Mission: Her Justice

by Anna Hackett

  Jonah nodded. He’d take all the help he could get. He grabbed Evan’s hand. “Let’s go take Brennan down.”

  She smiled briefly. “I like your style, Director.”

  Lachlan and the others intensified their fire.

  Evan slapped a quick kiss to Jonah’s mouth, then they jumped up and sprinted toward the shaft.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Evan clung to the handholds carved into the rock wall of the shaft. It was like descending into the blackness of hell. There was only darkness below her.

  And Jonah, who’d insisted on going first.

  Dec and Layne were climbing above her. They had no idea how deep the shaft went.

  None of them were talking. They didn’t want Brennan to hear them coming.

  “I’m at the bottom,” Jonah whispered.

  A moment later, Evan stepped onto the stone floor. Jonah reached out and steadied her.

  “Brennan?” she whispered.

  “No sign of him.”

  Dec and Layne finished the climb.

  “We need to risk a flashlight,” Jonah said. “I can’t see a thing.”

  Dec’s weight shifted. “Do it.”

  Clearly, the former SEAL was prepared for Brennan. Evan lifted her hands, tensed and ready.

  Jonah turned on a flashlight. The beam of light speared into the darkness. It wasn’t a huge chamber. The rock walls were chiseled, with no engravings.

  And there was no sign of Brennan.

  They fanned out. There were niches cut into the walls, and several large boxes made of a much darker stone than the paler, beige bedrock.

  “This is like the Osiris Shaft,” Layne said. “It has the same niches and stone boxes.” Layne ran her hand over one. “Nobody knows what they were for. People speculate that the Osiris Shaft was a tomb, but these boxes are too small to be sarcophagi.”

  “Where the fuck is Brennan?” Evan turned in a circle. There was only rock.

  “The Osiris Shaft has three levels.” Layne crouched, touching the floor. “There must be another way down to a lower level?”

  They searched the floor.

  “Here,” Dec said.

  There was a stone slab on the floor that looked like it’d been recently shifted. Evan spotted scratch marks on the floor.

  Dec and Jonah gripped it and heaved.

  They moved it, uncovering another shaft. Evan moved to climb down, but Jonah stopped her with a look.

  “Overprotective,” Layne commiserated. “You’d better get used to it.”

  There was a faint light at the bottom of the shaft.

  Evan’s heart thumped against her ribs. Brennan was down there.

  Jonah crouched and climbed down into the hole. Then Dec followed.

  “Ladies last, in this case,” Layne said dryly.

  Evan climbed in, breathing deeply. They needed to be smart in order to beat Brennan. She counted the handholds as she moved downward, listening to Layne climbing above her.

  She wondered if Jonah had reached the bottom. Then she heard a grunt and a scuffle, followed by the sounds of fighting.

  Shit.

  She picked up speed and dropped the last few feet to the bottom of the shaft. She spun.

  Jonah and Dec were fighting Brennan.

  The chamber was slightly larger than the one above, with the same niches cut into the wall, containing more of the mysterious, black-stone boxes.

  Dec swung a muscular arm, and Brennan ducked, then spun and launched a kick at Jonah. Jonah slammed back into the wall.

  Dec rushed in and punched Brennan, but the older man blocked the hit and then swung with his left hand. His punch hammered into Dec’s chest, then his other fist hit Dec’s face.

  Beside Evan, Layne sucked in a breath.

  The head of Treasure Hunter Security lurched back, blood on his lip. He swiped his hand across his mouth.

  Brennan was older, but he was a master of close-quarter combat. Jonah and Dec were younger, stronger, and trained, as well, but Evan knew that Brennan trained every day in a multitude of different tactics.

  Jonah launched again. He grabbed Brennan’s arm, and landed a hard blow to the agent’s neck. Brennan gagged, then spun and ducked, coming up fast. He threw a handful of sand into Jonah’s eyes.

  Cursing, Jonah swiped at his face.

  Dec lunged. Brennan whipped something off his belt.

  A thin cord.

  Using it like a whip, he snapped his wrist out. The metal cord wrapped around Dec’s arm. He jerked, but the cord held tight.

