Chapter Seven

I sat down at the breakfast table, directly across from Bambi, trying my best not to let the tension in the air ruin my appetite. Snickers, perched on Bambi's lap, was watching us like a tiny, furry referee waiting for the match to start. Jack was at the stove, obliviously humming a tune, flipping bacon, and acting like this was the most normal morning in the world.

“Coffee, ladies?” he called over his shoulder, his voice cheerful and annoyingly casual.

“Yes, please,” Bambi and I said at the exact same moment, our voices colliding in a weird, awkward harmony. We turned to glare at each other immediately, eyes narrowing. Snickers shifted nervously, his eyes darting between us like he was watching a tennis match.

Jack finally turned around, holding up a steaming mug of coffee. “Charlotte, how do you take yours?” he asked, clearly trying to keep things light.

“Cream and sugar, please. And make mine a double,” I said, not taking my eyes off Bambi. There was no way I was going to let her out-psyche me this early in the morning.

Bambi, unfazed, smiled sweetly. “You can just make mine black, Jack honey. I’m watching my figure,” she said with a delicate sip of her coffee, as if she were some kind of dainty princess. Her legs were crossed, showing off the perfect length of them under the table, her silk blouse hugging every curve. I suddenly felt very self-conscious in my borrowed robe, like some kind of drab, unglamorous potato.

Jack finished preparing our coffees, blissfully unaware—or maybe just pretending not to notice the tension. He handed me my mug with a grin. “Here you go, double dose of caffeine for the double trouble in my kitchen.”

I managed a tight smile. “Thanks,” I said, taking a sip. Jack’s eyes lingered on me a moment longer than necessary, and despite everything, I felt a small flutter in my stomach. Damn him for being charming even when he wasn’t trying.

After taking her cup from Jack, Bambi took a dainty sip and sighed dramatically. “Bold and strong. Just like the man who made it,” she purred, batting her eyelashes. Snickers gave a little chattering sound, like he was laughing at some private joke.

I rolled my eyes and focused on buttering my toast. I could see Bambi barely nibbling on a piece of dry toast out of the corner of my eye. How could anyone survive on that? I slathered my toast with butter and drizzled it with honey, taking a big bite to spite her.

“I need to freshen up,” Bambi announced, handing Snickers to me and standing up in a way that seemed designed to draw attention to every curve. She swayed off towards the bathroom, leaving a trail of expensive perfume in her wake, and I frowned, wondering if I’d remembered to pack my deodorant. Snickers swiped some honey from my toast with his finger and licked it happily.

The second she was out of earshot, Jack slid into the chair next to me. He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Look, I swear I didn’t know Bambi was coming. It was a total surprise. I’m really sorry for the intrusion. I’ll try to get rid of her as soon as breakfast is over so we can get back to the pyramid.”

I raised an eyebrow, skepticism creeping into my voice. “Is there really nothing going on between you two now? I’ve got enough drama in my life without adding ex-girlfriend issues to the mix.”

Jack shook his head emphatically. “Absolutely not, Charlotte. I promise. Bambi and I…that was a long time ago. What happened between you and me last night, it was special. I mean that.” His blue eyes were sincere, and for a moment, the tension in my chest eased. I wanted to believe him, to trust that whatever was happening between us was real.

I reached for another piece of toast, letting Snickers have the rest of the first, smearing it just as generously with butter and honey. I took a bite and closed my eyes, savoring the rich, sweet flavor. “Did you make this bread?” I asked, genuinely impressed.

Jack grinned. “Yep. Made it fresh yesterday. Hope you like it.”

“I love it,” I said, taking another bite. “I didn’t realize you were so domestic.”

Jack chuckled. “I actually enjoy cooking and baking. I just never had much reason to do it before. Nice to have someone to share it with, you know?” He looked at me with that warm smile that made my heart skip a beat. “And I appreciate a woman with a healthy appetite.”

We shared a quiet moment, enjoying each other’s company, but it was short-lived. Bambi waltzed back into the kitchen, the cloud of perfume she’d doused herself in wafting in before her. She sat back down, picking up her coffee and glancing at my plate. “My, someone’s hungry,” she said, her tone sweet but with an edge that I couldn’t ignore.

“Yep, I like to eat. It’s kind of necessary to stay healthy and for survival,” I said, smiling back with all the sweetness I could muster.

Bambi gave a little laugh, though it didn’t reach her eyes. She picked up her toast, took another nibble so small I wasn’t sure she’d even eaten any, and set it back down. “So, Charlotte, what brings you to Egypt? How do you and Jack know each other?”

I hesitated, not sure how much to reveal. Before I could answer, Jack jumped in. “Charlotte’s here on vacation, seeing the sights. We have a mutual friend back in the States, so I offered to show her around. You know, play tour guide for a bit.”

