Tomb Raider Emeritus: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (I Fear No Evil Book 6)

by Martha Carr

  There was no reason for her to give them a reason to do that.

  Shay blew out a breath and checked the area as she rounded a corner. There wasn’t a single person around. Even though she was now living more openly, she couldn’t let her guard down when she was about to drive to a warehouse. The only people who knew the locations were those she could trust with her life, and although she’d destroyed the Nuevo Gulf Cartel, she had a long list of other enemies who might love a chance to kill her or destroy her warehouses.

  Don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let my guard down entirely. James is an utter badass who wasted a bunch of Harriken, and he still had assholes who blew up his house with a rocket launcher before people bought a clue. And he was trying to spread his reputation around, unlike me.

  She pulled out her phone and dialed Peyton.

  “What’s up?” he answered cheerfully.

  “I just gave a lecture at the university.”

  “That go well?”

  Shay grinned. “My lectures always go well. When I set out to do something, I don’t do it half-assed. I’m sure most of these kids will change their majors to revised history or archaeology if they haven’t already. A lot of them aren’t even from the department, or at least I don’t think they are.”

  Peyton chuckled. “Humble much?”

  “I don’t believe in false humility. Anyway, I was just giving a lecture on the city of Old Dwarka. I did some background research on it for the lecture, and everything I’ve found suggests there’s treasure to be found there. I’m beginning to think I should check it out.”

  “Old Dwarka. Isn’t that the place that’s underwater?”

  Shay scoffed. “I’ve got a lot of dive gear.”

  Peyton laughed. “Yeah, and you bitch a lot about having to do stuff underwater.”

  “Touché. Just start looking into it. I’ve got a decent pile of cash from all my tomb raids, even with the recent warehouse upgrades. Aletheia has an established reputation now, meaning I can pursue a personal opportunity here or there.”

  A crunch came over the line.

  Shay frowned. “What the hell was that? Did you just break something?”

  “Potato chips.”

  “You couldn’t have waited to eat?”

  Peyton chuckled. “You called in the middle of my snack. You’re the one with bad timing, not me.”

  Shay rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just start doing background research on Old Dwarka. Not sure it’ll be our next raid, but there’ll be no patron this time, and we’ll keep what I find. I really need to get my own arsenal of artifacts, so I’ll have more options.”

  “Not disagreeing. Sounds like a good plan.”

  “I’ll let you go back to your chips now, Peyton. Enjoy, and don’t choke on them.”

  He laughed. “Thanks.”

  Shay ended the call.

  If I want to have any chance of dealing with people like Yulia, I need to bring a lot more artifacts with me. It’s time for the next step in my career or for me to walk away, and I don’t feel like walking away.

  Shay tensed as movement caught her attention. Someone was sprinting toward her.

  3

  The tomb raider narrowed her eyes and widened her stance. Even though she was in a skirt and button-up blouse for her lecture rather than something more practical—let alone tactical—she had a knife concealed in her skirt and a gun in her purse. That was one thing she could always say about when she needed to carry a bag of some sort. They were great places to hide weapons.

  Shay gritted her teeth.

  Don’t ruin my day, asshole. I was having a nice post-lecture buzz, and I don’t want to have to explain away a body on campus. It took me too much effort to get established here.

  Shay rolled her eyes and snickered as the form closed on her. The battle would need to be postponed. It wasn’t an assassin, or at least she didn’t know of an assassin who’d be caught dead in khaki pants, a cardigan, and a bowtie.

  She sighed and let her shoulders relax, even if her stomach was still knotted. In a sense, the man might be more dangerous than an assassin. It was her department head.

  What the hell does he want? He wasn’t even at my lecture.

  “Professor Carson,” the man called. He arrived at her car and bent over, puffing and red-faced. He needed to get in more regular cardio if a little jog like that had him suffering so much.

  Shay gave him a polite nod. “Hello, Doctor Weber. In a rush, I see.”

