“About what?”
“A few things. First, how you managed to get from Peru back to England when Interpol has a red notice on you for murder.”
Eddie shrugged. “I know a few people.”
“Like Bluey Jackson?” A half smile at Eddie’s discomfiture; the Yorkshireman had contacted the Australian, not for the first time, to obtain fake identity documents, which had then been couriered to Lima. “I thought so. One of these days, we really should tell the Aussies about his little false-passport factory. But …” Another humorless crease of his lips. “Not today.”
“So what else is on your mind?” Eddie asked, not sure where the discussion was leading. Alderley could already have had him arrested—and still might—but clearly wanted something first.
“Mac. What happened to him?”
“What did they tell you happened?”
“That he was killed by Peruvian rebels, who also wounded an Interpol officer—the same man you later killed.”
“Yeah, that’s what everyone thinks. Even Nina.” He couldn’t keep bitterness from his voice.
Alderley noticed, but didn’t comment. “And you know differently?” he asked instead.
“Yeah. It was Kit—Ankit Jindal, the Interpol agent—who killed him. Shot him in the back, and then gave himself a flesh wound to make it look like the rebels did it.”
“Why?”
“You know that Alexander Stikes was involved too?”
Alderley nodded. “I read the statements Interpol took from everyone. Including Nina. She told them what you told her.”
“Stikes was in a chopper that was about to take off, with these statues that everybody’s so bloody keen to get hold of. Mac had an RPG lined up on it—and Kit shot him to save Stikes and the statues. They were working together. I don’t know if they were all along, but they definitely were by the time they met up at that gas plant. And there’s something else. Sophia’s involved too.”
Alderley’s eyebrows rose. “Sophia Blackwood? I thought she was dead.”
“So did I. Apparently not. I don’t know what she’s up to or why she wants the statues, but she and Stikes went off with them—and Kit tried to kill me to cover his tracks. If I hadn’t done what I did, I’d be a charcoal fucking briquette right now.”
Alderley rocked on his heels, thinking. “So … what are you going to do about it?”
“Find Stikes and kill him, mostly. I hadn’t thought much past that …” He trailed off as he realized the subtext of the MI6 officer’s words. “Wait, what do you mean, me?”
“I can’t do anything—officially, at least—until I have some actionable evidence. All I have so far is your word, and you’re, well, a wanted fugitive. Your stock isn’t at its highest at the moment. But if you get some proof for me …”
Eddie made a disbelieving face. “You’re going to let me go? Why? You can’t stand me!”
“Just because I don’t like you doesn’t mean I don’t trust you. Mac, God rest his soul, always believed in you, one hundred percent. And I always believed in Mac.” His expression became more mournful than ever. “You’re not the only person who’s lost a friend, Chase. You say Mac was killed as part of some conspiracy? I’m willing to take you at your word. I want answers as much as you do. So go and get them. Find Stikes, and he should lead you to whoever else is involved.”
“Me, working for MI6?” Eddie said dubiously. “Christ, and I thought I was already badly off!”
“Amusing as ever—i.e., not at all,” said Alderley with a disparaging sigh. “But you really should get moving, before my men come looking for me.”
“So are you going to give me anything to help? An Aston Martin that turns into a helicopter?”
“Just a head start, I’m afraid. When you run, go right; my men are in a car down the street to the left.” Alderley took a breath, then braced himself. “Make it look convincing. But try not to break my nose again. Oh, and … don’t enjoy it too much, will you?”
Eddie managed a faint grin. “I’ll do my best.”
It was the second time in as many days that he had punched someone he knew. As Alderley hit the ground, he sprinted out of the alley into the world beyond to begin his hunt.
For my family and friends
By Andy McDermott
The Hunt for Atlantis
The Tomb of Hercules
The Secret of Excalibur
The Covenant of Genesis
The Pyramid of Doom
The Sacred Vault
Empire of Gold
HANG ON FOR A NEW ADRENALINE-FUELED
RIDE WHEN NINA WILDE AND EDDIE CHASE
RETURN IN
TEMPLE OF THE GODS
by Andy McDermott
Deep in rural Zimbabwe, an explosion ripples through a political prison—and at the helm is Eddie Chase, hot in pursuit of the man who betrayed him. Meanwhile, back in New York, Nina Wilde, who hasn’t seen Eddie since he fled Peru months earlier, gets important new information about three stolen Atlantean statues, which are now in the hands of a Japanese industrialist. Thus begins an edge-of-your-seat adventure that will take Eddie and Nina to Japan, Hong Kong, Rome, Nevada, Washington, Switzerland, Ethiopia, and—finally—to the legendary Atlantis for the ultimate showdown.
Coming to a bookseller near you in summer 2012
DON’T MISS
THE ADVENTURE THAT STARTED IT ALL!
A lost civilization.
A dangerous quest.
A deadly secret.
It’s one of history’s most enduring and controversial legends—the lost city of Atlantis. Archaeologist Nina Wilde is certain she’s solved the riddle of its whereabouts—and with the help of reclusive billionaire Kristian Frost, his beautiful daughter, Kari, and ex-SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase, she’s about to make the most important discovery in centuries. But not everyone wants them to succeed: a powerful and mysterious organization will stop at nothing to ensure that a secret submerged for 11,000 years never resurfaces.
More than one would-be discoverer has already died in pursuit of Atlantis’s secrets—including Nina’s own parents. Failure isn’t an option. From the streets of Manhattan to the Brazilian jungle, from a Tibetan mountaintop to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, Nina and Eddie will race against time—and follow a trail of danger and death to a revelation so explosive, it could destroy civilization forever.…
THE MOST EXCITING THRILLER
YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR IS …
THE HUNT FOR ATLANTIS
by Andy McDermott
Available now
DIVE INTO AN EPIC QUEST FOR
THE WORLD’S ULTIMATE TREASURE!
