by Anna Hackett
“Lachlan?” Blair appeared beside him, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Rowan’s missing.”
His team all looked around, going on alert.
The heavy thud of Lachlan’s own pulse filled his ears. Rowan was gone. And so was the artifact.
Chapter Nineteen
Rowan skirted around the empty hospital bed, keeping it between her and the scarred man she’d tangled with earlier.
He’d yanked her away while no one was looking, and pulled her into a room.
“Just hand over the device, Dr. Schafer.”
“Not going to happen,” she said.
Rowan edged closer to the window and glanced out. It was several stories to the ground below. She could probably climb out, but she was pretty sure Lachlan would lose his mind if she fell off another building.
The man edged closer and she grabbed some medical machine sitting nearby. As he came at her, she shoved the machine at him.
He batted it aside.
“The others will be here soon,” she said. “You have nowhere to go.”
“I’m used to moving quietly and making sure no one sees me. No one saw me grab you.”
“I’m not giving you the artifact.” She shook her head. “You know, I survived a terrible attack, I’ve fallen off buildings, I’ve been kidnapped multiple times, and I just realized that I’m loveable just as I am, and have a super-hot guy who I think has feelings for me. I am not letting you screw up my life!”
The man looked at her like she’d lost her mind, but took a step closer.
“Leave her alone.”
The tremulous voice came from a nearby bed. Rowan glanced over at the elderly woman glaring at the man. When he spun to look at the woman, Rowan lunged, kicking him.
She’d fight. Lachlan would come. She knew he would. She wasn’t alone anymore.
With a growl, the man charged at her. Rowan leaped over the empty bed.
But hands sank into the back of her shirt and yanked her back. She fell to the floor, kicking and screaming.
The man spun her around and she managed to kick him in the gut. When he staggered back, she scrambled up. But the second she turned to run, she felt a cord slip around her neck.
No. The cord pulled hard, driving her to her knees. She tried to grab hold of it, choking. It felt like an electrical cable from one of the medical machines.
Rowan coughed, trying to pull in air. The man reached around and grabbed the artifact out of her hand.
“Thank you for finding this marvelous piece of technology. I will ensure it finds its way into the hands of many people, who will make good use of it.” He laughed. “And pay me a lot of money. It should keep things interesting.”
Black splotches swam in Rowan’s vision. She was running out of air. No. It wasn’t fair. Right now, she realized that she was falling in love with Lachlan Hunter.
The boy who’d cared about her, was now a man who liked her just as she was. A man she knew she could love.
The door burst open and Lachlan ran in, his face hard.
He lifted his weapon, aiming it at the man holding her.
“No farther,” the man tugged her back. “I’ll kill her.”
“Rowan.”
She met Lachlan’s gaze, trusting him with everything she had. She dropped her head forward.
He didn’t hesitate. Bang.
The cord released and the man behind Rowan fell backward.
She tore the cord off and turned. The man was on one knee, one side of his face covered in blood. He shook his head, dazed. Lachlan’s bullet had grazed him.
With a roar, the man launched himself past Rowan and at Lachlan.
The men collided. Rowan gripped the nearby bed to stay upright. The fight was vicious, both grunting as they traded blows.
They crashed into a tray on wheels and it flew into the wall. The old lady in the bed cried out. The men punched and kicked. They spun, slamming into an empty bed, sending it sliding.
Then the Legion man grabbed something off a tray. He held the scalpel up, clearly abandoned by a fleeing nurse or doctor, and leaped at Lachlan. Rowan gasped. They crashed to the floor and out of her view.
She rubbed her neck, trying to pull more air into her lungs. Where were the rest of Team 52?
She looked over at the elderly lady. “Are you all right?”
Wide-eyed, the woman nodded before her gaze returned to the brutal fight on the floor.
Rowan needed to help Lachlan. She scanned the room and spotted an empty IV stand. She snatched it up like a bat and circled the bed.
The men were rolling around on the floor, getting in hits and kicks. The floor was smeared with blood, and she prayed it wasn’t Lachlan’s.
They separated for a second, and she had a clear shot. She whacked the Legion man in the gut. He howled.
“Take that, asshole.”
He launched at Lachlan again. Any time she could, she whacked the man with the stand.
Suddenly, the rest of Team 52 burst into the room.
“Hell.” Blair raced forward and waded into the fray.
Callie appeared beside Rowan. “You okay?” She gently pushed the IV stand back to the ground, her gaze on Rowan’s bruised neck.
Rowan nodded. She saw Seth and Smith yank the French man up. He was covered in blood, and one eye was swollen.
Rowan lunged forward and slammed her fist into the man’s gut.
He grunted and doubled over. She snatched the artifact out of his hand. “Asshole.”
“Easy.” Callie pulled her back.
Seth spun the man, yanked his hands behind his back, and marched him out of the room.
Rowan looked at Lachlan. Her chest locked. He wasn’t standing. He was still lying on the ground.
“Callie,” Blair snapped.
The medic rushed over.
No. No. No. Panic was like acid in Rowan’s veins. She scrambled over and dropped to her knees. “Lachlan?”
“Hold on there, chica.” Axel appeared, wrapping his arms around her from behind and holding her in place.
