by Anna Hackett
Damn. Cal had known they’d have to trek part of the way but he’d hoped to get closer to the temple location. And he’d been on too many expeditions to argue with people over their beliefs and traditions. If the guides didn’t want to go in, no way he’d force them.
This would have to be good enough. “Thank them, Sakada.”
There was another round of conversation.
Sakada gave a nod. “They will go to the nearest village. Two of them are from there. They will keep the bikes ready for our return.”
“Okay, people,” Cal called out. “From here, we hike in on foot.” From the side of his bike, he pulled out his machete and grabbed his backpack. “Everyone will need to take their packs and some of the gear. I also suggest you make good use of your mosquito repellant. We only have a few hours of daylight left. So let’s get moving.”
The guides left with a roar of engines. Cal strapped some of the lightweight tents to his pack and pulled it onto his back. He checked to see the others were all ready and then started slashing a path through the jungle. He heard the click of a camera and glanced behind him. Dani was crouched, the camera blocking most of her face.
“Ask,” he said
She lowered the camera and looked up at him. “May I take your picture, please?” Her tone was saccharine-sweet.
He lowered his voice. “Only if I can take yours later.” The image of her naked and spread across one of the four-poster beds back at the hotel flashed through his head.
Her face changed. “No.”
He detected something in her tone. “Why not?”
She shrugged and stood. “Photographs in my family were all about being lined up wearing our Sunday best. I inevitably got my clothes dirty or messed up my hair. My mother was never happy.” Dani lifted the camera “I prefer to be on this side of the camera.”
Cal moved closer, so only she could hear him. “I could get a good shot of you. And so you won’t worry about dirty clothes, you could be naked on silk sheets. I think that would suit you.”
Her lips parted, then she shook her head. “Jungle to cut down, Ward. You’d better focus on that.”
With a laugh, he did. Cal had used a machete too many times to count, and got into his usual rhythm, hacking away the vines and undergrowth to make a path for them. Jean-Luc and Sakada proved pretty good with the machetes as well. While they couldn’t move as fast as they had on the bikes, they were making good progress, moving deeper into the uncharted jungle. Every now and then, they passed piles of rubble or weathered statues. Hints of the remnants of the lost city resting beneath the vegetation.
“You enjoy this.” Dani had caught up to him again.
Cal paused and swiped his arm across his sweaty forehead. “Beats a war zone.”
“The SEAL teams…it was rough?”
“War is.” His gut turned over. “I lost some good friends.”
“Like your friend Marty?”
His gut went hard now. “Yeah. Like Marty.”
“I’m sorry.” She paused. “You said your brother was a SEAL, as well?”
“Yeah. Dec took a bullet and got out.”
“I guess providing security for archeologists, even on remote expeditions, is safer than what you did before.”
Cal grunted. “You’d think. Actually, Dec took a bullet a few months back on a job. He almost died.”
Dani blinked. “I thought chasing artifacts would be less dangerous than fighting bad guys.”
“Usually. Some jobs are downright boring. But Dec was on a job in Egypt and tangled with some antiquities thieves.”
He saw Dani’s eyes widen. “The Zerzura discovery? That was your brother?”
“Yep.”
“Oh, I would give my first born child to photograph there. A lost, underground oasis in the desert…I can only imagine the images I could capture there.” Her mouth slid into a frown. “They aren’t letting anyone in there, yet. I’ve tried.”
“It is pretty amazing.”
She pulled to a stop. “You’ve been there?”
God, her face. “I went in with our team to rescue Dec and Layne, the archeologist he was with.”
To be honest, Cal hadn’t really paid that much attention to the ancient city carved into the rock walls of the underground oasis. He’d been too busy saving Dec’s life. His brother had been bleeding out from a bullet wound.
Cal channeled extra energy into hacking away at the vines in front of them. Just the memory of his brother, bloody and dying, reminded Cal of the friend he hadn’t been able to save.
