by Jaclyn Hardy
Dani nodded and waited for him to leave before rushing to Hunter’s door. He sighed with relief when he saw her.
“The maid told me you were sick. Are you okay?”
“If you mean, locked inside a room with nothing to do, then sure, I was sick.” Dani sighed. “What about you? Figure anything out?”
Hunter shook his head. “I couldn’t get internet access.”
“Xander said he’d fix that.” Dani stepped closer until they were inches apart. “I think we need to get out of here. Sooner rather than later.”
He stared in her eyes before stepping back and looking away. “I think you’re right. Even if everyone is who they say they are, something isn’t adding up.”
“What about Xander?” Dani sat on the small couch in the corner.
Hunter hesitated before sitting next to her. “I still don’t know what to think.”
Dani leaned her head against his shoulder. “What bothers me most is that we were separated from everyone else.”
“That’s bad enough. But I’m worried about that fact that we haven’t seen the crown since we left the apartment. We don’t even know for sure that Xander has it in his possession.”
Dani sat up straight. “That would be so bad. Elayne trusted me with it. Me. And I totally failed her.”
Hunter placed a hand on her back. “Hey, it wasn’t you. We’ll get it back.”
“It was me. That’s the problem.” Dani stood and wandered over to the windows. The lights glowed off the swimming pool below. There was no way to contact her friends from in here, but down there . . . “Know what I want to do right now? Go swimming.”
“What?” Hunter laughed. “It’s after midnight.”
Dani turned and grinned. “I know.”
“Meet you in the hallway in ten?”
She threw her arms around him, leaning close to his ear. “Bring your phone. This could be our one chance.”
He nodded, brushing against her cheek. A rush of pleasure ran through her, and she had to force herself to remember what she was supposed to be doing. She pulled away and walked to the door.
“See you in a minute.” She slipped back into her room and found her swimming suit—one of the staples that she always packed. She changed quickly and grabbed the robe in the bathroom. She slipped her phone inside the pocket and left the room. Hunter stood in the hallway with a towel around his neck wearing the same shorts he’d been wearing before.
“No suit?”
“Nope. It wasn’t on my list of things to take when escaping bad guys. Question is, why was it on yours?”
“Carlie always asks me the same thing. And now I can say it was to help save the day.” She headed for the stairs, but Hunter grabbed her hand.
He put his finger to his lips and pulled her the other way. “They’ll be watching that one. I found another way. He went into one of the other bedrooms and opened the window.
Dani raised an eyebrow. “We’re going out there? Do you have a jetpack hidden somewhere?”
“No, but there’s a ladder right here.” He climbed out and onto the ladder.
“What—how’d you know this was here?” Dani followed him onto the ladder and they climbed to the bottom. They had to jump the last few feet as it blended in with the ivy growing on the house.
Hunter pointed up at one of the rooms. “That’s my room right there. I noticed the ladder while I was looking for a way to escape. My guess is one of Mr. Carpenter’s kids must have put it there to sneak out at night.”
“How did they never notice it?” Dani took deep breaths to calm her heart. Heights were not her favorite thing.
“Come here.” He took several steps back and over to the side. “Look.”
Dani gasped. “It disappears.”
The ladder was the exact shade of white as the house and blended at the right angle. Too bad she never had the same thing at her house growing up. Dani opened the gate to the pool and walked in. It was much bigger than she’d anticipated.
She turned to face Hunter and jumped. He’d been right behind her. She pulled out her phone and stepped into the bushes surrounding the pool and grinned when she saw the bars on the phone. Finally.
She started a group text to make things go faster and sent a quick message about what was going on. Then she sent one to her parents apologizing for not calling. She wanted so much to talk to them, but didn’t know how much time she’d have.
Her phone buzzed. It was Carlie
What do you mean LA? You were supposed to meet us in Montana! We’ve been worried sick.
Dani frowned.
Xander said that place had been compromised. You’re still there?
Yes. What part of LA? We’re coming to find you.
No, stay there until I know what’s going on. We don’t know where the crown is, or what’s up with this Carpenter guy. It’s better if you stay away.
There was nothing for a moment. Dani peeked out of the bush to see where Hunter was and heard his voice. He was on the phone? They were supposed to be staying quiet. She crept out of her spot and went to find him.
“No, just . . . it’s okay. We’re fine. I’ll take care of it.” Hunter’s voice was low, but Dani could hear the desperation in it. “Yes, I’ll do it on Monday.”
Dani’s phone buzzed, but she ignored it for a moment. What was he going to do on Monday? She took another step forward.
“Yes, I know it’s worth a lot of money. Dad, listen. I can’t talk now. I’ll call you back later.”
Valuable? Dani’s heart beat rapidly. Hunter had been there when the crown arrived. He’d been there to find all those things on the computer. He . . . he wasn’t involved in this, was he?
Dani held in a sob and went back to the bushes.
Do a quick search on Hunter. Last name Johnson.
Why?
“Just do it. Gotta go.”
