Page 5 of Joel (Guardians of the North #6)

KYLIE

I dig a neon orange bikini out of my suitcase, one I bought while in Costa Rica on a treasure hunting job last summer but have never been brave enough to wear, and toss it on the bed.

I should probably hide the maps, articles, and other damning evidence before Joel arrives, but I focus instead on stripping out of my clothes so I can change.

I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees me in the bright orange color he seems to favor so much. Hell, even his truck is orange.

I’ll put the maps up in a minute. Having to admit to Joel that I’m a treasure hunter who’s been up to illegal activities in the waters he protects might dampen the mood. And the only thing I want dampened are my bikini bottoms before Joel takes them off—preferably with his teeth.

I’m tugging off my panties when I hear my phone chime.

A half smile lifts one corner of my mouth. I wonder what dirty response my coastguardsman has typed out. For a man I just met, I’m really enjoying the easy, sexually charged banter between us. It’s almost a shame I’ll be leaving at the end of the week.

Is it stupid to hook up with a man who could get me in a serious amount of trouble?

Yes. Yes, it is.

But tonight, I feel like playing with fire.

It’s just one night, anyway .

I pick up my phone, but it’s not Joel’s name on the screen.

It’s Todd.

Fuck.

Todd: Call me.

My shoulders instantly stiffen at the message. God I can’t wait to be out from under his fucking thumb. But if I want this treasure hunt to be the one that frees me, I can’t ignore him.

I pull on an oversized T-shirt, and hit the call button.

“Can you make this quick, Todd? I have to?—”

“The fucking Coast Guard?” Todd shouts over the phone.

His voice is so loud and high pitched that I pull it away from my ear and put the call on speakerphone.

He’d be so pissed if he knew. Never mind that I’m in a private hotel room that boasts thickly insulated walls for quiet and relaxation.

My stepfather is the most paranoid man I’ve ever met.

I have to wonder…was he always this way?

“I didn’t call them,” I say, letting out an exasperated sigh. I should have known he’d find out about this eventually. The question is…how?

“You made national fucking news!”

Oh. Well, shit.

“How is that possible?” I ask, eyebrows drawing together. “Nancy’s a local reporter.”

“Jesus H. Christ. You’re on a first name basis with the woman who might be our very fucking ruin?”

Interesting how it’s our ruin when things are rocky, but when this company scores a victory, it’s his win.

I roll my eyes at the dramatics that have become all too common these past couple of years. No, I decide. Todd wasn’t always like this. When he and Mom first met, he was easygoing and fun. The life of the party everyone wanted to attend.

But ever since he got into bed with the slimy, rich elites, he’s changed. Greed rushed in, and his morals ran the other way. There’s no treasure hunt too cursed, too illegal, too dangerous anymore. It’s all about what the highest bidder is willing to pay.

I wonder how much he was offered to find and recover the pirate treasure of the sunken Esmerelda .

The way this has changed him…it’s sad really.

“The story got picked up by a national fucking network.” The way he spits the words like bullets makes me imagine him with gritted teeth and that blood vessel in his forehead throbbing. The temper—now that has always been there—bright on his red face. “It’s all over the god damn internet, Kylie.”

I pull my phone away to see if I’ve missed a text from Joel. I’ll be damned if I let Todd ruin my night over this tantrum he’s throwing.

Nothing.

Hmm.

“Are you listening to me, Kylie?”

“Yes, Todd. And this isn’t a big deal,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm.

“Why aren’t you taking this more seriously? Oh, wait. You don’t have your entire life savings invested in this business.”

God his mocking tone is the worst.

“Did you even watch the segment? They don’t know anything. They don’t know why I was out there.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? You gave them your real name. They’ll connect you to this company—to me . You gave them a reason to dig.”

Then you shouldn’t have buried so many fucking skeletons in your closet, Todd. I want so badly to say it out loud, but I’m not stupid.

“I was careful.” I glance at the coin sitting on the nightstand and decide to pick it up.

I wonder if Todd would care what it took to retrieve that small piece of treasure.

Or that I almost ran out of oxygen before I resurfaced because my foot got wedged on old wood and nearly trapped me below the surface.

The Coast Guard rescue was the least eventful part of my day.

“You know better than to do a fucking interview, Kylie.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’ve found anything yet.

” I don’t know why the lie slips out as easily as it does, but I don’t question it.

Maybe it’s punishment. Let Todd sweat a little longer over this treasure.

Or maybe it’s a gut instinct warning me it would be the absolute worst thing to let him know what I’ve found.

“Of course you haven’t found anything. I knew it was a mistake to send you up there.”

I grip the gold coin in my hand, squeezing it against my palm, and take a deep breath so I don’t lose my cool.

“You’re so fucking daft sometimes,” he presses on.

Words like that used to hurt my feelings.

Hell, I used to be scared of him. Afraid of setting off his terrible temper.

It’s only recently that I started giving less and less fucks.

Maybe it’s because he sent me all the way to Alaska by myself to dive for an illegal treasure in brutally cold water without backup that I have finally had enough.

I’m numb to him.

“I didn’t tell the Coast Guard anything,” I remind him.

“You better fucking not,” he growls.

“I’m good at playing tourist, just like you taught me.” Is there a heavy dose of malice in my tone? I sure as hell hope so.

“You’ll go back out, Kylie.”

I hear what he doesn’t say. I hear You’ll go back out there if you want to pay off your debt to me.

“I’ll need another boat. The first one sank,” I say, hoping that detail will keep Todd in check. Maybe make him a little more human again. I could have died had I not resurfaced in time.

“What?”

“The boat you rented for me. It was a piece of shit. It sank when I came back up from my dive. I barely got the life raft?—”

“You sank the fucking skiff?”

“No, Todd. I didn’t sink it. It sank itself. That’s why the Coast Guard ended up rescuing me. I’m okay, in case you were wondering. But I’m going to need another boat if you want me to go back out there.”

“Christ, do I have to handle everything?” he grumbles. “You’re worthless, Kylie. Just like your fucking mother?—”

With shaking hands, I end the call. A tear threatens to fall, but I refuse to let it as I power down my phone.

They’re just words.

Words he uses as daggers to control me, I remind myself.

Todd can go straight to hell.

A knock at my door pulls me from my trance, and I answer it without checking the peep hole.

Joel Pierson stands on the other side, wearing a black J-Squad T-shirt, a damp pair of neon orange swim trunks, and devilish grin.

I’m reminded, by the wetness pooling between my legs, that I’m not wearing anything underneath my oversized T-shirt.

Fuck me, I want to pounce on him right here in the hallway.

I want him to push me up against the wall and take me nice and rough.

I bet he could erase the last several minutes with primal ease.

“Your ride is here,” he says, a gleam in those ocean blue eyes. Then he does a double take, seeming to really see me, and the gleam disappears. “Kylie, what’s wrong?” His gaze lifts above my head, to the bed covered in damning evidence. “And what’s all that?”

For a moment, I consider throwing him off course. I could shut the door behind me, and insist he take me back to his place so we can pick up right where we left off. I don’t actually need a bikini. It was never meant to stay on all that long anyway.

But lying to Joel just feels… wrong . And I can’t shake the feeling.

I want to tell him the truth.

I squeeze the gold coin in my palm, hoping it’ll bring me good luck and not some curse. I really don’t need that right now. I take a deep, steadying breath. “I need to tell you something, and I don’t think you’re going to like it.”