Drake bit his lip, unused to the pampering. Alicia checked to see if Yorgi was wearing heels. The small group moved down, a step at a time, taking care as some of the risers were uneven. Two minutes of shuffling passed and then they emerged onto a flat floor. Drake immediately felt the cloying, close atmosphere of the staircase fall away.
“How long have we got?” Hayden checked her watch.
The lead tour guide turned around and prepared to flick a switch.
“Welcome!” he said. “Welcome to the tomb of Amenhotep!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
With a plan already in place, as soon as the light came up, the team split and pretended to appear immensely impressed with the tomb. Drake did take a few moments to view the spectacle, taken aback by the sight. He’d seen his fair share of tombs before, but the Egyptians never failed to impress.
High, arched walls were adorned by multicoloured murals and stretched a few hundred feet back, where a slightly smaller arched door led to another part of the tomb. The lighting down here was better, provided by spotlights. Drake dropped several steps down into the tomb and started studying wall space.
The murals were large and plentiful, well-detailed, ranging from life-sized Egyptian figures in full regalia to smaller depictions of scarabs and animals. A murmur sprang up among the crowd, echoing loudly inside what was essentially a tunnel with a single exit. Drake saw the others split up and then followed what he thought were a pair of CIA spies to the left-hand side. Alicia pulled him along gently; the drawings were large here, but Drake wondered if the capstone—if it was here at all—might be disguised within the pattern of a sleeve or the design across a cup.
“Roped off area,” Alicia muttered, nodding ahead. “Suspicious.”
“If the Egyptians knew about the seal,” Drake said, “we wouldn’t be here. They wouldn’t risk it.”
“Unless they already removed it,” Alicia said.
“I guess that’s possible.” Drake saw no signs of tampering so far, though the wall decorations were already starting to confuse his eyes. He blinked and stepped back.
Dahl, behind them, placed a hand on his shoulder. “Need your reading glasses?”
“Funny man.” Drake sighed. “Try to keep your eyes on the walls and off your bird for five minutes, eh?”
“My bird?” The Swede struggled for a moment. “Oh, come on—”
Alicia grunted. “You’d have more luck asking his bitch to stop swinging swords around.”
“She’s not my bi—”
“Kids,” Crouch hissed from a few feet away. “Focus.”
Alicia stared at Drake. “Yes, Dad.” But they returned their attention to the walls, noting the potential CIA spies had moved ahead and were now studying the ceiling in earnest. All around the tomb, people were gazing at pictures and the tour guides answered questions up ahead. The SPEAR team cruised slowly down the length of the passage, taking everything in.
When they reached the end, Crouch turned, eyes expectant.
“Nothing,” Hayden spoke for them all.
Crouch almost looked happy. “For once, finding nothing is a good thing.”
Mai motioned toward the next door. “We haven’t finished yet.”
“I know, I know. Just feeling hopeful.”
The Japanese woman inclined her head. “It’s not easy,” she acknowledged. “Always running, chasing, stopping bad things from happening to good people. But Michael, we’ve just endured almost a week of retirement. Believe me, that’s harder.”
“For some.” Crouch nodded. “For others, it’s a breath of fresh air.”
He turned toward the next door as Alicia vocalized the incredulity that she might agree with Mai for once. Kenzie joined in and Drake envisioned a group hug occurring before they suddenly remembered where they were. Others were gathering at the next entrance and the tour guide was ready to move on. Through they went, a few at a time. Drake studied the doorway carefully as he stepped past but it was unadorned, nothing but crumbly white rock, stark under the bright lights. The dust drifting through the air caused him to sneeze and he heard an older man complaining to his wife in an undertone that he’d simply have to throw the suit away at the end of the night. Even their housemaid wouldn’t be able to adequately remove all the dust.
The spies were three paces in front, along with another potential couple. No mercs were among them though, so Drake breathed easier. The next part of the tomb was slightly smaller and narrower, also containing a door, this time set into the right wall. Drake saw a sarcophagus, set low to the ground, roped off at this time. He moved to study the hieroglyphics upon its surface and those on the wall behind. Maybe one of those represented a capstone.
