Mission: Her Rescue

by Anna Hackett

  “January’s correct,” Nat said. “And there are similar accounts from when Pizzaro arrived in South America. The Inca believed he was their god Viracocha. A similar deity to Quetzalcoatl and Kukulkan in terms that he controlled storms, and brought the Inca knowledge and taught them about agriculture, mathematics, medicine, astronomy. Viracocha was described as a paler-skinned, bearded man who wore a robe.”

  “Shit,” Seth muttered. “So you’re saying that both Mesoamerica and South America had legends about a god who arrived and shared knowledge with them.”

  Nat waggled her eyebrows. “The conspiracy theorists say he was an alien.”

  The room erupted in snorts.

  “You think he was a survivor from the floods,” January said. “From a more advanced civilization.”

  Nat’s dark hair slid over her shoulder as she nodded. “I suspect it wasn’t just one man, but a few, and over time, the legends grew up around them. They likely had knowledge and brought certain pieces of tech with them.”

  “Like the spheres,” Seth said.

  “Like the spheres,” Nat confirmed.

  “And the Snake Kings found them, and discovered how to use them,” January added. “It would explain their rise to power, seemingly out of nowhere. From what we’re discovering, their agriculture was very advanced.”

  Nat nodded. “And their people were taller, healthier. Or their elite, at least.”

  January sucked in a breath. “You think the spheres had an effect on the people, as well?”

  “From the mummies that have been uncovered, the Snake King rulers were taller and stronger. We don’t have enough to confirm, but I think the theory holds merit.”

  January nodded. “Jade was usually reserved for the elite classes, so it makes sense that royalty was exposed to the spheres most frequently.”

  Lachlan frowned. “Could the sphere be harmful to us?”

  “I don’t think so,” Ty said. “But I don’t fully understand it yet. I need to keep running tests.”

  “So,” Seth said. “That brings us to our next question. What do the Knights of Gaia want to do with it?”

  “Accelerate plant growth,” January said. “They must have a plan.”

  A tense silence filled the room. The Knights could wreak a lot of havoc in a lot of different ways with the sphere they had.

  Lachlan turned to Brooks. “Any luck tracking these fuckers down?”

  Brooks shook his head. “They’re damn ghosts. I did manage to track the plane they used to travel back to the US. They landed in Los Angeles. I’m trying to see if they moved on from there, or if they have a cell in L.A.”

  “How did they know about the artifacts?” Seth interrupted.

  January swiveled. “What?”

  “How did they know you had them? How did they know to bring the plane down?”

  Her face tightened. “I don’t know. We’re only just discovering what they do. How does a group of ecoterrorists know what these spheres can do just as we discover them?”

  “Shit,” Lachlan said. “Good question.”

  “January,” Seth said. “Who knew you were up on that flight?”

  “My entire team. It wasn’t a secret.”

  “And who knew you were carrying the artifacts?”

  “Fewer people had that information, but it was no secret that we’d found the spheres. Still, none of my team knew that they were potentially powerful, ancient technology. They just knew that they were valuable.” She scowled. “My team are hard workers and dedicated to their work. They wouldn’t sell me out.”

  “Someone sold you out.”

  Seth could see she didn’t like that idea at all.

  “The Knights of Gaia had prior knowledge.” Nat tapped a fingernail against her lips. “It’s the only explanation. I’ll see if I can find any references to the spheres anywhere.”

  There was a pause as everyone looked around. Seth watched as January looked at everyone but him. It should make him happy, but instead it was pissing him off. She’d been naked in his arms for the last few hours, she could at least look at him.

  Brooks straightened and touched his ear. “Dr. James, there’s a message for you.”

  “A message?” she asked with a frown.

  “Someone called your home phone in San Francisco, and I’ve had your calls re-routed to my system.”

  “Who called?” she asked.

  “A Dr. Joshua Andelman.”

  Seth straightened. “Dr. Douchebag.”

  His teammates swiveled to look at him, all looking amused.

  “He left a message for January,” Brooks said.

  January shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve no idea what he wants to talk to me about.”

