Read Online Undiscovered (Treasure Hunter Security Book 1) by Anna Hackett - Free Book Online Page B

his friend the finger. “We need to talk.” Subtly, Dec tipped his head toward the hole. “Some new finds will need securing.”
    Logan’s eyes widened a fraction. “Sure thing.” The man turned to Layne. “Doc, we’ve put the statue in the work tent.”
    “The statue?”
    Logan raised a brow. “Yeah, the stone one you were so excited about. The one that almost dropped on your head.”
    “Oh, right.” She shook her head. “Right. I’ll take a look at it.” Then her shoulders sagged. “First, I need to deal with the scaffold mess—”
    “Go, Rush.”
    She glanced up at Declan.
    “Go.” Dec jerked his head toward the work tent. He knew she was dying to get her hands on the scroll nestled in the bag on her shoulder. “I’ll deal with the scaffold.”
    She looked torn. “You’re sure?”
    His lips quirked. “You’ll have to thank me again.”
    That snapped her spine straight, and for a second he thought she was going to be stubborn and decide to deal with the scaffold anyway.
    Declan shook his head. “You know what? I’ll let you off this time.”
    “Doc?” Piper Ross hurried over, followed by some other members of the team.
    “Dr. Rush, the statue is amazing,” a young man said, waving his hands. “You need to see it.”
    As her archeologists reached her, she shared one last look with Declan, then she turned and followed her team.
    “You want to tell me what really happened down there?” Logan said, once Layne was out of earshot.
    “Yeah. We found a tomb. Paintings, artifacts…and a gold sarcophagus. And a secret golden scroll.”
    “Shit.” Logan stepped in front of him. “And you going to tell me why your hair is all messed up, and the lovely doctor had swollen lips like someone just kissed the hell out of her?”
    Dec straightened, and saw Hale and Morgan grinning at him. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
    Logan just raised a brow at him.
    Dec turned away. “Come on, O’Connor. Instead of gossiping, how about we get to work?”
    ***
    The sun was setting, turning the desert sands gold, orange, and red.
    Dec stood near the edge of the camp, staring out at the sunset.
    He figured the beautiful view should make his breath catch, or make him feel…something. Instead, he didn’t feel much at all.
    He rubbed his belly, feeling the thick ridge of scar tissue through the cotton of his shirt. He’d gotten out, he’d survived. He had friends, family, and a really good business. One he enjoyed.
    He should quit worrying because a sunset didn’t excite him.
    Besides, one thing had really excited him—kissing Layne Rush.
    Dec closed his eyes. God, he had work to do. He didn’t need a super-smart, opinionated woman messing him up. And she certainly didn’t need a man like him messing up her life. She had no idea what he was truly capable of.
    As he turned to face the darkening camp, his jaw tightened.
    The local workers were all gathered around a fire, talking quietly and drinking what they called coffee. The stuff tasted like dirt and twigs to him, so he steered clear of it.
    What was worrying him was his and Logan’s analysis of the scaffold. He’d spent a couple of hours down in the excavation with Logan, cleaning it up and helping the workers put the scaffold back together.
    He had nothing definitive, but there were small signs that said its collapse hadn’t been an accident.
    The scratch marks on the anchor points, the loose and worn bolts. It could just be a coincidence, but Dec wasn’t really one for hoping things were just a quirk of fate. Too many times on a mission with his SEAL team, he’d seen that coincidence turn into a big pile of shit.
    It paid to gather information, plan and be ready, just in case coincidence turned out to be someone with a hard-on for making your day suck.
    Dec touched his earpiece. “Logan? Everything quiet?”
    “As a graveyard,” Logan replied.
    “This is technically a graveyard.” Dec’s dark thoughts went back to the collapsed