by Molly E. Lee
“I ordered you some food,” I said as Rain finally came out of the bathroom. She’d been in there for so long and been so quiet, I’d worried she’d fallen asleep.
“Thank you. I’d wait a few minutes before you hop in. I may have used most of the hot water.”
“You think?” I tried extremely hard to not focus on how unbelievably delicious she looked. Her hair was still wet and hung down to her shoulders, her skin pink and soft in the parts peeking out from the thick, hotel robe she wore. “That’s all right,” I finally said, not at all thinking about how nothing but a piece of terrycloth covered her body. “I only need a quick one, and then I have some business to handle. Will you be okay?”
“Of course. What business?”
“Things I need to check up on.” I wasn’t going to lie to her if she pressed further, but I really didn’t want her to know. She’d be against it, or would want to come. Neither did I have the energy to handle at the moment.
She sighed and sank onto the bed. “All right.”
“Eat. Get some rest. We’ll figure out everything else in the morning.”
I walked into the bathroom, diving into a much-needed cold shower. When I finished, dressed in fresh clothes that made me feel like an entirely new man, Rain was already tearing into the sandwich I’d ordered her. I snatched mine off the tray and devoured it in a matter of bites.
“You’re going to regret that, you know?” she said around a decent mouthful.
“Yeah. I know.” I turned toward the door, unsure of what parting to give her. I love you was on the tip of my tongue, but I knew that was the last thing she needed to hear at the moment. She needed time to sort through everything, and I had to respect that whether I wanted to or not. I was ready to dive back in and worship her body until she could do nothing but forgive me—and allow me the rest of her life to make it up to her—but I wouldn’t press it. She had to make the choice on her own, and I wouldn’t let my dick get in the way of that.
“Easton?”
I stopped with my hand on the knob.
“Do you need me?” she asked.
“Always.”
She stood up. “Let me get dressed real quick.”
“Oh . . . no. You should sleep.” I shook my head, thinking she’d asked in the grand sense, as opposed to the current situation. “I’m fine. Really.”
She sank back on the bed. “Okay. I won’t wait up then.”
I nodded and headed out the door before I did something stupid, like cross the room and claim her mouth.
An hour later I was escorted inside a building I’d managed to keep out of my entire life.
“The team is serving a two-week detainment for trespassing and carrying weapons without a permit.” The officer’s English was heavily accented, and I only managed to catch what was vitally important.
“Thank you for allowing me to see them.” I kept pace with him as he hurried past a succession of empty cells.
“I owe Calev.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised; the man made his living off favors. “Were you able to get the item I spoke of?”
“Yes. It was collected upon entry. We had intended to return it to them. Calev says it belongs to you?”
“A dear friend, yes. They stole it.”
“Normally proof is required.”
Shit. I didn’t have a picture of Rain with the journal.
“Calev has vouched for you. And these people broke too many laws to be trusted.” He reached inside his dress-jacket pocket and withdrew Harrison’s journal. I took it from him, so happy I almost could have kissed him. But I didn’t because . . . awkward.
He pointed to the last cell on the right. It was a community cell, with a long bench in the middle and more than thirteen bodies crammed into the small room. Corrine looked wrecked, her hair unkempt, with not a trace of makeup on her face. I took a small sense of pleasure from the scene, but it was so sad I almost pitied her. The sight of Frank at her side, and the image of him pointing the gun directly at Rain’s face, erased all sympathy in an instant.
“Corrine,” I said, standing a foot away from the bars. Her head snapped to attention at my voice, and she crossed the room in a hurry.
“Please get me out of here, Easton. You know I don’t deserve to be in here.”
I scoffed. “Didn’t you threaten Rain’s life, and mine, the last time we spoke?”
She clutched the bars. “I wouldn’t have ever gone through with it. You know that. It was all in the sport of the hunt. The competition.”
“You fired at us!”
“I most certainly did not!”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Fine. You’re right. You had your goon do it. Same difference. You sank to a new low, Corrine. I can’t believe I ever held you on the same level as so many trusted archeologists out there.”
Her eyes turned to slits. “Why are you even here, then?”
I tapped the journal in my hand.
“The book? Are you serious? There is nothing of value in it! The gibberish of a foolish old man who can’t even keep his languages straight.”
“Don’t ever insult Harrison Walker around me again. One more word against him or Rain and I’ll have a chat with my new friend over there. Let him know the whole story.”
“No one would ever believe you. You were the one who led us to those godforsaken caves anyway.”
“You’re right. I suppose I’d only have to take a look at the GoPro footage, and email them a clip or two. One with your threats and Frank’s gun in crystal clear video.”
Her mouth popped open, and she snapped it shut.
“What do you want?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“You’re only in here for two weeks.” The breath left her lungs in a hurry, and I flinched when I realized she was relieved. They hadn’t told her how long they’d keep them there, and I’d ruined the scare tactic. Damn. “Two conditions. One, when you get out, I never want a whisper of you or your team around any of my sites, or Rain’s. Do you understand? One hint, and I’ll make sure the clip is sent to our friends here in the department, and it’ll be enough to put you away for attempted murder.”
