Jay started objecting, but she hung up on him.
Kelsey glanced back through the mirror. The two men remained deep in discussion as they examined an exhibit next to them. She felt sure they were pretending. No one looked at scarab beetle carcasses for that long.
She casually moved around a corner, out of their field of vision, and then bolted as fast as she could down the hall. She ducked into a side gallery. Passers-by glanced at her questioningly, but she ignored them and kept running until she found a side door. She slipped out of the museum, and ran down a side street, leaving her stalkers far behind.
#
An hour later, she found Jay in the hotel bar, downing a scotch. She sidled up and sat down on the open bar stool next to him. “Hitting the hard stuff already?” She considered getting a seltzer to calm her stomach.
He glowered at her over the rim of the glass. “You ditched me.”
“You were being a jerk.”
“Oh, please. So I hit on you and gave your boyfriend a hard time. I’m French, that’s what we do.” He coughed into his arm. Frowning, he downed the drink and raised his glass at the bartender for another.
“If I were you, I’d take a pass. Someone followed me here.”
Jay put his hand down and stared at her. “Who?” He coughed a few more times.
“A man who sat next to me on the plane. He’s with some Italian guy. Maybe they saw me leave your father’s apartment. What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing, I’m fine.” He paused, hesitant. “You went to my father’s apartment already? Did you find anything?”
Should she mention the letter from her mother? No, not yet. “What I found was a lot more questions than answers. Let’s go up to the room, okay?” She suddenly felt exhausted and her stomach fluttered again. This isn’t good at all. A baby will change… everything.
Jay raised his eyebrows and smacked his hands together loudly. “Now that’s what I’ve been waiting to hear.”
#
It was two o’clock in the morning. Kelsey had been sleeping fitfully in the queen-sized bed, while Jay wheezed and snorted on the couch. Something had woken her up and it wasn’t just her queasiness, which had plagued her all night.
Jay snored loudly and turned over. She could hear his labored breaths from across the room. His asthma was acting up again.
I can’t seem to get away from guys who make noise in their sleep.
The doorknob rattled and in a flash Kelsey was on her feet. She inched into the hallway and stared at the handle. It slowly turned, then stopped. With a glance at Jay who was still out like a light, she reached into her bag and pulled out her pocketknife. She gripped it in her right hand, crept over to the door and stood quietly behind it, waiting. She wished she had her gun with her. She hadn’t had time to acquire another yet.
She heard the sound of metal scraping and light taps, knowing someone was trying to pop the lock. A muffled click and the mechanism released. The door slowly swung open and she saw the outline of a gun, then an arm, and finally a man’s body. With a precision borne from years of practice, she struck the man’s wrist and he dropped the gun with a surprised yell. Then, with her other hand, she wrapped her arm around his neck, the knife now against his throat. She yanked him backwards until his ear almost touched her mouth.
“Don’t move or I’ll slit your throat.” Brave words. Another wave of nausea hit and she felt lucky she didn’t throw up on him. She nearly stumbled on her feet.
She could feel the man’s pulse racing and swallowed back bile. “Anyone with you?” She craned her neck to peer back into the darkened hallway.
The man squeaked out the word “no.”
Kelsey backed away from the door, kicked it shut with her foot and yelled out, “Jibade, get up!”
Jibade rolled over, but didn’t wake. With a groan, Kelsey elbowed the light switch on the wall and the lamps flicked on.
That woke him up.
He sat up and stared at them, dumbstruck.
“Gianni? Is that you? What the hell is going on?”
Kelsey stared at Jay, shocked. “You know him? This is one of the guys who followed me in the museum.”
“Kelsey, let him go.”
She tightened her grip. “I will most certainly not let him go. He had a gun with him and broke into our room in the middle of the night. His pistol’s on the floor by the door.”
Gianni struggled to speak. “Per favore, I was just protecting myself. I didn’t know if the Usthatan were here or not.”