But she saw Lachlan.
He was sprawled on the floor, the scalpel stuck in the side of his neck. There was a pool of blood on the tiles, spreading out beneath him.
“No!” Rowan cried, sagging against Axel.
Despair swamped her, carving her out inside. She’d never had anything or anyone before, she couldn’t lose him.
Lachlan fought through the pain, gritting his teeth.
Callie tore his vest and shirt open. Then she yanked out the scalpel and Lachlan swallowed a groan. His medic pressed wadded cloth against the wound. “Missed the artery and luckily for you, hit some of the wiring for your prosthetic.”
Lachlan grunted.
“All easily fixed. You’re going to live a long and healthy life.” Callie grinned.
“No painkillers.”
“You’re such a freaking baby about needles.”
Lachlan heard Rowan scuffling with Axel.
“Chiquita, you try and kick me there again, my mama will be disappointed that she can’t have grandkids.”
“Let me go.” She wrenched free and dropped down beside him. “Lachlan.”
Her face was white. God, there were tears in her eyes.
“Please be okay.” She touched his cheek. “Please.”
There was a sharp sting as Callie slid a syringe into his arm. He grimaced. The sneaky woman.
“Lachlan.” Rowan’s face spasmed, clearly thinking his grimace was because of his injury. “Please don’t leave me.”
“Rowan—”
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “This might sound crazy…but I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Lachlan’s breath froze in his chest. He looked past Rowan to see his team grinning at him like idiots. Axel gave him a thumbs-up.
“Please.” A tear slid down Rowan’s cheek. “I’ve never had anyone care about me like you do. I’ve never felt the way I feel about you for
anyone else.”
Enough. Lachlan surged up to sit and dragged Rowan into his lap.
She let out a squeak. “You’re…you’re not dying?”
“No, sweetheart.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Or horribly injured?”
“Well, it is a nasty cut, but Callie took care of it.”
The woman in question winked. “You lost a fair bit of blood, so go easy.”
Lachlan cupped Rowan’s cheeks. “So, you’re falling in love with me?”
Color filled her cheeks. “Oh, well…”
“You can’t take it back now.”
“I thought you were dying.”
“You still can’t take it back.”
She huffed out a breath. “Fine. Yes.”
“You want to stay with me and be mine?”
Now she smiled. “Maybe.”
Lachlan rested his forehead against hers. “I think I started falling in love with you when you were eight, and looked at me through that hole in the fence.”
Warmth bloomed in her eyes. She pressed her lips to his, and Lachlan took his time kissing her.
“Okay, enough.” Seth made a gagging noise. “I’m gonna be sick.”
A smiling Blair helped them up. “Happy for you guys, but we have a job to finish.” She nodded at the artifact that Rowan was still holding.
Axel held out a blue scrub shirt, and she set it in the fabric. Lachlan shook his head. Damn thing had caused all this trouble, but the upside was it had brought Rowan back into his life.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and scowled at her. “No more fighting with bad guys for you.”
“Well, I did consider climbing out the window, but I figured if I fell again you’d have an aneurysm.”
Lachlan grimaced. “No more joking about falling off roofs.”
“Young man.”
They all swiveled to face the old lady propped up in the bed nearby.
“Your young woman has been through a lot, and it appears she loves you very much.” The woman smiled. “Humor an old lady and kiss her again.”
Axel barked out a laugh.
“Yes, ma’am,” Lachlan said.
“And please don’t do your shirt up yet, either.” The old lady winked.
With laughter welling inside him, Lachlan pulled a smiling Rowan closer and kissed her. Around them, his teammates laughed.
“God, Rowan.”
Lachlan’s deep voice shivered through her. She kept riding him, her palms pressed against his chest. She rose and fell again, his hard cock filling her up.
They were in his room at the Area 52 base. Lachlan gripped her hips, driving her down harder. She moaned.
“I love being inside you,” he growled.
Her gaze locked with his. His eyes were glittering. “I love you being inside me.”
He thrust his hips up. “I could stay here forever.”
“Lachlan.” She felt her orgasm drawing closer. He ran his hands down her body, over her belly, and found her clit.
Rowan bit her lip, sensations flowing through her.
“Tell me.” His hand stilled.
She made a sound and ground against his fingers. “What?”
“Tell me you love me,” he demanded.
Warmth bloomed in her chest. “I love you, Lachlan Hunter. You’re all mine.”
He flicked her clit and she came. She tried not to scream, but everything inside her was too strong.
Lachlan reared up. “I love you, too, Rowan.” His mouth captured hers and he swallowed her cries. A moment later, his big body shuddered and he groaned through his own release.
When he lay back on the mattress, he tucked her into his side.
“I want to stay here, but I’m guessing we need to check in,” she said.
When they’d arrived back at base, Airman Kowalski had been whisked away for monitoring and processing. The artifact had been handed over to an overprotective Arlo and Ty.
Jonah Grayson had scheduled a debriefing.
“Yeah.” Lachlan stroked her back. He was silent for a moment. “I want you to move in with me.”
She sucked in a breath and looked up at him. “Really?”