The strange search continued. Drake knew the spies and mercs above were probably unaware of SPEAR, and used that knowledge to remain highly visible, taking in every inch of the place. He smiled when he saw Kinimaka giving the sarcophagus plenty of space as he walked past. Knowing the Hawaiian, he’d brush against it and trigger an ancient trap, entombing everyone inside. The party split now, some entering the door set in the right wall and then another after that. A guide shouted that they had only eight minutes left. Drake saw dozens of murals and pictures, and tried to study each and every one, but saw nothing like the symbol he was looking for. He kept an eye on the spies too, noting them disappearing into the far part of the tomb.
“Three minutes,” the helpful tour guide said.
Drake dragged Alicia through the final door, anxious to check the entire place before they whisked themselves off back into hiding again. It hadn’t escaped their attention that television or press cameras might capture their faces, but as soon as they were clear they intended to leave Egypt far behind in the proverbial dust.
The final room was small, square and bare apart from more wall art. One of the tour guides told them that the lack of objects was due to ancient grave robbers, prevalent in their time, though one or two items had been ‘liberated’ and would soon be on display. Drake scanned the walls. Alicia glared up at the ceiling.
“Birds, beetles,” she said. “Queens, slaves. There’s even a bloody monkey up there.”
“But no capstone,” Drake murmured under his breath. “For once, I think, we’ve caught a lucky break.”
“You really think so?” Crouch walked up to them, nodding at the far corner of the far wall. “Check down there.”
Drake closed his eyes momentarily. “You’re taking the piss, right?”
“Just look. You tell me.”
They drifted over, aware that the tour guides were already ushering people out. The mural that adorned the far wall was dark, composed of dusky golds, browns and blacks. It depicted two tall figures with Egyptian headdresses, staring at each other; one holding a club and the other a spear. They were seated on low stools and, as Drake bent down to get a better look, a tour guide patted him on the back.
“Sir? Time to leave and allow the next party down.”
Drake stared from him to Alicia, trying to communicate silently.
“What?” the Englishwoman said. “You want me to distract him.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“Shit,” Drake spluttered. “No. I—”
“Happy to take one for the team,” Alicia smiled brightly at the tour guide. “Now tell me. What’s the Egyptian version of the Kama Sutra?”
Drake rose fast, put an arm around her shoulders, and whisked her away from an embarrassed looking escort. “Wait,” Alicia protested. “Don’t you need a look at the thingy?”
“No, Alicia. Crouch got a look at it.”
“Oh, so why are we back here then?”
“Good question. I think we need to catch up.”
They hustled out of the tomb, leaving the guide behind. Before they reached the exit staircase Drake had caught up to the ex-SAS commander.
“Didn’t get chance,” he huffed. “What did you see?”
Crouch made an improvised sign for ‘walls have ears’ and screwed his face up. “It
’s not good.”
With that, they climbed the stairs and emerged once more into the fresh air. It was Crouch that stopped quickly and motioned to the ominous line-up of mercs and spies, scattered liberally among the civilians and preparing to go down next.
“Once that happens,” he said. “The race will be on and the world will be a lot less safe.”
“So it’s real?” Drake asked.
“Oh, it’s real,” Crouch cursed quietly. “It’s very real.”
“In what form?”
“Explain later,” Crouch stalled as they were ushered aside. “Basically, a depiction of the capstone set above the picture of another tomb, with a tiny set of specific hieroglyphics.”
“You’re sure it’s genuine?” Kinimaka asked.
“As much as I can be out here, right now. But finding the second seal and another symbol will confirm it.”
“And you think we should minimize the number of people that are about to see it?” Smyth said. “What do you want us to do? We’re criminals right now, bud.”
“I have an idea,” Alicia said.
Drake and Dahl whipped their heads around, suddenly scared.
“Noo—”
CHAPTER NINE
Alicia raised her dress slightly and strutted over, bold as brass, to the forty-strong group that awaited permission to head down to view Amenhotep’s tomb.
