NEVER SAY Necklace

JACLYN HARDY

This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Never Say Necklace

Book design and layout copyright © 2016 by Dragons & Fairy Tales Press

Cover design copyright © 2016 by Steven Novak

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Copyright © 2015 by Jaclyn Hardy

Printed in the United States of America

Year of first printing: 2017

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

ALSO BY JACLYN HARDY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE

Carlie looked up from her computer and narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t alone. This had always been her turf. No one else ever came into the anthropology lab during lunchtime so she always had plenty of time to work. Apparently it wouldn’t be that way anymore.

The same guy sat across from her again. This was the fifth day in a row he’d been here. He was gorgeous, with his sandy blond hair, dark blue eyes, and the dimple that would appear when he smiled at something on his screen. Not that she paid much attention to him. Carlie shifted in her chair and kept working on the research she’d been doing for a couple of years now. She was so close she could taste it.

Her pocket buzzed and made her jump. Oh, please let this be Ed. Carlie pulled her phone out and grinned when she saw the message. This was it. Excitement bubbled up inside as she snapped her laptop shut and shoved it into her bag. On her way out of the lab, she turned to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind, and ran into something hard. Her breath caught in her throat when she looked up into the dark blue eyes that she had most definitely not been thinking about.

“Oh man, I’m sorry.” It was the guy who had invaded her territory. His cologne intoxicated her and it took a second to remember why she was standing there.

Carlie shook her head to clear it and brushed past him, wanting to call her contact. “It’s fine. Excuse me.”

“I’m Braden by the way,” he called behind her.

Carlie waved and kept going. There was no time to chat and she figured she could always talk to him when she got back. If there was a chance to grab this necklace, she had to go right then. She ran out to her beat-up Honda Civic where no one could listen in.

Carlie hit speed dial on her phone as she put on her seat belt. She tapped her fingers impatiently. “Hey, Ed. What’s up?” she asked as soon as he answered.

“We got it. You were right.” He paused for her to cheer. “But listen, someone else knows what’s going on, so we need to go right now or we’ll be too late. You have everything ready?” Ed’s voice was excited. That wasn’t his real name. He had a code name just like everyone else on the team.

“What do you mean someone else knows what’s going on?” Carlie’s stomach dropped. No! This was her discovery. She started the car and left the parking lot. She waited for a few cars to pass before pulling out onto the road.

“It seems that we have a mole somewhere and we have reason to believe that they’ve sent out their own group to snatch the necklace.”

“Brilliant. Find whoever it is and take them down. I gotta go. I’ll be at the airport in half an hour.” Carlie shut the phone and threw it onto the seat next to her. Whoever the mole was would pay. She weaved her way through campus traffic and skidded to a halt in her parking space. She checked her phone to make sure there were no messages, then climbed out of the car.

Up in her apartment, she hurdled over her roommates who were doing pilates and ran to her room. She grabbed her duffle bag, double checked to make sure everything was inside, and left the room.

“Going somewhere?” Dee asked. She changed positions and everyone else followed her.

Carlie grinned, almost bursting with the news. “We found it.”

Dee squealed. “Awesome! So if anyone asks?”

“I’m at home visiting my parents. See you girls later. Don’t get into too much trouble.”

“You know we will,” Dani said. She was twisted up in a pretzel doing her own thing. “Maybe this time you can bring back a guy.”

“Not likely.” Carlie rolled her eyes. This was the same conversation they went through every time she left. “Gotta go. Eat whatever food I have left in the fridge. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” She waved and ran out the door. She pulled out of the parking lot and sped toward the airport, then called another number on her phone.

“Frank? You around at all?” Carlie switched lanes, wincing at the honking horns as she cut someone off.

“No. What do you need?” Frank’s voice boomed through the receiver.

“I need a flight as soon as possible in case I can’t get a ticket.” She preferred her own flight to commercial flights because there were too many prying eyes among the passengers.

“I’ll see what I can do.” He dropped the call.

The airport sprawled out in front of her, and an airplane was just taking off as she entered the parking garage. She drove up a couple of levels to find a spot and squeezed her Civic between two poorly parked cars.

Carlie grabbed her duffel bag before heading in to the airport.  It was busy at this time of day and desperation drove her to quickly duck around the crowds of people as she hurried inside. When she saw the enormous line of people waiting to get tickets, she groaned. This was going to take forever. She tapped her foot as she waited, going through a mental list of everything she needed to care of while she was gone, including finding a sub for her classes. Feeling someone watching her, she glanced around, but everyone seemed to be busy with their own luggage or kids. Carlie shook her head. This was an airport with thousands of people. She was just jumpy because of her trip.

“Next, please.” The attendant asked. The poor woman seemed frazzled and her smile looked more tired than bright and cheery.

“Yes, I’d like a ticket to Egypt, please.” Carlie slapped her passport and credit card on the desk and glanced over at the security line. She caught a glimpse of someone who looked almost familiar and she tried to figure out where she’d seen him before.

“I apologize, but that next flight is full. We’ll have to put you on standby.”

Carlie jerked her attention back to the attendant, frustrated. “You’re sure there’s nothing right now? I’m willing to pay for first class.” She could feel the tension building. She needed to get on that plane.

“Sorry, Ma’am. Standby is the only possibility. The next flight leaves tomorrow evening.” She seemed to brace herself for a fight.

Carlie sighed and nodded. “I’ll take it.”

The attendant took the passport and card and typed the information into the computer. Carlie tapped her fingers to the beat of the music blaring over the loudspeakers, trying to stay calm.

“You’ll be at gate 55. Don’t forget—”

“Thank you.” Carlie grabbed the ticket from the woman, then hurried over to the security line that seemed to have grown in the last couple of seconds.

Her pocket buzzed again and she pulled out her phone. There was a message from Ed confirming that someone else was on their way to Egypt as well. Carlie searched the airport to see if she could find the guy from the security line, but he’d disappeared. She texted back telling Ed to find out who it was and how they were getting there.

After five minutes of waiting, Carlie was ready to scream. What in the world was taking so long? She had worked too hard for this to let it go. Cleopatra’s necklace was at the top of every collector’s list and she was the one who had figured out the clues to get there. Rumors had flown for centuries about whether or not it had even existed. Now that Carlie had finally located it, the thought of someone else getting it made her stomach turn.

Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it. “Hey, Frank. Please tell me you have good news.” She tried to keep her voice low so those around her wouldn’t catch any of the conversation.

“You have a chopper waiting outside for you. It’ll get you to Salt Lake City. Then you’ll hop a flight we have booked for you.”

“Sweet. You’re the best, Frank.” Carlie stepped out of line and headed for the door, lugging her duffel bag behind her.

“You know it.”

Carlie sprinted to the helicopter several hundred yards away at the heliport. She was out of breath by the time she jumped in and threw on her seatbelt as they lifted off.  She really needed to spend more time at the gym instead of the computer lab.

“Cutting it close. I believe security is now after us.” The pilot handed Carlie a set of headphones while keeping his eyes focused on what he was doing. “You might as well get comfortable. We’ll be here for a while.”

CHAPTER TWO

Braden watched Carlie rush off and tried to ignore the disappointment he felt. He’d followed her to the lab a few days back, wanting to talk to her but he was too nervous whenever he had the opportunity.

This time he had finally mustered enough courage say something and she had rushed off. He rubbed his chest where she’d run into him and hoped he’d get the chance to talk again. Braden glanced down at his watch and hurried back to his computer. He’d delayed as long as possible so he could talk to Carlie, but now he’d be late for his next class.

His phone rang loudly in the silence of the lab. He smiled apologetically at the aide sitting in the back and grabbed his backpack.

Braden answered his phone as he hurried off to teach his class. “Hello?”

“We found it.” It was Stephen, his contact.

“Seriously? That’s awesome.” Braden turned and went toward the parking lot. Class could wait. He just hoped his aide had a lesson planned in his absence. She’d forgotten once or twice before.

“You need to get going. We have a private jet ready for you at the agency, but it can only wait so long. you’ll be flying with a few higher ups and they don’t like to wait.”

“Thanks, Stephen.” Braden shut his phone and ran toward his car. It was a good thing he kept a bag of supplies in his trunk at all times. He gunned his engine and flew out of the parking lot, headed for the freeway. Traffic was heavier than normal, making him grind his teeth. His bosses didn’t like when he was late.

Ten miles down the road, he pulled off the freeway and wound his way through the mountains. The agency was nestled in between two cliffs, with a large gate that blended into its surroundings. After showing his badge at several checkpoints, Braden drove around to the other side of the building. A small plane sat running, a guard on each side of the steps.

Braden double checked to make sure he had everything in his bag before zipping it up and running for the plane. He nodded at the guards and climbed inside.

“Ah, there you are. We were afraid we’d have to leave you behind,” a man said. He wore a dark suit and his hair was slicked back. This must be Sloan. He was known for his taste in clothes—and for his ever-growing bald spot he tried to hide.

“Sorry, I got here as soon as I could.” Braden sat in one of the seats and buckled up. One of the attendants walked to the front of the plane and it started moving forward shortly after. They hadn’t been kidding when they said they wanted to leave.

“So, Braden, congratulations on your new assignment.” The other man in the airplane took a drink from the attendant and raised his glass.

Braden grinned. “Thanks. I’ve been waiting for this one. I appreciate being given the chance to go along.”

“Well, you know if this goes through, you’ll be given the chance for many more assignments in the future,” Sloan said. “And I was told you teach archaeology?”

“Yes, I’ve been teaching for a couple of years now.” Braden fiddled with the strap on his bag. He was nervous around these men, and he wanted to get off the plane as soon as he could. “So where are we going?”

“Salt Lake City to catch the connecting flight to Egypt. Your briefing is in that folder there. I suggest you study it before we land. You won’t be taking it with you.” Sloan turned to the other man and they began talking in low voices.

Braden shook his head and picked up the folder. The notes detailed the itinerary from when he got out in Salt Lake City until he reached the pyramids. Nervous excitement filled him. He’d only been on two other assignments and they’d been small. This one, however, had been his idea and he’d done the majority of the research to find the artifact.

His mind drifted to Carlie. He could have kicked himself for letting her get away before he could say anything. Her quiet confidence made her already beautiful looks even more attractive to him. He’d asked around to try and find out more about her, but she was a mystery to most of his other colleagues. Those who did know her commented on her bright blue eyes and forever long legs, but said she was distant when she had the laptop in front of her—which was most of the time.

“Would you like something to eat? Peanuts? Crackers?” the attendant asked.

“Um, sure. I’d love some crackers. Thanks.” He looked up and smiled, making her blush. He glanced down at the folder, going over the details again. When they said he’d be leaving the details behind, they weren’t kidding. He learned that the hard way on his first assignment.

“All right.” She walked into another part of the plane and brought back a couple packages of crackers.

“Thanks.” He absentmindedly opened the package as he stared at the folder in front of him. He couldn’t be thinking of Carlie right now. He quickly memorized the coordinates for the pyramid where the necklace was located, then pulled the tickets out of the folder and put them inside his bag.

Half an hour later, they began their descent and Braden ran through everything in his mind again as they taxied down the runway.

“Good luck, young man. Remember, we need this necklace. Your job is hanging on whether or not you get it.” Sloan and the other man climbed out of the plane and Braden followed.

Man, no pressure at all. Braden hurried toward the terminal, hoping the line wouldn’t be too long to get through security. He checked his bag—most of the supplies inside would never get through the metal detector—and moved to the next line. Excited chatter surrounded him as families talked about their upcoming vacations. Braden checked and double checked to make sure he had his tickets and passport ready.

“Next.” The security guard checked his ID and tickets, glanced up at Braden’s face, then handed it back to him.

Braden pulled off his shoes and set those and his wallet and backpack into a bin and waited for his turn to go through. Up ahead a little girl screamed for her teddy bear that had to be put in a bin. The mother argued about the necessity of taking a girl’s toy away, but Braden knew all too well that things could be hidden in the stuffing. He’d nearly lost a hand on his last trip because of a stuffed animal.

The child finally calmed down when the bear was safely back in her hands. Braden smiled as he stepped through the metal detector. The alarm went off, shaking him out of his thoughts. He patted his pants pockets and shook his head. How could have he forgotten to take out his keys?

Once he was cleared, Braden picked up everything and went to find something to eat. He hadn’t had lunch, and it was nearly dinner time, so he grabbed a sandwich, drink, and a newspaper to read, then headed for his gate. It would be another half hour before it was time to board.

CHAPTER THREE

Carlie held on to her ticket and rushed through the airport. They’d had to wait for clearance to touch down, so she was a little late for the flight. She ran to the gate and showed her ticket before heading on to the plane.

As she was putting her luggage up above her, Carlie felt someone staring at her and turned to see the guy from the computer lab—Braden?—sitting a few seats away. He quickly looked down at his newspaper when he caught her looking at him. Suspicion ran through her. What was he doing here? Had he been in the lab just to spy on her?

“Ma’am please take your seat. We need to get ready for take-off.” The stewardess had a kind smile, but her eyes showed Carlie that she wasn’t one to mess with.

“Sorry.” She quickly sat down and put on her seatbelt.

The pre-flight instructions started, so Carlie leaned back in her chair and prepared for the long flight. The plane was large and filled with noisy, anxious people ready to get going. She was next to the window, and the woman next to her had already put headphones on, clearly not wanting to talk. Carlie was completely fine with that since she had plenty of work to do on the way.

Once the seatbelt light went off, Carlie stood to go back and use the bathroom—along with half the passengers. She groaned and sat back down in her chair, deciding she could wait until everyone else was done. She pulled out her tablet and made sure it was on airplane mode, then read through the last minute instructions she’d received from Ed.

Someone sat down next to her and she caught the scent of expensive cologne. Braden smiled at her and Carlie grumbled at the reaction she had sitting so close to him. She couldn’t decide whether to call him out now for being a spy or wait to see if she could get more proof. Either, she couldn’t let him sit next to her while she had all of the information sitting in front of her.

“You’re in the wrong seat.” She nodded toward where he’d been sitting before. “You’re a few more rows up.”

“I know. I just wanted to say hi to a fellow professor.” His smile made Carlie’s stomach flutter, but she squashed the feeling, focusing more on the annoyance that he seemed to be following her.

“You’re a professor?” she asked, surprised. How had she missed him? She thought she knew everyone in the anthropology department.

“Yeah, I’m in the archaeology department.” He played with the zipper on his jacket. His nervousness intrigued Carlie. Here was this hunk of a man trying to be casual, but he really seemed like a shy schoolboy.

She frowned. Surely she would still know him. The two departments weren’t too far apart and they shared several of the same classrooms. It was time to learn more about this guy.

“Interesting. So what brings you on this flight?” He seemed too sweet for something like that, but weren’t those the ones that always turned out psycho? She leaned away from him, wondering where the woman had gone that was supposed to be sitting next to her.

“Work.” His eyes flicked around, almost watching for someone. He seemed a little too on edge to be on this trip for pleasure. “You?”

“Oh, you know. I’m visiting family.” She glanced down at her tablet, worried that he would see what she was working on.

“You have family in Egypt?” Braden cocked his head to the side.

“Uh, yeah. We’re having a family reunion there.” Carlie seriously could have kicked herself. How lame could she get? No wonder she didn’t have a boyfriend. She couldn’t talk to one for the life of her. There’s no way she would have bought the story if she’d been in his position.

“Ah. That’s pretty cool.” He stood. “Well, I’d better get back to my seat. Seems like your friend has called security on me.” He gestured toward the woman who was talking to several stewardesses. He flashed another smile at Carlie before moving up to his seat.

Carlie sat staring into space, wondering what had just happened. He’d left her completely out of breath with that smile of his, and she missed the touch of his arm on hers. After the lighthearted conversation with Braden, she found the woman’s complaining jarring. Carlie apologized that the seat was taken and sighed when the woman continued on.

It was time to escape, even if it was just for a couple of minutes. Praying that the line was shorter this time, Carlie jumped up and excused herself. There were a couple of people in front of her, but it was better than sitting in her seat listening to the importance of staying in the assigned seats.

“We just keep on running into each other, don’t we?” Braden said behind her.

Carlie jumped and turned, raising her eyebrows. “You just happen to need to use the bathroom at this exact moment?”

Braden’s grin was sheepish. “Well, when nature calls and all.”

Carlie took a step forward and tried to ignore the fact that he was behind her. This mission was too big for her to mess it up because of some guy. No matter how good looking he was. She was grateful when she could get in to the stall and hide from her feelings.

As she left the bathroom, Carlie slammed into something hard and heard an “ooph” just outside the door. She looked around to see Braden holding his head.

“I am so sorry.” She pulled his hand away from his head to find a large red lump. “Why were you standing right there?”

“I had just come out of the bathroom when you attacked.” He chuckled, wincing in pain.

Carlie pulled him out of the way so other passengers could use the bathroom. “Are you okay? Do you need ice?”

“I’ll be fine.” He blinked a few times. “I think I need to sit though. I’m seeing stars.”

Carlie put her hands on his shoulders and helped him to his seat. “You sure you don’t need some ice on that?”

“I’m okay. Really. Although, I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to kiss it better.” He grinned.

“Nice try. If you think you’re fine, I’m going to go sit down. I’m kinda blocking traffic.” She stood up straight.

