by Anna Hackett
Like smoke, Callie attacked another merc. River appeared out of nowhere and took down another. More gunshots and splashing.
Jonah couldn’t see Smith, Logan, or Ronin, but he knew that they’d be on the other side of the temple, taking care of the rest of the mercs.
He scanned. Where was Evan? He crept closer and saw Hugh Sprouse.
The man turned around and let out a squeak. Jonah punched him, and then followed with an elbow to the man’s face.
With a strangled sound, Sprouse dropped to his knees, holding his bleeding nose.
Leaving him, Jonah rounded a pillar and his stomach clenched into a tight ball.
Evan and Brennan were fighting hand-to-hand, sloshing through the knee-deep water. They were both brutal and vicious, and clearly well-trained. They were also well matched.
He saw the artifact in the man’s pocket. Evan launched into a hard kick. Brennan ducked, but she was already moving into a second kick that connected with the man’s face. His head snapped back and she grinned.
With a roar, Brennan launched himself forward, his brutal punch caught her in the gut.
Evan flew back, and Brennan dived on her.
He landed on top of her, taking her down into the water. Then he wrapped his hands around her neck and pushed her head under the water. Evan thrashed.
Pulse spiking like crazy, Jonah’s rage bloomed. He ran toward them, firing on Brennan.
The CIA agent rolled off Evan, and the artifact fell out of his pocket. For a second, Jonah had a clear view of the stone piece in the water before Brennan snatched it up and ran.
“Evan!” Jonah helped her up.
She coughed and spluttered. “We have to stop him!”
Jonah pulled her up and they sprinted after the man. They ran up the ramp and slowed.
Dammit! A small tour group appeared, stepping between Jonah and Evan, and Brennan. Jonah and Evan quickly hid their guns at their sides. The tourists all wore headsets, listening to some tour information.
“And this is the Osirion.” A lanky tour guide with an American twang raised his voice, completely unaware of the fight going on nearby. “Unique, strange architecture that’s very odd in Egypt. It was likely built by…” a dramatic pause “…aliens.”
The group oohed.
“Ancient aliens who made Earth their home, and taught man the secrets of the stars.”
“Jesus,” Jonah muttered. Clearly this guide had been watching too much of the History Channel.
Through the crowd, he saw Brennan, his gun held against his thigh. He stared at them and jerked his gun toward the oblivious tourists.
Evan cursed and Jonah pressed his teeth together. The man’s message was clear: come after him and he’d fire on the people.
The rogue CIA agent smiled at them, then turned and jogged away.
“Dammit.” Evan kicked the sand. “Dammit, dammit, dammit.”
Chapter Thirteen
They regrouped at the vehicles. Some of Brennan’s mercs and Sprouse had escaped. Team 52 had left the other mercenaries tied up for the Egyptian authorities.
“We need to get out of here before the authorities decide to take us in, too.” Jonah opened the back door of one of the Jeeps.
Evan knew that Egypt had a special tourist police—to rigorously protect their monuments and the tourism industry.
Anger closed around her throat, which was still sore from Brennan choking her. He had the artifact. He’d gotten away like the slippery snake he was.
“Hey.” Jonah ran a hand over her damp hair. It was still wet, but drying fast in the hot sun. “We aren’t giving up.” His voice was deep, and laced with promise.
Around them, the others climbed into the vehicles, all of them looking pissed.
Jonah’s fingers shifted, rubbing the red marks on her neck. Something dark swam in his eyes.
“I’m okay.” She cupped his cheek.
“That bastard was trying to drown you.”
“I’m okay,” she repeated. She realized Jonah was to-the-bone mad. “I just don’t understand how he turned like this. He worked for years to protect our country, was a dedicated agent.”
“I wondered the same thing when Pearson betrayed me,” Jonah said. “Lost a lot of sleep over it. Thinking about what I’d missed.”
She saw the sleepless nights and nightmares reflected in his eyes.
“Sometimes, there aren’t clear-cut answers,” he said, “but for Brennan, I’m guessing it’s power. He’s clearly liked it, and enjoyed his powerful position. Then he saw the chance for more.”
