Fountain of Secrets (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  “Hey there.”

  Kendall looked up, surprised to see her good-looking neighbor standing on the sidewalk in front of her. “Todd. You startled me.”

  “You look like you’re in a hurry.”

  Kendall pressed her purse closer to her side. “I’ve got some work I need to catch up on.”

  “You haven’t been around lately.”

  “I was traveling… for work.”

  “So, no fun?”

  Hmmm. Ghosts, killer statues, a deadly race with a madman to find the Spear of Destiny. “Just the usual.”

  “What’d you say you did again?”

  She’d told Todd as little as possible about her job. She hadn’t known him long, and Nathan had strict confidentiality clauses for his employees. “I catalog antiques for a private collector.” That was the public version.

  “Antiques are cool. Maybe I could see his collection sometime.”

  When hell froze over. “He’s not very social. Kind of a recluse.”

  “Old geezer, huh?”

  “Right. What’re you doing?”

  “Looking for you. How about that rain check? You promised you’d make up for our interrupted date.”

  “Oh, the date.” That seemed like eons ago, not days. “Sure. Let me check my schedule and I’ll get back to you.”

  “Don’t take too long. I’ve missed you.” He gave her a sexy smile. He was a handsome devil with dark hair and eyes so dark blue they looked black. She couldn’t help the quick mental comparison to Jake and Nathan, and wondered with disgust why all of a sudden she was drowning in handsome men. She’d learned the hard way—romance never worked out for her.

  “How about next week?”

  Todd gave her a long, promising look. “How about this weekend?”

  “This weekend. That might work. I’ll check my schedule.” She smiled and hurried toward her door. If the SUV was one of Nathan’s guards, he would want to know all about Todd. Knowing Nathan, he probably already knew what hospital Todd was born in.

  Todd was still watching as she closed her door. She locked up and rushed to the kitchen table. Sliding onto a chair, she opened her bag and pulled out the leather pouch. Carefully, she removed the crosses and laid them on the table. All three were similar, but there were slight differences. She picked up Raphael’s and ran her fingers over the worn silver. She felt something building and closed her eyes in anticipation. She wasn’t expecting the roar. She jumped, and the cross flew out of her hands. She reached for it, but another hand got there first. A sexy, male hand with a scar at the base of the thumb.

  “Stealing from the boss?”

  Kendall stood, pulse racing. Jake held the cross in his fingers, the rest of him looking just as sexy, even with that sullen jaw. He was still pissed at her because of this morning. “How did you get in here?”

  “It wasn’t easy. Nathan has you locked up tighter than some of his treasures.” His gaze swept the room. “Cozy place. I could get used to this.”

  “Don’t.” She reached for the cross, but he pulled back.

  “Does Nathan know you have these?”

  “I’m studying them.”

  “Guess that’s a no.”

  “I didn’t mean to take them from the mansion. I forgot they were in my pocket. And I’m going to return them. I just wanted to study them in private,” she said, emphasizing the word private.

  “Who were you talking to?”

  “Todd. My neighbor.”

  “Todd.” Jake made a grunting sound. “Where’s he live?”

  “The apartment across from mine.”

  Grunt again. “He looked friendly.”

  “He is.”

  “How friendly?”

  Kendall shook her head. “You break into my apartment and you’re grilling me about my neighbors?”

  “I don’t like him.”

  “You don’t know him. Did you make a noise a few minutes ago?”

  “Like a burp?”

  “Like a roar.”

  “No.”

  “I could have sworn…”

  “What kind of roar? Tarzan? Bigfoot?”

  “Bigfoot.”

  “I’ve seen ghosts and electric statues, why not a Sasquatch? Next we’ll have unicorns and elves.”

  “I must have imagined it.” Had she also imagined it last night?

  “Another one of your feelings?”

  “Maybe. Give me the cross?”

  He pulled it back. “What’s in it for me?” His expression didn’t have that carefree Jake look. Definitely still pissed.

  “You get to keep your private parts intact.”

