by Anna Hackett
She slowly started climbing out of the shaft.
Jonah rammed an elbow into Brennan’s face, and her old boss dropped the orb. It rolled across the floor. She also spotted Brennan’s plastic gun lying on the floor not far away.
With a hard kick, Jonah sent the man slamming into one of the boxes. Jonah’s next kick was right to Brennan’s face, and blood dribbled out of the man’s mouth.
“That’s for Evan,” Jonah snapped.
“She’s dead, Grayson. Nothing will change that.”
Jonah’s face twisted.
Evan pulled herself over the edge. “You have an overinflated sense of your own abilities, Brennan.”
The rogue CIA agent sucked in a shocked breath. Jonah’s head whipped around. His eyes glowed—with relief, happiness, and something else she couldn’t name.
Brennan exploded into action and Evan ran. She leaped into the air, and wound her legs around his neck. With a violent twist of her body, she brought both of them crashing to the ground.
They wrestled across the stone floor and she got him in a choke hold, but he was strong. He shoved her and twisted free.
Jonah rushed in.
But he barely got one blow in, when Brennan rolled away. Evan lunged after the man, following with a hit and a kick.
Brennan rammed against her, tackling her to the ground.
He got on top of her and reached out.
Shit. His gun was lying right beside them. Brennan snatched it up and pressed it to the center of her chest.
“Don’t move, or I’ll kill her.”
He was talking to Jonah, but Brennan stared into Evan’s eyes.
She stared back. “I trusted you, admired you.”
“Then you’re stupid. You should never trust anyone.”
“You’re wrong. Maybe that’s what warped you.” She glanced at Jonah. “That man believed in me from the beginning. Even when he shouldn’t have. He trusts his team, and he’s allowed me to be a part of them. We’re stronger together.” The look on Jonah’s face warmed her insides.
“You’re a fool,” Brennan barked.
“And you’ve become the enemy. You’re just like all those terrorists and criminals that we’ve locked away. You’ve put your own wants and needs ahead of other people’s lives. You’re rotten.”
He slammed a fist into her face, but Evan bit her lip and rode the pain.
“And the best thing about trusting someone, is you know they have your back,” she said.
Jonah had moved silently closer, and suddenly whipped the garrote wire from his watch over Brennan’s head.
The rogue agent thrashed.
Jonah pulled with all his strength, yanking Brennan off Evan.
She leaped up and jumped on his body, pinning him down.
Jonah kept on the pressure and she watched Brennan’s struggle slow. She watched the life drain out of his eyes.
A mix of hot emotion hit her. What a fucking waste.
A moment later, Brennan slumped, staring, unseeing, at the rock ceiling.
Evan sat back on her knees. The emotions left her in a rush, and now, she just felt tired and empty.
“Evan?”
She looked at Jonah, and emotions filled the void. Much, much better ones. Big, scary ones.
She crawled to him.
He yanked her close and she wrapped her arms around his body. He was warm, hard, and solid. Then his mouth was on hers.
She pressed into him, kissing him with everything she had.
“I thought you were dead.” His hands tightened on her. “When you fell…”
She heard the break in his voice.
She pressed her face to his neck and held on tight. “I’m fine.”
Then, muffled thumps came from the alcove where Dec and Layne were trapped. Right nearby, resting on the floor, sat the orb.
“Let’s finish this damn mission and get out of here,” Jonah said.
“I am one hundred percent behind that plan.”
Jonah pulled Evan to her feet. He couldn’t resist cupping her face, and taking another quick kiss. He was so damn relieved that she was all right.
He saw her scraped hands. They were bloody and raw. He pressed a kiss to an unscathed part of one of her palms.
That earned him a small smile.
Then he crouched and picked up the orb.
He expected it to be warm, but it was strangely cool.
“Wow. It’s pretty incredible,” Evan said.
A blue, smoke-like substance was moving around inside the glass.
“I wonder what incredible secrets are actually in here,” he murmured.
After a moment, they moved to the alcove, Jonah taking a firm hold of the orb.
