by Allie Burton
And if I confessed my feelings he’d probably reject me like he had at the Nilometer. Our kiss in the bay must’ve been another one of his experiments.
How would telling him how I feel help our situation?
Once our quest was over we’d be separated. Xander was smart and sophisticated and intelligent. He might be able to make a normal life for himself. Fitch would not be a good influence on him even though Xander’s kisses had been good for me.
Where was Tut when Xander and I kissed? Heat circled from my head to my toes. I wanted to hide from inside myself. Oh, my. Tut had witnessed our kiss. And our fight afterwards.
Apologize.
“Are you telling me what to do?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Xander turned around and glared, his green eyes morphing into a harsh red stoplight.
“I don’t need your help,” I whispered this time not wanting Xander to hear.
Why should I apologize? He’s the one who’d gotten angry. His pride was wounded and he lashed out.
Precisely.
Precisely, what?
Why is it that a man’s pride is hurt?
You’re the guy, you tell me.
Why did you not tell him what you were thinking during your kiss?
Why should I?
Why should he?
Communication between two people was difficult enough. This relationship had three.
Tut, Xander, and myself.
And all three of us were at a stand off.
Chapter Nineteen
“I found a marking.” Xander’s excitement tore through my depression. He’d been the one scouring the street while I’d been thinking about our relationship. Or rather, our non-relationship.
Finding the puzzle pieces was more important. I rushed over to him and peered where his finger pointed onto the street. “What is it?”
“A pattern in the bricks.” Xander stepped into the street. “Can you see it?”
“No.” I angled my head to the right.
The shade of red varied in a few of the bricks. There was no specific pattern or marking.
“Squint your eyes.” He circled the perimeter of what he said was the pattern.
A car honked for him to get out of the way. He jumped back to the curb.
The street was closed to tourists wanting to drive down the famous road, but not to local residents. Driving by, the driver glowered.
“We can’t look suspicious.” All my thievery training tuned in to the situation. “If we’re going to take whatever’s hidden here we can’t attract attention. Let’s play tourist.”
He turned and pointed at a house further down the street. “I’ll pretend I’m studying the architecture. You get a better look at the bricks.”
I examined the bricks, changing the angle of my head, holding one eye closed and then the other, squinting. “I don’t see anything.”
“Keep looking.”
“Why does it matter if I see it?”
When I was a child in the foster care system, counselors had given me a battery of tests. This reminded me of the test where you looked at black blobs and had to tell them what it looked like. To me, it always looked like a black blob. The test-givers had always smiled, but I sensed they were disappointed. The test told them I was stupid.
That’s why I’d been juggled from home to home. No one wanted a dumb girl. And even though I’d tried to teach myself, I knew I wasn’t smart like other kids. I didn’t want Xander to realize my biggest fault. He’d reject me because of my stupidity.
“I want to make sure.” Xander twisted around. “It’s a striking cobra. There’s one on King Tut’s headpiece.”
“If you say so.” I glared at the spot on the road.
Some of the bricks were a darker shade than the rest, as if they were newer. The top of the marking curved around and came to a point, like a long, skinny tongue. The rest of the bricks formed an ‘S’ shape, kind of like a body.
“This is it. I’m sure of it.” His arrogance returned, possibly brought on by his hurt of me breaking off our kiss. I sensed no doubt in his tone.
“Well, if it is.” I couldn’t agree with him out right. “How are we going to dig it out? There are people around.”
His gaze scanned the area. No more cars drove down the hill and the only other people appeared to be tourists.
Using the toe of his foot, he kicked at a couple of bricks. “The darker ones are looser than the regular colored ones.”
I took my lip gloss out of my pocket and dropped it onto the roadway. Then, I stepped over next to him and bent down to pick up the tube. In the process, I pried a brick up about an inch.
“They’re loose.” I dropped the brick back into place and scooped up my lip gloss. My gaze caught on a solitary figure standing at the bottom of the hill.
The man bent over in the shadow of a building. My nerves tingled. He looked like Fitch.
I took a step toward him and then stopped. If it was Fitch he’d demand the amulet and that I return home. He wouldn’t believe all the hocus pocus about a curse. He wouldn’t trust me to go with Xander and retrieve the oils. He wouldn’t trust Xander.
And then I’d be stuck with this curse forever. Well, at least until I burned out and died.
The man stared straight at me. I felt his laser-sharp gaze focus. Fear skittered down my back and I ducked low trying too late to hide.
If he terrified me, what would he do to Xander? Especially since I’d joined Xander without Fitch’s permission. I shivered.
If it was Fitch, why didn’t he approach and demand the amulet? That would be his usual style. He wouldn’t have my best interests at heart. Or the interests of the entire world.
Since working with Xander, my relationship with Fitch had clarified in my head. I wasn’t his daughter and didn’t want to be. I wasn’t quite his employee, either. Our relationship was complicated and confusing.
I knew I had to return to Fitch soon. Not because I liked him or trusted him, but I’d promised to take care of the kids. Tina and Doug probably wondered why I hadn’t returned last night. But I had to finish this quest first.
