Finding Sheba (Omar Zagouri Thriller Book 1)

by H. B. Moore

  “Think on your answer.” Batal kissed each of her hands. “I will be waiting. If you do not appear, I will know your final answer and leave for Saba at the morning’s first rays.”

  Nicaula nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She watched him leave the room, and as soon as the door shut, a wave of emptiness replaced his presence. Running to her bed, she threw herself upon it and wrapped her arms about her torso. It might work. It just might.

  CHAPTER

  44

  Shisur, Oman

  Ismail’s body collapsed on top of Jade’s, thrusting her to the ground. Something in her shoulder popped. I’ve been shot.

  By Ismail’s groans, she knew he was not dead . . . yet. His labored breathing resounded next to her ear. He struggled, not to move off her, but to reach for the nearby Uzi.

  Jade’s arms were pinned beneath her, so all she could do was watch helplessly as his hand inched closer to the weapon. The dropped flashlights cast odd beams about the tomb, and Ismail’s face looked garish in the uneven glow. His teeth protruded over his lip.

  “Omar! Alem!” Jade called. No one responded. Were their bodies lying lifeless just feet away?

  Ismail’s other hand locked around her neck, and the pressure prevented Jade from crying out again.

  Suddenly, Ismail rolled off her, and Jade gulped for air. A scream curdled the air, and when Jade realized it wasn’t her own, she scrambled to her feet.

  Someone stood over Ismail, straddling his torso, a gun aimed point-blank at the center of his forehead.

  “You have ten seconds to say your last prayer.” Mia’s clipped voice bounced off the walls.

  “Please—don’t kill me—”

  “Say it,” Mia commanded, her grip steady on the trigger.

  “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.” Ismail’s voice choked on his own sobs. He broke away from the traditional words and shouted, “O Allah, spare my life. Have mercy!”

  Jade scooted away until her back collided with the wall. She had no doubt Mia would shoot the man in a matter of seconds. Her eyes scanned the tomb, looking for the others. Omar was crumpled against the far wall, and Alem lay just a few feet from her, flat on the ground. With relief, Jade saw that he was breathing. But Omar didn’t look so lucky.

  “Turn over.” Mia’s harsh voice sent a chill along Jade’s back.

  Ismail complied with Mia’s order, and with a few deft strokes, she tied his wrists together and then his ankles. She fastened another rope that dangled from the hole at the top of the cavern. “Pull him up,” she called to someone above.

  The rope slowly lifted Ismail’s weight. Mia glanced at Jade. “If you aren’t hurt, come help me.”

  By the time Jade reached her, Mia had turned Omar on his back and torn the fabric of his shirt. Pulling it off, she wadded the material and pressed it against his right shoulder. Blood immediately soaked it.

  “Hold this in place,” Mia said.

  Jade slid her hands beneath Mia’s and pushed against Omar’s flesh. The blood oozed warm between Jade’s fingers, and she felt dizzy.

  “Look away if you must, but keep the pressure.” Mia’s voice sounded far away. She took Omar’s opposite arm and felt for a pulse, counting the throbs against her illuminated watch. “He’s fighting.”

  A tear slipped down Jade’s cheek as she took a shaky breath. “How did you find us?”

  “It wasn’t too hard to guess when three men tried to wrestle me from my bed. I kind of assumed the rest of you were in danger as well.”

  Just then, Omar’s eyelids fluttered.

  Mia bent over him. “Don’t do this to me, baby.” She kissed his forehead then his cheek. “If you get out of this alive, I’m going to kill you for being such a stupid fool.” She started counting his pulse again. “We have to get him out of here now! His heart rate is slowing.”

  Alem stirred and spoke in a drowsy voice. “What happened?”

  “You fainted,” Mia said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Now, get up and help us with Omar.”

  A voice from above ground called down to them. “Mia, is everyone all right?”

  Lucas.

  Jade’s heart nearly burst into a thousand shards. He wasn’t responsible for all this deception—the shooting—the horror. He was good, honest . . . right?