“Sounds good.” He closed his eyes and Carlie returned to her seat. Mortified didn’t begin to explain how she felt right then. She shook her head and went back to her research.

CHAPTER FOUR

Braden undid the clasp on his seatbelt and stood to stretch. His head still pounded where he’d been hit by the door, but thankfully the swelling had gone down.

The trip to Egypt had lasted way longer than he liked to sit still. He wanted more sleep before heading on to do the job, but time was of the essence, and if he didn’t push through the jet lag, he wouldn’t sleep that night.

He quickly grabbed his coat and turned to follow Carlie, but she was nowhere to be seen. She must have headed off to go find her so-called relatives. He left the plane and found a man in a suit and sunglasses holding a sign with his name on it. Nice. Like that didn’t give anything away.

Braden walked toward him and held out his hand. “Hey, I’m Braden.”

The man turned and started walking. “Follow me. You have much to catch up on.”

Braden raised his eyebrows and hurried to catch up. “What do you mean? I was briefed on the way here.”

“I will explain in the car.” The man was silent the rest of the way through the airport, giving Braden time to look around. People hurried to their various destinations, talking on phones or waving to others in their group.  He passed by the indoor palm trees and walked outside.

The sun beat down on Braden as he followed the man to the waiting car near the curb. He climbed in and pulled on his seatbelt, just as the car took off into traffic. They clearly felt the same sense of urgency that he did.

“Get comfortable. You’ll be here for a while. I’m Mr. Davidson.” The man smiled for the first time since Braden had climbed off the plane.

“Thanks. So what did you mean by catching up on details?” Braden pulled off the light jacket he’d been wearing, regretting the lack of shorts in his bag. He’d melt in the jeans he’d brought.

“It seems as though we aren’t the only ones here to retrieve the necklace. We must hurry in there or you will lose out to another agency.”

Braden sat there in shock. “But all the research I’ve done …”

“Has been done by someone else as well. We have tried to track down the other team but have been unsuccessful. It is imperative you get there first. Don’t let anything come between you and the goal. Anything.”

Now that he knew there was someone else after the necklace, all thoughts of Carlie and everything else were forgotten.  “Of course. I already have everything I need to get there. We can head straight to the site.”

“Excellent.” Mr. Davidson reached down into a cooler near his feet and pulled out a sack. “Here is your lunch. We’ll provide dinner tonight as well.”

“Thank you.” Braden took the bag and found a sandwich inside. The meal on the plane had been good, but it had been a few hours since they’d served it.

Outside, sand stretched out as far as he could see. After an hour, he could see the pyramids in the distance. He couldn’t help smiling to himself as he fulfilled a childhood dream to visit Egypt. These pyramids were one of the biggest reasons he’d gone into archaeology and now he was here. Adrenaline ran through his body as he waited to get going.

They pulled into a hotel and Braden looked over at Mr. Davidson. “What are we doing here? I thought I had to get started.”

“You will. We have to get your transportation.” He checked Braden into his room, then handed him the key. “Drop off your stuff and meet me in the front of the hotel. I suggest you hurry.”

“Right.” Braden ran up the stairs and opened the door to his room. It was small, but well furnished, and had windows from floor to ceiling. He dropped his bag off and changed into his hiking boots. Details from the mission ran through his mind as he slipped his supplies into a backpack and made sure he had his keys in his pocket. He checked his duffel bag one more time to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, and then went back downstairs. Mr. Davidson stood in front of the hotel holding the reins to a large camel who eyed Braden before turning away.

“Here is your transportation.” He handed off the reins. “Join the tour over there and don’t break away until you’re near the third pyramid. Good luck.”

“But the Nec—” Braden stopped at the look on Mr. Davidson’s face. Mentioning his mission out in public was a bad idea.

“I know where it is. Those are your orders. Now go.” He helped Braden up and turned to leave.

It took a few tries before he was finally able to make it up onto the camel. Getting comfortable was a whole other problem, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. With a nod to Mr. Davidson, he caught up to the rest of the tour group, then slipped in between several of the tourists and tried to blend in.

It was a few miles to the first pyramid from where the group started. It seemed like the distance continued to grow between him and their destination. The group listened silently to the guide as she talked about the history of the pyramid, but Braden couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying. As they traveled, Braden studied the rest of the group. Older couples, newlyweds, and a family with teenagers who looked like they’d rather be anywhere else but there. Typical. His breath caught when he saw the profile of one of the tourists just ahead. His heart jumped up in his throat. He knew that woman.

CHAPTER FIVE

Carlie shifted her position on the camel and groaned. She was not cut out for this kind of transportation. Her legs were going numb, and they’d only passed the first pyramid. She hadn’t wanted to ride a camel—she was scared of even riding horses. But when she couldn’t get ahold of any cabs or buses, it was her only choice.

The necklace was close. She had to just keep telling herself that. Not that she wasn’t enjoying being in Cairo. The pyramids were beautiful and she could see the sphinx in the distance. But the jet lag was getting to her and the heat was almost suffocating. She was just glad there was space in the first hotel she’d tried. Ed was usually pretty good about getting her reservations but the hotel, he’d arranged had fallen through when she got there.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket so she pulled it out, hoping it was important. It was a notification from her GPS letting her know she was nearing the destination.  Perfect. She checked to make sure her bags were in a good position to grab once the distraction hit.  In another hundred yards, she’d jump off and run for an underground entrance to the pyramid. That was the last thing she had been searching for. There were several rumors about the entrance but no one could seem to find it. Carlie had been able to track it down with maps of the different floors inside the pyramids.

Suddenly a group of men on horseback came around the pyramid and headed straight for the tour group. The tourists screamed hysterically as their camels panicked and bolted. Carlie grinned. Ed always had a fun time with distractions. She grabbed her bag and jumped down from her camel, waiting until just the right moment before darting toward the pyramid. She had to get the location just right because it was invisible to anyone didn’t know what to look for. There. She could see the slightly darker area and dove in. She covered her head with her arms to protect herself from the sand that caved in around her.

This was the danger of using this entrance. The traps that were set would bury someone that wasn’t prepared for them. Carlie used the flashlight on her phone to see the path she needed to follow. The noise from the tour group was muffled by the sand that had covered the entrance behind her. It was all or nothing now. If she didn’t get through to the door, she’d suffocate.

Carlie had studied all the different weapons and traps the Egyptians used in ancient times so she would know what to expect once she got there. The only problem was, she didn’t know the order or what would actually be used. It had been hard enough finding anything on the entrance.

The hallway had sconces with unlit torches on each side and the walls were covered in runes. Warnings of death and pain were pasted all over, but this was the quickest way to the necklace. Other parts of the pyramid sent anyone looking for it through a maze of tunnels that would take them outside or to a pit where they’d fall to their death.

The floor was a dirt path that had been untouched for what could have been centuries. The tunnel had a musty smell that came with old structures. It was one of Carlie’s favorite smells. Her adrenaline rushed as she thought about how close she was to finding the treasure.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward, eyes darting around the ceiling and walls. A blade suddenly flew past her face, making her yelp and jump back. That was way too close.

There were a couple of choices at this point. She could sprint through the hallway and hope she didn’t get hit, or she could find something to throw and hope the knives hit that instead of her. A glance at the knife stuck in the wall told her the second choice was the best idea. Her heart was still beating rapidly from the knife flying across the room.

There wasn’t much on the ground besides sand and a skull. Apparently someone else had come this way and it didn’t end well. Carlie shivered and picked it up. “Sorry, about this. At least you’ll do some good, right?”

Carlie threw the skull as hard as she could and the tunnel erupted with sounds of knives flying through the air. A few spears went by and clattered to the ground. Carlie breathed out slowly, her stomach clenched in anxiety. It was a good thing she’d gone with the second option.

Now that most of the weapons had been triggered, Carlie prepared to sprint through. The ground appeared solid, but she couldn’t be too sure. She made sure her shoelaces were tied, then took off.

She stumbled just as she got to the end of the hallway and a dart hit her boot. She sat on the ground and pulled the dart out, thankful that it hadn’t gone through and hit her ankle. By the look of the point, it had been poisoned. She pulled out a shirt from her bag and wrapped the dart inside, just in case she’d need it later.

The necklace would be down just a few more hallways. Carlie took a right, watching for any traps that could be hiding. The air grew cold, and the smell of something rotten made her gag. Hopefully that meant there was a burial room nearby. A few more steps and the wall opened into a small room, confirming her guess. She was going in the right direction then.

After a left and then another right, Carlie found the door she’d been looking for. It was smaller than most doors and covered in runes. There were more warnings of death all over, but she was too close. The clues to open the door were hidden among the runes and Carlie studied them, making sure to get it right. She froze at one point, sure she’d heard something in the passageway. When she was sure no one was there, she reached out and pushed on two of the runes. The door sunk into the wall and moved to the side.

CHAPTER SIX

Where had she gone? Braden panicked as he searched through all the tourists. The chaos hadn’t calmed down for several minutes after. Braden helped calm down the older people in the group and he’d given his bag of hard candy to a small child who wouldn’t stop crying. The people who had ridden their horses into the pack of camels were long gone and security had gone after them.

But that didn’t tell Braden where Carlie was. Had he imagined her? Everything had happened so quickly, that it could have been his imagination. But she was hard to mistake, and he knew she was somewhere here in Cairo.

His phone beeped and he pulled it out.

Where are you? You should be at the pyramid by now.

Braden sighed. He would have to wait to find her. He typed out a quick message.

Going there now. Our group was ambushed.

He checked for Carlie one more time before grabbing his bag and running for the pyramid. He watched carefully for a darker patch of stone as he rounded the corner. He hoped the rumors were true that there was another entrance.

Suddenly he slipped and fell down into a hole. Braden’s ankle wrenched painfully as he landed. He’d found the entrance and just hoped no one had been watching as he fell. He chuckled to himself and moved into the hallway.

The earthy smell welcomed him in like an old friend. He pulled out his flashlight so he could see in front of him and jerked to a stop. There were footprints in the dirt. This should have been completely unused. Braden took his gun out of the holster and held it up next to his flashlight, breathing rapidly. Someone was here. The footprints were smaller than his, and they smeared in a way that looked like the person had been running. By the amount of knives and darts lying on the ground, it looked like they had good reason.

Braden cocked his gun and kept his finger on the trigger as he crept slowly toward the other side of the tunnel. Most, if not all, of the traps should have gone off already. He couldn’t help the sigh of relief as he reached the end of the hallway and went through another doorway.

The map Braden had followed told him to take a left, but the footprints went to the right. He hesitated. Most hallways went all around the pyramid, so either way, he should end up in the same place.

Instead of going along with whoever it was that really shouldn’t be here, Braden took a left. The path was clear and undisturbed. The rooms he was supposed to pass weren’t there. He pulled out his flashlight and took a step into nothing. He cried out and jumped back grabbing onto an outcropping in the pyramid for support. The path was gone. Whether it had crumbled naturally or not, this was a dead end.

Braden quickly retraced his steps, heart beating wildly. Making a mental note that he better learn to read maps more accurately, Braden followed the footsteps left in the dirt and stopped, preparing himself for a standoff. He crept forward and took a step into the doorway, holding his gun out. He promptly dropped it with a cry of surprise.

“Carlie?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Carlie dropped the bag she held in her hand. “Braden! What are you doing here?” She snatched up the necklace and bent down to grab the bag. She wasn’t about to let him have what she’d worked so hard to find.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Braden took in the room around them. “So your relatives live in pyramids?”

“This was the work you had here in Egypt? Were—were you spying on me?” Her heart beat rapidly. She’d really hoped that he was there every day because he liked her, not because he was trying to steal her secrets.

“No, I went to the lab . . . it’s not like that.” He stepped forward and stopped when she pulled a gun out of her pocket. He held his hands up. “Look, I was given this assignment. I didn’t steal anything.”

“You’ve been in the lab every day. You’re trying to tell me that you didn’t get the information from my laptop that way?” She watched his every move, making sure he couldn’t attack without her knowing it was coming. She was surprised to see him blush and shift uncomfortably.

“Look, I just wanted to talk to you and I didn’t have the nerve to do it. I didn’t take anything from you. But I need that necklace. If I don’t take it back, I’ll lose my job.”

Carlie laughed. “I don’t think so. I did the research myself. This is my discovery.”

“And you discovered it. Now please just let me have it. We can take credit together.” He eyed her gun and crept closer.

A loud click sounded behind Braden. Carlie gaped at the man standing in the doorway, holding a gun aimed at Braden. He was large and well-built, but he had a mask on so they couldn’t see who it was.

“Necklace, now.” The man held his hand out.

“Get in line.” Carlie backed up, keeping her gun trained on the man. She had to get out  of here without injuring her or Braden. She shoved the necklace in her pocket and slipped her bag over her shoulder.

“I don’t think you’re getting the hint. I get the necklace or neither of you will leave here alive.” The man pulled out another gun and aimed it at Carlie.

“Now let’s be calm about it. She was here first. She should keep the treasure.” Braden talked quietly and took a step toward Carlie.

A shot rang out, and Braden dropped to the ground holding his leg.

“Give me the necklace.” The man pointed the gun at Braden’s chest.

Carlie shrieked. “What did you do that for?” She pulled out the necklace fingering the delicate carvings on the back of the clasp that held the Peridot stone in place.  She’d searched for this necklace everywhere, and she didn’t want to lose it now that she had it. She glanced over at Braden to see him holding his leg.

She held it out to the man before she could change her mind. “This is mine. I’ll let you have it for now, but I will get it back.”

“Not if my boss has any say in the matter.” He held out his free hand, keeping the gun pointed at Braden.

“Carlie, it’s a trap. Don’t give it to him.” Braden tried to stand.

“I don’t have a choice.” She tossed it to the man and watched him leave—taking her life’s work with him.

Carlie knelt down next to Braden. “Let me see your leg.”

Braden hissed as he stretched his leg out in front of him so Carlie could help roll up his pant leg. “Please tell me you know what you’re doing.”

Carlie examined the wound, then rummaged through her bag to find bandages. The bullet had gone in to his calf muscle and she couldn’t see it to pull it out. “We need to get you to the hospital.”

Braden clenched his jaw. “Why did you do that? You had the necklace in your hand.”

Carlie ripped the bandage and pushed it against Braden’s leg. “We’ll just have to go after him and get it back. Did you recognize him?”

Braden shook his head. “No, you?” He gasped at the pain as Carlie tightened the bandage.

“No, but we can assume he’s with the mole. Otherwise he never would have found this place.” She put the rest of her supplies in her bag and stood. “Think you can walk?”

“I should be fine.” He stood and gasped again. “Okay, maybe not, but I don’t have much of a choice. Let’s get out of here.”

“Good idea. We’re going to have to go the long way, though. They’ll be watching the secret entrance. Plus, I worry about you crawling out of the sand with that wound.” She helped him up and helped him out of the room.

“We should just have to go up a couple floors before we find someone.” Braden limped along beside Carlie.

“Yes, and pray that we don’t run into anymore traps. I don’t imagine they’d make this much easier to get through.” Carlie paused at a corner and peeked around it to make sure no one was coming before she continued.

“I’m sure we will. I almost went off a cliff back there.” Braden’s breaths came in gasps.

Carlie stopped. “A cliff? Where?”

“You took a right after the hallway of death, and I took a left like my map indicated. I was lucky not to fall in.”

“Weird. That wasn’t marked on my map either.” She started walking again. “Let’s get up this flight of stairs and then you rest while I find someone.”

“You’re just going to leave me here?” Braden asked. He grunted as he took another step.

“Do you really want to walk up stairs right now?” Carlie raised her eyebrow.

“Well, no.” He groaned. “I need to sit.”

“Okay. I’d leave a weapon with you, but I don’t know what I’ll find on my way out.” She bit her lip. He really didn’t look good from what she could see in the dim light.

“It’s fine. I have a gun in my bag. Just go.” Braden sat down and leaned his head against the wall.

“Just don’t die on me, okay?” Carlie took her flashlight out and ran down the halls, avoiding old bones. She turned the corner to find another “hallway of death” as Braden had called it.

She looked around to find something to throw, but nothing was close by. Okay, so this time she’d run for it. She took a deep breath and sprinted. She could feel the arrows and darts fly past her. One tangled in her pony tail.

Carlie dove the last few feet and rolled, hearing loud thunk above. She lay there for a moment to catch her breath before standing. The thunk had come from a large knife that had embedded itself into the wall. Her heart beat rapidly as she turned and continued running. That was way too close for comfort.

After making her way up two flights of stairs, Carlie was able to get enough of a signal to call for help.

“Hey, Ed? We’ve been compromised. I need help to get us out of here.”

“On it. Closest contact I have is about twenty minutes away. Did you get the necklace?”

Carlie could feel tears welling up. “It’s gone.”

Ed swore. “Be outside the pyramid in thirty minutes. We’ll deal with the necklace later.”

Carlie put her phone in her pocket and went back down to find Braden. Common sense told her she should have just blended in with the crowd, but she didn’t trust anyone in the pyramid. Any one of them could have been with the guy who’d taken the necklace.

“Hey, help is on the way. We have to get down a hallway and up another flight of stairs. Think you can make it?”