“Dec, Layne, it’s Jonah. Brennan is dead. Evan and I will try and get you out.”
“Roger that.” Dec’s muffled voice. “Glad you guys are okay.”
“We have the orb.”
“Great. Any sign of the rest of our team?”
Jonah frowned. “Not yet.” He would have expected that at least some of the team would’ve followed, by now. He touched his ear. “Lachlan? Do you read me?”
Nothing.
“I think we must be too deep for the comms to work. Or something is interfering with the signal.” Jonah hoped to hell they were okay.
“There must be a way to open this.” Evan ran her hands over the rock.
Jonah couldn’t spot any mechanism or way to open it. Dammit. Nothing.
He altered his grip on the orb and the light pulsed under his fingers.
“Jonah!” Layne called out. “There’s an amulet on the mummy, and it just glowed blue.”
Evan and Jonah looked at the orb.
“Maybe this can open it?” Jonah ran his hand over the sphere of glass, and then held it closer to the slab.
With a scrape, the alcove opened, and revealed a relieved Dec with his arm around Layne.
“Oh!” The archeologist stared at the orb and reached out a hand.
“No.” Dec grabbed her arm. “We’ve got no idea what effect that could have on you. Or the baby.”
Layne pouted.
Jonah nodded. “He’s right.”
Layne sighed. “There are some interesting engravings in this alcove with the mummy. It warns about opening the wrong box, about the impure disturbing the treasures of the Shemsu-Hor, and for imposters to beware.”
Evan visibly shivered. “Or what?”
“Or death.” Layne’s nose wrinkled. “That’s all it said.”
“How about we get the fuck out of here, and talk about this somewhere else?” Dec suggested.
“No one is going anywhere,” a male voice said.
What the hell? Jonah spun.
Hugh Sprouse stood at the base of the first shaft. His blond hair was disheveled, and he held a handgun, aimed at Jonah.
“Sprouse—”
“I want the orb.” The man’s voice was firm; his gun didn’t waver. “I put up with that asshole’s shit.” He shot an acid look at Brennan’s body. “But I knew his arrogance would get the best of him, then I’d have my chance to get the Hall of Records.”
“All this time, you were playacting,” Evan breathed. “Playing the bumbling, fearful sidekick.”
The man smiled. “Yes.”
She shook her head. “You should join the CIA.”
Sprouse’s smile vanished. “Hand the artifact over.”
“No.” Jonah shook his head. “We can’t do that. Besides, you’re outnumbered.”
“I’m the only one with a gun.”
“But I don’t think you’ll kill anyone. Takes guts to put a bullet in someone. Dec is a former Navy SEAL, Evan’s a CIA agent. And I’m former military, and trained, as well.”
“And I’m an archeologist.” Layne shifted her feet. “Sorry, I was feeling a bit left out of the badassness.” She looked at Sprouse. “I can’t kill you with my pinky finger, but I’m smart. Oh, and they can all kill you with their pinkies.”
<
br /> Evan snorted.
“Be quiet!” Sprouse waved the gun in the air. “In case you’re stalling, waiting for your team to get here, I blocked the shaft above. I blew up the top, so there’s rubble covering it. Your team can’t get down here quickly. So just do as I say, and no one gets hurt.” He straightened. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
Jonah nodded. “Fine. Catch.” He threw the orb.
Sprouse gasped and jumped forward. Evan and Dec rushed the man. He yelped, missed the orb, which hit the floor with a clink, and the gun went off. A bullet slammed into one of the black boxes. The rock cracked.
“No one move.” Sprouse whipped around and fired at Dec. The former SEAL jerked.
“Dec!” Layne yelled.
He pressed a hand to his arm. “Just grazed me.”
Evan pulled back, standing in a fighting stance, arms up.
Sprouse licked his lips. “Give me the orb!”
Jonah knelt and picked up the Hall of Records orb.
“No more tricks, Grayson,” Sprouse warned.
“We aren’t giving you the orb, Sprouse,” Jonah said.
The man’s face flushed. He fired again.
It was like a punch to Jonah’s lower gut.
