Unfathomed Read online

  The men all muttered curses.

  “Zach said he thought his attacker was smaller than him,” Morgan said.

  “That rules out Diego and his crew,” Dec added. “And I trust Diego with my life.”

  Morgan nodded. Diego was a part of the Treasure Hunter Security family, even if he wasn’t on the permanent payroll. “So that leaves Zach’s team.”

  Dec nodded unhappily. “We keep our eyes and ears open. This amulet changes everything. Even if it doesn’t exist, I think Silk Road believes it does.” Dec rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll have Darcy start digging into the background of all the archeological team. Apart from Zach, we can’t trust any of them.”

  “Let’s hope we have no more excitement tonight,” Hale said.

  Morgan looked at Hale. “My watch shift is finished. You ready to take over?”

  The big man nodded. “Get some sleep.”

  Morgan headed down to the cabins, and despite a fierce mental argument with herself, she stopped in front of Zach’s door. She’d just check on him. That was all.

  Quietly, she picked the lock and entered. She closed the door behind her, and moved toward the bunk. He was sprawled on his back, his chest was bare, and the sheets were tangled around his waist. He’d obviously fallen asleep reading his tablet, because it was still clutched in his hand.

  She knelt down beside the bed, and gently moved the tablet away. In the darkness, she could make out the stark whiteness of the bandage across his neck.

  God, that fallen-angel face of his was so handsome. In sleep, he even looked boyish. Unable to stop herself, she reached out and brushed his hair back off his forehead. He didn’t wake, but he turned his face slightly, pushing into her touch. No one had ever looked at her like this man did. With respect edged with awe that left her breathless.

  She’d almost lost him before she even had him.

  She pulled her hand away, and then moved to sit with her back against the cabin door. She closed her eyes.

  No one was hurting him again.

  ***

  The next morning, Zach’s neck was a bit sore, but he was ready to work.

  He strode into the galley and saw that his students and archeologists were already there. They surrounded him, fussing.

  Charity touched his bandage. “That must have really hurt.”

  “You okay, Dr. James?” Max asked, his face concerned. “I…I just can’t believe what happened.”

  “I’m fine.” He made a shooing motion with his hand. “Go. Finish eating.”

  Once they’d all resumed their seats again, he filled a bowl with cereal and milk, and sat down with Alice.

  “I don’t like this, Zach,” the archeologist said. “People attacking the ship. You getting hurt.”

  Zach didn’t like it much, either. “The THS guys are here, and they are being more careful than ever. We’re in good hands.”

  Alice shook her head. “The sooner we find the main part of the Soleil d’Orient and bring up any artifacts, the better.”

  “I agree, Alice.” Zach spooned some cereal and casually looked around.

  “Looking for someone?” she asked with a grin.

  “No, I—”

  “You’re a terrible liar, Zach. I believe our leggy and frankly scary female security agent is out getting the dive gear ready. She said something about checking it three times to ensure nothing’s been tampered with.”

  Zach made a non-committal noise.

  Alice shook her head. “Like I said, a terrible liar.”

  Zach ignored his friend and finished his breakfast. Soon, he was out on deck. He stared up at the cloudless blue sky. It was a beautiful day for diving.

  Ahead, Morgan was already in her wet suit, laying out dive gear. As he approached, she looked up, eyeing his neck. He’d left the bandage off.

  “Feel okay?”

  He nodded. “Stings a bit, but I’m fine.” He started pulling his wet suit on.

  “Good.” Her voice was a little clipped, and she turned back to the dive gear.

  He frowned. He was learning to read Morgan pretty well. “You’re angry—”

  “You’re observant.” She lifted the tanks and gestured for him to turn around.

  He did, settling his shoulders into the gear and strapping it on. “Morgan, tell me what’s—?”

  She moved fast, pressing her face close to his. “I hate seeing that injury. It pisses me off.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “It’s my job to ensure you stay safe.”