They climbed into the Jeep, and soon they were driving back to Luxor. A heavy gloom filled the vehicle.
“I didn’t get a good look at the artifact.” Layne leaned forward from the back. “Mr. Overprotective wouldn’t let me close.” She shot her husband a look.
Dec appeared unfazed. Evan got the impression that the former SEAL didn’t care if Layne got pissed at him, as long as she was safe.
“It was made of stone and had some engravings,” Jonah said. “It looked like it was made from a different kind of rock to the Horus artifact. It was darker.”
Layne looked frustrated.
“Jonah.” Brooks’ voice came from the tablet resting in the pocket of the seat in front of Jonah.
“Go ahead, Brooks.”
“Is everyone okay?”
Jonah spared a dark look at Evan’s red neck. “Yes.”
“Okay, so I got some shots of the artifact from my drone.”
“What?” Layne squeaked. “I need to see them.”
“Hold on, Indiana Jones,” Brooks said. “I also managed to get a scan, but it’s not as good as Ty’s. It might still be helpful.”
“Send the images through,” Jonah said.
They all leaned over Jonah as he held the tablet. Several zoomed-in images of the artifact appeared.
It was a small carved pillar with ridges at the top.
“It’s a djed,” Layne said.
“Explain,” Evan demanded.
“A djed pillar, often associated with the god Osiris. It was said to represent his spine, stability.”
“Looks like a power pole,” Callie said.
Layne nodded. “There are more obscure theories that it was involved in power generation.”
The scan popped up on-screen as well. Evan gripped Jonah’s thigh. “It has a metal core like the Horus artifact.”
“So, it’s another key?” Lachlan asked from the front seat.
“Brooks,” Layne said. “I need you to run the design of the core against plans of Egyptian temples.”
“Already one step ahead of you, Layne. Nat and I have it running now, but be warned, my scan isn’t that clear. It might not be enough to get a hit.”
“Is the bug drone still in place?” Jonah asked.
“Yeah,” Brooks confirmed. “You think Brennan will go back to the hotel?”
“Probably not. He knows we’re coming for him. But if he does, listen in. We need to know where he’s headed next.”
Evan stared out the window at the desert. The sun was heading west, changing the colors of the sand. Brennan would have killed her today. He would have drowned her and not felt a thing about it.
He’d fight to the bitter end to find the Hall of Records, and whatever he was after.
Dread solidified in her belly. Then who knew what he’d do? What havoc and unhappiness he’d wreak?
“I got a hit,” Nat’s excited voice. “The core of the djed matches the Valley Temple beside the Sphinx. Guys, I think this djed key might open the Hall of Records.”
“How the hell did Brennan know this?” Smith muttered from the driver seat.
“He found something,” Evan murmured. “I’ve thought about this a lot. We were on a mission in Libya. It was after that trip that he changed, and became more secretive. We spent days wandering through small shops and meeting informants. Old bookstores, shops filled with artifacts and trinkets.”
“He m
ust have gotten his hands on something that described the Hall of Records and these keys,” Layne said.
“However he did it—” Evan straightened “—we have to end this.”
Back at the villa, they packed up quickly. Brooks confirmed that Brennan hadn’t returned to the Sofitel.
No doubt he was already heading north to Giza, the Sphinx, and the mysterious Valley Temple. She just knew it.
She walked out of the villa, her bag on her shoulder. She looked up at the window of the master bedroom. She was inundated with very vivid memories of exactly what she and Jonah had done on that mosquito-net-draped bed.
She wanted to do it again.
She wanted Brennan locked up and this mission over, not just to get her justice—to clear her name and get her job back—but so she could finally explore…having more.
Jonah was already in the vehicle, his phone to his ear, talking to someone. She tossed her bag in the back, and climbed in beside him. She touched his arm and smiled.
“Yes, Mr. President.” Jonah captured her hand.
Yikes. She jolted. There he was, casually talking to the president. She shook her head and smiled in bemusement.
