Uncharted (Treasure Hunter Security Book 2) Page 2

  Everyone ignored him. Dec looked at Cal. “You see any sign of Silk Road, you call us.”

  Cal nodded and looked back at Darcy. “So when do I leave?”

  “Now.” His sister handed him a stack of documents. “Enjoy your trip.”

  ***

  Click.

  Dani moved her camera, lining up the girl’s smiling face in the middle of the shot, and pressed the button. Click. Then she zoomed out, taking in the landmark behind the girl as well.

  Dani loved Angkor Wat. The City of Temples was full of amazing wonders. She lowered the camera for a second. Here, at the base of one of the towers of the main temple, the harmonious feel of the place really stood out.

  The unique temple rose up into the sky, and its beauty wasn’t diminished by the tourists swarming around it. She knew it was a representation of Mount Meru—the sacred mountain that was home of the gods.

  What she loved was that every nook and cranny of the place offered something different—amazing bas-reliefs, or nature insinuating itself back into the ruins, trees growing through the temples. She didn’t even mind the tourists. Watching them taking it all in, the range of emotions skittering over their faces, it all made her smile.

  That’s what Dani liked capturing the most. Not just the old temples and the sense of history, but the feelings they elicited. That’s what made her photographs come alive—all the things people were thinking and feeling written on their faces and caught in their movements.

  Damn, she loved her job. She smiled. She was grateful every day that she made a very good living from her photography.

  She zoomed in on a couple posing for their camera that they’d perched on a rock. Young lovers, she decided, by the way they touched each other. She snapped them as they pulled exaggerated poses. Then the man pulled the woman in for a kiss. Dani took the shot, capturing that most elusive of things—love. That fleeting, mysterious emotion.

  She lowered the camera. She gave them six months. Then one of them would be itching to get out. She shoved the cynical thought away. For now, she’d focus on the love.

  Dani set off down the steps and worked her way through the crowd of people walking slowly through the temple. She wandered to a quieter part of the site, where the crowds thinned, and she could hear the echo of her footsteps on the ancient stones. Here, she could get some good shots. She turned in a circle. Hmm, here, the light was just right. She raised her well-used Canon.

  But there were plenty of pretty shots of Angkor Wat out there. What she was looking forward to the most was her chance to photograph the ruins of Mahendraparvata. Of finding lost temples amongst the jungle.

  She stopped again. This time, she spotted a woman only a few years younger than herself. She was gorgeous. Blonde hair spilled over tanned shoulders. She wasn’t model thin, instead she had curves that Dani suspected would bring a man to his knees. She felt a flash of envy. When you were tall, with slim hips and a flat chest, curves were always a distant dream. The woman was smiling as she took in the temple’s carvings.

  As Dani snapped a few more shots, a handsome man wandered closer and struck up a conversation with the woman. They talked for a bit. Small talk, Dani imagined. The woman laughed.

  Dani frowned, even as she continued clicking. The man had player written all over him. He had the look of a man who knew what he looked like, and knew how to use it. Her brother and father had the same look—same handsome face, same insincere smile.

  With an annoyed sigh, Dani moved on.

  She kept snapping shots. She zoomed in, and this time spotted a middle-aged woman dressed in a short skirt and a low-cut top. This time, Dani was reminded of her mother. Julia Navarro Simmons Hall was on marriage number four, and had always judged her worth by her looks. And the bank account of her current husband.

  Dani turned away, looking for a more interesting subject. She avoided her family as much as she could. She refused to let them intrude on the life she’d made for herself.

  She zoomed in on a man walking up the main path toward the temple.

  Wow. She took a bunch of shots. Handsome, rugged, and sexy. The man had a face made for the camera with enough angles to cast some interesting shadows. Dark hair that was just long enough to fall over his forehead, day-old scruff on his cheeks, and a well-shaped jaw.

