Unmapped (Treasure Hunter Security #6) Page 12

  They took off running again. They sprinted between two buildings, and out into a large square. It was ringed by ice-coated buildings and the center was a solid sheet of ice.

  All the buildings and doorways nearby were glued together with ice. There might have been streets between them, but they were impassable.

  It was a fucking dead end. They were trapped.

  The voices behind them were getting louder.

  “Across there.” Peri pointed to the far side of the square.

  Ronin looked and spotted a place where a hole had been smashed through an ice wall. Cracks radiated outward.

  “Go!” He pulled her across the square.

  “Shit.” She almost slipped, her leg sliding out wildly from beneath her.

  The ice here was extra slick, forcing them to slow their breakneck pace.

  “Stop them!” someone shouted behind them.

  Ronin heard gunfire again. Dammit.

  Then he heard something far worse.

  Crack.

  The ground beneath their feet tilted. Peri yelped and threw her arms out for balance. All around them, the ground became a web of cracks, and then a split-second later, the ice broke apart.

  Ronin shifted his weight to keep his balance.

  “God, this must have been a small lake or pond that iced over,” she said.

  There were startled shouts behind them, and Ronin glanced back. Several Silk Road members had followed them out onto the ice.

  Cracking noises echoed through the air as the ice continued to break up between them and Silk Road. The ice shifted again and he pulled Peri close. They were currently standing on a large piece that was slowly drifting across the icy water.

  He remembered the shock of hitting the water earlier. He really didn’t want to take another dip, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Peri fall.

  Behind them, he heard one of the Silk Road men scream, followed by a splash.

  Ronin’s jaw clenched. “We have to keep moving.”

  Peri stared across the icy pool. “It’s not too far to the edge.”

  Ronin looked grim as he studied the ice ahead of them. There were several stepping stones of decent-sized ice sheets that created a makeshift path to the side.

  Bang. Bang. Bang. Peri flinched and ducked. She felt a bullet whiz past, not too far from her head. Both she and Ronin dropped down to the ice.

  “Let’s jump to the next one,” she said.

  He nodded. Peri dragged in a deep breath and stood. Blocking out the sounds of Silk Road behind her, she took two steps, and leaped over the water. She landed on the next sheet of ice, her arms windmilling, trying to keep her balance. Her feet skidded, and she dropped to her stomach to stop her slide.

  Ronin landed right beside her in a crouch, and set the ice sheet rocking.

  Once it had stopped, he helped her up. “Again.”

  They jumped the thankfully short distance to the next sheet. Then the next.

  The fourth ice sheet moved under their weight, sliding across the cold water. They held on to each other, dropping to their knees. Peri put her few surfing skills to use, trying to hold her balance.

  She risked a glance back. The Silk Road members were following them, leaping from ice sheet to ice sheet.

  “Peri! Ronin!”

  She saw Lars balanced precariously on some ice.

  “Stop before they kill you,” the man called out.

  “He still thinks they’ll let him go,” she murmured to Ronin.

  “Yes, but they won’t.”

  The next second, Lars slipped, and with a sharp cry, he landed in the water with a splash. For a second, Peri felt sorry for him. A formerly decent man corrupted.

  “Let’s go. That one over there.” Ronin nodded at the next piece of ice.

  Shoving thoughts of Lars out of her head, she studied the next closest ice sheet. It was far smaller than the previous ones. She swallowed. There were no larger ones close enough to reach.

  He squeezed her arm. “You can do it. I’ve never met a more determined woman than you.”

  Peri felt a flush of heat. She nodded and focused on her target.

  She jumped, and when she landed, the ice teetered wildly. The sheet tilted up, and she flailed, her heart lodged in her throat. She was going to fall in—

  Ronin landed solidly beside her, sending the ice sheet tilting back the other way. He wrapped his arms around her and she grabbed onto him.

  They steadied each other. Hell. She blew out a breath.

  “Nearly there,” he said.

  There was more gunfire, but she blocked it out. Only one more ice sheet to go, and from that, they could reach the far edge of the pond.