Braden’s breathing was ragged as he tried to stand. “Let’s go.”

Carlie put her arm around him and helped him along the hallway. Most of his weight was on her, so they had to stop a few times for both of them to rest. She helped sit on the bottom step of the staircase. Noise from tourists sounded above their heads.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”

Braden nodded and leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed. Carlie hoped it was just the light of her flashlight that made him look so pale. She checked her watch and took the steps two at a time, then blended in with a group until they go to the exit. A helicopter landed near the entrance and a man jumped out to meet Carlie. Ed had several contacts all over the world and she hoped this guy was one of them.

“You Carlie?” he asked.

Carlie nodded.

“So tell me again why we’re here.” He glared at her.

“Someone was injured on assignment. We need to get him to a hospital.”

“I thought you were on this assignment by yourself.” The man still stood in one spot.

“I was. It’s a long story, but right now, this guy needs our help. Come on.” Carlie ran for the entrance, slowing as she made it to the door. No need to cause a scene. She turned to find the man standing within inches of her. He grabbed her arm and leaned in close.

“Where’s the necklace?” he asked.

“It’s being taken care of.” She pulled her arm out of his and kept going.  Once they hit the hallway, Carlie shuddered at the knife sticking out of the wall.

“What do you mean?” the man stopped when they got to Braden. “Who is this?”

“This is Braden. He is a colleague of mine who was apparently also sent on a mission to find the necklace. He was shot when we wouldn’t hand it over.”

The man cursed under his breath. “We’re going to have to carry him up. He’s in no shape to keep walking.

“I’m fine,” Braden insisted, but he collapsed again when he tried to stand.

Carlie shook her head and grabbed one of his arms. “Don’t be macho. It doesn’t work for you.” She hoisted his arm around her shoulders and helped get Braden out of the pyramid. So much for a quiet escape. The necklace would be long gone by the time they got help. She squelched the annoyance and concentrated on getting out.

By the time they reached the entrance to the pyramid, Carlie was breathing heavily and they were doing more dragging than assisting. Braden had passed out a few times and Carlie had to use her canteen water to keep him awake.

“So where’s the helicopter?” Carlie looked around, blinking in the sunlight. It was nearly sunset, but after being down in the dark for so long, what was left of the sun was almost blinding.

“There is no helicopter. We have to go by car.” The man talked into a radio and watched the road in front of him.

“What do you mean, no helicopter? That’s how you got here, right? Did they just take off without us?” The annoyance that had been pushed down earlier returned full force.

“You didn’t get the necklace. We had to abort the mission.” The man shrugged.

“What do you mean? Who aborted it? You didn’t even know I didn’t have the necklace until we were down helping Braden.” Carlie ground her teeth. She dropped Braden’s arm and barely noticed when he flopped down to the ground.

“I had my phone on. Frank heard you and aborted it. I’m sorry.” The man looked down at Braden, eyebrow raised.

Carlie got up in the man’s face. “Are you kidding me? I did the research. I planned the mission. I set everything else up. You can’t just ditch me here.” Carlie knew she was throwing a tantrum but she didn’t care. She had every right to be angry. She clenched her fists, trying not to throw a punch.

“Yes, well, they want to be paid, and you failed.” He gave a mock salute. “I’m outta here. Good luck, Ms. Anderson.” He jogged the other way and hopped on an idling motorcycle.

Carlie growled and bent down to check on Braden. He had dropped back into unconsciousness at some point during their argument. She ran to a security guard. “Excuse me? My friend needs help. He’s been injured.”

The guard spoke into his radio and jogged over to Braden. “What happened to him?”

“I . . .” How would she explain a gunshot wound when they’d just come from a busy tourist area of the pyramid? “I found him like this. He needs help.”

“An ambulance should be here soon.”

“Great. Thank you.” Carlie backed tried to slip away to go after the necklace, but the guard grabbed her.

“You need to stay with him. You’re the only witness we have.” He glared at her until she sighed and sat down on the one of the steps.

Carlie tried to find any information out on her phone, but the signal was poor, and things had gone silent. Her team wouldn’t respond to her, which made sense. They couldn’t stay in contact if she’d just botched the mission.

It was another twenty minutes before the ambulance showed up. She watched helplessly as the medics loaded him onto a gurney.

“He’s going to need the bullet taken out of his leg. His name is Braden. I didn’t catch his last name. I’m sure his phone has plenty of contacts on it.” She backed away. His normally handsome face was ashen and he was sweating. Carlie turned away but stopped when the medic grabbed her arm.

“Excuse me, miss, but you have to come with him.” He gestured toward the ambulance. “You can’t just leave him in our care.”

Carlie’s jaw dropped. It was one thing to have to wait with him, but going to the hospital with him? That was going overboard. “I have nothing to do with him. I have people to catch.”

“We need more information, and right now he’s unconscious. Now, unless you’d like to be charged with shooting him, I suggest you come with me.”

Carlie glanced behind her in the direction the guy had taken off on his motorcycle and sighed. “Fine. Don’t expect me to pay his bill, though.” She climbed in the ambulance next to Braden and watched the pyramids fade in the distance as they drove toward the hospital.

This was not how this find was supposed to go.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Braden woke with a gasp. The pain in his leg throbbed through his body and joined the pounding in his head. Where was he?

He slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital. The walls were a light yellow color and the sanitary scent of cleaners was strong. A machine beside his bed beeped along with his heart rate. Windows lined one of the walls and paintings of the pyramids and sphinx adorned the other walls.

Carlie slept in a chair under the window, her hair covering her face. Even when she snored, she was beautiful. Braden grabbed onto the bars on each side of his bed and pulled himself up.

“Ah, Braden, you’re awake.” The nurse bustled over and checked his blood pressure. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better. How long was I out?” He reached over to the table next to him and picked up the bottle of water to took a long drink. He was still groggy, and the last thing he remembered was standing to leave the pyramid.

“You came in last night.” The nurse turned and put her hands on her hips. “Now, would you like to tell me how you got a bullet in your leg?”

“Didn’t she tell you?” He nodded toward Carlie, who was still sleeping.

“Yes, but we wanted to hear it from you too.”

Braden went through what had happened and the nurse stared at him for a moment before turning away.

“Very well.” She wrote something in the chart at the end of Braden’s bed and went to the door.

Carlie groaned and sat up in the chair. “Oh, you’re awake. You okay?”

“I’m doing pretty good considering.” Braden waited for the nurse to leave the room before continuing. “Hey, I can’t even begin to say how thankful I am that you stayed with me. It must be killing you not to be going after that guy.”

“You have no idea.” She stood and stretched. “Now that you’re awake, I’m going to see if they’ll let me out of here.” She went to the door and Braden strained to hear what was going on.

The voices rose and Carlie slammed the door before dropping into the chair. She ran her fingers through her hair and suddenly stopped, looking up at him. Her face colored and she hurried over to the sink.

“They won’t let you go?” Braden asked.

“No. I can’t go until you assure them that you’ll pay your bill.” She bent down and splashed water on her face.

“I’m sorry. But it’s not so bad, right? I don’t bite. Well, not usually.” Braden grinned, but stopped when he caught her glare.

“My team dropped me. I’ve worked on this for years, and my team dropped me because I couldn’t get the stupid necklace.” She kicked the chair, then sat down, leaning her elbows on her knees.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m probably off my team too.” Braden cringed. Okay, so its was probably a little early to be joking about that. He’d hoped to work for the agency long enough to get the money to pay for his own team.

Carlie glared, but Braden caught the spark in her eye. “You lost me my life’s dream.”

“I know. But doesn’t it give me any points for saving your life while getting shot?” He would have gladly taken the bullet again if it meant saving her.

“I suppose.” Carlie was silent for a moment, so Braden leaned back and tried to go back to sleep. Carlie sighed. “I need to get out of here.”

He opened his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll do what I can.”

Carlie leaned forward and opened the blinds. She unlatched the window and opened it. “You don’t have to.” She grabbed her bag and stuck one leg out. “I’m glad you’re okay, Braden.” She swung her other leg over the ledge and slid out.

So much for keeping him company. Moments later, voices sounded outside his room. Braden swore and pushed himself out of bed, careful to stay off the injured leg. He hopped over and snapped the window shut before closing the blinds, then hopped back over to the bed, quickly covering his legs with a blanket just as the door opened.

“This is Dr. Stewart. He performed the surgery on your leg. Why don’t—” The nurse broke off. “Where is Ms. Anderson?”

“Who—oh, her. She’s in the bathroom.” He was relieved the door was closed, or that could have been very awkward.

“That bathroom is just for you.” She frowned.

“Yes, well, I’m stuck in bed, so I figured she could use it.” Braden smiled innocently.

“She’d better hurry. The police are here to take her down for questioning.” The nurse knocked on the bathroom door.

Braden looked at her in surprise. “What for?”

She raised an eyebrow. “No one else was there to witness the gunshot and we want to have our bases covered. Now take this.” She handed him a pill.

“What’s this?” Braden’s mind was spinning. Wherever Carlie was, he hoped she was long gone.

“Sleep. We need you to heal, and sleep is the best way to make that happen.”

“I’m fine. Really. I slept like a baby all day.” Braden was beginning to feel like a prisoner instead of a patient.

The nurse shoved the pill in Braden’s mouth and handed him the water. Braden quickly shoved the pill under his tongue and took a drink. When she was satisfied that he’d had enough to drink, she pulled the cup away.

Dr. Stewart checked the stitches on Braden’s leg and made a few notes. “It looks to be doing well. By the time you leave, you’ll be as good as new.” He clapped Braden’s knee.

“And when is that going to be?” It was hard to talk around the pill, but Braden couldn’t swallow it. He needed to be awake.

“Oh, I’m thinking a couple of days at least. You caused some damage by trying to walk on it.” Dr. Stewart wrote more in the file.

He lay back in his bed and closed his eyes. “Fine. I’m tired now.” A few days? Something seemed off. He should have been able to leave that day.

Braden waited until he heard the door close before prying one eye open. The nurse and doctor were gone. He spit out the pill and jumped up, then limped over to his bag. He changed, careful to avoid the stitches, and pulled his bag up onto his shoulders.

After doing a quick study of the ground below, he opened the window and slid out, not bothering to touch the blinds. He didn’t want them to figure out where he’d gone out. He pushed the window shut and braced himself as he dropped to the ground. Pain shot through his leg, but he couldn’t let it stop him. He needed to be as far away as possible when they came to check on him again.

All the trucks and doors were to the north of the hospital, so Braden headed south and ducked around the corner. He went as fast as his limp would allow. When he was several blocks away, he pulled out his phone. He had to at least try to contact his group.

“Hey, Stephen. Can you get me out of here?” Braden walked toward the hotel he’d checked into. He didn’t know if it was still available, but that’s where his stuff was.

“Sorry, man. You’re on your own.” The reception crackled.

“I was afraid of that. Look, it wasn’t my fault. I was there and almost had it. This jerk came and grabbed it from us.”

“Us?”

Crap. “I wasn’t the first one there.” He stopped near his hotel and peeked around the corner to make sure no one was watching his entrance.

“And you just let them take the necklace?” Stephen asked.

“The guy shot me, Stephen. There wasn’t much I could do.” When he didn’t see anyone around, he limped inside and nodded at the concierge. He pulled the key out of his bag and let himself into his room.

“I wish there was something I could do. I suggest you clear out of the hotel and go. Someone knows you’re there and that’s a very dangerous place to be.”

Braden heard a click and the phone went dead. He threw it on the bed and packed up the rest of his clothes. After one more check, he left the room and turned, bumping into someone.

CHAPTER NINE

The trip to the hotel had been nerve-racking as Carlie watched for people to come after her. Things had seemed off at the hospital and she jumped at every sound as she went around corners. If she saw one more cat … The alleys were full of them, but she didn’t have much of a choice. The main streets would be easy to track her.

After a few more random turns, Carlie made it to the hotel and hoped her reservations were still good. She should have already checked out by that time, but her stuff was still inside. She pulled her key out and ran upstairs to her room.

Everything looked the same as she’d left it. She quickly pulled her clothes out of the closet and stuffed it in her duffel bag, wanting to get to the airport as soon as she could to catch a flight. Calls to Ed had gone unanswered. Carlie grabbed her bag and left the room.  Her phone buzzed and she looked down to see who it was, not noticing the man standing in front of her.

Carlie bounced off him and looked up, surprised to see Braden. “What in the world? How are you here?”

Braden grinned down at her. “I knew you’d miss me.”

“Whatever. How’d you get out of the hospital?” She readjusted the duffel bag on her shoulder.

“I followed you. They were trying to put me to sleep.” His eyes clouded over. “I want to get out of here before someone manages to kill me.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” She started down the hallway and Braden limped behind her.

“I called a cab. You can join me if you’d like.” Braden smiled down at her, making Carlie’s heart thud in her chest.

“Well, I guess since we’re both going the same place, it would make sense.” Carlie smiled back. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Braden walked to the desk and handed over the room key.

Carlie rummaged through her bag and handed her key off as well. She paid for her room and turned to leave. “Let’s get out of here. I have some planning I need to do.”

“Sounds good.” Braden opened the door for Carlie, making her blush as she walked through. When he opened the cab door, she couldn’t help but giggle.

“Thank you.” She sat down and waited for him to climb in.

Braden sat close in the cramped taxi and Carlie caught the smell of aftershave. His arm brushed up against hers, sending shivers through her. She scooted closer to the door, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

“So what are your plans?” He shifted in his seat.

Carlie closed her eyes and rested her head on the seat. “I don’t know. I’m at a loss without knowing where this guy is from.” So much research gone to waste. She could feel tears coming close to the surface, but she refused to cry in front of Braden.

Braden rested his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, we’ll get the necklace back. There are only so many people that it could have been.”

Carlie’s mind kept drifting back to the warmth of his hand, no matter how many times she pushed it away. She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to look at Braden. “What do you mean?”

He glanced up at the taxi driver and leaned in toward Carlie, his breath tickling her skin. “I was told there was a mole that was gathering information about our mission. That means they have to be somewhere close, right?”

Carlie gasped. “There’s a mole on your team, too?” Noticing the driver’s eyes on her, she leaned closer. “I wonder if it was the same person who was spying on me.”

Braden brushed a stray lock of hair from Carlie’s face. “It’s possible,” he whispered. His lips were right next to Carlie’s ear. “Watch what you say. I don’t trust this driver. Just play along.”

Carlie tried to look over at the driver again, but Braden put his fingers on her chin, making her forget her own name. This was the closest she’d been to a guy for years, and she had to stay calm? Her heart sped up.

Braden pulled away and put his arm around Carlie. “So, dear, did you have a fun time at the pyramids?” he asked in a normal voice.

“Um, yes, honey. They were beautiful. I hate to leave so soon.” Her voice shook, but she hoped the driver wouldn’t notice.

“We’ll be back soon enough. Besides, we’re off to Italy. You can do more shopping there.”

Shopping? Carlie rolled her eyes. “That will be quite lovely. I do hope we don’t miss our flight.”

“We should be there in plenty of time. Don’t forget to say goodbye to the pyramids as we drive.”

“Oh, yes.” Carlie turned and caught one last glimpse of the pyramids as they were lost among the buildings. She really would miss them. She hadn’t been able to enjoy visiting Egypt as much as she’d hoped.

“We have arrived.” The taxi pulled up to the curb, The man climbed out and opened the door for Carlie.

She pulled out her wallet, but Braden was already paying the driver. She walked away and waited for Braden to follow. He was right. The driver continued to stare as Braden passed by.

They walked in silence up to the ticket counter. Carlie scanned the list of flights to find the next one leaving for the US, but jerked her head toward Braden when she caught the words “two tickets for Thailand.”

“Wha—” she stopped when she caught Braden’s warning glance. What happened to going home? Carlie watched him pay for the tickets with a fake smile plastered on her face.

Braden thanked the stewardess and put his arm around Carlie to lead her away. She really wished he would stop doing that. Thoughts of how his hair was just the right length, and his eyes sparkled when he laughed kept running through her mind.

“Why Thailand?” she whispered, looking around for anything suspicious.

“I had to go somewhere they wouldn’t suspect. Besides, I could use a vacation.” Braden grinned.

“I could too, but we have a guy to catch.” She looked through her bags to find her passport. She was sure she’d put it in the front pocket of her bag. “Hold on.” She set the bag down on a chair and sifted through her belongings, finally finding it at the bottom of the bag.  “Braden, someone’s been through my stuff.”

He pursed his lips. “Mine too. That’s why we had to go somewhere else. We won’t be staying there long. We’ll catch a flight as soon as we land.”

Carlie shook her head. “I don’t know about you, but I’m on a professor’s salary. I can’t just go wherever I want.”

Braden shrugged. “I was given a large envelope full of money for emergencies. I would think this counts, wouldn’t you?”

“I suppose it does. But don’t you think we should split up? Just in case they’re after us?” Carlie couldn’t help watching everyone around her to see if anything was suspicious.

“Would you like to travel alone?” he asked.

“Well, no.” She smiled up at him, grateful to have a companion. She could just see how her roommates would react if they knew who she was traveling with. Which, of course, meant she would never tell them.

“Great. I believe our gate is up this way.” He limped toward the far end of the airport.