  Next, she took in the body. He walked with a loose-hipped stride, a man comfortable with himself. He was somewhere over six feet with a muscular physique. A pale-khaki shirt stretched over wide shoulders, and his long legs were tucked into dark-green cargo pants. He didn’t look like a man who spent much time in fancy suits or stuffy offices. No, he was well suited to the ruined temple beside him.

  She took a few more shots. Suddenly, he glanced her way, a frown on his face.

  Dani decided it was time to move on. She focused on a small group walking up the steps of the temple, and decided to head inside.

  Inside the enclosure, bright-green grass contrasted with the old stones. The group she’d followed had disappeared, and instead, Dani focused on getting a few up-close shots of the engravings on the wall. Devatas—dancing women in all different poses, elaborate headdresses on their heads. The entire site was a group of enclosures, galleries, and cloisters leading in to the main temple.

  She wandered up some steps and into a paved gallery. She paused, taking a deep breath. Here, she could easily imagine the ancient Cambodians walking through on their way to celebrate their gods.

  “Hey, stop!”

  The young woman’s scared voice made Dani frown. She hurried around the corner.

  Down a set of steps, she spotted a man playing tug-of-war with a woman’s backpack.

  The man kept yanking, but the woman held on with grim tenacity.

  Suddenly, the man shifted his weight and shoved hard against the woman. She stumbled backward but kept her bag clutched in her hands.

  “Hey!” Dani let her camera drop around her neck and hurried down the steps. “Leave her alone.”

  The man’s dark eyes widened. Ignoring Dani, he reached down and gripped the woman’s bag again. She cried out and fell onto her hands and knees.

  “I said, leave her alone.” Dani rushed forward, and slammed a hard kick into the man’s side.

  He stumbled back with a grunt. He was a couple of inches shorter than Dani’s five foot eight, but she didn’t dismiss his wiry strength.

  When he raised a fist, Dani got mad. She kicked him again and slammed her fist into his belly.

  “Stop!”

  The deep, masculine voice echoed off the temple walls. Behind her, Dani heard the sound of running feet. The thief’s gaze went over her shoulder, and his eyes widened.

  He turned and bolted.

  Chest heaving, Dani turned. And went still.

  Mr. Handsome, rugged, and sexy was sprinting toward her.

  Chapter Two

  Dani watched the man leap down the stairs and run two steps past her before stopping. The attacker had disappeared into the temple ruins.

  Blue eyes settled on Dani. Something about the look on his face made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. No wonder the bag-snatcher had taken one look and fled.

  The man’s blue gaze flicked to the young woman getting to her feet. “You both okay?”

  The woman nodded and looked at Dani. “Thanks to you. You were amazing.”

  “Happy to help,” Dani said.

  The woman pushed her light-brown hair back and patted her backpack. “I’ve got everything in here. My wallet, passport, camera… I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You should report this,” the man said.

  The woman gave him a long once-over and smiled. “Unfortunately, I have to meet my tour group in twenty minutes. I’ll talk to my guide.” She lifted a hand. “Thanks again.” The woman hurried off.

  “You got in some good hits.”

  Dani looked up. “Thanks.”

  Tall, dark, and rugged smiled. “Those were some nice moves.”

  A flicke
r of heat in her belly. God, down, hormones. “Always pays to know how to kick a man’s ass.”

  The man’s brows rose, a gleam in his eyes. “Maybe you’ve been hanging around with the wrong kind of man.”

  Dani made a sound and checked to make sure her camera was okay. “Only one kind, in my experience.”

  “You think I’m going to snatch your backpack? I can assure you, I’m not. I actually work in security.”

  She watched him shove his hands in his pockets and shoot her a charming smile. Oh yeah, the guy was good-looking. And he knew how to work it.

  “I’m not worried about my backpack.” She cocked her head. “Why do I get the feeling you’ve used the ‘I work in security’ line before?”

  “Well, it is my line of work…”

  “Right.”

  “People usually find it interesting.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “But I can see it isn’t really working on you.”

  “You security guys are observant.” She looked at her watch. “Well, look at the time. Unfortunately, I have someplace I need to be.”

