Jade Tiger by Jenn Reese Read Free Book Online Page B

would be up for a late-night trip to another continent."
    "So you're not attracted to him?" Ian said. Shan got the distinct feeling that he hadn't even heard the second part of her statement. She smiled.
    "No, I'm not. Does that surprise you?"
    Ian shrugged, obviously trying to recover some of his nonchalance. "A little bit, yes," he said. "I've often been told that women like assholes."
    Shan laughed. "It probably looks like that since we date so many of them, but I assure you, it's not on purpose in my case. The macho thing never did much for me."
    "What does? Do much for you, that is..." Ian looked down at his maps and folded one of them into a tight, thick square.
    Shan's breath caught in her throat, making it almost impossible for her to speak. Skinny, awkward archaeologists with goofy hair, she wanted to say. Instead, something horribly noncommittal came out of her throat, along with a shrug.
    Fortunately, Buckley returned with much fanfare from the bathroom, and Ian fled inside the building to ask for directions in that dark, silky accent of his. Somewhere in there, Shan remembered to start pumping the gas.
    "You like him," Buckley said, grinning like a schoolboy. "You like Ian."
    "What, are you going to spray paint it on the wall during recess? Of course I like him. He's a smart, funny guy who's agreed to help me in my life's quest. What kind of lunatic wouldn't like that?" It came out in one long blurt, and Shan desperately wished to take it back, refine it. Make it sound less defensive. But the damage was done.
    "Ooh, Shan likes Ian!" said Buckley. And he did a little dance in the snow. At least that's what it almost looked like, with him hopping from one foot to the other like a marionette. Or, his feet were on fire. Or, being attacked by rabid wolverines. Whatever it was, it hurt just to watch.
    Shan frowned and returned her eyes to the gas meter. She watched idly as the numbers advanced in metric. The valve shut itself off just as Ian rejoined them.
    "We're all set, folks," Ian said. "It's about twenty minutes away."
    "Does Dr. Fortier know we're coming?" Shan asked.
    Ian shook his head. "Nope. No phones. But I sent him an email from the airport on the off chance he might check. But basically, we'll be barging in unannounced and asking for one of his priceless artifacts."
    "Sounds like a plan," said Buckley.
    "Sounds like your kind of plan," grumbled Shan. But she really couldn't complain...her visit to the university hadn't had much strategy behind it, either. The image of the crane from that magazine article had burned itself into her brain, and she had acted without thinking. Good thing for Ian, since she'd arrived just in time to save his life.
    They crammed themselves back into the car. Buckley drove so that Ian could navigate. The town around them had come alive with tourists in small bars and restaurants, but they drove up, deeper into the mountains, farther away from the lights and bustle. A light snow started to drift down from the darkness. The little flakes glowed in the headlights like so many lightning bugs.
    Shan was staring at the snow, amazed at the sheer amount of it, when a child jumped in front of their car, hands raised.
    "Watch out!"
    Buckley spun the wheel. The car skidded on the slick road, swerved away from the child and toward the embankment. Shan braced herself in the backseat and watched the collision in slow motion. Buckley turned the wheel hard right, but the car kept sliding in the same direction. Ian's hands went to the dashboard, his maps forgotten.
    "Straighten her out," Ian said, far more calmly than Shan thought possible.
    Buckley said nothing, but turned the wheel back to the left, in the same direction they were sliding. Just over the embankment's gentle slope, a crowd of trees waited silently. Their little car, jam packed with the three of them, drove straight toward the imposing trunks. Buckley turned right again, and this time the car obeyed. They skimmed across the