Free Unexplored (Treasure Hunter Security Book 3) by Anna Hackett

as he tried to calm himself.
    “Hey, it’s okay.” She moved up close to him, studying his face intently. “You’re all right?”
    He managed a nod.
    She reached up and tentatively touched his chest, stroking.
    “You’re not hurt,” he managed to get out.
    “No. I’m fine.”
    Because he needed it, Logan yanked her to his chest. She went still for a second, then softened against him, her arms creeping around his waist.
    There was a squeal of tires, and the other SUV skidded to a stop next to them.
    Dec, Morgan, and Hale rushed out of the vehicle. Dec eyed the crashed SUV, then the wreck of the Silk Road van, and the unmoving bodies of the other Silk Road members inside. Finally, his gaze rested on the thug writhing on the ground.
    Dec rubbed his chin. “Hale and Morgan, check the men in the van. Tie them up if they’re still alive.” Dec looked at Logan. “You guys are okay?”
    “Yeah.” Logan eyed the man. “Maybe he’s not feeling so good, though.”
    A faint smile crossed Dec’s face. “We’ll push the wrecks off the road and then I’ll get Darcy to call the authorities. You two get in the vehicle.”
    “We don’t need to stay?” Sydney asked.
    “No. If we get tied up with the authorities, we’ll be here for days. Darcy will sort things out with them.” He pulled out some black zip ties. “We’ll leave these guys secured and let the police deal with them.” He frowned at Logan. “Logan, you’re bleeding.”
    Logan heard Sydney gasp and pull away from him. He shrugged. “It’s just a scratch.”
    She studied the nasty cut on his arm from the glass. “You call that a scratch?”
    He smiled crookedly. “Sure. You wouldn’t?”
    “How’s that knot on your head?”
    “Fine. I’ve had worse.”
    “And you have a hard head.”
    Dec and the others made short work of shoving the wreckages to the side of the road, and grabbing the gear from Logan’s vehicle. As they climbed back into Dec’s SUV, Logan made sure that Sydney was sitting beside him in the back. He let her fuss over him, pulling things out of the first aid kit, and swiping the blood off his arms.
    “You look like you crawled over glass,” she muttered.
    “I was trying to get to you.”
    Her hand stilled for a moment, then she kept wiping. “Despite what most people think, I can take care of myself.”
    “Never thought you couldn’t.”
    “This one’s deep here. It could do with a bandage.”
    “Here you go.” Declan passed something back from the front seat.
    Logan saw Sydney take the small Band-Aid and then her mouth moved into a smile.
    “This is pink. With princesses on it.”
    Logan made a grumbling sound and crossed his arms over his chest. “Declan thinks he’s a comedian sometimes.”
    She held the small strip up, eyeing Logan’s arm.
    “Don’t even think about it.”
    The car erupted with laughter, easing the tension.
    The rest of the drive to Leymebamba was uneventful. The only vehicles they passed on the road were local vehicles, and a pair of tourists riding motorbikes.
    They pulled into the quiet town of Leymebamba. It was nestled in a valley, the mountains rising up around it. The narrow streets were lined by simple buildings with tiled roofs.
    Dec pulled the vehicle to a stop and turned back to look at them. “Darcy’s got us rooms at a local hotel. There’s not much to choose from here, so the rooms are basic, but they’ll do. I need to go meet with a local guide. He’s organizing the horses we’ll use for the trip to the lake. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
    “I hate horses.” Logan spotted Morgan rolling her eyes and scowled at her. “So will we meet up for dinner?”
    Dec nodded. “Take the chance to have a long shower, soak in the tub. We won’t be getting much of that once we head into the forest. We all need a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is going to be hard going.”
    Soon, Logan found himself carrying his duffel bag into his hotel room. Basic was being