  His face turned serious. “Look, I was impressed with the way you jumped in to help that woman. And the way you brought that guy down.” He smiled again. “I’m used to being the one doing the rescuing.”

  She made an uh-huh sound.

  “And I have a meeting I need to get to as well, but how about we meet up later? I can buy you a drink…prove to you that all men aren’t out to steal your backpack.”

  The guy was lethal. That smile, that face, the body.

  Dani had seen her brother Joshua pull out the same smile, the same charm. God, her father was even more practiced at it.

  She was immune to it.

  “No, thanks.” She lifted her camera and then opened her backpack. She pulled out a different lens from the specially-designed slots in the bag, and then swung the bag back onto her shoulder.

  The man frowned. “No?”

  Had he never heard the word before? “That’s right.”

  “Why?” His sexy, cajoling drawl was gone.

  “Because I don’t spend time with men like you.”

  He tilted his head. “Men like me…?”

  “Yes. Ones who are interested in a drink or two, then a quick romp between the sheets. You’ll be all charm and sexiness until you spot the next pretty, shiny young thing that comes your way.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as everyone’s up-front with each other.”

  “Right. And I’m being up-front.” Dani clipped the new lens on the Canon. “You could catch up with the woman we helped. You’d probably have better luck with her.”

  “Clearly.”

  The confused, annoyed look on his face caught her attention. It made her want to smile. Instead, she lifted her camera and snapped his photo.

  He reached out and grabbed her camera. “It’s polite to ask first.”

  She pulled her camera back toward her. He tugged it back toward him.

  Dani tugged again. “I don’t really bother with being polite.”

  “Yeah, I got that.”

  She pulled a face. “It usually means I miss my shot. If people know I’m taking their photo, they get stiff and awkward.”

  “I’d prefer if you ask me, first. And believe me, I was already feeling stiff and awkward before you took the picture.”

  She yanked the camera back.

  He shook his head. “Someone did a number on you, didn’t they?”

  Dani’s stomach turned over.

  The man gave her another long look. “Life’s too short to spend it all twisted up.”

  Before she could think of a good comeback, the man turned and strode away.

  She huffed out a breath. Right. Well, she was due back at the hotel to meet the rest of the team.

  Time to leave the temples—and the people inside them—behind, and set to work capturing the discovery of a new one.

  She didn’t stop to take any pictures as she headed out of the temple complex. Out the front, she jumped into one of the waiting cabs and held on for dear life as her driver tried to break the land-speed record on the way back to the hotel.

  When they stopped, Dani shoved a wad of Cambodian riel at her cab driver—who grinned at her wildly—and stepped out of the battered vehicle.

  The Heritage Hotel was really beautiful. Nestled amongst tropical walled gardens, the building was a neoclassical design of cream stone with lots of arches. Inside, the rooms were simple, but elegant, with dark wood accents and Cambodian art on the walls. She felt that familiar urge deep inside and lifted her camera.

  She snapped a few shots of the hotel façade. While it may not have been the most luxurious hotel in the city, it had a charm and beauty about it. Plus, it was pretty darn comfortable. She’d stayed in a lot of interesting places while she was working—yurts in Mongolia, Bedouin camps in North Africa, even an ice hotel in Finland. The Heritage Hotel was getting no complaints from her.

  As she took her shots, she noted a rugged four-wheel-drive parked in front of the hotel. A motorcycle was strapped to a rack at the back of it. Now, that was a vehicle made for adventure.

  She hurried inside. The meeting with the archeologists was in ten minutes, and she didn’t want to be late. Inside, the air was cooler, and she took a second to enjoy it against her skin.

  “Did you follow me?”

  The deep voice had her glancing up…into familiar blue eyes.

  “No.” She frowned. “Did you follow me?”

  Tall-rugged-and-knew-it crossed his arms over his chest. “Sorry, sweetheart, I’m staying here. Actually, I’m meeting the team I’m working with in a few minutes.”

