Read Cleopatra's Necklace (Devlin Security Force Book 3) Online
Authors: Susan Vaughan
Cleopatra's Necklace (Devlin Security Force Book 3) (32 page)
But no more than the man with him. Her protector? About her age, early thirties. Close to six feet like Devlin. Macho and muscular. Good.
In contrast with Devlin’s GQ looks, he wore scuffed Western boots, cargo shorts, and a shirt as rumpled as his jet-black hair. He was shaggy, slovenly, and unshaven. And very hung over, judging by his pained expression. Not good.
Please, not him. An inarticulate grumble escaped her throat. She searched for some other likely candidate, another eagle-fierce male nearby. No one. Only a Greek or Italian family, all shorter than her five eight.
Clutching her bag against her side, she hurried toward the two men. “Thomas, there’s a man.” She flapped a hand toward the pillar. “He was watching me. Maybe for the kidnappers?”
Devlin took her arm and pulled her aside. “Where?”
“There, by the pillar. I—” She searched the area. “He’s gone.”
“What’s he look like?” Devlin’s agent dumped his backpack onto the tile floor. A scowl storm-darkened his blunt-featured face.
The man looked more frightening than the watcher, yet a frisson of awareness rippled through her. “Small, dark, maybe Hispanic. Black leather jacket.”
People streamed behind them on the concourse and ahead to security. Kate caught sight of a short man in a leather jacket hurrying away through the crowd.
“There!” She pointed. “By the Iberia ad. That’s him.”
“Worth a shot.” The agent took off at a trot, past the sari-clad women, who fluttered aside like flower petals. Kate heard his “Sorry,” as he ran on, weaving around the travelers in his path.
“Kate,” Devlin said, pulling her attention from the now disappearing agent and the swarthy man. “Why do you think that man was watching you?”
She drew a deep breath, then described the man’s behavior. Her pulse was returning to normal, but suddenly her tablet and overnight necessities weighed more than the
Queen Mary II
. She slid the bag to the floor. “He looked my way more than once, but maybe I’m overreacting.”
The grim look tightening his straight, dark brows softened. “In your situation, probably not. Our bad guy could very well be keeping tabs on you to make sure you’re following instructions.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Max will protect you.”
As if conjured by the mention of his name, the agent rejoined them, barely breathing hard. Disreputable, but rugged and fast on his feet. Okay. She could live with that.
“Guy’s gone,” he said. “Too much of a head start. I checked the nearest men’s room. Nada.”
“Too bad,” Devlin said. “Almost like that thief in Kabul.”
“Yup.” The agent stepped closer. The aroma of coffee and the light tang of sweat emanated from him. Framed by thick, sooty lashes, eyes the color of melted chocolate swept her with male interest. “That one didn’t get away, ma’am.”
His drawl—Texas?—slid into her like red wine. The man radiated sex like heat rays.
“Kate Fontaine,” Devlin said, “this is one of my best operatives, Max Rivera.”
Max Rivera held out a hand. His expression smoothed to polite blandness. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She accepted his handshake, registering strength, the rasp of calluses, and a surprisingly gentle warmth. “Thank you for coming to my rescue, Mr. Rivera.”
Max Rivera.
The name seemed familiar. Thomas must’ve mentioned him before.
“No problem, Kate. I’m Max.”
They’d be traveling together for days. Formality was out, but she could ignore him as a man, regardless of her initial reaction. She was no lonely female looking for a fling. Especially with an adventurer like the men in her family. A man who’d take over, who’d pat her on the head—figuratively—and tell her she was out of her element. She was, but still.
“If things go according to plan, you shouldn’t need rescuing again, you or the statue.” Humor glinted in Max’s dark eyes.
She managed a smile. “Like you say. As long as nothing goes wrong.” Great. What could go wrong? Her stomach churned.
She thanked Devlin and shook his hand. The two men performed some sort of coded guy handshake, and she and Max joined the security line.
He didn’t seem inclined to chat and neither did she. They inched forward through the rope line until finally they reached the checkpoint. She deposited her gear in bins. Behind her, Max untied and kicked off his boots.
