Unexplored (Treasure Hunter Security Book 3)

by Anna Hackett

  She could hear Declan and the others whispering. Inside, she felt like she was being sliced to pieces. Piero cut through one side of the bridge and the entire thing lurched to the side. Logan reached out and grabbed onto the ropes, holding himself upright.

  Oh, God. If he fell… She willed him to move off it, but he didn’t. Stubborn alpha male.

  “Sydney, talk to me—”

  His tough, gravelly voice scraped over her. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  The stubborn man took another step forward. Her heart leaped into her throat. “No! Don’t come any closer.”

  With grim determination etched on his rugged face, Logan took another step toward her.

  Her heart was thundering now. She knew he wouldn’t give up, knew he’d keep coming for her. Unless she made him stop.

  “I don’t need you anymore.” She put on her haughtiest face.

  He went still.

  God, she was being torn in two. “You got me this far. I can take it from here.” She forced out a light laugh. “You didn’t really think I could want a man like you, did you?”

  His gaze was boring into her.

  She could guess what he was thinking and feeling.

  She was just another liar like Annika.

  Hell, maybe she wasn’t that different. He’d confided his worst moment to her, and now she was turning it back on him. “You’ve served your purpose, Logan. Go home. I don’t want or need you.”

  Piero cut the last rope.

  The bridge fell, and Logan with it.

  Sydney slammed her fist against her mouth to stifle her scream. Logan grabbed on with both hands. As the bridge slapped against the other side, hanging vertically, Logan also clung there, hanging above the drop.

  Fear was jagged claws in Sydney’s belly. He was okay. He was holding on and climbing up the ropes. She saw Declan and Hale reaching down to pull him up.

  “Come.” Piero grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her skin. He yanked her away.

  Sydney looked as long as she could, wanting to make sure Logan was safe. As soon as she saw the others pull him over the edge, her tight chest eased.

  And then Piero tugged her into the trees, cutting off her view of her friends.

  Chapter Eight

  What. The. Fuck.

  Logan paced back and forth, his boots kicking in the dirt. As he prowled, he stared across the gorge at the wall of trees where Sydney had disappeared.

  Not far away, Morgan was studying their map.

  “Logan.”

  Dec’s calm voice was like sandpaper on Logan’s nerves. “What?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “No.” At first, he’d been confused. Then, as Sydney’s words had hit him like a rain of automatic gunfire—well-aimed fire—he hadn’t known what to think.

  For a second, it had felt like Annika all over again.

  Until he’d really looked at Sydney.

  Hell, he’d been watching her nonstop for days, ever since she’d stepped into the Treasure Hunter Security warehouse. He’d gotten pretty good at reading her face. As she’d stared across that bridge, her face had been blank, composed, a mask. Her tone had been cool as icy rain. And she’d refused to meet his gaze for more than a few seconds.

  From the moment he’d met her, Sydney Granger had never been afraid to look him in the eye. But that entire time she’d given them her little speech, she’d avoided eye contact.

  With a frustrated roar, Logan ripped at some vines dangling from the nearby trees. He tore the plants into tiny pieces. It wasn’t enough. He slammed his fist into the trunk of the tree, again and again, until his knuckles were bloody.

  Dec crossed his arms over his chest. “Feel better?”

  His best friend had seen him lose it too many times to be alarmed. “No. Something’s wrong. Silk Road got to her.”

  Fear was ice in his veins, and it made him angry. Silk Road had Sydney. She was in danger. Logan stared across the chasm. “We have to get to her, Dec.”

  Dec released a breath. “Good. I’m thinking the same. I wasn’t sure you’d…”

  When his best friend broke off, Logan raised a brow. “You walking on eggshells around me now, Ward?”

  “What happened with Annika fucked you up. You’ve never trusted a woman since. Or yourself with one.”

  Logan was starting to feel the sting of his torn knuckles. “Sydney would not have left like this. She wouldn’t have said those things.”

  “You sure? She’s a millionaire heiress, a CEO, and a society girl. She doesn’t really move in your circles, Logan. Not to mention her past with the Agency. She could be fooling all of us.”