I glanced at Xander. He’d be better off without me or Fitch once this was over. “Let’s go someplace we can think and not be noticed.”
Away from the tourists. Away from the weight of my responsibilities. Away from the maybe-Fitch and his accusing glare.
Ten minutes later, we ended up in Washington Square, a small park off Columbus Avenue. The early evening air turned brisk and clouds of fog began to ease in off the bay.
I plopped down on a park bench, wishing the day hadn’t passed so quickly. Could I turn back the clock by keeping the sun in one place? “Should I make the sun come out again and burn away the fog?”
He picked a bench across the wide sidewalk. It was like a chasm that couldn’t be breached. “Thought you didn’t want to be noticed?” His surly tone was back. He leaned his head back as if not expecting a response to his question. “Once night falls, we should go back and dig up the bricks.”
I pushed my personal feelings aside. “We’ll have to wait until most of the residents on Lombard Street have gone to bed.” And Fitch had left.
“So, we wait.” He closed his eyes. “And get some sleep.”
* * *
Xander woke me from my dream with a simple, “Get up.”
The hostility in his voice reminded me of King Tut speaking to Queen Ankhesenamen in the dream I’d just had. On the day of their wedding, he refused to profess his love for her even though she was his one and only love. His soulmate. He’d talked to her of duty and responsibility, not once brave enough to speak the truth.
The park bench I’d napped on left me achy in places, but no more than the ache in my heart. Damp fog skittered over my skin causing shivers. A possible omen of things to come?
I didn’t believe in omens. Then again, I hadn’t believed in lost souls and powers when this journey began.
Walking back to Lombard S
treet, clouds drifted around the moon but didn’t cross the path of light gleaming from the sky. The poetic description in my head brought me back to my dream. Had Tut tried to show me something?
The silence between Tut and I was deafening. Same for the silence between me and Xander. We’d always had so much to talk about and now, nothing. People always said when a relationship turned romantic you could no longer be friends. Xander and I had proved that without doubt.
Did one kiss signify a romance?
For me it had. But I wanted both the friendship and the romance.
I bit my lower lip trying to form an explanation in my mind. How did you tell a guy that while kissing, you were thinking how much you cared about him? And how that had led to the puzzle? If it didn’t make sense to me, how was it going to make sense to Xander?
The dream’s lesson clicked in my head. Tell Xander my true feelings. If Tut had told Ankhesenamen how he felt they wouldn’t have hurt each other. Just like Xander and I.
I took a deep breath and blew out slowly. “I want you to know, I was thinking about you when we kissed.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
Actually, I had fooled him even though I hadn’t meant to. “Maybe this is only how a girl’s mind works but I was thinking how my feelings zigzagged emotionally like—”
“Lombard Street.”
“Exactly.” Maybe he did get me after all. I put a hopeful, puppy-dog look on my face. “And it just sort of popped out of my mouth. I’m sorry.”
He glanced over and then down at his shoes as we walked. “I got angry because I didn’t expect the first time I kissed a girl she’d be doing puzzles in her head.”
So, he’d felt insecure. Like me. Like Tut. Unsure of what the kiss meant. It had been his first kiss too. A slightly wicked thought came to mind. “What about the second time? Like a second at bat.”
His gaze flew to my face. “Second time?”
“Well, um, yeah.” I stumbled over my own words. “If you want to.”
“Do you want to?” His expression flashed confusion. “We are talking about kissing, right?”
“Yes.” It felt good to know we were on the same page, or ancient scroll. I was glad I’d confessed my thoughts. Unlike Tut in my dream. “Too bad there’s no pond nearby.”
“I’ll find water for us to stand in soon. Real soon.” He winked at me before glancing at the night sky. “Right now though, we should concentrate on the next step of our adventure.”
Was he referring to our next adventure finding the oil or our next kiss? I could only think about the latter. He wanted to kiss me again. My heart whooshed inside my ribcage, sprinting like a race. A smile burst on my face. Tingles exploded on every inch of my skin. He liked me. “As long as you promise at the next sight of water, we make-up.”
And make out.
* * *
The distinct pattern of the striking cobra glowed at night. Maybe because I knew where it was located or maybe because I now expected mystical things to happen, but the darker red brick shimmered in the moonlight. Finally, I could see what Xander had seen. I should retake one of those ink blot tests with my new powers. Maybe I’d pass.
The lights inside the neighboring houses were dark. Only the glow from the street lamps lit the area. Distant street traffic purred in the distance.
I bent down and peered at the bricks. “How are we going to dig them out?” With speed. It wouldn’t take long for a car to pass by or a neighbor unable to sleep to look out the window. Or Fitch to return.
“Thought of that.” Xander took two metal gardening shovels out of his backpack. “I couldn’t sleep while we were at the park, so I prowled around a couple of yards with gardens.”
I took one of the shovels and glanced around again. “Where should we start?” The sooner we started digging the sooner we could get out of here.
“Ancient Egyptians believed the number seven was lucky.” Xander crouched down across from me. He counted up from the bottom of the cobra. “You count from the tip of the tongue.”
“Why the tip of the tongue?” I touched my tongue to my top lip.
