Page 20 of Wicked Ambition

The idea of getting assistance to locate her tempted him, but Archer quelled the urge. Ellis and Francesca would only get themselves in trouble, and Nyx, who could handle herself, was no longer in Puerto Jardin. He thought about the Special Forces captain he’d used in the past, but unless it was a known emergency, he couldn’t risk abusing the connection. Not if he wanted to call on Nguyen in the future.

Archer contemplated his options. He didn’t care for any of the scenarios that occurred to him.

His secure line rang, and he went still for a moment before reaching for the phone. It wasn’t Iona. “Captain Nguyen, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

There was a pause and Archer suspected Nguyen was gritting his teeth. His mood improved.

“I have a Paladin League employee in my safe house.”

Archer’s amusement disappeared in a heartbeat. “Iona Desmond.”

Another pause, but Archer couldn’t read this one. When Nguyen spoke, his tone was dry. “No. Her twin, Ayla. She came to Puerto Jardin to find her sister. Why am I not surprised that Iona works for you using the cover story of a photojournalist for Corporate Communications?”

It was a rhetorical question, so Archer ignored it. “Why is Ms. Desmond looking for her sister?” Only the years he’d spent as an operative for ARC, the Agency for Reconnaissance and Covert-ops, allowed him to pull off the nonchalance.

“Ayla says she came to rescue her, that Iona is in trouble. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“About Ayla Desmond’s presence in Puerto Jardin? Of course not. She works in Public Relations and is ill-equipped for the country. It would be best if you returned her to California.”

Another pause and Archer guessed his sidestep had been noted.

“Unfortunately, Ayla ran into some Russian gentlemen who believed shewasher sister, and Ivanov has a presence in the US. Are you prepared to hire bodyguards for her until whatever situation Iona is involved in is resolved?”

Archer was familiar with Yaromir Ivanov. ARC had worked for years to undermine his power and had yet to curb that particular Russian mob boss. “You know better than that, Captain,” he said. “Ivanov’s reach is deep enough that it will be difficult to find trustworthy bodyguards.”

“Why is Ivanov after Iona?”

This time Archer was the one who paused. “I was unaware that he had an interest in her, but were I to hazard a guess, I’dsay it’s the same thing that’s attracted the attention of everyone else.”

“That treasure.” There was a growl in Nguyen’s voice that expressed his exasperation with the entire thing. “Where is Iona?”

“I don’t know.” Archer could predict what was coming and headed it off. “That’s the truth, Captain. Iona missed a check-in two days ago. The last time I heard from her was on Saturday. She was in Trujillo.”

“Six days. Anything could have happened in that time.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“She could be anywhere now.”

“I’m aware of that, too, Captain Nguyen. If Ivanov’s men are searching for her, Iona likely went into hiding.”

“Not according to Ayla,” Nguyen shot back. “She’s insistent that her sister is in real trouble and suggested that someone else has her locked up.”

“Why does she believe this?”

“That’s unclear. She hasn’t provided any evidence. Why did you send Iona to Trujillo?”

“To hunt for the treasure, of course.”

“Archer, if you want my help to find your person, you better stop lying. Frankie and Ellis are here to hunt for the treasure. Nyx was here to hunt for the treasure. Iona isn’t a PhD candidate. She’s a photographer. Why did you send her to Puerto Jardin?”

Ivanov’s involvement made the decision easy. Slowly, he admitted, “A man is looking for the treasure who calls himself Fuentes. He’s a shadow, an enigma. I haven’t been able to learn anything about him, not even what he looks like. I sent Iona to identify him and return with as much information as possible.”

“You’re worried he’ll beat you to the cache.”

Archer frowned. “Everything reported to be part of the treasure holds cultural significance to one degree or another. I don’t want to see so much as a single piece disappear into someone’s private collection. These items belong in museums.”

“Provided you can even locate a treasure missing for more than two hundred years.”

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