“How will I know what sites are your little girlfriend’s? She’s not even an archeologist! She takes pictures, for Christ’s sake.”
I hissed. “You see, that sounded an awful lot like an insult . . . and you’re seriously testing the gracious mood I’m in—”
“Understood. What is number two?”
“Tell me who gave away our location in the village, and what they told you about this journal.”
She curled her lips. “Tal. A Safegaurd. He promised the journal of Harrison Walker was in his daughter’s possession, and that it had a map to the cave where you’d discovered the scroll of Solomon.”
Safegaurds. Everything clicked into place—they probably had a member pose as one of Rain’s interested buyers in the past. They most likely wanted to burn the journal in case it did contain real evidence of more treasure within Israel’s caves. “You trusted him?” I shook my head. “He was using you in an attempt to stop me. And if you’d gotten lucky, he wouldn’t have let you get anywhere near the markets you sell your finds to.” I sighed, the fact that she didn’t realize what she’d gotten herself into only made her more dangerous. “You were ready to kill me over this treasure?”
“You would’ve done the same thing.”
“Clearly not. If I had the same malicious, ruthless viewpoint, I’d press charges and leave you and your team here to rot.”
She snapped her mouth closed and let go of the bars, crossing her arms over her chest. “You won’t hear from us again.”
“Good. Isn’t it sad, you nearly committing murder for nothing?” I turned around, ready to leave and never look back.
“Easton, wait,” she called, and I glanced over my shoulder.
“Why would you do this? Let us out at all?”
“I’ve recently hit a point in my life where I’m tr
ying extremely hard to let shit go. You happen to be part of that shit. Now, as long as you stick to my rules, the positive path I’m trying to take will keep hold. If you don’t . . . well, I’ve never been too great at staying happy anyway.”
The kind officer escorted me out of the building, and I tucked the journal into the cargo pocket of my pants. I may have made a real discovery today, unearthing yet another portion of King Solomon’s treasure, but the little book meant more to me than if I’d found the ark itself. Because Rain cherished it.
I parked outside of the hotel, contemplating whether I should wake Rain to show her I’d gotten the journal back, just like I’d promised. A shadowed figure stepped into my line of sight as I got out of the Jeep, and I swung a right hook across his jaw.
Immediately three other men came out of fucking nowhere and pinned my thrashing body to the side of the Jeep. It took two blows to my kidneys and one to the cheek to get me to calm down.
The first man I’d hit stepped close enough for me to see his face. “Really? I was just thinking about you.”
“I did not come here for violence, Mr. Wells.”
I cut my eyes to the men who held me, crushing my muscles against the car. My pride didn’t take a hit in the slightest because it’d taken three of them to stop me.
“Your name is Tal.”
Amusement flickered in the man’s eyes before he took a little bow.
“I called the IAA the second I reached a landline. They’ve already started the officiating process. Tomorrow I drive into the city with the hard evidence, and they’ll seal the claim. You can’t stop it.”
“Clearly,” Tal said, pacing the small area before me.
“Then why are you here?”
“To make our own deal.”
“I’m listening.” The notion put me on edge, but these guys were ingrained in every facet of the culture here. And from what I’d heard, they rarely made deals with foreigners.
“You’re something of a prodigy, I believe. I haven’t worried about a man getting close to a treasure like this, since . . . well, I’m sure you can guess. When you disappeared after his death, I took great relief in the fact that at least Harrison’s hunt had ended. And then you showed up again. I have to give you credit, you’ve done what others have only dreamed of.”
“I’m not done yet.” I hoped they weren’t about to threaten me over the full excavation of the cave, because it was happening, one way or another.
“Precisely. We don’t take your skill set lightly. We’ve decided it would be a waste of our considerable resources to continue in our efforts to stop you. Therefore, we’d like to work with you.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“Myself, or one of my trusted men, will accompany you on site once excavation starts, and if there are any religious artifacts of truly significant value unearthed . . . you will hand them over to us.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re a smart man, and because you never have once sold a piece that you’ve found. I’ve done my research. You always donate the artifacts to museums. You’re quite the hero.”
I shook my head. “I’ve never done this for the money.”
“I see that now. And I respect it. Since you are a sharp man, you’ll know that if you find one of the artifacts such as the Ark of the Covenant, or the remnants of the Tabernacle itself, you would be putting the world at great risk to simply hand it over to the incapable hands of a museum curator.”
“They’re plenty competent. Most of them are smarter than me and you combined.”
“That may be true, but not when it comes to the religious significance of what we speak of. I’m not talking in terms of movie scripts, Mr. Wells. There would be a great uproar, and faith among Christians would be challenged because Revelations states the ark and the items from the temple that stored it rest in heaven. Should you find them forgotten in a cave here . . . well, one false statement calls the entirety of the text into question. The risk is too great.”