  Brooks cleared his throat. “He said he wants to talk to you about the artifacts.”

  Chapter Ten

  January sat in a seat on the plane to Las Vegas—this time a sleek jet—staring out the window.

  Josh’s message was replaying in her head.

  January, I ah…I need to see you. It’s about… God, I’m… Shit. Look, I can’t talk over the phone. It’s about the artifacts. Meet me at Las Vegas McCarran Airport, Terminal 3, near Gate E3. There’s a Starbucks close by. Please, January. I need to see you.

  He’d sounded worried and scared. The man was self-absorbed and the king of blustering, so she’d never heard fear in his voice before.

  “I still think this is a bad idea.”

  Seth didn’t sound happy. She looked over at him. All of Team 52 was seated in the rows around her. Blair was kicked back with her legs stretched out in front of her. Smith was sitting beside her, with a cap pulled low over his face. He appeared to be napping, but the coiled strength of his body said he was awake and alert.

  Lachlan and Axel were playing cards. Callie was cleaning a weapon. For a moment, January was bemused that such a lean, pretty woman could look so dangerous.

  Seth was sitting beside January and scowling. He’d been edgy from the moment they’d boarded the plane.

  Just looking at him caused a shiver deep in January’s belly. When she wasn’t thinking about Josh’s message, she was remembering Seth’s mouth and hands on her. His cock inside her.

  Another shiver. Oh, God. She had some small bruises on her hips in the shape of his fingerprints. And he’d been right. She’d feel him in some very intimate places for a while.

  Their eyes met. Yeah, he didn’t look happy.

  He hadn’t looked happy the moment he’d stepped into Ty’s lab. Yes, she’d snuck out of his bed, mostly because she’d woken up wrapped around him and she’d liked it—a lot. It had started to freak her out, and so she’d quietly slipped away.

  She cleared her throat. “If Josh knows something about the artifacts—”

  “What could he know? Unless he’s involved.”

  January laughed, but it sounded unnatural, even to her ears. “Josh is way too focused on himself to be involved in something like this. He lives for his career. Besides, he’s unaware of the artifact’s abilities. Maybe someone contacted him? For all his faults, and he has plenty, he’s still a decent archeologist.”

  Lachlan set his cards down. “Let’s go over the plan again. January, we head into Terminal 3 and you go to the meeting point. The team and I will blend into the crowd.”

  She couldn’t imagine any of these people blending in anywhere, but she nodded.

  “You meet with Andelman and find out what he has to say. After, we’ll rendezvous with you and leave.”

  She nodded.

  “You don’t let him convince you to leave or go somewhere else.”

  She nodded again.

  “In. Out. Done,” Seth said.

  “Yes, Dad,” she muttered.

  She saw a flash in his pale-blue eyes. God, she’d slept with Seth Lynch. And she’d loved it. Heat flickered over her skin. Okay, so there hadn’t been much sleeping involved.

  She tugged on the neckline of her T-shirt. Focus, January.

 
Finally, they came in to land, and the plane pulled to a stop. She followed Seth and the others off and down the steps.

  At the bottom, Seth spun around. “Here.” He held up a hand. On the end of one long finger, was a small micro-dot.

  “Communicator. I’ll put it in your ear. It’ll keep you in contact with us.”

  “Will I be plugged into the team forever?”

  “Nope. It’s removeable. You can take it out after the mission.”

  He gently pushed her hair aside, and January tilted her head. His fingers brushed her ear.

  “I’m pissed you snuck out this morning,” he said quietly.

  January glanced at the others. They weren’t paying any attention.

  “I was just trying to keep things easy.”

  His gaze met hers. “I look like a man who likes easy?”

  January shivered again. No, he did not. “Seth—”

  “Hi, January, this is Brooks.”

  Brooks’ deep voice in her ear made her jerk. “Uh, hi, Brooks.”

  “I’m just testing your earpiece. You can touch it to open a line direct to me.”

  “Can everyone hear me?” she asked.

  “Nope, just me unless I patch you through. I’m the master of the comms.”