He staggered.
“No. No.” Evan’s face turned stark white.
The orb slipped from Jonah’s fingers. He pressed a hand to his gut and blood coated his fingers. He’d taken a bullet just below his vest. He lifted his head and met Evan’s horrified eyes. She mouthed his name, then his legs turned to water and he collapsed.
Pain hit like a sledgehammer.
Chapter Sixteen
Evan’s world stopped.
She’d seen people get shot before. She’d even taken a few bullets herself. But the blood on Jonah’s stomach made it impossible for her to breathe.
As he fell, she cried out and lunged for him. She gripped him as he fell to the ground.
“Oh shit. Shit.” Sprouse was pale and glassy-eyed. He stared in horror at the blood on Jonah’s shirt.
Evan pressed a hand to Jonah’s wound and felt warm blood pump into her palm.
“Jonah—” Her voice cracked. “Stay still. We’ll get you help.”
“Evan.”
His voice was still deep and sexy, but she heard his pain.
She met his gaze.
“I’m so grateful I met you,” he said. “That you came into my life.”
Anguish twisted inside her. “No. Don’t you fucking say goodbye.”
Dec moved toward Sprouse, and the man came out of his stupor. He jerked his weapon up. “Stay back!”
Evan ignored Sprouse. All her focus was on Jonah.
He lifted an arm, pressed his hand to her cheek. She felt his blood on her skin.
“You’ve made me feel so damn much these last few days,” he said. “After I lost my mother, my ability to let someone close went into cold storage.” A smile flirted on his lips. “You ripped the doors right off and waltzed right in. Into my heart, Evan. I love you.”
A hiccupping sob broke from her. “Jonah… Please.”
“I’d never lie to you, Evan. But I’m not going to make it before help arrives. We both know it.”
Blood was spreading on the stone beneath him. She pressed harder. She felt like a hand was squeezing her chest. With a sob, she pressed her forehead to his. “You can’t do this. You can’t make me fall in love with you, need you, and then leave!”
“I don’t want to, baby.” He rubbed her hair between his fingers. “But you’re strong.”
“No, I’m not.” Her voice was a broken whisper. “I’m all bravado. When it counts, I’m a coward.”
“No. My Evan, the woman I love, is not a coward. She fights for what’s right. To the bitter end. I’m damn proud of her.”
Tears—hot and scalding—fell down her cheeks. “Losing you will shatter me.”
Jonah pulled her close, his face spasmed with pain.
“Where’s the orb!” Sprouse was sweating. He studiously avoided looking at Jonah.
Evan pressed harder on Jonah’s wound, trying to stop the awful flow of blood. He groaned quietly.
Nearby, Layne pulled in a ragged breath, her sad gaze on Jonah. Dec’s face was hard as he focused on Sprouse.
Anger welled inside Evan. She stared at Jonah, watching his bronze skin turn pale.
Sprouse had done this. He’d hurt Jonah. He was taking away the only man Evan had ever loved.
She looked down and saw that the orb had rolled against her leg. She grabbed it in her blood-slicked hands. Her fingers closed over the cool surface, and her anger swelled and grew claws.
She touched Jonah’s cheek and rose.
“Is this what you want?” She held the orb up.
The young man’s gaze flicked to the orb and back. He licked his lips. Not so confident now.
“Give it to me.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Evan strode toward him. She watched him tense, then she threw the orb right at his head. Hard.
As it connected with his skull, it made a loud crack.
Sprouse howled and dropped his gun.
The orb hit the floor, and Evan scooped it up and attacked. She used the sphere as a weapon, hammering the man with it.
“You shot my man. You hurt him.” You’re stealing him from me.
Sprouse yelped and tried to hit back. She rammed her fist into his side and he groaned.
Evan kept hitting him. All this for power. These fucking selfish, weak men like Sprouse, like Brennan.
Sprouse was alive, while a good, honorable man like Jonah was dying.
Sprouse stumbled and Evan followed him down, still raining blows on him. He whimpered and threw his arms over his head.
“Evan.”
