Page 169 of Her Reluctant Hero
Chapter Sixteen
In a split second, Adrian scanned the area. A man approximately the width of a gorilla stood behind Smoller, way too close to Mallory for Adrian’s comfort. Two more stood on the barge, stances defensive, armed probably. Past them, Adrian saw another boat, bigger than this, moored to the barge on the opposite side.
“Where’s my brother, you son of a bitch?” Adrian stepped forward, grabbing Mallory’s arm and pulling her behind him. He whipped his dive knife out of the sheath at his thigh and plunged it into the table, inches from Smoller’s hand.
The man behind Smoller tensed, but Smoller didn’t do more than temple his fingers and smile. “Your brother and students are with me, all fine, thanks to me. Seems their boat blew up and I came along just in time.”
“I’ll bet,” Adrian growled.
Smoller’s eyes widened innocently. “I admit it was bad luck, but then, you’re the one who believes these boxes are cursed. I haven’t found that to be the case.”
“Are they hurt? I want to see them.”
“They’re fine and you’ll be seeing them soon. But first, you and I have business to discuss.” Smoller gestured to a chair across from him, waited.
He wanted to believe Smoller’s words, wanted to believe his brother and students were safe, but couldn’t trust anything what man said. “I have no business with you. I just want my crew returned.” Anger tightened his throat so his voice was a growl.
“Really? Is that all you want? You get your crew, you get on your boat and leave the site?”
Adrian went rigid. Of course that wasn’t all he wanted. He wanted the site. He’d worked for it, damn it, paid for it. And the sight of smug Valentine Smoller, looking as he had three years ago, cool, righteous… Adrian hated the man having the upper hand.
“You should be aware we alerted the Belize Defence Force,” Mallory said, her tone cutting.
Smoller narrowed his eyes as he kept his gaze on Adrian. “Did you really? I find it hard to believe you were ready to sacrifice everything to keep me from having this.”
“I was ready to sacrifice everything to get my brother and my crew back,” Adrian said through his teeth. “What are you willing to sacrifice?”
Smoller’s gaze sharpened. “Do you want me to answer that? Really, Adrian. A lot of trouble just so I can’t get my payoff.”
Adrian’s mouth tightened in a rictus of a grin. “Oh, I’m willing to do a lot more.”
“Is that so?” Smoller inclined his head to address the man behind him. “Disarm them.”
Adrian’s gut clenched at the idea of that man’s hands on Mallory. “Don’t touch her.”
Smoller rolled his eyes at Mallory. “So this is the behavior that excites you, this he-man business?” He turned to Adrian. “Fine. You disarm your wife. And be warned, if I find you missed anything, she will be the one to suffer the consequences.”
“Always the gentleman,” Adrian muttered, stepping in front of Mal to take her dive knife, blocking her from Smoller’s view. She searched his face as he unsheathed the tool that would make a lethal weapon.
As much as he despised the man behind him, as much as every nerve screamedthreat, Adrian couldn’t take the risk of attacking. The men on the barge had weapons, and the man behind Smoller as well. And Adrian didn’t know where his crew was. Adrian shook his head almost imperceptibly. He liberated the other knife as well, then placed them on the table, feeling Mallory’s frustration and disappointment behind him.
Smoller pushed a whiskey bottle—Adrian’s whiskey bottle—toward him in silent invitation. Adrian ignored it.
“Where’s my brother?”
“Let’s not be tiresome. Let’s talk about the ship.”
“Let’s talk about the man you left dead in camp and the boat you blew up.”
Smoller stretched to look around him at Mallory. “You’re right, he does have a wild imagination.”
Adrian understood that he was trying to appear in collusion with Mallory and refused to let himself be baited. “You do know the professor is dead.”
“Your crew mentioned it. I know what the man meant to you.” Smoller’s eyes glinted, but he didn’t offer condolences.
Adrian leaned forward. “You said my brother and the others are safe. I want proof.”
Smoller made a clucking sound. “Do you always have such trust issues? Very well. You tell me if you’ve found the casket and I’ll let you see your brother.”