  Security specialist. Her stomach turned over. Great. “Not the Angkor Archeological Project.”

  His gaze sharpened, dropping to her camera then back to her face. “You’re Daniela Navarro.”

  She frowned. “How do you know my name?”

  “I know you’re the photographer for the AAP. And I’m the new security specialist.”

  “Oh.” That was all Dani could manage.

  “I’m Callum Ward. Treasure Hunter Security.” He held out a hand. “This is the part where we act politely and you pretend you can work with a ‘man like me.’”

  “You were just itching to say that, weren’t you?”

  “Yep.”

  Dani settled her camera around her neck and held back a wince. Steeling herself, she thrust her hand into his. His palm was large and callused. After a quick shake, he just kept holding her hand.

  “Well, Mr. Ward. Welcome to the adventure.”

  His thumb brushed over her wrist, and the move sent a tingle up her arm. Strange. She tried to pull her hand back.

  He refused to let it go. “Call me Cal.”

  She gave her hand a hard tug. “And I’m Dani.”

  “But Daniela is so much prettier.”

  “And so much longer. Are you going to let go of my hand?”

  He smiled at her. “When I’m ready. I can’t place your accent, Dani.”

  “I was raised mostly in the US. But my father is Portuguese.”

  “Fala portuguese?”

  “Sim.” Curiosity winged through her. “Your accent is very good.”

  Cal smiled. And damn if it didn’t make that already attractive face more compelling. “I speak five languages, thanks to my previous employment.”

  She let her gaze drift down his body. “I’m guessing military, or an agent of some description.”

  His brows winged up. “How the hell would you know that?”

  “I take pictures of people for a living. I’m good at reading things about them from what they look like, how they move.”

  He inclined his head. “Navy SEAL.”

  Special Forces. He might be a handsome man with a good deal of charm, but it also sounded like he was no superficial player. You didn’t make the SEAL teams without a hell of a lot of skill and grit.

  “But now,
I do private security.” A faint smile on his lips. “Although I know that doesn’t impress you much.”

  She blinked, connecting the dots. “Ward. I had the pleasure of meeting your mother once.”

  Cal’s smile widened. “Oh. I bet that was an experience.”

  It had been. Persephone Ward was a tiny woman with a huge personality. Dani eyed Cal, unable to believe the small, energetic treasure hunter with the big reputation had given birth to this hard, dangerous, sexy man. “It was on an expedition in Brazil. She was amazing.”

  Cal’s face softened. “Mom has that effect on people.”

  “Mr. Ward?”

  The crisp British accent made Dani smile. “Here comes Dr. Oakley.”

  They both turned and saw the archeologist hurrying into the hotel lobby.

  He offered Cal a polite smile and held out his hand. “I see you’ve met Dani.”

  Dani watched the men shake hands. They couldn’t have been more different. The older, reserved man of study, and the younger, edgier man of action. She wanted to take a picture of them, but ignored the itch.

  “Welcome to Cambodia,” Dr. Oakley said. “Actually, Dani only arrived yesterday as well, and it’s a pleasure to have you joining our team. With help from both of you, we’re going to do something wonderful.”

  Dani managed a smile. Now she was going to be trapped in a jungle with sexy Callum Ward. Lord help her.

  Oblivious to her struggle, Dr. Oakley waved them across the lobby. “The others are meeting us in the bar. Shall we go?”

  Cal turned to Dani. “Looks like I get to buy you a drink, after all.”

  ***

  Cal sat down on one of the comfy chairs in the hotel bar, a bottle of cold beer nestled in his hand.

  Dr. Oakley settled in the chair beside him. “The others should be here soon.”

  Cal nodded and took a sip of his drink. As he did, he tracked Dani Navarro wandering around the room, camera in hand.

  She was one prickly, annoying woman. Shame it was in such an attractive package. She was on the tall side for a woman, slim, small breasts and long legs. He’d always had a thing for long legs. He let his gaze trace down them. Even in simple cargo pants, it was far too easy to imagine them wrapped around his hips.