Jonah’s voice made her stop, her chest heaving. Her fingers clenched on the orb. Sprouse was sobbing, and curled into a ball on the ground.
Dec touched Evan’s shoulder. “I’ll deal with Sprouse and get him tied up.”
She swallowed against the lump in her throat and turned. Layne had taken off her shirt, and was now just in a tank top. Her shirt was wadded in a ball against Jonah’s stomach. The pool of blood beneath him had grown.
Pain and grief cut Evan like a knife. Her knees wobbled.
There was nothing she could do. Nothing that would fix this. She was helpless.
Jonah lifted a hand and she knelt beside him. He touched her face.
“It’s okay,” he said.
She shook her head. “No, it’s not.”
“Brennan is dead. The Hall of Records is safe.” Jonah glanced at the orb in her hand. “You won.”
Yet she felt like she’d lost everything. She twined her fingers with his.
“You can clear your name and go back to your job. A job that you’re damn good at.”
“I don’t care about the job! Dammit, Jonah, I’m in love with you.” Her chest hitched. “I want you. For the first time in my life, I want a life. With you.”
She realized it would never happen now. Tears fell, a fast, hot spill. Her heart was tearing apart. When he died, he’d take a part of it with him.
One of her tears fell on the orb. The sphere flashed blue. What the hell? Blinking, she lifted it.
Jonah’s fingers closed over it. “Incredible.”
“It’s just a hunk of glass with its own secrets. Secrets probably best left hidden.” She wished she’d never seen it.
Jonah’s long fingers stroked it.
Then he frowned. “It’s warming up.”
“What?”
A blue light strobed out of the orb, blinding her.
Jonah blinked at the bright, blazing light. The pain in his gut made it hard to breathe, move.
He felt the life leaking out of him. His vision cleared and Evan’s devastated face dominated his view.
Blue light pulsed out of the orb again. The Hall of Records was hot in his hand.
“Jonah, let it go,” Evan s
aid.
“I…can’t.” His fingers were stuck to the glass.
“What the hell is happening?” Dec said.
“I don’t know.” Evan gripped Jonah’s arm. She tried to pry the orb away from him, but it was stuck firm.
The blue glow intensified.
Jonah felt energy flow up his arm. It wasn’t hurting him, but it wasn’t pleasant either. He gritted his teeth.
“Dammit.” Evan tugged on the orb again, then she gasped. “Jonah.”
He followed her gaze to his arm. Shit. His veins were all starting to glow bright blue.
The color crept up his arm, rushing out across all his veins.
Evan loosened his Kevlar vest and managed to open the top buttons of his shirt. The blue glow traveled across his chest.
“The Hall of Records has activated,” he said.
Evan’s eyes widened. “Your neck, cheeks. All your veins are glowing.”
Jonah felt a warm tingle, then pain exploded in his head, like a vice had clamped on his brain. He hissed between his teeth.
“Jonah?”
“It’s… I feel a pressure in my head.”
“Declan, help me!” Evan said.
They both tried to get the orb free.
Nothing worked.
The pain in Jonah’s head worsened.
“The Hall of Records is active,” Layne whispered. “It’s trying to download its data into Jonah.”
Images poured through his head in a blinding rush. He sucked in a breath, his eyes flickering. There were diagrams, pictures, instructions, temples. It was all too fast for him to comprehend. The pressure in his head increased, feeling like it was going to burst.
“It’s too much!” Layne cried.
“It’s hurting him.” Evan yanked on the orb unsuccessfully.
Jonah could see all his veins pulsing blue. Energy filled him, lifting him up from the floor.
He heard the others’ shocked exclamations. Sprouse scrambled into the alcove, hiding behind the mummy. Then Jonah’s body floated upright, and his feet left the floor. He held his arms out.
“Jonah.” Evan’s face was etched with fear.
Jonah felt his own emotions draining away. His head still hurt, but his body felt numb now. His feet were a foot above the stone floor. He hung there, orb in hand, knowledge pouring into his brain.
“Your eyes,” Evan whispered. “They’re glowing blue.”