Nissa stared at him for a moment, a fluttering in her throat. “Can you please get your mind back on the mission?”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” He put the stopper back on the bottle.
She turned away again. Her gaze skated over Lady Curiosity and the group of young men clustered around her, peppering her with questions. A movement in the shadows at the back of the tent caught her attention.
She couldn’t see who was hiding back there, but it was definitely a man. Tall and lean, wearing an outfit similar to Justyn’s but with an outlandish red waistcoat. He shifted, like he was waiting impatiently for something…or someone.
As the man moved, Nissa caught the glint of gold hair in the light from a nearby gas lamp. The description matched Solomon, but she wasn’t quite sure.
Until he turned a little and she saw the cylindrical titanium document holder slung over his shoulder.
Excitement gripped her. “Justyn, at the back, in the shadows.”
Justyn casually turned and while pretending to pluck something from her shoulder, he looked in the direction.
A grin broke out on his face, but this time there was nothing casual or charming about it. It was sharp and predatory. “Solomon.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Justyn sauntered toward Solomon, his arm linked with Nissa’s. Just a couple out for a stroll through the market.
They neared the young treasure hunter, and Justyn felt the flex of muscles in Nissa’s arm.
Three meters from their prey, Solomon’s head snapped up.
The treasure hunter’s height and muscular build had made Justyn forget that Solomon was young, but seeing the clean lines of the man’s handsome face reminded him that Solomon was only twenty-three years old. He’d entered the treasure hunting scene three years back and was steadily making a name for himself. He went after the most valuable, well-known treasures, and took on the most dangerous hunts.
Another young man out to prove himself to the galaxy. No doubt his rich daddy didn’t love him enough. Or he was locked in a basement with his brothers as a child and beaten.
But Solomon had dark-green eyes that didn’t just look old, they looked ancient.
And instincts honed very fine. He took one look at them, turned, leaped over a table with impressive athleticism, and ran.
“Fuck.” Justyn lunged forward and heard Nissa’s muttered curses behind him.
Solomon sprinted through the tent. He crashed through a small crowd of female shoppers, leaving them in a perfumed heap of upended skirts and high-pitched screams.
Justyn dodged around them, then swore.
Solomon slowed long enough to grab the edge of a large bookcase packed with heavy leather-bound books and tip it over.
It crashed to the ground, blocking Justyn’s path. Books tumbled everywhere and he caught a quick glimpse of hand-painted covers featuring lovers in various embraces.
On the other side the bookcase, Solomon shot him a feral grin before he was off and running again.
Nissa raced up beside Justyn and in a fluid move that had the air catching in Justyn’s throat, vaulted the bookcase.
Shit.He clambered over the top and followed her.
She was damned fast and gaining on Solomon. The treasure hunter knocked over a table. Bottles, trinkets, and sex toys were sent crashing. Justyn didn’t want to run into Lady Curiosity at the end of this.
He saw Nissa’s muscles bunch and she dived. She caught Solomon around the knees, and they both went crashing to the ground.
“GSS.” Nissa’s voice was breathless but held a ring of command. “You’re under arrest and I want the damn document.”
Solomon tried to buck her off, but she was well trained and she managed to get on top of the treasure hunter, straddling his hips.
Something hot and nasty flared at the sight of them, but Justyn swallowed the unfamiliar emotion down. As he reached them, he saw Solomon raise his arm. He clutched some sort of sculpture carved from a dark rock in his hand. He hesitated for a second…
