Bolt

5

As they watched from their elevated position, the unwelcomed visitors tore through the tents, screaming at each other.

From Kara’s tent, everything inside was tossed out. They were looking for something. He wondered what exactly.

Not finding anything, the bad guys moved off into the trees, still yelling at each other. He was sure he had saved them for now, but that would all change in an instant if she screamed. He glanced at her, seeing if she was freaked out enough to cause a scene.

She whirled to face him, her eyes bright and her face twisted with fury. “Who are you?” she whispered-yelled. “You showed up exactly when we were attacked. You could be one of them.”

He gave a slight nod. “I agree, it could look that way. I’ve been tracking you for some days, though. I’ve seen the other men tailing you. They want the gem. They’ll most certainly kill you and all your friends once they have it.”

Her eyes widened a little. Her breath came a touch faster, and he tried not to watch the rise and fall of her breasts.

“Why are you here?” she whispered. “Who sent you?”

“An agent of your government,” he said softly. “I am here to protect you and the gem, to make sure it gets back to the U.S. safely and… into the right hands.” An image of the General flashed in his head. Her insistence that he hand the artifact to her echoed in his mind.

She c****d her head, listening to the voices around the bend as they grew softer. The bad guys were definitely going in the wrong direction.

“I don’t have the gem yet. Why did they attack us?”

He shrugged. “They may have decided it was safer to take you prisoner now and force you to find it rather than risk you getting away. They are tenacious. They’ll be back.”

“Will they keep following us?”

He nodded. “Assuredly.”

“But then we’ll lead them right to it!”

He smiled. “That doesn’t matter anymore. Now, you have me.”

Her face twisted into a frown. Clearly, she didn’t like his answer. Her eyes swept up and down his body as if appraising him. He folded his arms and grinned. He had nothing to hide. He might have been wasting away in prison for some time, but he still had an incredibly strong and well-built body.

Her eyes finally came to rest on his. He could see the hesitation there. She did not trust him. He knew that it didn’t matter, though. She needed him whether she knew it or not.

KARA

Kara was utterly furious with herself. Only now did she realize the danger she had put herself in — as well as the other members of her team.

Standing in front of Bolt with her hands on her hips, she felt like she wanted to yell at him, but she couldn’t. She certainly didn’t trust him, but her feelings were tied into a complicated knot in her chest.

I could have gotten everyone killed. Putting herself in danger was one thing. Failing her friends was something else entirely. She should have had guards watch over them while they slept and to help them keep away from anyone who tried to steal the gem. It seemed so obvious that she couldn’t help but kick herself for the oversight.

If her stubborn nature and need for self-reliance were going to get her comrades in mortal danger, she definitely needed to reassess. She knew the gem was valuable. That’s why she kept her mission as secret as possible. Her assistant, Elle, and the other two archaeologists, Razia and Hashmat, were the only ones who knew, and she had let them down.

She realized she had been staring at Bolt for a few minutes without saying anything. He had his arms crossed over his chest with his eyebrows slightly raised as if he were waiting for an answer to a question nobody had asked.

She frowned, keeping her hands on her hips as she stared him down. Only a moment ago, he’d hauled her up the side of the mountain, as naked as the day he was born. That sight was far better than the trees around them.

“You can’t just barge in here and tell me that you’re my bodyguard,” she fumed. “I can make my own way. And why were you naked?”

The edges of his mouth curved in a smile. “What would you have done if I hadn’t been here?”

Did he just not answer her question? The smile made her want to slap it right off his face. She was fuming, but she had no good answer to his comeback question.

Choke and die, most likely. End up a prisoner. Never prove myself.

“That’s beside the point,” she snapped. “I don’t have to accept you as a member of my team. I’m not sure I can trust you. How do I know you aren’t working for the enemy?”

He shrugged, just a slight rise of his shoulders.

“This would be an odd way of kidnapping you if that was my intention.”

“Maybe it’s all about the deception, getting me to find the gem for you. If you win my trust, then you can easily take it from me.”

Kara could feel herself heating up in every possible way. Her anger was growing out of her stubbornness and the knowledge that she had royally f****d up. He had saved her ass, and there were no two ways about it. The trouble was Kara had to keep getting angry. Otherwise, she’d have to think about how attractive he was.

His hair fell in dark auburn waves that caught the sun and glinted ruby red. His eyes were a deep emerald green that sparkled with lights of golden flame. His regal bearing and noble stance were having a profound effect on her.

“Kara, calm down,” he said. She exhaled sharply, her cheeks going red.

“I will not calm down!” she cried. “How do you know my name?”

He looked puzzled. “I was told to track you and your party. I had descriptions to go on. Of course, I recognized you.”

Kara thought quietly for a minute. An enemy agent probably wouldn’t have had this information.

That didn’t matter, though. She had very little trust for her own government, as well. The wrong hands could easily end up being in her own country. She’d have to keep Bolt at a distance, and, if she had to, she’d find a way to pass off a fake to him. She glared, narrowing her eyes.