Bambi’s eyes sparkled with a mixture of amusement and skepticism. “I see,” she said slowly, like she didn’t believe a word of it. She reached into her bag and, with a flourish that belonged on a Vegas stage, pulled out a folded piece of paper. She slapped it down on the table in front of me. “Then why do you have this?”

My heart sank. It was the map from the explorer’s journal—the one that led to the Path of the Gods. I felt like I’d been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

“You went through my stuff?” I blurted out, glaring at her.

Jack’s face darkened. “What the hell, Bambi? Why did you go through Charlotte’s things? And how do you know about the Path of the Gods?”

Bambi just grinned, clearly enjoying the moment. Instead of answering, she stood up, and before I knew what was happening, she did a somersault, landing in a perfect crouch on top of the kitchen table, striking a dramatic pose. “Because my name isn’t really Bambi Bonanza,” she announced, her voice taking on a grandiose tone. “It’s Bianca Bustamante. I’m an undercover agent, sent by the U.S. government to trail you and recover the stolen artifacts.”

Jack burst out laughing, standing up and mimicking holding a gun. “And I’m really John J. Gladstone, former Special Forces turned international bodyguard for hire.”

I blinked, then found myself laughing. The whole situation was too ridiculous not to. “And I’m really Charlotte Anne Bray, unscrupulous art thief,” I said, playing along.

Bambi’s eyes widened. She pumped her fist in the air and, with her other hand, whipped out a pair of handcuffs from the back of her pants. “I knew it!” she shouted. “You’re under arrest!”

At the same time, Jack turned to me, looking genuinely confused. “Damn, really?” he asked, his eyes widening.

Snickers made a dramatic tsk-tsk sound, swiveling to look at me like a disappointed parent.

I held up my hands quickly. “No, no, of course not! I was just kidding!” I looked between Jack and Bambi, suddenly realizing the two of them were dead serious. “Wait a minute…you two weren’t kidding, were you?”

Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, looking more serious than I’d ever seen him. “It’s true. I really was Special Forces. Served alongside my brother until he was killed during an overseas mission. After that, I was tasked with bringing his body home, but I was too messed up to stay in the military. I’ve been traveling ever since, working as a bodyguard.”

I stared at him, trying to process everything. “Oh my god. That’s terrible. I’m so sorry. Did Dean hire you to be my bodyguard, then?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, Dean and I go back a few years. His company retained my services to protect him and the intellectual property in his possession across international borders. We’ve stayed in touch. He didn’t pay me to keep an eye on you though—I’m doing it as a friend. And now…as a friend of yours.” He reached out, taking my hand. His touch was warm, and the sincerity in his eyes melted away my lingering doubts.

Snickers sighed dramatically, his little body slumping in my lap like he was starring in a soap opera, watching a love story unfold. He even placed a tiny hand over his heart and let out a wistful sigh.

Bambi made a gagging motion, sticking her finger down her throat. “Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Get a room already, you two.”

Jack smirked, giving her a pointed look. “We had one until you showed up this morning.”

Bambi shrugged, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “Oops, my bad,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. She tilted her head, looking between the two of us. “So, you really didn’t trust me, huh, Jack? I mean, you never shared your past with me like you did with Charlotte just now.”

Jack crossed his arms, his expression serious. “Trust you? Not a chance. I always felt you were holding back on me.”

Bambi’s face turned red, and she stood up, fists clenched. “Even after everything I did for you?”

Jack raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. “What, you got me a front row seat to a performance of Cirque du Soleil? I fell asleep halfway through. Sorry, just not exactly my thing.”

Bambi huffed, grabbing a slice of bacon from the table and flinging it at Jack. He ducked just in time, and Snickers leaped from my lap, catching the bacon mid-air and munching on it triumphantly.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Okay, enough. What are we going to do now?”

She shrugged and leaned against the table. “Guess we’ll just have to join forces. Frankly, I’m not convinced you’re not the art thief, Charlotte, until we find out who is and recover the artifacts. It would be a scandal for the government if we really lost them. We’d piss off a lot of important people.”

I groaned. “So, we don’t have a choice? We have to let you join us?”

Bambi smirked, crossing her arms. “Nope. I’m in, whether you like it or not.”

Jack sighed dramatically, getting up and heading over to the kitchen cabinet. “In that case,” he said, pulling out a bottle of whiskey, “I need something stronger than coffee.” He grabbed a couple of glasses, pouring a generous amount into each.

Bambi’s eyes lit up, nodding in approval. “Now you’re talking,” she said, taking a glass from Jack and raising it in a toast.

I took my glass, shaking my head but unable to stop a small smile from forming on my lips. “Well, if we’re going to do this, we might as well enjoy ourselves,” I said, raising my glass.

Bambi grinned, clinking her glass against mine and Jack’s. “Cheers to that.”

Snickers, still munching on his bacon, looked up with a satisfied smile.