by Jaclyn Hardy
Carlie snorted. “I hardly work for the government.”
“She has her own team, actually.” Dani rubbed her forehead, Carlie’s question running through her mind. How much did she trust Hunter? “Carlie’s dad was an explorer on top of working for the Archaeology department at the university. His life’s goal was to find Cleopatra’s necklace.”
Carlie sat next to them, her eyes dancing with excitement. “Dad would take me on his adventures sometimes, so when it was time to go to college, I knew what I wanted to do. I was going to follow in his footsteps. Except that it was the history of the people that fascinated me, so I branched off and went into Anthropology instead.”
Hunter raised his eyebrows. “But you still went after the necklace.”
“Because it was my dad’s dream. When I lost him—” She swallowed hard before continuing. “When I lost him, I knew that I needed to see his quest through. And then I had a breakthrough. I’d been studying the writings in the ancient pyramids and came across some clues for the necklace. I gathered a few of Dad’s people and then a few of my own and they helped me check out the location that I’d read about.”
“So, you’re like Indiana Jones.” Hunter glanced over at the computer. “I’m helping out a real-life Indiana Jones.”
Dani snorted. “Hardly.”
Carlie punched her arm. “Hey, I only got stopped because we had a mole.”
“A mole? Seriously?” Hunter leaned forward. “Could it be the same person who hacked Dani’s computer?”
“No. He died last year on another mission in England. The one where Dee met this Mrs. Snuggles lady from the letter. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have partners.” Dani leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “What my friends do is recover priceless items. If it were that easy, I’d probably be more excited to help. I mean, I work at an antique shop. But it’s the shooting and the hostages and the flying all over the world to snatch stolen items that I prefer not to deal with.”
“And the crown? Have we figured that part out yet?”
Carlie shook her head. “That’s where things get fuzzy. We know the lady who might be behind the note, and since we know it was in England, it’s likely that it was the same person who sent this to Dani. But I still don’t get how or why she sent it to Dani.”
“Dee never said anything about her or the antique shop?” Hunter tapped the computer from the store.
“She didn’t talk to the lady for long enough. It was about a two-minute conversation on her way to get an emerald.” Dani frowned. “And then to have Anna disappear . . .”
“You know I’ll do whatever it takes to help you out.” Hunter placed his hand on Dani’s sending warm tingles through her. “Now, what exactly will that entail?”
Carlie yawned and glanced over at Ben. “You want to let him know how to help? I need to get going.”
“Sure. I’ll let you know as soon as we find out anything. I’ll be heading out soon as well. The flight is starting to take its toll.”
Dani stood and pulled Carlie into a hug, careful of her belly. “You sleep. Tomorrow we’ll talk baby shower, okay?”
“Sounds good.” Carlie allowed Braden to escort her outside and Dani caught a glimpse of two of the guards falling behind them as the door closed.
Dee came out of the back room. “Whoa. What happened in here?”
“Your guards. Please make sure they fix it.” Dani went into the kitchen to grab a few drinks for everyone.
“I told them not to leave things like this.” Dee opened the front door. “Hey, they’re done talking. Come and clean things up in here.”
Dani raised an eyebrow. “They actually listen to you?”
“They do if they want to be paid.” Dee took one of the sodas. “Thanks. I’m starving.”
“Good. Help me make something. I have a feeling they’re going to be staring at the computer for a while.”
Dee grinned. “Should we make our specialty?”
Dani went to the fridge. “Not sure I have enough leftovers for that, but we can try.”
Their specialty was a casserole of every leftover they had in the fridge. There had been some . . . interesting combinations, but they still had fun with it. Dani pulled out a casserole dish while Dee emptied the fridge of plastic containers of food.
“Pretty sure a few of these have been in here since I visited last.” Dee made a face at a carton of cream and tossed it in the trash.
“Hey, I cleaned it out last week.” Dani took the mashed potatoes she and Hunter had made together and spread them out in the dish.
Dee leaned over and whispered in Dani’s ear. “So . . . what are you not telling us about this guy?”
“What do you mean?” Dani took slices of ham and laid them over the potatoes. They technically weren’t leftovers, but Dee had set them on the counter.
“I mean, how long have you two been dating?”
Dani dropped a slice of ham on the floor. “D—dating? What are you talking about? We’re just friends.”
Dee smirked. “Right. I’ve seen how he looks at you. That’s not how friends look at each other. He’s head over heels for you.”
“Right.” Dani grabbed the small bowl of chili. “We’re friends. He even has a girlfriend. Or, well, he did until last month.”
A whoop from the other room made Dani jump. Her eyes widened in horror. “You don’t think they heard us, do you?”
Dee shrugged. “Both of them are so far into what they’re doing that we probably could have shouted and they wouldn’t hear us.”
Dani handed the package of olives to Dee and wiped her hands. Ben and Hunter were both staring at the laptop when Dani walked in.
“What happened?” Dani leaned against Hunter’s chair.
“We got the letter deciphered.” Hunter pointed at the screen.
Dani leaned forward to see the screen better. “Whoa.”
“Yeah, where’s Dee?”