  Brennan smiled and yanked. Dec flew forward and hit his knees. Then Brennan delivered a hard chop to Dec’s back. The former SEAL dropped to the ground.

  “Declan!” Layne cried.

  Brennan lifted his head.

  Evan pushed Layne behind her. “You have nowhere to go, Brennan.”

  Her former boss shrugged. “When I get what I came for, it won’t matter. No one will be able to stop me.”

  “I will.”

  Evan launched herself at him.

  They traded kicks and hits, moving across the chamber. They’d fought so many times together and knew each other’s quirks. She blocked the next blow, and swiveled to avoid his kick. She ducked under his arm and rammed her fist against his lower back.

  Brennan turned and kicked her. Evan absorbed the blow and landed her own kick.

  Then, Brennan whirled away from her.

  And rushed toward Layne.

  The archeologist froze, then threw her hands up.

  Brennan grabbed her, and in a second, he held the woman in front of him with his gun rammed to the underside of her jaw. He pressed in close behind her, Layne’s back to his front.

  No. Evan straightened. Jonah shifted beside her, eyes red, his mouth a hard line.

  Dec rose, a muscle ticking in his jaw. His gaze was locked on his wife.

  Layne didn’t look afraid, just pissed off.

  “Now, you’ll do as I say, or Dr. Ward dies.”

  Evan released a harsh breath. She felt the tension throbbing off Declan.

  “All of you against the far wall, on your knees.”

  Jonah and Evan obeyed. His fingers brushed hers in a quick touch of reassurance. Dec hesitated, a murderous look on his face, but he finally knelt.

  “Dr. Ward,” Brennan said. “You’re going to help me.”

  “Go to hell.”

  Brennan rammed the gun harder against her neck, and Layne gasped.

  “Do you want your husband to watch you die? To see your brains splattered on the wall?”

  Layne’s mouth flattened. “What do you want?”

  “One of the stone boxes holds what I’m looking for, but I have to open the correct one. If the wrong one is opened, it’ll trigger something that we do not want.”

  Trigger something? Evan didn’t like the sound of that. She didn’t take her gaze off the pair. Brennan shuffled Layne toward the first black stone box.

  “Read the engravings,” he said.

  “There are only a few symbols.” Layne frowned at the box’s lid. “These aren’t Egyptian hieroglyphs. They’re similar, but different.”

  “That’s the language of the Shemsu-Hor,” Brennan said. “The survivors of an advanced civilization that created the Hall of Records. And you will help me uncover the Hall of Records.”

  “You don’t deserve to set foot in the Hall of Records,” Layne spat.

  Brennan cocked his head. “Oh, you misunderstand, as many do. The Hall of Records isn’t a place.”

  Evan frowned and glanced at Jonah. His brow creased.

  “It was said to be a repository of ancient knowledge and technology,” Layne said.

  “It is, but it’s not a place filled with carvings, artifacts, and scrolls. It’s an object. All the knowledge is stored inside it.” The rogue agent gave them a sharp smile. “Whoever holds it, rules the world.”

  An object.

  Jonah processed the new information. The Hall of Records was an objec
t. A powerful one.

  The thought of it in Brennan’s hands was horrifying.

  Jonah sensed the tension in Declan. The man was vibrating with the need to rescue his wife.

  “Read the glyphs, Dr. Ward.” Brennan nudged Layne toward the box.

  “I can’t be a hundred percent certain…”

  The man shoved her again.

  Dec growled.

  Evan put a hand on the man’s arm. “Hold.” She met Jonah’s gaze.

  He could almost read her thoughts. They couldn’t afford for Dec to go off half-cocked. They needed to wait for the right moment, their chance.

  If Brennan gave them one.

  “I think it says water,” Layne said.

  “Onto the next one.”

  Layne ran her hands over the next box. “I can’t identify this rock. I’ve never seen it before in Egypt. The symbol says air. Or maybe sky.”

  “Keep going,” Brennan urged.

  “Brennan, you need—”

  He didn’t give Layne a chance to finish. He slapped her across the face.

  With a sharp gasp, she stumbled, clutching her cheek.

