No Living Soul

by Julie Moffett

  Slash brushed his knuckles across my cheek, let his fingers slip into my hair, pulling me close. “You don’t have to explain. I understand jealousy all too well. I’ve felt it myself with you.”

  “You have?” I stared at him in surprise. “With me? How is that possible?”

  “You have no idea how special you are to me and to others. I’m still in a learning curve regarding our relationship. This is new for me, too. I’m used to being in control, needing to be in control. Perhaps that’s been ingrained in me from a time when I felt helpless. Yet I have to share that control with you to make this relationship work. I’m still a work in progress on that front. But there’s one thing I’m sure of. Jealously is an ugly path. I don’t want either of us to go down it. I trust you and I hope you’ll trust me.”

  “I do, Slash. It’s just...an adjustment.”

  “We’re going to have to sort through a lot of adjustments in the coming months. But it’ll be worth it because we’re building from the ground up. I love you, cara. We’ll get through this, because it’s important. We’re important.”

  My heart filled as he tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear. “And, just so we’re clear, I’d take one of you over a thousand Zizis.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” He curled his arm around my waist, pulling me against him. “Despite that cute little mole next to her mouth.”

  I hit him on the arm. “Hey!”

  He laughed. “I’m just kidding. I can barely handle you, let alone another woman. Besides, there will only ever be one girl for me, thank God.”

  He slid a warm hand down my arm, resting it in the small of my back. A firm press and I was against him. Keeping his eyes open as he bent down to press his lips against mine.

  Although he’d kissed me a hundred times, somehow this kiss was different. He sighed in pleasure against my mouth, as if this was the one place for him where the world was right. I understood that, because lately I felt the same way, too. “You opened a future I never saw for myself,” he murmured. “For that, I thank you.”

  I pressed my face to his chest and wished we could stay like this forever. But we couldn’t. Because now, we had work to do.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  We were just into an hour of planning our heist when trouble hit.

  “It’s official. I’m not going to be able to do this on my own.” Elvis looked up from the notes he was jotting on hotel stationery. We were all working hard, making notes, comparing ideas and making suggestions.

  Slash strode over to his side. “What’s wrong?”

  Elvis tapped his screen. “There’s no way for me to jump back and forth between the security grid, the electrical grid and the key card access. Nothing is integrated. When things get moving fast, I’m going to need another set of hands.”

  “I’ll help,” Arthur said.

  “Do you know anything about hacking?” Elvis asked him.

  “No. But I can learn.”

  We all looked at each other. It was like someone offering to fly a rocket to the moon without knowing the first thing about how to drive.

  Elvis sighed. “Thanks, Arthur, but that won’t be possible.”

  “Xavier?” Slash suggested.

  “No. He won’t help. He made that abundantly clear.”

  Slash glanced at me and I shook my head slightly, confirming Elvis’s words. The sick feeling in my stomach was back. I hated the reminder that Elvis and Xavier were still fighting. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how Elvis felt right now. To think that at a moment of great need, he could no longer rely on his brother had to be agonizing.

  Suddenly I had an idea. “Hey, Gwen, can you get your sister, Angel, on the phone?”

  Elvis glanced over at me and smiled, knowing where I was going with this. “Good thinking, Lexi. That’s an excellent idea.”

  * * *

  Elvis and I spent an hour on the phone with Angel before we were satisfied she could handle the task at hand. I would have asked one of my interns, Wally, Piper or Brandon, for an assist, but I happened to know firsthand that all of them were on vacation with their families for the holiday weekend. Since we were out of options, I went with what I had. To my delight, Angel proved more than capable. Even though she had no idea what we were doing, just the thought of working with me was enough to excite her.

  “Are you sure she won’t be in any danger?” Gwen asked me for the eleventh time.

