Trouble and Treasure (#1, Trouble and Treasure Series) (23 page)

He looked wetter than he had before; his
hair slick against his face and his collar saturated.

Mark looked confused. “What? Why are you—”
he began.

Before Mark had a chance to finish,
Mar
atova did something
unexpected: he lifted his gun, pointing it right at Mark's
chest.

“
Put it down,” Maratova growled.

“
What the hell?” Mark snapped.

Mark couldn’t do anything, and before he
could press an answer from Maratova, I heard several more steps
descending from above, and this time they were far louder and far
more pressing. I gave an enormous shudder as I heard them descend
onto our level, but it wasn't anything like the shake I gave when I
saw several balaclava-clad, gun-toting men in black turn the corner
to face us.

“
Change of plan,” Maratova snapped, “Hands
behind your head, turn around, on your knees.” Maratova wasn’t
joking.

I stood there, lips limp and half open,
cheeks slack, jaw drawn down – too shocked, surprised, and overcome
to know what to do next. If indeed there was anything I could do
next other than be shot.

The look on Mark’s face was horribly
compelling; his skin was a sallow white, the muscles in his face
slack from surprise.

“
On your knees, turn around,” Maratova
repeated.

Silently Mark put his hands behind his head
and did as Maratova said.

A moment of exquisite fear caught me, my
body seizing with the horrible realization that Mark was about to
get shot. It was as if my heart stopped beating altogether, and I
didn't draw a single breath.

Then Maratova lashed out at the back of
Mark's head with the butt of his rifle, a sickening crack sounding
out as the gun met his skull.

I jumped and gave a frightened yelp at the
sound, shaking as I watched Mark fall unconscious to the ground,
body limp, head turned to the side.

Maratova turned to me. I had no idea what
the expression on his face meant. There was a tension to his brow,
and it was pulled smooth, his eyebrows flat and low over his
eyes.

“
You asshole,” Sebastian
growled.

Maratova turned to Sebastian and waggled a
finger at him. “What makes you think it's a good idea to piss me
off? You think there’s anything stopping me from shooting
you?”

“
Don't, please don’t hurt him.” I
stuttered. Honest to god, I may hate Sebastian right now, but I
didn’t want to see him killed. “Don't, I'll go with you, I will get
you the globes, you don't have to hurt anyone.”

Maratova, ignoring Sebastian, turned to
me. He nodded once, stiff and low. “Yes, you will.”

I wanted to close my eyes, see if I could
try and wake up. I forced myself to rivet them open, and I stared
back at Maratova. I might have been shaking, it might have been
damn obvious to everyone that I was frightened and overcome, but I
still stood there and I still met his gaze. I didn’t close my eyes
and I didn’t turn away.

P
ressing my teeth closed, my lips still open around them, I
gave another swallow. “Let's go,” I said, something suspiciously
close to bravado tingling in my stomach. “We need to go now…
because you don't have much time.”

Maratova at least was no longer looking at
Sebastian; he was looking at me, his eyes pressed together, his
nose crumpled, his brow pressed down. “Oh? Why is that?”

I needed to keep Maratova's attention off
Sebastian. “The… the other men will be here soon.”

Maratova narrowed his eyes further. “What
other men?”

With one more enormous swallow, I said the
first thing that came into my head: “Romeo's men.”

It was an enormous risk, because I had no
idea who Romeo's men were; it was just something I’d heard
Sebastian mention several times. For all I knew the men in
balaclavas standing around behind Maratova were Romeo's
men.

When Maratova didn't begin laughing, my
heart gave a shake.

“
I... we saw them in town,” I continued to
spin the lie.

Maratova kept watching me, not indicating
once whether he thought I was lying or not.

So I kept spinning and spinning: “we only
narrowly got away from them, but I'm sure they followed us
here.”

“
How do you know that?” Maratova asked,
sliding his jaw from side-to-side.

I didn't have much to lose anymore,
so
I pointed with a
shaking hand downstairs. “There was one outside.”

Maratova gave a sharp short laugh, but it
didn't sound happy. He stared across at me for one more horrible
moment, then turned to the balaclava-clad men behind him. He
mumbled something to them. He then turned back to Sebastian, that
familiar glint of anger in his eyes.

“
So we have to go if you want to get the
globes before they do, because... they already know where they
are,” I said through a shaky breath.

Once again, I managed to snap Maratova's
attention back to me.

“
What?” he asked, voice hollowing out
dangerously.

“
I told them,” I squeaked hard, “I mean, I
didn't have a choice. They managed to capture me.”

Maratova flinched. “Where are the other
globes?”

“
They’re back at my great-uncle's manor,” I
said the first thing I could think of, “And Romeo's men already
have a head start on you.”

Maratova growled.

“
They don't know where it is in the house,”
I added, “I didn't tell them that. But we should hurry, because it
might not take them long to find out.”

Maratova looked at me, his brow dropped so
much it was flat against his beady, hooded eyes. He almost looked
ready to turn back to Sebastian again.

So I pulled out the last card I could
think of: “that is, if you can manage to get through the storm,” I
said, glancing towards the window at the ferocious storm outside. I
appealed to his manliness, or apparent lack thereof. Only a real
criminal would try to make their way out of a lighthouse during a
mad storm. A sensible, girly criminal, on the other hand, would
stay put until the rain and wind subsided and they could be sure
they wouldn’t get their balaclavas wet.

Maratova ground his teeth.

“
I guess I don't know much about Romeo's
men, but I think rain wouldn’t stop them,” I added.

“
If you’re lying to me—” Maratova took a
step towards me, bowing his head low.