The man had a point, but his men still held me captive. I raised my palms, as they were the only portion of my body I could move. “Can you let me go now?”
He gave one nod, and they released me. Blood rushed to my fingertips, and I rubbed my wrists. “And what do I get out of this deal?”
“We’ll leave you alone. Stop hindering you and support you. You’d be surprised at how much more you can accomplish without a thorn in your foot.”
“That’s why you told Corrine there was a map in Harrison’s journal.” I raked my hands through my hair. “You knew her ruthlessness would have no bounds with a score that big.”
He bowed again.
“She could’ve killed us.” My tone shifted from respectful to sharp.
“You understand the lengths we’re prepared to take in order to keep the world safe.”
They were unbelievable. Talk about a movie script. They lived a lifestyle I’d never understand, but having them on my side would make my efforts run more smoothly. With the largest excavation I’d ever managed coming up faster than I could plan it, I couldn’t say no. And besides, I doubted anything of the kind of significance they placed upon the matter would turn up. I believed in God, but I also believed if he wanted us to have something, we’d find it. Just like if he didn’t want us to. End of story.
I held out my hand to Tal. “A shake binds it.”
He gripped my hand.
“I have your word?” I continued to shake, not letting go. “No more plots against me or anyone I work with?”
“Yes. You have my word. And you’ll have our full support. We want to be informed as it progresses, as well as any future sites here in Israel you have planned. What you do outside of our land, we care not.”
I nodded. “I haven’t thought that far ahead, but if I do, you’ll be the first to know.”
We exchanged information, which seemed incredibly too modern for the conversation we’d just had, and we parted ways. His jaw was red, and my cheek was split, but hey, I’d made some new friends. I’d call it a win.
Rain was shockingly still awake as I walked through the door. She took one look at my bloody cheek paired with the limp I sported from the kidney shots and leaped off the bed.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. I’m fine. Truly.”
“You look far from fine.”
“The Safegaurds and I came to an understanding. We’re going to work alongside each other now, not against.”
She forced me to sit on the bed, running to the bathroom and returning quickly with a wet cloth. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” She dabbed at the cut, and my eye twitched from the sting. “Sorry.”
“They were the ones to sick Corrine on us. Told her Harrison’s journal had a map.” I rolled my eyes. “But we’re past that,” I added as anger quickly filled her eyes.
“Where else are you hurt?”
I pointed to my side.
She grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it upward and over my head. The motion stung, and I hissed. “Easy.”
“Please. You’ve been through much worse than this.” She bent at an angle to look at the reddening area. It’d be a wicked bruise tomorrow, but it was so fucking worth it. The way she worried over me filled me with hope. That, and I could see a slip of her cleavage from the way she was bent. “I think you’ll be all right.” She pressed on my ribs one by one. “Nothing feels broken.”
I reached into the cargo pocket of my pants and fished out the journal, handing it to her. She had to look twice before she snatched it out of my hands and flipped it open, fingering the pages for authentication.
“How?” Her voice was breathless.
“Called in a favor. Tracked Corrine down to a nearby prison. She won’t ever bother us again. I’ve made sure of that.”
Rain held the book to her chest, hugging it like a long-lost friend.
“I’m sorry you ever lost it,” I said. “And—”
She broke the sma
ll distance between us and crushed her lips on mine. I instantly snaked my hands around her waist, drawing her closer. I parted her lips with my tongue, tracing the roof of her mouth with a fast flick. She moaned against me and straddled my lap. One of her knees clipped my side too hard and I winced, momentarily breaking our kiss. She gasped and leaped off of me, holding her robe closed.
“Hey,” I said, reaching for her. “I won’t break. Just use the gentle gloves.”
She stepped away from me and shook her head. “I only meant to say thank-you. I’m sorry . . . I shouldn’t have—”
“Raindrop,” I chided. “Don’t ever apologize for kissing me like that. Now, come here.” I held my hand out to her, begging with my eyes that she take it. It meant so much more than a moment of passion shared between us. This was a culmination of moments, all leading up to her choice, and I wanted her to choose me so fucking bad.
“I can’t.”
I dropped my hand to my knee, which shook with her rejection. A mixture of anger and understanding made my stomach twist in knots. I was pissed at myself for ever fucking up something as great as I’d had with Rain.
“I was about to get dressed before you came in. I booked a flight home.”
And the floor jerked out from underneath me. She didn’t even want to stay to see what would become of Harrison’s cave?
She handed me the journal back. “I still want you to read this. The parts you can, anyway. He would’ve wanted you to.”
I took the book, eyeing her. “You just got this back—”
“I trust you with it. Obviously. I wouldn’t have it back without you.” She turned into the bathroom, and I heard the zipper on her bag. She returned dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a white T-shirt. Somehow it was sexier than the robe. Tears coated her eyes, but she kept her back straight. “I need time.”
I’d known that already. She walked to the door, hurrying it open. “The cab is waiting for me already.”