Carlie caught up. “Aren’t you worried about your classes back home?”

He shrugged. “My teaching partners know I come and go for research. They’ll cover my classes.”

Carlie walked in silence, trying to figure out who she should call. Dee was probably the best bet since she knew what Carlie was up to, but if she knew it involved a guy … Carlie sighed. It wasn’t that she had much of a choice.

She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text, saying it was taking longer than she’d thought. That was easier than explaining everything. Dee would want every last detail when she got home, but Carlie hoped she would have the necklace in hand at that point.

Carlie and Braden found a place to sit and wait for the plane to board. The airport was busier than Carlie expected in the late afternoon. Tourists in their tacky Hawaiian shirts and sundresses crowded into the souvenir stores.

Braden stood a few minutes later. “Hey, I’m going to go get something to eat. You want something?”

Carlie yawned. “I’m good. I think I’ll take a nap.”

“All right. I’ll be back soon.” He walked toward the food court.

Carlie leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She knew she should be on watch, but the wave of exhaustion that hit her was relentless. The murmur of the crowds passing by was mesmerizing.

She jumped when a phone rang loudly nearby. It wasn’t her ringtone, so she tried to ignore it and settled down further into her seat. It started back up again shortly after, jarring Carlie out of sleep again.

It had to be Braden’s phone. She went through his bag pocket and pulled it out. The number was blocked. She found the volume on the phone and turned it down. She was about to put the phone back in the pocket when a text came in.

We located it. Call back ASAP.

Carlie could feel the blood drain from her face. They had the necklace? Of course it could be anything else, but her shaking hands told her she didn’t really believe that. She saw Braden heading toward her and she quickly put the phone away.

“I grabbed you a shake. I hope you like strawberry.” Braden smiled and handed her the cup. He held a bag in his other hand that he opened when he sat next to her.

“Strawberry is my favorite, thanks.” She took a bite, savoring the cool, sweet flavor of the ice cream.

“Did you get some sleep?” He asked taking a bite of his hamburger.

“I tried, but your phone kept ringing.” She tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. It wasn’t like she couldn’t sleep on the plane.

“Oh, sorry. I should have had the sound off.” He reached into the pocket of his bag and took out his phone. After glancing at it, he put it back.

“I did it for you. I hope you don’t mind.” Carlie took a fry from the box Braden offered.

“I’d have to turn it off soon anyway. I think we’re just about to board.” He took the last few bites before crumpling up the paper.

Carlie hopped up. “I’ll take the garbage. Your burger smelled really good. I think I’ll grab one.” She pulled out a couple of dollar bills and handed them  to Braden. “This is for the shake.”

Braden held his hands up. “No, you don’t need to pay me back. I was happy to get you one.”

She smiled. “Thanks. I’ll be back.” While Carlie stood in line, she thought about the text Braden had received. It didn’t mean anything, right? It could have been about something else.  She ignored the nagging thought and concentrated on what she was going to order. For now, she had to trust him.

CHAPTER TEN

Braden couldn’t sit still. His agency had found where the necklace had gone. He was supposed to keep it secret from Carlie—he’d been threatened—but this meant a lot to her. He’d seen how passionate she was about it. She’d even figured out how to get past all the traps to get it in the first place.

Had someone told him last week that he would be sitting next to Carlie in an airport, he would have laughed. And now here he was, trying to decide if he should betray her trust. She’d mentioned the ringing phone. He just hoped she hadn’t seen the text.

The announcement to board came over the loud speaker, so he stood to gather his things. Carlie wasn’t back yet, so he grabbed her bags as well. He limped toward the gate just as she came running around the corner.

“Oh, thank you for grabbing those. I had to shovel my burger in my mouth.” She took her bags from him.

“No problem. You have some mustard on your cheek.” Braden pointed at a spot near her mouth.

“Of course.” She wiped her reddening face. “Did I get it?”

“Mostly.” He reached forward and wiped it off, blushing as well.

“Tickets please,” the stewardess said, annoyed.

“Sorry!” Carlie jumped and handed over her ticket.

Braden smiled at the woman, but she just glared back. Wow, touchy.  He followed Carlie down the jetway and onto the plane.

Carlie turned to him. “You didn’t tell me these were first class tickets.”

Braden glanced at his ticket in surprise. “I didn’t think they were. I’m not sure what happened.” He felt his phone buzz and pulled it out.

You’re welcome. Ditch the girl once you land. We’ll find a way to get you back home from there.

Braden put his phone away and sat down next to Carlie. “Let’s see how nice this really is.” He put on his seatbelt and leaned back.

Carlie smiled, but it didn’t match the worry in her eyes. “If I can get some sleep and a good meal, I’ll be happy.” She pulled out her phone and Braden watched her scroll through. Something she read seemed to agitate her by the stiffening of her shoulders.

“Everything okay?” He wanted to make everything right. He wouldn’t listen to his agency. He had to help her get the necklace back. It was his own fault she’d lost it in the first place. And yet . . . he didn’t want to lose his job. It was the only thing that brought excitement into the mundane life of a professor.

“Yeah. Well, no. I’m still cut off. Never mind that I’m the one who did all the research.” She shoved her phone into her purse and set it on the floor, then leaned back and took a deep breath. “Sorry. Not that you needed to know any of that.”

“Hey, you can tell me anything. I’m part of this too, remember?” Braden put his hand on her shoulder, figuring that was safer than playing with her hair like he really wanted.

Carlie looked at him for a minute and then sighed. “My dad told me about Cleopatra’s necklace when I was a little girl. She’d sent it as a peace offering to a neighboring kingdom, but it was stolen before it ever got out of Egypt. The story fascinated me, along with all of the other stories he told me. His love of adventure rubbed off on me somewhere along the way. I started researching where to find the necklace when I went to college. It was there that I started putting together my team and we were able to get enough information over the years to help me find the place. Now suddenly they’ve all left me behind.”

Braden’s already enormous guilt came crashing down on him. He was in it purely for the money, but Carlie had been wanting this her whole life.  “I’m sorry, Carlie.” He paused, knowing he could be in big trouble. He leaned close to her ear. “I might have a lead. But you have to do what I say, or things could get ugly. Do you trust me?”

Carlie looked down at her hands and took a deep breath before looking back up into his eyes. “I kind of have to, don’t I?”

“Well, you don’t have to, but I wish you could.” He turned his attention to the front and listened to the instructions.

Carlie leaned toward him. “Do you have a clue what she’s saying?”

The soft brush of her arm against his distracted him. He leaned closer. “No. I guess I should have thought about that when I booked this flight. I was just looking forward to their food.”

Carlie burst into giggles and covered her mouth. “Maybe next time you should choose somewhere you can actually understand the language instead of going for the food.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Braden grinned. He barely paid attention to the rest of the instructions—since he couldn’t understand them anyway— and enjoyed the fact that Carlie sat next to him.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Carlie waited for the plane to stop taxiing down the runway. The flight had been long, but she’d been able to catch a quick nap on the way. She and Braden had talked for a while about their teaching careers and hobbies. She was surprised she’d never run into him at the gym or on campus. Of course, that would mean that she had to be paying attention to anything but her research.

They had been treated well on the plane, but still, nine hours was way too long to sit still. She had a necklace to find and a team to round back up. She just hoped she really could trust Braden. He was sweet, good looking, and had helped her get out of Egypt when everyone else had abandoned her. But that text …

“Ready to go see Thailand?” Braden popped off his seatbelt and stood to stretch.

“I guess so. How are we going to know where anything is?” Carlie picked up her bag and followed him off the plane.

Braden stopped and looked around before turning back and smiling sheepishly. “I don’t know. I guess I’d hoped there’d be English translations everywhere.” He looked over her shoulder and brightened. “Oh, look. There are under a few of the signs.”

Carlie raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t been out of the country much, have you?” She searched for the baggage claim and headed toward it. It was noisy as people hurried to catch up to their groups.

“Hey, wait up.” Braden grabbed onto Carlie’s hand. “There are too many people. I almost lost you.”

“Sorry. I just wanted to get through so we get our bags before someone else takes them.” Carlie blushed.

“People will take your luggage?” Braden’s eyebrows came together.

“Maybe not, but I’ve always been worried they would.” She noticed that Braden hadn’t let go of her hand, but she didn’t pull away. “Where are we headed to next?”

Braden shrugged. “I don’t know. I want to lay low here for a bit before moving on.”

“Does it have anything to do with the food?” Carlie let go of Braden’s hand to pick up her bags as they came around the carousel.

He laughed. “Maybe a little. I’m just trying to get ahold of some of my team. Once I know what’s going on, we can move to the next place.”

Carlie wondered if he meant to move on without her. She needed him right then, and it would be bad if he walked away now. Once they had their bags, she followed Braden to the car rental place. “Where are we staying?”

“I don’t know. I figured we’d just find something while we search the town.”

“That doesn’t sound very safe.” She could just imagine being kidnapped by some person willing to offer their house.

“I’m kidding. I have a friend who lives here somewhere. He was a guest professor a few years back.” Braden stepped forward and got a car arranged while Carlie looked around the airport.

The smells of Thai food wafted through the air, making Carlie’s stomach grumble. They’d had food in the airplane, but the curry smells pulled at her. Maybe this was the right place to come after all.

Once Braden was done, he checked his phone and started toward the exit. “Okay, we have a car. I’m not sure what it will look like. I could only understand half of what the guy said.”

Carlie’s phone beeped and she pulled it out. Besides a few texts from Dee, demanding to know what was going on, she found a text from Ed. Her heart skipped a beat as she opened the text.

Necklace located in Thailand. Grab before it gets to the buyer. Still searching for our mole.

Carlie bit her lip. Was it just a coincidence that they ended up there? She watched Braden whistling and taking in the scenery around him. If he knew about the necklace, he wasn’t letting anything on, but after that text she’d seen, it was possible he knew what he was doing. Carlie pushed the thought away, figuring she could give him a little time. She wanted to find out more about what was going on before she confronted him.

She sent a quick message to Ed, letting him know where she was and then slipped the phone into her pocket.

“Oh, sweet, we get a Honda. I can handle one of these.” Braden pushed the lock button and opened the trunk to put his bags in. “Let’s go find—” He stopped. “What’s wrong?”

Carlie shook her head, realizing she’d been staring at him. “Nothing. I guess I was hoping for a sports car.”

Braden threw her the keys. “I’ll have you drive if that’s all right. I’ll look for hotels.”

“Fine by me. But don’t you think we should know where we’re going before we leave?” Carlie climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Good point.” Braden glanced at his phone. “I heard back from my friend. I just have to look up the directions. For now, just pull out and head west. He lives inside the city, but I haven’t received his address yet.”

“All right.” Carlie backed out of the parking space and paused. “Uh, which way is west?”

“One sec.” He pulled up the map on his phone and pointed to the left. “Head that way.” A text came in and he read it, lips pursed.

“What’s up?” She forced herself to act nonchalant but she really wanted to rip the phone out of his hand. More so now that she knew the necklace was here somewhere. Once she got more information out of Ed, she’d have to ditch Braden to go find it. Before he did the same thing to her.

“My friend says it’s not safe to go there. He’s getting us a hotel room on the other side of the city.” He punched a few buttons on his phone. “Okay, it looks like you’ll want to take a right and we’ll take this road for a while.” He pushed another button and the phone started giving directions. Otherwise it was silent in the car.

Carlie checked her mirrors to make sure that no one followed them. It was something that came second nature to her and had come in handy one too many times in the past. So far it was clear.

Braden leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. They’d done a lot of traveling in the last couple of days and she was ready to sleep as well. At least she had the navigation to keep her company.

The roads were packed, and it was hard to get anywhere. It would have been faster to walk at that point. Carlie pulled forward at a stop light and immediately slammed on her brakes. Two cars went flying through the intersection, barely missing her.

“Go. Now. Step on it.” Braden was suddenly fully alert.

Carlie stepped on the gas and their Honda jolted forward. She weaved her way through the traffic the best she could, but it wasn’t fast enough to dodge the bullets that suddenly shattered the back windshield. Carlie ducked the best she could as bullets continued hitting the car.

“There goes that deposit,” Braden muttered. “Time to ditch the car. Pull into the alley up there and be ready to run.” He pulled their bags out of the backseat and took off out of the car as soon as they stopped.

Carlie took off after Braden who was several yards ahead by then. He handed Carlie her bag and they continued on, constantly looking back to make sure no one followed them.

Once they hit the marketplace, Braden took Carlie’s hand and pushed his way through the crowd. Carlie apologized as they went past, even though she wasn’t sure they’d understand her anyway. She needed to add Thai to her list of languages she wanted to learn.

Out of the corner of her eye, Carlie caught two men at the edge of the stalls who were edging their way toward her.

“Hey, behind us,” Carlie whispered to Braden.

Braden cursed under his breath and ducked into a stall. “We’re going to have to blend in. Grab what you can, ditch your bags, and we’ll come back later.”

Carlie grabbed some clothes and handed a wad of cash to the stall owner. She’d probably just overpaid but at that point it didn’t matter. She changed quickly, then went through her bag to find her wallet, then stashed the rest. Clothes were easy enough to come by. While she waited for Braden, she bought a hat with a wide brim and a pair of sandals.

“Oh, hey, you’re ready. We need to get out of here.” He stepped outside the stall and looked both directions before joining the crowd.

Carlie pulled her hat down farther over her face, hoping the disguise worked. She should have grabbed some sunglasses. Braden was several paces ahead of her. Carlie made sure to stay behind enough that no one would suspect that they were together, but close enough she could see which way he went.

The first thing Carlie was going to ask Braden when they were safe was just how well he’d known this “friend” he’d planned to stay with. He sent them the opposite direction and now they were running for their lives without anything but the clothes on their backs. Her fingers itched to check her phone for a message from Ed, but any distraction could cost her life.

Braden took off down an alleyway. Carlie slid between two couples and turned, hoping she could find him, but it was empty of people. She cursed and turned trying to catch sight of him in the crowd.

Carlie had to hold in a yelp when she was grabbed and pulled in through a door. Braden shut it behind her and bolted it.

“That’ll hold them for a minute. Come on. We have a car waiting for us in front.” Braden started through another door but stopped when Carlie didn’t follow. “We need to go now.”

“How do we know that the car isn’t a trick? There’s been nothing to show me that we should trust anything we’ve been told.” Carlie pulled out her phone. No texts. Ed needed to come through for her sooner rather than later.

Braden crossed the room and leaned in, his breath tickling her ear. “We can’t trust anyone, but we have to get out of here. I’m sorry I got us in this mess. Give me a chance to make it right.”

Carlie couldn’t think with him that close to her. She just wanted to lean against him and take a break for a moment. But right now wasn’t the time. She finally nodded. “Okay, but can you at least tell me where we’re going?”

Instead of answering he pointed up at the cameras in the corner, then headed for the front door. Why would this place have cameras? It looked like it hadn’t been occupied for months. Whatever the reason, she wasn’t going to wait around to find out.

The compact car sitting out front looked like it would barely fit one person. Carlie glanced around to make sure no one was ready to ambush them, then climbed in. She had to scoot as close to the window as she could so Braden could climb in. As soon as the door closed, the car pulled away from the curb.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Braden stared at the message on his phone. Yet another warning for him to drop Carlie and go get the necklace. He looked over at Carlie sleeping against the window. She’d drifted off once they’d left Bangkok. The thought of leaving her here wasn’t an option. Too much had gone into finally getting the nerve to talk to her. And besides, she’d saved his life when she could have left him there in the pyramid. He owed her.

The driver pulled into a driveway lined with palm trees. The lawns were well manicured with flowers of every color and variety. As they went around a bend, a large stone mansion came into view.

“Where are we?” Carlie asked. She sat up and stretched the best she could in the small vehicle.

“I have no idea.” Braden put his phone back in his pocket. No need for her to see the message. It would just upset her.

The car stopped in front of the house, and the driver turned to face them. “Ask for Chet. He will take care of you. Good luck. Trust no one.”

“Thank you.” Braden climbed out of the car. This was not how he expected this trip to go. The dull ache in his leg told him this wasn’t the only thing that hadn’t gone as planned. He took the bags out of the trunk that the driver had gone to the market to recover.

“Wow.” Carlie stared up at the house.

“I know.” Braden took her hand. “Listen, the easiest way to explain why we’re here together is to pretend we’re together.”

She laughed. “I’ve been on several expeditions. I get it.”

They walked up to the front door and knocked. It was a moment before someone finally answered.

Braden cleared his throat. “Hello, we’re here to see Chet.”

The man nodded and moved to allow Braden and Carlie to come in. “I will tell them you’re here.”

“Thank you.” Braden gave a small bow.

They stood in the entry while they waited. Braden took in what he could. There were few vantage points for snipers, but he still needed to keep an eye out. A short balding man in a sharp white suit approached them.

“Welcome. It is good to see you.” The man beamed and gave a slight bow. “Shall we have tea?”

Braden glanced over at Carlie who shrugged. He had no clue who this guy was, but with the way he had welcomed them, it was obvious he knew who they were.

“Of course. Thank you.” Braden put an arm around Carlie as they walked through the house and out onto a porch.  A servant stood just outside with a tray of drinks and bowed to them. Braden took a glass of water but Carlie waved it away.

