Page 14 of Masked Intentions in Pelican Point
I groan. "Not this again."
"Yes, this again," he counters smoothly. "History isn't neat lines in a catalogue, Allison. Sometimes it's messy. Sometimes it's alive."
"Sometimes it's just sabotage," I shoot back. "No ghosts required."
Our eyes lock, the same electric current sparking as last night. My chest tightens, my body remembering exactly how close we'd been, how warm and right his body had been against mine. I step back, breaking the connection.
"Stay in your lane," I warn.
"Thought we agreed last night that our lanes overlap."
I grit my teeth. "That was adrenaline."
"That was you wanting me as much as I wanted you."
A rush of heat shoots through me, leaving my skin too tight for my bones. "You're insufferable."
"And you're gorgeous when you're trying not to admit the truth."
Hours pass in a blur of checks and countermeasures. Staff move under my direction, security doubles its patrols, and every angle of the exhibit room is recalibrated. Nolan trails me like a shadow I never asked for but can't seem to shake. Every time I look up, he's there, watching, helping, provoking, being gorgeous.
When I stop to reposition a camera, he angles in beside me. “That corner’s uncovered.”
"I did not."
"Yes, you did. Here." He points, his shoulder brushing mine. Heat blooms between us, distracting and unwelcome.
"Back off," I mutter.
"Make me."
I turn, meeting his gaze full-on. "You really don't know when to quit."
"Not when I've found something worth the chase."
The air thickens between us, charged and volatile. For one reckless second, I imagine kissing him again, losing myself in the storm we started. Instead, I force myself to step away.
"Focus on the job, Porter."
"Trying. You keep distracting me."
I glare, but a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth despite myself. He sees it and his grin widens.
By late afternoon, the investigation yields a troubling picture. The climate controls were tampered with more than once, suggesting a pattern. Someone has access, someone patient enough to play the long game. And someone bold enough to use the mask's legend as cover. Everyone is focused on the mask, and whilst I won't deny it's priceless, there are other artifacts and treasures in this collection that could be just as valuable, if not more so. Is the mask and this weekend just a distraction for the real objective?
I walk out onto the terrace and lean against the balustrade, taking a deep breath. It might have been refreshing had it not been for Nolan practically crashing into me, the impact sudden and unyielding. Morning's brightness has shifted to afternoon haze, the horizon blurred. He doesn't say anything, just stands beside me.
"The tampering has to be deliberate."
"Agreed," he says. "It's starting to form a pattern."
"It isn't random."
He nods slowly. "Someone is using the legend to mask their real objective."
"Exactly."
He glances at me then, eyes sharp. "Which means we're back on the same team, whether you like it or not."
