by Anna Hackett
Cal’s instincts were screaming at him. He hadn’t seen much under the man’s black scarf, but the man had been focused and experienced. He hadn’t seemed like a random thief after a quick buck.
“I’m not even that attached to this particular camera,” Dani continued. “I’m not the kind of photographer that spends a fortune on a camera and treats it like a treasure. I replace the body every year.” She shrugged. “I didn’t want to lose the photos I’d taken.”
“He could have hurt you.”
Her chin lifted and her hands tightened on the Canon. “This is mine and no one is getting their hands on it.” Then she winced. “Ow.”
Cal gripped her wrist and turned over her palm. When he saw the raw, angry scrapes, fury punched through him. He looked down and saw her knees hadn’t fared much better—her trousers were torn. “Come on. We better get you cleaned up. I can’t imagine what could be in this alley.”
She grimaced. “Good point.”
Cal held her arm and pulled her back out onto the busy street. As the crowd nudged them together, he pulled her closer into his body. He needed to contact Darcy and have her check things out. He didn’t like that Dani had been attacked…something felt off.
If Silk Road was sniffing around his job, it wasn’t good news. He frowned to himself. This had to be random. Silk Road wouldn’t be interested in this ruined temple. Rocks wouldn’t get them much on the black market.
When he spotted a tuk-tuk, he waved it down. “I have a first aid kit back at the hotel.”
They settled into the open-air carriage attached to a motorbike. Cal gave the driver the address and they zoomed off.
“Why were you down here?” she asked
He shrugged. He’d seen her slip out of the planning meeting…and hell, he wasn’t even sure why he’d followed her. “I saw you leave. I’m in charge of your safety now.”
She stared at him for a second. “I’ve been looking after myself for a very long time, Ward.”
“Well, for the next little while, you won’t be.”
The tuk-tuk ducked and weaved through the traffic, and it knocked them into each other. She stared at him a bit longer, before she turned her head to look out the side of the vehicle.
She looked cool, a little tough, but the way she gripped her camera hinted that beneath that barbed exterior was something a little warmer and softer.
She flipped her camera over, and the screen on the back flickered to life. She started shuffling through her shots. Cal leaned over and watched as she studied them, making a few noises here and there. When it came to her work, he saw the way she came alive.
One image of Angkor Wat made his breath hitch. Damn, she was good. There was another of the busy street they’d just left behind. He shook his head. Someone who could make a busy, crowded, dirty street look magical had a hell of a lot of talent.
Suddenly, he saw one of himself. He was leaning over the map back at the hotel, his palms pressed to the table. Hell, somehow she’d made him look like a general planning out a battle strategy. She’d captured the crease between his brow, the intensity in his eyes. He looked up at her face. She somehow turned the ordinary into something else in a single image.
The tuk-tuk weaved again and they bumped shoulders. She pulled back from him instantly.
“You don’t like me,” he said.
She shrugged. “I don’t know you. But you remind me of my brother.”
“Ouch.”
A faint smile. “You don’t look like him.” She tilted the camera toward him. It was a shot of him smiling at Darcy on the tablet. Dani flicked again and it showed another of him with Gemma pressed up against his side. “Joshua is slim, stylish, and has very soft hands.” She looked down at Cal’s hands before glancing at his well-worn cargo pants. “Joshua wouldn’t be caught dead in anything so unstylish. He likes designer.” Her gaze moved up to Cal’s face. Some emotion crossed her face before she looked away. “Joshua is a playboy. Follows in my father’s footsteps.”
“Oh?”
Dani’s smile turned brittle. “My father is onto wife number five. She’s younger than I am. I think Joshua is on fiancée…number three. I’ve lost track.”
“I can assure you, I’ve never been married or engaged,” Cal said.
“But you love women. All women. You turn on the charm.”
“Yeah, I do.” He stared at her, suddenly feeling a flash of insight. “Darcy is my sister.”