“You are welcome to stay here while you find what it is you’re looking for.” The man raised his glass, then took a drink.

Braden wanted to relax and take the man at his word, but the whole thing was too strange. None of his team should have known exactly where he was, and as far as he knew, Carlie hadn’t heard from hers. “Please forgive me. Who are you exactly?”

Chet’s eyes narrowed and his hand twitched at his side. “It seems that I have made a mistake. What are you doing here?”

Braden’s eyes twitched toward Carlie who looked just as shocked as she felt. “We were brought here and told to ask for Chet. That’s all we know.”

“Who brought you?” Chet’s voice rose. Guards seemed to appear from nowhere to stand around him.

“Our driver. I asked for a car from my colleagues and he was told to come here. That’s all I know.” Braden backed up a step and set his glass on a table. “We’ll go.”

“I don’t think you will.” Chet cocked his gun.

This had gone downhill fast.

Braden studied the guards to determine which one he should go for first.

A sudden gasp came from behind him. Carlie stepped forward, her hands up. “Friends for a meal are easy to find . . .”

Chet suddenly froze and studied her face. His eyes lit up and he lowered his gun. “Friends until the end of life are difficult to find. Carlie, right?”

“I didn’t recognize you, old friend.”

Chet grinned and pulled Carlie into a hug. “You’ve changed much since you were three years old.”

Braden felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. “You two . . . know each other?”

Carlie laughed. “It’s been years. Obviously. He was one of my dad’s best friends. It took a moment to recognize him, but I had to give him the code just to be sure. Which means that driver . . .?”

“I don’t know. Whoever it was must have come from your father.” Chet tilted his head to the side. “I thought your father left all this behind.”

“He did.” Carlie rubbed her forehead. “My handler must have contacted him somehow.”

Braden held a hand up. “Can we just take a step back here? Who exactly is he and what does your dad have to do with all of this?”

“I told you that my dad was the one who told me about the necklace. What I didn’t tell you is that he’d searched for it before me. He was in an accident a few years back and gave it up to teach at the local college instead.”

“Wait, so your dad is . . .” Braden’s mind slowly put the puzzle pieces together. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t figured it out sooner.

“Professor Anderson, yes.” Carlie turned back to Chet. “Do you know anything that could help us? The necklace is supposed to be here somewhere.”

Chet shook his head. “There has been talking of where it could be, but nothing has been confirmed. I’ve tried to stay out of it, but it’s possible I can find something. Let’s get you two settled in and then I can try to make contact with my old team.”

Braden bowed. “Thank you. We both appreciate it.”

“You are most welcome.” Chet clapped his hands and two maids were there immediately. “Make sure these two have anything they ask for. And don’t interrupt me in my office. I have work to do.”

Braden followed the maids, still in a daze. Things had happened so quickly that he wasn’t sure what he’d just seen. He was shown a bedroom that was almost the size of his apartment back home. He dropped his hat onto the bed, wishing he had his bag with him. He pulled his shoes off and flopped back onto the mattress. He needed to sleep for a bit, and then it was time to have a good, long talk with Carlie.

***

Braden felt much better after a long, hot shower. A tray of food sat on the table just inside the door. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he caught the scent of curry. The spices were perfect, and he knew the cheap American version would never be enough for him again.

He pulled out his tablet he’d kept hidden in his backpack and typed in his password. Several emails pulled up with location possibilities. They apparently had no clue where it was.

His phone rang. “Hey, Stephen. Have any information for me?”

“Where’d you go? My men couldn’t find you at the pickup location.” Stephen’s voice boomed through the phone.

“We were ambushed and had to take off in the closest taxi.” Braden’s eye caught a discrepancy in the map. He zoomed in. There weren’t any towns nearby, but there were mountains. “Hey, what do you know about the mountains in Thailand? Are there caves?”

“Don’t think you’re getting out of trouble, but yes. They’re well known for their caves. Why?”

Braden took a screenshot of his computer and emailed a copy to Stephen. “Check this out and tell me if you see what I’m seeing.”

There was a pause while he waited for Stephen to get back to him. Braden smiled at the sharp intake of breath.

“Looks like you’re right. I’d head there before anyone else can. I’ll check out those other spots on the map.”

“Perfect. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Braden hung up before Stephen could give him another warning to ditch Carlie. He already knew his bosses were ready to fire him because of it.

Braden closed his tablet and opened the door to go find Carlie. Her room was empty. The thought she could have left him crossed his mind, but she wouldn’t just ditch him at a friend’s house, right?

Voices came from a room down the hallway. Braden crept along the wall, making sure they wouldn’t hear him. It was Carlie, Chet and someone else that sounded vaguely familiar.

“And you’re sure it’s located there?” Carlie asked.

“We believe so, yes. But not for long. They’ll sell it to the highest bidder next week.”

Braden poked his head around the corner. The three of them stood around a table looking at a map. The other person he’d heard was the driver that had brought them here.

The others looked up when he came into the room. Carlie smiled, her face reddening. “Oh, hey, you’re awake. We think we know where the necklace is.”

Braden hesitated before approaching the table. Just by being here he was betraying his team. But collecting information was important, right? “I looked over the maps I had and wondered about the mountains up north.”

Chet shook his head. “No, those have been searched. See this temple here? It’s been abandoned. They’d planned to renovate it years ago but ran out of money. We believe that’s where the necklace is. I assume you heard the rest.”

“I did. And you’re sure?”

Carlie picked up a paper and handed it to him. “Frank got this letter inviting him to the auction. They’re selling a few other items as well, but this is the main draw.”

“Ed?” Braden read through the letter, his eyebrows raising. He knew several of these items on the list.

“Oh, sorry. This is Frank.” Carlie handed Braden another paper. “He was able to get invites for you and I as well. How’s your German?”

“Uh, I know some. Why?” Braden glanced over his letter. “Ah. I’m the German delegate. Great. And who are you?”

Carlie’s face turned red. “I’m your wife. We would have chosen others, but these two are crime partners and they’re the only ones who didn’t RSVP. Mostly because Frank intercepted their invitation.”

“Perfect.” Braden set the paper down. “It’s going to take a bit to get our costume and story put together. I’m going to see what my team can pull up.”

The others exchanged glances. Carlie cleared her throat. “You can’t . . . um, tell them about this. I’m sorry.”

Braden knew better than to expect any other answer from them. But he wasn’t about to get killed for turning on his own team. “So what am I supposed to say?”

“Let them think it’s in the caves. That was our first thought as well, so it’s not like they’ll suspect that you’re bluffing.”

The necklace was within arm’s reach. He could go with them, get ahold of it, and have it made. But he would be turning on the people who’d paid him the money to get the grants he needed for school. The ones who had kept him and Carlie alive through most of this trip.

“I’ll need to think about it.” Braden couldn’t meet Carlie’s eyes or he knew he would cave. “Can I get back to you?”

Chet pursed his lips but finally nodded. “Fair enough. But know that if you decide to turn us down, we’ll have to drop you off in the middle of town.”

“Got it.” Braden turned and left the room. His mind was a mess of emotions. As soon as he got back to his room, he dialed Stephen’s number. “Hey, what have you found?”

“We think the caves are the way to go. We’ve already sent a team to meet up with you. They’ll be in Bangkok by morning and I’ll call with the extraction point.”

Braden cursed under his breath. They were a good hour outside of Bangkok. “Sounds great. I’m going to need a new laptop and climbing gear. I had to ditch my bag in the marketplace.”

Stephen sighed. “This is the second time you’ve done that. I’ll make sure they bring you something.”

“Thanks.”

“And about the girl. Please tell me you’ve ditched her.” Stephen’s voice was a little harder than usual.

Not quite.  “She won’t be a problem. Her team is already in place to take her home.”

“Good. Although I wish you would have lost her two countries ago.”

The line went dead. Braden dropped into a chair. He’d gotten himself into some pretty tight spots lately, but nothing like this. And all because of her beautiful eyes and intoxicating smile.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Carlie readjusted her wig and went through the list of German phrases Frank had told her to memorize. She knew the basics already, but this wasn’t her typical archaeological job. She was going up against crime lords from all over the world and she had to sell her part or it could mean death. Not could. They’d shoot her with no hesitation.

The black sequined dress she wore was a lot more revealing than she normally liked to wear, but apparently Frau Dagmar Mueller had no such reservations. The problem was finding a place to put her gun.

Her phone’s alarm went off, letting her know it was time to leave for the meeting. She wasn’t ready. But then she wasn’t sure she’d be ready for this no matter how much time she’d been given.

She slipped her gun into the holster on her thigh and put on her diamond earrings and necklace. The last touch was her stiletto heels—good luck trying to outrun anyone in them. She took a deep breath and walked out into the hallway to meet up with Braden and Chet.

Braden stood there in a tux and bowtie, his hands shoved into his pockets. He definitely looked more professor than top crime lord. Carlie reached up to fix his bowtie and collar. She avoided his eyes, conscious of how close they were to each other. His cologne tugged on her senses.

“There,” she whispered.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered back.

“Thanks.” Carlie cleared her throat and stepped back, determined to get this over with. She could deal with her fluttering heart later.

Chet chuckled. “Okay you two lovebirds. We need to get out of here or we’ll be locked out of the meeting.”

Carlie was too flustered to respond. They walked out to find a limo waiting there. Of course. There’s no way the Kramers would show up in a cramped car. She took the drivers hand and climbed in. This was definitely better than the ride there. Frank sat inside already, holding several papers in his hands.

“You two have everything you need?” he asked.

“I think so.” Carlie felt for the gun on her leg. “And we’re sure the Kramers aren’t coming? It could get very bad very quickly if they do.”

Frank frowned. “I’d like to say we’re sure, but we can’t guarantee it. Just be ready to get out of there if things go south.”

“And you couldn’t have told us this before now?” Carlie’s stomach twisted with fear. She was so out of her league.

Braden reached over and took her hand. “We’ll be fine. We rehearsed everything all week.”

“Thanks.” Carlie squeezed his hand. “And your team?”

“Off in northern Thailand going through caves. We’re fine. We just need to run by the train station to grab my supplies and then I’ll be good until it’s time to go home with necklace in hand.”

Frank leaned forward. “You’re sure they won’t be there tonight? I find it odd that they weren’t invited.”

“My group had a falling out a few years back. If they’ve heard about it, I would have known.” But Braden didn’t sound as confident as Carlie would have liked.

Franks’s phone rang and he answered it, giving Carlie a chance to speak to Braden. She leaned close to whisper in his ear. “So how much trouble are we really in?”

“I honestly don’t know.” He ran his thumb across her fingers. “Listen, if they come after me, I want you to get out of there. Don’t look back. Understand?” Carlie opened her mouth to protest, but he put his finger to her lips. “Please. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you because of me.”

Carlie’s anger flared. She could take care of herself. She’d done it plenty of times before. But the pleading in his eyes told her that she should listen. She finally nodded. “We just won’t let that happen.”

Braden grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

***

The old temple stood out among the homes around it. While others were lit, this building was still dark, attempting to disguise what was going on inside. Carlie took deep breaths to calm herself. As much as she loved the adventure, this was completely out of her league. She readjusted her dress and checked again to make sure her gun was in its holster.

Frank clapped Braden on the back. “Ready or not, right?”

“Right.” Braden wrapped his arm around Carlie’s waist, sending flutters through her.

Even though Carlie knew it was part of the act, she still felt herself calm down with him so close. She forced herself to relax as they walked inside, her senses on high alert. This was just another job. No different than going through traps in the middle of a pyramid.

Two large guys stood on each side of the door, looking rather imposing. Frank went first, handing his papers over to one of the guards. They read through, glanced between him and the letter, then moved so he could walk in.

Braden pulled Carlie in tighter as she wrapped her arms around his waist, more for comfort than to play her role. She recognized the guy on the left as the one who had come after the necklace. With her makeup and wig, he shouldn’t recognize her, but there was no guarantee.

The guards studied them, took in Carlie’s dress, then nodded them in. Carlie let out a shaky breath as they walked past. The room was large, but it had seen better days. It was clear that they didn’t plan to stick around for long. Several others already sat at the table speaking in low voices. Carlie and Braden took their seats at the end, sitting as close to each other as possible. Frank sat closer to the middle of the table, ready to create a distraction so Carlie and Braden could go after the necklace.

“Ah, I see the Kramers made it after all.” The man’s thick Russian accent meant he had to be Vladimir Igorevich, the leader in this operation. “I was told you were doing a job in France.”

“We finished early.” Braden’s German accent had improved drastically over the last few days. “We would not miss this chance to get the necklace.”

Carlie ran a finger down Braden’s cheek seductively and nuzzled his neck. It was all for show, but she couldn’t help hoping he actually enjoyed it as much as she did.

“You will have to wait a little longer. Necklace comes last.” Vladimir flicked his hand, signaling to his guards. “First, we start with emerald recovered from shipwreck. We went to great lengths to get this and lost two of our finest in process.”

Murmurs erupted until Vladimir tapped the table. This emerald was valued around $4.5 million and supposedly been sold already. Carlie had gone to see it on display in New York not long ago. How had they gotten their hands on it?

Once the bidding started, Carlie and Braden took a turn bidding so they wouldn’t raise suspicions, but then let the others fight over it. Carlie stood, ready to make her move. As much as she wanted to stick around to see the other artifacts, it was only a matter of time before they realized she was an impostor. She ran her hand along the backs of each of the men at the table, bending over to look closer at the stone. The bidding continued, although most of the people’s attention was now on her.

“I need to visit the ladies room. Would you boys please hold off on making any offers while I’m away?” She ran her hand down Vladimir’s cheek and pouted.

“We must keep going. You hurry back.” Vladimir’s eyes lingered on her before going back to the bidding.

Carlie sighed and sauntered away. She leaned against the wall as soon as she left the room. Flirting with all of those criminals was not something she enjoyed doing and hoped she wouldn’t have to do it again any time soon. She smiled at the guards and applied the lipstick Chet had given her. She kissed each of the men and walked away as they fell to the ground poisoned.

It would be another minute or so before Frank detonated the smoke bomb so that Braden could leave without anyone noticing. Carlie pulled off her stilettos and took the heel off of one. Inside one was a dart gun that she used on the next few guards she met.

According to Chet, the room off to the left was where they kept the items up for auction. She stepped over the bodies of the guards and crept to the far end of the room. The necklace was kept in a wooden box. She cursed when she noticed the lock. This was going to be harder than she’d thought.

Cries came from the other room followed by gunshots. The smoke bomb must have gone off. Carlie grabbed a bobby pin from her hair and tried to unlock the box, but it wouldn’t budge. She’d have to take the entire box then.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, so Carlie hid behind a column. Frank stepped in looking around and let out a whistle before having to turn to fight off a guard. They’d been compromised. It was time to find another way out. The large windows opened onto a river several feet below.

Carlie threw a display through the glass window, then stepped up on the window sill. Holding the box tightly to her, she jumped. The cold water enveloped her and it was a moment before she was able to kick back up to the surface. She glanced up at the window and had to duck under when someone shot at her. Bullets hit the water around her as she swam quickly away.

She shivered as she climbed out and ran toward town. People stared as she went past, but she kept going. As soon the crowd thinned, she ducked down a street and found an open window to climb into. A small family lived there, judging by the pictures on the walls. Carlie went to their clothes line and grabbed some clothes to change into. She left the dress hanging there as payment, then slipped back out. She couldn't bring herself to steal their food.

It was late enough that most stores were closed, but she had to find a phone to let them know where she was. Police went flying past her toward the old temple. It was too dangerous to be outside right now. Especially with the box hidden in her coat. She ducked into a small convenience store and dug through the pockets of the coat. There were a few tissues and old bus tickets, and thankfully, a few coins. She shoved them into the pay phone and dialed Braden’s number, but there was no answer. Frank’s also went to voicemail.

The store employee stared at her suspiciously. She smiled at him and turned away praying that Ed would answer his phone.

“Hello? Please tell me that’s you, Carlie.”

“Hey, yes. It’s me. Have you heard from anyone else?” Carlie shivered. Her body still hadn’t warmed up after the swim, even.

“Chet contacted me. Told me the whole thing seemed to be a setup from Braden’s crew.” There was a pause. “How much do you actually know about this guy?”

Carlie turned to see if the employee was still staring. He was. It was time to leave. “Enough. Think I could get a ride? I’m stranded here.”

“Did you get the necklace?”

“Yes. It’s locked.” She knew she wasn’t helping Ed much, but with the employee listening in, she had to keep things vague.

“That's perfect. Sometimes they'll put a tracker with it. I’ll see what I can do. Stay out of trouble and contact me again as soon as you can.”

“Thanks.” Carlie hung up and dug around for another few coins. It was only enough to buy a candy bar, but at least it was something. She paid and left the store, heading further into the city, sticking to alley ways.

Getting back to Chet’s wasn’t an option at this point, so she’d have to find somewhere else to stay. Ed’s voice echoed in her head. Braden’s suspicions about his team knowing where they were had apparently been right. But what if he was the one who’d led them there? 

