Undiscovered (Treasure Hunter Security Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

leave no stone unturned. I investigate everyone, until I know every little thing about them. Where they live, how much money they have in the bank, who their friends are, hell, even what color their panties are.”
    Her lips pressed into a straight line. “Okay, I guess we’re on the same page, then.”
    “And the same team.”
    “I’ll save you some work.” She tucked her hair back behind her ears. “I live in Rhodes, Massachusetts, I have fifty-seven thousand dollars in savings in the bank but more than that in stocks and retirement savings. I don’t have a lot of time for socializing, so my friends are the people I work with. My underwear is not up for discussion.”
    “You mean you keep an apartment near the university that you barely use, you have sixty-two thousand in stocks and 401K, and you’re closest to your assistant Piper Ross.” He couldn’t resist a small smile. “And you prefer black lace underwear.”
    Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or to hit you.”
    “How about we go somewhere where we can talk?” He glanced around. There were too many people here, and while no one appeared to be paying them any attention, he didn’t want someone to overhear what he had to say.
    She nodded. “There’s a small café around the corner where I go a lot.”
    Moments later, they’d found seats in a crowded café. Wooden chairs and tables were packed close together in the small space. The butter-colored walls were filled with carved wooden decorations and mirrors. Most of the clientele were locals, wearing regular clothes, but a few were dressed in simple, light-colored robes, and many sat, sucking on the end of the shisha pipes popular in Egypt. The tall, elegant glass waterpipes for smoking flavored tobacco sat on the floor beside each table.
    Dec sat on the small chair and edged forward, his knees bumping slim legs under the table. A harried waiter dropped off a coffee for Dec, and a mint tea for Dr. Rush. The tea was in a tall glass, rimmed with gold. Dec’s coffee was of the local variety—he’d picked up a taste for the strong coffee after spending a lot of time in the Middle East. He lifted the small brass pot and poured the coffee into his cup, the bold scent hitting him.
    Dr. Rush sipped her tea. “So, you’re planning to investigate all of my team?”
    “I already am. I have my team Stateside running checks. If anyone’s opened an offshore account or received a large sum of money recently, my tech expert will find it.”
    The lovely doctor’s eyebrows rose. “He must be good.”
    “She is.”
    Rush’s fingers tightened on her cup. “What if this was just random—?”
    “It wasn’t. You must know that a lot of digs in the area have been hit over the last few months. Especially high-profile ones.”
    She nodded. “They did seem to know what they were doing.” She shivered.
    He saw the shadows, recognized them. He wanted to reach out and place his hand on hers. Stupid . Dec was good at protecting, crap at providing comfort. “No one is going to hurt you again.”
    She swallowed. “No. Because this time, I’ll be better prepared.”
    He nodded. “And I’m going to help you with that. Once we get to the dig site, my team and I will do a security assessment and implement any recommendations—”
    “Whoa, hang on, Mr. Security Expert. It is still my dig and I have work to do. Any recommendations, you run them past me first.”
    Dec stirred his coffee. “Security matters fall under my control, Dr. Rush. Your bosses have already given the okay for me to do whatever I need to do to safeguard you, your team, and the artifacts.”
    She huffed out a breath. “I’m not going to stop you from doing that, hell, I want you to do that. But can you guarantee your security team won’t hamper our work, or possibly endanger the integrity of our studies—?”
    “Nope. Lives come first. Then the valuables. If I have to trample on your dig