“She’s coming.” Dani pulled a chair over and sat next to the computer to read the message. Some of the code was still in a language that Dani didn’t understand, but she got the rest.
“Crown is no longer safe with me. Sorry for putting your friend in danger, but I couldn’t find where you were, and I needed to get it out of the country. Call when you can.”
Mrs. Snuggles
Dee gasped behind Dani. “So it wasn’t a mistake.”
Hunter shook his head. “No. They knew they were sending it to Dani. This Mrs. Snuggles person did their research for sending it. After the deciphering finished, I went back through Dani’s computer, and look. The employee records were one of the files that were hacked. And there were five specific people who were targeted. Bet you can’t guess who two of those people were.”
Dani felt the blood drain from her face. “That’s how they found Anna and me?”
“Most likely. Your addresses are in here along with your other information.” Hunter turned the screen so Ben could see it. “We need these other three people guarded as soon as possible, if they haven’t already disappeared.”
“These two don’t live here anymore. They haven’t for a while. I’m surprised their names are even in the computer.” Dani pointed at the last two names on the list. “One moved to Texas for a job there, and the other is in Idaho with family.”
Ben wrote them down and pulled out his phone. “I need any other information on them that you can find. Hey, Xander? We found some things you’re going to want to check out.”
He stood and left the room listing off the names on his paper. Dee followed him on her phone. Dani glanced over at Hunter. This was the first time she’d been alone with him since Xander showed up.
“What are you thinking right now?” Dani couldn’t meet his eyes.
“I’m thinking this is way cooler than what I’d planned to do with my skills once I graduated.” Hunter grinned, his eyes dancing. “How can you stay out of all of this? If my friends had asked me, I would have jumped right in
.”
Dani smirked. “Technically that’s how it happened.”
Hunter laughed. “I guess you’re right. But seriously. With your love of architecture and stuff, I’m surprised you didn’t want to be part of the team.”
“They’re different, though. I want to travel the world to sightsee. That’s not what they’re doing.”
“Well, that’s what I do most of the time.” Dee held up her phone. “My camera is full of pictures from everywhere I’ve gone.”
Dani raised an eyebrow. “Let’s take our trip from New York last year, shall we? I had to stay here to work so you went before me. You were chased, shot at, and you had to escape on a jetpack.”
“Yes, well . . . it’s not always that . . . exciting.” Dee stood. “Better go get the food in the oven.”
Hunter’s mouth hung open. “They got to use a jetpack?”
Ben laughed. “It’s not always that exciting. Most of it is research. Your job would be making sure Dee or Carlie stay out of trouble. And believe me, that’s harder than you’d think.”
“He’s not kidding.” Dani tapped Dee’s phone. “Most of those pictures were taken while she was hiding from whatever crime boss was in that country.”
“And you just let her do this?” Hunter asked, gaping at Ben.
Ben froze and Dani snickered.
“You don’t let her do anything. Carlie started this whole thing. Gathered the team, planned out the logistics, everything. When she was kidnapped, Dee didn’t hesitate to go save her. It’s who she is. Ben does his to best to keep her safe, but Dee makes her own choices.”
Hunter held up his hands. “Whoa, whoa. I’m not saying she can’t do it. I’m not saying he shouldn’t want her to do it. I’m just surprised is all. I mean, I’d be scared out of my mind if I knew you were out there in danger.”
Nice save, but it still bothered her that he’d even said anything. Dani stood and went to the kitchen to check on the food. Does he let her? How pig-headed could he be?
“Give him a break, Dani. He just got pulled into this mess.” Dee spread peanut butter on a piece of celery.
“Did you hear what he just said, though?” Dani’s voice was higher pitched than she’d expected, but she was upset.
Dee sighed. “He didn’t mean it that way.”
“Sure he didn’t.” Dani took the orange juice out of the fridge and grabbed some glasses. “How long till dinner is done, do you think?”
“Well, it has to get through about five layers, so I’d say another ten minutes or so.” Dee grabbed Dani by the shoulders. “You already told Carlie and I that you would trust him with your life. Trust that he didn’t mean anything by what he said.”
Dani sighed. “I know.”
“I’ll take the plates out. I think I saw lettuce in the fridge. We could do a salad or something.”
Wow, Xander had done more shopping than Dani had planned. She allowed her mind to wander as she cleaned the lettuce and put together a small salad for everyone. Hunter had seemed pretty excited to help out, but Dani wasn’t so sure he realized what he was getting himself into. Not really.
And Anna. Poor Anna. She must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dani hoped the others were safe. Something bugged her about the computer program, though. If this Mrs. Snuggles person was trying to save the crown, why would Anna and the others be in danger? Dani wiped her hands and took the bowl out to the table.
“Hey, Hunter? How many times did you say the computer was hacked into?”
“Twice that I saw. Why?” Hunter turned to the computer. “Right. Those two I found were just over the last couple of days—and after you had the crown delivered.”
“Yes, so we need to go farther back. I mean, the package shipped from England, right?”
Ben nodded. “From what we can tell, yes. While you look through that, I’m going to figure out the contact information for this woman. Hopefully we can find more than just the type of food her cat likes to eat.”
