by Anna Hackett
She cocked her head. She detected something in his voice. “Do you believe in love, Grayson?”
“Jonah.” He paused. “Do you?”
God, his gaze was like a laser shining right inside her. “Love is a strategic weakness. In my business, loving someone is a risk. It paints a target on someone, and creates a weak spot.”
She’d seen plenty of CIA agents who’d had their loved ones put at risk, or worse, injured and killed.
She’d grown up fatherless because of the consequences of someone in her business falling in love. Her mother’s enemies had come after Brent Fletcher and her father had died a bloody death. Evan knew her mother had never quite forgiven herself and never fallen in love again.
“I agree.” Jonah swiveled, his legs brushing hers. He leaned closer.
“Besides,” she continued, “I’ve never met the right one, either.” The one worth taking the risk for.
Their gazes meshed. Her heart was beating a thousand times a minute. He was so close, and she felt hot all over.
They both knew better than this. They both could weigh the pros and cons of getting involved.
She had no idea who moved, but suddenly she was off the stool and her mouth was pressed against his.
Jonah deepened the kiss, his hands on her ass as she straddled him. His tongue touched hers. Shit. So damn good.
Her hands slid into his silky, black hair. He tasted like a fine, expensive wine. She kissed him deeper, swallowed his growl.
“Fuck,” he muttered against her lips.
“Sounds about right.” She kissed him again because she had to, needed it. She sank her teeth into his bottom lip.
The laptop beside them chimed, and they broke apart. Evan blinked, trying to clear her head.
She felt Jonah’s hand squeeze her ass, then he set her on her feet. “Is your side all right?”
She blinked. “My side?”
His lips quirked. “Never mind.”
She tried to focus on the laptop. She stiffened. “God, my wraith found something.” She dragged the laptop closer, tapping on the keyboard. She tried not to get distracted by the feel and smell of Jonah so close. Desire was alive in her belly.
Then she read the screen. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Jonah crowded closer.
She turned her head and met his gaze. “Brennan isn’t after one artifact, he’s after two.”
Jonah’s brow creased. “Go on.”
“In order to get to the one he calls Leo, he needs a second artifact. It’ll lead the way to Leo.” She dragged in a breath. “He needs a carved stone statue of the god Horus depicted as a falcon wearing an Egyptian crown. An artifact locked in your warehouse at Area 52.”
The next morning, Jonah boarded a jet to Area 52 that was sitting on the tarmac right outside the Bunker.
Evan walked ahead of him, dressed in black jeans and a black shirt. Her red hair gleamed in the morning light, pulled back in a ponytail. Her face was unreadable.
When they’d arrived here and exited his car, she’d put that blank “agent” face on.
Last night, he’d seen glimpses of the real Evan Fletcher. He wanted to see more of her.
He released a slow breath. He’d barely slept a wink last night, knowing that she was one wall away, sleeping in his guest room. When he hadn’t been distracted by Evan, thoughts of this mysterious Leo artifact and the Horus artifact knocked around in his head. And how the hell Brennan thought he’d get the Horus artifact out of Area 52.
Inside the plane, the team was already seated. Heads lifted. Jonah had messaged them all the night before to give them an update, and to tell them that they were heading back to base this morning.
He saw Evan’s spine stiffen and he pressed a hand to her lower back, directing her into a seat.
“Good morning,” he greeted his people. He got replies and chin lifts.
“I see you found our runaway guest,” Seth said.
Evan stood abruptly and spun to face them. “I did not go rogue. I am not a traitor. I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I’m not a danger to you.”
Silence filled the plane. Jonah’s chest tightened.
Then he heard footsteps bounding up the stairs. Blonde-haired Kinsey bounced inside, Smith right behind her like a giant shadow. The pair of them always made Jonah think of Beauty and the Beast. Smith rarely smiled, but he watched Kinsey flit around with hungry intensity. There was no doubting how the man felt about her.