  He cocked his head. “Just your job?” He could smell her. No fancy perfumes for Morgan, just the fresh scent of clean skin.

  Her gaze dropped to his lips, then she shoved his fins and mask at him. “Is that everything you need?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” She shoved him in the chest. Hard. He tipped over the side of the ship and landed in the water with a splash.

  Zach came up spluttering, wiping water out of his eyes. Goddammit.

  He looked up and saw her smirking at him. Everyone else was calling out with hoots and hollers. He waved them all off. “In the water, everyone. Looks like I got a head start.”

  Soon, his team were bobbing in the water beside him, adjusting air in their BCDs to descend. When Morgan landed beside him, she was grinning at him through her mask.

  “I’ll get revenge,” he warned her.

  She sank beneath the water, still smiling. Zach settled his mask in place and followed. It was probably wrong that he was enjoying tangling with her this much.

  They all fell into the normal dive routine. The team started their search patterns, Alice and Max heading to study some of the locations of interest noted on their last dive.

  As the dive progressed, they found more plates. It was promising, but it wasn’t enough. Zach stared into the water all around him, listening to the rhythmic sound of his breathing. Where was the ship? What if she’d just been dropping goods for miles, before she broke up and went down? It could take months to find her, and they didn’t have months. He knew they were running out of time.

  He spotted Morgan swimming a few meters away, across a small ridge of rock. Fish darted out of her way.

  As he watched, she stopped, floating with perfect buoyancy control, looking over the rocky ridge. That’s when he saw her stiffen, then lean down and pluck something out of the rock. She turned and waved him over urgently.

  Concerned, he kicked strongly and came up beside her.

  She opened her palm, handing him what she’d picked up. He took it, turning it over with a frown. It was a rock. It was a cloudy color, different from the rock on the seafloor beneath them…

  He froze. He suddenly realized what he was holding.

  A diamond. A huge uncut diamond.

  Morgan grinned at him, then punched him lightly in the shoulder. She pointed down past the rocky ridge and together they swam that way, scanning the sea floor a few meters below.

  They both saw it at the same moment. He reached out and grabbed her hand, his heart knocking hard against his ribs.

  There, a few meters below on the sandy bottom, was the outline of a ship. Rotting timbers and corroded cannons lay covered in sea growth.

  He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.

  They’d found the Soleil d’Orient.

  They both hung there in the water for a while, sharing that initial moment of discovery. It felt damn good to have her by his side. Finally, he looked back and waved to get the others’ attention. Alice spotted him.

  Soon, they were surrounded by the group. Even without being able to talk, the excitement was palpable. Everyone pointed and shared some high fives.

  Max started snapping photos with the camera, but soon Morgan tapped her watch. No one wanted to leave, hell, Zach wanted to stay, but they had to head back to the Nymph.

  Aboard the Storm Nymph, the excitement was infectious. Everyone was talking all at once. Cha
rity was squealing and Max was doing a victory dance.

  Zach pulled his tanks off, grinning at them all. He pulled his wet suit half way down, and shook the water out of his hair. Beside him, Morgan had done the same, that maddening bikini top showing off her shoulders and arms.

  He didn’t let himself think. As the others were busy talking, he grabbed Morgan’s hand and dragged her around the storage rack.

  “What the—?”

  He pushed her up against the wall, crowding her body with his.

  She smiled. It was slow and sexy. “Feeling a little frisky, are we, Dr. James?”

  “Zach,” he said.

  “Congratulations on your find, Zach.”

  He leaned in closer, letting his lips drift across her cheek. “And it was our find.”

  “Our find,” she murmured.

  He pressed his mouth to hers. Her lips opened in an instant.

  It was hard and wild. He pushed her up against the wall, cupping her breasts, trying to get more of the taste of her. She wrapped her long legs around his waist.

  The feel of her set his blood alight. He knew without a doubt, he’d never get enough of her.