  “Take his legs.” Mia’s voice cut into Jade’s reverie.

  Jade grasped Omar’s ankles, resting his heavy boots on her hips. Her knees buckled as she tried to support his weight. With Mia and Alem carrying his torso, they made their way to just below the opening of the cave.

  “More rope,” Mia shouted. Additional rope tumbled down.

  She wound the rope about Omar’s waist and then around his chest. Finally she tied his hands together. “Good thing he passed out, or this would be quite painful.” Finally she lashed his hands to the main rope. “Ready.”

  Slowly, Omar was raised to the surface, and the rope cascaded down again. Mia insisted that Alem and Jade go ahead of her. Then she followed.

  At the surface, Jade blinked in the morning light, hardly believing that this was the second time she’d been rescued from the same place. And both times Lucas had been there to greet her. She stood at a distance as Lucas and Alem assessed Omar.

  “We’ll have to dig the bullet out immediately,” Lucas said, his expression grim. “Transporting him to the hospital will take too much time.” His stern gaze alighted on Jade for a brief instant, then left.

  Jade didn’t know if she should yell at him or embrace him. She watched Lucas closely, wondering which side he was on. She wanted to confront him, but his withering glance had suppressed her compulsion. He was concerned about life and death right now, not her roller-coaster doubts.

  Mia crossed to Omar and, bending over him, stroked his head.

  Looking away, Jade swallowed at the lump in her throat, realizing she’d had it easy. Lucas gave instructions for Omar to be moved inside Mia’s tent for the surgery.

  The women waited outside the tent, saying nothing as the sun slowly rose in the sky, making everything hot and sticky. Ismail sat in the bed of the truck, a rope connecting his bound hands to the axle. It was then that Jade noticed the camp seemed deserted. Where were all the others?

  An hour crept by. The early sun was just starting to dissipate the last of the shade when Lucas exited the tent. Flies immediately congregated to his unwashed hands. Mia grabbed a liter of water and poured it over them.

  “I took out the bullet and cleaned the wound as much as possible,” Lucas said, rubbing his hands under the water, “but the next couple of hours will tell us if there’s an infection.”

  “Can I see him?” Mia asked.

  “Of course,” Lucas said, lifting the tent flap. After Mia went inside, Lucas stood over Jade. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded, too exhausted to answer. He left to check on Ismail, and a couple of minutes later, Alem exited the tent. Jade rinsed off his hands with water.

  Lucas had settled beneath the fragmented shade of a palm, leaning his head against the trunk and closing his eyes.

  Jade hesitated, then made her way over to him. She hoped to find out what side Lucas was on.

  He cracked an eyelid open as she approached. Then he patted the spot next to him.

  Jade settled in the cool sand and was surprised when Luc’s calloused hand closed over hers. She stiffened, but didn’t pull away.

  “Alem told me what happened down there.”

  She nodded, and the memory surfaced.

  “I’m sorry about discrediting what you saw in the tomb. I wanted to get you away from Ismail as soon as possible, and I didn’t want him to learn what you saw. The night before you fell into the tomb, he said a few things that made me suspicious of his intentions.” Lucas squeezed her hand.

  Was that the truth? Lucas
was trying to protect her from Ismail and wasn’t trying to cover up her discovery?

  She looked over at him, intensely aware of his hand on hers. “I thought you wanted me out of the way so that the tomb could stay a secret.”

  His eyes were somber. “No.” His gaze searched hers. “Do you not trust me? After so much time together, I thought you’d trust me.”

  Jade exhaled. “I didn’t know what to think.”

  “I wanted to get you someplace safe.” Lucas said. “I figured the tomb could wait, and at the time I didn’t realize the enormity of your find. Ismail told me there were more AWP crew on their way, and I didn’t want you exposed to such a dangerous situation.” He paused, his hand still covering hers. “Do you trust me now?”