Carlie pushed away the thought. She could worry about that later. At this point she was a moving target holding a multi-million dollar necklace in the middle of a country she had no business being in. Braden would have to wait.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Braden coughed, trying to clear his throat. The last few hours had been a blur. The last he’d seen of Carlie, she was slipping out the door to find the necklace. Frank had let off the smoke bomb, and then everything had gone crazy.

The last thing he remembered was Stephen standing in the doorway as members from their team flowed past to break up the meeting. As far as he knew they now had all of the items in their possession. Braden just hoped that Carlie had been able to get away with the necklace.

The room they had Braden locked in was bare with no windows. He was locked to a table in the center of the room and had been stuck there for hours.

“Hungry?” Stephen walked in and dropped a burger on the table in front of Braden. He sat down on a chair and stared at Braden. “You lied to us, man.”

Braden didn’t answer as he picked up his burger. There wasn’t anything Braden could say that would get him out of trouble.

“Was she worth it?”

“You have no idea.” Braden could see her eyes, her smile. The way she’d curled up in his lap that night.

Stephen shook his head. “Hate to tell you this, but we’re going to have to stop her. She has the necklace.”

Braden did his best to keep his face straight. She’d escaped. That’s all he needed to hear. “Good luck finding her.”

“Oh, we already have. We just have to wait until she’s not surrounded by her guards so we can swoop in.” Stephen leaned forward. “Your little girlfriend has cost us millions.”

“What did you recover last night?” Braden didn’t want to talk about her anymore. He was sure things had been ruined between them and there wasn’t anything he could do about it until he got out of here.

Stephen shrugged. “There wasn’t much we cared about. Someone else made off with the emerald, but we got some armor, a few ancient scrolls, and a staff from a few centuries ago. But you know that’s not what we wanted.”

“Sounds like quite the haul.” Braden popped the last bite of burger into his mouth. “So what next?”

“That’s a good question. Normally you’d be dead by now, but the boss seems to like you. Most likely you’ll get sent home until the next assignment. Which I suggest you don’t fail as spectacularly as you did this time.”

Braden chuckled. “I wouldn’t say I failed it. We retrieved what we came here for.”

“Except you seem to forget that you don’t have the necklace in your possession,” Stephen pointed out.

“Details.” Braden raised his arm. “So if I’m not in trouble, what’s with the chains?”

Stephen stood and unlocked the cuffs. “We had to know what the boss wanted. But don’t get too excited. You have a day to get your stuff and get back home. After that, we’ll come after you.”

“Fair enough. I have a class to teach anyway.” Braden rubbed his wrists and went to the door. “See you back on the mainland.”

He pulled out his phone to see if Carlie had tried calling, but there was still nothing. Not since the missed call from the night before. At least he knew she was safe. And had the necklace. Now to get his things from Chet’s without dying in the process.

***

Chet opened the door with a gun in his hand. “You seem to have lost your way.”

Braden put his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I’m only here for my stuff. I’m sorry that everything went south.”

“Have you heard from her?” Chet’s face was blank as he opened the door wider.

“No. You?” Braden made sure to stay one step behind Chet as they walked to his room.

Chet shook his head. “Not since last night. We’re working on extracting her.” He turned to meet Braden’s eyes. “She’s in the middle of a foreign country with no papers. I’d think if someone cared for her as much it seems you do, I’d do everything I could to make sure she’s safe.”

Braden stopped at the room he’d stayed in. “I have people tailing me. I’m not sure what I can do without causing more problems for her.”

Chet frowned. “So you led them here instead.”

“They think you’re my long lost uncle. If they stop by, just let them think you’re the help and Uncle John will be back from vacation next week. Or year. Whatever works.” Braden grabbed his bag. “Thanks for your help. I’m sorry things turned out how they did.”

“It’s business.” Chet nodded toward Carlie’s room. “Think you can take her stuff to her? She needs her passport to get out of here.”

“I’ll do what I can.” He gathered up Carlie’s things and set them in her bag. “Do you have any idea of where to look for her?”

“Ed was able to hack the tracker. Once you get into Bangkok, I’ll send you the coordinates.”

Braden held out his hand. “Thanks again. Best of luck.”

Chet took his hand. “You are welcome.”

That went a lot smoother than Braden had thought it would. He climbed into the taxi waiting for him and gave him the directions to a marketplace in the middle of Bangkok. He’d walk from there to find Carlie.

While they drove, Braden looked through news articles to see if there was anything on her location. The fact that a crime ring had been busted had been too much for the media, and the story was plastered everywhere. That’s not what he was looking for. She wouldn’t have been tied to the event at all.

There. A break-in nearby, followed by a convenience store owner who’d gone to the press, positive that he’d been robbed, even though there was nothing actually gone. Otherwise Carlie had been careful, which was great for her, but made it harder for him to track her.

They pulled up to the market two hours later. Braden paid the driver and climbed out. He called Chet to get the latest ping, and headed north. He only had a few more hours to leave the country before his team came after him, and he hoped he wouldn’t need that long to find Carlie.

Texts came every so often, letting him know which direction to go. It was disconcerting to know what Ed had managed to hack his phone to get his location, but he’d be ditching it before they left anyway.

Braden ended up in front an old theater that had definitely seen better days. This was where Carlie had stayed? He shuddered at the thought. The bags would only slow him down, so he set them inside the box office, smiling at the memory of Stephen getting after him for losing his other supplies.

He pulled out his gun and crept through the theater. Movement near the front made him freeze. “Carlie?”

Whoever it was stirred, but didn’t say anything. Braden weaved through the seats and pulled a newspaper off the person laying on the floor. A young man lay there, blinking in the light from Braden’s flashlight.

“Have you seen a woman in here? A little shorter than me, American.”

The young man pointed toward the stage and snatched the paper from Braden. He set it back over him, leaving Braden to continue on. He kept his gun out in case it was a trap, but there was nothing on the stage except a tattered curtain. He checked his phone to see if Chet had texted anything else, but there was nothing.

“Carlie?” he called out again as he went backstage.

“Braden?” Carlie asked, her voice quiet.

Braden sighed in relief. “You’re okay.”

“You could say that, I guess.” Carlie came from behind another curtain. Her hair was matted, and she was covered in dirt. “How’d you find me?”

“I’ll tell you later. We need to get out of here now.”

Carlie stepped back. “I heard your team showed up. How do I know you’re not here to get the necklace from me?”

“You don’t. But I promise you I’m here to help you get home. Chet gave me all of your stuff. But my team will come after me if I’m not gone by the end of the day. I’ll leave with or without you.”

Carlie bit her lip and stepped toward him. “Okay.”

Braden pulled her into a hug, relief washing over him. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d made it out alive either. Frank let me know we were compromised and I went out the window.” She shuddered. “How’s Frank?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been too busy trying to track you down.” He kissed her forehead and let go of her so he could take her hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

They grabbed their bags and hailed a taxi to the airport. Carlie slipped into a bathroom to change while Braden bought them tickets for home. He used her card for one of the tickets so the team wouldn’t know she was with him.

Carlie had washed her face in the bathroom and changed. She smiled when she saw him. “All set?”

“Yep. Our flight takes off in two hours.”

“Perfect.”

They went to stand in the security line, then went to find a place to sit down while they waited for their flight. Carlie set her bag on the seat next to her and curled up to sleep. Braden wanted to get a nap as well, but he forced himself to stay awake to keep an eye on her.

When it was time to board, he had her get on first, then waited a few minutes before getting in line himself. It probably would have been smarter to take two different flights, but he couldn’t bear to let her out of his sight again.

Their seats were near the window. Carlie smiled when he sat down next to her. She leaned forward and kissed him, catching him by surprise. He cupped her face in his hand and returned the kiss, enjoying the feel of her lips on his. He’d dreamed of this moment for months—he just hadn’t expected it to happen on an airplane in the middle of Thailand.

When she pulled away, she laid her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for saving me.”

“I would never have forgiven myself if something had happened to you.” He took her hand and rested his head on hers, looking forward to the long flight with her by his side.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Carlie smiled as she saw the American flags in front of her. She was home. She had the necklace. And best of all, she had Braden by her side. Dee was going to go crazy when she found out everything that had happened while they were gone. Speaking of which, she needed to call Dee and let her know she’d be home in a few hours. One more flight. After finding the necklace, Carlie was ready to stay home and teach.

“Ah, there you are.” A man stood just outside, smiling.

Braden froze next to her. “Stephen. What are you doing here?”

“Collecting your prize of course.” His smile didn’t meet his eyes.

Carlie held back, looking between the two men. What was going on? She turned to run and bumped into two rather large men. “Excuse me.”

“I don’t think you’re going anywhere.” The man grabbed the bag out of Carlie’s arms and opened it, throwing her things on the floor until he pulled out the box containing the necklace. “Thanks for the necklace, sweetie.”

“Give that back. It’s mine.” Carlie lunged forward, but one of the guards grabbed her.

The man laughed. “Wow, you were right, Braden. She’s feisty. I guess you didn’t tell her this was part of the agreement, did you?”

Carlie stopped struggling and turned to Braden. “What is he talking about?”

“I don’t know—” Braden stared at the man with what seemed like surprise, but was it guilt?

“Enough with the acting Braden.” The man stopped him with a glare. He stepped closer to Carlie and tipped her chin so she’d meet his eyes. “Your man was playing you, sweetheart. You didn’t actually think he cared for you, did he?” He clicked his tongue. “Next time know who you’re working with. Otherwise you’ll get burned. Again. Come on, Braden. We have a flight to catch.”

Braden glanced at the man before turning to Carlie. “I’m sorry.”

That was all he could get out before one of the guards grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the exit. Carlie yanked her arm away from the other guard and stood staring after Braden. Had the man been right? Was it all a trick? Braden hadn’t even asked to see the necklace the whole time they’d been together. He’d insisted he was there to take care of her. That he’d hoped she was okay.

Carlie brushed away a tear and picked up everything the man had thrown on the ground and shoved them in her bag. She forced herself to be calm until she got into the domestic flight terminal so she could check in. As soon as she was through security, she went straight for the restroom. She gave herself two minutes to let out the tears that had been trying to force their way out. It was her fault for trusting someone she barely knew.

By the time she had to board, she’d almost convinced herself that things were better this way. That she’d find a way to get the necklace from him. But every time she closed her eyes, his face was there waiting for her. Promising he’d take care of her.

***

Carlie pulled into her parking spot and sighed with relief. She was finally home. Most of what she’d taken with her was gone, but that was beside the point. She took the steps to her apartment two at a time and let herself in.

The apartment was quiet with everyone in class or at work. She dropped her bag on her bed and climbed in the shower, grateful for the steaming hot water. It was early enough in the day that she could make it to her classes.

She climbed out of the shower and went to find clothes. It was nice to have something else to wear other than the few outfits she’d taken with her. The one week trip had turned into nearly a month.

The door slammed, making Carlie jump. She grabbed her gun and backed up against the wall. No one should have been home at that time. Footsteps sounded in the hallway. Had they really followed her here?

Dee shrieked as Carlie jumped in front of the door. Carlie dropped her gun and threw her arms around her best friend. “I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to see you.”

“I can tell by the gun you had pointed at my head.” Dee laughed and returned the hug. “Where have you been, girl? It’s like you dropped off the face of the earth.”

“I wish I had.” Carlie dropped onto her bed. “What’s been going on here? Anything exciting? Have I been fired yet?”

“No. And don’t think you’re going to get away that easy. What happened?” Dee leaned forward. “Did you meet a guy?”

Carlie’s smile dropped. “I did. And he was perfect until the moment he turned on me and stole the necklace.”

Dee climbed onto the bed. “Okay, spill. And you better not leave anything out.”

***

By the time Carlie was done filling Dee in, it was too late for her to make it to her first class. Dee left for work with a promise that they would eat ice cream and binge watch all the shows Carlie had missed while she was gone. And as far as Carlie was concerned, that sounded perfect.

Campus looked exactly like it had the day she left. She set her things in her office, then headed to her next class. The aide who had taken over her classes looked up in surprise when Carlie walked into her classroom.

“Oh, you’re back. Do you want to take over today?” The girl started cleaning up her books, but Carlie shook her head.

“I’ll sit in the back today. I want to see where you’re at before I jump back in.” Carlie went up to the top of stadium seating and pulled out her books. The students filed in shortly after. A few came to say hi, but others sat down and waited for class to start.

Carlie had told herself that she would take notes, but her mind was too busy going in too many directions. She finally gave up and pulled up her tablet. She emailed any contact she’d used over the last few years, trying to get feelers out for where the necklace could be.

“Uh, Ms. Anderson? Class ended five minutes ago. We need to clear out for the next one.” The aide’s voice made Carlie jump.

“Oh, sorry.” Carlie closed her laptop and gathered her bags. “Great job with the class. I’ll be able to take over tomorrow.”

Her search hadn’t pulled up anything yet, and it frustrated her. The thought crossed her mind that she should contact Braden, but she pushed it away immediately. He’d made it clear that he’d used her.

Since classes were done for the day, she headed for her office. Her roommates would be home by that time, which meant she’d have no quiet time there. Carlie turned the corner and stopped in her tracks. The door to her office was slightly ajar. It was supposed to be locked at all times. Cursing the fact that she didn’t have her gun, she crept closer and pushed the door open, holding her keys up as a weapon.

Her office was a mess. Papers were everywhere, all the drawers from her filing cabinets were on the floor, most of them smashed in. How in the world had something like this happened without anyone noticing? She reached under her desk and pushed a lever. A secret drawer popped out. Carlie sighed in relief. All of the documents from her father were in this drawer. The names of her contacts, other potential items to search for, and documents for fake passports and licenses.

She dialed Dee’s number and waited for her to answer. “Hey, are you home?”

“Yes, and it’s a disaster. They went through everything.” Dee’s voice was cool, which showed just how furious she was. “What were they looking for?”

“I don’t know, but they attacked here too. I’m sorry. I’ll replace anything that they broke.” Carlie pushed the drawer back in and pushed a second lever to make sure no one else could get in. Father had made the desk and gifted it to her when she took over his business. She’d thought he was a little too paranoid for his own good. Apparently not. “Do you need me home?”

“No, I have it covered. You clean up there and I’ll see you later tonight.”

Carlie rubbed her forehead, trying to think clearly. “Thanks, Dee. I owe you big time.”

“Yes you do.”

Carlie dropped her phone on her desk and stared at the mess. She didn’t even know where to start.

***

It was past midnight before Carlie finally finished with her office. It was good to get rid of some of the paperwork, but a lot of it had been notes from her father on past projects. There was no way she was getting rid of that.

Carlie checked and double checked the drawer to make sure it was locked. But even then, she was hesitant to just leave her stuff there. Her hand was on the light switch when she stopped and went back to empty the drawer. She couldn’t just leave it.

The walk to her car was nerve-racking. Every rustling leaf made her jump until she finally broke into a sprint and jumped in. The thought that someone knew where she worked and lived was too much. Especially when she didn’t know what they were looking for. They already had the necklace.

Carlie pulled into her apartment complex and parked. She sprinted up to her apartment and stopped when she saw their couch sitting on the porch. The cushions had been slashed. Someone wasn’t kidding around.

Everyone was still awake inside. The apartment had been cleaned, but there were still broken cupboard doors, and one of the other couches had slashes in it as well.

“I’m so sorry, guys.” Carlie slid down the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. The thought of moving out so they wouldn’t be affected crossed her mind, but she had no idea where she’d go.

Dee came out of her bedroom and draped a towel over her shoulder. “You didn’t do this. But you did tick someone off. We did the best we could out here, but your bed . . . you can take mine and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“No, this is my fault. I’ll sleep out here.” Carlie leaned her head against the wall. “What else was ruined?”

Dani shrugged. “They mostly went after your stuff, so it’s just papers.”

Carlie pushed off the floor and went to see what her room looked like. This was worse than her office, which she didn’t think was possible. Someone knew this was her room, and they came to find something that they wanted. She got that they could find her apartment, but the fact that they knew it was her room was disturbing. There had to something that tipped them off.

She stood and ran her hand along the lamps, curtains, and other furniture looking for bugs. There. Three small bugs hidden throughout her room. That explained how they knew where she slept. Carlie took them out into the kitchen and used a hammer to smash them before dropping them into a glass of water.

“Hey, guys?” She waited for both girls to come out of their room and stood closely to them so she could whisper. “Check for bugs. I found a few in my room and I’m willing to bed you’ll find some too.”

Dani’s eyes grew big as she turned and went back to her room.

Now that her room was bug-free, she started in on the living room. One hid under her couch, while another was stuck behind Dee’s painting on the wall. Her roommates both brought out the ones they’d found in their room as well. Carlie threw them in the glass with hers.

“Hey, girls? I think it’s time you all go visit family.” She held a hand up when they started to argue. “They’re not going to stop here and I don’t want them coming after you. Please. I’m going to leave too.” Not that she had anywhere to go at that point. “Take everything you can and go.”

Dani stared at Carlie for a moment before going into her room. The sounds of drawers opening and closing came soon after.

“You too, Dee.” Carlie looked over at her best friend. “Please go.”

Dee rested her hand on Carlie’s shoulder. “Be careful.”

“I will.” Carlie went to her room to find what wasn’t damaged and packed everything in her duffle bag. She hadn’t taken off her backpack since she’d gotten home. She didn’t dare leave it sitting around.

