King had been riding high back then, traveling the world on one grand adventure after another—until he’d become obsessed with finding what he called the Devil’s Gold. He had promised to take her with him on his next trip in search of what he believed would be the greatest find of his career.
But one failed effort after another had taken him on a downward spiral. He’d left the country for parts unknown, and for months there had been no word from him. Then his attorney had phoned with the news King was dead. He had made Abby the beneficiary of all his worldly possessions, including his house and the map that would lead her to the Devil’s Gold.
Aside from making her rich beyond her wildest dreams, the discovery would prove King Farrell was the great explorer people had once believed.
The gold was there. King knew it. Abby intended to find it.
CHAPTER THREE
GAGE WATCHED ABIGAIL HOLLAND WALK OUT OF HIS OFFICE. SHE was an interesting mix of naïveté and determination. She was pretty, with a high forehead beneath a fringe of bangs, her fair skin touched by a smattering of freckles. Her full pink lips lifted easily into smiles, and the most glorious red-gold hair he had ever seen hung in a single loose braid down her back.
Add to that, in dark blue stretch jeans that showed off her curves and a soft yellow sweater that revealed a hint of cleavage, she was a very sexy lady. Late twenties, he would guess, and apparently single—no wedding ring and no mention of a husband or family.
He didn’t like the idea that someone wanted the map she’d inherited badly enough to break into her home and attack her. She’d moved out, she had told him, and was taking precautions. Gage hoped they would be enough.
Seating himself behind the computer on his big oak desk, he googled the name King Farrell and watched a growing list of links pop up.
King’s mysterious death three months ago sat at the top of the list, though there was no information as to where he had died, just the news that he was somewhere out of the country, possibly in South America, searching for lost treasure, as he had done since he’d been a young man in his twenties.
There was a lengthy obituary Gage figured Abigail had written relating King’s greatest discoveries. Lost tombs in Egypt, diamonds in Africa, Viking gold in Greenland. Most of the artifacts had wound up in museums. Like Gage, King was more interested in the quest than in the money, though he’d always managed to end up with enough to live well and fund another expedition.
No matter the failure that marred King’s final years, the man was nothing short of amazing. Abby’s love and admiration for him appeared in every written line. Perhaps it was part of the reason she wanted to find the treasure. Salvaging King Farrell’s tarnished reputation was likely as important to her as discovering the enormous cache of hidden gold King believed was there.
Gage rubbed a hand over his jaw. The hard truth was the treasure probably didn’t exist.
On the other hand, aside from finding the treasure he had dubbed the Devil’s Gold, King Farrell had never failed in any quest he’d undertaken. The man did his research and didn’t waste time or money on a goal he couldn’t achieve.
Would he have burdened his granddaughter with the task of finding the gold if he hadn’t been sure it was actually there?
Then again, perhaps his competitors in the treasure-hunting community were right and King had finally gone over the edge.
Gage scrolled down the computer screen, opening link after link, reading everything he could find on King Farrell. Looking into everything he couldn’t find on King’s Folly—the Devil’s Gold.
* * *
The next night, Abby purposely arrived late to the lecture hall in the Denver museum. She wanted to hear what Gage Logan had to say about his hunt for the rubies, but first she wanted a chance to observe the man undetected.
Moving quietly toward the back of the auditorium, she took a seat in the last row, grateful for the darkness that hid her arrival. The only light in the room was the spotlight shining down on the podium, where Logan’s tall, imposing figure dominated the listeners, who filled most of the rows.
Tonight he wore a navy blue suit perfectly tailored to his broad-shouldered frame. A crisp white shirt set off his suntanned features, while gold cufflinks glinted at his thick wrists.
She knew he was single, which perhaps accounted for the overwhelming ratio of female to male attendees. She’d seen photos of him at various functions accompanied by attractive women, though rarely the same woman twice.
Watching him, she understood the attraction. Besides his blue-eyed good looks, he was intelligent, interesting, and dedicated to his work, qualities she admired—though she didn’t have time for any sort of dalliance, especially with a man who drew women with the ease of a film star.
Abby had read dozens of articles about him—middle brother of three, both parents now deceased. Kade, the oldest sibling, had taken over the ranch when their father died, and Edge, the youngest, was in the military, or was at the time the article was written.
After two years at the university, Gage had gotten bored and set off with one of his professors, an anthropologist named Bryan Fagan, in search of a rumored fossil skeleton of Australopithecus located somewhere in South Africa.
From there, his adventures continued, morphing into his own expeditions. He’d had failures in his early years, including a journey to South America that had resulted in the death of a woman named Cassandra Dutton, a female member of his crew.
But his skill and knowledge had improved, along with his successes, until eventually he partnered with wealthy international playboy Jack Foxx to open their own firm, Treasure Hunters Anonymous.
Though the partners usually worked independently, their searches included anything from objects of historical value, like the missing camera from Mallory and Irving’s failed attempt in 1924 to summit Mount Everest, to the priceless Amanitore rubies that Gage was discussing tonight.
Though she had only just met him, aside from her grandfather, Logan was among the men she most admired, which was the reason she wanted to hire him.
Her focus returned to the stage.
“The first contact between the Egyptians and Nubians dates back nearly seven thousand years,” Gage was saying. “That’s when ancient Egyptians launched their earliest expedition to the land of Punt, which meant gold.”
One of the women stood to ask a question about the Egyptians’ influence on Nubia and how it pertained to his search for the rubies.
“I believe studying the history of an area is extremely important. It provides crucial insight that helps us locate whatever we’re searching for.”
The woman, a beautiful brunette who was clearly enthralled, remained standing. “In this case, history that goes back thousands of years.”
“That’s correct. Ancient Egyptians called Nubia Ta-neter, land of the gods, and viewed it as a mysterious and unknown place of great fortune. Their trading excursions brought back gold, incense, ebony, ivory, exotic animals, and skins. One such traveler set out for home with gifts for the Pharaoh that included several gold and ruby necklaces of unimaginable value. Unfortunately, the rubies disappeared along the way.”
Gage went on to explain how, two years ago, an artifact had been uncovered that set the wheels in motion.
“An Egyptian friend came to see me. He asked me to lead an expedition in search of the rubies. I agreed, and fortunately, we managed to find them.”