An ancient warrior.
An incredible treasure.
A lethal enemy.
It’s the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to prove that a tomb containing the remains of the legendary hero Hercules actually exists. If American archaeologist Nina Wilde can locate it, it will be the most important historical find ever unearthed. But as Nina and her ex-SAS bodyguard, Eddie Chase, begin their search, it’s clear that others want to find the tomb—and the unimaginable riches within—and will do anything to get there first.
Who will find the tomb of Hercules first, and what fantastic treasure does it hold? From New York to Shanghai, from Switzerland to the diamond mines of Botswana, Nina and Eddie must stay one step ahead of their enemies in a race to solve a mystery as ancient as civilization itself. But when a beautiful woman from Eddie’s past joins the hunt, all the rules change—and in this life-and-death game, their next move may be the most dangerous one of all.
DARE TO OPEN …
THE TOMB OF HERCULES
by Andy McDermott
Available now
UNEARTH AN ADVENTURE
CENTURIES IN THE MAKING!
A legendary weapon.
A ruthless assassin.
A perilous hunt.
Excalibur … Legend has it that he who carries King Arthur’s mighty sword into battle
will be invincible. But for more than a thousand years, the secret to the whereabouts of this powerful weapon has been lost … until now.
Archaeologist Nina Wilde is hoping for a little R&R with her fiancé, former SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase. But the couple’s plans are dashed when a meeting with an old acquaintance propels Nina and Eddie into a razor’s-edge hunt across the globe—battling a team of elite mercenaries who will stop at nothing in order to claim a prize every treasure hunter has coveted since the final days of Camelot. Nina and Eddie must do everything they can to keep the legendary blade from falling into the wrong hands, because the truth behind the sword’s power—and those who seek it—will not only shock the world but plunge it into a new and more devastating era of war.
THE ONE WHO DRAWS THE SWORD HOLDS A TERRIFYING POWER IN …
THE SECRET OF EXCALIBUR
by Andy McDermott
Available now
DISCOVER AN ACTION-PACKED
THRILL RIDE THAT WILL KEEP YOU READING
LONG INTO THE NIGHT!
An incredible discovery.
A merciless foe.
A deadly race for the truth.
Off a remote stretch of the Indonesian coast, archaeologist Nina Wilde has made an astounding discovery: an artifact that will rewrite everything that’s known about human history. But before she can return to tell the world of her find, her ship is brutally attacked, her crew is ruthlessly murdered, and the artifact is stolen. Someone wants this secret to stay hidden—and will do anything to keep it that way.
From the depths of the ocean to the Australian outback to the halls of the United Nations, Nina and her fiancé, ex-SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase, embark on a quest to stop the all-powerful Covenant of Genesis, a clandestine group sworn to keep Nina’s discovery a secret. Nina and Eddie have faced tough adversaries before, but the relentless Covenant is always two steps ahead of them—and more than willing to kill again. Who will be the first to expose the truth—and claim the most valuable archaeological prize of all time?
THEY WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO PROTECT THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SECRET.…
THE COVENANT OF GENESIS
by Andy McDermott
Available now
JOIN THE RACE TO STOP
A DEADLY CONSPIRACY!
A buried Egyptian temple.
A secret kept for 6,000 years.
A treasure worth killing for.
An international TV audience waits breathlessly as archaeologists prepare to break into a long-hidden vault beneath the Great Sphinx. But student Macy Sharif has already made her own shocking discovery: a religious cult raiding the site. Their prize? A map that will lead to something far more astounding: the lost pyramid of Osiris. Framed by corrupt officials, Macy goes on the run, trying to reach the only people who can save her before she is silenced—permanently.
American archaeologist Nina Wilde, once a renowned scientific explorer, now all but blacklisted by her colleagues, is trying to rebuild her reputation. But Macy’s plea for help will send Nina and ex-SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase on the ultimate treasure hunt. From the streets of Manhattan to a yacht off Monaco to a buried desert site, they’ll follow an elusive trail stalked by a killer determined to uncover a six-thousand-year-old secret. And beneath the forbidding desert, they’ll enter a forgotten world both wondrous and horrifying, where the ancient God of Death has kept his secrets—until now.
A SHOCKING SECRET IS HIDING IN …
THE PYRAMID OF DOOM
by Andy McDermott
Available now
SURVIVE THE QUEST TO UNLOCK
A MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT CODE!
A daring heist.
A priceless artifact.
A secret hidden safely away—until now.
When Michelangelo’s David is stolen from its museum in Florence, it’s only the latest in a series of audacious raids on the world’s greatest treasures. But American archaeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, ex-mercenary Eddie Chase, discover the raiders’ ultimate target when the Talonor Codex—a cryptic travel journal that Nina found in Atlantis—is snatched from a well-guarded exhibition right in front of their eyes.
The codex holds clues to the location of the Vault of Shiva and its mythical contents: the chronicles of the ancient Hindu god of destruction himself. From a deadly shootout in San Francisco to a hidden valley in the snowbound Himalayas, Nina and Eddie must run a labyrinthine gauntlet of ruthless killers, corrupted faiths, and twisted ambitions to reach the sacred vault ahead of a cunning billionaire with a plot to remake the world—after he brings this one crashing down.
SOMEONE WILL PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR OPENING …
THE SACRED VAULT
by Andy McDermott
Available now
Empire of Gold_A Novel Page 51
