The Treasure Read Online Free

his hands on him.
    “This isn’t over, Kern,” Don called after them.
    “Let me go,” Amelia hissed. “People are staring.”
    Brody ignored her until they reached his vehicle. Tossing her inside, he closed the door and climbed in the other side.
    “You can’t keep doing this.” She glared at him. “What was my aunt thinking sending me to you?”
    “Aunt?” he repeated, turning slowly to look at her. “Pandora was your aunt?”
    “Yes,” she answered, still glaring. She pressed against the door, purse and hat clutched to her chest. “I’m Amelia Sawyer.”
    Sawyer. Of course. Her connection to Pandora made more sense now. He should have seen it. The red hair, the same obsession with
Paraíso
, the stubbornness. God help the man that grew old with this woman because if she continued to follow Pandora’s example, she’d be even more stubborn and fanciful at sixty.
    “Well, Amelia Sawyer,” he said, rubbing his aching forehead. “This is your lucky day. You’re getting a free ride to the airport and someone to carry your bags.”
    “Is someone coming with us?” she asked sweetly.
    Brody smirked. “No, Miss Sawyer, there is no one else. I’ll drop by the hotel for the rest of your things.”
    “You’re determined to see me go, aren’t you? Did you treat my aunt this way, too?”
    “Yes.” He turned over the key and maneuvered onto the street.
    “Liar.”
    “What did she tell you?” The hotel was only a block away. It took them five minutes to get there with the foot traffic. He parked and turned to see her smiling at him. That smile was more dangerous than pulling a 4G turn in the air. He felt the sudden urge to grab a G-suit to protect him from all his blood pooling in his lower extremity. “Why are you smiling?”
    “Because I can prove you’re lying.”
    “Oh, yeah? How’s that?”
    She dug through her purse and pulled out a folded, yellowed piece of paper. “With this.” She handed it to him.
    Brody took it, his gut telling him he shouldn’t. He unfolded the paper and stared at the worn, handcrafted map, recognizing parts of it. This was not good. Not good at all.
    “See?” she said. “If you’d turned my aunt down like you did me, she never would have been able to draw this map. You took my aunt to
Paraíso
, Mr. Kern, and this map is proof.”
    Blood pounded in his ears as he carefully refolded the map. “I never took your aunt to
Paraíso
.” But he had almost died flying in to rescue her when she’d fallen and broken three bones during her search for the elusive place.
    “Yes, you did. She drew that map so I would find it, too.”
    “There is no
Paraíso
.”
    “Why are you being so stubborn? It’s right there.” Her finger tapped the paper in his hand.
    “I repeat. There is no
Paraíso
.”
    She snatched the map away. “Fine, Mr. Kern, have it your way. There is a
Paraíso
and I’m going to find it. With or without your help.”
    Brody’s gut churned. He remembered when Pandora wanted him to do this very thing. And he remembered what happened when he did. Pandora may not have told her niece how she almost died trying to find
Paraíso
, but he wasn’t going to give history a chance to repeat itself.
    “Did you show that map to anyone else?” There was no telling how much danger she’d be in if anyone found out she had a map leading to
Paraíso
and its buried treasure.
    “Not yet. You interrupted my meeting with Mr. Newton before I could show him.”
    “Put it away,” he ordered, looking around.
    “Okay, okay. You know, you can catch more bees with honey, Mr. Kern.” She put the map in her purse. “And you don’t have to babysit me. I won’t be staying.”
    Relief flooded through him. That was music to his ears. He wouldn’t have to stay awake tonight with images of Amelia, her body broken like Pandora’s had been.
    “Well, I guess I better get going. Thank you for the ride. Again. Goodbye.” She climbed out of the Land Rover and walked into the