Her roommates left an hour later, both begging her to be careful. Carlie watched them go and went back inside. She dialed Ed’s number.

It took four rings before Ed finally answered. “Up late tonight, huh?’

“I’ve been compromised. I need a place to stay.”

There was a sharp intake of breath. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, but I can’t stay here tonight. I sent my roommates away too. I haven’t been able to get ahold of Frank, so I’m asking you.”

“Give me five minutes.” The phone went dead.

Carlie put her phone in her pocket and grabbed her bags before heading to her car. She checked for bugs there too and found one near the steering wheel and other one under the backseat.

The phone rang and she picked it up. “You found something already?”

“How would you like to stay on campus for a day or two? There’s a dorm open, but you’ll be stuck with other students.”

Carlie hesitated. “Sure. But I need the best security you can get.”

“They’re on their way now. You’ll be in 24C. It’s a private room, but we’ll make sure it has an extra lock.”

“Thanks, Ed. I smashed most of the bugs, but I’m sending a few pictures for you to try to track. There’s got to be a way to find who’s been watching me.”

“Perfect. I’m off to bed. I suggest you do the same thing.”

Carlie headed for the dorms and parked in the small lot. It was exposed, but after the scare at her apartment, she hoped they wouldn’t come after her again that night. The hallways were fairly empty this late, but there were a few parties going on.

While her dorm room was private, it was still tiny. The locks were flimsy, but they’d do until Ed could get his guy there to fix it. She dropped her duffel bag on the floor and collapsed on her bed, still keeping the backpack close.

Someone had to know exactly where her office and apartment were. Most of her team had never even met. Frank and Ed had been with her from the beginning so she trusted them completely. Chet was too far away and wasn’t any part of this except for when she’d shown up at his doorstep.

Carlie thought of the bugs and wondered if there had been any in her office. She should have thought to check while she was there. Although . . . there had to be security cameras in the area. Chances were whoever it was knew how to block the cameras in the hallways, but it couldn’t hurt to look.

She pulled out her laptop and typed a few codes before she had access to the university security system. It was one of the first things her dad had taught her to do. Carlie zoomed in on her office and sped the camera up.

Several people passed by the office, which was normal for the school offices. Except that one person seemed to walk through several times, looking away when he passed directly under the posted cameras. It was too bad for him that her father had insisted on a few hidden cameras around his office. While she could only get a profile, there was something familiar about him.

Wait. She rewound and grabbed the image where he looked right at the camera. Zooming in made the picture fuzzy, but Carlie gasped. The guy from the airport. She froze the shot and took a few pictures before texting them to Ed. Fast forwarding through the rest of the tape showed that it was him who broke into her office. He left a few minutes later, most likely heading to her apartment.

Carlie knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she heard from Ed, so she curled up next to her backpack and waited for sleep to come.

Her phone buzzed, shooting adrenaline through her. “Hello?”

“You sure this is who broke into your office?” Ed’s voice was quiet enough that Carlie had to strain to hear him.

“Yes, why?” Carlie gripped the phone. “You know him?”

“Carlie . . . that’s Frank.”

Carlie laughed. “What are you talking about? I met Frank in Thailand. This guy doesn’t look anything like him.”

“What are you talking about? Frank was with me trying to figure out how to get you home. Or at least that’s what I thought he was doing.” Ed swore.

“That’s—” Carlie rubbed her forehead. She hadn’t actually ever met Frank before Thailand, so she supposed it could be possible. But why would he do that? He’d gotten her out of trouble several times over the years. “If that’s true, then who was with me? He helped get us in to grab the necklace.”

“Do you have pictures? I can try to figure it out that way. In the meantime, don’t take calls from him. Avoid Frank at all costs. And it sounds like we should be getting you another place to stay. I’ll have something by tomorrow.”

Carlie sighed. “Thanks, Ed. And be careful.”

“You too.” Ed hung up and Carlie stared at the phone. Things just kept getting more and more messed up. And the worst part about it was that she didn’t have Braden there to help come up with a plan.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Braden coughed and squinted up at the light from his cell. His throat was parched from sitting there for days. He’d been told his boss wasn’t angry. And even after they saw the necklace, he was assured that he was still in their good graces. Two hours later he’d been thrown in this cell.

Carlie would have been home for a few days by then. The look of betrayal on her face had stayed with him since they parted in the airport. They’d taken his phone as soon as he’d been shoved into the car, so there was no way he could contact her. He shook his head. Stephen had sold him out. He knew what was going on every step of the way. The perfect place for a mole.

The cell door squeaked open. A large man in a suit stood in the doorway. “Sloan wants to see you.”

“Wait—Frank? What are you doing here?”

“The name is Joe. You and your little girlfriend are much too trusting for your own good.” Joe smiled menacingly and yanked Braden up off the floor.

“You work for Sloan, then?” Braden tried to wrap his head around things. Chet and Carlie had both let him into the house with no questions asked.

Joe snorted. “No. Let’s just say I work for myself. And if you so much as breathe a word to Sloan, you and your girlfriend will pay.”

Braden’s shackles were unlocked and he was able to stretch. “Yes, because being a traitor to two different parties makes me want to believe everything you say.”

The snark earned him an elbow to the stomach. “Clean yourself up. The meeting is in half an hour and you’d better be presentable.”

Joe shoved him into a small bathroom where a suit, shaving kit, towel, and soap sat. The shower was cold, but it was the first he’d had in days. His hands shook as he tried to shave. He wasn’t sure when they’d even fed him last. He took several drinks from the sink, not caring if it was safe or not.

“Time’s up. Let’s go.” Joe grabbed his arm and practically dragged him up the stairs. “I suggest you show some manners.”

“Got it.” Braden pulled his arm out of the man’s grip and straightened his tie. He wanted nothing more than to punch Sloan in the face for how he’d been treated—how Carlie had been treated—but his life was in their hands at that point.

Sloan sat in his chair writing when Braden approached his desk. It was another minute or two before Sloan finally set down the pen and leaned back in his chair. “I trust you’ve enjoyed your time here.”

“It’s been wonderful. The view of the building next door is just amazing.” Braden smiled.

“I thought you might like that. Especially after all the traveling you’ve done over the last few weeks.” Sloan leaned forward. “You were told countless times to ditch the girl. Would you mind telling me why you went against our wishes?”

Braden stared at Sloan for a moment before answering. Anything he said could be taken wrong. He had to tread lightly.  “She was an asset to the search. She’s spent years researching this necklace. Dropping her in the middle of a foreign country would have helped no one.”

Sloan tapped his desk. “So teaming up with her and staying with people who have been a thorn in our side for decades was all because she was an asset?”

“Yes. I had to gain her trust. Her father was an archaeologist before her. She’d learned not to trust anyone. I had to prove her wrong.” Again, her look of betrayal crossed his mind. And with good reason. He hadn’t done it on purpose. He’d fully planned to let her have the necklace. But there was no way to get her to believe that now.

The man chuckled. “We trained you better than I’d thought. And because of that, we have a piece of history that the entire world is after. Well done.”

Braden raised his eyebrows. “Well done? I’m locked away for days with no food or water, and I get a well done?”

“It could be worse. You could be dead.” Sloan pulled a folder out of his drawer and held it out for Braden to take. “I want you to read over these files and let me know what you think. If your plan is acceptable, I might actually let you go on another run.”

“What about my teaching job? I need to get back there before they fire me.”

Sloan waved his hand dismissively. “You can go back once this job is done. By that time the necklace will be secure and we’ll let you around your little girlfriend again.”

“Wait—you still have it?” Braden had just assumed they’d sell it like they usually did with priceless artifacts. “What are you going to do with it?”

“That is none of your concern. Now leave. Look those over. We’ll talk after.” Sloan went back to his writing.

Braden turned to leave and nearly ran into the men who had dragged him up there. He pushed past them, thumbing through the files Sloan had given him. The emerald from the shipwreck. Braden knew exactly where it had gone. He stopped and felt for a pen in his pockets.

“You two have a pen by any chance?”

One of the men grunted. “What do you need a pen for?”

“I need to write down the information Sloan asked for.” Braden waved the file in the air. “Do you really want me to keep him waiting?”

They exchanged glances and walked Braden back to Sloan’s office. Sloan looked up from his work with an annoyed expression until he saw who it was.

“You’ve solved it already?” His tone was amused.

Braden took a pen off Sloan’s desk and wrote down a name. “They bought the emerald that night in Thailand. I can find the address for you but it might take a bit.”

Sloan grinned, sending a chill down Braden’s spine. “I figured you might have that information. It was the one thing we couldn’t recover that night. Besides the necklace, that is. Well done. Very well, I suppose you can go.”

Braden bowed slightly before leaving the office. His hands shook as he went to gather his things from the storage room. He wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. His phone was still in his jacket pocket but it was dead.

The feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t leave him. He burst out of the office and looked around, trying to get his bearings. He flagged down a taxi and climbed in. “Hey, I need to get to LAX.”

The driver nodded and pulled out into traffic. The streets were packed with people going about their business, not realizing he’d been kept prisoner. Life had gone on without him. He ached to call Carlie, let her know that he cared for her. That he wanted to be with her.

A screeching of tires came just before impact and then the world was black.

***

The screaming of sirens were the first thing Braden heard when he woke. It was hard to breathe through the pain in his ribs, and he could feel the sticky liquid running down the side of his face. He groaned as he crawled toward the open window to climb out.

The accident may have been just that, but Sloan had been too eager to let him go. He crawled out onto the sidewalk and lay down on the cement trying to catch his breath. A woman bent over him, worry etched on her face.

“Stay still. The ambulance is almost here.”

“Can . . . I borrow . . . your phone?” Braden asked. Blackness kept trying to overcome him, but he fought it off.

The woman fumbled around in her purse before she pulled out her phone. Braden dialed in Carlie’s number and waited for her to pick up. It went to voicemail.

“Carlie . . . it’s me. I need help. I’m in . . . L.A.” He handed the phone back and allowed the blackness to swallow him again.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Carlie listened to the voicemail again and fought back tears. He’d called, but she’d been in the middle of a class. The possibility that it was a trap was likely, but Carlie couldn’t stay away. She grabbed her bag from her desk and ran out of the building, nearly plowing over several students. She took two steps at a time up to the her dorm and had to tap her code in four times before she finally got it right. Her bag was already packed just in case she needed to escape whoever was stalking her.

This time she didn’t bother asking Ed to help her with transportation. He’d already done enough for her, and she was going to help someone who had caused a lot of problems for their team.

Traffic was slow for the time of day and every minute she had to spend in the car made her want to scream. Braden needed her. She found a parking spot in the airport parking lot and grabbed her bag before running to buy a ticket. There was enough of a line that she was able to pull herself together.

“Hi, I need a ticket to LAX, please.”

The woman smiled. “It’ll be three hundred dollars and I need to see your ID.”

Carlie pulled her card out and handed the woman her ID. As soon as she had her ticket in hand, she checked her bag and went through security. Because she’d bought tickets last minute, they took extra time to let her through. By the time she got to her gate, it was time to board.

While the stewardesses went through the safety protocols, Carlie used her tablet to search for any accidents or suspicious activity in LA for the day. A few accidents had happened, but nothing out of the ordinary. Except one where a taxi had been broadsided at an intersection. Carlie took note of the location and did a few more searches. There was definitely something up there.

She pulled up another window and searched for the nearest hospital to that location. Ed would have been helpful at that point, but again, this was to help someone who had supposedly betrayed her. She’d have to do it herself.

“Miss? You need to put your tablet on airplane mode.” The stewardess smiled down at her.

“Oh, sorry.” Carlie turned it off and waited for the flight to take off. The rest would have to wait until they were high enough in the air to purchase internet.

***

Carlie collected her bag from baggage claim and headed out to find a taxi, but decided at the last moment to find a car. If Braden’s call was traced, they’d know she was contacted.

The hospital was a few miles away from the airport, but it took a good hour to reach it because of traffic. She went inside and found the information desk.

“Hi, I’m looking for a Braden Wyatt. He was in an accident a few hours ago.” Carlie searched the board above the desk, but his name wasn’t listed. But there was a Kramer.

“I’m sorry, there’s no one here by that name. Are you sure you got the right hospital?”

Carlie glanced back up at the name again and nodded. “Thanks. I’ll check another department to see if he was moved.”

The nurse called out as Carlie dashed off. She watched the room numbers until she got to the right one. A quick search told her she hadn’t been followed. The beeping sound of the heart monitor met her as she opened the door slowly. Braden lay in bed with a bandage around his head and his left arm had a cast. Bruises covered his face, but it was him.

Carlie slipped inside and closed the door. She peeked around the curtains to make sure no one else was in the room then went to his bed. He didn’t stir as she took his hand. A tear ran down her cheek as she watched him breathing slowly. Who had done this?

“Carlie? You made it.” Braden coughed.

She bent down and kissed on his forehead. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” He licked his lips. “Water.”

Carlie held the hospital water mug for him so he could get a drink. “Do you think it was on purpose?”

He nodded and coughed again. “My team . . . let me go. But it didn’t seem right.”

“So you think they’re the ones who did this? Why would they do that?” Carlie set the mug down and held his hand again.

“I don’t know.” He paused. “Can you help me get out of here?”

Carlie raised her eyebrows. “I’ve already done that once, remember?”

“I know. That means you know how to do it again.” He laughed at his own joke. “I’m a sitting duck right now. Tell me. Were there guards outside my door?”

“No.” She frowned. “Were there supposed to be?”

“Yes. I heard the police talking about it as I drifted in and out.” He tried to sit up.

Carlie used the remote to push the bed up. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to move you right now.”

“It’s that or I.D. me at the morgue.” Braden stared up at her. “I need to go. Now.”

“Okay, but you’re going to have to be able to run if it comes to that. Think you can do it?” Carlie pushed a wheelchair over to the bed.

He shook his head and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Probably not, but we’ll do what we can.”

Once he was settled in his chair, Carlie gathered his things and set them on his lap, followed by a blanket to hide them. “Here goes nothing.”

Breaking out of an Egyptian hospital proved to be much easier than this one. Carlie had to walk calmly down the hall as if they were just going for a walk, then take off whenever they had the hallway to themselves. Nurses continuously moved back and forth near the front desk, which meant they had to find another way out.

They found an exit where other patients sat to get some sun. Carlie pushed Braden past them and turned a corner before breaking into a run.

“You doing okay?” She asked, trying to catch her breath.

Braden laughed. “I’m fine. Although we might want to go faster. I’m pretty sure I heard some shouting back there.”

Carlie pushed him through the parking lot and found her small rental. “Good thing we’re here already.” She unlocked the doors, and Braden climbed in. Carlie set the wheelchair up on the sidewalk then jumped in. “I don’t think there’s any way we’re getting you on a plane right now. Guess we drive back home.”

“Fair enough. I don’t think they’ll be expecting that. But let’s head up through California and then head east. I want to make sure they’re not on our tail.” Braden yawned and closed his eyes.

“Sounds good. Okay, I drive, you talk. I want to know everything including why you betrayed me. And then we figure out where the necklace is. I’m not letting it slip through my fingers again.”

Braden was quiet for a moment. “Can you tell me why you want it so bad? You found it, which was the point of this whole thing. Do you really need it back?”

“Yes. I’d rather put it back in that death trap in Africa than allow criminals to have it. My father and I searched for it for too long.” Carlie pulled onto the freeway and glanced over at Braden. “I don’t suppose you know where it is?”

“I have my suspicions. If you’re sure you want it, then we need to stick around here. They plan to take it somewhere soon, which means it’s in town somewhere.”

Carlie’s heart beat rapidly. “You’re sure?”

“No, but I’m willing to bet it’s nearby.”

“You up for one more adventure before we head home?” Carlie checked her mirrors and veered over to the freeway exit.

Braden grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

***

The hotel Carlie had checked them into was run down, but it helped them hide out until they could find out more. Once she was sure he was settled into his bed, she made a call to Ed.

“Hey, I have intel that the necklace is in LA. I just sent you the coordinates. Think you can use the cameras in the building to find it?”

“Give me an hour.” There was a pause. “Where’d you get this intel? I haven’t been able to find anything.”

“I have my sources. Let me know when you find it.” Carlie hung up and flopped onto the other bed. When Ed said it would take an hour, he meant it, and she needed to get rest while she still could.

***

Carlie slowly pulled the bandage off around Braden’s head, cringing every time he gasped. The cut near his hairline was healing nicely, but it would be hard to hide the stitches. She picked up the foundation she’d picked up at the store.

“Okay, sit still and this shouldn’t hurt.”

Braden raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t?”

“Hey, I’ll do my best.” She patted lightly around the stitches to hide the bruising, then covered the other bruises on his face. “Maybe a mask would have been easier.”

“I look that bad?” Braden reached for the small makeup mirror, but Carlie pulled it away.

“Just wait.” Carlie tilted his chin, checking to make sure she didn’t miss anything. “Hmm looks like I missed a spot.”

Braden grabbed the mirror and checked. “I don’t see anything. Also, I’m never wearing makeup again.”

Carlie bent down and brushed his lips with hers. “There, I got it.”

“Hmm, I don’t think you did.” He pulled her back down for another kiss, running his fingers through her hair.