  Dr. Weber took a few more seconds to catch his breath before straightening. “Yes. I just had something to ask you about. Something that I wanted to do in a semi-private setting, which is why I didn’t just come to the end of your lecture to ask you about it.”

  Shay shrugged. “Okay. I was on my way home, but ask away.”

  “It’s just…” He sighed and looked away. “I’ve sat in on a few of your lectures and, of course, I reviewed your previous material. Your understanding of revised history to archaeology, especially for someone so early in your career…well, it’s unparalleled. When you lecture, it’s often like you’ve been to these places. I can really feel your passion for your work.”

  Been to more of them than you realize. Maybe not doing careful archaeology, but I definitely was grabbing a piece or two of the past.

  Shay took a deep breath. The problem with a career, even a fake career, was that it exposed her to office politics. She couldn’t handle the department head the way she might handle an annoying triad member on the street or even just a typical person who bothered her.

  She had to give him respect, even if she didn’t necessarily believe he deserved it.

  “I’m glad you understand my passion for my work. Is there anything else, sir?” Shay looked at him expectantly.

  Dr. Weber cleared his throat. Even though he was no longer huffing and puffing, his face was still bright red as if he were embarrassed.

  “It’s just that I think you display insight into certain archaeological sites that more mainstream scholars might not know a lot about. Even after these past two decades, it’s hard for a lot of people in our field and related fields to accept the paradigm change that Oriceran demands.” He shook his head. “A good scholar should, of course, but a man who spent decades arguing one position isn’t likely to want to say he was wrong. Not that I can blame them.”

  Shay crossed her arms and frowned. The good doctor was taking an awfully long time to get to anything approaching a point, and she really wanted to get to Warehouse Two.

  She sighed. “Again, not something I disagree with, Doctor, but I don’t see what this has to do with me.”

  He looked over his shoulder as if afraid he might be overheard. “You’re right. I should get to the point.”

  “It would be helpful, yes.”

  “Do you know anything about the Anzick burial site in Montana?”

  Shay nodded. “That’s not that obscure a place. It’s part of the original Clovis Complex.”

  “Is that all you know about it? You seem to specialize in European and Asian history, so I wasn’t sure about your knowledge of Pre-Colombian North American history.”

  She offered him a shrug. “It’s a Native American burial site generally dated to around thirteen thousand years ago. Who the hell knows, given some of the issues with magic affecting carbon dating. Most traditional archaeologists suggest the Clovis people were the link between Asian populations and modern Native Americans, and much of the genetic evidence backs that up. There’s also evidence to suggest that they or their ancestors might have traveled via a land bridge between Asia and North America, though there are still a lot of competing theories out there.”

  Dr. Weber bit his lip and gave her a shallow nod. “That’s generally accurate. The thing is…”

  Fuck. Can this guy be any less efficient? I’m sure his students must hate his lectures if this is how he delivers them.

  “The thing is what, Dr. Weber?”

  Again, he checked over hi
s shoulder as expecting a hitman to pop from behind a car and take him out.

  “There are certain inconsistencies with some of the artifacts, beyond dating issues. I’ve been studying that culture and the site for thirty years, and prior to this I just wondered if we were missing something.” He looked down at his shoes. “But…”

  Shay sighed. Part of her wanted to tell him to go away so she could head back to Warehouse Two and talk to Peyton about a Dwarka tomb raid, but another part of her wanted to hear more about whatever mystery Dr. Weber thought he’d uncovered.

  After all, a good part of a reason she lectured at the school was that she enjoyed history. In the end, simply curiosity, along with a desire not to annoy her department head, kept her in place.

  She gestured for Dr. Weber to continue.

  The man looked up and nodded. “Well, you see, a lot of those inconsistencies concerning the land bridge or other theories might be resolved if we took into account something else. Something that should be included as part of the modern archaeology and revised history paradigm.”

  “Can you be more specific?”

