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

He wasn’t so sure he could do it now. Perhaps he could make the excuse of food and go out for a brief break. From what he’d seen, Manhattan had more than enough to distract him. Lucas would want the solitude to resolve the puzzle order. Ian could grant him that, at the very least.


With a plan in mind, even as sketchy as it was, Ian scrubbed the towel over his wet body and head, noting that his ankle felt remarkably better as he stepped out of the tub. Staying off it for the better part of the last week had helped tremendously. The bruising had faded to a dull yellow-green, and it looked almost its normal size. The joint only twinged when he put all his weight on it. He could likely get away with only a narrow dressing on it now.


Chapter 32