A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

switched on inside the hut.
He could’ve peered through the window. He followed me to the clearing where you
disappeared—” I glared at him “—and asked me to drop the backpack.”
    “How did you get away?” Dallas asked.
    “I took off like the wind.” I let out a
long breath.
    The lines around Dallas’s mouth smoothed a
little. “He didn’t follow you to the car, so we’ve nothing to worry about. At
least he didn’t carry a gun. No one could ever outrun a bullet, not even a
cheetah like you.” I shot him an irritated look. How could he be joking when I
just escaped sure death? Dallas squeezed my hand reassuringly as he continued, “Listen,
I’m sorry. I won’t ask you to do anything like this ever again.” He grinned. “Come
to think of it, I won’t have to because we’re rich. We’ll be sipping tropical
drinks on a white sand beach in Mexico soon. I’ll get a giant Margarita with
one of those fancy umbrellas.”
    I rolled my eyes. I had just added jewel
thief to my résumé and almost got killed by some thug, and all my brother could
think of was fancy umbrellas and tropical drinks on a beach. I wasn’t convinced
the thug wouldn’t be able to identify me, but Dallas’s confidence didn’t fail
to rub off on me. It felt good to have someone else in charge now. “What’re you
going to do with the stones?”
    “I’ll have them inspected and then put them
up for sale. I may be gone for a while until everything’s sorted out. Will you
be all right?”
    I nodded.
    “Good,” he said. “Just keep cool. No one
knows you.”
    We drove in silence. The way back to the
mansion seemed much shorter. Before I knew it, Dallas stopped the car and
turned to face me, smiling. “We’ll be living the sweet life soon. You just wait
and see.”
    “If you say so.” I opened the car door and
jumped out, my skin instantly turning into goose bumps in the freezing air. “You’ll
call?”
    Dallas snorted. “You think I’ll cut you
out? Fat chance. Next time, Milady, I’ll have you picked up in a limousine
driving you to your mansion.”
    “Just be careful,” I mouthed as the car
sped off down the street. With a sigh, I turned and headed for the gate,
hurrying down the path to the back of the house.
    The lights were turned off. The windows on
the second floor gleamed black in the dim moonlight. It all felt so surreal, my
old life in London, my new summer job, the chase through the woods. Were the
last hours real or nothing but a figment of my imagination? Didn’t matter,
because I was safe now. With a flick of my hand, I opened the door to the
kitchen and entered when the lights flickered on and someone said, “Been out?”

Chapter 5

 
    I leapt back at the sound of Aidan’s voice,
almost bolting out the door again. My heart skipped a beat as I peered at him.
His cheeks were flushed, his hair was in disarray. Something burned in his
gaze, a nerve twitched just below his right eye.
    “You scared me to death. I’m sorry I’m
getting in so late. Did I wake you?” I tried to keep my voice nonchalant, but I
failed.
    “No need to apologize. There’s no curfew
here.” He wiped a smudge of mud off my face. “What happened? Got into a fight?”
Regarding me through pale blue eyes that seemed to smolder, he pointed at my
hands.
    “Huh? Yeah, you should see the other guy.”
He had avoided me for five days. Why in the world was he up now, talking to me
when I was all sweaty and looked like crap? I smiled and shrugged as if the
bloody scratches were nothing to worry about.
    “Really?” He cocked a brow. “How did you
get home? Did he drive you after you beat him up?”
    I could feel the guy wasn’t going to let
up, and a mistrusting boss’s never a good boss. Sighing, I closed the door
behind me as I set my brain in motion, imploring it to come up with a good
excuse. “Okay, if you must know, I was stargazing.” I cringed inwardly. Was
that the best I could come up with?
    “At three in the morning?” Aidan’s lips
curled into a sarcastic smile.
    “Why, that’s the best time to see the
stars. Unfortunately, it was a bit dark and I tripped.” I laughed a little too
loud, hoping it didn’t sound as forced to him as it sounded in my ears. “I’m
such a klutz, always falling on my nose.” I winced at my choice of words. Now
he’d think I was the worst housekeeper in the world and too stupid to walk on two legs.
    “I’m a sucker for staring at a sky full of
shining stars.” His