Gunshots waken Ian Tunbridge, an assistant curator of classical antiquities at the British Museum, on his first day on a dig in California. The only way to save his life is to run for it, but luck is not on his side. At least, not until he meets Lucas Arpini, the brash American photographer who seems to have some sort of clue what’s going on. Together, they’re supposed to be the tools in finding an artifact nobody believes is real -- nobody, that is, except Lucas and the man kidnaps them both.<br><br>Ian doesn’t know what to believe. His colleagues are dead, he’s injured, and he has no choice but to put his faith in a gorgeous stranger. Their escape should lead them straight to the police, but when Lucas shows him pieces of the puzzle they were meant to solve, Ian is too intrigued to walk away. He wants to solve the riddle as badly as Lucas does.<br><br>Unfortunately, they aren’t the only ones ...

Riddle Me Wicked

The leader used the gun to wave Ian toward the hole. “Move.”


Beneath the rolls of his fleshy neck, his jaw hardened. “I did not ask you if you had any questions, Mr. Tunbridge. I told you to move.”


He choked down the other words that wanted to bubble forth. He didn’t even know what these men wanted with him, and now they wanted to stick him in some hole in the ground? Nothing good could come from it, though certainly, nothing good had come from the entire day.


With no choice but to comply, Ian took careful steps forward. The man said something in his native language, then when Ian failed to respond right away, rolled his eyes and lifted his arms, demonstrating what he would like Ian to do.


“We need to lower you down, Mr. Tunbridge,” came an amused voice behind him. “And that requires certain precautions to be taken. Unless you would prefer we push you instead.”


“No, that won’t be necessary,” Ian muttered.


Chapter 3