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 Blood of Sheol is a myth,” Ian said.


Lucas smiled. “So you’ve heard of it.”


“Of course I’ve heard of it. I’ve also heard of the Loch Ness monster, but that doesn’t make it any more real.”


“And you’ve already established you think he’s an idiot. That’s hardly sway enough for me to believe either one of you.”


“But you clearly place some sort of value on my opinion, or you wouldn’t automatically discount Sultis. So if I told you I think he just might be onto something, what would you tell me then?”


“Exactly what I’ve already said. It’s a myth, and anyone who believes otherwise is a fool.” He shook his head. “How do you know about it, anyway? You said you didn’t have any archaeological education.”


“I looked it up when Sultis told me about it.”


He said it with all seriousness, and though Ian kept expecting the punch line, Lucas remained silent, waiting most likely for Ian’s next query.


Chapter 7