  “She’s not!” Logan’s shout echoed around them.

  Dec smiled and nodded. “That’s what I think, too. I just wanted to make sure your head was screwed on right.”

  “Bastard,” Logan said, but there was no fire in the word.

  Together they turned to Hale and Morgan. “How are we going to get across?” Dec asked.

  Morgan tapped the map. “There’s a spot where we can cross downstream, but it’s a long way out of our way, plus there’s no track. We’d have to hack through the trees. It’ll put us far behind them.”

  Hell. Logan didn’t want Sydney being in the hands of Silk Road any longer than she had to be. If he hurt her, Logan would make him pay. “Too long.”

  Hale pulled his backpack off the back of his horse. “I have an idea.”

  Logan watched as Hale pulled something from the bag. It looked like a gun, but as Hale extended it out and pressed a button on the side, Logan saw a sturdy grappling hook slide out of the end.

  “I’ve been wanting to test this little baby out,” Hale said.

  It was a grappling gun, but the most compact one Logan had seen. He’d used other ones on SEAL missions, but they were big, heavy, and not portable like this one. Hale lifted it and aimed across the chasm. He pulled the trigger.

  It wasn’t very quiet, making a loud whistling sound as the hook and line whizzed through the air.

  It flew across the gorge and slammed into the rocks on the other side.

  Hale pulled back on the line, testing it. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a sturdy, nylon-jacketed line for your travel today.”

  “Nice,” Morgan said. “I want one.”

  “I need to secure this side, and then we can zip line across.” Hale frowned. “We’ll have to leave the horses. You’ll only be able to take what you can carry.”

  “That’s fine.” Dec slapped Hale on the shoulder. “Nice work.”

  Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound. Dec yanked out his satellite phone and looked at the screen. “Got some coverage. There’s a message from Darcy.” Then he cursed.

  Logan felt his gut harden. “What?”

  “Piero Costa was found dead today in Leymebamba.”

  Shit. Logan froze. “If the guide is dead, who the hell is with Sydney?” Godammit, he wanted to punch another tree.

  “Looks like Silk Road got the drop on us.” Dec shook his head, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “They somehow managed to replace the guide with one of their men.”

  “Come on.” Logan yanked his backpack off his horse, stuffing some extra things inside. “We need to get moving and catch up to them.” He pulled the pack on. “I’m going first.”

  Hale handed him a metal device with two rubber-gripped handles. “Here’s the zip line trolley. Slip it over the line and hold on. Good luck.”

  Logan moved to the edge of the cliff and fitted the trolley to the line. He tested it. It felt secure enough. He didn’t care. He was going after Sydney, one way or another.

  Logan gripped the handles and stepped off into air.

  His weight hung down beneath the wire, and he whizzed across, picking up speed. He wasn’t an adrenaline junkie like Callum, who was always climbing or racing something, but even Logan had to admit, this was damn fun. He looked down and saw the flowing water of the river below. Glancing up, he saw the rock fa
ce racing up to meet him.

  He lifted his boots in front of him. He slammed into the rock, absorbing the impact with his knees.

  Releasing one handle, he reached for the rocky edge and pulled himself out of the gorge. Gripping the trolley, he pressed the retract option, and it zipped back across the line.

  Logan watched as the others came across. Declan, focused and intense. Morgan with a huge grin on her face. And Hale with an excited whoop.

  Soon, they were all standing shoulder to shoulder, staring at the wall of overgrown forest, and the narrow dirt trail disappearing into it.

  “This bastard who has Sydney has a good lead on us,” Logan said darkly.

  “We’ll catch them,” Dec said.

  Yeah, they would. Sure, they were going to have to run up here at altitude with thin mountain air. But Logan was a former SEAL. This was nothing. And he had two other ex-SEALs and one badass woman who could’ve been a SEAL if they’d let her. They could run all day and all night if they had to.

  But he knew Morgan was the fastest of all of them.