What was it about his name that niggled at her? She set her handbag and tablet case on the conveyer. Something about Doug.
Max... Max Rivera.
Her breath caught. Yes! She
had
heard his name before.
She spun on him.
“What is it? You see that guy again?” He gripped her arm.
She jerked away. “No, not that. I recognize your name.”
His eyebrows shot upward.
“You’re the man who cheated my brother.”
End of Excerpt
Thank you for reading CLEOPATRA’S NECKLACE. When I learned of a new biography of Egypt’s Queen Cleopatra by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Stacy Schiff, I knew immediately what had to be the priceless treasure in the third book in the Devlin Security Force series. As of this writing, the actual tomb of Cleopatra has not been located, nor has the fabulous necklace in this story. I had a blast crafting the book and finally giving Thomas Devlin his happy ending. I hope you enjoyed this book. If you did, please help others find the book by leaving a review at the retailer where you purchased it.
~ Susan
Check out all of Susan’s books by visiting her
SUSAN VAUGHAN is the multi-published author of romantic suspense novels. Her books have won the Golden Leaf, More Than Magic, and Write Touch Readers’ awards and have been an
RT Book Reviews Magazine
Reviewer’s Choice Nominee and a finalist for the Booksellers’ Best and Daphne du Maurier awards. Her books have been translated into German, French, Spanish, and Icelandic and published in more than eleven countries. She’s a West Virginia native, but she and her husband have lived in Maine for many years.
Sign up for her newsletter on her Web site at
www.susanvaughan.com/Newsletter
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She loves to hear from readers:
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ON DEADLY GROUND
(Devlin Security Force #1)
RING OF TRUTH
(Devlin Security Force #2)
NEVER SURRENDER
(Task Force Eagle #1)
ONCE BURNED
(Task Force Eagle #2)
TWICE A TARGET
(Task Force Eagle #3)
Susan’s books are available at most online retailers. For more information, buy links, and first chapters, go to
www.susanvaughan.com
Praise for Susan Vaughan’s Books
**
Reviews for the DEVLIN SECURITY FORCE series:
“A wild ride with a very endearing hero and heroine. Start this book when you have plenty of time. You won’t want to put it down.” ~
5 stars
from Amazon reader Marsha R.W. about
ON DEADLY GROUND
“This book has it all. Drama, suspense, danger and a love story. I enjoyed taking the journey with the main characters [and] seeing vividly through the details as if I was actually along for the ride.” ~
5 stars
from Amazon reader Carrie P. about
ON DEADLY GROUND
.
“A good, entertaining read.” ~ PetulaReadsRomance.com
, 5 stars
about
RING OF TRUTH
“Fabulous read. Read this book. You won’t be disappointed.” ~ Ashley Book Blog,
5 stars
about
RING OF TRUTH
.
Reviews for the TASK FORCE EAGLE series:
“
NEVER SURRENDER
is filled with action, suspense, romance .... I very much enjoy when an author lets you play along with solving the mystery by feeding you little bits and pieces.” ~ Fresh Fiction
“
NEVER SURRENDER
bristles with both suspense and romance.” ~
5 Stars
, Reader Grady H on Amazon
“
ONCE BURNED
is action packed, with a number of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing and reading. This...is an excellent action romance series.” ~ Fresh Fiction
“A good and fast-paced story with a similar cocktail of romance and mystery... and I just love it!” ~ Amazon reader John P about
ONCE BURNED
, 5 Stars
“
TWICE A TARGET
gives you heart-pounding excitement from beginning to end.” ~ Fresh Fiction
“Plenty of mystery and intrigue... The characters are fantastic.” ~ Crystal Lanham about
TWICE A TARGET
, on Goodreads
Reviews for
PRIMAL OBSESSION:
“Susan Vaughan writes an intensely romantic thriller.... The depth of the characters in the story is probably the part that makes this such a great read. They’re all exceptionally well crafted.” - The Romance Studio ~
5 Hearts
“
PRIMAL OBSESSION
is a first-class thriller with the author successfully throwing suspicion on all characters.” ~ WRDF Review
