Touch of Darkness by Christina Dodd Read Free Book Online

and talking with the archaeologists and locals. Oh, and ignoring him. She did that with obvious and consummate ease.
    At least he could take comfort in the fact that she bothered. Worse, much worse, would be if she treated him as casually as she treated the others.
    It was midnight by the time he got to bed, and three a.m. when he got up, sleepless and itching to go back to the tomb.
    He hadn't located the Varinski icon. The treasure chest might have contained it once—according to Rurik's research, had contained it once—but it was gone now.
    Yet the tomb was large and Clovus had proved wilier and more ruthless than Rurik imagined; perhaps the icon was secreted somewhere inside. Or perhaps the tomb contained a clue as to its whereabouts. Today the archaeologists and reporters would rush to the tomb in hopes of more electrifying discoveries ... so he ran.
    The sun was at his back. The fresh air filled his lungs. He moved swiftly along the road, his long stride challenging the upward slope of the island.
    Yet as he approached the mound, he met his men walking away.
    What the hell . . . ? He stopped and waited until Connell and Tony reached him. "This isn't time for the guard to change."
    Connell pointed. "MacNachtan's still up there with his rifle."
    The grim villager stood on a cluster of rocks, silhouetted against the sky, and he sent Rurik a sharp salute.
    "We couldn't see any sense in all of us being here." Tony's hair stood on end—he'd probably slept through his whole shift.
    "All of us?" Rurik asked.
    "Hunni said you'd be along soon," Connell said.
    "Hunni?" Rurik stared at the grass, blowing in the ocean breeze, at the tomb, patient and menacing. "Tasya Hunnicutt is here?"
    "Yeah, she said you wanted her to start photographing the entrance." Tony grinned at him, that infatuated grin of a man who a moment ago had his dreams fulfilled by a woman's smile and a few flirtatious words. "You know, boss, it's great to have her here from National Antiquities. She's got a real case of the hots for the stuff in there. She could be an archaeologist—she totally gets it,"
    "She is amazing." In more ways than one. Rurik watched the guys as they walked away.
    The dumbshits. It never occurred to them Tasya might be lying, that she might have an ulterior motive. Using archaeologists to guard the tomb was like using puppies to protect a fire hydrant.
    Of course, it had never occurred to him Tasya would get up earlier than he did to check out the tomb. So who was the dumbshit now?
    He walked down the stone ramp to the tomb's entrance, taking care that Tasya not hear him.
    He'd always thought she knew too much, was too interested, had reasons of her own for following the excavation so closely. Now he intended to interrogate her—and he would enjoy every minute.
    Light leaked from inside the tomb. She had some source of illumination set up, and he could hear her camera as she took picture after picture. Taking care not to alert her to his presence, he eased around to peer inside.
    There she was, dressed in a camouflage T-shirt tucked into her glorious tight jeans.
    No wonder his guys believed every word she said. The woman had a shape that made a man want to throw that football through that tire. Repeatedly.
    She wore black work boots, and her khaki backpack rested on the floor beside her. One might suppose she'd come dressed for the dust in the tomb . . . or if one was suspicious, one might believe she'd worn camouflage for the same reason he had. So she wouldn't be easily seen.
    She knelt at the wall behind the shelf where the treasure chest had been placed. Carvings covered the stone, and she leaned close, macro lens on her camera, to capture each panel.
    How fascinating. She worked exactly the wall he intended to examine.
    Why would she be interested in the carvings when the interior of the tomb might contain more gold? More jewels?
    What was she looking for?
    Right now, he didn't care.
    Because they were alone. Just as he'd