The Forbidden Tomb

by Chris Kuzneski

  ‘What about the mission prep?’

  He scanned the room. ‘Hector and Jasmine are looking into the map and the history of the city. McNutt is outlining our options for a visit. So unless you know something about Alexandria that you’re not telling me, you can either stay here and play cards with Jean-Marc, or you can get some exercise with me in the yard. Your choice.’

  She smiled. ‘You’re on.’

  * * *

  Sarah had started the day in blue jeans and a T-shirt but had traded the casual attire for something more athletic. Now she wore the type of outfit she preferred in the field: a form-fitting black bodysuit that afforded an unrestricted range of motion and helped to conceal her covert movements. Although she looked the part of a cat burglar, she didn’t view herself as one. Instead, she preferred ‘retrieval specialist’ to ‘thief’.

  For one reason or another, she hated that word.

  Regardless of her title, the end result was the same.

  She was still being paid to acquire items that didn’t belong to her.

  And she was very good at her job.

  She circled Cobb like a hungry wolf. She was confident, but she knew her enemy could attack at any moment. She kept moving, searching for the right opportunity to strike. ‘You really think this is the best use of our time?’

  Cobb cracked his neck from side to side, then rolled his sleeves above his elbows. ‘Do I think what is the best use of our time?’

  ‘This,’ she answered. ‘Fighting.’

  He shrugged. ‘You’re the only one who said anything about fighting. I just mentioned coming outside, and you took it as a personal challenge. Just like you always do. One of these days, we’ll have to figure out why.’

  ‘Wait. So what is this?’

  ‘This is us having a conversation,’ Cobb replied. ‘Away from curious ears that might want to listen in if they thought we were up to something sneaky.’

  He leaped forward and tried to sweep Sarah’s leg with his own.

  Sarah dodged the attack and threw a jab toward Cobb’s midsection. ‘You mean this is all just misdirection? You weren’t really challenging me?’

  Cobb deflected the punch and stepped back. ‘Why would I challenge you? I know what you can do in the field. I’ve seen you in action. I’ll take McNutt in a gunfight, but in hand-to-hand combat, you’re the one I want to watch my back.’

  It was one of the highest compliments that Cobb could bestow upon her, and she knew it. She instantly swelled with pride. ‘In that case, what do you need to talk about?’

  ‘You’ve seen the video cameras recording our every move?’ To emphasize his remark, he grabbed her arm and spun her tightly into his chest. It was meant to look like a modified bearhug/chokehold of some kind, but it actually allowed her to survey the entire yard as she twirled around.

  ‘I count six,’ she said as she tried to wiggle free. ‘Three along the balcony and another three along the rear hedge.’

  ‘What about inside?’

  ‘Too many to count. Why?’

  With her arms pinned to her sides, she kicked a leg toward the sky and hit Cobb in the face. Had she wanted to, she could have easily broken his nose. But since they were just putting on a show, she only hit him hard enough to make it look good.

  Cobb released his grip and shoved her away. ‘I want to know if there’s anywhere private on these grounds. It seems that Papineau wants to watch our every move, and I need to know if he’s got the whole place covered. If he doesn’t, I want to know where our team can go to be alone. No cameras. No mics. Just us.’

  ‘Countersurveillance,’ she said. ‘That’s what you really want, isn’t it? You want to watch him watch us.’

  ‘We’ll get to that later, but first, I need to know what he can and can’t see. Can you handle that for me?’

  ‘With pleasure.’

  ‘If possible, I’d like you to do it before you leave for Egypt.’

  She stopped circling. ‘I’m leaving for Egypt?’

  Cobb used the distraction to charge forward. Had he wanted to, he could have taken her out with a number of different moves, including an open-palmed strike to her nose that would have ruined her face forever. Instead, he opted to teach her a lesson by slapping the back of her head. ‘Focus! Never let your guard down!’

  She sneered at him. ‘Screw you, Mr Miyagi.’

