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

“You’re his friend.” Not that it made it any easier to be stuck there under her scrutiny. “So where is he?”


“He called and asked to borrow my car.” Apparently, she’d seen enough and backed up to perch on the edge of the toilet. Her sun-streaked brown hair was caught in a low ponytail, and he supposed she was rather pretty, in an earthy kind of way. Her nose was a tad too large for her face, but with her high cheekbones and pointy chin, it seemed to work for her. “I got tired of waiting and decided to see how you were doing.”


“I’m doing quite well, thank you.” He glanced pointedly at the door. “You can wait for Lucas out there, can’t you?”


His clothes were filthy, left in a rumpled pile near her feet. “I hadn’t planned on it just yet, no.”


“Then I’m fine right here.” She crossed her legs. Her sandals revealed toenails painted a bright blue, with tiny rhinestones decorating the edges. “I like the accent, by the way. Very hot.”


Chapter 14