The Forbidden Tomb

by Chris Kuzneski

  Hassan barely blinked. ‘Don’t say another word.’

  The henchman struggled for breath as Awad kept his grip tight. It wasn’t the chokehold that was cutting off his air; it was the lifeless tongue in his mouth and the blood draining down his throat. As his lungs began to fill, he strained against the grasp of the muscular bodyguard, slowly but surely drowning in his own bodily fluids.

  Despite the distraction, Hassan continued his questioning. ‘Is this true? There was someone protecting the girl?’

  They were the most unsettling questions Kamal had ever heard. Not because of the words themselves, but because of the coldness of the man asking them. Hassan carried on like there was nothing else happening – as if they were alone in his office and there wasn’t a man fighting for his life in the chair next to Kamal. Even more chilling, the tortured agony seemed to have a calming effect on Hassan.

  Kamal nodded. ‘She was not alone. Two of our men were shot. The others were disemboweled. There is simply no way she could have killed that many men in that many places in that short a time. Not by herself. Only a demon could do such a thing.’

  There was something about his description that gave Hassan a moment of pause. Kamal could see the concern on his face. Hassan’s eyes shifted uneasily, as if the destruction of his city made perfect sense. His lip curled in thought.

  Hassan glanced at Awad as he spoke. ‘Did you see these other forces?’

  Kamal didn’t know what was going on, but he knew better than to delay his response. ‘No. I only saw the bodies they left behind.’

  ‘Do you believe that they survived the explosion?’

  Kamal couldn’t see how anyone could have survived the blast, but he also didn’t believe it was a suicide mission. It stood to reason that those who triggered the explosion were well clear of the area before it went off.

  Kamal swallowed hard. ‘I do.’

  Hassan rocked back in his chair. He said nothing as he contemplated his next move. After a few moments of silence, he leaned forward and delivered his order. ‘Find them. The girl and her guardians. Bring them to me, dead or alive.’

  ‘Yes, sir. Of course, sir.’

  ‘Take whomever you need, whatever you need. But do not fail me again.’

  Kamal nodded. ‘I won’t, sir. I promise.’

  ‘Now leave me,’ he said with a wave of his hand. Then he turned his gaze to the lifeless body in the other chair. ‘And take him with you.’

  * * *

  The forward lounge of the yacht was designed for entertainment. It included a well-stocked bar and a selection of comfortable couches and chairs from which the passengers could take in the scenery. A semicircle of floor-to-ceiling windows offered sweeping views of the sea or the current port of call. When there was little to see – moonless nights on the open ocean can result in a stunningly blank panorama – the space could be converted into a de facto theater room. With the touch of a button, a massive flat-screen television could be dropped from a hidden compartment in the ceiling.

  Like everything else on the boat, the design was meticulous.

  No expense was spared.

  While it would be several more hours before Garcia could determine if there was any recoverable data on Jasmine and Sarah’s flashlights, he had been able to access the footage from the other hard drives immediately. As Cobb lowered the screen in order to view the recordings that he and McNutt had made in the tunnels, Sarah stared vacantly through the glass walls. It was a look Cobb had seen before.

  He didn’t need to ask her what was wrong.

  He already knew what she was thinking.

  ‘Now’s as good a time as any, don’t you think?’

  It took Sarah a moment to realize that Cobb had spoken at all, much less that he had been addressing her. She turned from the vista of the marina and the open water beyond and saw Cobb linking one of Garcia’s laptops to the colossal monitor.

  ‘I’m sorry. What was that?’

  Cobb glanced over his shoulder. ‘I said, we might as well talk about it now.’

  Sarah furrowed her brow. ‘Talk about what?’

  ‘What do you think?’

  Sarah knew there was no use in playing coy. Cobb had a way of knowing exactly what was on her mind. It was a connection she had never experienced before; and one she didn’t yet know how to handle.

  She nodded knowingly. ‘You’re talking about Simon.’

  Cobb said nothing. He merely waited for her to continue.

  She pursed her lips. ‘Trust me, I’ve been thinking about it all night, and I honestly don’t know what to say. Why would the goons who chased Simon follow us into the tunnels?’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t believe that Simon set us up. Why would he do that? We’ve got nothing to do with this place. We’re not on anyone’s shit list.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Cobb said. ‘We have nothing to do with this place, but you do.’

  Sarah flinched. ‘You think they were coming after me?’

  He shrugged. ‘Maybe, maybe not. But if they hadn’t been chasing us, we would have had a much better chance of noticing the bombers. Instead, we were so preoccupied with the Bigfoot twins that we lost Jasmine in the chaos.’

  He let the idea sink in.

  Sarah often projected a ‘me against the world’ attitude, but Cobb saw through her tough exterior. He knew the thought of putting other lives at risk would get to her. It was an ember that would slowly smolder in her consciousness.

  When the time was right, she would know how to use it.

  38

  Monday, November 3

  Castillo, California

  (22 miles north of San Diego)

  Papineau felt exhausted after the intercontinental flight, a combination of the distance he had traveled and the anxiety he felt anytime he was summoned to California. Though he liked the weather and loved the wine, this was one of his least favorite places on earth.

