Unfathomed Page 3

  “Oh? Do anything exciting?”

  Logan opened one gold eye and gave her a slow smile. No one would ever call Logan handsome. With his mountainous body and his rugged face, he had too many jagged edges. But when he smiled, like he did now, it eased all the rough lines. “Pretty certain you don’t want me to tell you what Sydney and I were doing last night.”

  Morgan took a hurried sip of her coffee. “Please don’t.” That was all Morgan needed—X-rated images of Logan with his oh-so-feminine and stylish fiancée.

  Suddenly Logan’s face lit up. “Speak of the devil.”

  Morgan turned her head and saw Sydney Granger striding toward them, holding a stack of files. Tall, slender, and elegant, Sydney wore neat slacks and a shirt in pale pink that had some sort of tie that wrapped around her neck. Her pale-blonde hair was caught up in some effortless-looking twist that Morgan would never be able to do.

  Sydney might work for Treasure Hunter Security now, and be engaged to the wild, rugged man beside Morgan, but she still looked like the society woman and former CEO she’d been.

  “Hi, Morgan.”

  “Sydney.” Morgan’s gaze dropped to the stack of files and she suppressed a shudder. Morgan hated paperwork while Sydney reveled in her job taking care of the business side of THS.

  “Morning.” Declan strode in, and with a ripple of muscles, pulled a gray sweater over his T-shirt. “I call our planning meeting to order.”

  Morgan moved toward the conference table, snorting. “Layne’s almost got you housetrained.”

  Dec gave her a hard stare. “Don’t be nasty.”

  “Where is Layne?”

  “Here.” The pretty brunette bounced down the stairs leading from the upper level. She was holding a stack of papers and was dressed in slacks and a nice shirt. She was also frowning.

  “You look stressed,” Morgan said.

  “I’m giving a guest lecture with Oliver at DU today.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Nothing like working with your future father-in-law to give you a case of the nerves.”

  Dec wrapped an arm around her. “He loves you.”

  “And he’s hot,” Morgan added. “In a sexy silver fox way.”

  Dec pretended to kick her, and they moved to the conference table. Everyone made themselves comfortable, cradling coffee mugs. Logan had snagged what looked like a day-old donut from somewhere. Darcy stepped up beside Dec, holding a slim tablet.

  “I’ve been running searches on the Soleil d’Orient all night.” Darcy grinned. “I’ve confirmed that she’s a very big catch. I managed to find a copy of her cargo manifest.” Some of the screens on the wall filled with information. Morgan could see some photocopies of old documents—manifests, and what looked like old newspaper clippings. Most were in French. Morgan could speak some French, but her reading wasn’t great.

  “Let me run this through my translation program.” Darcy touched something on her tablet. New text appeared beside each document, in English.

  Morgan scanned the list of treasure: antiquities, gold, silver, diamonds.

  Logan let out a whistle. “Diamonds as big as a baby’s fist. Nice.”

  His fiancée arched her pale brow. “You’ve never even been near a baby, and since when do you like diamonds?”

  “Since I started watching you wear them.” His voice lowered. “Naked in our bed.”

  Color filled Sydney’s cheeks. “Quiet.”

  “Zachariah requested a ship,” Darcy continued on, shooting Logan a narrow-eyed glance. “Dec contacted Diego. He’s agreed to join the expedition. He’ll meet up with you, with the Storm Nymph.”

  Morgan sat back in her chair. She liked Diego Torres. He was another former SEAL, but one who could never give up his love of the water. He owned a research and salvage vessel, the Storm Nymph, which he hired out for underwater archeology and oceanographic expeditions.

  “I hate narrow ship bunks,” Logan grumbled. “Never fit in them.”

  Morgan rolled her eyes. Logan always found something to be grumpy about.

  Dec turned to face their teammate. “Well, Logan, you’ll be happy to hear that the team for this mission will be myself, Morgan, Coop, and Hale.”