Carlie pushed away, laughing. “You’re going to mess up your makeup and then we’ll have to start all over again.”

She stood and grabbed a black shirt and pants. “Change into this and then I think we’re set.”

Braden held up his shirt. “Where’d you get all these supplies? I thought you didn’t want Ed knowing we’re working together.”

“I got them at the super villain store. There was a two-for-one sale.” Carlie went into the bathroom to change into her outfit and pulled her hair back into a bun. She made sure to pack her tranquilizer lipstick and gun, then left the bathroom.

Braden set down his phone and stood. “Sloan should be leaving soon. They thought they’d cut me off, but I was able to hack into their phone line. And I may have let it leak that the alarm system was down in the art museum.”

“Which museum?”  Carlie grabbed her bag and added another case of bullets.

“All of them.” Braden grunted as he slipped on his jacket. “He’ll be too busy organizing raids to notice that we’re inside.”

Carlie couldn’t decide if she was more nervous or excited to be breaking into the building. Braden had shaken her confidence when he asked the real reason she wanted to go for the necklace. Her father had taught her that it was all about preserving items that had been around for centuries. But was that really why she wanted it so badly?

They took a taxi to an address that was two blocks away from Sloan’s building. No reason to let the driver get suspicious if things did go wrong. They climbed out and ran down alleys, taking a few extra turns to cover their tracks.

The alarm systems were top of the line, so they avoided the doors. Carlie pulled off her ring and used it to cut a rectangle into the glass, then used suction cups to help pull it out without letting it shatter. She sprayed mist to reveal the lasers, breathing in relief when she didn’t see any.

She had Braden go first, then pulled the glass back into place behind her. Braden pulled up the map on his phone and they compared it to the one Ed had sent. Cameras lined the walls, so they had to duck and run to the opposite wall.

They had to go down two floors, but instead of taking the stairs, they would go down the elevator shaft. They strapped themselves together and Carlie held on tightly to Braden while he took the ladder down. She would have enjoyed being this close to him if there wasn’t thirty feet of nothing below them.

The modern decor from above had given way to stone walls and cramped offices. They had to duck back inside the elevator when a security guard passed by, then Carlie went ahead. They checked the map again and made their way to the end of a hallway.

Braden pulled Carlie close and bent down to whisper in her ear. “I have to use my retina scan in here. Which means that we’ll have exactly thirty seconds before every guard and agent for miles will be on us. Ready?”

Carlie nodded. After what they’d done in Thailand and Egypt, this was nothing. Or at least that’s what she’d keep telling herself. “But this only happens if you promise to get out of here as soon as you’ve done your part. You’re injured. Let me do this. Meet me at the hotel and have a car ready.”

“What? No.”

“You know you’ll just slow me down. I’ll see you as soon as this is over. You’re as good as dead if they catch you.”

Braden stared at her for a moment before finally nodding. He bent down and scanned his eye, then used his palm for the next lock. “Go.”

“See you soon.” Carlie pulled the door open and used her phone to track the necklace. At the back of the room was a large vault. Of course that’s where they'd put it. She cursed and dialed Ed’s number using the video app. He picked up on the first ring. “Please tell me you can get me into this.”

Ed ran his fingers through his hair. “Sure. In about three hours.”

“I don’t have three hours.” Carlie looked back toward the entrance, listening for any signs of guards. “I have about twenty seconds.”

“Well, then I suggest you pull out your perfume, click it twice and aim at the lock.” The phone went dead.

Carlie pulled out the perfume bottle she’d used to find the lasers and did what he told her. High pressure mist blew out and froze the control panel. Whoa. She stared at the bottle for a minute before grabbing a display box and slamming it into the panel. She twisted the handle on the vault and opened it. Inside was the necklace, laying inside the wooden box she’d carried all over Bangkok. She grabbed the box and snapped it shut, then ducked behind another display case just as guards piled inside. Time to get out of there. Carlie lit a smoke bomb and rolled it into the center of the room. As soon as the smoke was thick enough, she slipped out the door and ran for the elevator.

Shots rang out behind her, but she was already up the shaft climbing to the main floor. She sprinted for the window she’d used as an entrance and pushed it out, not caring that it shattered on her out.

Her breaths came out in gasps as she rounded a corner and continued on. Weaving back and forth through the alleys until she was several blocks away. She leaned against a wall to catch her breath and pulled out her phone to call Braden, but just got voicemail.

“Hey, Braden it’s me. Please call back so I know you’re okay.”

As soon as she found a main road, she flagged down a taxi and gave the directions to the hotel. Carlie’s phone buzzed.

Don’t go back to the hotel. We’ve been compromised. Meet you at LAX.

“Hey, change of plans. Can you take me to the airport?”

“That’s the other direction, lady.” The man glared into the mirror.

Carlie threw a hundred dollar bill at him. “I know. And I need to get to the airport. Turns out my boyfriend already cleared out the hotel room and checked out.”

“Trouble in paradise, eh?” He chuckled and turned left at the next light.

“Something like that.” Carlie typed a quick message back.

I’ll be there in ten minutes. You okay?

I’ll explain when we’re on the flight. Terminal five. I already checked your bag.

Thanks. See you soon.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Braden paced the floor of the airport waiting for Carlie to appear. She’d said ten minutes, so where was she? Their flight was called over the loud speaker again. It would be taking off in ten minutes.

“Braden!” Carlie called out. She’d changed out of her black jacket, and her hair was down instead of in the bun.

“You had me scared.” He hugged her quickly before taking her hand. “Come on. We have to check in now.”

“The flight isn’t supposed to take off for another hour.”

Braden smiled and continued on to security. He checked them both in and ran for the gate. When he noticed that Carlie was lagging behind, he slowed down.

“We’re not heading to Arizona are we?” Carlie adjusted her backpack.

“Nope.” Braden handed their tickets to the flight attendant.

“Cutting it close. They’re just about to close the doors.” The flight attendant smiled and waved them into the gate.

Carlie pulled on his arm to make him stop. “Why are we going to New York?”

“Because I thought we could use a vacation.” Braden set his backpack up in the luggage rack.

Carlie held tightly to hers until a stewardess asked her to put it under the chair. “Where are we really going?”

“Let’s just say I had a few chats with someone at the Met and your new little souvenir will have its own display and security detail.”

Carlie’s eyes lit up. “Seriously? That’s amazing. Thank you.”

“Anything for my girl.” Braden leaned forward and kissed her. “How’d you get it done so  quickly?”

“That’s a story for another time.” Carlie nodded to a man a few rows ahead who seemed a little to interested in their conversation.

Braden took the courtesy pillow out of its plastic and set it behind his head. “Sounds good to me. Wake me when we get there.”

***

Braden straightened his bowtie, then combed through his hair one more time. A lot of work had gone into that night and he wanted to look perfect for Carlie.

“It looks fine.” Carlie’s voice came from behind him.

He turned and smiled. “Wow, you look beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Carlie blushed and turned in a circle. The red form fitting sequined dress flattered her more than the dress she’d worn in Thailand. Her hair was pinned up in a twist, and she wore the jeweled necklace he’d given her for her birthday. “I can’t believe this is finally happening. I wish my father was here with us tonight.”

“I bet he is. Nothing would keep him away from seeing his little girl fulfill his lifelong quest.” Braden helped her with her wrap. “The limo should be here soon.”

“Perfect.” Carlie held her stomach. “I’m so nervous. What if something goes wrong?”

Braden chuckled. “Between our two testimonies and the evidence Ed helped plant, I don’t think Sloan or the others will be getting out anytime soon.”

They left the hotel room and took the elevator down to the main lobby. Braden kept an arm around Carlie, making sure she was safe at all times. Cameras flashed and reporters asked questions all the way to the limo, where they slid in and closed the doors.

“I guess staying anonymous is out of the question.” Carlie leaned her head against Braden’s shoulder.

“Looks like it.”

Traffic was busier than usual on the way to the museum. It seemed art collectors had come out of the woodwork to be there that night.

More cameras flashed as they climbed out of the limo in front of the museum. Braden held tightly to Carlie as they walked up the steps and went to the Ancient Egypt exhibit. Carlie slowed as they approached the display. Her eyes filled with tears. Braden pulled out a tissue for her to wipe her eyes.

He led her up to the front, next to the glass case that kept the necklace safe. A large plaque below the display explained the significance of the necklace and gave credit to Carlie, her father, and Braden for finding it. Braden had fought with them, but Carlie was insistent that he was acknowledged. A bust of Cleopatra stood nearby, along with the story of the purchase of her necklace.

Waiters walked through with trays of champagne, and people chatted in groups. Braden kept an eye out for anyone that seemed suspicious, but so far everything looked secure.

“Carlie!” Two women hurried forward and pulled her into a hug. This had to be Dani and Dee. She’d been thrilled to death when they told her they were coming.

One of the women held out her hand. “Hey, I’m Dee. You probably don’t remember. I took an archaeology class from you a couple of years ago.”

“You did? I mean, it’s nice to meet you.” Braden thought she seemed vaguely familiar, but several of his classes had over a hundred students in them. He turned to Carlie’s other friend. “So you must be Dani then.”

“Yes. It’s nice to meet you.” She shook his hand and glanced around the museum. “This place is amazing. I can’t believe you have a piece here, Carlie.”

Carlie laughed. “I wish I had all the credit.”

Braden raised an eyebrow. “You may not have made it yourself, but you certainly deserve all of the credit. You’ll have to tell them the story about jumping out of a window into a river in Thailand sometime.”

Dee rolled her eyes. “Sounds like Carlie. She was the one who played the best pranks on the other apartments when we were all in college together.”

“Uh, let’s not go there.” Carlie put her finger to her lips. “Those days should stay in the past.”

“Oh, no. I don’t think they’re going to stay in the past. I want to hear them.” Braden leaned over to Dee. “You and I are going to have to trade stories.”

Carlie looped her arm through Braden’s. “I think I’m going to have to keep you away from them.”

“Come on. You weren’t that bad.” Braden laughed and took a glass of champagne from the offered tray. “Looks like they’re starting the ceremony.”

“Do you know where I put my notes? I don’t remember.” Carlie searched frantically through her purse.

Braden pulled the notecards from his pocket. “Relax. I took them, remember? You didn’t want to lose them.”

Carlie sighed with relief. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d probably fall apart.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear. “Good thing, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going anywhere.”

EPILOGUE

Carlie double checked her bag to make sure she had supplies for whatever was thrown at her. Braden had locked her out of her office for the day, telling her it was time to take a break.

The doorbell rang and Dee’s voice came from the other room. “Oh, hey, Braden. She’ll be out in a sec.”

Carlie hefted the duffel bag over her shoulder, glancing around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She walked out to the living room where Braden stood talking to her roommates. His eyes lit up when he saw her.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” Carlie handed him her luggage.

“That would ruin the surprise.” Braden grinned.

Dee threw her arms around Carlie’s neck. “You’d better keep in contact. No more running off to places where you have no reception.”

“I’ll do my best.” Carlie hugged Dani. “See you both . . . sometime.”

Carlie followed Braden out to his car and waited for him to put her bag in the trunk before climbing in. They headed north, away from the airport, confusing her even more. She glanced over at Braden, but he just smiled and whistled to the song on the radio.

They parked in a field where a helicopter sat waiting for them. Carlie shook her head and climbed out of the car. Leave it to Braden to keep her guessing. They climbed in and took off, heading farther north.

Carlie stared down at the landscape as it passed underneath them and her breath caught when she saw the Grand Canyon in the distance. She turned to look at Braden who had a grin on his face.

Tears stung her eyes as they touched down on the ground. He helped her down out of the helicopter as she stared out at the view. Out of all the places she’d traveled in her life, this was still her favorite. It was the last place she’d visited with her family.

Braden put an arm around her and squeezed. “Surprise.”

“You remembered.”

“Of course.”

Carlie laughed at the bag that sat in the car back in the parking lot. She’d been ready to leave on some huge adventure, and here she was at the Grand canyon—an hour away from her apartment. “Did Dee know you were bringing me here?”

“She did. I had to make sure I could get you away from your studies.”

Things made a lot more sense now. “Well, they can act. I’ll give them that.”

“Yes, they can. And I’m glad that’s true because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get you away from work to do this.” Braden pulled a small box out of his pocket and got down on one knee. “Carlie, since the moment I had the nerve to talk to you, life has been one giant adventure. I’ve been shot at, run into, and broken a few dozen laws. Through it all, I knew I wanted to survive just so I could keep having adventures with you. The only thing that could make it all better would be if we could travel together as man and wife. Carlie Anderson, will you marry me?”

Carlie covered her face with her hands and nodded. “Yes.”

Braden took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger, then stood and bent down to kiss her. The wind rustled around them as they sat down on the cliff to watch the sunset together. It was as if the two of them were the only ones on earth. And that was exactly how Carlie liked it.

***

Carlie smoothed out her wedding dress and forced herself to breathe. The wedding would start at any minute, and she couldn’t wait to get it over with. So many preparations for what would be a short and simple ceremony. She should have just convinced him to elope.

“They’re ready for you.” Dee straightened Carlie’s veil. “You’ll be just fine. Oh, and do you think you could convince Braden to introduce me to his best man? Because wow.”

“Sure. Stuart’s a nice guy.” Carlie took her bouquet from Dee and forced herself to walk out of the room and into the small chapel. The wedding march played on the piano as Carlie counted the steps to herself.

Braden stood in the front looking amazing in his tux. He smiled when he saw her, giving Carlie more confidence to continue up to the front. She stood next to Braden, excitement bubbling over.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered.

“So do you.” Carlie did her best to listen to the pastor, but all she could think of was how much she wished her father could be there. Braden had to nudge to her to say “I do” at the right time. When the pastor told Braden to kiss the bride, he pulled the veil up and leaned to kiss her. It melted away the heartache she’d felt, and she knew her father was proud of her.

Cheers erupted in the church as Carlie and Braden walked back down the aisle and out to their car.

***

The reception hall Braden’s family had picked out was exquisite. Large bouquets of flowers stood in vases around the large ballroom. Carlie and Braden stood at one end of the room allowing people to come through the line. Trying to remember all the names was nearly impossible, so Carlie just stood and smiled while Braden introduced them.

“It’s now time for the first dance for the bride and groom,” Dani announced. The music started up, Braden led Carlie out onto the floor.

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Well, we did it.”

“We really did.” Carlie laid her head against his chest.

“I’m sorry your dad couldn’t be here.” Braden’s voice rumbled against her ear.

Carlie smiled. “I think he was. This is something he wouldn’t miss for anything.”

He chuckled. “You’re probably right.”

The song ended and Braden twirled Carlie around before they walked back to stand in the reception line. Families who had shown up during the dance stood in line waiting to say hello. Carlie knew it would be a long night.

***

When there was a lull in the crowd, Carlie slipped out into the hallway to get a breath of fresh air.

“Excuse me, Carlie? I have a letter here for you.” An older man stood next to her holding a tray with an envelope sitting on it.

Carlie recognized her father’s handwriting immediately. “Where’d you get this from?”

“I work for the law firm that handled your father’s accounts. It was sent to our office with a note saying that it was not to be delivered until you had found the necklace. We tried to get it to New York, but we didn’t make it in time.”

Mystified, Carlie took the envelope from him and studied the handwriting. Her father had been gone for four years now. How had he known that she would be able to find it?

“Where’d that come from?” Braden asked. Carlie must have been gone from the reception longer than she’d thought.

“My father.” She turned it over and opened it, curiosity getting the best of her. She’d gone over his notes many times, but this was different. New. And if she hadn’t found the necklace, she would have missed out on a chance to hear from him again. The thought brought tears to her eyes.

My dearest Carlie,

If you’re reading this, you’ve found the necklace—something I was never able to do myself. I’m so proud of you. I do hope you made the right choice and gave it to a museum. Something this beautiful belongs in the open so that others can see it.

And that brings me to the reason for this letter. The necklace is part of a set. Now you must find the scepter and the crown. I believe one is in Budapest, and the other is in England somewhere. You’ll find my research in a locker at Grand Central Station. The key is inside the drawer in my desk.

Love you, my sweet girl,

Dad

Carlie stared at the letter, tears running down her face. She wiped her eyes and checked the envelope to make sure there wasn’t anything else, then read the letter through again. This explained the key she’d wondered about for so long. She’d wanted to throw it away several times but couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“There’s more?” Braden asked, reading over her shoulder.

“Yep.”

“When do we leave?”

ALSO BY JACLYN HARDY

Silver Script Novels (Contemporary Romance)

Ring of Truth

A Christmas Worth Billions

Fashioned for Love

Change in Harmony

Another Chance for Love

Love in Return

Waves of Hope

Cottonwood Ranch

Roping His Heart – Coming soon!

Adventure Romance

Never Say Necklace

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jaclyn is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school, when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close, but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve, at BYU, and they have six happy, crazy children who encourage her to keep writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. Her books include the Silver Script Novel—Ring of Truth, A Christmas Worth Billions, Fashioned for Love, Change in Harmony, and Another Chance for Love, Love in Return, and Waves of Hope, and the upcoming Roping His Heart and Never Say Necklace.

To join Jaclyn’s newsletter, click here.

To connect with Jaclyn:

Facebook

Website

Email