Read Online Pompeii's Ghosts (A James Acton Thriller, #9) by J Robert Kennedy - Free Book Online Page B

out his arms.
“I’ve been stuck to that vinyl seat for over eight hours.” Laura grabbed a
bottle of water from the fridge and tossed it to him. He caught it easily and
sat down at a table with a map of the dig rolled out on it. Laura came up
behind him and began to massage his shoulders. He moaned, leaning his head back
against her stomach. “Mmmm, that feels nice.”
    “How was
the flight?”
    “Usual
pleasantries at the border, but other than that, uneventful,” he replied, his
eyes closing as he gave himself over to her tender ministrations. “Everything
fine here?”
    “Perfect.
Dig is going great. We just found the edge of something big this morning. It
looks like it may go down quite a bit.”
    Acton’s
eyes popped open for a moment. “Where?”
    “At one of
the exploratory digs to the east. It looks like the top of something, perhaps
buried in a sandstorm thousands of years ago.”
    “Cool!”
Acton could feel the excitement of a new discovery begin to fuel his system.
“Who do you have on it?”
    “Well,
it was Terrence’s exploratory dig, so I’ve left it in his hands for now. I
think he deserves a shot after everything he did last year.”
    Terrence
Mitchell was Laura’s star grad student who had risked his life to help warn
them of the impending attack, nearly dying in the ensuing battle. He was a
brilliant but awkward lad who had found love during those difficult hours,
eventually marrying Jenny just two months ago.
    Yet we move at a snail’s pace!
    “Glad to
hear our newlywed is doing well,” said Acton as Laura patted him on the
shoulders, ending her massage. Acton rose and stretched. “Thanks, I needed
that.” He sniffed his armpit and winced. “And now I need a shower and a change
of clothes.”
    Laura
waved her hand in front of her nose. “Please!”
    Acton’s
hand darted out as he leapt forward and smacked her butt, she squealing as she
tried to dodge the hit, unsuccessfully. He feigned another blow which he let
her escape as she laughed, putting the table between the two of them. His
shoulders slumped. “I’m dead. I think I’ll take a nap after the shower.”
    “Rest
today, there will be plenty to do tomorrow,” replied Laura as she rounded the
table and gave him a peck on the cheek. “And for the love of God, shower!” She
raced for the exit before he could react.
    Acton
chuckled as he grabbed a towel and snapped it at her. She winked at him then
ducked back outside while he retrieved his toiletries and headed for the
showers, the water provided by an underground well that had been dug for the
camp when it was first set up. One of the advantages of a Professor Laura
Palmer dig was her money, which she would use to provide the little extras for
her students when possible. She was even known to extend her generosity
anonymously and pay the way for some students who couldn’t afford it. And that philanthropic
spirit had been extended to his students as well, many benefiting.
    As he
washed in the cool but not cold water, he began to unwind, his muscles relaxing
from his long trip. Washing his shoulder, his fingers ran over the scar from
where he had been shot only two months before, and he instinctively winced. The
wound was healed, but the strength hadn’t completely returned. He did daily
exercises to help stretch and strengthen the area, but he found it still tired
easily, and after a particularly hard day, it would ache enough to tempt him to
take some pain killers which he was usually able to resist. If Laura was with
him she was always able to distract him in some way, but if he was alone with
his thoughts, he found them quite often returning to that day and his near
death experience.
    He had
learned later that his heart had most likely stopped and that he may actually
have been dead. The Delta Force operator, Niner, and an Israeli medic, had
saved his life in the field, and when it was all over, their discovery handed
over to the Triarii, an ancient organization