  He scowled and handed her the cross. “There’s really nothing between you and Nathan?”

  “I told you no. I went to his study and heard a noise. I thought he was choking. He was dreaming, I guess. His eyes were changing.”

  “And you went inside? What if he’d hurt you?”

  “He’s not dangerous.”

  “Conjure up the guys he’s killed and tell them.”

  “That was self-defense. And he was protecting us.”

  “So now he’s a superhero?” Jake grunted. “Then why have you been avoiding me?”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Busy, my ass.”

  “I’ve been sitting with Marco as much as I can.” The old man had been unconscious most of the time, only waking for a minute or two at a time.

  “You know what I think?” His eyes were steady, maybe even hopeful.

  “What do you think?”

  “That you’re afraid.”

  “Of you? Ha!”

  “Of yourself.” Jake moved closer, not stopping until he was so close she could feel his body. “You’re afraid you’ll lose control and slip into my bed.”

  She rolled her eyes and backed away so he couldn’t sense her pulse quicken.

  He closed the gap between them and lowered his head until his face was just inches away. Steel-gray eyes stared into hers, making her stomach flip. “Admit it. You miss having me in your bed.”

  She took another step back and put her hand on his chest to keep him away. He put his hand over hers, trapping it over his heart. She could feel it beating against her fingertips. “I have no idea why you think I’m avoiding you.”

  “You run away whenever you see me coming.”

  “Nonsense.”

  “Last night you darted into your bedroom the minute you saw me.”

  “It was late. I was going to bed.”

  “And when I saw you in the kitchen earlier that evening, you ran off like you’d seen a mouse. Guess you weren’t avoiding me then either?”

  “I had finished eating.”

  “You threw a whole slice of cake in the trash.”

  “I decided I didn’t need the calories. I’m watching my weight.”

  One brow lifted, and his dark gaze raked her head to toe. “Like hell. You’re perfect.” He looked disgusted with himself and turned away. He walked to the refrigerator and opened the door, critically eyeing the contents. “You need to go shopping. You’ve got crap for food and you’re out of Coke.”

  “I had three cans when I left.”

  “Not anymore.”

  Kendall shut the door. “What are you doing here besides drinking my sodas? Did Nathan send you to spy on me?”

  “He doesn’t need me. He’s watching you twenty-four/seven.”

  “The black SUV? I figured it was one of his guards.”

  “I don’t know about that, but he has a camera on you.”

  “A camera? Where?”

  “On the building facing you.”

  Kendall went to the window and looked through her wooden blinds. Todd’s curtains were open. She saw a movement at his window, as if someone had stepped out of sight. Had he been watching her apartment? She looked at the box on the corner. “I thought that was some kind of cable box.”

  “Nope. Camera,” Jake said, inspecting her cabinets.

  She wasn’t r
eally surprised. Nathan kept a tight net on his employees. “So you came to tell me that Nathan’s watching me and to find food?”

  “I came to tell you we’re going back to Italy.”

  “We just got home two days ago.”

  “Nathan called me right after we left his bedroom. He has a team at the castle to keep intruders out, but he wants us there to make sure no one gets nosey and finds the treasure. Guess he’s afraid someone might decide to take a souvenir.”

  Considering the objects they’d found hidden underneath the chapel, it would be tempting. “When are we leaving?”

  “He said soon. You can follow me. My house is on the way. I need to pick up a couple of things before we leave.”

  “You have a house?”

  “Did you think I lived in a cave?”

  “I wouldn’t have been surprised.” She hadn’t realized he lived in Charlottesville. “I can just meet you at the mansion.”

  “I’d rather keep you in sight.”

  “Why?”

  Jake looked out the window toward Todd’s apartment. “Nathan never should have let you come here alone. I don’t know where his head is.” He started to leave the room.

  “Nathan doesn’t control me. Where are you going now?” Surely he wasn’t planning to help her pack. Having Fergus’s help was bad enough. She didn’t want more males pawing her underthings.

  “I need to use the little boys’ room before we leave.”