Dani’s hands stilled on her camera. “Oh.”
“I like to enjoy life, Dani.” He gestured to her camera. “Not hide from it behind other things. There are too many shitty moments, so it pays to find some good ones when you can.”
The tuk-tuk stopped. Cal leaned forward and paid the driver. “Come on, let’s get those wounds cleaned.”
Dani stepped out. “I can take care of it myself —”
Cal clamped his hand around her arm. “I didn’t say you couldn’t. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to clean your injuries. Last thing I need is you risking infection while we’re in the jungle.”
She sighed and followed him. They stopped by his room and Cal took a second to grab his field first aid kit, then he followed her down the hall to her room.
She unlocked her door and, once inside, turned on the lights. She instantly moved to an open case on the table and set her camera carefully inside it.
The room was similar to his. Glossy wood floors, a simple four-poster bed made of dark wood with white, gauzy hangings. There was framed Cambodian art on the walls and above her bed was an excellent photograph of Angkor at sunset. A cream ceramic tub sat out in the open by the window. For one glorious second, he imagined her in there—only slim legs and shoulders above the bubbles.
She walked into the adjoining bathroom and ran the water in the sink. She started washing her hands, and winced visibly.
He walked in, crowding her against the sink. He felt her stiffen. Yeah, she wasn’t as unaffected by him as she liked to think. He wet a washcloth and then shut off the water.
“Sit on the bed.”
She shot him an annoyed glance, but did as he directed, and dropped onto the bed. Cal bent one knee and knelt in front of her, opening the first aid kit. He grabbed one of her hands, turning it over. He tried not to wince when he saw the damage to her palm. It wasn’t bad, but it had to sting. He started wiping at her abraded skin.
Cal had guessed a man was to blame for Dani’s protective shell. And he knew he’d guessed right, just not in the way he’d thought. “You aren’t close to your family?”
She shrugged. “They’re busy with their vacations, parties, designer clothes, cheating on their current partners, affairs, sex. It’s all so…frivolous.”
Cal moved to her other hand. She had long, narrow fingers, and kept her nails clipped short. “You think sex is frivolous?”
“Yes. God, I grew up watching my parents act like teenagers.” She pulled a face. “I caught my mother with the pool boy when I was eight. My father with my mother’s best friend when I was twelve. My brother with my underage friend when I was fourteen. My brother decided on the ‘if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em approach.’” Dani shrugged. “I don’t have time for sex. It’s a lot of time and effort for not much payoff.”
Cal stilled and looked up. “Sex doesn’t have to be frivolous. And if you do it right, the payoff can be very good.” He slid his hand along her wrist, feeling the tick of her pulse. “Hands are done. I need to see to your knees now. You’ll have to take your trousers off.”
He expected flushed cheeks and hesitation. He should have known she’d surprise him.
She stood up and worked the buttons on her trousers free. The material fell to the floor at her feet. “I don’t think I’ll take any advice on un-frivolous sex from you.”
She sat back on the bed. She had well-formed legs; no doubt her travels kept her in good shape. Her shirt pooled in her lap, and damned if Cal’s fingers didn’t itch to shift it out of the way
.
He slid his hand along her calf. When he reached her knee, he grabbed the cloth and set to work cleaning.
“It’s about enjoying yourself. Taking your time to see what you and your partner like.” He moved his other hand behind her knee, touching her smooth skin. Her spicy, sexy perfume was taunting him. The woman smelled like sin. “I bet it’s much like getting the perfect photograph. You have to take your time, learn what works and what doesn’t. And for each person you shoot, it’s different.” Gently, he finished cleaning her wound. “Each person is an individual, and they find pleasure in different things.”
“Oh.” Her voice sounded a little breathy. “And here I had you pegged as a ‘wham bam, thank you ma’am’ kind of guy.”
“You just keep making these assumptions about me.” Then he grinned. “But hard, fast and sweaty…that can be fun too.” He saw her chest was rising and falling a little more quickly now.