  “Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but something that might facilitate quick travel between distant locations…”

  Shay lifted her eyebrows. “You think it was a magical portal?”

  Excitement filled Dr. Weber’s face. “Exactly. It’s something I haven’t dared talk about for a long time. When my career was starting, I almost destroyed it by talking about how it might be something of that nature. It was only because I had a few mentors of influence that I wasn’t laughed out of the field completely. My wife begged me to stop talking about it, so I did.” He blew out a breath. “But now, with Oriceran, that changes everything. I think the site holds information about early human contact with Oricerans, but I need someone to lead the dig who has expertise in revised history. Otherwise, they might miss vital clues.”

  The tomb raider blinked. “Wait, you want me to go check out the site?”

  “Yes, and some related sites where we know there might be artifacts that have yet to be excavated.”

  Shay shrugged. “That sounds expensive, and as you know, I’m not exactly swimming in grant money. After all, I only deliver guest lectures here.”

  Dr. Weber nodded. “Oh, of course, but I have funds I could direct your way. I am the department head, after all. If you’re interested in following up on this, I could make sure the dig was fully funded, and…” he leaned forward and lowered his voice, “this might be a good intro toward getting a permanent faculty position.”

  She resisted a snort.

  The amount of money I make on one tomb raid could fund the average archaeology dig for years, and I’m not ready to quit the day job and teach fulltime.

  She sighed. “The thing is, Dr. Weber, I’m not in a position right now to commit to any long-term excavation projects. Between my lectures at the school and various personal projects, I can’t agree to it, no matter how interesting I find the idea.”

  Disappointment spread over his face. “Oh, of course. I understand, but will you at least keep it in mind?”

  Shay smiled. “That I can do.”

  “Excellent.” Dr. Weber shrugged. “I’ve waited thirty years. It’s not like waiting a year or two more will hurt me. Thank you for your time, Professor Carson.”

  The department head slunk off down the sidewalk and away from the parking lot.

  Shay blew out a breath and shook her head. As much as she loved uncovering truths, she wasn’t a real professor, and a few fun lectures now and again wasn’t the same thing as having time to do a professional—which by its nature was slow and methodical—archaeological dig.

  She headed toward her car.

  Interesting story, though. Maybe something to check out in the future.

  Shay stepped out of the car in the bay at Warehouse Two and headed toward the office, a purse over one shoulder and a satchel containing her book over the other. She blinked and smiled at a familiar teen perched on the edge of Peyton’s desk. It’d been far too long since she’d talked to Lily.

  The teen grinned at Peyton, who was sitting in his chair. “Come on, you never know. You might like it. Just think about trying it. Don’t be such an old man. Shay does it, and she’s older than you.”

  The hacker shook his head. “I’m not crazy like you and Shay. I don’t need to jump off buildings. I like living, and I cherish every single second of my life. No pointless risks for me.”

  “Boring.” Lily stretched out the word.

  A delicious scent hung in the air, along with the extra heat that came from using the pizza oven.

  I thought he’d never be able to do anything, but he’s approaching becoming the Pizza King in truth. I’ve rarely been happier to be wrong about something.

  Shay walked over to the office. “What’s up, you two? What are you trying to peer-pressure Peyton into?”

  Lily shrugged. “Trying to get Peyton interested in parkour, but he’s going full grandpa on me.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I have enough danger in my life. I don’t need to add more.”

  Shay chuckled and turned to Lily. “It’s been a while since I last saw you. You don’t look panicked or like you have to hide from gangsters.”

  The girl shrugged. “I’m fine. Everything’s going well. The money you’ve paid me has made it easy to keep everyone in food without scavenging.”

  “You earned that money—every penny. Not that I’m upset that you’re here, but why are you here?”

  “Just stopped by to see if there were any jobs and if you wanted to work out later. Even with the parkour, it’s just not the same without you.”

  Shay furrowed her brow. There was nothing wrong with taking Lily to Warehouse One for a little workout, but something tugged at the back of her mind. A small twinge of guilt, especially with Alison in town. Spending time training a secret protégé she’d hidden from James and Alison felt a little bit weird, and even a little wrong.