I didn't need him to finish
his threat; I was sure I knew
what he had in mind. A man like Maratova had a limited and violent
imagination. “Do you know how much those globes are
worth?”

That appeared to do it; Maratova
straightened up, turned to his men, and nodded upstairs.

I had no idea what I’
d gotten myself into, but at least
Sebastian was still standing.

Not for long
. Before I could do anything, before I could even
track his movement, Maratova walked over to Sebastian and pistol
whipped him right on the side of the head.

I screamed as I watched Sebastian crumple to
the ground, my shoulders shaking violently.

“
Right, time to end this,” Maratova said as
he fixed his eyes on me.

Sebastian Shaw

I awoke with a thundering headache, and I
couldn't tell the difference between the roar in my brain and the
roar of the wind outside. Cracking open my dry lips and grabbing a
hand to my head, I pushed to a seated position. My head was
swimming, and I groaned with pain and nausea.

“
You think you have it bad,” I recognized
Mark’s voice from somewhere beside me.

I managed to blink through the pain
blanketing my attention to see Mark sitting in one of the god-awful
old brown leather seats.

“
Did you radio in help?” I croaked
out.

Mark shook his head. “He took the guns,
took our radios, even took my watch.”

“
How's Anderson?” I asked, managing to pull
myself to my feet, though I had to latch a hand to the side of the
kitchen bench to keep steady.

“
Fine, though he still has the same
headache we do.” Mark massaged his brow.

“
Fuck.” I shook my head several
times.

“
I can't believe he did this,” Mark said,
voice low.

I could; Maratova had always been a loose
cannon. When I’d come to my senses after almost getting Amanda
killed on our way to the lighthouse, I’d called the army and let
them know where we were on the express condition Mark was to lead
the team. I wasn’t going to let Maratova call this one, but then
again, Maratova obviously had different plans.

I couldn't believe this. I blinked hard at
the pain still snaking its way through my brain. I’d thought I was
doing the right thing by Amanda. I’d come to my senses, realized
how much of a bastard I was being, and I’d called the army here
because there was no other way I could see of getting her out of
this safely. Look where it had gotten me? Amanda was
probably....

“
Fuck,” I spat.

“
He even cut the phone lines, smashed up
all the radio equipment,” Mark stretched his neck,
“Thorough.”

Shit, shit, shit.

“
We’ll get out of here soon,” Mark said,
“The storm can't last too much longer.”

I turned my head, no matter how aching it
was and how horrible the stabbing pain that shot down my back felt,
and I stared out the kitchen window. The storm was still in full
swing: the clouds outside were as dark and dangerous as before, and
I could still feel the barely perceptible shakes of the lighthouse
as wave after wave battered its side. While Mark was right on some
level, and the storm would subside, it wouldn't be quick enough for
me. The only thing I wanted to do was find Maratova, find Amanda,
and fix it all.

Amanda had a finite amount of time left.
She’
d lied for me, god
dammit, after everything I’d done to her, she’d lied for me and had
put her life on the line. But when Maratova found out they were
just that – lies – I didn't want to think about what he would do
next. That was why I had to get to her. I knew where she was; back
where this thing had begun 24 hours ago.

I allowed myself to be drawn in by the
view of the storm outside, and I pursed my lips in thought as I
stared at the driving rain, listened to the howling wind, and felt
the pounding of the waves. I knew what I had to do; there was only
one thing for it.

“
What are you thinking?” Mark
asked.

Was it that obvious?
“That maybe the storm—” I
began.

“
You go out there, you drown,” Mark said
quick and firm.

He didn't know that for sure. Amanda and I
had managed to get in here in the first place, though it had almost
killed us both. I owed it to her to try again.

“
No,” Mark said again.

He'd always been a good judge of
character. We’d always been friends; I couldn't count the number of
crazy missions I’d been on with him. Back in the good old days,
before Maratova had joined the team. Mark wasn’t even technically
on the unit that dealt with my particular specialty of finding and
retrieving 'treasure' anymore. He’d moved on, moved up the ladder,
and the worst possible replacement – Maratova – had taken his
command.

He’d always been dodgy, god dammit, I had
always been able to see that. Seriously, if there was anyone I
would be suspicious of going off the reservation, it would be
Maratova.

“
You aren't going, and that’s in order,”
Mark said, voice firm.

“
I think you’ll find I am a lawyer, not a
soldier, and you can't order me around.” I offered a wan
smile.

“
Sebastian,” his voice was drawn out and
low with warning.

I put my hands up. “Look, technically
she's my client, and I have a duty.”

“
A duty to drown in a storm?” Mark replied
automatically, face stony.

“
A duty to try not to drown in a storm
while trying even harder to get her the fuck back from Maratova.” I
straightened up.

“
Don't do it,” Mark tried one more
time.

“
I think you’ll find that us lawyer types
are accomplished at saving our butts.” I headed to the
stairs.

Mark rose from his seat.

“
You aren't coming,” I said automatically,
“And you sure as hell aren’t going to order Anderson to come along,
because this is suicide.”

“
Then why the hell are you going?” Mark
tried.

I didn't have a good answer for that. I
didn't want Mark to risk himself over something that was possibly
the stupidest plan in the entire world. “Look, I need you here, I
need you to wait it out and go and call the cavalry.”

“
We don't even know where they're going,”
Mark said.

I hesitated. I knew exactly where they
were going. Mark may have been whacked unconscious before Amanda
had schemed up her ingenious plan, but I hadn’t been. They were
going back to Arthur Stanton's manor.

T
hat wasn't why I was hesitating. The reason I was
hesitating was because I was a bastard. If, somehow, I managed to
get there, save Amanda, and deal with Maratova, then I would be
able to continue my treasure hunt in peace.