“You are not what you appear at first glance, are you?”
“None of us are. I thought you’d know that better than anyone. I think through your lens you see things people don’t want you to see.”
She was watching him with a mixture of curiosity, desire, and wariness. Damn, Cal really wanted to kiss her. Wanted to push her back on that big bed and see what made her cry out his name.
But then there was a burst of laughter from the hall outside, and it broke the moment. Cal leaned back and stood.
Dani Navarro wasn’t fun and easy. She was prickly and intense…things he avoided.
He cleared his throat. “We have an early start tomorrow. You should get some rest.”
She nodded. “Thanks for playing doctor.”
A naughty comment played on his lips but he swallowed it back. “I’ll leave some antiseptic cream and bandages here for you. Put them on in the morning.”
“Sure.”
Hell. Why did she have to look so damned delicious sitting there with her bare legs? And that sinful perfume…it was all he could smell.
“Sleep well.”
“You too.”
He closed her door behind him. Yeah, he’d sleep…after a cold shower.
***
Darcy Ward stared at her brother’s image on the computer screen. “Cal, you’re sure? A black scarf over his face?”
“I was fighting with him, D. Up close and personal. It was a black scarf, and the guy was definitely after Dani’s camera. Roughed her up trying to get it.”
Damn. This was not good. Darcy tapped on her keyboard. “It’s standard Silk Road MO. Their goons always wear a black mask or scarf.”
Her brother uttered a curse. “It could still be random. One black scarf isn’t exactly damning.”
“You want to take that risk?”
Her brother sighed. “No.”
“And Dani’s okay?”
“Just scrapes and bruises. I helped her clean them up.” He smiled. “She fought back like a trooper.”
Darcy paused, studying Cal’s handsome face. There was something in his voice when he spoke about the photographer. “You like her.”
Cal made a sound. “The woman is prickly as hell. She has a messed up family…she’s more likely to smack a man than kiss him.” A scowl. “Or take his photo without permission.”
Hmm, this sounded interesting. Darcy leaned back in her desk chair. Cal was used to women falling all over themselves to get to him.
Still, right now, she needed to focus on finding information on Silk Road.
“Cal, have the archeologists mentioned any valuable artifacts associated with this lost temple of theirs?”
“Sure. The temple is dedicated to a magic stone shaped like a penis.”
Darcy’s lips twitched. “Hmm. Well, maybe Silk Road is branching out.”
Cal shot her an answering smile. “You find out anything, you call me.”
“I will.” She glanced at the clock and calculated the time difference. “You should get some sleep. Be careful heading into the jungle tomorrow.”
Cal tossed her a lazy salute and the screen blinked off.
Darcy got to work trying to see if there was anything linking Silk Road to Cambodia. While Cal was heading to bed, her day was just getting started. She leaned over her computer and got busy. The morning melted into afternoon. After a quick lunch with Declan and Layne, Darcy headed back to work.
God, Dec and Layne were perfect for each other. Seeing her oldest brother so happy was amazing. Now, if she could just get Cal to slow down. He was always climbing this or racing that. He claimed he was living life to the fullest, but it had only really kicked in since his best friend Marty had died.
His friend’s death had scarred Cal. And now the man never stopped—he was addicted to adrenaline and speed.
A chime sounded. Her nails clicked on the keys as she pulled up the info on one of the screens on the wall.
It was a blurry image of a tall redhead. The woman’s face was obscured but apparently it was one of the few confirmed photos of a woman named Raven. No last name on file.
She was suspected of having links to Silk Road. And she’d landed in Cambodia two weeks ago.
Darcy stroked her chin. She didn’t like this at all. She ran some more searches. Who was this Raven woman? What “links” to Silk Road did she have? And why was she in Cambodia?
Darcy needed answers.
Suddenly, a warning flashed up on the screen: Restricted Access.