  “Morgan.” He turned to his friend. “Can you run ahead and catch up? Stay close and make sure this bastard doesn’t hurt her.”

  Morgan clasped his arm. “Sure thing.”

  A tiny bit of the tension in Logan eased.

  Dec blew out a breath. “Okay, but Morgan, don’t engage if you don’t have to. Only step in if Sydney’s in danger.”

  Morgan checked her handgun and nodded. She handed her backpack over to Logan. “See you soon. Don’t dawdle, ladies.”

  “We’ll catch you as soon as we can.” Logan hitched up his and Morgan’s backpacks and watched Morgan break into a run. The forest swallowed her long form. “Let’s move.”

  ***

  Morgan Kincaid lengthened her stride and pushed for more speed.

  The track was fine in places and a total mess in others. She pulled in deep breaths. And the air was thin. Still, she trained at altitude in Denver and the Rocky Mountains. This wasn’t so bad.

  She calculated she’d catch up with Sydney and the guy who’d taken her soon. The others couldn’t be more than an hour behind her.

  God, Logan was twisted up over this woman. Morgan had seen the way her friend watched Sydney Granger. She’d never seen him look at anyone like that.

  Well, Morgan wasn’t so sure that the slender, elegant Sydney was the right match for her friend. Logan needed someone who enjoyed the same things he did, who’d go his speed, and who’d love the brooding lug for himself.

  Morgan frowned at the forest. She knew all about finding the wrong person. She dated. A lot. A whole, endless row of first dates. They always ended in disappointment.

  She leaped over a rough patch of ground and spotted some creature scuttling into the bushes. She couldn’t seem to find a man who could keep up with her: physically, sexually, emotionally. Hell, she couldn’t find a man who even wanted to try.

  Suddenly, she heard faint voices ahead. She slowed to a stop, trying to make out the words. She shook her head. Still too far away. She ducked into the thick vegetation.

  Time for a little stealth.

  She pulled out her Glock 22. Her man troubles were the least of her problems right now. In fact, she’d decided she was better off without a man.

  And whatever Sydney Granger felt for Logan didn’t matter. Logan had asked Morgan to take care of the woman.

  Morgan had no intention of letting her friend down.

  ***

  They’d been going for hours. Sydney barely noticed her tired and aching muscles. What she felt inside was far worse.

  She closed her eyes. Logan and the others must be halfway back to Leymebamba by now. She felt the prick of tears in her eyes, but she blinked them back. Tears wouldn’t help. She needed to focus, and wait for the opportunity to escape from fake Piero.

  Then, she’d worry about Drew and her next step.

  One thing she did know—she wasn’t leading Silk Road to her brother.

  At least her captor had removed the explosive device he’d put in her shirt. She was damn glad to have the thing gone. She hadn’t gotten a good look at it, so she wasn’t sure if it had been real or not, but she certainly wasn’t taking any chances.

  “Two more hours and we should reach the lake,” fake Piero said with a grin. “We’ll spend the night there in the tourist huts, and then my associates will meet us there in the morning.”

  Sydney’s stomach did a slow roll. If Silk Road got her, they’d force her to find Drew. And if she refused, they’d kill her.

  She swallowed, eyeing Piero. She had to escape from him.

  She could do this. She had training he was unaware of, so with the element of surprise, she had a chance. She studied the surrounding forest, but she really didn’t have a lot of options. She heard something heavy moving in the trees, out of view. God, please don’t be a jaguar. That was all she needed.

  Her mind whirled as she thought of ideas and discarded them. First, she needed to get him to stop, then she’d make a move.

  But she’d only get one chance. Without the element of surprise, he’d overpower her.

  She saw a length of decorative rope threaded on her horse’s saddle. She slid her hand down and tugged on it. It pulled loose, and she coiled it in her hands. She tested the strength of it.

  It would do the job.

  “I need a break. My legs.” She rubbed her thigh, feigning pain. They did hurt, but not that badly.

  He muttered under his breath and then jerked his head. He stopped his horse and Sydney did the same. She slid off, leaning against the animal like she could barely stand.