  He ignored the Karate Kid reference. ‘I’m serious. If this is going to work, I need you to stay focused at all times. Otherwise, we’ll get into trouble.’

  She returned to her fighting stance, looking for the opportunity to take him out. ‘If what’s going to work?’

  ‘Our joint rekky to Egypt.’

  She smiled. ‘Hold on, are you asking me out?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said sarcastically, ‘I’m taking you on a romantic getaway to war-torn Egypt because unstable governments are a huge turn-on for me.’

  ‘No judgment. Whatever floats your boat.’

  Cobb shook his head and circled to his right. ‘You know damn well that I like checking out the scenery before I plan a mission, but considering the chaos in Egypt right now, I thought a second set of eyes might come in handy.’

  ‘Makes sense to me. Should I bring lingerie, or do you prefer—’

  ‘You know what? Forget it!’ he said, blushing slightly. ‘I’ll take the trip alone. But while I’m gone, I’m leaving McNutt in charge of the team. I’m sure that will be a lot of fun for you. I can picture it now: a solid week of cleaning his guns while he’s watching cartoons with the strippers he brought back from the club.’

  She grimaced at the thought. ‘So, when are we leaving for Egypt?’

  Cobb nodded. ‘Yeah. That’s what I thought.’

  ‘Seriously, when are we leaving?’

  ‘I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I need you to strangle me.’

  ‘Jack, I’m not going to—’

  ‘You know Papi’s going to see this, and everyone heard you throw down the gauntlet. So we have three choices: I kick your ass, you kick mine, or we call it a tie.’

  ‘I’ll go with door number two.’

  ‘I assumed as much. So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to attack, and you’re going to—’

  Sarah didn’t wait for him to finish his instructions. Instead, she planted a foot on his knee and grabbed his shoulders. Then she swung her body around his like an acrobat, wrapped her arm around his throat, and leaned back with all of her weight.

  The two of them fell to the ground.

  As they did, she tightened her grip on his neck, her bicep squeezing his carotid artery like a python crushing its prey.

  In a matter of seconds, he would be unconscious.

  ‘Atta girl,’ he said as he closed his eyes.

  8

  Monday, October 27

  Alexandria, Egypt

  Built on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Citadel of Qaitbay once represented the first line of defense against the invading forces that tried to conquer the city. But much like the ruins of the lighthouse itself, which were used as building materials for the massive stronghold, the citadel was forced to change with the times. No longer a military outpost, the restored fortress now houses a maritime museum on the outermost reaches of Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor.

  In most countries, this site would be a major attraction.

  In Egypt, it was barely a footnote.

  That spoke volumes about the area.

  The entire region was filled with history.

  Sarah stood near the main wall of the citadel and stared out across the bay. Behind her, the windswept waves of the Mediterranean Sea crashed against the break wall. In front of her, the city of Alexandria sprawled well beyond what she could see.

  As the country’s largest port, Alexandria hugs the northern coast of Egypt for nearly twenty miles and handles three-quarters of Egypt’s foreign trade. Because of this, most of the development has occurred within two miles of the water. The long
, narrow city is home to more than four million culturally diverse residents who have established some fifty distinct neighborhoods over six geographical regions.

  Cobb and Sarah had only been in Egypt for a few days, but they had already visited many of the city’s most recognized sites. They had started in the northeastern district, working their way south toward the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa – a massive, three-tiered burial chamber in the southernmost corner. They had kept to a tight schedule, familiarizing themselves with the layout of Alexandria, but there was still a lot of ground to cover before the team arrived.

  In the military, this was known as a ‘rekky’.

  It was short for reconnaissance.

  Cobb took in the view of the modern city. ‘It doesn’t look like a place that’s seen nearly twenty-five hundred years of renovations, does it?’

  Sarah didn’t reply. She simply stood there, transfixed.

  All it took was one glance, and Cobb understood her silence. ‘How long has it been?’