Dani turned off her phone and shoved it back into her robe. She stepped over to the water and climbed in. She needed time to think and swimming helped her do that. Hunter had been one of her best friends for the last year now. They’d done everything together. The fact that she was even suspecting him was ridiculous.
With every stroke through the water, her fear and paranoia turned to calm. That phone call had to be about something else. Hunter’s dad was pretty overbearing. She’d met him once or twice and was always relieved when he left again. It was nothing.
But she was going to have to be extra careful around him. Just in case. After ten laps, her legs and lungs were burning. She stopped to rest and caught Hunter sitting on one of the chairs next to the pool.
“What happened to swimming?” She pulled her hair back out of her face.
“I didn’t want to interrupt your laps with my doggy paddling.”
Dani laughed. “Come on. You do more than doggy paddle, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “Not really.”
“Come on. The water is nice.” She lay back in the water and paddled away. When she reached the other side, Hunter stood by the side of the pool with his shirt off. Her mouth went dry. He was more . . . built than she’d expected. Not over the top, but perfectly proportioned for his thin frame.
He dipped a toe into the water. “It’s a little cold.”
“You’ll get used to it. You can’t come out here to swim and not actually get in.” Dani patted the water.
“Fine.” He backed up and took a running start, doing a cannonball into the water.
Dani shrieked as the water hit her. When he came up, she was ready with a splash of her own. “That was very elegant.”
“Thanks, I learned from the best.” He grinned and closed the distance between them.
“Oh?”
“Yep, my little brother.” He leaned up against the side next to her. “Wanna race?”
Dani scooted over to give herself some room. “On your mark, get set, go.”
She took off before he had a chance to get ready. Hunter shouted from behind her, but she was
already several strokes ahead of him. Just as she was about to touch the other side, he grabbed her foot and pulled her back. She fought to get to the wall, but he’d already touched it.
“I win.” He shot her a smug grin.
“You totally cheated.” Dani stood to catch her breath.
Hunter raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t?”
Dani was suddenly very aware of how close they were standing. And as much as she worried about that phone call, and how much she insisted that they were just friends, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him right then.
Hunter reached up and brushed the hair out of her face and ran his thumb along her jawline. Her breath caught as he moved closer. She told herself to pull away, that it wasn’t right, but her lips didn’t obey. He leaned down to kiss her, and she met his lips with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and savored the feel of his body against hers. It was as if fireworks were going off all around them, celebrating the fact that they finally admitted their feelings.
No, those weren’t fireworks. Dani had to shield her eyes from the spotlights shining down on them. Xander, Mr. Carpenter, and a few others she didn’t recognize stood over them.
“Would you like to explain what you’re doing out here after midnight?” Mr. Carpenter asked.
“I’d been cooped up for two days. I needed a break.” Dani folded her arms to shield herself from them. “If you’d be so kind as to turn off the spotlights, that would be great.”
Mr. Carpenter waved his hand, and the lights went off. Dani blinked several times to adjust her eyes to the dark.
“Now, if you would be so kind as to vacate my swimming pool and go back inside where you’re safe, that would be great.”
Dani liked this guy. Even if he turned out to be the one behind all this mess. She waited for them to leave the gate before climbing out of the pool. Her robe was still where she left it, and thankfully her phone had been untouched. There were a few messages, but she’d wait until she got to her room to check them. Who knew where there were prying eyes out here.
Hunter toweled off and came over to where Dani stood. “Did they find it?”
“Nope.” Dani couldn’t look up at him. Things had changed, and she wasn’t sure what to think about it quite yet.
They walked in through the main doors this time and took the steps two at a time. When they got to the top, Dani stopped in front of Hunter’s door.
“Thanks for going swimming with me.” She finally met his eyes and saw the same desire that she felt. “What did we just do?”
“I don’t know, but I hope you liked it as much as I did.” He kissed the tip of her nose and opened his door. “We’d better get to bed before they decide to lock us up again.”
Dani nodded and took a step backward, running into a table. She steadied the vase sitting on it and blushed. “That could have been a lot smoother.”
“Yes, but this was more comical. Night, Dani.”
“Night, Hunter.” Dani went into her room and closed the door, then slid down it. That was not how she’d expected the night to go. She’d dreamt it plenty of times, but figured it would just stay in her dreams.
The buzzing of her phone made her jump. They must have fixed the signal in her room. She pulled it out and found a message from Dee.
From what we can see, he checks out. His parents are pretty well off, he went to a junior college before transferring, and he will inherit a lot of money someday.
Dani sighed with relief. Until she read the next bit.
Still no sign of Anna. Worried about her.
Dani’s face fell. If something had happened to Anna because of her . . . Keep looking, please. Anything else?
Nope. We’re not finding anything on this Carpenter guy. You’re sure that’s his real name?
That’s what Xander told us.
Weird. Okay. Keep your phone turned on. We can track you from here.
Dani sighed. Trying to tell them to stay away was impossible. Once they got something in their minds, they just did it. She typed back an Okay, let me know if anything changes and then set her phone on the table.