  “I’ve organized commercial flights for you all,” Darcy said. “You’ll fly into Mozambique and meet Diego and the Storm Nymph at the Port of Maputo. You’ll sail across to Madagascar, and meet Zachariah and his team in Tolagnaro.”

  There were nods and mumbled acknowledgements.

  Sydney cleared her throat, setting her clasped hands on the table. “We need to talk about our other project.”

  Dec scowled. “Go on.”

  Tension filled the room. Morgan knew exactly what project Sydney was talking about. Silk Road.

  The black-market antiquities ring operated in the shadows. They were well-funded, and targeted valuable artifacts and treasures. They were ruthless, and thought nothing of killing to get what they wanted.

  Treasure Hunter Security had collided with them a few times. But after they’d kidnapped Sydney’s younger brother in South America while on the trail of an ancient treasure, Sydney had made it her mission to bring the group down.

  It wasn’t an easy task.

  “I’ve had very little luck getting people to talk about Silk Road.” Sydney huffed out a breath. “I’ve had better luck chasing the money. Darcy’s been helping me. By narrowing down countries and locations where we know they’ve been operating, I’ve been able to trace some payments they’ve made. Of course, it all leads back to a tangle of offshore companies and accounts.” Frustration rose in her voice. “I’m still working on it, but I’m continuing to pull the threads. I’m getting closer.”

  Darcy stepped forward. “I’ve also been running searches for any references to Silk Road, their operations, or their known associates. We’re marking those on maps to see if we can find any pattern.”

  Sydney nodded. “A few things have lined up. I think there may be three main people running things behind the scenes.”

  “Why?” Morgan asked.

  “The money seems to always come in from three different sources. I don’t know what or where those sources are, but there are three.” A deep sigh. “It’s mostly just speculation at this point.”

  “My searches are still running,” Darcy said. “I have a list of their known associates, people they hire. One thing I have noticed is this—”

  A screen lit up, showing a map of a city. A familiar city spotted with red dots.

  “London’s a hotspot,” Dec said, his gaze narrowed.

  “It appears to be,” Darcy confirmed. “But that could just be because of the concentration of museums and private collections to steal from. I’m still working on it.”

  The screen zoomed out, showing a map of the globe covered in red dots and connecting lines.

  Dec nodded. “Good work, both of you. Make sure you don’t do anything to tip them off that you’re looking at them.”

  Darcy sniffed. “Please.”

  “Silk Road has caused too much trouble and too many deaths.” Dec’s tone darkened. “We’ll do whatever we have to do to bring them down.” He looked at his sister. “Keep working on it. And whatever you uncover, I need you to coordinate with Agent Burke at the FBI. You know he’s investigating these guys as well, and he’ll have extra information that could help.”

  Darcy wrinkled her nose. “I’m only talking to that man if I have to.”

  Dec made a grumbling sound. “He’s the FBI, Darce. You don’t get a choice.”

  Darcy muttered some possibly choice words under her breath.

  “What are the odds of Silk Road coming sniffing around our shipwreck?” Morgan asked.

  “There’s the potential for a lot of treasure, for sure,” Dec said. “Thus far, Dr. James has done a good job keeping it under wraps.”

  “Won’t take long for word to get out once we’re on site,” Coop said.

  Dar
cy cleared her throat. “Something our searches are showing is that Silk Road likes to target expeditions with particularly important artifacts. Anything attached to an interesting myth or legend.”

  “Adds to their value,” Hale said.

  “And when Silk Road attacked our jobs, we were dealing with a famous lost oasis, a legendary stone, and the hidden treasure of a lost people,” Darcy added.

  “So is a gift from one king to another from a few hundred years back interesting enough for them?” Dec asked.

  “Dr. James mentioned some Japanese plates and Chinese porcelain,” Morgan said.

  “But not legendary artifacts,” Dec said. “I can’t see anything here that would interest them.”

  “We can’t rule it out, though.” This time it was Layne who spoke. “You guys need to be careful over there.” Her eyes lingered on her fiancé.

  “Let’s keep our fingers crossed,” Morgan said.