Suddenly his blade hit rock with a clang.
Beside him, Dani gasped. He reached out and pushed aside the vines.
Staring back at them, was a stone statue.
The seven-headed snake rose up like a cobra. The statue was taller than Cal, and badly weathered.
“Beautiful,” Dr. Oakley said. He was a little out of breath, sweat beading on his face. “A naga. The Cambodian people believe they came from the union of a Brahman and the daughter of a naga king.”
Cal pushed back more vines. “There’s another statue behind it.”
Dani’s camera clicked as she took a shot. Cal frowned. He couldn’t tell what the hell the other statue was. Some sort of monster.
Behind them, the other archeologists moved closer.
“Oh, my God,” Gemma breathed. “It looks like a makara.”
Sakada nodded. “Yes, definitely a makara.”
Cal decided it looked like an elephant with the tail of a fish. “Which is what?”
Sakada looked at him. “A sea monster. Usually half terrestrial animal, like an elephant or crocodile, with the tail of a fish or seal.”
Dr. Oakley stepped forward, an excited light in his eyes. “The makara was considered a guardian of the gateway or threshold.” He smiled. “We’re getting close to the temple.”
Chapter Five
Dani stopped and slipped a new memory card into her camera. She was getting so many great shots. She loved the jungle. She loved the feeling of teeming life all around her. It almost made up for the sticky humidity and the mosquitos.
But she could tell the light was slowly disappearing. They’d have to stop soon.
She slapped a branch away from her face. Having to hike put you up close and personal with the jungle and its wildlife. Although, she had to admit she liked being on the bike as well. Okay, maybe she just liked being pressed up against Cal. Feeling the warmth of his back against her, feeling the hard ridges of his stomach under her hand.
She shook her head. She was supposed to be focused on her work, not talking herself into a wild case of lust.
But as she watched him swinging the machete, sweat dripping down his temples and soaking the neckline of his shirt, she had to admit that she was starting to like him.
With a deep breath, Dani turned her attention to the rest of the group. Dr. Oakley was looking tired but determined. Sakada looked like he was having the time of his life. Jean-Luc and Gemma were a bit wilted but still going strong. Sam looked like he’d prefer to be somewhere else.
Then Gemma cried out with excitement, and the other archeologists pushed forward.
Dani swiveled, and saw the tower rising up into the trees.
It reminded her strongly of the towers at Angkor, but this one had a tree growing over it. She took a few shots of it, cursing the dying light.
Jean-Luc crouched at the base of it to scratch away some of the dead plant life. Dr. Oakley circled it, talking with Gemma and Sakada. Dani took pictures of them as a group, then individually. Their feelings were clearly written all over their faces. She liked seeing such very different people, joined together by a common passion.
Cal stood watching, the tip of his machete pressed to the ground. “Get what you need because we can’t stay long. We’re losing the light.”
Dr. Oakley nodded. “Thanks, Cal. We just need to take some photos and document this.” He smiled and the weariness disappeared. “There are references to
the linga temple here.”
Cal nodded. “I’ll take a look around. No one wander off too far.”
Dani lost herself in her work—the quiet whirr of her camera, the muted light of the jungle. She blocked out the voices of the archeologists, not really paying any attention to them. She framed the ruined tower and thought of the long-ago people who’d built it, worshiped at it.
She moved away from the others, circling around the back of the ruin, stepping over tangled tree roots. Then she heard a noise and frowned. At first, the noise didn’t register, and she rounded the worn stones.
Dani’s eyebrows snapped up to her hairline. Gemma and Sam were pressed up against the stone wall of the tower. The tech guy had his hands clamped on the archeologist’s ass, and Gemma had her hands down Sam’s loosened pants.
“Ah…sorry.” Dani took a backward step.
Sam jerked back like he’d been electrocuted. His eyes were just a little wide, and he swiped his hand across his mouth. “Um… I’d better get back to work. Dr. O wanted me to finish getting photos of the engravings.”