  Fuck. I probably should tell them about her sooner rather than later, but I just have to figure out the best way to do that. It’s not like she’s a secret kid from a previous marriage or something. They don’t have a cartel or gangsters after them. At least not anymore.

  The tomb raider shrugged. “I’m sure something can be arranged. Not sure about jobs. Things have been a bit dry lately on that front. I’ve got Peyton looking into a potential job, but we need to do a little background research on the site.” She sniffed the air. “Setting that aside, something smells damned wonderful, Peyton.”

  Peyton grinned and stood. The sight wiped the smile off Shay’s face. The man’s pants were an abomination—shiny gold stripes and whorls over red spandex and flared bottoms. It wasn’t just unfashionable, it was anti-fashion. A sartorial sin.

  Shay groaned. “So which of you is Starsky?”

  Peyton and Lily exchanged looks.

  “Huh?” was Peyton’s brilliant reply. “Starsky?”

  Lily just shrugged.

  Shay waved a hand. “No respect for the classics.”

  Captain Anti-Fashion marched over to the pizza oven, grabbed his paddle, and pulled out a mouth-watering thin-crust pepperoni pizza. Being good at cooking pizza went a long way toward making up for his unfortunate clothing choices.

  Shay licked her lips and then blinked as Peyton deposited the pizza on a tray next to eight other pizzas on a nearby table. Each had a single slice removed.

  Shay gestured to the table. “Are we having a rave or something you didn’t tell me about? Or is James stopping by and worried about making weight for a new pro-wrestling career he hasn’t told me about?”

  Lily snickered.

  Peyton shook his head. “Nope. I wanted to perfect the flour-to-water ratio, so I needed to do a few experiments. Well, more than a few, because things just weren’t right.” He pointed to one of the older pizzas. “None of my test slices were quite right, but I figure Lily can take the pizzas back to her underground
lair to share with her special underdweller friends.”

  Lily rolled her eyes. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a paperclip. With the precision of a Marine Corps Force Recon sniper, she pelted the hacker in the head.

  “Ow.” Peyton rubbed his head. “That hurt.”

  Shay laughed. “Don’t pick a fight you can’t win, Peyton.”

  Osiris took advantage of the distracted humans to snatch a pizza from the table and drag it away. The cat stopped and tilted his head. A mouse grabbed a free piece of pepperoni and scurried off with it. The cat dropped the pizza and sprinted after the rodent with a yowl. Instinct fueled his active hunt.

  Shay winced. Nothing should be getting into the warehouse, including mice, but it wasn’t like she could call a normal pest control company. After a moment, she shrugged. The cat would finally earn its keep. Not a bad deal.

  Lily snorted at Peyton. “’Underdwellers?’ Seriously?”

  Peyton shrugged. “Is that not politically correct? What should I be calling them, ‘tunnel rats?’”

  “Don’t make me hurt you,” Lily warned. “I wonder what your little girlfriend would think if she knew what you actually did for a living. Of course, knowing you, someday you’ll want to give her a tour of your office at the warehouse to try to impress her, and you’ll tell her how you’re the ultimate hacker and all that.”

  “Hey, now, that’s not funny.”

  Shay removed her gun from her purse and slapped it on the table. The Peyton and Lily snapped their heads in her direction.

  Frowning, the tomb raider rested her hand lightly on the gun and smiled. “Just remember, no one gets access to or told the location of any of the warehouses without my explicit permission.” She narrowed her eyes at Peyton. “I don’t care how nerd-sexy they are.” Her gaze slid to Lily. “Or if you trust them with your life. Even good and trustworthy people can give up information they don’t want to, depending on the situation.”

  Peyton swallowed. “Always nice to be reminded who’s the cat and who are the mice.” He tilted his head at the satchel she had over her other shoulder. “What’s that?”