Chapter One
Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C.
The gig was right up his alley. Recover an artifact with a curse—Kizin, the Maya god of earthquakes, no less. Deliver it in tandem with the rescue of a kidnap victim somewhere in the Costa Verde jungle. And outflank that damn smuggling ring. Only hitch was the time frame—beat an earthquake.
And, oh, yeah. The client. Make that two hitches. Talk to the boss on that one. Max Rivera adjusted his back pack and grabbed his duffel bag from the carousel. Slinging the strap onto one shoulder, he headed toward the coffee kiosk by the car rental desks.
The new client must be damned important to Devlin Security Force if Devlin himself took the time to make the introduction. Max searched the crowd as he wove past people gabbing in a dozen languages. He paid for the coffee, downed a big gulp, and burned the crap out of his mouth. He needed a jolt but not blisters.
“Need waking up?” Thomas Devlin’s deep voice turned him around. Brown eyes crinkled with amusement, probably at Max’s beach-bum look. A definite contrast to the other man’s dark suit and open shirt collar. Devlin might dress civilian, but his bearing was all military.
Max threw back his shoulders and gripped his former captain’s hand. “No shit. But right now I need caffeine.” He barely stopped himself from adding sir. “I just dragged my butt off a sixteen-hour flight. Surrounded by a family that never stopped talking.”
“You can sleep on the flight to London.” Devlin pounded him on the back and nudged him through the building toward the escalators.
“You know me, Thomas. I’m up for anything. I know Costa Verde. England, not so much. But a chance to jam up Centaur and return a bit of history to its rightful place, I’m in.” Especially Maya history. If his old mentor was looking down, he’d approve. “Hazardous situation, potentially explosive, even better.”
“So you say, but I hear doubt in your voice.” Devlin stuffed a boarding pass in Max’s shirt pocket.
“No problem with the mission.” Choosing his words, Max drank more coffee. “Not for me, I mean. But damned dangerous for a museum executive type. I’d rather handle the job solo.” He knew his own capabilities. Other people let you down, left you high and dry. You didn’t know who to trust, who not to trust.
“No can do. Here’s the part of your job I didn’t tell you because I needed to check with Interpol. You’re to find out what you can on our kidnap victim’s black-market dealing—subtly.” Max pressed his lips together. He shot a glance toward the high ceiling before nodding.
“And for that, I need Doug Fontaine’s sister Kate. The client. Get her to spill on her brother while I protect her in London and Costa Verde. Roger.” He scraped knuckles across his jaw. A run-in with Fontaine two years ago in Istanbul had left behind a bad taste. If traveling with the sister meant a way to nail the guy, he’d suck it up.
On Deadly Ground Description:
DEVLIN SECURITY FORCE, Protecting Priceless Treasures
A desperate sister – Museum director Kate Fontaine made two promises to her dying father—protect her ne’er-do-well brother and return a stolen statuette of the Maya god of earthquakes to its temple. But when her brother is kidnapped and the price to save him is the priceless artifact, keeping one promise means breaking the other.
In a no-win situation and facing a dangerous trek through the jungle, Kate is forced to rely on a guide she doesn’t trust… yet whose touch makes her yearn for so much more. A cynical guide -The only person Max Rivera can truly count on is himself. That’s why he prefers to work alone.
Unfortunately his Devlin Security Force assignment to guide and protect Kate includes covertly finding proof her kidnapped brother has sold black-market antiquities. And sticking close to this delectable and vulnerable woman proves more dangerous to Max than all the threats in the jungle.
A race against time – While following the kidnapper’s instructions, Max and Kate must outrun black-market smugglers and a predicted earthquake in a race that takes them from Washington to England and into the Costa Verde jungle. But as perilous as their quest becomes, when desire flares between them, risking their lives seems simple next to risking their hearts.
