Free Uncharted (Treasure Hunter Security Book 2) by Anna Hackett Page A

head. “You are badass, man.”
    “Badass is my job, Sam.”
    Dr. Oakley cleared his throat. “Thank you, Cal.”
    “That’s what I’m here for.” He turned to look at the attackers. “Jean-Luc, Sakada, there is another one of these guys tied up on the other side of the temple. Bring him around.” Cal glanced their way. “He was out cold. You might need to carry him.”
    Jean-Luc nodded. “We will get him.”
    Cal studied their attackers. “Why did you attack us?”
    The men all stared at the ground.
    “They’re opportunists, right?” Gemma said. “Looking for some quick cash?”
    “I don’t think so,” Cal said in an icy tone that raised the hairs on the back of Dani’s neck. “Why did you attack us?”
    One of the men lifted his head, his dark eyes burning. “Fuck you.”
    Cal crouched, lifting his handgun. “Who do you work for?”
    The man looked belligerently over Cal’s shoulder. Dani felt her stomach tighten. She got the feeling these weren’t simple bandits.
    “Do you work for Silk Road?” Cal asked.
    Silk Road? Everything in Dani went cold. She’d heard of them, especially their ruthless attack on the dig in Egypt in an attempt to capture the oasis of Zerzura.
    The man uttered something in another language. Even though she didn’t know what it meant, she knew it was a curse.
    Cal sighed. “The hard way, then.”
    ***
    Cal stomped through the jungle, his mind whirling.
    He’d had no luck getting their attackers to talk. They’d clammed up and said nothing. He’d left them tied up and bleeding, but that didn’t soothe his nerves.
    There was more to the attack. He was sure of it. He’d tried to contact Darcy but hadn’t had any luck getting a satellite connection.
    Dani appeared at his shoulder. “It’ll be dark soon.”
    “Yeah. We’ll make camp shortly.”
    “You’re angry.”
    He pulled in a breath. “I wanted to find out what those men wanted.”
    “You don’t think they were just after valuables?”
    “No.”
    She sighed. “Me neither.”
    Cal detected something in her voice. “What is it?”
    “One of them…I’m pretty sure he was the man who attacked me in Siem Reap and tried to snatch my camera.”
    Fuck . Cal’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t surprised. “I need to call my office.” He’d climb a tree if he had to.
    “You really think they’re Silk Road?” she asked.
    He stilled. “What do you know about Silk Road?”
    “Only what’s been in the press.”
    “I don’t know for sure, but Silk Road is dangerous. You don’t want to mess with them.”
    They’d reached a small clearing. It would have to do. He turned to face the others. “We’ll set up camp here for the night. Sam, slash some of this undergrowth away. Everyone else, get your tents up. Eat, rest.”
    Once everyone was busy, Cal pulled out his satellite phone. He had a fifty-fifty chance the thing would work in this clearing. Jungles and satellite phones were not the best of friends.
    When he turned it on, it was showing signal. He punched in the THS office number and waited.
    “God, Cal, I’ve been trying to contact you all day.” Darcy’s harried voice came through, a little crackly, but clear.
    “What’s going on, D?”
    “I got a call from Agent Arrogant and Annoying.”
    Cal choked back a laugh. Darcy’s dislike of Special Agent Alastair Burke from the FBI’s Art Crime Team was legendary. “What did he do to piss you off now?”
    “Breathe,” she said tartly. “But he sent me through some info. He got a ping on the passports of some people his team have been monitoring. People he suspects work for Silk Road.”
    Cal’s gut went hard. Looked like his instincts had been right.
    “Forty-eight hours ago, these people entered Cambodia. Their boss, a woman named Raven, has been in the country for two weeks. Burke says the rumor is they’re after some ancient artifact in the jungle.”
    The hairs on the back of Cal’s neck rose. “Fuck. D, my group was attacked a couple of