  And all because of one man.

  Papineau drove to the edge of his employer’s estate and placed his palm on the security scanner mounted next to the driveway. Once his identity was confirmed, he heard the click of the lock, followed by the whir of the electric motor as it reeled in the barricade. Ten seconds later the obstacle had all but vanished, neatly tucked away behind the stone wall that encircled the property.

  Once past the gate, which shut behind him with a loud thunk, Papineau drove up the long, winding driveway through the seemingly laser-manicured landscape of the scenic estate. He left the window open so the breeze from the Pacific Ocean could reach him. It was strange how it smelled different from the Atlantic. Much fresher, he knew, because of the cleansing Santa Ana winds that blew through the property.

  As usual, Papineau found himself holding his breath when the car neared the crest of the drive. Rising into view was his employer’s principal residence – a reinforced castle that looked as if it were erupting from the hilltop itself. It was rooted there, looking both ancient and modern, affording a clear view for miles in every direction.

  The smooth asphalt road gave way to painstakingly installed cobblestones that massaged the car’s tires rather than jolting them. Papineau parked alongside the Koenigsegg, McLaren, Pagani, and Bugatti sports cars, which were lined up face-out along the curved drive. They were an intimidating sight – like a steel quartet of multi-million-dollar predators, ready to attack the scenic bluffs of southern California.

  Papineau emerged from his rented town car and took a moment to admire the blue water of the Pacific as the gentle breeze cooled his face. Given the altitude and location, the air was still temperate, even in the autumn days of November. The only clouds were wispy, white ones, and the sky vied with the sea for the more pleasing blue.

  As he approached the entrance, the most visually stunning woman he had ever seen opened the door. He smiled as he gazed upon her exquisite Brazilian features. Her deep, dark eyes seemed to twinkle in the sunlight. Her raven hair shimmered. Her toned, five-foot, nine-inch frame, the symmet
ry of her face, her seductive grin: it was all perfect. Papineau had seen men completely lose themselves at the mere sight of her.

  ‘Good morning, Isabella,’ he said.

  ‘Good morning, monsieur,’ she replied softly. She stared longingly at the world beyond the doorway, as if she had just been given a glimpse of something she could never have again.

  Papineau walked by her, saddened, as the door swung shut behind him. He had seen her change from a lively and curious young woman into the broken hostess that she was now. Her beauty hadn’t faded, but it was merely a shell.

  Her husband had drained the life from her, as he had his previous three wives. He had never laid a hand on her in anger, but he had defeated her spirit just the same. He was not cruel, but he was unyielding. His intensity, his energy, his precise demands – and also his impetuous, vague requests – made this the castle of an ogre, not a king.

  Remarkably, the house had more spirit than the woman who called it home. It had been built from deeply hued cuts of granites, quarried from all across the country and shipped at tremendous expense. The artwork that hung from its walls was tasteful yet bold, as was the handcrafted furniture that littered the rooms. Staggered skylights across the breadth of the ceiling allowed natural light to flood every corner of the structure.

  Papineau glanced stealthily behind him. Isabella was gone, as if she had never existed. The Frenchman proceeded to the heavy oak door of what the owner laughingly called his study. In actuality, it was the largest room in the house. It stood nearly three stories high and was designed to be the envy of the world’s greatest designers and architects – not to mention other billionaires.

  The outer walls were lined with custom bookcases that extended from the floor to the rafters, all filled with hundreds of volumes covering every era of literature. Each piece in the collection was a first edition – including the Gutenberg Bible – and none of them was less than a treasured specimen. The space was dotted with heavy tables that were covered with maps, parchments, books, and charting instruments. The research spanned the length of recorded history and considered every corner of the world. It was clear that an extensive search was underway, though the exact target of these efforts was a closely guarded secret.

  Beyond the tables was a ten-foot-wide, circular slab of redwood that had been transformed into a sprawling desk. Its rough bark edges indicated that it had been shaved from the end of a massive timber. A chair in the center, accessed through a channel cut into the far side of the wood, allowed for nearly three hundred and sixty degrees of usable surface, nearly all of which was covered in documents.

  Standing next to the desk was Papineau’s employer.

  A man named Maurice Copeland.

  It was clear from his open-necked, cotton shirt and faded blue jeans that Copeland preferred comfort to fashion. Understandably so, as there was no one in his life that he felt the need to impress.

  In his world, he was the alpha – the apex of the food chain.

  He stared at Papineau with an expression that would pass for puzzlement in most men. In his case, the look signified annoyance.

  ‘You ever hear of Sam Langford?’ Copeland asked out of the blue.

  ‘No, I haven’t,’ Papineau replied as he took a seat.

  ‘He was the most feared fighter in the first two decades of the twentieth century,’ Copeland explained. ‘They called him “the Boston Terror”. He was short, maybe five foot-seven, but he had long arms like a pair of untailored sleeves.’

  Just like you, Papineau thought.

  ‘He was ahead of his time,’ Copeland continued, his voice matching his bulldog face. ‘He could fight inside, he could fight outside. He could fight lightweight, he could fight heavyweight. And once he hit you, you stayed hit. None of this “shake it off” crap. You couldn’t hurt him either. If you somehow managed to land a shot, he just kept on coming like nothing happened. That guy was a freak of nature.’

