“Perhaps Mr. Smith is right,” she said. “It might be too dangerous to expose such artifacts to the whole world. What if the wrong person got hold of them?”
Lucas narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Ummm. Perhaps it might be wise to keep them private until all of them are found. It would make a much better impression to offer the whole collection at one time.”
“Yes!” Mr. Smith clapped his hands excitedly. “I would at least own them for a while until I made a decision. Now, I think the two of you should make plans to travel to this Oak Island you told me about.”
Travel with Lucas? The two of them alone? A thousand butterflies fluttered madly about her stomach, batting theirwings against each other. Her blood heated as her pulse suddenly raced. She found herself gulping for air.
“I doubt there’s anything in Nova Scotia worth spending time on,” Lucas said. “Modern treasure hunters have scoured the island and the infamous Money Pit keeps flooding despite recent attempts at excavation.”
Sara’s blood chilled at his words. He didn’t want to travel with her. Maybe all of this tingling response she had to him was all one-sided. He’d certainly not acted interested in her this morning. But did he think she was just going to sit in Texas and wait for him to make all the discoveries? Well, he’d better think again.
“I think it’s an excellent place to begin,” she said and looked straight at Lucas.
“I agree,” Mr. Smith said.
Lucas held Sara’s gaze. For a fleeting moment, his amber eyes turned predatory, but then the look disappeared. “I travel light and fast. No frills. ’Twould be hard for a lass to keep up.”
She lifted her head. “I’m the queen of carry-on. I’m sure I can handle whatever pace you set. Try me.”
A corner of his mouth quirked up. “Ye might have a care what ye ask for, lass.”
****
“They’re talking about finding the Holy Grail and Excalibur, for Christ’s sake,” Caldwell whispered into his phone.
Baylor could hear the tinge of excitement in his voice and he sighed. Mortals—even con men, it seemed—got all sentimental over the Grail. Like there really was something spiritual and mystic about it. The cup heldpowerand the man who held the cup controlled that power. To wield it as he pleased. To control the world.
By the devil’s own horns, he’d tried to lure Galahad down that path centuries ago. To see what could be had if one butwanted to use the power. Galahad had refused to be swayed, not by comely young women who bared their breasts for him, nor for gold or the promise of fame that would surpass Lancelot’s. The Hallows had slipped away from Baylor, aided by the Immortal who had helped the boy sail away.
“Did they say where they were going to look for it?” He tried to keep the impatience out of his voice.
“Something about an island with oaks. In Nova Scotia, I think. I couldn’t hear that well through the door.”
Baylor reached for the bourbon decanter in his hotel room and poured a healthy swig into a shot glass. He was aware of the island. Isolated and hardly inhabited, it had been a perfect hiding hole for pirates. In the late eighteenth century, three boys digging for lost treasure discovered a shaft that led to a platform ten feet below the surface. The platform’s planks were rotted and they removed them only to find another shaft and another platform and then still another, at ten-foot intervals. Finding nothing of value, they finally gave up, but the mystery remained of why anyone would dig the shafts. In the early nineteenth century, interest was revived and more digging was done and more platforms were found.
More than two hundred years later, at a cost of millions of dollars and several lives, the shaft had still not been penetrated. A couple of decades ago, they’d even tried using cryogenic freezing to keep the tunnels from flooding. The last he’d heard, its owners put it on the market—again—for $7,000,000.00.
But no one knew when the original shaft had been dug, and the Hallows had disappeared with the rest of the Templar treasure in the early 1300s. He had cursed the goddess Brighid then, for he knew she had completely shrouded those ships from his view, just as she kept Avalon hidden from him. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be waiting at Oak Island when they got there. Ifthey discovered anything, it might be worth talking to his foreign investors about.
“Let me know when they’re leaving,” he said. “And how are you doing on the assignment I gave you?”
Caldwell laughed confidently. “Don’t worry there. I’m taking the chick to lunch. Maybe we’ll have a little afternoon delight.”
“Just make sure you get the copy before you leave.” Baylor tossed back the rest of his bourbon. “And don’t forget the video.”
****
Lucas laid down his notes on the small desk in the library and rubbed his eyes. Not that there was anything wrong with his eyesight. The words blurred in front of him because he wasn’t concentrating on them. All he could think of was Sara.
How in the hell was he going to keep this thing platonic if they were going to be traveling together and she’d be sleeping in the next room? The thought of her slipping out of some tiny bit of sheer lingerie and stepping into the shower naked in the morning aroused him more than anything had in years. He pictured himself with her, watching the water glide over satin shoulders and flow over soft mounds of breasts, sliding down the slight swell of stomach to nestle in dark curls at the juncture of thigh. His hands would follow the water’s trail…
He tore himself out of the fantasy. God, she wasn’t even in the room and look what she did to him. He didn’t need to look. He couldfeelwhat she did to him. The wolf growled.
“Not now!” He wondered if he’d ever tame the beast. He thought about what Sara had said earlier about the lobo being docile. If only she knew.
No, it would be better if he could travel by himself. Balor must surely have recognized him—as Lucas Ramsey—yesterday. He would know they were both after the same thing and would be watching. Another reason to travel alone. Lucas could lure him away and Sara would be safe if she stayed in town. AndCaldwell should be leaving in a day or two. Perhaps he’d wait until the man was gone.
Lucas looked at his watch. It was well past two o’clock. Sara should have been back from lunch with Caldwell. She had suggested grabbing hamburgers at some local mom-and-pop operation about a mile from here. How long did it take to eat a burger?