  “And our eyes peeled,” Hale added.

  “No one actually says ‘eyes peeled’, Hale.” Morgan shook her head. “Especially badass, former Navy SEALs.”

  Hale just shot her a wide smile.

  Darcy ignored them. “I’ll keep monitoring. If we spot any Silk Road members entering Madagascar, I’ll let you know.”

  More images appeared on the screen, and Morgan was instantly drawn to a headshot of Dr. Zachariah James. It captured his handsome face and carefree grin perfectly.

  “Wow,” Sydney said. “That’s Dr. James?”

  From across the table, Logan growled.

  “I met him at a conference once,” Layne said with a wistful sigh. “He is very easy on the eyes. And he has this charm…”

  “He appeared to be rather taken with Morgan,” Dec said.

  A rare smile crossed Coop’s face. “And her legs.”

  Morgan scowled at them both across the table. Zachariah James struck her as a roguish adventurer. She was certain he only stuck around until the excitement had passed.

  “Well, he is only mortal,” Darcy said. “I curse Morgan on a daily basis for having legs like she does.”

  “Morgan does have amazing legs,” Logan conceded.

  Sydney reached over and smacked him in the back of the head good-naturedly.

  “How about we leave my legs out of it and find some treasure?” Morgan stood, shoving her chair back. “Or I’ll be forced to draw my weapon…or maybe kick someone with my amazing legs.”

  Darcy slapped a folder on the table. “Your trip is all booked. Have fun.”

  Chapter Four

  Zach walked down a busy street in Tolagnaro, taking in his surroundings.

  A sense of history pulsed from the tiny Madagascan seaside town built on a small peninsula beside beautiful blue water. Once, it had been a Malagasy village, a landing point for Portuguese explorers, a French settlement, and now, the modern town of Tolagnaro.

  He felt the humidity in the air and smelled the salt of the sea. The street was crowded with people bustling along, doing their business, and nearby palm trees waved in the wind.

  He and his team had arrived at Tolagnaro’s small airport that morning. They’d ended up beating the Treasure Hunter Security team, which was expected to come into the port on the research vessel at any moment.

  Which meant he’d get to see Morgan Kincaid again soon. The thought left a fizz in his blood and a smile on his face. He was excited to see what was hiding under her tough exterior.

  He dodged around an older Malagasy lady who was herding two laughing children ahead of her. As he glanced back toward the sea, a tingle ran through his veins.

  Any time he walked down an unknown street in a new town, he felt that same sense of exploration and adventure. He breathed deep, pulling that sea-air scent into his lungs. Around him, he heard people speaking in both Malagasy and French. He smelled food frying in the nearby café, and the summer sun was warm on his skin. A wonderful change to Denver’s wintery chill.

  Oh, yeah, he felt the excitement and anticipation of the hunt. History had always made him feel like this. He’d had none of that growing up. His smile dissolved, his muscles tightening. He’d spent his childhood in a dirty trailer, with no mother, worn clothes, and a drunken father who had very big hands.

  There’d been no excitement or adventure. Only fear whenever his father was in a rage, and resignation when he’d had to go to school with holes in his shirt.

  The only bright spot had been when he’d opened a library book. He felt his shoulders loosen, the tension beginning to ease away. Reading about different ancient kingdoms, warriors, and cultures had been his escape. For those few precious moments, he’d been an Egyptian pharaoh, a Roman centurion, a Chinese emperor, a Portuguese explorer.

  Now, history was his life. His gaze moved to the crystal-blue water in the bay. Out there, somewhere, the Soleil d’Orient and her treasure were waiting.

  He couldn’t wait to uncover her story and history.

  Someone brushed up against him. “Dr. James?”

  One of his graduate students. Charity was a pretty young woman, with long, blonde hair she kept up in a high ponytail, and a curvy, young body. She brushed up against him again.

  “I’m so grateful to be here. To be a part of this expedition. I want you to know I’ll work very hard to make this expedition a success.” She shot him a megawatt smile, rubbing her breast against his arm. “I’ll do anything that’s required.”

