, let me know. I’ll carry you.”

  He helped her to her feet and put an arm around her to keep her from falling. She wobbled a little, but she looked a little steadier than she had before.

  “You’re a good guy, Jake Stone. You pretend you’re a jackass but you’re a good guy. Sometimes you’re a jackass too.”

  “Thanks, I guess.”

  “How long have we been here?”

  “Several hours.”

  She stopped. “Who’s that?”

  A face was peering in the glass at the door. An old man with bright blue eyes and white hair.

  “He seems to know you,” Jake said.

  The old man’s gaze was intent on Kendall. A second later, he disappeared.

  “That was strange,” Kendall said. “You think he’s the kidnapper?”

  “He doesn’t look capable of kidnapping.”

  “I say Brandi did it.”

  Footsteps sounded outside in the hallway. More than one person was coming. “We’re about to find out.”

  “We need weapons,” Kendall said, looking around the room.

  “No. You get on the cot. I’ll jump him when he comes in.” Jake helped Kendall back to the cot, and then moved to the wall behind the door. There was a click and the door swung open. From her position, Kendall could see the person before Jake did. Her jaw went slack with surprise. Jake stepped out from behind the door, ready to fight his way out. When he saw who the man was, he cursed and pulled back his fist.

  “You son of a bitch.” Jake threw a punch, but Nathan saw it coming and pulled back. Jake’s fist clipped his chin. Nathan shook it off and faced Jake, eyes shooting fire.

  Kendall jumped between them before they could throw any more blows. She was still a little wobbly and had to grab hold of their shirts to steady herself. She’d never seen Nathan this mad. His skin was hot with anger. “Stop.”

  Nathan and Jake each took a step back, still furious. She was angry too. When she got out of here, Nathan could find another relic expert. She was done. “Kidnapping us! Are you crazy?”

  “I had no choice.” He glanced at his unconscious security guard and turned on Jake. “Are you trying to get her killed?”

  Jake’s fists clenched. “Me trying to kill her? You’re the one who sent her into a war zone without weapons.”

  “Don’t blame Jake,” Kendall said. “He pulled the same crap you did. He left me to board the jet and ditched me.”

  Nathan looked at Jake, and Kendall felt the gap between them narrow. Not much, but a little.

  Nathan blew out a hard breath. His lip had almost completely healed. “You were supposed to leave too,” he said to Jake. “You’re both in danger here.”

  “Cut the bull. You don’t give a damn about me. You wanted me to make sure your pet got out safe.”

  Nathan’s eyes narrowed to slits. “I gave an order, for good reason—your bloody safety—and I expected it to be carried out.”

  “Then start explaining things instead of acting like a lovesick prick.”

  Nathan smashed his fist into the wall. When he pulled it back, Kendall saw there was a hole. He jerked, as if he’d been hit with a cow prod, and hunched over with a loud groan.

  A numbing pain shot through Kendall’s body at the same time.

  The door opened and Fergus appeared, shadowed by three guards. “Nathan, come with me. Now.” Fergus pulled at Nathan’s arm. He didn’t resist but went with the older man. He appeared to be in the grip of some kind of spell.

  “What’s wrong with him?” she asked.

  Fergus pushed him toward the door. “He’ll be fine, Miss Kendall. He just needs rest.”

  The sensation passed as she watched Fergus half-drag Nathan from the room. Nathan’s clenched fist was scratched, but it should have been bleeding. One of the guards held a gun on Jake and demanded a set of keys, which Jake grudgingly handed over. The other two guards picked up their unconscious comrade and carried him from the room.

  “That was bizarre,” Kendall said after the door shut.

  Jake’s brows drew together. He walked over to the wall and stared at the hole Nathan’s fist had left. “More than bizarre. This wall is made of concrete.”

  Kendall joined him at the wall, staring at the damage. “No wonder he was doubled over in pain.”

  “His hand should be broken. He wasn’t even bleeding. How do you explain that?”

  “Adrenaline,” Kendall said. “And luck?”

  Frowning, Jake walked to the door and inspected the lock. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “How? There are lots of guards. When Nathan sets his mind to something, he’s like a mule, and he thinks he’s protecting us by keeping us here.”

  Jake knelt by the cot.

  “You think praying will help?” Kendall asked.

  “I’m looking for something I can use to pick the lock.”

  The door rattled and they both turned. The old man stepped inside the room. Jake scrambled for the door, trying to catch it before it closed, but he was too late.

  The old man moved toward Kendall, stopping in front of her. He wore a robe remarkably like her ghost monk’s. He searched her face and frowned. “You look different,” he said in broken English. He touched a strand of her hair. “But your hair is still the same.”

  “You know me?”

  He nodded, still assessing her. “Your eyes, they have seen much pain.” He touched his chest. “And your heart. So much hurt.” He looked at Jake. “You too.”

  “Who are you?” Kendall asked.

  “I am Marco.” He said it with a grand bow, as if the name should mean something to her. He straightened. “You don’t remember me.”

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  He sighed and sat on the bed, as if his legs had given out. “No one does.”

  “How do I know you?” Kendall asked.

  He smiled and measured chest high with his hand. “You were this big when you came to the castle.”

  “You’re from the castle...Were you singing?”

  “I like to sing.”

  “I don’t remember
being at the castle before.” Or did she? She had seen the castle and the statues in her vision. Maybe it wasn’t a vision but a memory.

  “You weren’t supposed to be. Women aren’t allowed.”

  “But someone gave birth there. In the tower room.”

  “There was one before you, but we don’t speak of her.”

  “What was she doing there?”

  Marco frowned. “She wanted the treasure, but she fell in love. She became with child. He didn’t know and sent her away. She grew ill—she was dying—so she came back to the castle to tell him so that he could protect the child. He kept the secret from the others. The same as I did for him.”

  “Him?” Kendall asked, confused.

  Marco blinked. He appeared to be confused as well. “She gave birth there and died.”

  “What happened to the child?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The secret. Was this what the scrap of letter referred to? “Why was I at the castle?”

  “Your father had business there. You wandered away and found our sacred place. Your father was angry,” Marco said, shaking his finger, “and rightfully so. It was a serious matter. Could even bring a curse of death.”

  “What could bring death?”

  “Taking the vow. It isn’t a game.”

  Kendall felt her legs sinking under her. The voices of the boy and girl came back to her, the whispered words as light emerged from the stones, swallowing her and Adam.

  “Kendall?” Jake crouched in front of her where she sat on the bed.

  “I just remembered something.” They had been in Egypt when she and Adam noticed their fathers’ increasingly strange behavior. There were secret conversations and the relationship seemed strained. When she asked her father what was wrong, he told her they had to go to Italy to clear up a problem. Adam was disappointed that they were leaving Egypt, because he thought he’d found a hidden tomb in a cliff. Other than the statues, she couldn’t remember anything of the visit except for Adam, the stones, and a bright light.

  “What happened after that?” she asked Marco.