“Really. I want you in my bed. I want to bring you coffee every morning, and watch you bake something chocolate in my kitchen every night. I want to hold you while you tell me about your day. I just want you in my life. You make it brighter. You make it matter.”
She swallowed, so much emotion swelling inside her. “I can make some calls about finding work.”
“I have a better idea.” He flicked a finger at her nose. “Why don’t you go back and study? Or take a baking class?”
She sucked in a breath. God. She imagined choosing what she wanted to do. “I always wanted to study archeology.”
He smiled. “I know.” Then his face turned serious. “I’m away sometimes. But knowing that I was coming home to you—”
She kissed him. “I’d be waiting.”
Lachlan went still. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes! I’ll move in with you.”
His smile was huge, and he kissed her again. It was just turning heated when there was a thump on the door.
“Some people work around here, you know.” Blair’s voice. “The director’s waiting.”
“Duty calls,” Lachlan murmured.
“I think I’ll go and check on Lars.” She kissed his jaw.
After they’d changed, Lachlan dropped her off at the lab with a final hard kiss. Rowan went first to check in on Aimee Kowalski, who was currently sedated, but showing signs of improvement. She found Lars sitting with her.
“Hey.” Rowan smiled and hugged him.
He gave her a small smile. “Hi.”
“How are you feeling?”
Lars shrugged. “Hanging in there.” He looked at Aimee. “It’s been good talking with Airman Kowalski.”
Rowan imagined having someone who understood what they’d been through helped. “That’s good.” They talked about innocuous topics for a while.
“They’re going to let me go home soon.” Lars looked at the floor. “I’m not sure I want to go home, or to work, or go back to my research.”
“Take your time.” She placed her hand on his. “There’s no rush, Lars. Time will help heal the wounds.”
He nodded. “What about you?”
“Oh, well, I’m moving to Las Vegas.”
Lars looked surprised. “Really?”
The door opened and Lachlan strode in. He nodded at Lars, then stopped beside Rowan. He tipped her head up and dropped a kiss to her lips.
Shaking off the daze Lachlan’s kisses always seemed to generate, she looked back at Lars. “Ah, I don’t think you two have officially met. Lars, this is Lachlan Hunter, leader of Team 52.”
“Hi.” Lars nodded at Lachlan, a mixture of both understanding and disappointment on his face. Then his gaze moved back to Rowan. “Be happy, Rowan.”
“You, too, Lars.”
Lachlan tugged her up and led her back toward the rec room. All of Team 52 were waiting outside, and several guards flanked the elevator.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“An archeologist we’ve worked with before is bringing in an object.”
Axel appeared. “Hope it’s not one of those Treasure Hunter Security assholes.”
“No,” Lachlan said. “It’s Dr. January James.”
Seth straightened. “Not that witch.”
“Seth—” Lachlan’s voice held a warning.
Rowan watched the super-cool Seth’s cheeks flush with color along his cheekbones. “She’s impossible.”
“You did threaten her,” Blair said. “Her behavior was justified.”
“I was trying to save her from a dangerous piece of ancient technology. She hit me over the head with a metal pole!”
Callie nodded. “Knocked him out cold and left him with a black eye.”
Rowan bit her lip, trying not to laugh. She caught Blair’s
gaze, and the other woman burst out laughing. The others all chuckled, and even Smith had a smile on his face.
Seth crossed his arms over his chest.
The elevator doors opened and a petite brunette in khaki cargo pants, with a white shirt tucked into a narrow waist, strode out holding the handle of a metal suitcase.
Chapter Twenty
Seth
Seth Lynch stared at the woman who worked every one of his nerves. As she walked in boldly—like she owned the place—he gritted his teeth.
“Commander Hunter.” Dr. James nodded at Lachlan. She had a smoky voice that would have been sexy on any other woman.
When her gaze met Seth’s, he saw something flare in their hazel depths. He was pretty sure she was fighting not to bare her teeth at him.
“Lynch,” she said.
“James.”
Lachlan cleared his throat. “I hope your flight was okay?”
“Fine, thanks.”
“What have you brought us?” Lachlan waved her into the rec room.
Dr. James hefted the metal case onto one of the tables, spinning the locks sealing it. “I’m currently running a dig in Guatemala, deep in the jungle. Lidar scans have helped us locate thousands of previously undiscovered Mayan ruins belonging to the Mayan Snake Kings.”
“That sounds fascinating,” Rowan said.
Dr. James looked at Rowan. “We haven’t met.”
“Dr. Rowan Schafer, Dr. January James.” Lachlan introduced them.
The women shook hands.
“A pleasure,” Dr. James said. “And yes, the dig is fascinating.”
Seth leaned back against the table, and watched the woman’s face light up as she spoke. He couldn’t argue about her passion for her work. Shame she was a shrew.
“One of my grad students dug up this artifact.” James opened the case.
Inside was nestled a perfect crystal sphere the size of a tennis ball.
“Doesn’t look like much,” Seth said.
She shot him a look that seared like battery acid. “My student is in the hospital. It zapped him and stopped his heart.”
Ty moved forward. “Hi, January.”
The woman smiled. It turned her face from pretty into something else. “Ty.”