“Oy!” she shouted. “Is that you?”
Heads shot around and eyes darted in her direction. A tour guide stopped his spiel. Strangely, several men began to look uncomfortable.
Alicia zeroed in on her target. “It is you? Gavin! Gavin Lucas, you bastard!”
Dahl held Drake back from running after her. “Don’t worry,” the Swede said. “She’s chosen the daftest looking mammal. Just get ready.”
Alicia walked right up to the edge of the crowd, ignoring the whispers and stares of the closest civilians and the new attention of the guards. One of the tour guides started to wander over.
“Look at me!” Alicia glowered at her victim—a large, hard-faced man of thirty or so, bulging muscles threatening to rip his shirt at the seams and pant legs riding up over his socks due to the width of his thighs.
Everyone saw the huge specimen mouth ‘me?’ and an anxious look fall across his face.
“Yeah, you. Don’t you remember?” She turned to a nearby older woman looking splendid in her jewels and finery. “Thick as a tree trunk, but rode me harder than John Wayne on full gallop.”
The older woman looked over with interest. Alicia held out her hands. “C’mere, Gavy-boy. C’mere. Let’s reacquaint.”
The merc looked ready to start pushing his way toward her until one of his comrades leaned over and whispered into his ear. Immediately, a cloud of doubt settled over his features.
“Yeah, my name ain’t Gavin.”
Alicia laughed. “Don’t be a goose. You have that tattoo, don’t you? The one on your ass?”
Now the man’s comrades were staring at him with more than just boredom.
“What?”
“You broke my heart!” Alicia pushed her way toward the man, largely to escape the attentions of the guide and the oncoming guards that just wanted to calm the scene. Alicia stood in front of the merc, looking up.
“Don’t you remember me?”
“Nah, girl, but I sure wish I did. You ain’t a bad looking bitch.”
“I’m a what now?”
“Get rid of the damn whore,” another merc spoke up, probably the leader of their little group. “We’re headed down.”
Alicia shook her head. “Excuse me? Just one sec.” She held a finger in front of the newly arrived tour guide and his guard. “You need to apologize.”
Laughter rang out from the mercs. Civilians all around looked embarrassed. Drake and the team were close now, ranged around Alicia and trying to look impartial.
“I demand an apology!” Alicia cried in a high voice.
The merc Alicia had picked on still looked uncertain, but the rest assumed their nastiest faces. Drake watched the spies in the crowd taking it all in without drawing attention.
“Fuck off, whore,” one said.
People gathered around gasped. Drake saw some of the men start to protest. This was about as far as they should go. Nobody wanted innocent civilians dragged into their mess.
Then, everything changed. One of the mercs, unable to restrain himself, pushed ‘Gavin’ aside and shouted a string of curses into Alicia’s face. She reacted predictably with a knee to the groin, a jab to the sternum and a punch to the throat. Her abuser said no more, but went down gurgling, clutching his neck, tottering on his knees.
Alicia placed a finger on his forehead. “There’s a free lesson for you,” she whispered and pushed him over. “Don’t treat women like that.”
His friends were coming now, barging the crowd aside, vision filled with nothing but red mist. Alicia backed off into a tour guide and one of the guards, and gave them a look of apology. “I’d call in backup,” she said.
Drake had been tracking the leader. Just before Alicia toppled the abuser he saw him make the tell-tale sign of an incoming communication—a finger placed to the ear. The leader then fixed Alicia with a clearer gaze before staring over at Drake.
Oh shit, that was quick. Someone knows their way around the Internet and facial recognition software.
Which begged the question: Why were they using such low-rent mercs?
Drake was moving even as each successive thought materialized, and so were the rest of the team. The guard, apparently unaware that he had any form of nearby backup, raised his gun and began to shout. The crowd panicked. Men and women started crying out and looking to flee. An air of panic quickly set in.
Dahl pulled the guard free and set him aside, yelling that he should call for backup. Drake didn’t know whether to be annoyed at Alicia or happy with what she’d done. The flow of people into the tomb had definitely been altered, but the outcome of tonight was still in jeopardy.
