Unmapped (Treasure Hunter Security #6)

by Anna Hackett

  A beeping sound broke through the fiery haze of need.

  Ronin tore his mouth off hers with a curse. Then he jackknifed off her and snatched up his phone from the bedside table.

  Peri sat up, pushing her hair back off her face, and trying to calm her out-of-control hormones. “What is it?”

  He uttered another curse, staring at his phone. “When I did my walkaround earlier, I set up some small infrared cameras outside.”

  Of course, he did. She guessed the soldier and agent could leave the service, but it never left him. “And?”

  He yanked a shirt over his head and started pulling his shoes on. “Get some shoes on and make sure you have the drive.” He tilted his phone at her.

  Peri instantly saw the converging colored blobs and her heart kicked against her ribs.

  “There’s a team of seven moving in to surround the cabin. We have to go. Now.”

  As soon as Ronin’s boots hit the ground, he reached up and helped Peri out of the window.

  He pressed his mouth to her ear. “Stay quiet and head straight into the trees.” He gripped her hand and together they jogged from the cabin.

  He had his Glock tucked in his waistband, but he was hoping they could use the cover of darkness to avoid their visitors. How the hell had Silk Road found them? There must have been a tracking device on his vehicle. He ground his teeth together. He should have checked.

  But right now, he needed to focus on keeping Peri safe.

  “What’s the plan?” she whispered.

  “Get away from here. Then find a way back to Denver. Even if we can get back to my truck, they’ve likely already disabled it.”

  “Can’t you get a message to Dec?”

  “No signal. Silk Road is jamming it.”

  Peri muttered some interesting curses under her breath and despite their situation, Ronin found himself fighting back a smile.

  “There’s a climbable cliff face a little farther to the west,” she said. “It’s doable with no gear, if you know it.”

  “And you know it.”

  “Hell, yeah.” Her tone turned dry. “Although I’ve never tried it in my pajamas, with no bra on, in the dark.”

  Ronin jerked to a halt. “You aren’t wearing a bra.” Images started running through his head.

  “That’s the bit you heard?” There was humor in her voice. “Such a man.”

  “I am a man.”

  But the sounds of voices not too far away had him refocusing. He tugged her onward and picked up speed. Branches slapped at his face.

  “Here,” she whispered.

  The trees cleared and they reached a rocky ridge. In the moonlight, he saw the cliff face below them.

  “There’s a huge diagonal crack that runs down it.” Peri crouched, the moonlight making her bare shoulders gleam. “There are lots of decent hand and footholds around it.”

  Her tone had turned brisk and no-nonsense. Ronin knew he was seeing a glimpse of the climbing instructor and expedition guide.

  “Take your time,” she added. “Test each grip. We don’t have gear, so there is no margin for error.”

  “Got it.” He watched her lower one foot over the edge. “Peri?” When she looked up, he pressed a quick, firm kiss to her lips. “Be careful.”

  She nodded and started climbing down. Ronin set his boot into a crack and followed.

  They moved down carefully and steadily. He saw that Peri had relaxed a little. She was in her element and she’d probably forgotten about the people above searching for them. She moved with ease, and a sure athletic grace. Even in the dark, he could tell she was a hell of a climber.

  Suddenly, voices sounded directly overhead.

  “Fuck. Colston will have our asses.”

  “They can’t have gone far.”

  Ronin paused and looked up. He saw flashlights bobbing. Just a little below him, Peri froze. Damn, if the bastards looked straight down, they’d spot him and Peri.

  He moved, climbing down to Peri’s level. He covered her body with his, offering what protection he could, and pressed her against the rock.

  One flashlight arced downward, just a few feet from them. He heard Peri’s fast breathing.

  “We’re fine,” he murmured against her ear. So many times he’d been hidden, waiting to see if he’d be discovered by the enemy. “Think of a situation that makes you feel good.”

  “Kissing you.”

  He stilled. Hell. “Something that won’t give me a hard on in a dangerous situation.”