  I glanced over at Elvis who was furiously typing on the laptop. “I’m positive, Gwen. She is reporting to Elvis and Elvis only. She has no idea what is going on. She thinks we’re testing her. In no way will anyone be able to trace her connection or assistance on this. She’ll just be doing some real-time monitoring to help Elvis out, and that’s it.”

  “Okay. I just want to be sure.”

  “You’re pretty protective of her,” I observed.

  “Yeah, well, she’s my kid sister.” That apparently explained it all. “Besides, she doesn’t have a lot of friends to watch her back. That’s my job as her older sister. Except when it was your job at the high school when those terrorists came in. You saved her, Lexi. I’ll never be able to repay you for that.”

  “Hey, there’s no payment necessary. Besides, I didn’t do it alone. Slash and Elvis were critical in that effort. But look, I understand what it means to be the outsider in high school, without many, or in my case, any friends. Angel’s skills are impressive for a fifteen-almost-sixteen-year-old. She’s got a real future in computers if that’s where she’s headed.”

  “That’s where she’s headed. She aspires to be like you.”

  “Jeez, she shouldn’t. No one should. She should aspire to be herself.”

  “I know.” Gwen looked down at her hands. “What I mean is that you’re a hero to her. She’s a young girl who looks to you as a role model in a field that doesn’t have that many women. Yet. Whether you realize it or not, you’re an example of what you can achieve if you follow your dreams, regardless of stereotypes or glass ceilings. You’re fearless.”

  “Whoa. I am not fearless. I fear a lot of stuff. Actually, I fear most stuff.”

  “But you try anyway. I’ll admit, that’s why I’m part of the fan club, too. You always give it your all, Lexi. Angel’s like that, too. There is no stopping her when she sets her mind to something. She’ll find a way.”

  I sighed. “You do realize all of this means I may have to bug Finn to add another intern to my cadre.”

  “You’d do that for her?” Gwen’s eyes lit up. “At X-Corp? Wow. She’d be totally floored.”

  “I wouldn’t have done anything for her. She’d have earned it. But there won’t be anybody to intern for unless we get it right tonight. So, we all need to be on our game.”

  “We will.” Gwen threw her arms around me and gave me a big hug. Slash looked over at me and lifted an eyebrow while I just shrugged. I’m pretty sure I hadn’t been hugged so much in a week.

  Minutes ticked past while we continued our planning. We ate a light dinner in the room. Arthur and Gwen took a nap and Slash disappeared for nearly two hours. He came back with black clothing for Gwen and me, a couple of burner phones and other assorted items. I didn’t ask where he got them. Slash and Elvis briefed Gwen and me on exactly how we would get in, where we would go and how we would get out. Slash made us repeat the instructions several times to make certain we understood.

  “Just remember, stick to the plan and all will be well,” he said.

  My stomach was doing butterflies by the time I got dressed in the clothes. When I returned to the living room, Gwen sat on the couch looking a bit paler than usual, but holding up better than I expected.

  “You good?” I asked her.

  She nodded. Her blue eyes locked onto mine. “If I get scared, I’ll just do
the WWLD thing.”

  “What’s the WWLD thing?”

  “WWLD—What Would Lexi Do? I try to imagine what you would do and it helps me figure out what’s the best course of action. Angel was thinking about getting it printed on those little rubber bracelets and handing them out to the Lexicons.”

  I was aghast at the mere thought. “Oh, God, no, Gwen. Please, I beg you.”

  “You have to admit, though, if we pull this off, it’s going to be epic. Well worth a WWLD bracelet.”

  “If we pull this off, I’m going to fangirl you, Gwen. Okay?”

  “Really?” Her face broke into a smile.

  “Really.”

  Just then Elvis announced he and Angel were ready with the setup. It was time to get the show on the road.

  Slash stood, giving us one last pep talk. “We go in without any identification whatsoever. We’ll have money and small flashlights only. I’ll carry the knife for Gwen to cut the binding. Lexi, you’ll have the only burner phone to communicate with Elvis. If we get separated, we rendezvous here.” He pulled out a map and showed us a spot about six blocks from the hotel. “Check in here on the hour. If no one shows, don’t go back to the hotel until at least three hours have passed. After that, return with caution.”

