Ruby woke to the sounds of men arguing. And to the feeling that she was going to hurl.Her head hurt, too. Groaning, she attempted to roll over onto her side. And that's when she realized her hands were tied together behind her back. Panic seized her, and her eyes flew open.She was on a boat. Locked in a cramped bedroom, just like before. Her memory came back in pieces - Willemstad. A man in a hat. Running. The same gravelly voiced man who'd kidnapped her the first time had done it again, and now she was on Cyrus Nash's boat, in even worse trouble than before."I told you, there was nothing there!" someone was saying out in the main part of the cabin. "I searched the whole damn place. I tell you, she hid them somewhere. Or sold them.""I swear, Bruce, if she's given them to Roth's boys, Nash'll make sure you never see a penny of your share." She'd know Gravelly Voice anywhere."But there was nothing there!""This isn't the first time you've dropped the ball. You haven't been pul
Aruba"That has to be their van," Leo said. "There's no one else out here."He glanced down at Jackson's phone in his hand. They'd been tracking his own cell phone for several hours, and it had led them here - to a wild stretch of wilderness on Aruba. Jackson had the wheel, and Xavier was in the backseat, ready for action. Alexei and Charlie were back at the boat. Charlie had protested being left behind, but Jackson had insisted. This was too dangerous.I have to reach her in time.Since the moment they'd taken up the chase, his mind had been playing through every scenario. Most of them didn't end well.I have to save her.His eyes lifted again, found the blue van they'd spotted a couple of miles ago. Jackson had been driving like a maniac, trying to catch up, but it wasn't nearly fast enough for Leo. The dinky rust-bucket of a car they'd acquired on such short notice didn't have much speed in her. Leo would have jumped out of the car and sprinted after the van on foot if he thou
Yes, Ruby thought, men are definitely idiots. And not just the ones who cheated on her right before the wedding. The good ones could be idiots, too, especially when they had their eye on a prize.Like Leo, for instance. The minute she mentioned the California Lighthouse, all three men in the car decided they had to go there right away. Even Leo, who was still bleeding out all over the backseat."You need stitches," she pointed out."Stitches can wait." There was a fierce determination in his eyes, and he seemed to have forgotten all about his pain. "Don't worry, tesoro. I'll be fine until Rinaldi's treasure is in our hands."Idiot.Ruby had to admit, though, that if they wanted to beat Cyrus Nash to the treasure, they had to move fast. Cyrus had the letters. If, as Leo claimed, they were using the places Vincent mentioned to guide their search, then he and his remaining men would get to the lighthouse eventually. If they hadn't already. If they were hitting every location in Vince
This is it.Leo dropped to his knees beside Ruby. He sucked in a sharp breath as pain stabbed through his leg, but he forgot his discomfort quickly."Help me dig this out," he told her, digging his fingers into the sand. For a career treasure hunter, he felt woefully unprepared. It would have been nice to have a shovel right now, or anything besides the multitool in his pocket and the handgun stuffed into the back of his pants, but here they were.At least Ruby showed no objection to getting her hands dirty. She dug into the dune on one side of the slab, and Leo took the other. It only took a few minutes for them to free enough sand to move the stone. Leo lifted it from the ground and set it aside.Underneath, the edges of a plastic bag poked out of the sand. Leo gave it a couple of tugs, working it free."Is that the treasure?" Ruby asked, sounding unimpressed.He didn't blame her. It looked like garbage. The gallon-sized plastic bag held what appeared to be a bundle of paper to
When Leo woke, the first thing he noticed was the rocking of waves beneath him.It was calming, actually. He appreciated the calm. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but he couldn't remember what that weight was, or where it had gone. He just kept his eyes closed and let his body move with the waves.Eventually, other things drifted into his consciousness. The sound of voices - muffled, as if they were coming from somewhere else. Hunger, a low growl in his belly. And then pain - dull but persistent, and emanating from somewhere on his leg.His leg.All of a sudden it all came back to him - the lighthouse, the jewels, the shootout among the sand dunes.Ruby. Where is Ruby?He sat bolt upright, and his head slammed into something. With a groan, he fell back again, clutching his skull.Immediately, there was someone beside him. Soft hands gripped his, pulling his fingers away from his head."I swear, men are idiots," murmured a sweet voice that made warmth
"I'm going to be out of the action for a while," Leo said. And suddenly, he wasn't sure he minded that. "I don't know where I'm going to end up, or how long I'm going to be there, but I doubt I'll find myself in any shootouts anytime soon. Or any ATV chases. I need a break." His heart was already beating faster, realizing he'd found an answer. "I also might need some help while I'm healing. Someone to make sure I don't hurt myself again." He could already feel the grin creeping across his lips. "Having you there would free up the rest of the guys to go running around the world. You could nurse me back to health."She laughed. "Now that sounds like a job I might like.""I'm not joking.""Neither am I."He smiled down at her. "You mean it? You'd stay with me?"Her eyes glowed. "Yes." Her cheeks were bright pink. "I know this might not be the most appropriate thing to say, considering I was preparing to marry another man less than a month ago, but I think I'm falling for you. No - I
BOOK THREE: PROTECTING HIS PRIZEGardiner, Montana, United StatesThis isn't the sort of danger I signed up for. Xavier Price took a swig of his orange soda as he stared up at the stone arch in front of him. Deep sea dives? Sure. Long treks through the jungle? Anytime. Pirates? Bring 'em on. But not this. Anything but this.He looked up at the wide stretch of blue over his head. There were only a couple of wispy clouds in the sky above, but despite the bright August sun, a mild chill hung in the air. He told himself that anywhere would feel chilly to him after spending the last few weeks in the Caribbean, that the goose bumps on his arms had nothing to do with the woman who was somewhere on the other side of that arch, somewhere in the wilds of Yellowstone National Park.He stuck his free hand in his pocket out of habit, his fingers closing around the little wooden figurine he always kept there. The ridges dug into his palm, but he tightened his grip. Bracing himself."What do you
Norris Geyser Basin Museum, Yellowstone National Park"Do you want your own map?" Penelope Vaughn knelt down, smiling at the little girl in front of her. "It'll show you how to get everywhere you're going to visit today. Maybe you can help be the navigator for your dad."The girl nodded shyly, her pigtails bobbing as she reached out. She hadn't said a word since her family approached Penny, but her eyes were sparkling with excitement as her chubby fingers closed around the paper map."There are plenty of signs," Penny assured the girl's parents as she rose to her feet again. "And if you have any questions about anything you see today, just find another ranger. He or she should be able to tell you anything you want to know." Her eyes fell on the little girl again, and her grin widened. "And you'll remember what I told you about the animals, right?"The girl nodded solemnly. Hopefully, she and her parents would listen. Unfortunately, too many tourists treated the park like a petting