It was a quick trip to the airport. The X8 sat in a private hangar, and soon they were all aboard, Seth and Blair at the controls.
They swept into the air like a helicopter, and below, Evan saw the Nile, several temples, and the desert. In the distance were the hills where the Valley of the Kings lay hidden, with its magnificent tombs of long-ago pharaohs.
The X8 changed to jet engines, and they zoomed north.
“It’ll be dark by the time we get to Giza,” Jonah said. “We’ll go in as two teams, and sneak into the Valley Temple. We need to avoid the guards that patrol the Giza Plateau. This time, we won’t let Brennan get away.”
Everyone nodded.
“Lachlan will lead the first team, and Blair the second.” Jonah split them into teams.
Less than two hours later, just as night settled over Cairo and the pyramids, Evan—dressed all in black and wearing a light-weight Kevlar vest—ran behind Jonah as they raced toward the Valley Temple. Blair’s team was coming in from the south.
The Sphinx rose up ahead of them, as they approached from the rear of the monument. It was big, but appeared somehow out of proportion. Its head looked too small for its large, leonine body.
“Guards,” Lachlan whispered in their earpieces.
They all stopped—still, silent.
Ahead, Evan spotted the two guards. They were smoking and walking slowly. They had AK-47s on their shoulders and were speaking in Arabic.
Finally, they rounded the Sphinx and disappeared.
“Come on.” Lachlan moved into the lead. River was a dark shadow right behind him.
Then ahead, Evan saw the outline of a ruined temple. She knew that it was the Sphinx Temple, and that the Valley Temple was beside it.
They’d only gone two steps when shouts sounded.
Fuck.
“Guards spotted us!” Jonah growled.
Dammit. There was more shouting.
“Go!” Jonah roared.
His team ran alongside the Sphinx. They sprinted past its rocky body and bullets pinged off the rock wall beside them.
Evan spun, went down on one knee and fired her suppressed weapon. It made a muffled phut as it fired.
Jonah grabbed her arm. “Come on!”
“Move it.” Lachlan spun, arm straight as he fired behind them.
“The Sphinx Temple is ahead,” Evan yelled.
Jonah saw the shape of it, although it was mostly ruins. The Sphinx stared straight at it.
“We can lose the guards in there, then move to the Valley Temple beside it,” Evan said.
More gunfire shattered the night.
They ran into the ruined columns of the Sphinx Temple. Suddenly, a guard leaped out of the darkness.
Jonah took the man’s weight and staggered, then spun and rammed his fist into the man’s gut. The guard lurched backward with a groan.
Evan leaped up—and landed a vicious front kick which sent the man flying onto his back. He didn’t get up.
“This way,” Seth called out.
They ran through a gap in the wall, back out on the sand. Jonah turned to look south and saw the big chunky block walls of the Valley Temple. A dense, menacing silence seemed to radiate from it.
The walls of the Valley Temple were in a lot better condition than the Sphinx Temple. “Isn’t this older than the Sphinx Temple?” Evan asked.
“The pre-flood architects knew how to build,” Layne said.
They moved between the giant walls, and melted into the shadows. There were shouts outside in the distance, but no guards entered the Valley Temple.
“Wow,” Evan breathed.
Wow was right. The temple had a stark kind of beauty—with huge blocks of megalithic construction. Jonah admired its straight lines and symmetry.
Then ahead, they heard a noise. A scrape, and the murmur of voices. Lachlan used hand signals and they moved silently, creeping stealthily forward.
Jonah spotted a faint glow of light.
The team stopped behind some pillars.
“Hurry up,” an impatient voice said.
Jonah’s mouth flattened. Brennan.
“I can’t find it…” Sprouse’s voice. “Wait. There!”
Jonah peered around the pillar. There were four mercs, and Brennan and Sprouse.
They were standing in front of a giant stone pillar, Sprouse running his hands over the surface.
“That’s weird,” Evan murmured.
“What?”
“The mercs all have plastic weapons. Like the ones you can make with a 3D printer.”
Suddenly, there was a loud click.