  Zach groaned against her lips. He didn’t know what was more exciting—discovering the shipwreck, or kissing Morgan Kincaid.

  Chapter Eleven

  Darcy Ward strode out of the cold, snowy morning and into her favorite coffee shop. The scent of roasting coffee beans and brewing coffee hit her in the face and she breathed deep. She stomped the snow off her boots, dusted it off her favorite red coat, then headed over to order.

  The very cute, and rather young, barista took her order and gave her a long, flirty look. “Name?”

  “Darcy.”

  “That’s a pretty name.”

  If only you weren’t twelve, buddy. She moved to the other end of the counter, pulling out her phone. She could check her emails while she waited.

  She thought of Declan and the others, half a world away, diving in azure waters. Her nose wrinkled. She’d take sun and sand over snow any day. She saw an email from Dec and tapped it open. She grinned. They’d found the wreck of the Soleil d’Orient. Brilliant.

  Then her smile slipped away. It was exciting, but the attacks not so. It sounded like Zach James could have been killed. It all had the hallmarks of Silk Road.

  Darcy knew they had to find a way to stop the bastards. Back at the office, she was busy running searches on Constantine Phaulkon and this mysterious amulet. She hoped to hell there was nothing to the legend, and she could get the word out that it didn’t exist and wasn’t on the ship. And now Dec wanted her to look into all of the archeologists and students. She needed to check bank accounts for unusual sums of money and any links between them and Silk Road.

  She looked up and noticed a guy waiting for his drink across from her, scrolling through his phone, too. Hmm, Mr. Businessman was wearing a nice suit and looked like he had a nice bod under there. Even better, he was definitely not twelve.

  The barista set a takeout cup on the counter. “Skinny hazelnut latte.”

  Both she and Mr. Businessman reached for the latte at the same time, hands bumping.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Darcy said. Ooh, he was really nice-looking, in a clean-cut kind of way. He even had sexy wire-rimmed glasses on. “I don’t know why they bother asking for our names and then don’t use them.”

  “Please, you take it.” He gestured to the coffee.

  “No. You were here first—” she eyed the scrawl on the side of the cup “—Aaron.”

  He took the coffee with a smile. “Well, since you clearly have excellent taste in coffee, maybe we should sit and drink it together?”

  She was about to answer when she felt someone step up behind her.

  Mr. Businessman’s smile evaporated, and his hands clenched on his coffee cup. “Or maybe not.” He turned and hurried out of the coffee shop.

  Every nerve in Darcy’s body was twitching. She smelled cologne: crisp, clean, with a hint of lime. Her belly tightened.

  She turned slowly, and found herself staring at a man’s broad chest. It was covered in a crisp, white shirt that looked like it would never dare to wrinkle. He was wearing a dark-blue suit, and had one hand resting on a lean hip that pushed his jacket back just far enough to show a glimpse of his holster and handgun.

  Darcy wrinkled her nose. Why did a gun and holster under a suit have to look so damn sexy?

  She looked up. The rugged jaw with a hint of stubble wasn’t quite handsome, but it rated interesting. And the green eyes were as direct and intense as always. “Special Agent Burke.”

  “Ms. Ward.”

  “What are you doing here?” And why aren’t you far, far away in Washington DC?

  “You left a message saying you needed to speak with me.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I meant for you to call, not show up here.”

  His serious face didn’t change. “I was in the area.”

  Of course he was. Even FBI agents couldn’t just dash around the country as they pleased.

  “Skinny hazelnut latte for Darcy,” the barista called out.

  Darcy pushed past Burke and grabbed her coffee. “Thanks.”

  The barista set another cup down beside hers. “Black Americano.”

  As Burke leaned forward, his shoulder brushed Darcy’s as he grabbed his coffee. “Shall we sit?”

  She sighed. She didn’t see any way out of it. “Fine.”

  The coffee shop was busy this time of day, with office workers grabbing their caffeine before heading to their offices. There was one table left at the back, with two small chairs pushed close together.