  Dec surged forward, and Jonah and Evan grabbed him. He jerked against their hold.

  “Easy,” Brennan warned.

  “She’s pregnant,” Declan growled quietly. “We just found out.”

  Shit. Jonah dragged in a deep breath. If he’d known that, he wouldn’t have let Layne come on this mission. They needed to get the woman safe.

  At the next box, the archeologist frowned.

  “This one isn’t quite like anything I’ve seen. My best guess is death, or journey of death.”

  A crease appeared in Brennan’s brow. “Keep going.”

  “So what’s your plan, Brennan?” Jonah called out. “You can’t get out of here. The rest of my team will be waiting for you.”

  “Grayson, whoever possesses the Hall of Records can instantly absorb all the stored knowledge of the Shemsu-Hor. I’ll be close to a god.”

  “That’s a horrifying thought,” Evan murmured.

  “How do you know all of this?” Layne asked quietly.

  “I found a copy of an incredible manuscript. The story of a priest called Sepa. He was apprentice to one of the Shemsu-Hor and he passed the knowledge down to a secret group of followers. That included Imhotep.”

  Jonah knew of the master architect and vizier to the Pharaoh Djoser. He was famous for designing the Step Pyramid and his knowledge of medicine. He’d been revered after his death.

  “You found this manuscript in Libya,” Evan said.

  Brennan nodded. “In a cluttered, old shop. The man was as old as dust and had no idea what he had on the shelf. But pieces of it were damaged, and I couldn’t work out the location of the Hall of Records.”

  Evan nodded. “Which sent you to ARE and Sprouse.”

  “You were always intelligent, Evan,” Brennan said. “Sprouse had the information to fill in the missing pieces. I had no idea that manuscript would be the thing that would change my life.”

  “And how will it do that?” Evan spat. “It’s turned you from a patriot to a traitor.”

  Brennan shook his head. “Evan, haven’t you learned anything? Nothing ever changes. We spent years dedicated to taking down the bad guys, and for every one we get rid of, a bunch of new ones appear. It’s a fool’s game.”

  “So you gave up and became one yourself? Fuck you, Brennan. You’re so wrong. It’s just more incentive to keep fighting, to keep protecting, to do what’s right.” Her voice lowered. “I believed in you.”

  Jonah saw a flicker on Brennan’s face, but it was gone quickly. The man’s features hardened, and he shoved Layne toward the next box.

  “With the Hall of Records, and all the Shemsu-Hor knowledge, I’ll rule the world. I’ll make it a better place.”

  “According to you.” Evan shook her head. “You can’t decide what’s good or bad. What people can do, or say, or think, or believe. Haven’t you realized that life will never be a perfect utopia? It’s about the mess, the color, people free to have different opinions and beliefs. It’s also about fighting for what you believe in, and about caring for others, even if they don’t look like you, think like you, or believe the same things you do.”

  “I never took you for naïve, Evan.”

  “I assume you’ll sit atop your new world as king,” Jonah said. “With the lion’s share of wealth and power.”

  Brennan lifted his chin. “I’ll have earned it.”

  “No, you’ll be just another bad guy,” Jonah said.

  A flash of anger crossed the man’s face. He turned back to Layne. “The next box, Dr. Ward.”

  Jonah kept his eye on Dec. The man was going to break any second now. He’d attack, if he got the chance.

  Layne licked her lips. “This box says… Knowledge.”

  Brennan straightened. “That’s it! Push the lid off.”

  Layne hesitated. She tossed a look at Declan, then gripped the solid, black lid. She pushed and heaved, grunting a little. The lid slid on the base of the box with the grind of stone on stone.

  Blue light shone upward, the inside of the box glowing.

  Jonah’s fingers curled and Evan gasped.

  Grinning, Brennan shoved Layne aside and reached in.

  He pulled out a blue, glowing orb that looked almost like a fortuneteller’s crystal ball. It was perfectly round, fit in the palm of his hand, and it had blue light swirling inside it.

  “Incredible.” Brennan lifted it up, awe and anticipation on his face.

  They had to act soon.

  Vibrations started under Jonah’s feet, and dust puffed into the air. The walls shook.