  “One more,” she muttered, encouraging herself.

  More shouts and a splash came from behind them. Spurred on, Peri leaped over to the next sheet. She ducked down and waited for Ronin.

  He landed in a crouch. They both stared across to the edge. This gap was larger than all the other jumps. Peri backed up as far she could, ran, and threw herself into the air. She tossed her arms over her head, and brought them down, trying to buy herself every bit of momentum she could.

  Her boot hit the edge and she tipped forward, smacking onto solid rock. The wind was knocked out of her, and she lay there for a moment, seriously considering kissing the ground, except she was afraid her lips would stick.

  Ronin landed beside her with a graceful roll. He shot back to his feet, grabbed her hand, and yanked her up.

  “Keep moving.” He stopped at the hole in the ice wall.

  It looked like a giant had punched a hole through it. Recently.

  “Who the hell made this?” he said.

  She glanced back. The Silk Road team was most of the way across the pond. “No time.” She ducked through the hole.

  A street opened ahead. There were several open-air buildings here and she frowned. She could see long benches, frozen in ice, under the structures. Workshops, maybe.

  “We need to put as much distance between us and Silk Road as we can.” Ronin took her hand.

  As they set off down the street, she saw several round features flanking the road, circled by low stone walls. She paused at one and glanced down.

  “Oh.” She jerked back. “Watch out. These are holes.” It reminded her far too starkly of the hole Ronin had fallen in earlier. “Deep ones.”

  Ronin gripped her hand. “Wells, maybe. Or for waste.”

  “Probably wise to avoid them.”

  They broke into a jog, staying clear of the wells. Peri realized how well they moved together. He shortened his stride to match hers, their bodies brushing occasionally, but never getting in each other’s way.

  They rounded a corner. With a sharp gasp, Peri skidded to a halt.

  Ronin muttered a curse.

  Several people stood in a row ahead of them, all clad in black cold-weather gear. They had guns aimed at Peri and Ronin.

  A tall woman pushed forward, frowning at them. She had pale skin and dark hair pulled back off her strong features. She moved with an imperious air, like she was used to giving orders. “Who the fuck are you?”

  Her accent was very sharp and very British. Peri studied her. She looked familiar.

  Then Peri spied another woman, slightly hidden behind the group. A woman with copper-colored hair and a bruised face. “Amber!”

  Peri watched her sister’s head shoot up, and her blue eyes—a few shades lighter than Peri’s—widened. Amber’s face turned stricken. “Peri? What are you doing here?”

  All of a sudden, there were more shouts from behind them. Peri glanced back and saw Jesse Colston leading his group up behind them. Damn.

  Colston stomped forward, a smug expression on his face. “Vicky, I see you’ve met our guests. Treasure Hunter Security.”

  A grimace crossed the woman’s face. “Do not call me that ridiculous name. I hate it almost as much as I hate uninvited guests.”

  Peri recognized the woman now. “You’re
some distant member of the British royal family.”

  The woman sniffed. “Lady Victoria Eugenie Alexandra Armstrong-Jones. And I’m not that distant. I’m twelfth in line to the throne.”

  “And you’re one of the leaders of Silk Road,” Ronin said.

  Peri blinked. This woman, probably the same age as Peri, ran Silk Road.

  Lady Victoria raised her arm, pointing her pistol straight at Ronin’s chest. “You needn’t concern yourself with that.”

  There was no emotion on the woman’s face now, and fear skated down Peri’s spine. Whatever else this woman was, she was dangerous.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ronin kept his face impassive as his arms were jerked roughly behind him.

  He’d run out of options and ideas. Hell, he’d even take a bad option at this stage. He looked at Peri, and saw her glaring at the Silk Road people. Then, she cast a worried glance at her sister.

  Amber Butler was a slightly taller, sharper version of her sister. She wore her copper-colored hair longer than Peri, and had paler eyes. Right now, she looked tired and dejected.

  “There are two more THS men here, as well,” Colston said. “One of them is Declan Ward.”