  Gwen and I nodded our heads to indicate we understood. Finally, the hour was at hand. Elvis asked my opinion on a few of the virtual details before he got Angel on the phone. My stomach churned with nerves. I couldn’t imagine how Gwen was feeling, but to my surprise, she still didn’t show outward signs of nervousness despite the fact we were about to conduct a heist at one of the most renowned museums in the world.

  I patted my pockets. I had four hundred and fifty Egyptian pounds, which was roughly equivalent to fifty United States dollars, a flashlight, a burner phone and a pair of black latex gloves. The gloves were to keep fingerprints at bay, but also to protect the staff when we had to touch it. I assumed Gwen had the same items. I wasn’t sure what Slash had in his pockets, and since he didn’t volunteer the information, I didn’t ask.

  Gwen stood in front of me, inspecting my look. “You know, Lexi, you look a little like Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider just before she breaks into the tomb. Of course, except for your hair, body and the guns.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Jeez. Thanks, Gwen.”

  “Sure. I really wanted to take a picture of us right before the mission for our forum, but Slash put the big X on that idea. So, it will just have to live on in my imagination.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  When it was time to go, we walked to the museum, forgoing a cab. The museum itself was dark, but a few people were still out and about in nearby Tahrir Square. There was a roving patrol outside the museum, but it was only two guys and they didn’t seem too interested in maintaining security.

  Slash timed their rotation. It was inconsistent, but within a twelve-minute window. Plenty of time to get past them.

  I called Elvis on the burner phone as they passed. “Okay, we’re heading in. Take down the security camera at the east-end staff entrance and any outdoor cameras in this area.”

  “The outdoor cameras have already been adjusted, and...” I heard him tapping on the keyboard. “I just put the staff entrance in a loop. You’re good to go. The entire first floor interior cameras are already in a loop. You’re good to go the whole way in case we lose contact.”

  “Thanks, bud. I’ll be texting from now on.”

  “Understood. Good luck.”

  We quickly walked to the entrance door, acting like we were supposed to be there. I didn’t see anyone about, but I checked just in case. Slash swiped the card through the access control panel and the door popped open. I held my breath waiting for some kind of alarm, but nothing happened. We slipped in, with Slash going last and quietly closing the door behind us.

  We’re in, I texted to Elvis.

  Cleaning entrance log now, he texted back.

  I turned off the phone and slipped it in my pocket. Slash motioned for us to put on our gloves, as he’d put on his before we’d entered. We did as he instructed and he nodded in satisfaction when we were done.

  He took point, peering down a corridor and motioning for us to follow. The lights had been dimmed to a night setting, presumably to waste less energy and also keep the museum cooler. That worked in our favor. We quietly moved along the wall behind him, past dark offices. A guard walked past along a perpendicular corridor and we pressed into the doorways, hopefully melting into the shadows.

  No alarm was raised, so we continued on. Surprisingly, we hardly encountered any guards in this area. Apparently they were instructed to stay mostly with the exhibits, which was good luck for us. We made it all the way down to the front entrance without incident. To our left was the security center. There were a couple of guards talking and another one sitting behind a desk viewing what looked like the footage from the security camera. Everyone seemed completely relaxed. That was good except my body thrummed like a live wire. I desperately hoped the gallop of my heart wasn’t audible from across the museum floor.

  Slash leaned over, pressing his mouth against my ear. “We can’t get by those two guards over there without crossing their line of sight. We need a distraction at the security center. See if Angel can find the museum security number and call it. Tell her to be careful she isn’t traced. She needs to think of something to ask to keep them occupied for at least three minutes.”

  I slipped the phone out of my pocket and texted the request to Elvis. He replied with an okay.