“Kelsey, he’s not going to hurt us.” Jay wheezed and took a hit from his inhaler. “He’s the curator at the National Roman Museum in Rome. He’s got some of my father’s finds on display at his gallery. They’ve been associates for years. He even stayed at our house when he visited France. I had no idea he was the Italian you were referring to.”
Begrudgingly, Kelsey loosened her grip on Gianni, but kept a wary eye on him.
Gianni grabbed at his throat and started coughing. He sat down heavily on the bed and put his hands on his chest while Kelsey bent down and picked up his gun from the floor. “Where’s the old British guy you were with?” She clicked the safety on and laid the firearm on the credenza.
Gianni was pale and sweating. He jutted his chin towards the window. “Look outside. He’s in the car across the street.”
Sure enough, when Kelsey pushed aside the curtain, she saw a Hyundai parked beside a lamp post with the Brit inside.
“He needs to lose those pants.”
The Italian snorted. “You try to teaching an old Brit about fashion and you see what they say. I’ve tried for years to get him to dress better. It’s like talking to an asino… I mean, a donkey.”
Jay wiped his brow and Kelsey was worried. Sweat drenched him.
Gianni pursed his lips. “Jay, why did you take your necklace off?”
The boy squinted, confused. “My necklace? What are you talking about?”
“The one your dad gave you. Why’d you take it off?” Gianni’s hand still absently rubbed his chest as if it bothered him.
Jay scoffed. “That thing? Screw his gift. I took it off after he pulled this stunt asking me to get her to help him instead of letting me do it. I don’t want anything from him.” He stood and swayed on his feet.
Gianni jumped up and helped him sit back down on the couch.
Jay wheezed again. He reached for his inhaler on the dresser and took another deep hit.
Gianni glanced at Kelsey as he moved his hands towards his pants pocket. “May I, per favore?”
She shrugged. Why not? It’s not like I know what the hell is going on anyway.
He reached in and pulled out a silver chain-linked necklace. A small opal was set in a simple silver clasp. He handed it to Jay. “Put this on. You’ll feel better.”
Jay’s eyes widened in surprise. “Where did you get this?”
“From your bedroom where you left it. Your mother let me in. Put it on and I promise you’ll feel better. There’s just too many of us in one place right now, and it’s affecting you. Actually, it’s affecting all of us.”
Jay reached for it and put it on. Immediately, his eyes widened and he looked down, holding the opal in his hand with a renewed curiosity. “The temperature in here just dropped like a thousand degrees.” He took a deep breath and didn’t wheeze. “Gianni, what is going on?”
“A lot, and I’m not quite sure how to begin. But it’s time you both knew the truth.” He turned his stare on Kelsey. “How are you feeling without your bracelet? The one your father gave you when you were little.”
She arched her own eyebrows in surprise. “How do you even know about that?”
His voice was gentle. “I know a lot of things, Kelsey. Please, tell me how you’re feeling.”
“I’m fine. Why?” She didn't even approach fine, but she certainly wasn’t going to share that.
He didn’t seem convinced. “Davvero?”
She shook her head. “I don’t k
now what that means.”
Gianni appeared taken aback. “It means ‘really?’ What? You don’t speak Italian? Armand told me you were a linguistic genius.”
Kelsey sighed. What, five languages aren’t enough?
Gianni continued to study her. “So you feel fine?”
No, I don’t. But damned if I’m going to tell you.
Gianni pulled out another opal necklace from his pocket and handed it to her. “Excuse me if I don’t believe you. You obviously hide it well, except for your distinctly green pallor. That always gives it away. Please put this on. It does different things for different people.”
Tentatively, she placed the necklace around her neck and when the opal hit her chest, her entire body lightened and the nausea ceased. She stared at Gianni in amazement. “What is this thing?”
Instead of answering, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Ah, yes, that is better for me now, too.” He turned to Kelsey. “What you’re wearing is a dampening shield. It hides us from the Usthatan and protects us from others of our kind making us ill.” With that, he reached into his own pocket and put on a necklace with a similar opal. When it hit his own chest he breathed another sigh of relief and his shoulders relaxed. “I don’t have this on, and I get heart palpitations if I’m around others like me. I thought I was going to finally have a heart attack when you grabbed me. But with your talismans on, I started feeling better immediately.”