  A near-soundless giggle. Then she wiggled her butt.

  Ronin nuzzled her neck. “Stop it. Time to get moving again, because they’re gone.”

  “Gone?” She looked up. “Right. Bad guys are gone.”

  He smiled. “Come on. Let’s get off this rock face.” He forced himself away from her body, telling himself that he didn’t miss the contact.

  It took them a few more minutes to navigate down the rest of the cliff.

  At the bottom, Peri dusted off her hands. “So, what now?”

  “Can we get to a main road from here?” he asked.

  She nodded. “We can get back to where we came in. It’s a short hike but you know it’s rough. We’ll have to go slowly.”

  “Well, these bastards hiked in to surprise us…”

  She perked up. “So they left vehicles somewhere.”

  He nodded.

  “Sneaky.” Her teeth were bright in the darkness. “I like it. I hope you can hotwire a car.”

  They started off through the trees. “Standard secret agent skill.”

  A startled laugh. “Did you just make a joke?”

  “Maybe.” God, no other woman had ever made him want to smile so much before.

  “I like you, Ronin Cooper.”

  With that admission, she forged ahead. Ronin followed. He liked her too. And he had no idea what the hell he was going to do about it.

  Chapter Six

  When Peri and Ronin pulled into the THS parking lot in their borrowed Silk Road vehicle, dawn was only just lighting the eastern horizon in streaks of pink and gold. The warehouse was ablaze with lights, so she guessed the team was awake and doing their thing.

  All the adrenaline of their escape was long gone and Peri had managed to doze on the ride back. She rubbed her bare arms and then touched her hair. She stifled a groan. It was a hopelessly tangled rat’s nest.

  They walked up the steps to the building and that’s when she realized Ronin wasn’t wearing any socks with his shoes. She was still in her pajamas and braless. They looked like survivors of a shipwreck. He held the door and waved her inside.

  “What the fuck?” Dec appeared. “I got your message an hour ago. Are you two okay?”

  “No thanks to Silk Road,” Ronin said darkly.

  “Oh, my God.” Darcy stepped up beside her brother. “You guys look terrible.”

  “Silk Road sent a team in to take the thumb drive,” Ronin said.

  “We decided to leave,” Peri said. “And climb down a cliff face in the dark. In our pajamas.”

  “We need to check all THS vehicles,” Ronin said. “They must have tracking devices.”

  Dec nodded. “On it. And I’ll send Hale and Cal up to the cabin to get your truck and gear.”

  Darcy waved an arm at Peri. “Come on. We’ll head upstairs and get you in a hot shower. I’m sure Layne will have some clothes that will fit you.”

  Peri groaned. “A hot shower sounds like heaven.” She looked at Ronin.

  “I have some spare gear in my locker and we have showers down here.” He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll see you soon.”

  Conscious that Dec and Darcy were watching them with raised eyebrows, Peri swiveled and held her hand out to Darcy. “I’m guessing you’ll want this.” The thumb drive rested on her palm.

  “You found it.” Darcy took it, an eager light in her eyes. “I’ll see what’s on here.”

  Peri took her time in the shower, and after working all
the tangles out of her hair, she wasn’t even too weirded out by borrowing Layne Ward’s bra and clothes, which thankfully were dark green cargo pants and a T-shirt with the pyramid-shaped Treasure Hunter Security logo on it. The archeologist had been so gracious setting out clothes, towels, and toiletries for Peri in her sleek, spacious apartment above the THS offices.

  When Peri came downstairs, she saw Darcy moving between two computers, Dec and Logan leaning over maps on the table, and Ronin sitting nearby cradling a mug of coffee. His hair was damp and he was wearing a clean set of clothes.

  “Hey,” he said.

  She smiled. “I feel human again.” She noticed a few scratches on his cheek and reached out to touch them. “What happened here?”

  “Tree branches during our mad dash. It’s nothing. I’ve had far, far worse.”