  Lady Victoria shook her head. “Bloody hell. We need to find and secure the weapon.” She skewered her team with a hard look. “I brought the best linguistics expert in the world down here. Why the hell can’t we find the damn vajra?”

  A small, slight man cleared his throat. He was wearing a pair of round glasses which he pushed up his nose, and was dwarfed by his bulky coat. “I translated the standing-stone glyphs.” He had an Indian accent. “It isn’t my fault you can’t interpret the location correctly.”

  “What is this weapon?” Ronin demanded. They might be dead soon, and he sure as hell wanted to know what he was dying for.

  The Silk Road leader turned, eyeing him with a narrow gaze. Her eyes were a bright hazel color. “The vajra is an indestructible weapon of a god, with the power of a thunderbolt.” She smiled. “Actually, our scientists believe it is a powerful, portable, reusable nuclear weapon.”

  Fuck. Ronin stared at the woman. What the hell did Silk Road hope to achieve? Use the weapon? See it sold to the highest bidder? His gut churned with the hellish possibilities.

  “You won’t get away with it,” Peri said.

  “Says the woman with a gun to her head.” Lady Victoria raised a plucked brow. “Silk Road will continue finding artifacts and solidify our power base and wealth. Now, I want that weapon found!” She looked at the linguist. “Tell me what the stone said again.”

  The man lifted a tablet and repeated his translation. “Here lies a terrible power, the city its tomb, this message its guardian,” the man said. “A terrible power that shook the world in a single flash of light. Do not enter here, for you will find nothing but death.”

  Ronin realized they were a more detailed version of the words on the stone in the central square of the city.

  “There must be more clues to the vajra’s resting place,” Lady Victoria said.

  The linguist straightened. “I stand by my translation.”

  Ronin saw Peri’s lips moving, then her eyes widened, and she tried to stifle a gasp.

  Lady Victoria and Colston swiveled. “You thought of something?” the woman said.

  “I…we couldn’t read the full translation,” Peri said.

  Lady Victoria strode up to Peri and grabbed her arm. “And you’ve noticed something we haven’t?”

  “No—” Peri shook her head.

  The woman spun, her gaze settling on Ronin. “Bring him over here.”

  Two men shoved and dragged Ronin over to one of the holes in the ground. They pushed him up onto the small stone wall and held him at the very edge. He looked down at the narrow well, into the yawning darkness below.

  “No!” Peri struggled against her guards.

  “Tell me,” Lady Victoria ordered. “Or Mr. Cooper has a very long drop.”

  “Okay.” Peri wrenched free and straightened. “It’s probably nothing.”

  “Don’t say anything, Peri,” he said.

  She shot him a hot look. “Here lies a terrible power, and the message is its guardian.”

  Lady Victoria frowned. “So?”

  “And ‘do not enter for you will find nothing but death.’ It sounds like the vajra is in or below the message stone. The stone is guarding it and if you go beyond it, you’ll find nothing.”

  The Silk Road woman’s brows shot up. “So bloody simple.”

  Colston grinned. “This is it!”

  “Please leave Ronin alone,” Peri said.

  Lady Victoria’s nose wrinkled. “No, I don’t think so.”

  Damn. Ronin knew he should have seen this coming.

  “He’s dangerous,” Lady Victoria added.

  “So what will we do with them?” a guard asked.

  The woman waved a hand. “Kill them.”

  No. “Wait!” Ronin struggled against his captors. “Peri just helped you.” He’d do anything to keep her alive. Bright, beautiful Peri, who’d shone a light into the darkness inside him. He wouldn’t see that brightness extinguished. “And she’s an experienced guide, like her sister. She can help you get out of here.”

  Peri’s brows drew together. “Ronin—”

  “The man has a point,” Lady Victoria said. “The woman comes, but kill him.”

  “No!” Peri lunged toward Ronin, but two guards grabbed her, dragging her back. She kicked one and the man grunted.

  Ronin kept his gaze on her. “Peri.” There was so much that he wanted to say to her…and now he’d never get the chance. Damn, he should have manned up and admitted he was falling for her.

