Uncharted (Treasure Hunter Security Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

entrance to an alley. She aimed her camera. Down here was the darker, danker, dirtier underbelly of the city. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t fun, but it was still part of life.
    Her photography gave her everything she needed. She didn’t need meaningless words. She didn’t need anything but the camera in her hands. Right here, she had the power to experience and capture love, hate, joy, despair…any emotion, all without ever letting it affect her. Without ever letting it break her into tiny painful pieces.
    Someone bumped into her.
    Figuring it was a tourist not watching where they were going, she turned with a smile.
    The second shove was harder, and sent her sprawling to the ground in the alley. As her hands and knees scraped across the dirty concrete, she felt the sting. Her camera dangled from the strap around her neck, bumping her chin.
    The next thing she realized, someone was grabbing at her camera, yanking hard. The strap dug painfully into her neck.
    A mugging. No way . She pulled back and tried to scramble away. No one was taking her camera.
    She looked up. The man attacking her had a scarf covering the majority of his face, so she couldn’t tell what he looked like. He strode toward her and lunged at her again.
    With a cry, Dani dodged his grasp, and pushed to her feet. Getting her balance, she raised her hands and turned to defend herself.
    The man swung out, trying to grab her camera again. Dani let instinct take over. She’d taken multiple self-defense courses. She kicked, aiming for between the man’s legs. But he was quick and moved at the last minute. Still, she got a good kick into his thigh and she heard him grunt.
    But he recovered quickly, dark eyes settling on her.
    He moved fast, grabbed her shoulders, and spun her. Her back hit the brick wall and all the air rushed out of her. He raised a large fist and Dani fought to get free.
    Dammit . This was going to hurt.
    Then, suddenly, he was pulled backward.
    Dani fell to her knees, confused. For a second, she thought the shadows had grabbed him. Then, she saw the silhouette of a tall, muscled man in the darkness. He had a good grip on her attacker.
    The would-be thief was slammed hard against the wall of the building. Then her rescuer smashed a hard punch into the man’s face.
    The men moved again, spinning around. The attacker let loose with a series of wild, desperate punches, but the taller man retaliated with powerful, restrained blows.
    They scuffled a bit more, and then suddenly her attacker broke free and sprinted out of the alley.
    Dani got one foot under herself as her rescuer turned to face her.
    Cal Ward’s blue gaze met hers.
    ***
    Cal reached down and helped Dani to her feet. “You okay?”
    She looked pissed. There wasn’t a single flicker of fear in her face. A smile of reluctant admiration tugged at his lips.
    “I’m fine.” She dusted off her trousers and then lifted her camera and checked it. “This camera’s been around the world, and it’s not the first time someone’s tried to snatch it. Probably won’t be the last.”
    Cal’s instincts were screaming at him. He hadn’t seen much under the man’s black scarf, but the man had been focused and experienced. He hadn’t seemed like a random thief after a quick buck.
    “I’m not even that attached to this particular camera,” Dani continued. “I’m not the kind of photographer that spends a fortune on a camera and treats it like a treasure. I replace the body every year.” She shrugged. “I didn’t want to lose the photos I’d taken.”
    “He could have hurt you.”
    Her chin lifted and her hands tightened on the Canon. “This is mine and no one is getting their hands on it.” Then she winced. “Ow.”
    Cal gripped her wrist and turned over her palm. When he saw the raw, angry scrapes, fury punched through him. He looked down and saw her knees hadn’t fared much better—her trousers were torn. “Come on. We better get you cleaned up. I can’t imagine