“Gianni,” Jay asked. “What do you mean, 'others like me?'”
“I promise I’ll explain everything, but there’s no time right now. We have to get out of here. They've most likely been tracking all of us without our talismans on. Grab your things and let’s go.”
They quickly packed up their belongings and moved down the hallway, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. As they neared the landing they saw a group of men speaking to the concierge of the hotel. They were dressed in all-black military gear, and each wore a silver- colored wristband.
Kelsey moved forwards. “Those aren’t Egyptian soldiers.” They look like thugs from a bad b-movie.
Gianni grabbed Kelsey by the arms and pulled her back into the stairwell and out of sight.
“They’re not,” he whispered. “It’s the Usthatan. Come with me.”
They ran back up one flight of steps and down the hallway to the back exit. “We have to find Nigel.”
“I’m right here.” The older man stood by the back door, heaving as if he’d just run to meet them. His pants blazed in the fluorescent night and his jewels flashed in the light. He cast an accusing eye at Gianni. “We cocked up. You should never have come here without your necklace on. You knew they would follow you.”
“And how then was I supposed to find them, Nigel? Telepathy? If you would’ve deigned to take off any of your own crown jewels for a moment, maybe we would have been able to locate them sooner, given them their amulets and then we would have been fine.”
Nigel sniffed. “Load of codswallop. Always a convenient excuse, Gianni. Now we’ll have to wangle a cab. You know how much I hate that. I always get diddled.”
Kelsey thought Gianni would get angry, but he was anything but. He gazed at Nigel with bemusement and his voice softened. “Tesoro, we’ll be fine. I promise they won’t rip us off. I’ll take care of it.”
Kelsey watched their exchange in silence. The two men bickered like an old married couple. “Will someone tell me what is going on? And who are the Usthatan?” She moved to the corner of the building and peeked around it. The strange men seeking them had moved out of the lobby and now entered the elevator. She watched the door close. Had any of the men removed their gaze from their wristbands and glanced up, they might have even seen her.
“They’re a group of soldiers who work for Ustha,” Gianni said. “They think they’ve got you cornered in your room, but you’re cloaked now. We gained some time. Let’s not lose it.”
Jay and Kelsey followed Gianni and Nigel for a block and then they caught a cab in line at another hotel. Jay took the front passenger seat and Kelsey jumped in the back with Gianni and Nigel. As they drove, Kelsey stared at the men next to her. Nigel sat in the middle, his head lolling on the backrest. She could see his pendant now. A fat opal peeked out from his shirt. Gianni, with his elegant suit and gelled black hair, sat next to him, gently holding the older man’s hands. Kelsey realized they were a couple.
The cab drove them out of town and into the desert. Gianni glanced out the back window often, staring at the road. Nigel spoke to him without even opening his eyes.
“They can’t follow us any longer,” Nigel said. “They’re cloaked now. We’re all tickety-boo, love, so stop worrying.”
Gianni pursed his lips. “Tickety-boo, my ass. We’re far from fine, Nigel. I’ll stop worrying when we get to the safe house.”
The cab drove for thirty more minutes and stopped at a deserted intersection.
“Here’s the place,” the cabbie said in Egyptian. “You’re sure this is where you want me to leave you?”
“It is, Mate. Pay the man, Gianni,” Nigel said.
Gianni leaned over and paid the driver. They all got out of the car.
Within seconds, the cab had gone and they were alone. The smell of camel dung filled Kelsey's nostrils. Before she could ask where they were going, a set of headlights flicked on, blinding her.
A jeep slowly pulled up to them and the driver leaned his head out.
“Dad!” Jay cried, shocked.
His father smiled sadly. “Hello, Jibade. I had actually hoped you wouldn’t be here.”
Jay appeared crushed, and Kelsey felt suddenly bad for him. She glanced at Armand.