  Zach barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He was used to pretty young things flexing their flirting wings. They were all still working out who they were and growing into their sexuality.

  He’d learned to dodge like a pro.

  He patted Charity’s shoulder. She was a smart girl and a hard worker. Those were the things he wanted from her. “We’ll all be working hard. We’ll have multiple dives every day, in addition to cleaning and examining any artifacts we bring up.” He purposely stepped away, and turned to look at the other student with them. “I know the entire team will do their best.”

  As the two young women nodded and murmured, he saw Charity’s shoulders sag.

  They moved on down the street, Charity striding ahead. She had a shiny new camera hanging over one shoulder and a bulging backpack on the other.

  He shook his head. He’d have to have another talk with the group about being careful with what they flashed around in countries where people didn’t always have as much. His archeologists were experienced and used to traveling in foreign countries, but some of these students hadn’t ventured far from home before.

  Suddenly, someone rushed past Zach, bumping into him. The young local man grabbed the strap of Charity’s camera and yanked it off her. She let out a short scream, and the thief grabbed her backpack, as well.

  “Stop!” Charity yelled. “All my things!”

  Zach lunged forward, but the man was fast, shooting off down the sidewalk.

  All of a sudden, an arm shot out and slammed into the thief’s chest. The man was knocked back a step. With two hard hits, their rescuer brought the thief to his knees. He dropped the bag and camera and knelt on the ground, wheezing.

  Morgan Kincaid leaned down and grabbed the stolen items. She paused to whisper something in French to the thief.

  The man nodded jerkily, shot to his feet, then ran off, fear written all over his face.

  Morgan straightened. Dark sunglasses hid her aqua-blue eyes, but Zach swore he could almost feel her assessing gaze. Damn, she looked amazing. Her fantastic legs weren’t in view, covered in khaki cargo pants, and she wore a simple tight, black T-shirt that showed off her firm breasts and toned arms.

  But, it was that edgy face with the faint scar that got to him. She wasn’t quite beautiful, but she was sure as hell attractive.

  She held the backpack and camera out to Charity. “I believe these are yours?”

  “Thank you so much.” Charity clutched the bag to her chest. “It happened so fast.”


  Morgan tilted her head. “It’s best to keep the expensive stuff out of sight in your bag. And make sure you’ve got both straps of your backpack on your shoulders. Stay focused on your surroundings.” Morgan’s tone was as dry as dust, her gaze moving to meet Zach’s.

  Great, so she’d seen Charity’s amateur flirting.

  “Dr. James,” Morgan said.

  “Morgan. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” He stepped closer, smiling. She was only a couple of inches shorter than him, and he liked that.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charity’s gaze sharpen on them. Her shoulders drooped again.

  “Where is the rest of your group?” Morgan asked.

  “Eating at a local café. They’re taking care of our luggage, as well. We thought we’d have a look around.” He turned to look at his students. “Charity and Jasmin, I’d like to introduce you to Morgan Kincaid. She’s part of our security team.”

  Morgan shook hands with the students. “Great to meet you. Now, if you’re ready, the ship is waiting and we should collect the rest of your team.” She looked at Zach again. “I’m sure you’re eager to get started.”

  The students moved ahead, and Zach fell into step with Morgan, matching his stride to hers. “Do you enjoy diving?”

  “I love it.”

  “I’m looking forward to finding out what else you love.”

  She shot him a small grin. “If you’re waiting for me to bat my eyelashes at you like Blondie did, you’ll be waiting a long time.”

  “Charity is harmless. And I prefer women. Smart, strong women.”

  Morgan shook her head. “Watch it, Dr. James. One thing I do love is my gun collection, followed by my knife collection.”

  Fascinating woman. “I enjoy collecting, as well. Artifacts. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?”

  Now she snorted.

  “Ah. Here we are,” Zach announced.

  Before them sat the café, and he spotted his two archeologists and third student sitting at an outdoor table. Duffel bags and hard cases containing their gear formed a small mountain beside them.