She changed and climbed into bed, ready for sleep to come. It had been a rather eventful couple of hours, and she had a lot to do the next morning. Her phone buzzed again. This time it was Hunter.
Good night. See you in the morning. Xoxo.
Dani replied and rolled over with a smile on her face. Maybe being stuck at a strange house a few hundred miles away from her apartment wasn’t so bad after all.
H unter pulled up the picture that his dad had sent him the night before and shook his head. It was impossible. He knew his dad was good, but he didn’t know he was this good. Hunter had sent him a picture of the crown to see if it was authentic, and his dad had latched onto the idea that both the crown and scepter could exist.
While his dad wasn’t in the same business as Carlie and Dee, he still had an interest in collecting items that belonged in a museum and not in a private collection. And now he’d found the scepter. Hunter debated telling Dani all of this, but he wanted to make sure everything was correct before he said anything. No reason to get her hopes up.
Of course, by Monday she’d know what was going on. Dad had suggested taking the picture of the crown Hunter had taken to an antique place. They’d possibly be able to help locate it, and if not, they’d help find it.
There was a knock at the door. He opened it to find Dani standing there with a smile on her face.
“Hey, can I come in?” Dani held up her phone. “I have news.”
Hunter backed up to let her inside, then closed the door. “What’s up?”
“The posse is on their way. They’re helping us get out of here.”
“Why?” Hunter asked, surprised.
Dani glanced at the door and stepped closer. “We weren’t supposed to come here. We were supposed to meet in Montana.”
“So that whole compromised thing?”
“A lie. They did a search on Carpenter but can’t find anything. Anyway, they’re going to track us from my phone.”
Hunter debated sharing what he’d found, but decided he’d better. “Before we go, there’s something you need to see.”
“What is it?”
They sat at the table and Hunter opened his laptop. “My dad’s favorite pastime is to find new items for his collection. I sent him a picture of the crown and mentioned your friends had been looking for this and for the scepter—”
“How’d you know about the scepter?” Dani frowned.
“Dee mentioned it when we were talking about Mrs. Snu—er, Elayne. Anyway, check it out.” He opened the email from his dad and clicked on the image.”
Dani gasped. “That’s it? Is he sure?”
“Many artifacts are labeled and insured. This one was stolen from the British Museum several decades ago, but the identification was never removed.” He closed that picture and opened the next. “Earlier this year, this man, Dieter Lutz, claimed he’d found it on a shipwreck his crew had pulled out of the ocean.”
Dani raised her eyebrows. “So, he has it?”
“No. Well, not yet. There was a problem with the licensing that supposedly allowed him to actually search the ship. It goes to auction next month. For a cool four million dollars.”
“Whoa.” Dani stared at the picture for a moment before responding. “Last night when you mentioned something being expensive. . .”
She’d heard? Hunter was sure she’d been talking to her friends at the time. He cleared his throat. “Dad wants it for himself. He’s willing to pay for it in full and wants me to be the one to buy it.”
“He knows Carlie wants it for the museum, right?”
Hunter nodded. “He doesn’t care. He knows he can afford it and the team can’t. I had to agree to help out, but now I have to figure out how to get out of it.”
Dani stood and paced the room. “So, we have this Carpenter guy, your dad, and Carlie going after this scepter.”
“And that’s only the people we know about.”
“What a mess.” Dani sat back down and grabbed his computer. She opened a document and typed out a list of people. Then below that, she typed in what had to be done before the auction. “So, we need to find Anna, the crown, get out of here and meet up with the others, and then get Carlie to Hungary to intercept the scepter auction.”
“Carlie? She can’t travel anymore can she?” Hunter scooted the laptop toward him. “Here’s what should happen. Carlie comes here to help find the crown, Dee heads to Hungary, and we find Anna.”
Dani burst out laughing. “You don’t know Carlie at all, do you? She’d have the baby tomorrow if it meant being able to go after that scepter. That necklace was her dad’s obsession that he passed on to her. Then at her wedding, he’d arranged to have a letter delivered telling her about this crown and scepter. When she couldn’t find anything out about them, she went after Cleopatra’s earrings. She’s not going to just sit back and let Dee go after it.”
Hunter drummed his fingers on the table. “When is she due again?”
“Any day now.”
“What—How? Then why was she in Europe? You’re not even supposed to travel in the last trimester.”
Dani sighed. “I know. That’s what we all told her. She was okay when she headed over there, but I have no clue how she managed to get back. I’m sure Ben or Braden had something to do with it. I wish she’d stayed there, actually. As happy as I was to see her, if she’d stayed, she’d be that much closer to Hungary.”
Hunter frowned. “Please don’t tell me she’s flying here now. That’s the last thing we need.”
“No, I think they’re driving. She gets excited about her plans, but even she’s smart enough to know when she’s pushed herself too hard.”
Yeah, right. Hunter chose not to say anything. Even if Carlie decided she was going to be the one to fly, that still left Dani to find Anna. She was the one who knew her the best, and it was probably better that way. She’d wanted to stay out of the mess and keep looking for Anna instead of charging off to Hungary was the way to do it.