  She bet he had. On his SEAL missions and whatever undercover assignments he’d done for the CIA. Whatever he’d done for them had left him with vicious nightmares and the belief he had to hold himself apart from others. Even here with his friends, he somehow held himself off to the side.

  Everyone needed someone. Peri had come into the world connected to another being who’d been a part of everything in her life. Amber might drive her nuts sometimes, but she never doubted her sister’s love and loyalty.

  Ronin had come into the world with no one. Not even the mother who’d birthed him.

  A part of Peri wanted to show him that he could have more in his life if he just let people in, and let her closer. Something also told her that would require patience, stubbornness, and sheer grit.

  She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the scratches. His dark eyes were locked on her and she saw so much shift through them, even though he stayed motionless.

  The click of heels shattered the moment. Darcy appeared, excitement on her face. “I got the data off the drive.”

  Peri spun. “Really?”

  “It’s data on the expedition to Antarctica,” Darcy said. “Maps, itineraries, notes.”

  Peri rubbed her hands up and down her arms, feeling cold. Dec and Logan had straightened, both standing with arms crossed over their chests and staring up at Darcy’s wall of screens.

  Darcy pointed. “The maps here show the location of the pyramid. In the notes, I see they were planning to fly into a seasonal camp. It would have been closed down a few months back.” Darcy’s elegant fingers flew over her keyboard.

  Peri tried to focus on all the information, but all she could think about was Amber. Was she okay?

  A hand touched her shoulder and squeezed. She looked up and saw Ronin wasn’t looking at her, but he’d still sensed she was upset. Focus on your sister, and not the sexy man beside you.

  “After the pyramid was first discovered, Silk Road sent a very small recon team in. It looks like they did some drilling in the ice near the pyramid.” Then Darcy gasped.

  “What did they find?” Dec demanded.

  His sister raised her head. “They hit metal.”

  “How is this possible?” Ronin said. “It’s been covered with ice for millions of years.”

  “That may not be exactly correct,” a deep, male voice interjected.

  Everyone turned, and Peri watched a good-looking man stride in. He had a tanned, handsome face, and a wide, charming smile. The tall woman beside him moved with an athletic stride. Her short, dark hair suited her tough face, and she looked like she could take every man in the room down and not break a sweat doing it.

  The woman stopped and pressed her hands to her hips. “You had to call me in on my days off?”

  “I actually called Zach, not you,” Dec said.

  The woman snorted. “Since I was busy with Zach, you call him in, you call me in.”

  Ah, so the man who looked like a handsome adventurer who should be hacking vines off ancient jungle temples, or dusting sand off buried tombs, was Dr. Zachariah James. That made the woman Morgan Kincaid, one of THS’s best security specialists.

  “Zach and Morgan, this is Peri Butler,” Ronin said.

  Peri shook hands with the couple. “Nice to meet you.”

  “I hear your sister got mixed up with Silk Road and is missing,” Zach said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Peri inclined her head. “Thanks for helping.” She glanced at Morgan. “Sorry to ruin your days off.”

  Morgan waved a hand. “Your sister needs help, and to be fair, any time I can help ruin Silk Road’s day is a good one.”

  “I’m not sure what I can do, but I’ll do anything to help,” Zach said. “I’ve unfortunately seen what Silk Road is capable of. I hope Dec, Ronin, and the others help you find your sister.”

  They all sat down around the conference table. Zach stood at the head, talking quietly with Darcy as she tapped on her tablet.

  “So, Silk Road, led by Peri’s sister, Amber, has gone to Antarctica, and not returned,” Darcy said.

  Morgan was still standing and leaned a hip against the table. “What the hell is in Antarctica that would interest Silk Road? They going after penguins, now?”

  Zach shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Darcy tells me Layne mentioned a link with the Nazis and Antarctica. She’s correct. Hitler was very interested in Antarctica. There were rumors that the Nazis were planning on building, or possibly even did build, a secret base there.”

  “A base in Antarctica?” Dec shook his head. “Doesn’t sound credible.”

