Read Treasure Tides (The Coins) for Free Online

third time. “Did you notice markings on the
lid of that damn crate? We are in real trouble here.”
    Kurt slammed on the brakes as traffic stopped in front of him.
“ Great ,” he muttered seeing traffic backed up half-way across the bridge.
Thirty minutes later he had not moved a single inch.
Giving up the
thought of moving off the bridge anytime soon, Kurt tried to call
Landon again. This time, his call didn’t even go to voice mail. What the
hell? He checked the display on his cell phone, no signal?
What else
could possibly go wrong? And then, with a certainty rooted deep in the
pit of his stomach, he knew; Witches .
“Holy Mother of--,” he said leaping out of the truck not bothering to
lock the doors. Feeling panic race through his body with every beat of
his heart, he ran.
#
    “It’s about damn time,” Royce muttered as the final strands of the
spell floated away, taking with it the crate that had been his jail for the
last two years.
    The
moon had worked
magic
during the
night, as
anticipated.
Surprisingly the moon had triggered not only an unlocking sequence but
had also included a self-destruct finale. It was a pretty clever way to tidy
up, Royce acknowledged. By ending with a “self-destruct”, the spell had
effectively eliminated any and all evidence of Witchy-meddling.
    His
body soon adjusted to the climate and
pressure of
the
atmosphere, transforming him into a solid mass of lean muscle and
strength. He stretched working out the kinks. God that felt good. Side
effects my ass , Royce thought. He made a mental note to get even with
Sean. After spending two years in the same clothes, the first order of
business was a long hot shower.
    Royce entered the house, sliding the patio door silently open. Didn’t
the girl know to keep her doors locked? He moved quietly in the direction of
the bathroom, stopping abruptly as he spotted a mound of blankets piled
on the couch. The mound began to move; one incredibly long leg, toes
pointed, poked out for a brief moment, and then ducked back beneath
the covers.
    Was something written on her foot? The blankets shifted again, he held his
breath as a wild mass of tangled black hair and the face of an angel
emerged.
Her eyes were still firmly closed, and he found himself
wondering what color they might be. A sprinkle of freckles covered her
nose. He loved freckles and wondered where else they might be hidden.
Royce resisted the urge to unwrap whatever present might be buried in
that pile of blankets.
    A cell phone, lying on the coffee table, began to ring.
A hand
suddenly appeared from beneath the blankets to silence the ring and
disappeared again just as quickly.
The ringing cell phone snapped him back to reality. What was wrong
with him? He’d clearly been without a woman too long.
#
    Royce stepped out of the shower and reached over to snag the small
white towel hanging beside the shower door. Unfortunately, there had
been two clean towels in the cabinet; neither was made for a man of his
size. Wrapping the miniscule towel around his waist, he moved toward
the sink, looking forward to the extra toothbrush and disposable razor
he had located in the medicine cabinet. Talk about a five o’clock
shadow.
As he filled his palm with heavy, floral scented shaving cream,
he fervently hoped the scent would not linger.
    Sean should arrive within the next couple of hours. There were a lot
of blanks waiting to be filled in. What had he missed? What had been
happening at home over the last two years?
    Home was a fortress located in the mountains of North Carolina.
The sprawling compound provided each member of ART their own
private residence.
Meals were often eaten together in the main lodge
when assignments permitted. Sunday was “family day”. A special lunch
was followed by an afternoon of outdoor fun and games--, a day to rest,
regroup, and spend time with family and friends. Elsa, their on-site chef,
was nothing short of an artisan in the kitchen.
She refused to