  “Water?” she asked.

  With another bad-tempered mutter, he strode toward her, water bottle in hand.

  Her hand tightened on the rope, dropping it down along her left leg.

  He shoved the water bottle at her, and she took it with her right hand. As soon as he’d turned away, she dropped the water bottle to the ground and grabbed the other end of the rope. She took two steps, flung the loop of rope over his head, and pulled back hard against his throat.

  He made a furious noise, his hands reaching up. His fingers scrabbled against his neck, trying to pull the rope away from his skin.

  Sydney kicked at his knee. It was awkward from this angle, but his knee went out from under him and he fell into the dirt with a choked cry.

  She strained backward, pulling on the rope. He slammed an elbow back, catching her in the belly. She gritted her teeth and held on.

  Pass out, God damn you.

  He was trying to turn around, and he wasn’t losing consciousness. Fear spiked. Dammit.

  A gunshot rang out, echoing in the trees.

  Sydney fell backward with a cry and ducked. Another shot, and the horses started, letting out frightened whinnies.

  She looked up.

  Four armed figures emerged from the trees, weapons up.

  A tall, broad man was in the lead. Air rushed into her lungs. Logan.

  He charged past her, moving in and kicking the struggling fake Piero until he fell flat on his face.

  “On your stomach, hands behind your head.” The blunt words were delivered in a lethal tone that sent a chill through Sydney.

  Logan grabbed the Silk Road man, yanking him to his feet. He patted him down, tossing a handgun to Hale. Then Logan shook the man viciously.

  Sydney pushed up to sit. She saw Hale and Morgan calming the horses, and Declan striding forward.

  “Logan,” Declan said. “That’s enough. We need to question him.”

  Logan dropped the man and he fell in a pile on the ground. Declan stepped forward, zip ties in hand, and wrenched the man’s wrists together behind his back. The Silk Road man cursed and struggled against his bonds.

  Then her view of him was blocked by Logan’s broad form. He knelt in front of her, staring into her face. “Did he hurt you?”

  She looked into those fierce lion eyes and shook her head. What must he be thinki
ng? What she’d said to him back at the bridge…he had to hate her.

  “Logan…” When he just kept staring, she cleared her throat. “He had a small explosive, he put it on me back at the bridge.”

  Logan went still. Scary still. “He had an explosive on you.”

  She swallowed and saw fake Piero’s eyes go wide.

  “Don’t let him near me,” the Silk Road man spat out.

  “Morgan.” Declan jerked his head toward the horses. “You and Hale check for an explosive.”

  Sydney swallowed again. She felt like she had a rock in her throat. “Logan, I’m sorry. I was so afraid he’d hurt you and the others. I did what he told me to do, and I’m sorry.”

  Logan’s brow creased. “You were trying to protect me?”

  “Is that so hard to believe? I really am sorry about what I said.”

  Logan muttered a curse and then yanked her into his arms. He tugged her head back and his mouth touched hers. Sydney leaned into the kiss, a small sound escaping her.

  His lips cruised across her cheek. “I see you, Sydney. The real you. I knew you were lying, and I knew something was wrong.”

  The heavy weight in her chest lifted, and something else rushed in, filling the space. Behind them, she heard Declan and the others talking about disposing of the explosive device. “Logan?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Will you kiss me again?”

  He pulled her back, his lips taking hers. The kiss was hot and hungry. His hands slid over her body, a firm, bold claim. She greedily kissed him back, the taste of him flooding her.

  Sydney stopped thinking and just lost herself in Logan.

  Chapter Nine

  Logan took his time kissing Sydney. She was back in his arms and safe.

  The sound of a clearing throat interrupted. Very reluctantly, Logan lifted his head and glared at Declan. His friend was grinning down at him.

  Pulling Sydney closer, Logan absorbed the feel of her, liking when she snuggled into him. She fit perfectly in his arms.

  “I want you guys to continue on to the lake,” Dec said. “I’m going to stay here with our…friend. I have a few questions for him.”

  “And then what will you do with him?” Sydney asked.