Kinsey spotted Evan. “Oh, hi. You must be Evan. I’m Kinsey.” The blonde grabbed Evan’s hand and pumped it while the CIA agent eyed her like she was a foreign entity. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get to meet you yesterday. Smith and I were at our cabin in the mountains with our dog.” She jerked a thumb at Smith’s chest. “This pile of sweetness is the love of my life.”
Someone snickered. Smith’s face stayed inscrutable and far from sweet.
Evan blinked. “Ah…hi.”
Kinsey patted Evan’s arm and sat. Smith sat beside his woman.
“Sit down, CIA,” Lachlan said. “We aren’t going to jump you, or tie you up.”
Blair snorted. “We’ll leave that to the boss.”
Jonah looked at the ceiling. So much for disciplined, respectful team members.
Toward the back of the plane, Brooks raised his hand.
“We aren’t in school, Brooks,” Jonah growled.
His tech guy grinned. Today, his shirt had a picture of the bounty hunter Boba Fett on it, with the words “I don’t give a flying Fett” written beneath it. “I found some intel last night.” Brooks looked at Evan. “I can’t confirm it was Brennan, but the bank accounts in the Cayman Islands in your name, totally bogus. And the information on your supposed arms dealing is shoddy. It was put together fast, and is clearly fake.”
From across the aisle, Callie smiled at Evan. “Nice to know you can tell the truth.”
“Welcome to the team, CIA.” Axel shot her a sexy grin.
“And we’ll call you CIA until the end of time,” Seth said. “River still gets MI6.”
Blair raised a brow. “Doesn’t your wife call you 007, Lynch?”
Seth winked. “I like it.”
Jonah watched Evan carefully. There was something shifting in her eyes as she processed her welcome.
She was so alone, closed off, and wary. He wanted to pull her into his arms.
She finally nodded and sat. He sat beside her and grabbed her fingers, giving them a quick squeeze. She stilled but didn’t pull her hand away.
It was an uneventful and quick flight to the base. Jonah led her inside the giant, Area 52 hangar, and after they descended in the elevator, they were met by River and Natalie.
After kissing Axel, Natalie turned. “I’ve been up half the night pulling up everything we have on the Horus artifact, and searching for more information.”
Jonah nodded. “Let’s meet in the rec room.”
They all moved inside the large room. A sleek kitchenette lined one wall, and black tables and chairs dotted the space.
After grabbing coffees and energy drinks, they all sat around the tables. Ty arrived, and River introduced the tall African-American scientist to Evan. The pair shook hands.
Then Arlo stomped in, wearing black fatigues. His hard stare landed on Evan.
She lifted her chin. “Problem?”
“Want to know how you got into our base,” the older man grumbled. “No one is getting any of my artifacts, so I need to know how to improve security.”
Evan raised a brow. “Your artifacts?”
Arlo crossed his brawny arms over his chest. “Yeah. I look after them, so they’re mine.”
She gave a slow nod. “There are a few places where you can tighten security. I can tell you that if I was a pound heavier, I wouldn’t have been able to squeeze in.” She glanced at Jonah. “Brennan will use every resource he has to get what he wants.”
“And what he wants is this.” Nat held up a tablet.
&
nbsp; The image displayed a beautiful, carved falcon, wings tucked to its sides, wearing a large crown topped with a flat circle, that was inscribed with a second falcon with its wings spread.
“What does it do?” Lachlan asked.
“As far as we know, nothing.” Nat shrugged. “It was collected on an old mission in Egypt, with several other artifacts. One of which was a power generation device. This was deemed of little interest.”
Evan tapped her fingers on the table. “There must be something important about it.”
Nat nodded. “I’m looking into it.”
“I can pull it out?” Arlo said.
“You’d make it less secure,” Jonah mused. “Might be just what Brennan wants.”
Arlo shrugged. “So, we’ll beef up security before we take it out.”
“If Ty can scan it, that would be helpful,” Nat said. “For now, all I can tell you is that it is a Shemsu-Hor artifact.”
“Shemsu-who?” Evan asked.
“They were known as the Followers of Horus. A priesthood that thrived in Heliopolis for thousands of years.” Nat paused. “They were also known as keepers of ancient knowledge.”
