Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers)
Read Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers) Online
Authors: Anita Clenney
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Text copyright © 2012 Anita Clenney
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake Romance
P.O. Box 400818
Las Vegas, NV 89140
ISBN-13: 9781612186542
ISBN-10: 1612186548
This book is dedicated to my agent, Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency. I couldn’t have done this without you.
PROLOGUE
“W
HY CAN’T
I go with you?” Kendall asked.
Her father hesitated and then tucked the covers up to her chin, even though it was warm inside. “Not this time, pumpkin. It’s too dangerous.” He ruffled her hair, but his face was tense. “Besides, your aunt Edna wants to see you.”
“What about Adam? Won’t it be too dangerous for him?”
“He’s coming with you.”
“OK.” Adam was her best friend. She trusted him more than anyone. If he was coming, it would be all right.
Her father studied her for a minute, his forehead wrinkled. Seemed like it was wrinkled all the time now. Adam’s father’s was too. She and Adam didn’t know why, but they were both worried. Adam said he had a plan to figure out what was going on.
“Go to sleep, pumpkin. Tomorrow you’ll see your aunt.” Her father dropped a kiss on her forehead. She really thought eleven was too old for good-night kisses, but tonight she didn’t mind. For some reason she felt jittery. Her father stopped at the door and looked back at Kendall. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything before you bumped your head and passed out?”
An image of a castle flashed through her mind followed by a blinding light. She didn’t know if it was real or a dream. Or one of her visions. But it made her head hurt. She didn’t tell her father. He didn’t like her visions. “I don’t remember anything.”
“Good,” he whispered in the voice he used when he didn’t realize he’d spoken out loud. He watched her for a minute longer and then nodded. “I love you, pumpkin.”
“I love you too, Daddy. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine with Aunt Edna.”
And Adam would look after her. He always did.
H
ER FIRST DATE
in six weeks blown to hell. Kendall Morgan pressed the cell phone to her ear. “When do you need me?” She cast an apologetic glance at her good-looking new neighbor who’d finally gotten around to asking her out.
“Now.” Nathan’s voice was firm, with an edge that hinted at secrets. “Please,” he added. Probably an afterthought.
She couldn’t ask her boss to wait. No one asked Nathan Larraby to wait. She made her excuses to her date and settled for a chaste kiss and tantalizing whiff of hot male. Promising a rain check, she grabbed her bag and jacket and left his apartment. She hurried down the street to her Volkswagen, not bothering to take the extra few minutes to go to her own apartment a few doors away so she could change. When Nathan said now he meant now.
Her date’s curtains were open, so she couldn’t help but see as he pulled his shirt over his head. Nice chest. Darn. Well, it probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway. It never did. Her sixth sense made intimacy a risk. Body fluids were often strong conductors. Kissing could be hell sometimes. Sex...a nightmare. There were things that helped, but it was always a crapshoot. Not conducive to “happily ever after.”
A car eased away from the curb, distracting her. It didn’t belong to any of her neighbors. She knew most of the people on this street. With the exception of her and the new guy, everyone
else was old. She’d seen the vehicle a couple of times before. It was big and dark, like the ones Nathan’s bodyguards used. He was protective of everything around him, but surely he wouldn’t spy on his employees.
It took fifteen minutes to reach Nathan’s estate in the rolling Virginia hills. She pulled up to the gated entrance. The guard, a man with more muscles in his neck than Kendall had in her whole body, nodded once and let her in. The entire estate was surrounded by an iron fence that would have done justice to a maximum security prison and protected by an extensive surveillance system. After the mile-long drive in from the gate, she parked in front of the mansion and started up the steps.
Nathan met her at the door wearing a suit that probably cost as much as her apartment. His light brown hair was cropped close and, as usual, his handsome face tense. In the months she’d worked for him, he never laughed, rarely smiled. He was all mystery and no clues. If she wasn’t so busy working on his relics, she’d turn her
talents
to decoding him. He raked her over once with dark, smoky eyes. “Hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”
“Just a date.” Since she’d started working for him, she hadn’t had one that he hadn’t interrupted. Maybe he
was
spying on her.
“My apologies.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. He hadn’t shaved and the faint shadow made him look sexy. He escorted her inside, through the elaborate atrium that led to his library, which was adorned with first editions, priceless historical documents, and rare art. If Aunt Edna got a glimpse of this place, she’d be hearing wedding bells. Maybe that would stop the barrage of personal ads Kendall had been getting since her aunt discovered e-mail.
Two men on Nathan’s technical security team were just leaving the room. Fergus stood behind them, his face worried.
“...trace the data security breach,” one of the men said.
Nathan pushed back his sleeve and looked at his watch. Not a Rolex, as Kendall would have expected, but silver on a worn leather band. “Meet me back here in two hours with an update.”
The two men left and Nathan motioned Kendall inside. He took her jacket and handed it to Fergus, who nodded his head as if she were royalty. Every inch the proper butler. “Miss Kendall, I hope you’re well.”
“Yes, Fergus. Thank you.”
“Lovely dress. Were you at dinner?” He glanced briefly at Nathan, and Kendall thought she saw the barest hint of a frown. He probably realized Nathan had interrupted her meal. Sometimes she wondered if Fergus had his own sixth sense. He seemed to know everything. A good trait for a butler, she supposed.
“Yes, I had dinner.” And had been looking forward to dessert.
“I’m sorry if you had to cut your evening short—” Nathan’s apology was interrupted when the front door slammed. Fergus hurried out as footsteps rang across the floor.
“Larraby, this had better be good. I left a nice warm bed and a hot...” The man entering the room stopped short when he saw Kendall. “Meal,” he substituted. She knew that wasn’t the word he would have used had she not been there.
Her senses started tingling as she sized the intruder up. Dangerous. A rebel. Steel-gray eyes met hers—intelligent, calculating, cool. A mask for the anger and insolence lurking inside. She blinked, distancing her mind. She didn’t pry without good reason. After all, she wouldn’t appreciate someone digging around in her thoughts. The stranger’s gaze dropped to her slinky red dress, lingering longer than it should. Kendall squirmed under his appraisal, which was every bit as intrusive as her evaluation had been.
Rumpled dark hair and clothes—black T-shirt and faded jeans—backed up his claim that he’d been in bed.
“Kendall, I’d like you to meet Jake Stone. Jake, this is Kendall Morgan. She’s my relic expert.”
Kendall nodded a greeting. Was that lipstick on his neck?
“We don’t have much time,” Nathan said, picking up a leather satchel from the marble credenza behind him. He seemed more intense than usual. Perhaps because of the latest security breach. “The jet leaves in one hour.”
“Jet?” Kendall inquired.
“You’re going to Italy.” Nathan nodded toward the solemn butler, who set down two duffel bags. “Fergus has your clothes and equipment packed.”
Kendall still hadn’t gotten over the awkwardness of having Fergus pack her clothing for these spontaneous trips, including bras and panties. She would prefer to do it herself, but he always beat her to the punch, choosing her things from the wardrobe that Nathan insisted she keep here. Between Fergus and the backpack she kept loaded and ready in her car—she knew better than to answer Nathan’s summons without it—she was usually well prepared.