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

while I do that, sorry.”
    She stared at him. “You like giving orders, don’t you, Mr. Ward?”
    “It’s Declan. We’re going to be spending a whole lot of time together, so use it. Mr. Ward makes me think of my dad.” He sipped his coffee, liking the blush of heated color in her cheeks. “And yes, I’ve been giving orders ever since they gave me my own SEAL team.”
    Rush looked upward. “A SEAL. I should have known. I knew you were Special Forces, but of course, you have to be one of the biggest and baddest of them all.”
    He studied her. He was used to lots of reactions from women in regards to his former career. Some were intrigued in an “I’m going to drag you to bed” kind of way. Others were often intimidated.
    But the lovely Dr. Rush was neither. She just absorbed the information as a fact and didn’t look particularly impressed.
    “And don’t worry about your dig, Rush. We specialize in this kind of work…we know not to trample the archeology.”
    “Okay, Mr. Ward…Declan. Once we get to the dig, I’ll listen to the security recommendations you have.”
    She’d do more than listen. Still, he’d prefer they worked together, not against each other.
    He leaned forward. “I also wanted to ask you about the attack. Any details you remember that might help me?”
    She went tense and set her glass down.
    He saw it—the horror, the helplessness—all over her face. He hated to make her relive it. “I’m sorry—”
    “No.” She shook her head, visibly pulling herself together. “I’ll tell you what I can.”
    Dec was impressed. She locked down her fear and memories, and was looking at him, face composed. A glint of steel in her eye. “Good, okay. How many thieves?”
    A crease appeared between her brows. “Four, maybe five. I didn’t see them all. Especially after I got hit.”
    Dec pulled out a small notepad and jotted some notes. “Locals?”
    “I think so. They spoke Arabic. Except for the man in charge.” She shivered, her hands clenching together. “My cheek was hurting and I was having trouble focusing. But his voice… I’d remember it anywhere.”
    This time Dec couldn’t stop himself. He put his hand on hers and squeezed. “You’re doing well. What about this guy?”
    “He had a British accent. And his voice was cold, empty.” She gave a small laugh. “God, it sounds so cliché. The cold British bad guy.” She looked up and when she saw Dec’s face, her smile vanished. “You know who he is.”
    Dammit . Dec must really be losing his edge. His guys joked no one could read his poker face, unless he wanted them to. “His name is Anders. Ian Anders.”
    “He’s a thief?”
    “He’s a former soldier, British Special Forces. He moved into stealing antiquities to sell on the black market a few years ago. He usually does the job himself, and is damn good at sneaking in and out.” Dec wasn’t sure how much to tell her. He didn’t want to frighten her more than she already was. But staring into her face, he knew Dr. Layne Rush was made of pretty tough stuff. And the more information she had, the better off she’d be. “He usually leaves a few dead bodies behind, as well. In fact, he enjoys it.”
    She gasped, her hands tightening, her knuckles white. “He said he wished he had more time to play before he knocked me out.”
    Dec wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t like it. He hadn’t heard of Anders working with a team before. Or leaving people alive. All of this sounded off. “He possibly just wanted to keep you quiet.”
    “I…” Her voice cracked. “In that moment, I had no idea what would happen. If they’d take me, kill me…”
    “Hey.” Dec tipped her chin up and wasn’t surprised to find the skin under her jaw was soft as hell. He had no idea how a woman who spent months on remote digs in harsh conditions had this baby-fine skin. “You’re okay. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
    She pulled in a breath. “So, this Anders guy stole