Dammit. That didn’t sound good. Brennan knew something about this artifact.
They had to find out what. Fast.
Chapter Seven
She liked Brooks’ domain. Evan took in all the impossibly thin flat screens and his equally high-tech computers. He was absorbed running searches. Callie, Blair, and River stood to one side talking quietly. Jonah had gone to make some calls, and the rest of the guys were training in the gym.
“Tell me more about this wraith program of yours?” Brooks asked.
“It lies dormant,” Evan said. “It only activates when it needs to, so it’s not easily detected.”
Behind his glasses, Brooks’ eyes lit up. “Nice.”
Evan smiled. “I can give you the details.”
“That would be great. I’m running everything I can on Brennan.”
She frowned. “Be careful.”
“He won’t see me. I’m searching traffic cam footage and analyzing where he’s driven and visited. I’m looking for out-of-the-norm patterns.”
Shifting to look over his shoulder, Evan nodded. Looking at changes in patterns when Brennan thought no one was watching him. Brilliant.
Brooks spun his chair. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you, how did you get the boss-man’s secure line?”
The women all glanced over. Blair was in mid-bite of a cupcake, but her gaze sharpened as she listened.
“It’s been driving him crazy.” Callie reached out and ruffled her boyfriend’s hair.
Evan leaned back against the bench, crossing her ankles. “I actually have a wraith on your system too.”
“What?” Brooks shot straight up, like he’d been electrocuted. “No way. My security is the best.” He stared at her face.
She just raised a brow.
“How?” he demanded.
“I didn’t break your security. I’m piggybacking off your laptop. I slid inside your security. I have a microdot on your machine that taps into your system without triggering your security.”
His mouth dropped open. Frantically, he grabbed his laptop, lifting it to search all over.
Blair laughed, River grinned, and Callie shook her head. Evan took pity on the guy and swiveled the laptop around, then gently lifted the transparent dot off of the laptop lid with her fingernail.
“No way.” He met her gaze. “How did you get it on there?”
Evan hunched her shoulders a little, and shot him a shy smile. “Wow, that’s an amazing laptop. Can I take a look?”
“God,” he breathed. “Sarah the geek gamer in the Star Wars shirt at Eamon’s shop.”
Callie raised a brow. “Have you been flirting with geek girls?”
“What? No!” He wrapped a muscled, tattooed arm around Callie’s hips. “I only have eyes for you, baby.”
The pair kissed and it was pretty obvious that Brooks adored his girlfriend. Evan felt a burn under her heart and realized in shock that it was envy.
“So,” Brooks said. “If you can do this, Brennan could, too.” Brooks scowled, his gaze turning inward.
“Yes. Brennan can do just about anything. He has access to smart people doing cutting-edge stuff.”
“All right. Show me how to detect this.” Brooks held the tiny dot up on his finger. “And how to block it.”
Evan sat on a stool beside him, and they got to work. He was bright, smart, and funny, and she found that she actually enjoyed working with him.
Finally, Brooks looked up and blinked. “I need coffee.”
“I need to stretch my legs.” Evan rose, swiveling her stiff neck. The other women had disappeared over an hour ago.
And Evan wanted to see Jonah.
Pathetic.
She wandered out of Brooks’ computer room and down the hall. She passed Ty’s lab, and then the gym. Inside, she saw the Team 52 members sparring. Blair and Seth were going at it on the mats. The woman slammed her teammate to the floor. Shit, Blair was tough and strong. Evan would have to remember that if the woman ever challenged Evan to a bout.
She headed toward Jonah’s office and paused in the doorway. He was on the phone, but he glanced up at her.
Evan wandered in, past the aquarium filled with brightly colored fish. On the other wall, were a few shelves loaded with books. As he spoke, his deep voice washed over her.
Finally, he finished the call and glanced her way. He leaned back in his chair. “We’re back where we first met.”
“I promise not to tie you to your desk this time.” She walked closer.
“I dreamed about you last night.” He rose from his desk chair.