Like at the Osirion, a square of rock in the center of the block retracted.
Evan made a near-soundless gasp.
Brennan lifted the Osirion djed artifact and placed it inside the opening.
Another click, and then the sound of grinding stones echoed through the temple. The floor shook.
Shit. Jonah grabbed Evan as a rain of dust fell down from the lintel above them.
One of Brennan’s mercs fell over. “Fuck.”
A rock slab in the floor slid open, uncovering a dark hole several feet wide.
Sprouse leaned over it. “It’s a shaft. I see handholds cut into the side like a ladder.” The man smiled. “It’s the way to the Hall of Records.”
“Okay, let’s go,” Brennan ordered.
Jonah met Lachlan’s gaze and nodded.
Jonah stepped forward. “Step away from the shaft, Brennan.”
The mercs jolted, jerking their weapons up.
The rest of Lachlan’s team—Seth, River, and Dec—melted out of the shadows, weapons aimed.
Brennan’s gaze fell on Evan.
“You should have known you’d never beat me. You’re good, Evan, but you always were a lost, little girl with no daddy, looking for approval.”
Evan’s SIG never wavered from where she aimed at the man’s chest.
“God, this guy is a douchebag,” Dec muttered.
Brennan flicked Declan a contemptuous look. “So says the man who left the Navy with blood on his hands.”
“My hands are cleaner than yours, Brennan.”
“Put your weapons down,” Jonah ordered. “You’re coming with us.”
“Evan, if you think because you’re taking his cock, that you’re special, then you’re wrong.” Brennan smiled. “Grayson will trade you for a new model once he’s tired of you.”
A gun fired. The bullet hit the rock inches from Brennan’s head.
Jonah was surprised to see the bullet had come from Lachlan’s weapon. He rarely lost his cool.
“Shut your mouth,” Lachlan growled. “On your knees. We have a secondary team as backup, so you can’t escape.”
With a whimper, Sprouse dropped to his knees, his hands behind his head. Brennan shot the
man a dirty look.
“So fucking weak.”
Then Brennan grabbed something off his belt and threw it into the air.
Shit. Small, metallic marbles flew toward the Team 52 members. They sailed up, then arced out. One hit Jonah’s gun with a metallic clink. It started heating up, melting his gun.
What the hell? He dropped the handgun. He heard the rest of his team cursing, as well. Lachlan and Evan dropped their melting weapons.
The mercs opened fire.
Dodging, Jonah slammed into Evan, driving her to the ground. He covered her as bullets pinged around them. The mercs’ weapons were suppressed, but the thumps of the weapons still made a lot of noise. He hoped to hell the Egyptian police didn’t run into this mess.
“The fuckers, that’s why they have plastic weapons,” she hissed.
“Brennan has some sort of magnetic mini-grenades.” Jonah pushed off her and together they crawled behind some stone blocks.
Jonah popped his head up, and another rain of bullets hit close by. “We’re pinned down.”
“Shit.”
“Can you see Brennan?” he asked.
She nodded. “He’s barking orders. Wait.” She sucked in a breath. “He’s going into the shaft.”
Jonah ground his teeth together. All of a sudden, Dec and Layne came running in their direction, and leaped in beside them.
“Brennan is in the shaft,” Layne said.
“We saw,” Jonah replied.
“We’ve got to stop them,” Evan said.
More bullets hit the pillars nearby.
“Lachlan, I need you guys to draw their fire,” Jonah said into his earpiece. “Evan and I will go down the shaft after Brennan.”
“Jonah!” Brooks’ frantic voice. “Blair’s team is fighting a new influx of mercenaries. Brennan has a secondary team.”
“Dammit.” Evan hit the stone beside her with her palm.
“Lachlan, give us cover, then help Blair’s team. Follow us when you can.”
“You got it,” the Team 52 leader replied.
Across the temple, Seth lobbed something into the air. Boom.
“My God, he’d better not destroy the Valley Temple!” Layne gasped.
“Let’s move, Doc.” Dec met Jonah’s gaze. “We’re coming with you into the shaft.”