Undiscovered (Treasure Hunter Security Book 1) by Anna Hackett Page A

that.”
    Layne turned and spotted Piper. “We just finished discussing some security business—”
    “Uh-huh.” Piper pulled a hard, grape-flavored candy out of her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth. “Yeah, I could see by the way you were watching the man’s mighty fine ass that you were thinking of security business.”
    Layne pinched the bridge of her nose. Which she seemed to do a lot when she was talking with Piper. She liked the woman, but sometimes she made Layne want to take a painkiller and lie down.
    Piper sucked loudly on her candy. “Sure is a shame I prefer girls, otherwise I’d give you a run for your money with that one, Doc.”
    Layne heaved out a breath. “Did you need me for something, Piper?”
    “Yeah.” Piper’s cute face turned serious. “The workers are all pretty freaked out about everything.”
    Layne groaned. “Dr. Stiller mentioned a rumor of a curse is getting around.”
    “Yep. And a few of the workers and a couple of our team are sick this morning. Bad tummies and lots of trips to the toilets.” Piper grimaced. “Since they’re those horrible portable toilets, I’m guessing it isn’t going to be pretty for the rest of us who need to go.”
    Things like this were common problems on a dig. “Upset stomachs are the norm in Egypt. We need to make sure everyone is drinking the bottled water provided.”
    “But the local workers as well?”
    Now Layne frowned. Piper was right, the locals shouldn’t be upset by the water or the food. “Okay, well it must have been something bad in the food last night. Pretty sure no mummies climbed out of the excavation to poison anyone. Come on, let’s make sure everyone who’s not feeling well is settled in their tents.”
    Piper nodded. “Guess that means the rest of us will have more work to do today.”
    “Yes. It does. But I have something that’ll help lighten the load.”
    “Oh?” Piper looked intrigued.
    “When the scaffold collapsed, it knocked a hole in the wall.”
    Piper straightened. “And?”
    Layne grinned. “I found something.”
    “You’re killing me here, Doc.” Piper bounced on her feet. “What?”
    “Wonderful things.”
    ***
    Dec dodged the punch.
    He spun and kicked out, his foot connecting with a hard abdomen.
    There was a grunt. “Easy, Dec.”
    Dec pulled back, bouncing on his feet in the sand. He and Logan had a bit of down time, so they were sparring. Logan was bigger and stronger, but Dec was faster. Besides, they’d been sparring for years now. They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
    Dec came in low and managed a blow to Logan’s side. The big man dodged away, cursing.
    “Getting rusty, old man.” Dec grinned.
    Logan growled. “I’ll show you old.”
    The next few blows were hard and fierce. It took everything Dec had to block them. Then, with a roar, Logan tackled him. They both landed hard on the ground.
    “We’ll call it a draw,” Dec rasped, spitting out a mouthful of sand.
    Logan flopped back in the sand, shading his face with an arm. “How long until we’re on duty?”
    “An hour. I’m sure Hale and Morgan are keen for a break by now.” Dec drew his knees up. Even though he wasn’t officially on duty, they were still sparring on Dec’s favorite sand dune. The one that gave him a perfect view of the dig and surroundings.
    Since the scaffold, there had been no problems. No sign of intruders. No sign of Anders.
    Nothing.
    It made Dec nervous and itchy. He much preferred action.
    “You’re on edge, my friend,” Logan said.
    Dec turned his head and saw Logan watching him. He shrugged. “Anders isn’t really the patient type. I expected him to make a move before now.” Especially since they’d brought the golden sarcophagus up. While he and Layne had kept the scroll under wraps, he was certain news of the sarcophagus would have reached Dakhla and beyond.
    “Everything’s quiet,” Logan said. “We should be grateful.”
    “I know.”
    “Maybe