Gemma looked unconcerned, and took her time tucking her shirt back into her trousers. She shot Dani a smile. “I like younger men. They’re so…energetic and enthusiastic.” Her smile widened. “They trip over themselves to do everything I ask.”
Dani made what she hoped was an appropriate noise.
“Of course, I wouldn’t mind a crack at something as sexy and dangerous as Cal. A man like that gives a woman ideas.”
An ugly feeling slashed through Dani’s gut, her hands clamping around her camera.
Gemma redid the tie in her hair. “Those older, more experienced tough guys bring something very different to the table.” Now Gemma winked. “Or should I say bed… Or even a ruined temple.”
Dani couldn’t help but snort out a laugh.
“But I get when guys aren’t that interested in me.” Gemma walked toward Dani. “And Callum Ward is not taken by my charms.” She stopped, shoulder-to-shoulder with Dani. “You need to grab that hard body, girl, explore every inch of it, then ride him into exhaustion.”
Dani’s breath hitched. “I’m not really into meaningless sex.”
Gemma’s eyebrows rose. “You need a ring?”
“No. But some sort of commitment…”
Gemma shook her head. “Dani, there is nothing wrong with a strong, sexual woman taking what makes her feel good. If you want my advice—”
“Not really, but I get the feeling you’re going to give it to me anyway.”
Gemma grinned. “Yep. Enjoy the right now. Especially if it looks like Callum Ward.”
The archeologist walked away and Dani let out a long breath. She tilted her camera and flipped through some shots until she spotted one of Cal. He was standing tall, sexy stubble on his face, sweat dampening his shirt, and the machete in hand. All that fierce concentration…
With a shake of her head, Dani gingerly stepped over broken stones that had fallen from the tower. She needed to get a few more shots of the ruin and the team before they moved on.
She’d only taken a few steps, when someone slammed a hand over her mouth. Panic and adrenaline pumped through her. She jabbed an elbow back and heard a man grunt.
She exploded into action. She elbowed him again, and twisted. Kicking him was too awkward, so she focused on breaking his hold. She shoved her arms down hard.
He cursed in what sounded like Russian, and she got a flash of dark hair and dark eyes. And a scarf pulled over his face.
He made another sound—an annoyed one—then clamped his arms harder around her, trapping her arms against her sides. He started dragging her back toward the trees.
Dani kept fighting. She slammed her head back into his face.
With a yowl, he let her go. She was already turning to punch him, when Cal stormed past her.
Cal’s blow hit the man in the side of the head. He struck back, but Cal was ready, blocking him and delivering another vicious hit to the back of the man’s neck. Her attacker grunted, then spun and charged at Cal.
The man’s arms wrapped around Cal’s middle and both men went flying. They knocked into Dani, and she fell forward on her hands and knees, rotting leaves sticking to her fingers.
She scrambled away, her camera bumping against her chest. She spun and saw Cal and her attacker wrestling on the ground.
Neither of them made much noise, and it was clear both of them knew how to fight. Cal landed a brutal chop against the man’s arm. The man retaliated, striking out with a fist, but Cal moved, quick as a snake, and dodged. Dani tried to see the attacker’s face, but the scarf hid most of it. He was a little shorter than Cal, but stocky and muscular.
Cal kicked the man in the gut, the man stumbling backward. Cal moved in, and with two more vicious hits, the man fell to his knees and then slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The fight was over.
Cal pulled out some zip ties and secured the man. “Okay?” Cal crouched beside Dani and touched her face.
She nodded. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Looked like you were doing okay on your own.” He grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. He looked back at the tower. “We need to get to the others. You need to stay quiet. I think there are more of them.”
Her stomach cramped. More of them? “Who the hell are they?”
Cal’s face hardened. “I have my suspicions.”