  Kendall gave him a quick glance from worn jeans hugging muscular hips and thighs to his soft button-up Levi’s shirt with rolled-up sleeves revealing muscular forearms. He’d long since outgrown little boy. “You shouldn’t have drunk all my soda.”

  “It’s here or in your yard. I promise I won’t take a dump.”

  Kendall rolled her eyes. “Hurry.” While he was in the bathroom, she threw some clothes in a bag. After a few months working with Nathan, Kendall was proficient at packing. She looked at the box holding the camera as they walked outside to her car. Was Nathan concerned for her or just protecting his interests? From the corner of her eye she saw something move in Todd’s window again. If he was watching, maybe he would think Jake was a brother. Not likely. No one would look at Jake and think brother. He was too hot.

  “I’m there,” Jake said, pointing to his Jeep parked on a side street. She hadn’t noticed it when she pulled in.

  Kendall followed him across town to an older section with restored homes. He pulled up in front of a brick colonial with black shutters. It even had the white picket fence. Of course the fence was eight feet tall, so all she could really see was the second floor, but the house was obviously beautiful. She pulled up behind him and waited as he got out of his Jeep. He walked back to her car and opened the door. “You coming in?”

  “Uh, sure.” She had to admit she was curious to see what the inside looked like. “I didn’t see you living in a house like this. It looks like one of those historical homes that would be on a walking tour.”

  He shrugged as he led Kendall up the sidewalk. “It was my grandmother’s.”

  She hadn’t pictured him with a grandmother either. When she was growing up, she’d always wished she had a grandmother. And a mother. She had adored her father, but she’d always wondered about the woman who’d given life to her. Who was she? What was she like? There was only one picture, a small one, not very clear. Her father said the others had been lost in a fire. Kendall hadn’t asked many questions since it seemed to trouble her father to talk about it. Her aunt said something once that made Kendall suspect her parents hadn’t been married.

  “How long have you lived here?”

  “A few months. She left it to me last year when she died.”

  “Sorry.” She didn’t have a grandmother to lose, but she couldn’t imagine losing Aunt Edna.

  “I’d planned to rent it out, but after I started working for Nathan, it made sense to have a place nearby.”

  “The yard is lovely.” There were boxwoods and shrubs, very well cared for.

  “Can’t take credit for that. I’m hardly here.”

  She knew that feeling. The house was lovely, but she could see signs of Jake. The lock on the gate, the tall fence, the security system.

  He opened the door and let her inside. “I just need to grab a few things. Won’t be a minute. Make yourself at home.”

  No invitation to come upstairs? Maybe ignoring him was working. “Take your time.” She wondered if his bedroom matched the badass mercenary or the grandson. After he disappeared, she gave herself a tour of the downstairs. It had been carefully restored. Hardwood floors and trim looked old but well maintained. The kitchen was clean, large, and had an island in the middle of the room with copper pots and pans hanging overhead. Did he cook too? The dining room was uncluttered and had a wooden table large enough to fit a big family. On one wall, an antique china cabinet—probably early nineteenth century—held Wedgwood china and Waterford crystal glasses.

  The living room looked more like Jake. Oversized leather furniture with a blanket tossed over the back of the couch. Solid wood coffee and side tables. A Coke can sat on one next to a pizza box. Her fingers itched to touch things, to see what she could pick up on him, but it wouldn’t be fair. She looked at the bookshelves and noticed that there were no pictures. Not of him or anyone else. She couldn’t imagine his grandmother not having pictures. Kendall’s aunt had pictures everywhere. Had he put them away? She explored more and found a laundry room, a study, and what appeared to be a guest bedroom. Back in the foyer, she glanced at the stairs. Where was he?

  A loud crash sounded upstairs. Kendall raced up the stairs. A door was open in the hall. Kendall looked in and saw Jake’s duffel bag open on the bed. The room was neat, but more masculine than the rest of the house. She got there in time to see Jake go out the window and drop down from the rooftop, landing on his feet in the backyard. He ran toward the fence.