  Seth stepped back, and Lachlan turned to look at them. “Let’s get to Terminal 3.”

  January spotted Kinsey striding toward them out of an ugly, squat-looking building. The sunlight glinted off her hair, and she gave them a jaunty wave. A large, black SUV was parked nearby.

  Moments later, January and the team were striding into the terminal. They bypassed security, flashing some sort of ID at a bored-looking woman sitting on a stool. This was handy, since January knew all of Team 52 were armed under their casual clothes.

  “In and out,” Seth murmured.

  He didn’t touch her, probably in case someone was watching. She gave a tiny nod and watched him turn and blend into the crowd.

  January pulled in a breath and glanced at the signs. She turned and headed down the concourse toward Gate E3. People around her moved in a steady flow—some dawdling, others walking at a fast pace, a few dragging tired, reluctant kids along with them, others in suits and holding briefcases. She spent a fair bit of time in airports, and loved the variety of people that could be seen there.

  She spotted the Starbucks and glanced at gate E3. She scanned the area, looking for Josh.

  No sign of him. She turned slowly, looking for Seth and the others. No sign of them, either. Damn, they were good.

  She wandered around, trying not to walk too fast. She stopped at the Starbucks and grabbed a white-chocolate mocha. She sipped her coffee and almost moaned aloud. She’d missed fancy coffee when she was in the jungle.

  Overhead, a woman’s smooth voice made a flight announcement, and a crowd of teenagers pushed past January, clearly on some school trip. She strolled past the row of slot machines, and shook her head at the loud dinging sounds and annoying music. Only in Las Vegas.

  She leaned against a support post, sipped her coffee, and looked out the large windows, watching as a plane was pushed back.

  “January.”

  She turned.

  Josh looked terrible. His hair, usually groomed within an inch of its life, even in the jungle, was a mess. It looked like he’d been running his fingers through it repeatedly. His clothes were creased, and he was sporting a black eye.

  “Josh, what the hell happened to you?”

  He moved forward, his walk twitchy, and he glanced around nervously. “Look, you need to come with me.”

  Her pulse kicked. “Tell me what’s going on. I’m sorry about bailing on you and the others back in Guatemala after the attack—”

  He waved a hand. “The Guatemalan military took care of us.”

  “And the others are okay?”

  Josh looked harried and annoyed. “They’re fine. Look, I have things to tell you.” He wrapped his hand around her bicep, and dragged her behind the slot machines. Her coffee slipped from her hand, spilling on the floor.

  January stumbled. “Josh, stop! Tell me what’s going on.”

  “I never meant for things to get so messed up.”

  Her blood chilled. He sounded desperate and terrified.

  She yanked her arm away. “Tell me what’s going on, Josh.”

  His jaw tightened. “I didn’t want it to be like this.”

  He grabbed her again and yanked her so hard, she hit his chest. She opened her mouth to blast him, but was distracted by a sharp, stinging sensation in the side of her neck.

  “What the hell?” she bit out. She pulled away from him.

  “Sorry, January.” His face looked ravaged. “I never wanted you dead.”

  Pissed off, she swung at him, but suddenly her moves were sloppy and uncoordinated. Her fist missed him by a mile. Her vision started to fade, and her muscles went lax.

  She collapsed, and Josh caught her. She tried to scream, but no sound came out.

  His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t hear him anymore. Then everything went black.

  Seth didn’t like this. Not one fucking bit.

  Josh Andelman was a douchebag who couldn’t be trusted. The guy set all kinds of alarm bells screaming in Seth.

  He sat at a table, flicking through a newspaper and pretending to read it. He watched Dr. Douche approach January. Then suddenly, he yanked her behind some slot machines.

  Seth forced himself not to leap up, charge in, and possibly screw things up. “Brooks?”

  “They’re talking.” Then Brooks cursed. “He just told her that he never meant for things to get so messed up.”

  Shit. Seth pushed his chair back and stood. “Lachlan?”

  “Moving in,” Lachlan said.