She followed behind Cal as they circled the ruin. She wondered how the hell he could move so quietly. His steps were silent, while with every one of hers she heard the crunch of twigs and leaves under her boots.
Suddenly, he stopped, and lifted his hand. She froze right behind him, her hand pressed against the cool rock of the tower. The sound of conversation carried to her ears.
“What do you want?” It was Dr. Oakley’s strained voice.
She heard the sound of someone being hit. Dr. Oakley let out a cry, and Dani heard Gemma’s sob.
“I’m okay.” Dr. Oakley’s voice was more subdued now.
Cal crouched and peered around the tower. Dani followed his movements.
She stifled a gasp. Their team members were all on their knees and four men were standing nearby, all wearing black scarves over their faces. One man was emptying out everyone’s backpacks and their other bags.
“Stay here.” Cal’s voice was a quiet whisper. He pulled his gun from his holster.
Dani swallowed. “I can help you.”
“No.” His voice brooked no argument. “I need you to stay here. That’s what will help me. I don’t need to worry about you.” His blue eyes flashed.
“Four against one, Cal. That isn’t good odds.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“I can help.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Dammit,” he bit out. “You are so stubborn.”
“I won’t do anything stupid,” she promised.
“Here.” He grabbed the machete off his belt and handed it to her. “Anyone comes your way, you swing it at them.”
Dani hadn’t realized how heavy the damn thing was. She nodded.
Then she watched as Cal’s face changed. The sexy, easygoing charm melted away. It left a hard, serious face that shouted “don’t fuck with me.”
Cal suddenly cupped the back of her head and yanked her forward. The kiss was quick and hard. “Stay safe.” Then he turned and stalked toward the group.
Dani followed behind, staying back and out of his way. If he needed help, she’d be ready.
Cal didn’t rush and he didn’t look concerned. Before the attackers noticed him, Cal raised his weapon. Bam. Bam. Bam.
Her eyes widened. With just three shots, three of the black-scarved men fell to the ground. They were all clutching their shoulders.
Shouting and confusion erupted. The archeologists all sprung to their feet. Cal rushed forward and slammed the butt of his gun into the final attacker’s shocked face. The man tried to fight back, b
ut a second later he was unconscious on the ground.
Dani moved in now, too. She spotted one of the men Cal had shot fumbling for his weapon. She raced over and pressed the tip of the machete to the man’s neck. “I wouldn’t.”
Angry, dark eyes glared up at her.
She reached down, grabbed the handgun and tossed it away. She looked up and saw Cal checking the other men and divesting them of any weapons. He pulled some black zip ties from his pocket, and set about tying the men up.
She blinked as she watched him. This was a man she didn’t know. This was the skilled, well-trained soldier. A man who’d risked his life to protect others.
He stood, his gaze running over her before he looked at the archeologists. “Everyone okay? Anyone hurt?”
They looked a little battered. Sam had an arm around a disheveled Gemma. Jean-Luc was helping Dr. Oakley to his feet.
“Oakley?” Cal asked. “You took a punch.”
The older archeologist waved a hand. “I’m fine. A little tender, that’s all.”
“Everyone sure they’re okay?” Cal asked again.
The team nodded.
“The way you took those guys down…” Sam shook his head. “You are badass, man.”
“Badass is my job, Sam.”
Dr. Oakley cleared his throat. “Thank you, Cal.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He turned to look at the attackers. “Jean-Luc, Sakada, there is another one of these guys tied up on the other side of the temple. Bring him around.” Cal glanced their way. “He was out cold. You might need to carry him.”
Jean-Luc nodded. “We will get him.”
Cal studied their attackers. “Why did you attack us?”
The men all stared at the ground.
“They’re opportunists, right?” Gemma said. “Looking for some quick cash?”
“I don’t think so,” Cal said in an icy tone that raised the hairs on the back of Dani’s neck. “Why did you attack us?”
One of the men lifted his head, his dark eyes burning. “Fuck you.”