“Do you know him?”
“No, but he sounds like a dick.”
“He’s on his way here too. I don’t know his exact location, but I believe we’ve got a small lead on him.”
He dropped the speed from that initial burst. Now, as if taking the challenge to get them there faster, he stepped on the gas. The truck rocketed ahead of the next car they were currently overtaking, and then Mathias whipped it back into the right lane.
“So we kit ourselves out with gear and horses and head out to the site. What is so special about this artifact that you don’t even know what it looks like?” He tugged on the brim of his hat, nudging it lower and lower until she couldn’t clearly see his eyes under the brim. She’d heard rumors that all the WEST Protection team wore white Stetsons, and from the two members she’d seen so far, that rumor was true.
“Dahl has a personal collection of creepy stuff.”
Mathias’s lips twisted. “What kind of creepy stuff we talkin’ about? Shrunken heads and shit?”
“Exactly.”
“Christ. Are we looking for a shrunken head?”
“No, no. I don’t think so, at least.”
He swung his attention back to her. “You don’t think so?”
She waved off his question. “He hunts down items that he believes have power. The lore says that this belonged to an ancient Native American tribe and it’s meant to bring soulmates together.”
“So he wants to find his soulmate?”
She twined her fingers. “I have no idea what his intention for the item is—I’m just telling you what makes him so interested in it.”
“If we get to the artifact first, does that mean you get to use the magic and find your soulmate?”
“I have no need of a man,” she said in her iciest tone.
He sobered. Suddenly he went from jokester to dark, brooding and dangerous.
She swallowed at the change. Maybe she should get to know Mathias better before jumping to conclusions about his character.
“But you do have need of a bodyguard.”
His gritty tone wasn’t one she’d heard before either.
“I’ll do my best to make sure you get the artifact…and get out alive.”
Chapter Three
“This place looks straight out of a slasher movie. Or maybe one where a tornado rips through the place and leaves everyone dead.”
“What cheerful thoughts.” Madeline slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Luckily, there aren’t many tornadoes in New Mexico. As for the slashers…”
“Don’t worry—I won’t let you go to the ice machine alone.” Mathias was already on high alert. Being out in the open with his ward always made him edgy. Easier to guard against attack if his back was against a wall. Though it was late afternoon and there weren’t more than a handful of cars parked out front, he still wanted to get Madeline indoors as fast as possible.
He could also feel himself starting to drag after the long drive to Colorado to meet her. Then another long drive here. First mattress he saw, he’d be falling face-down and not getting up for at least four hours.
She took off in her quick pace toward the motel office. His knee protested the speed, but he forced himself past the pain. After long drives, his old injury liked to kick up a fuss. Nothing a couple of aspirin wouldn’t fix, but keeping up with Madeline made him grit his teeth.
With her always a step ahead of him, he finally got a good look at her. He’d already noticed her fitted jacket, but she wore pants in a performance fabric on the bottom, and under her jacket, which she never removed despite the heat, a T-shirt of the same navy hue as the jacket.
She came in a tiny package, but she had the body of an athlete. Compact muscle he knew people only achieved from hours in the gym and a hell of a lot of cardio. Her rounded hips were the only curves on her.
“If you’re finished checking out my ass, I’ll ask you to wait outside while I get us rooms.” She tossed this out over her shoulder, but pivoted to look at him, not bothering to lower the black shades. “Separate rooms.”
“I wasn’t—” He stopped because his momma drilled into him that nobody likes a liar.
“That’s what I thought.” She started toward the office door, but he jumped into her path.
“I can’t let you go in there alone.”
“Let’s get our roles straight—I need a bodyguard. But not right now. I’m capable of defending myself inside a motel office. Besides, the most danger I’m likely to come across is the odor of burnt complimentary coffee.” She swung the door open.
Just to be sure, he surveyed the interior before the door shut in his face. Only a young woman stood behind the counter which was painted in colors of the sunset along with the name of the motel, Canyon Lodge.
A faint whiff of scorched coffee that’d sat too long on the burner wafted out.
He gave a grunt and stood off to the side near some potted plants. His mind moved ahead to the supplies they’d need. Madeline probably had all kinds of ideas on the matter of how to outfit themselves for a trek on horseback through rough terrain, but he liked to believe he was more of an authority.
First, they had to locate the supplier and a place to rent horses. Tourist hotspots would rent horses by the hour or day, but they’d require them for much longer. And with little vegetation for the horses to graze on, they’d have to pack feed for the animals too.
Madeline’s tiny backpack would be useless for carrying more than her personal necessities.
She came out of the office, the scent of burned coffee clinging to her. “I got us both rooms and lived to tell about it.”
“Haha,” he said in a dry, flat tone.
For the first time, he thought the corner of her lips twitched, but it faded too fast for him to tell for sure.
She handed him a key with a little orange plastic ring. “We’re side by side. I’d like to get everything on my list before dinner. That leaves us…” She looked down at her high-tech watch, but Mathias cocked his head to look at the sun.
“Two hours,” they said at the same time.
She looked at him, but since he couldn’t see her eyes, he had no idea what she was thinking.
“It’s too late to start out on horseback. But we need to secure the animals for first thing tomorrow morning,” he recommended.
“We’ll ask at the outfitters.” She headed across the parking lot, angling toward her room. He trailed her close. Whether or not she claimed she didn’t need him, this was what he was trained to do.
When she opened her door, he shouldered it open the rest of the way and swept his gaze across the tidy space.
She pushed out a sigh. “Do you want to check under the bed too, Trace?”
“Sure.” He swaggered in.
“I wasn’t serious.” She followed him.
He did an exaggerated burpee, an exercise move where he dropped into a pushup. Bracing his weight on one arm, he lifted the bed skirt and peeked under the six-inch gap. “You could be in danger, Madeline.” He shoved off the floor and leaped to his feet.
She cocked her hip and settled her hand on it. “Danger of what?”