  Papineau was used to these lectures. If there was one thing Copeland loved as much as beautiful things, it was boxing. One look at him revealed that. Copeland had the crushed, altered features and hunkered-down bearing of a pugilist.

  A hardheaded brawler, not a fancy-foot jabber.

  His nose had been broken at least four times. His ears were just shy of being cauliflowered. His cheekbones looked flattened and weren’t quite the same height. And his knuckles had been split to the point that his gnarled hands looked more like clubs.

  Copeland had often said that he had fought his way out of the Bronx in New York City. He had started his battle in the ring, but he quickly realized that the managers made all the money. So he took the fight to them. When he discovered that managers kicked their payments up the ladder to the promoters, Copeland went after them as well. He kept fighting his way higher and higher, until there was no one left to challenge.

  His early struggles had given him a glimpse of how the world worked. Business was like boxing: it wasn’t the biggest guy, or the toughest guy, or even the smartest guy who won. In the end, it all came down to who wanted it more. Getting your hands dirty was inevitable; it was just part of the game.

  Copeland balled his fists and threw a few jabs from behind his desk, ducking and weaving as he did. ‘Langford fought almost four hundred times in twenty years. Towards the end of it, he was nearly blind and a shell of his former self, but he kept fighting until he couldn’t see at all. Eventually, someone made the decision for him. Someone had the balls to sit him down and tell him that he was done.’

  Papineau swallowed hard.

  He suddenly grasped the metaphor.

  Copeland was talking about him.

  39

  Nearly a decade earlier, Papineau had been a rising star in high society, a man positioning himself for greatness. He had already found success as an antiquities broker, and the wheeling and dealing had made him a wealthy man. Not super rich, but in the neighborhood. Looking for more, Papineau had used his money to consolidate several businesses in Europe, hoping to build an empire.

  Copeland – a major player in his own right – admired him and appreciated his skills, but he sensed that the feeling wasn’t mutual. He gave Papineau a single chance to prove his respect: an olive branch in the form of a partnership. When word returned that Papineau had not only refused his offer but had actually laughed at it, Copeland was outraged.

  The insult stung, but his response would hurt much worse.

  Copeland initiated a hostile takeover.

  By the time Copeland was done, Papineau was all but ruined. His businesses had been picked clean, leaving him with little more than the suit on his back and a sullied reputation. It had taken Copeland less than a year to destroy everything that the Frenchman had spent his life creating, and all because of a slight.

  Like so many others, Papineau had underestimated Copeland because of his battered appearance and his rough upbringing. It was a mistake he wouldn’t make again. When the victor graciously offered him a middling position in his organization, Papineau took it, hoping to learn how Copeland had gotten the better of him and how to get revenge.

  That was nine years ago.

  Nine long years.

  And he still hadn’t found a weakness to exploit.

  Copeland glared at him from behind his desk. ‘Tell me, Jean-Marc, has our relationship run its course?’

  ‘No, sir,’ Papineau said with just the right amount of vigor. ‘I don’t believe we’re finished. There’s still plenty of work to be done.’

  ‘I agree. But perhaps you’re not the right man for the job.’

  ‘Sir, I’m not quite sure what I’ve done—’

  ‘What you’ve done?’ he asked incredulously. ‘What you’ve done is increase our risk a thousand fold. What you’ve done has jeopardized our entire operation. What you’ve done has drawn the attention of every media outlet across the globe!’

  He tossed a newspaper across the desk as he continued his rant. ‘I read about your exploits on the front
page of the local paper. It was right next to the weather report.’ He rehashed the news in a mocking tone. ‘Hmm, it’s going to be eighty and clear tomorrow, and oh look, Jean-Marc and his band of idiots blew up half of Alexandria!’

  Papineau could sense that this was just the beginning of Copeland’s tirade, so he kept his mouth shut and prepared for the worst.

  His boss did not disappoint.

  ‘I have given you everything that you asked for. Not once have I questioned your requests. Guns, cars, houses, yachts – whatever it is that allows you to get the job done. All I ask in return is that you keep your team out of the spotlight. These people should know better than to destroy ancient layers of a city. Or, at the very least, they should have had the good sense to wait until after we’ve found what we’re looking for!’

  Copeland took a deep breath to control his anger.

  ‘So,’ he continued, ‘since you put this team of misfits together, please enlighten me. What the hell were they thinking?’

  Papineau defended his team. ‘We had nothing to do with the explosion.’

  Copeland looked at him curiously. ‘You weren’t exploring under the city?’

  ‘Yes, we were there, but we weren’t alone.’

  Copeland considered the possibilities. ‘The syndicates controlling Alexandria are fiercely protective of their territory. You should have been aware of that.’

  ‘We were,’ Papineau assured him, ‘but this was something different. When we searched the tunnels, we found the bodies of several local thugs. They had been sliced to pieces, and my team had nothing to do with it. The explosion wasn’t the result of a turf war. It was an attempt to make sure no one ever went down there again.’