Dani bit her lip as she waited for Hunter to search through the records. She’d only been managing for a while and her computer had already been hacked more than once. Once Hunter was done searching the computer, she was going to use every form of security possible for the computer, and then make sure employee records were in a completely different place.
When she couldn’t take the silence anymore, she left the room and went to check on the food. The casserole was done so she pulled it out of the oven. She just hoped it tasted as good as it smelled. This was the first time she’d done this for Hunter.
She took it into where the guys sat at the table. They’d cleared space for the food, and Dee was setting out forks and cups.
“Now, don’t judge all of our cooking by what you’re about to eat. We take no responsibility for how it tastes. Well, except for the fact that we’re the ones who made it.”
“That’s not generally something you want to say to your dinner guests.” Hunter laughed and picked up the spatula.
Dee grinned. “Yes, well, this concoction deserves a disclaimer beforehand.”
Dani sat next to Hunter and waited for Dee to scoop out their food before trying a bite. It wasn’t the worst combination they’d had, but some of the flavors clashed just a little.
“Is that sauerkraut?” Hunter coughed and laughed at the same time. “And what’s this?”
“I think that’s rice with water chestnuts in it. I tried to hide the sauerkraut from Dee, but she must have found it.” Dani took another bite and got another mix of flavors. “Mmm I got more of the mashed potatoes this time.”
Hunter raised his eyebrows. “Okay, you two are going to have to explain.”
“It’s our specialty. When we were roommates and we couldn’t decide what to eat, we’d just take all the leftovers from the fridge and mix it together. Sometimes we added a few extra ingredients—like the sauerkraut—just to add some excitement.”
“Well, I have to say it’s a good mix of the vilest and rather delicious meals I’ve had, well, ever.” Ben took another bite before pushing it away. “Raisins? Really?”
Dee laughed. “I couldn’t help it.”
Hunter finished what was on his plate. “How’d you get lucky enough to find raisins in yours?”
“I have a feeling they were added just for me.” Ben shot Dee a glare, then laughed. “She knows I hate them.”
“You know I love you.” Dee stood and kissed him on the cheek before taking their plates into the kitchen.
Dani picked up Hunter’s plate and followed Dee. “Sorry we didn’t do much wedding planning.”
“Eh, it’s okay. I don’t want it to be big anyway.” Dee set the dishes in the sink.
“Seriously?” Dani had seen Dee’s big book of wedding plans more than once and her plans were anything but small. “When did that change?”
Dee shrugged. “After the last few trips, I realized that I never sit still long enough to plan the huge wedding that may or may not be crashed by some big event.”
“Well, you guys are the ones who plan the trips, right? Let’s set aside some time, and you can go looking for the scepter after that.” Dani knew it didn’t work like that, but she could dream. Her two best friends were now married or getting married and she wasn’t any closer. She wasn’t even dating anyone.
“Since that worked so well in New York.” Dee leaned against the counter. “We’ll figure something out.”
“And it will be amazing.” Dani hugged her best friend. “Now, I think we need some ice cream.”
It took Dani a few seconds to figure out what woke her up. There it was again. The rattling of her doorknob. She grabbed for something to use as a weapon and came up with a shoe. She threw that and grabbed her baseball bat from the corner.
Everyone had left around midnight with the promise that they’d be back first thing the next morning. Dani squinted at the clock. Four in the morning. They were taking their jobs a little too seriously.
She checked all t
he latches to make sure they were locked, then peeked through the peephole. Whoever was out there was doing their best not to be seen. The lights were off in the hallway and except for the rattle of the knob, there was no movement.
Dani slid down the door and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her guards should have been there to make sure this didn’t happen. And where was Hunter? True, he’d spent the entire day with her and kept her safe. But now was when she really needed the help.
She tiptoed back to her room, keeping hold of the bat. They wouldn’t be getting through those latches any time soon, but she needed to let Xander know something was up. She picked her phone, her fingers brushing up against a small box. The remote from Xander.
She used her flashlight on her phone to see the remote and pushed the large button. Nothing happened. She pushed again and frowned. Maybe he’d installed it wrong. She turned off the flashlight, then sent a quick text to Hunter.
*SOS* Someone is trying to get into my apartment.
She then copied the same message to Dee and Carlie, hoping someone would do something. Dee responded quickly.
Don’t move. We’re getting it checked out.
Dani rolled her eyes. Yes, because she was going to open the door and invite the intruder in for tea. She left her room again and went for the gun in her kitchen. It wasn’t until she had it in her hand that she realize the noise had stopped. Either they gave up, or they found another way in.
Her phone ran with a number she didn’t recognize. She hesitated before answering it. “Hello?”
“Danielle?” The woman’s voice wasn’t one Dani recognized.
“It’s Dani.” Dani made a face. Why not correct the person who could be plotting her murder right now? “Who is this?”
There was a pause. “I can’t tell you that. But what I can tell you is that I’m in danger.”
Dani froze. “What do you mean?”
“If you could just let me in, I can explain.”
Dani held the phone out to stare at it before answering. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”