  As she slid in, hanging her handbag on the back of her chair, Agent Burke sat beside her. His hard thigh bumped hers and she barely stopped herself from jolting.

  She’d always envisaged FBI agents as older, overweight, and balding. They spent a lot of time sitting behind a desk, so it seemed unfair that Alastair Burke looked the way he did.

  “So, no art thieves for you to chase today?” she asked, sipping her latte.

  She saw the faintest smile before his lips flattened. “It’s a bit slow today.”

  Darcy was pretty sure the man had made a joke, but you couldn’t tell by looking at him. Did he ever truly smile or laugh? Or just chill out? He was always so intense.

  “You said you had information on Silk Road,” he said.

  “Yes.” Get down to business, get out. That was a good plan. “Sydney and I are pulling together everything we can on Silk Road. Mainly, we’re following the money trail.”

  Burke leaned forward, frowning. “These are dangerous people, Darcy. People who’ll kill with little compulsion in order to get what they want.” He paused. “And to protect their secrets.”

  “We’re being careful. Treasure Hunter Security has already been targeted by this group. We want to help bring them down. Besides, I’m safe in my warehouse.”

  Burke’s frown deepened. “They could hack your system and find a way in. I did.”

  And she was still mad about that. She’d spent a hell of a long time lately adding extra security measures to her system. She shot him a smug smile. “Bet you can’t now.”

  He sighed. “What have you found?”

  She pulled her slim tablet out of her bag. She tapped, pulled up the information, and turned it around for him to see. She scrolled through the pages. “London is a hub for them. And we believe they have three top people.”

  Burke eyed her, shifting closer. “Why three?”

  She got another whiff of his cologne, and her belly twisted in knots. Focus, Darce. Jeez. Obviously, his team hadn’t discovered this information yet. That made her feel good. “Whenever money comes in to pay for something, it comes in threes. And I’ve managed to find a couple of black market sales of stolen antiquities that I can attribute to Silk Road. The money all went out in threes, too.”

  “Black market sale
s?” His gaze narrowed. “You know hacking is illegal.”

  She straightened and put on an innocent face. “Of course.”

  Another sigh. “This is good work.”

  Darcy told herself not to feel so happy about his praise. “I also got a name of someone who I think is one of the higher-ranked people in the group. A Dr. Paris Wirth.”

  Now Burke stiffened. He reached out and grabbed Darcy’s wrist. “You leave this investigation alone now, Darcy. I’ll take it from here.”

  She ignored the order. “Who is he?”

  “She.” Burke lifted his hand, running it over his hair. “She’s dangerous, cold, and calculating. She’s been flagged several times by my team, but no one’s been able to definitively link her to Silk Road. She’s obsessed with finding artifacts, especially ones she believes hold power. And she won’t hesitate to kill to get what she wants.”

  A small shiver of fear ran up Darcy’s spine. “Sounds like a fun gal.”

  “Send me the data you have, and I’ll look over it.”

  “I’ll email it—” She pulled the tablet toward her.

  His hand covered hers again, surprising her. It was way bigger than hers, with blunt fingers and neatly clipped nails. It was also warm, and she felt that small touch all the way through her body.

  “No,” he said. “I’ll give you access to upload to one of my secure servers. It’ll be safer.”

  That sounded good. She slowly pulled her hand away from his disturbing touch. If he let her into his server, she could have a little peek around in there while she was uploading her files.

  Now he smiled. It wasn’t a big, beaming smile, but it turned that dark, intense face into something eye-catching. “I don’t keep anything important on there.”

  She grabbed her latte and took a sip. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Agent Burke.”

  “I’m sure you don’t.” He stood, his suit jacket falling back into place.

  Darcy looked up at him, her gaze on his stomach. She was pretty sure she could see faint ridges of hard abs beneath his shirt. Then she straightened. Shit, don’t look at his abs, Darcy. This is Agent Arrogant and Annoying, the bane of your existence.