“Not good.” Crouch pointed at the tomb’s entrance. Many were still heading down.
“We can’t stop that,” Hayden said. “We need to leave. Now.”
The mercenaries reached Drake, Dahl and Alicia. A tussle broke out, with fists flying. The three tried to contain the advance of the mercs but found themselves forced back by weight of numbers. Civilians still cried and stood all around. Some fell to the floor, knocked aside by the mercs.
Drake saw guards formed of the Egyptian military beginning to assemble.
“Out,” he shouted.
They spun and ran, joined the bulk of their group and then hastened toward the edge of the stage. The mercs followed, sensing blood and victory rather than a sensible retreat and a chance to get to safety. They didn’t see the guards coming.
Plus they forgot their orders, Drake thought. Bonus for us.
Still, they had to assume other factions knew what they knew. He wanted to get hold of Crouch and extract the exact information but that would have to wait. He leapt from the stage amidst the SPEAR team at full flow, landing sprightly and turning it into a sprint. The guards wouldn’t pursue—they hadn’t done anything wrong.
But the mercs knew them.
For a moment he wondered if whoever was pulling their strings had now decided to deliberately send them after SPEAR, forgoing the tomb. But no, that just didn’t make sense. They left the stage area behind, pounding across a patch of desert now as they raced toward the parking areas. Here stood many coaches and private taxis used to ferry guests to and from the event. The road passed close by. Drake checked the rear whilst Hayden and Kinimaka scoped out the best exit.
“Cairo,” Crouch said.
“Yeah, already on it,” Hayden said. “Back to the safe house?”
“Yes, it will be good for a short while.”
Drake saw the mercs barging people off the stage, causing injuries as they neared its edge. The guards were in pursuit, coming around the side. Hayden urged the
m to a mini-van where the driver sat waiting, the engine ticking.
“Sorry,” he said in poor English. “I . . . have . . . already . . . fare . . .”
“Double.” Crouch stuck his head through the passenger window. “We’ll pay double. And make it quick, we have another party to get to!”
“Ah! What the hell are you waiting for? Get on in!” Suddenly, he understood English just fine.
Drake saw they barely had time, but didn’t want to draw attention to the pursuit. The team jumped in, told their driver to get a move on and then they were speeding across a flat piece of desert toward the main road. Drake, squashed in the back beside Smyth and Yorgi, stuck his nose against the rear pane of glass.
“They’re slow,” he said. “But, I think still coming.”
“Move it,” Crouch said.
“I am going as fast as she can,” the driver told them. “What’s the rush, man? Party can wait.”
“We’re hungry,” Alicia said bluntly. “Now speed her up before I start chomping on yer arm.”
Drake and Smyth were assessing the pursuit. “Looks like half the mercs made it away,” Smyth said. “The rest stopped by guards. I guess that’s still about eight though.”
“You think they’ll have weapons?” Yorgi asked.
Kenzie barked a laugh. “Mercs? They’re never more than a mile from their stash, my Russian friend. No doubt buried their guns in the desert. What’s our head start?”
Drake shrugged. “Five, six, minutes if they stop.”
“They’ll stop.”
“How long to Cairo?” Mai asked.
“Big pyramid over there.” The driver pointed out the window. “Five minute drive.”
“And then our arms are twenty minutes away,” Smyth pointed out.
“It’s gonna be tricky,” Drake said. “Real tricky.”
CHAPTER TEN
Between them, Alicia and Kenzie kept the driver at close to full speed the entire way. Even so the mercs were closing in by the time the outskirts of Cairo came into view. Drake breathed a sigh of relief to see the packed, mostly paved streets; the various homes with sheets draped outside windows and across small balconies, the impromptu stalls set up in street corners and tiny niches; all dusty and dirty from the desert, the rain and the circumstances. The pathways were uneven, rocky, strewn with rubbish. Their taxi driver veered toward the nearest, accepted cash, and waited for them to evacuate the car.
The Seven Seals of Egypt (Matt Drake Book 17) Page 5