  Zach smiled. “Did you know that just last year, Russian scientists discovered a secret, abandoned Nazi base in the Arctic?”

  “What?” Peri breathed.

  “It was set up on an island, ostensibly to gather strategic weather reports. But from the items and preserved papers recovered, it appears the Germans called the base Treasure Hunter.”

  Silence filled the room.

  “You think they were really on the hunt for ancient artifacts?” Ronin said.

  Zach shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but it seems highly likely.”

  “Okay…” Peri said slowly. “And you said they wanted to build a base in Antarctica, too? To find artifacts?”

  “Artifacts of power. It was an obsession of Hitler’s. He wanted to find powerful artifacts and then use them to create weapons to win the war.”

  “Artifacts of power?” She looked around the table, but no one seemed surprised by Zach’s declaration. “There’s nothing in Antarctica but ice.”

  Zach smiled again. “I specialize in megalithic cultures. The cultures that built vast temples and structures with large blocks of stone. They left behind ruins like Stonehenge, the megalithic temples on Malta, Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, just to name a few. There are megalithic structures all across the globe. It’s my belief that there were advanced cultures that were destroyed by floods at the end of the last ice age.”

  Shock reverberated through Peri’s body. “Are you talking about Atlantis? Atlantis isn’t real.”

  “Not the mythical Atlantis,” Zach said. “But the civilization that probably spawned the myth.”

  Peri looked around the room. No one looked shocked.

  Morgan nodded. “We’ve seen some of the artifacts they’ve left behind. We can’t conclusively prove that they are advanced technology, but they are something.”

  “Generally, what we’ve found has been appropriated by the government,” Dec said with a growl.

  “He means taken,” Darcy added.

  “By government agencies that don’t even have names,” Dec finished.

  Peri looked up at Ronin and he nodded.

  “Okay,” Peri said. “Even if I wanted to believe that there were pre-flood civilizations with advanced technologies, and that Hitler, and now Silk Road were after any artifacts left behind, it doesn’t change the fact that Antarctica has been covered by ice for millions of years. No civilization could have built anything there.”

  “Well, that may not be true,” Zach said, pressing his hands against the table. “First, I need to tell you about a map. T
he Piri Reis map.”

  “What is it?” Peri asked.

  “It is a world map made by an Ottoman general in 1513,” Zach said.

  “I’ll get an image up on the screen,” Darcy said.

  “And?” Peri prompted.

  “It shows the coastline of Antarctica…without its ice sheet on it.”

  There was silence in the room. Ronin studied the map Darcy had put up on the screen, unable to believe it. It looked old, with sailing ships drawn on it crossing the oceans, and lines radiating out across the parchment.

  “Piri Reis apparently used older maps he’d acquired to compile his map,” Zach said. “Which suggests that the Antarctic coastline was mapped, without ice, sometime during human history.”

  “If that was true, how could any ruins or artifacts have survived?” Peri said. “They’d have been ground away beneath all that ice.”

  “Now, there’s a theory,” Zach said. “It’s called crustal displacement theory. Many people believe it’s impossible, and I’m not sure I subscribe to it, myself. The idea is that some force can cause the crust of the Earth to shift in a large piece.”

  Ronin frowned. “So what you’re saying is, the Antarctic land mass was likely once located farther north, and a part of it was free of ice, but crustal displacement moved it down to the pole, and the land iced over?”

  “Exactly,” Zach said. “Proponents of the theory say the last crustal displacement happened at the end of the last ice age.”

  Peri shook her head. “What could cause that?”

  “No one knows,” Zach conceded. “A large meteorite impact, forces in the crust, something unknown. Someone theorized the mass of the polar ice itself could force the shift, but that’s been disproven. Some people believe crustal displacement also explains the existence of animals like wooly mammoths that have been found frozen in ice…but with their stomachs full of just-eaten foods from a more temperate climate.”

  “If this theory is true,” Dec said. “You’re telling me a part of Antarctica was free of ice about what, 11,000 years ago?”