  We waited. And waited. We weren’t really exposed where we were, but with every minute we faced the random chance of someone coming down the hall behind us. I couldn’t decide whether I should watch the guards ahead of us or behind us to give us some warning of trouble. I noticed that Gwen was staring intently back the way we came and was quivering slightly.

  It seemed like eons, but when I checked my watch only six minutes had passed. When the ring of the phone finally reverberated through the museum, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Gwen stiffened next to me. One of the guards answered the phone and then shouted for someone, probably one of his English-speaking colleagues. Moments later, the guard who had been summoned strode into view and started talking on the phone.

  “No, we can’t look it up for you,” he said in heavily accented English. “Museum closed.”

  Silence.

  “Yes, of course, I’m Egyptian. I know who the kings were. Who are you trying to find?”

  The other guards had perked up and slowly wandered over to see what was going on. They were laughing as they listened to the guard try to answer whatever ridiculous questions Angel was posing for them.

  “Now,” Slash hissed and motioned for us to move. We slipped past the center, hiding behind several giant statues on our way to the western side of the museum. When we got to the west wing entrance, Slash took a peek and indicated for us to follow him inside.

  Since I’d just been there in the afternoon, I was familiar with the layout. It seemed a lifetime ago. It was eerie in the dim light and shadows with the musty smell of ancient objects permeating the air.

  Slash headed straight for the exhibition with the chariot and we followed. Before going in, he took a moment to study the setup of the exhibition, presumably looking for any special alarms that hadn’t been noticed before. Satisfied he didn’t see any, he waved us forward. We stepped over the velvet-roped stanchion and slipped behind a queen carrier chair to the other side of the chariot. I reached out and brushed my fingers against the staff and felt a tingle go through my finger and up my hand.

  The staff of Moses. Could it be true?

  Slash pulled on my arm, whispering in my ear. “You were right. I can’t fit back there. We’re going to have to move the chariot forward about two feet in order to give Gwen space to release the rod.”
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  I motioned to Gwen and she nodded. Slash did a quick review of the chariot and motioned where we should stand. We took our positions and in the dim light waited until Slash nodded before we lifted.

  The chariot barely moved. It might have gone an inch before we gave up. Holy cow. Had my calculations been off that badly? Now I wasn’t sure three of us could move it two inches let alone two feet.

  Slash motioned for us to try again. Knowing what to expect this time, I braced myself for a heavier lift. We moved it slightly more this time, but nowhere near enough. The chariot wasn’t that heavy. Couldn’t be. But they had partially anchored it for the exhibit and that made lifting it a royal pain. My heart was racing. Time was ticking by, every moment putting us in greater danger of being discovered.

  Inhaling a breath, we tried again. This time it moved significantly farther, but the cost was a screech as the ancient wooden wheel scraped across the stone floor on the side Gwen and I were lifting. We quickly lowered the chariot back to the floor and froze in place. I realized I no longer heard the soft murmur of the guards’ voices from the security center.

  That couldn’t be good.

  Thankfully, we’d moved the chariot far enough for Gwen to wiggle behind it. Slash withdrew the knife from his pocket and handed it to her and she disappeared behind the chariot.

  Footsteps clicked on the floor, coming our way. Slash ducked behind the queen’s carrier, pulling me with him. We squatted as low as possible. We covered our faces so that nothing white would show in contrast to the black shadows. We were hidden in the dim light, but if one of the guards stepped across the rope for a better view with a flashlight, we would be exposed.

  I held my breath as the footsteps paused. The guard stood listening. My heart sounded overly loud in my ears. Finally, the guard took a few more steps, closer in our direction. The beam of a flashlight shone over the exhibition, but thankfully from a distance. We still had a chance.

  I closed my eyes, wishing I could teleport somewhere, anywhere, from here.

  The guard lowered the flashlight and paused, listening. After an agonizingly long time, I heard his footsteps moving away, apparently deciding nothing was amiss. I let out a quiet breath, feeling lightheaded from nerves and fear.