His gaze tracked the movement as if entranced. He cleared his throat. “Just a guess.”
I tapped on each brick, counting to number seven. “Ready?”
“Let’s dig.” He shoved his shovel into the crack between the brick.
I did the same. Loosening the first brick on all sides, I used the sharp tip to pry out the brick. “Nothing here.”
“Here either.” Xander lifted his second brick and then started on his third.
“How many bricks make this pattern?” I estimated more than fifty but less than a hundred. Digging all of them out could take awhile. Time we didn’t have. A neighbor was bound to see us shortly.
My shovel scraped against the brick, scattering my nerves. “Any other lucky numbers in ancient Egyptian?”
He tapped a number and dug out the brick. His shovel clanged on metal. “I hit something.”
“A vessel?” I examined the hole he’d made.
He kept digging deeper and deeper. “Definitely something here.” He reached his hand in the hole, switching positions from side to side. “I got it.” His hand rose like a slow crane carrying a load. His fingers gripped a round-shaped object. “I think this is it.” His voice chimed with excitement.
“Let me see.” I dropped my shovel with a slight clatter.
He held up the prize and twisted off the cap. The small golden vessel glinted in the moonlight. Holding it to his nose, he sniffed. “Myrrh. It’s a blood stimulant.”
“What do the hieroglyphics say?”
Xander’s gaze darted around. “Why don’t we put the bricks back and read this in a safer place.”
“Right.” I picked my shovel back up and started scooping the extra dirt back.
After tucking the vessel in his bag, he helped put the rest of the bricks in place. Focused on our task, we worked fast.
“Which oil have you found for me?” The smooth and familiar voice came from my right.
I dropped my shovel with a clang and jerked my head in that direction. A tall man wearing a black designer leather jacket stood only a few feet away. His collar was jerked up keeping his face in shadow. Not a local cop. Or a white-robed Society member unless he was incognito—disguised like a normal person and not a mad man out to rule the world.
A prickling sensation crawled across my skin. Like an internal warning system the sharp pokes told me this guy was bad news. I got to my feet slowly, waiting for him to make a sudden move.
Two other darkly dressed men approached from the other side. Each of them wore a gold mesh glove on opposite hands. I didn’t think it was the new Michael Jackson look.
Xander picked up the shovel I dropped and stood. He stiffened beside me. His gaze traveled around assessing the danger.
I stepped closer to the backpack he’d left on the ground. Without words, I understood what Xander planned. He’d fight. I’d grab the bag and run.
Disagreeing with Xander wasn’t an option. Then, neither of us would get away. I didn’t like that he played hero, but I didn’t have a choice.
“Hand over the oils.” The tall man held out his hand. He knew what he wanted and that we had it. He beamed showing his perfect white teeth.
The smile banged in my head. I searched my mind for where I’d seen him before, heard him before. Really tall, shiny white teeth, narrow face. My brain clicked with the answer. “You’re the homeless guy.” Except he didn’t look homeless.
He still wore the cuffed pants but the ratty trench coat was gone replaced by an expensive-looking leather jacket.
“Ah, you remember me, Olivia.”
Dread dragged through my tummy. “How do you know my name?”
He took a menacing step forward. “How many oil vessels have you found? My informant told me you were snooping around the Transamerica Pyramid.”
The guard at the tower.
“Are you a Society member
?” Xander must not recognize the man from the secretive group.
“Not anymore.” The man laughed. “Which is why I slipped a tracker in the pants my homeless friends gave you.” He examined Xander’s clean jeans. “Except you changed clothes.”
“What do you want?” Xander’s expression hardened like Tut’s death mask. He looked like a fierce warrior.
A warrior willing to protect me, willing to fight for me.
A shiver ran up my spine and hit every single nerve ending.
“I want the oils. And I want Olivia.”
Chapter Twenty
He wanted the oils we’d worked so hard to retrieve?
But more important than that…
He wanted me?
Cold ran through my veins like water surging in the San Francisco Bay. Every muscle in my body stiffened, the horror leaching into my bones. I recoiled from this man, this threat.
“At the park. How did you know I’d inherited the soul and not Xander?”
“I know many things, Olivia.” I didn’t like how he said my name like he owned it. Owned me.
“You didn’t know you couldn’t touch me.” Hah. I puffed out my chest. He couldn’t touch me then, and he can’t touch me now.
“I knew.” The tall man’s confidence grated on my nerves. He sounded like Xander when we’d first met. “I just needed those street creatures to slow you down.”
In their weakened state, one of the homeless who touched me could’ve died. “Why didn’t you grab me when I got there? Why wait until I was leaving?”
“Miscalculation.” The tall man actually admitted a mistake. “When you carelessly started the fire, I knew you’d waste the power. My power.” He punched a fist into his left hand. “Then, you created the wave at the cliffs. More wasted power.”
I jerked my gaze from his head to his foot looking for a gun bulging from a pocket. “You shot at us.”
“At Xander.” The tall man’s gaze narrowed at Xander as if he hated him. “The saltwater ruined my gun.”
So, he didn’t have one. This time. Another image flashed in my brain. The tall guy with the gun by the loading dock at the museum.
