She grabbed her purse, which held the leather pouch, and got out of the car. A large black SUV crept into a parking place farther up the street. She couldn’t see the driver through the tinted window, but she’d bet money he was one of Nathan’s guards. She had mixed feelings about that. It was nice, but irritating. Especially now. She and Nathan had a deep trust when it came to relics and responsibility. She felt guilty knowing he was watching out for her when she’d just borrowed something valuable without permission. Clutching her purse close to her side, she hurried up the sidewalk. If she was lucky, she could find out what she needed to know and get the bag back before Nathan discovered it missing.
“Hey there.”
Kendall looked up, surprised to see her good-looking neighbor standing on the sidewalk in front of her. “Todd. You startled me.”
“You look like you’re in a hurry.”
Kendall pressed her purse closer to her side. “I’ve got some work I need to catch up on.”
“You haven’t been around lately.”
“I was traveling… for work.”
“So, no fun?”
Hmmm. Ghosts, killer statues, a deadly race with a madman to find the Spear of Destiny. “Just the usual.”
“What’d you say you did again?”
She’d told Todd as little as possible about her job. She hadn’t known him long, and Nathan had strict confidentiality clauses for his employees. “I catalog antiques for a private collector.” That was the public version.
“Antiques are cool. Maybe I could see his collection sometime.”
When hell froze over. “He’s not very social. Kind of a recluse.”
“Old geezer, huh?”
“Right. What’re you doing?”
“Looking for you. How about that rain check? You promised you’d make up for our interrupted date.”
“Oh, the date.” That seemed like eons ago, not days. “Sure. Let me check my schedule and I’ll get back to you.”
“Don’t take too long. I’ve missed you.” He gave her a sexy smile. He was a handsome devil with dark hair and eyes so dark blue they looked black. She couldn’t help the quick mental comparison to Jake and Nathan, and wondered with disgust why all of a sudden she was drowning in handsome men. She’d learned the hard way—romance never worked out for her.
“How about next week?”
Todd gave her a long, promising look. “How about this weekend?”
“This weekend. That might work. I’ll check my schedule.” She smiled and hurried toward her door. If the SUV was one of Nathan’s guards, he would want to know all about Todd. Knowing Nathan, he probably already knew what hospital Todd was born in.
Todd was still watching as she closed her door. She locked up and rushed to the kitchen table. Sliding onto a chair, she opened her bag and pulled out the leather pouch. Carefully, she removed the crosses and laid them on the table. All three were similar, but there were slight differences. She picked up Raphael’s and ran her fingers over the worn silver. She felt something building and closed her eyes in anticipation. She wasn’t expecting the roar. She jumped, and the cross flew out of her hands. She reached for it, but another hand got there first. A sexy, male hand with a scar at the base of the thumb.
“Stealing from the boss?”
Kendall stood, pulse racing. Jake held the cross in his fingers, the rest of him looking just as sexy, even with that sullen jaw. He was still pissed at her because of this morning. “How did you get in here?”
“It wasn’t easy. Nathan has you locked up tighter than some of his treasures.” His gaze swept the room. “Cozy place. I could get used to this.”
“Don’t.” She reached for the cross, but he pulled back.
“Does Nathan know you have these?”
“I’m studying them.”
“Guess that’s a no.”
“I didn’t mean to take them from the mansion. I forgot they were in my pocket. And I’m going to return them. I just wanted to study them in private,” she said, emphasizing the word private.
“Who were you talking to?”
“Todd. My neighbor.”
“Todd.” Jake made a grunting sound. “Where’s he live?”
“The apartment across from mine.”
Grunt again. “He looked friendly.”
“He is.”
“How friendly?”
Kendall shook her head. “You break into my apartment and you’re grilling me about my neighbors?”
“I don’t like him.”
“You don’t know him. Did you make a noise a few minutes ago?”
“Like a burp?”
“Like a roar.”
“No.”
“I could have sworn…”
“What kind of roar? Tarzan? Bigfoot?”
“Bigfoot.”
“I’ve seen ghosts and electric statues, why not a Sasquatch? Next we’ll have unicorns and elves.”
“I must have imagined it.” Had she also imagined it last night?
“Another one of your feelings?”
“Maybe. Give me the cross?”
He pulled it back. “What’s in it for me?” His expression didn’t have that carefree Jake look. Definitely still pissed.
“You get to keep your private parts intact.”
He scowled and handed her the cross. “There’s really nothing between you and Nathan?”
“I told you no. I went to his study and heard a noise. I thought he was choking. He was dreaming, I guess. His eyes were changing.”
“And you went inside? What if he’d hurt you?”
“He’s not dangerous.”
“Conjure up the guys he’s killed and tell them.”
“That was self-defense. And he was protecting us.”
“So now he’s a superhero?” Jake grunted. “Then why have you been avoiding me?”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Busy, my ass.”
“I’ve been sitting with Marco as much as I can.” The old man had been unconscious most of the time, only waking for a minute or two at a time.
“You know what I think?” His eyes were steady, maybe even hopeful.
“What do you think?”
“That you’re afraid.”
“Of you? Ha!”
“Of yourself.” Jake moved closer, not stopping until he was so close she could feel his body. “You’re afraid you’ll lose control and slip into my bed.”
She rolled her eyes and backed away so he couldn’t sense her pulse quicken.
He closed the gap between them and lowered his head until his face was just inches away. Steel-gray eyes stared into hers, making her stomach flip. “Admit it. You miss having me in your bed.”
She took another step back and put her hand on his chest to keep him away. He put his hand over hers, trapping it over his heart. She could feel it beating against her fingertips. “I have no idea why you think I’m avoiding you.”
“You run away whenever you see me coming.”
“Nonsense.”
“Last night you darted into your bedroom the minute you saw me.”
“It was late. I was going to bed.”
“And when I saw you in the kitchen earlier that evening, you ran off like you’d seen a mouse. Guess you weren’t avoiding me then either?”
“I had finished eating.”
“You threw a whole slice of cake in the trash.”
“I decided I didn’t need the calories. I’m watching my weight.”
One brow lifted, and his dark gaze raked her head to toe. “Like hell. You’re perfect.” He looked disgusted with himself and turned away. He walked to the refrigerator and opened the door, critically eyeing the contents. “You need to go shopping. You’ve got crap for food and you’re out of Coke.”
“I had three cans when I left.”
“Not anymore.”
Kendall shut the door. “What are you doing here besides drinking my sodas? Did Nathan send you to spy on me?”