  Jade wanted to. She looked across the excavation site. The sun, the wind, the sand. Lucas next to her. What did her heart tell her? “I trust you,” she finally said.

  “I’m glad,” he said in a quiet voice. “I can’t believe I didn’t see through Ismail earlier. I’ve known him for a decade and even worked with him over the years. It seemed the hospital was the perfect place to keep you safe until I could figure out what to do next.” He wrapped an arm about her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

  Never in her whole life—regardless of the fact that she was thousands of miles away from home and literally in the middle of nowhere, with an angry criminal only paces away—had she felt so secure. Yet even now, she dared not hope that Luc’s attention was based on more than concern for another’s well-being. He was just trying to comfort her.

  “When I saw you step out of the SUV, I’d never been so scared in my life,” Lucas continued as he pulled his arm away. “By then I knew what Ismail was capable of. The situation was about to blow. I had thought you were safely away from all of this.”

  “I shouldn’t have doubted you,” Jade said. “I’m sorry.”

  Lucas remained silent for a moment. “It’s always hard to completely trust another person.”

  Jade thought about men she’d dated—no relationship lasting long. “I know what you mean.”

  Lucas smiled. “I never thought I’d truly enjoy another woman’s company again.”

  “As opposed to a man’s?”

  “No.” Lucas laughed. “That’s not what I meant at all.”

  Jade felt her shoulders relax, but her mind was still fuzzy with confusion.

  “After my divorce, I swore off relationships with women.”

  “I didn’t know you were married.” Jade pulled her knees to her chest.

  Lucas touched her shoulder, his hand skimming the surface of her back. Jade inhaled at the sensation as she gazed across the rippled sand.

  “It was a long time ago. I didn’t think I’d ever really care about another woman again. But when I saw you come out of that tomb, alive, covered with dirt, but otherwise unharmed . . . I changed my mind.”

  She knew if she looked at him now, she’d be captivated forever. Forcing herself to keep her gaze forward, warmth spread through her body anyway.

  His fingers touched her hair, and she held her breath as she looked down at her hands, willing them not to tremble. She absentmindedly played with her ring. It was a dull red. She didn’t know if she could speak, but Lucas had leaned toward her, as if waiting for her to respond.

  “Tell me about your ring,” he said.

  “It’s a mood ring. It changes color according to my emotions.”

  “Interesting.” He took her hand and examined the ring. “From a boyfriend?”

  “No,” Jade said. “I bought it at a flea market.”

  “Flea market?”

  “A bazaar.”

  “Ah.” He was so close to her. “What does this color mean?”

  Jade bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. “Passion.”

  “So you’re feeling passionate?”

  Jade was sure her face was bright red. She couldn’t even think straight enough to reply. The corners of her mouth turned up.

  Lucas grinned, tugging her arm until she was leaning against his chest.

  Safe. The nightmares of the underground cave seemed to be from another lifetime Jade thought as she nestled against Lucas. It was strange that it seemed so normal to be in the middle of a desert with a man she’d met only a short time ago. She gazed in the direction of Mia’s tent. All was quiet, except for Alem, who walked around the excavation site.

  She straightened from her relaxed position, reluctant to pull away from Luc, but she was starting to feel nervous. What if he kissed her? Thoughts of her nasty hygiene leaped to her mind. But perhaps he’d be so enraptured he wouldn’t notice. Jade laughed at herself. If he ever did try to kiss her, would she be ready?

  If she’d met Lucas on campus at Brown, he wouldn’t have given her a second glance. He was the type who would have every girl over the age of eighteen pining for him. But now . . . here . . . he’d gone from someone who had been obligingly civil to a man who was interested in her.

  She tried to focus on the excavation and what it might reveal. “Is there a curse?”

  “On me and women?”

  “No.” Jade let a smile reach her lips as she looked at Lucas. Then she had to look away quickly to keep from drowning. “On the tomb.”