  She snapped out of her haze. ‘How long has what been?’

  ‘I’ve seen that stare before. That’s not the look of someone who’s establishing her thoughts for the first time. That’s the look of someone who’s remembering something. You’ve been here before. I’m simply asking how long ago.’

  ‘Six years,’ she said reluctantly. She turned to face him, her defenses on full display. ‘And no, I don’t want to talk about it.’

  ‘Is it going to be a problem?’

  ‘No,’ she insisted.

  ‘If you say so.’

  Cobb didn’t know everything about Sarah, but he knew enough. She had been one of the Central Intelligence Agency’s top assets. In light of her natural abilities – which were off the charts – she had received extensive training in the areas of infiltration and acquisitions. If she had been to Alexandria in her past life, there were two things he knew that no one would ever find: evidence of her visit, and the bodies she left behind.

  To lower her defenses, he decided to change the conversation to a neutral subject. ‘You’ll never guess what was here before the citadel was constructed.’

  Sarah gave him a funny look. ‘What is this, a history lesson? If I wanted one of those, I’d call Jasmine.’

  He smiled. ‘I promise it’s not a lecture. It’s just something I read while we were walking the grounds. I thought it was interesting.’

  She didn’t know what to make of Cobb’s sudden interest in playing tour guide. While he rarely gave her the icy stare that he often used with Papineau, he certainly hadn’t earned a reputation for small talk. If this was his way of flirting, then he was clearly out of practice. ‘No, Jack, I have no idea what used to be here.’

  ‘Centuries ago, this was the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It was a towering structure that stood nearly four hundred feet tall. At the top was a massive furnace, and its flames could be seen for more than fifty miles out to sea. It stood for nearly sixteen hundred years and was considered an absolute marvel of engineering. So much so that historians deemed it one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.’

  She glanced behind her and tried to imagine the lighthouse. It must have been a sight to behold for citizens and tourists alike. ‘What happened to it? I imagine a four-hundred-foot pillar is pretty hard to dismantle.’

  ‘Not for Mother Nature,’ he said. ‘A series of earthquakes destroyed the lighthouse at the turn of the fourteenth century. Some of the lighthouse was reused in the construction of the citadel, but most of it ended up at the bottom of the bay.’ He stared into the blue waters of the harbor, then shifted his gaze to the city beyond. ‘Two thousand years of history are buried out there. We just have to figure out where to start.’

  Sarah remained quiet, deep in thought, for nearly a minute before she turned from Cobb and started to walk away. She made it all the way to the end of the stone platform before she cursed under her breath and walked back toward Cobb, who hadn’t budged from his spot along the wall.

  ‘Fine!’ she blurted.

  ‘Fine, what?’

  ‘Fine, I’ll fill you in.’

  Cobb smiled. ‘I thought you didn’t want to talk about it.’

  ‘I don’t want to talk about it, but it’s pretty obvious that you’re going to torture me until I do.’

  ‘Torture? I didn’t think my story was that bad.’

  ‘I’m not talking about your story. I’m talking about your no-pressure sales pitch. You know damn well that I worked in this region for several months; otherwise you wouldn’t have invited me on this rekky. Yet in all this time, you haven’t asked for any specifics. Not in Florida. Not on the plane. And not here. Why?’

  ‘Because it’s none of my business.’

  ‘It isn’t?’

  He shook his head. ‘Your work with the Agency is classified, right? Well, guess what: my past is filled with classified missions, too, and I’m sure as hell not going to tell you about them because it would violate the trust of others. I figure, if you can’t trust your teammates, who can you trust?’

  ‘Exactly!’

  He stared at the waves as they made their way toward the shore. ‘Then again, there are exceptions to every rule . . .’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘For instance, if my past missions endangered the lives of my current team, then I would man up and tell you what you needed to know – even if I had to break the trust of others. Either that, or I would opt out of the mission entirely.’

  ‘No, you wouldn’t.’