Still handsome, he had aged quite a bit since she’d last seen him. Lines on his forehead had deepened and he had crowsfeet and dark circles under his eyes. “Gianni, Nigel, thank you for bringing them. Come on, let’s get out of here. Are they wearing their jujus?”
“All the charms are back on,” Gianni said. “We should be okay for a while.”
They all crammed into the car, Kelsey and Jay in the back with Gianni, while Nigel squeezed up front with Armand. Jay had turned his head towards the window and remained silent as they drove. Gianni leaned his head back on the seat and fell quickly asleep, even with the bouncing of the jeep. Kelsey glanced at Armand and their eyes met in the rearview mirror. Those unusual eyes were staring at her intently. She noticed something glinted near his head. She leaned in closer. An opal earring in his right ear sparkled in the moonlight.
#
The sniper had his target in his cross-hairs. Had he wanted, he could have shot out the man’s burger before he even took his first bite. He was that good.
Desmond had no idea he was being targeted. He sat at a table outside the burger joint, too engrossed in his phone and in texting Kelsey to even notice. The fact he ate here nearly every time he didn’t join Kelsey for lunch made it that much easier. He was so damn predictable.
The marksman waited patiently in his hide sight, concealed in the empty store across the street from his mark. A bipod held the rifle in place, placed strategically above the “For Rent” sign. Desmond placed his phone on the table and picked up his burger. He took a bite and then put it down.
In that single moment, the sniper took a deep breath and blew it out, emptying his lungs. With years of specialized training he felt for his heartbeat and in between the beats, he fired.
The burger ricocheted off the plate. Desmond rocked backwards and fell to the concrete. He had his gun in hand seconds later as he scrambled to his feet. Screams ensued.
The sniper didn’t wait to see what happened next. He packed his gun, stored it in a baseball equipment duffle bag and quickly left the building through the back.
In just under a minute he was on the street, blending in with every other New Yorker. He crossed into Central Park, looking for all the world like he meant to play ball. He headed uptown towards the Great Lawn Ballfields.
His cellphone vibrated.<
br />
“Is it done?”
Joshua smiled at a female jogger who gave him an appreciative smirk as she zipped by him. He turned to watch her from behind for a moment and then resumed his stroll uptown. “Yeah, it’s done. We made our point. After he reads the note at his apartment, he’ll know we’re on to him. I still say you should have let me kill him.”
“You ready to do that to Kelsey? She’ll never forgive us if she finds out.”
“She won’t find out because we won’t tell her.”
“If he starts making Kelsey’s life even more difficult we’ll do something. We both know he’s bad for her.”
The sniper tossed back his blond hair. “No one’s ever going to be good enough for her with you around, Ari. Not even me.”
Ari huffed. “We get rid of the cop and she’s all yours, Josh. I’ll walk you down the aisle myself. This is his last chance. I’m not going to have him screw everything up we’ve been working for. And if he upsets my sister any more, then I’ll take him out quicker than he can draw his gun.”
Josh threw his softball bag on the ground and watched a group of players already on the field. He looked like he was waiting for his own team to arrive.
“He won’t screw anything up for us. The test samples are all ready and we can start trial one at any time. We always said we would change history.”
“History? We’re going to change the entire balance of power in the world when we’re done. I’ll catch you later.” Ari ended the call.
Josh sat down, his back against the tree, and thought about Kelsey. Every time he thought about her, his heart stirred. He had never wanted a girl more than this one in his life. He believed she was his soul mate, but their lives were so complicated they’d not ever been able to make a go of it. He’d been working with various branches of the military on and off for years while she played super spy agent for Ari on his various endeavors. Not to mention her brother was suffocatingly overprotective and she came along with a mass of her own personal baggage she had only just begun sorting out. But he knew she was the one. If anyone on this planet could match him for prowess and go head to head with him on anything, it was Kelsey. He remembered an assignment they’d done together years ago to retrieve a series of documents for Reginald Shevchek, the proprietor of Bazaar.
The Quest of the Empty Tomb Page 7