  Kendall started to go after him, when she felt someone enter the room. She turned and saw a woman standing in the doorway, dressed in a long robe. She was beautiful, blond haired. There was dirt on her face and hands, as if she had been gardening. The woman stared at Kendall, not speaking. Kendall was equally shocked. She knew Jake’s flirting was mostly a front to distract her, but she was surprised—and disappointed—that he had tried to get her in bed when he obviously had a… what? Wife? Girlfriend? She must be wondering what Kendall was doing in Jake’s bedroom.

  Before either of them regained their voice, Kendall heard a yell outside. A sense of danger hit her hard. She ran to the window and saw Jake go over the top of the fence. “We have to help him.” She raced from the room and down the stairs to the back door she’d seen on her tour. She ran across the yard. “Jake?”

  A moment later, Jake’s head appeared on the opposite side of the tall white fence. He climbed to the top and dropped over. “Bastard got away.”

  “Who was it?” Kendall asked, finding her voice. She was still in shock that Jake had a gorgeous woman in his house and hadn’t bothered to mention her.

  “Don’t know. He was watching the house from the trees. He got away before I could get close enough to see his face.” Jake looked angry. One sleeve of his T-shirt was torn and there was a rip in his jeans.

  “Should you call the police?”

  “No. I doubt they’d find anything.”

  “You think it was a burglar?” Kendall asked.

  “I doubt it. More likely someone I’ve pissed off.”

  “Have you pissed off a lot of people?”

  “In my line of work, you make a few enemies. You go inside,” Jake said. “I want to look around for prints, just in case.”

  “What about… Who’s the… I’ll just wait in the car,” Kendall said. It would be awkward waiting inside with the woman. The first time Kendall met Jake, when Nathan summoned them to the mansion to tell them they were going to Italy, she was almost certain Jake had been with a woman. The one upstairs?

  “No. You’
re not sitting out in the car alone. Go in the house. I won’t be long.”

  Kendall was too rattled to argue. She went inside but didn’t see the woman. She must be showering or getting dressed. She had looked dirty. Kendall sat on a chair, her head spinning with confusion. Jake had come on to her fifteen minutes ago. He was coming on to her constantly. If Nathan hadn’t interrupted them at the inn in Italy, she and Jake wouldn’t have stopped at a kiss. But she had no claims on him; nor did he have any claims on her. The front door opened and Jake stepped inside. “Did you find anything?” Kendall asked.

  “Nothing useful. Let me grab my clothes and we’ll go.” Still no mention of the woman. A minute later, he appeared in the living room, duffel in hand. He’d changed into a pair of camo pants and a T-shirt, but there was no woman waiting to be introduced. “You live here alone?”

  “Yep.”

  So the woman didn’t live here, but it was obnoxious for him to come on to Kendall at her apartment while he had another woman in the house. Even if she was someone he picked up in a bar after sneaking out of the mansion last night. Of course he wouldn’t know that Kendall had been upstairs and seen the woman. She was a little peeved that his attraction to her was obviously nothing more than just a thing for blondes.

  “Ready?”

  “You’re just going to leave her here after someone broke into your house?”

  He frowned. “Leave who here?”

  “The woman?”

  His brows did a strange tilt. “What woman?”

  “The woman upstairs. Who was she? Girlfriend? Hooker?”

  “Hooker? What the hell have you been smoking?”

  “Stop playing dumb. I saw her in your bedroom. Did you pick her up in a bar?” Kendall shrugged her shoulders. “Not that it matters. I’m just curious.”

  “I was starting to think you were sane until now. There’s no woman in my house, other than you.”

  “Yes there is.”

  He stared at her for several seconds. “You’re serious?”

  Kendall was the one frowning now. “Yes. She was upstairs.”

  “Hell.” Jake bounded up the stairs. He searched the whole house, but the woman wasn’t there. “She must have been working with the guy out back. A lookout.” He picked up his phone and made arrangements for someone named Clint to come to his house and handle things.