Her mouth went dry. “Jonah—”
“I imagined you in my bed.” He pressed her against the desk.
“We both know relationships are risky,” she said. “Letting people in…”
He ran his nose along hers.
Evan trembled. She never trembled. Never let desire get out of her control. “This is a bad idea. It goes against everything we’ve been taught.”
But with him, need eclipsed everything else.
She turned her head and bit his lip. He made a hungry sound.
“You finished with the lecture?” he asked.
“We’ve both lost our sanity.”
“Maybe, but we can be crazy together.”
She slid her arms around his shoulders and stopped thinking. Thinking just reminded her that this was reckless, dangerous.
She wanted to feel.
She wanted him.
His mouth was on hers—hungry, possessive, but with a patience that beguiled. He was a man who’d take his time. Who’d do everything very well.
Jonah’s hands skimmed up her body, one molding over her breast. She moaned into his mouth, feeling a growing dampness between her legs. Those clever, skilled pilot hands knew what they were doing.
He drew back, caressed her cheek. Her pulse jumped, unprepared for the unfamiliar sensations rolling through her.
“Jonah…”
“The way you say my name, it drives me crazy, but there’s a hint of fear in your eyes.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“No, just of the way I make you feel.”
“Boss-man, I… Whoops.” Brooks stood in the doorway, grinning at them.
Jonah gave Evan one last look, then stepped back. “What is it, Brooks?”
“We might’ve found something.”
“Get everyone together.” Jonah’s gaze dropped back to Evan.
She sucked in a breath, trying to control the desire roaring inside her.
He ran his finger down her nose. “We’ll return to this later.”
“Jonah—”
He just took her hand and tugged her out of his office.
They all crowded into the computer room. The team was all freshly showered and dressed. Evan let her gaze run over them. Th
ey were all fit, muscular, and attractive in different ways. Lachlan was all in-charge ruggedness. Seth was leaner and meaner. Smith was all big, mountain man. Axel was the handsome charmer. Ty the smart, dark-skinned, broad-shouldered hunk. And Brooks, the hot geek.
Objectively, she could see that they were all good-looking men, but she seemed to be only affected by Jonah. She looked at him and the way his suit pants fit him perfectly. His white shirt against his bronze skin.
She blew out a breath and tried to focus on what Brooks was saying.
“I found pictures of Brennan meeting this man.”
A thin man with a head of blond, curly hair. He was probably in his late twenties.
Evan frowned. “I noted him in my surveillance. I dug a little. Unemployed, worked at some church.”
“Not a church exactly.” Brooks tapped his tablet. “His name is Hugh Sprouse. He worked at ARE. The Association for Research and Enlightenment. It was created by a man called Edgar Cayce.”
Jonah straightened.
Evan frowned. That clearly meant something to him. “Who’s Cayce?”
It was Jonah who answered. “Edgar Cayce lived until 1945. He was known as the Sleeping Prophet.” Jonah’s green gaze was like a laser. “He was a clairvoyant whose readings and predictions included extensive information about Atlantis. The main goals of ARE are to explore ancient mysteries and uncover Atlantis’ Hall of Records. A fabulous repository of knowledge the residents of the doomed civilization created before they were destroyed.”
Jonah felt that tingle—his instincts said they were onto something. ARE spent a lot of time and resources trying to find the mythical Atlantis.
“Atlantis?” Evan said.
“Atlantis never existed,” Nat said, “but numerous advanced civilizations did. Atlantis is just an amalgamation of the myths and legends from all those destroyed cultures.” The archeologist’s eyes lit up. “Cayce believed he was channeling information from people who lived on a landmass that stretched from Mexico to Gibraltar. ARE believe that there aren’t just one, but three Halls of Records,” Nat said. “One in Bimini.”
“Bimini?” Evan said. “In the Bahamas?”
“Yes. The theory being the islands are remnants of the destroyed Atlantean landmass. ARE has funded numerous dives to the Bimini Road. Large rock formations under the sea, that some say are natural formations, while others believe they are man-made.”