What? Frowning, she used her less-than-legal hacking skills to get past the restrictions. The computer chimed again and a modulated voice said, “Warning. Someone is hacking your system. Warning.”
All the screens on the wall went blank.
No way. Heart pounding in her chest, she hunched over her keyboard, fingers flying. Darcy’s love affair with computers and coding had started as a shy preteen. She was good. Damn good.
And no one hacked her system.
She punched in commands, swearing under her breath.
A single screen flicked on. “Ms. Ward, do you speak like that around your mother?”
Staring at the screen, shock sucked her breath away. “Special Agent Burke. My mother taught me the curse words.” Fury punched through Darcy. “How dare you hack my system! This is an invasion of privacy—”
“Cool it.” His impassive face was one step too far past rugged to be handsome. But with laser-sharp green eyes, five-o’clock shadow on his jaw, and short, brown hair, there was no denying Agent Burke made an impact.
Damn him.
Although Darcy was usually too busy noticing his condescending, arrogant attitude to worry about what he looked like.
“You were accessing information sensitive to a case. You could have tipped them off and jeopardized our investigation—”
“I don’t give a crap about the FBI’s investigation.” Burke headed up the Art Crime Division, specializing in art and antiquities theft. “My brother is in the field and if Silk Road is going after him, I’m going to help him any way I can.”
Agent Burke frowned. “Declan?”
“No, Callum.” She wavered, wondering how much to tell him. He might annoy the hell out of her with his holier-than-thou manner, but sometimes he helped them. When he wasn’t busy getting in their way. “He’s working for the Angkor Archeology Project in Cambodia. They’re in the jungle, heading to explore the ruins of an undiscovered temple on Phnom Kulen.”
Burke’s face sharpened. “Cambodia.”
“I just said that,” she said with a huff.
He muttered under his breath, looking torn.
She leaned forward. “You know something?”
“Darcy, a group of Silk Road mercenaries have just landed in Cambodia.”
Darcy froze. “To meet a woman called Raven?”
His gaze narrowed. “That’s right. She’s in charge. She’s former Russian Intelligence and she’s ruthless. You need to warn Cal to stay away.”
“What are they after?”
“I don’t know exactly.
All I know is that they are hunting a valuable artifact in the jungle.”
That wasn’t very specific. “Well, Cal isn’t after any treasure. This has to be a coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Burke said.
Nor did Darcy. “I’ll warn Cal.” And organize some backup for him. She steeled herself. “Thank you.” Okay, that sounded normal. Not stilted at all.
Shockingly, a faint smile crossed Agent Burke’s serious face. “Two words I never thought to hear from you.”
She screwed up her nose. “You could accept it graciously instead of being rude.”
“Ah, there’s that sharp tongue of yours.”
“I’m going now.” She waved a dismissive hand at him. “Tell your team of FBI geek hackers that they’re good. I’m impressed that they got into my system.”
Burke’s smile widened. “No geeks. I did it myself.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I’ve been practicing.”
The screen went black and he was gone. A second later, all the screens flicked back on, her system returning to normal. Darcy stared at the screen for a moment, easily picturing his face.
Then she shook her head. She needed to pull this information together and contact Cal.
Silk Road was close and she needed to warn him.
Chapter Four
After breakfast, Dani walked outside into the early morning sunshine. The rest of the team was already out there, packing the vehicles. There was a feeling of excitement shimmering in the air.
She instantly spotted Cal, and that made her pause.
Last night, after he’d left her, she’d lay in bed a long time, unable to sleep. She’d been thinking of him and the things he’d said. The way he’d looked in that alley—intense and lethal. The way his callused hands had felt on her skin, the way he’d tended her injuries, the heat in his eyes as he’d watched her.
Okay, that wasn’t all she’d thought about. She’d wondered—in graphic detail—what he looked like with his clothes off. She pressed her hand to her forehead and rubbed. It was just the photographer in her. She was itching to photograph him. That was it.