  She shoved against the men holding her. “Ronin! Don’t—”

  One of Ronin’s guards shoved him in the chest, knocking him into the well.

  As Ronin fell, slick ice walls rushing past him, he heard Peri’s wild scream.

  Peri fought against her guards. Ronin. No. No. No.

  Distraught, she managed to knock one of her guards to the ground. They’d taken her man away. A good, solid man. The man she was falling for.

  Gone. He was gone. Her stomach tightened to a hard point, a horrible sensation growing inside her.

  Slim arms wrapped around Peri, and she smelled her sister.

  “Shh, Peri. I’m here.”

  “They killed him.” A hollow feeling spread through Peri. They’d killed the man who was coming to mean everything to her. A man who’d stood by her side since this terrible situation had started. A man who’d filled a part of her that she hadn’t even realized was empty.

  With a sob, Peri turned to her sister, and wrapped her arms around Amber. Behind them, she heard the Silk Road people planning the path back to the central square and standing stone. But Peri just focused on breathing through her pain. She felt hot and cold, her chest impossibly tight. Even though her chest heaved, tears didn’t come. It was like they were locked up inside her.

  “Hey.” Amber smoothed Peri’s hair back. “Hey, sis, just focus on me. Lock it away. Like we did when we were kids, and we’d have to leave our friends and move to a new place.”

  Peri looked at her sister. Amber’s face was bruised and there was a nasty cut on her left cheekbone. Peri pulled in a shaky breath. For now, she needed to focus on Amber and how to get them out of there alive. She glanced at the well, and pain rocketed through her. She wanted to scream, and throw herself at Victoria Armstrong-Jones and scratch the woman’s eyes out.

  But Peri locked it down, just like she had in the past. She locked her feelings for Ronin deep inside. She turned her attention completely back to her sister.

  She cupped Amber’s cheek. “Are you okay?”

  Amber nodded, biting her lip. “It’s just scratches and bruises. You were right, sis. I should never have come down here.”

  Peri grabbed Amber’s hand and squeezed. “We need to focus on getting out of here.” Alive.

&nbs
p; “Let’s move out,” Lady Victoria shouted, interrupting their quiet moment.

  Peri and Amber were nudged forward. As they walked down the icy street, Peri cast one last glance at the well. Pain and grief poured into her, almost too much to bear.

  Then she faced forward and tried to think of nothing.

  “I’m sorry about your friend,” her sister said quietly.

  “I…was falling in love with him.”

  “Oh, God, Peri.” Her sister hugged her again.

  “Keep moving,” a guard barked from the rear.

  “All right. Everyone move fast, and keep up,” Colston shouted. “And if you see anyone else in here that doesn’t belong with us, shoot them.”

  They walked through streets, passed through buildings, skirted squares. Peri just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, not paying attention to where they were going.

  Finally, the buildings opened up, and they stepped once more into the large central square. Immediately, Lady Victoria made a beeline to the massive standing stone in the center.

  The rest of them followed her, finally stopping in front of the ancient sentinel, the group fanning out.

  The Silk Road woman lifted her chin. “Rogers, bring the explosives. Blow it open.”

  Peri gasped. They were going to blow up a piece of ancient history. She and Amber were hustled out of the way, a guard standing over them.

  The Silk Road team worked fast and a second later, they scrambled back.

  “It’s ready to blow,” someone shouted.

  Peri hugged Amber, pressing her face against her sister’s hair. There was a huge muffled thwomp and the floor shook.

  When Peri lifted her head, the standing stone was now pieces of rubble on the icy floor.

  Lady Victoria and Colston hurried over, picking through the chunks of rock.

  “Oh, my God,” the woman breathed.

  Colston gave an excited whoop and several guards laughed.

  Peri swallowed and watched Lady Victoria pick up something metallic. It was about the length of the woman’s forearm.

  She held it up, smiling widely. “The vajra!”

  It looked exactly as Dec had described it—a metallic rod, with what looked like claws at the end. It was copper-colored.