  “Ah, a subject I’m a bit more comfortable with.” He let out a long breath as if he were glad the conversation had been steered someplace else. “It’s very likely.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “Mia showed me Alem’s poem.”

  “What do you think?”

  “The last few lines are reminiscent of other curses placed on ancient royal tombs. Listen. ‘Now the seven devils hide beneath the tomb, waiting as seven lamps still burn above, waiting for the queen of the South,’ ” he said.

  “What does it mean?”

  Lucas pulled out another page, which Jade recognized as the sketch Omar had shown them. “I think what you discovered is just the beginning.”

  She looked back and forth between the sketch and poem. “I still don’t understand.”

  “I think there’s possibly another tomb. Perhaps . . . seven of them.”

  Jade let the words sink in. “Are you sure?”

  “Anything is possible at this point,” he said. “If this is proven to be the queen’s tomb, I’m sure all types of stories, lore, and conjecture will come forward. They will naturally explain why the tomb was here—in Shisur, of all places—and it will seem absolutely logical that it had been here all along.” He paused, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I think you’ve just had a bit of bad luck mixed with incredibly good luck.”

  “Mostly good luck,” she said in a quiet voice. For a moment they gazed at each other.

  He leaned forward until his face was inches from her. “You’re making me lose my concentration. We’d better get back to work . . . sooner than later.”

  Jade saw the mischief in his eyes. She could almost see the sparks flying. “You’re right. Let’s go.” She made a move to rise, but Lucas beat her to it. He extended his hand and pulled her to her feet. He kept her hand clasped in his as they walked to where Alem crouched over a low wall.

  If Alem was surprised at seeing the two of them holding hands, he didn’t show it. Jade was silently grateful for this, since her excitement was mixed with insecurity all in the same moment.

  “Anything new?” Lucas asked.

  Alem straightened. “No.”

  “Once we have Omar out of danger, we’ll open up the cave,” Lucas said.

  Jade looked at Luc. “With just a few of us?”

  “Several of the men who left will return. I’ve no doubt,” he said. “They made themselves scarce when Ismail started brandishing his weapon.” He released her hand and walked toward the fateful opening. “Just think of the secrets that have been buried for so many years.”

  Jade
joined him near the opening, incredulous at what lay beneath their feet. She caught Alem’s eye, and he gave her a big wink.

  “He’s gone,” a voice shouted behind them.

  It felt as if a knife had plunged into her chest when Jade turned and saw Mia running toward them. Omar?

  “Ismail escaped.”

  Not Omar.

  “Can we catch him?” Alem asked.

  “Ismail knows the desert better than any of us,” Lucas said. “It would just be a mission of disaster.”

  “Then what? We let him get away?” Mia’s face was scarlet with anger. “He nearly killed Omar. What’s going to stop him from coming back?”

  “He’ll be punished enough by his employer,” Lucas said, scanning the oasis.

  “How?” Mia asked.

  “What happens in your line of work when someone fails in their mission?”

  “Fired, or maybe jailed, depending on what went wrong,” Mia said as she crossed her arms, clearly not amused with the question.

  “It’s different for Ismail,” Luc said. “A failed mission for him is a fate worse than death. It’s dishonor, humiliation, a separation from his tribe—a spiritual death. His right hand will be cut off, and he’ll live the rest of his life as an outcast from his own people.”

  Mia’s expression didn’t soften.

  “Look at that,” Alem said, pointing. “You were right, Lucas.”

  All heads turned, and Jade saw the dark forms of something moving on the horizon.

  “The crew is returning,” Lucas said. “Luck is with us. We won’t have much time as it is.”

  “Let me guess—Omar told you about AWP too?” Mia asked, her expression still stubborn.

  “The Coptic patriarch told me.”

  Mia let out a breath of understanding. “I see.”

  “The patriarch also leaked the news about the tomb discovery to the media.” He offered a wry smile. “Ironically, if the media can get here before AWP . . . they might actually be useful for once. Unfortunately, we’re going to need the military to protect so many people.”