  ‘Yes, I would,’ he assured her, ‘because your safety – and the safety of our team – is my number one priority. Why do you think I flew halfway around the world? It certainly wasn’t to eat hummus or to work on my tan. No, I hopped on a plane to figure out the path of least resistance to complete our mission. And just so you know, I brought you along because of your training, not because of your past.’

  Cobb paused for effect. ‘That being said, if you knew something about this city that you’re keeping from me, I’d be more than upset – I’d be disappointed.’

  ‘In that case, there’s someone you need to meet.’

  ‘A colleague?’

  She shook her head. ‘Not exactly.’

  9

  Sarah sat at the far end of the bar, alone, sipping what appeared to be her third vodka tonic. To the untrained eye, it was nothing more than a single woman getting a head start on a group of friends who were sure to arrive at any moment. But for those in the know, it was a specific set of protocols that had been established long ago.

  She wasn’t in this tavern because she liked the décor or because it was the easiest place to park. Sarah had sought out this particular place because it was a gateway – a monitored location where she could arrange a meeting with a local contact.

  Or at least it used to be, many years ago.

  After placing her order she had taken a seat on the farthest stool, the one closest to the back door. If she had been given anything other than club soda with a twist of lime, she would have known that the bartender was not aware of her request and the protocols had changed. That would have forced her to make contact through other means.

  Fortunately, Sarah’s drink was non-alcoholic.

  Now all she had to do was wait.

  After nearly an hour, she was tempted to leave because she had told Cobb, who was monitoring the tavern from across the street, that this rendezvous would take no more than thirty minutes, and she imagined his patience was wearing thin. They had agreed that her plan would never work if he sat next to her, but they had never discussed their window of opportunity.

  She looked at her watch.

  She knew that window was closing.

  ‘Hey, sugar,’ a voice said from behind. It was spoken in English, with the curious accent of someone who had been raised in the South but educated in New England.

  Sarah turned and greeted her companion with a hug. ‘Simon, it’s about damn time. I was beginning to think you weren�
��t going to show.’

  ‘Great to see you, too,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I would’ve made it sooner, but it’s not like I was sitting at home, waiting for you to show up after six years. No, I was out doing some sightseeing today – checking out the local sites like the Citadel of Qaitbay. Great place, interesting view.’

  She groaned. ‘How long have you known?’

  He smiled. ‘Three days.’

  ‘You’ve been onto me the entire time?’

  ‘Yep. You and your muscular friend. Is he your bodyguard?’

  ‘Of course not! He’s, um, an associate.’

  ‘Is that a fancy word for boyfriend?’

  ‘No!’ she said. ‘He’s not my boyfriend. He’s—’

  Simon shook his head. ‘Not here.’

  She glanced around the room. ‘Are you saying we aren’t safe?’

  ‘I’m saying a lot has changed since your last visit. You may not want to be seen with me in public.’

  Sarah smiled. ‘Oh, now I get it. You have a girlfriend.’

  ‘No,’ he said, blushing slightly, ‘it’s not that.’

  She furrowed her brow. ‘A wife?’

  ‘Definitely not!’

  ‘Then what?’

  Before he had a chance to explain, a black sedan screeched to a halt in front of the bar. Two large men jumped from the car and stormed toward the front door. It was pretty obvious that they weren’t there to drink.

  Simon saw them through the window and cursed. Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the rear exit. There was no time to explain his situation; not if they wanted to live. ‘Like I said, a lot has changed. We gotta go . . . now!’

  The thugs ran through the front door as Sarah and Simon fled out the back.

  ‘There!’ the first thug shouted in Arabic as he pointed toward their escape. The men gave chase, knocking over tables and chairs as they thundered through the saloon like a herd of buffalo.

  Clearly frightened, Simon burst through the rear exit of the bar and sprinted down an alley that reeked of cat piss and garbage. Sarah matched him stride for stride.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she yelled.