  Seth strode straight toward the slot machines, their cheery tune setting his teeth on edge. He glanced at Smith, powering in from the other direction.

  Seth still couldn’t see January. He spotted the spilled coffee on the tiles. “Brooks!”

  “Shit,” Brooks burst out. “Andelman just did something to her. Said he never wanted her dead.”

  Seth broke into a sprint. He circled the slot machines. There was no sign of January, or Andelman. Seth’s pulse jumped like crazy.

  “Don’t see her,” Smith growled.

  Seth spotted Lachlan, Blair, and Axel closing in.

  Where the hell had Andelman and January gone? Seth spun in a circle, scanning the shops, cafés, and the crowd.

  “I’m following her tracker,” Brooks said.

  Seth knew the small earpiece he’d given her had a tracker implanted in it. The only problem was that it didn’t have a huge range. “Where is she?”

  “Heading east.”

  East. Seth strode that way and his gaze fell on a door built flush into the wall. It had “Airport Staff Only” written on it. The door was ajar.

  He slapped his palm to the door and shoved it open. His team fell in behind him.

  The door led into a narrow corridor that ran along the concourse. A cleaning cart was parked nearby.

  There was no one around.

  Lachlan touched his ear. “Brooks, talk to me.”

  “Head south.”

  Seth swiveled and broke into a jog. Their boots were squeaky on the polished floor, and up ahead, the corridor split. He looked in one direction and saw nothing. He looked the other way, and caught a glimpse of a man as he turned a corner…with a limp woman draped over his shoulder.

  Seth growled and broke into a sprint. The man had a head start, but he was carrying dead weight.

  The word dead made his gut coil. She better not be hurt.

  “Keep your cool, Lynch,” Lachlan said.

  “We’re with you,” Blair added. “And we’re getting her back.”

  An alarm started blaring.

  “Brooks?” Lachlan asked.

  “Hang on…yep, someone’s gone through an external door out of the terminal.”

  Seth rounded the corner
and skidded to a stop. There was no sign of Andelman or January. Seth’s chest hitched. Shit.

  There. A set of double doors. He shoved the locking bar and barged outside.

  Hell. It was the front of the terminal, and in front of him were several lanes of busy traffic. Cars, taxis, and shuttle buses were pulling up and leaving, dropping off some passengers and picking up others.

  Beyond that, there sat a parking garage, several stories high.

  “They’re heading toward the parking garage,” Brooks said.

  Seth broke into a run, scanning the busy chaos.

  “There!” Blair pointed.

  Seth’s gaze zeroed in on Andelman across the lanes. He was now holding January in his arms, and her head lolled, her brown hair falling loose. Andelman disappeared into the parking garage.

  She had better not be dead.

  The thought made Seth’s gut tighten. He started running, barreling through the crowd on the sidewalk.

  “Seth.” Lachlan fell into step right behind him. “Slow down.”

  “Fuck that. He’s got her.”

  Seth raced across the traffic lanes. Horns honked and tires screeched. Seth leaped out of the way of one SUV, narrowly avoiding being hit.

  Suddenly, another car screeched to a halt in front of him, missing him by an inch. Seth jerked to a stop. The driver honked.

  Ignoring the driver, Seth pressed a palm to the hood and leaped over it. He kept running.

  Seth raced inside the parking garage and stopped, sucking in a breath. He’d lost sight of Andelman. Fuck. He could be on any level.

  Swiveling, Seth searched the rows of cars. “Brooks, I can’t see them.”

  “Thirty feet away from you. Northeast.”

  Seth turned, striding forward. “Can you tell if he went up a level?”

  “No, but it doesn’t look like he did.”

  At that moment, a blue sedan, clearly a rental, screeched out of a parking space. It sped past him, and Seth dived to avoid being hit. He rolled, came up on one knee, and smoothly pulled his SIG. He fired on the car, aiming for the tires.

  More gunfire joined his, and he saw his team advancing, all of them with their weapons raised.

  The car tore out of the garage and onto the road.

  “Fuck.” Seth kicked the tire of a parked car.