  A part of one of the rock walls retracted. In the newly uncovered niche in the wall, lay a mummy.

  More grinding noises, and at the other end of the chamber, another rectangular hole opened in the floor. Another shaft.

  “Oh, my God,” Layne breathed, staring at the mummy.

  The mummy’s body was covered in wrappings and pieces of jewelry, but its head was free. The man was perfectly preserved, like he’d only just recently died. His eyes were closed, his reddish hair tied back from an aristocratic face, and his hands crossed in front of him.

  “The leader of the Shemsu-Hor.” Brennan held the orb up. “Thank you.” Then he turned back to Jonah and the others. “And this new shaft is a secondary exit that connects with the Osiris Shaft.” He smiled. “My way out.”

  Jonah gritted his teeth. Brennan could slip out, and Lachlan and the others would never know.

  Jonah tossed a quick side glance at Dec. And then Evan. He gave them a microscopic nod.

  It was now or never.

  The three of them exploded at Brennan.

  The man took a second to pull the orb to the safety of his chest. Jonah swung out his arm.

  The rogue agent blocked his hit, then kicked.

  They traded blows, and Jonah gritted his teeth. The man was brutal.

  Declan rushed in from the side, and landed two hard punches to Brennan’s back. The man grunted, spun, and jerked his gun up.

  The gunfire was loud in the enclosed space. The bullets hit the wall near Layne. With a scream, the archeologist dropped to a crouch.

  Declan swiveled and dove for his wife.

  Brennan kept firing. Declan wrapped his arms around Layne and yanked her backward into the alcove with the Shemsu-Hor mummy.

  Then suddenly, the rock door slid closed, trapping the pair inside.

  Dammit. Jonah swiveled, his fists raised. Evan ran at Brennan.

  Kick, punch, duck. The two moved in a deadly dance. It was clear that they’d trained together before.

  Each hit Evan took made Jonah wince. He moved closer to the fighting pair, ready for anything.

  But he had to trust her. To do what she did best. And she knew Brennan better than any of them.

  “You’ll never stop me,” Brennan said. “Not now.” He held the orb up.

&
nbsp; Blue light flashed out of it, blindingly bright. Jonah blinked and he saw Evan stumble.

  Brennan strode to her and landed a powerful front kick to her gut.

  She flew backward.

  And fell into the open shaft.

  “Evan, no!” Jonah yelled.

  One second, she was there, and the next, she was gone.

  Heart hammering impossibly hard in his chest, he stared at the empty black hole.

  “Evan.” Pain and fear ripped at him.

  Brennan laughed, his gun swinging around to point at Jonah.

  “If my document is correct, the shaft is nearly a hundred feet deep. Evan’s dead, Grayson. A broken mess at the bottom of that hole.”

  Darkness whirled inside Jonah, consuming him. A darkness that had claimed him once before. No. He couldn’t lose her. She couldn’t be dead.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Evan gritted her teeth and hung on.

  She pressed herself flat against the wall of the shaft. She’d lost a lot of skin off her hands, but she’d managed to eventually grab some handholds and stop her fall.

  Her heart was pounding wildly in her ears. She looked up at the rectangle of pale light above. She had a long way to climb. She looked down to the stygian darkness below. She had no idea how deep the shaft went.

  She started climbing up.

  Her palms burned and she felt sticky blood between her fingers.

  But it didn’t matter. You’re alive, Evan.

  She had to get back to Jonah.

  The harsh report of gunshots echoed from above.

  Her heart stopped.

  Jonah.

  Evan climbed faster. For the first time in her life, she prayed.

  Oh, God. She was falling in love with Jonah Grayson. She almost slipped, and licked her lips, her pulse dancing. Don’t panic. Just focus on getting out of here alive.

  She kept climbing, one hand in front of the other. Finally, she reached the edge, and the sounds of fighting reached her ears.

  She peeked over the rim of the shaft and saw Jonah. Relief was a wild rush inside her. Feeling dizzy, she pressed her face to the rock. He was alive and fighting Brennan.

  The men were fighting, hard and dirty.

  Now, it was time to help Jonah stop Brennan, once and for all.