Page 53 of Bear In A Bookstore
“Come on over and you can see it for yourself.”
The officer stood beside him, and they watched the footage. One male, dressed in black with a face mask covering everything but his eyes. Desi’s blood pressure rose as he watched the intruder rifle though his things.
“Any idea what he’s looking for?”
“Yep.” Desi held up the ring. “Treasure.”
“Ah, geez. Not this again. I’m getting really tired of this god damned treasure hunt.”
Desi thought about the break-ins that had happened recently. Jonathan Baker had admitted to being the one who broke into the bakery, but what about the other buildings that had been entered? Had anything been taken that could link all this together?
The cop took a closer look at the screen. “Good luck identifying that guy. We’ll get on it and do the best we can. Anything missing?”
“A backpack full of climbing gear. And . . . a book. A copy of —”
“Dirty Riches: Unclaimed Buried Treasure in America. Am I right?”
Desi looked at the officer. “Yes. Why?”
“Yours will be the third copy reported stolen this week. Seems all these treasure hunters are turning on each other. Let’s make your report. I’m going to need a copy of that footage.”
Desi burned a copy, made the report, and sat back down to study the footage again as soon as the officer left. There was something familiar about the perp. The way he moved ticked in Desi’s brain. His gait was stiff, his stride narrow. The shape of his body seemed familiar. Stout, broad, short.
He couldn’t place who it was, but he might be able to collaborate with someone who’d gotten a better look. With a frustrated groan, he closed the laptop and sat back in his chair.
This asshole, whoever he was, had killed the vibe of one of the best nights he’d had in his life.
Kora.
God.
Her taste was still full on his lips. It had been so hard to hold himself back, but it had been such a gift to give her so much pleasure. The sounds she’d made, the way her body moved. An ache started in his chest. She’d been like a different version of herself today. Some of her layers had been peeled back, revealing the real her underneath. What had she been like before she’d been taken hostage?
There was so much about Kora that he wanted to learn and explore. He knew that it might take time, but impatience was making it difficult to remember that. He wanted her, fully, to start their relationship and weave their lives together the way that lovers do.
Some things couldn’t be rushed, no matter how strong the urgency. When they became mates, it would be because she realized that they were fated to be together and fully accepted him as her own.
Pulling out his phone, he dialed her number.
“Desi! What happened?”
He filled her in. There was a pause before she responded, her voice shaking. “Do you think they’ll come after me too? If they know you have the ring, then they’ll know we were together. Maybe they think I have it. Jesus, this is insane.”
The fear in her voice gutted him. “I have one stop to make and then I’m coming to you. Okay? We’ll figure this out.”
He’d had the same thoughts as she did, and the only way he’d feel assured is if he spent the night watching over her.
Ending the call, he reset his alarm system and left, heading to the pub. He’d noticed the treasure hunting groups tended to gather at Donatelle’s after-hours and with luck, the person he wanted to see would be there.
At almost midnight, the pub was in full swing. He glanced inside booths and at tables as he made his way to the bar, spotting the man he wanted to see at the far end of the room. He nursed a long neck alongside a couple empties, slumped in his chair, with a blasé look on his face. His friend wore a similar expression, though his grouping of empty beer bottles was much larger.
“Angelo, mind if I join you?” Desi greeted as he approached.
Angelo eyed him for a second, then nodded to a chair. Desi spun it around and straddled the seat.
He waved a finger between the men.
“What’s up with you two? You’re normally running around like ferrets on crack.”
