plates, I guarantee you'll know if treasure hunting is truly your calling."
I narrowed my gaze. Her pixie features were innocent, yet deceiving. She was clever, conniving. And she was manipulating the hell out of me.
But that didn't mean she wasn't right.
"Okay, " I said at last. "You've got a deal."
P ART II
Ball Lightning
Chapter 22
Emily's helicopter looked luxurious on the outside. But the inside was a whole different story.
The chopper dipped and swung to the side. I shifted uneasily in my seat. Tried my best to get comfortable. But it didn't work.
The cabin was gigantic, heavily metallic, and completely free of opulence. Oval-shaped windows lined either side of it. Their acrylic surfaces were heavily stained, making it difficult to see through them. Just beneath the windows, two long benches sprouted from the walls. Their metal legs were welded to the floor. They'd looked stiff from a distance. But sitting in them for an extended period of time had proven to be sheer torture.
Dr. Qiang Wu was piloting the chopper. The rest of us sat in the cabin. We'd self-segregated into three areas. Beverly, Graham, and I sat in the front with Emily and Crowley. Miranda and Tum occupied the middle. Meanwhile, the Maneros had situated themselves in the rear of the chopper.
Our luggage and equipment were lashed down throughout the cabin, stuffed between boxes, crates, and cases. The items were just a small percentage of the overall cargo. I'd noticed several large externally slung crates prior to entering the chopper.
I wiped a mask of sweat off my brow. Several weeks had passed since I'd seen Emily. Until her call, I'd started to wonder if she'd forgotten about our arrangement. Part of me had hoped that was the case.
My mind flashed back to the Maya Mountains. I recalled Votan's helicopter descending out of the dark clouds. His men had fired almost immediately. Two workers, a man and a woman, had crumpled to the ground without a word. Their blood had seeped onto the rocks.
I'd felt tremendous sorrow. However, I hadn't felt guilt. I knew Votan and his army were responsible for their deaths. Still, something changed inside me as I'd raced for cover. At that exact moment, I knew my days of treasure hunting had come to an end.
Or at least, I thought they'd come to an end.
My throat felt parched. More sweat beaded up on my brow. Uneasily, I shifted my beat-up canvas satchel, trying in vain to get comfortable. Finally, I shrugged it off. As the excess weight left my body, I felt slightly better.
But only for a few seconds.
I shifted again, feeling even less comfortable than before. I was too wired to sleep, too exhausted to concentrate.
Crossing my arms, I leaned back. My skull touched a window. The surface felt cool and damp against my head. I forced myself to relax. My eyes closed over. My mind drifted away.
Then the helicopter jostled.
My head smacked against the acrylic glass. Searing pain ripped through my skull.
So much for sleeping.
Opening my eyes, I looked around. Beverly sat on my left, headphones clamped over her ears. Her eyes were closed and her head leaned on my shoulder. Graham sat on my other side. His torso was twisted toward me. His cheek was firmly pressed against a window and I caught a sly smile on his face. From the look of it, he was having a dream.
A hell of a dream.
"Can't sleep?" Emily's soft voice carried into my ears.
I looked across the aisle. Her nose was buried in an old tome. She flipped pages with one hand and used the other to take notes on a legal pad.
Crowley sat on her left, facing Graham. He caught me looking in his direction and frowned.
"I'd like to," I replied. "Unfortunately, Dr. Wu isn't much of a pilot."
"It's not his fault. The air's choppy."
"I've been meaning to ask you something. What happened to the sarcophagus?"
"Miranda placed one of her other assistants in charge of it. He's going to conduct a full-fledged excavation of the tomb over the next six
I narrowed my gaze. Her pixie features were innocent, yet deceiving. She was clever, conniving. And she was manipulating the hell out of me.
But that didn't mean she wasn't right.
"Okay, " I said at last. "You've got a deal."
P ART II
Ball Lightning
Chapter 22
Emily's helicopter looked luxurious on the outside. But the inside was a whole different story.
The chopper dipped and swung to the side. I shifted uneasily in my seat. Tried my best to get comfortable. But it didn't work.
The cabin was gigantic, heavily metallic, and completely free of opulence. Oval-shaped windows lined either side of it. Their acrylic surfaces were heavily stained, making it difficult to see through them. Just beneath the windows, two long benches sprouted from the walls. Their metal legs were welded to the floor. They'd looked stiff from a distance. But sitting in them for an extended period of time had proven to be sheer torture.
Dr. Qiang Wu was piloting the chopper. The rest of us sat in the cabin. We'd self-segregated into three areas. Beverly, Graham, and I sat in the front with Emily and Crowley. Miranda and Tum occupied the middle. Meanwhile, the Maneros had situated themselves in the rear of the chopper.
Our luggage and equipment were lashed down throughout the cabin, stuffed between boxes, crates, and cases. The items were just a small percentage of the overall cargo. I'd noticed several large externally slung crates prior to entering the chopper.
I wiped a mask of sweat off my brow. Several weeks had passed since I'd seen Emily. Until her call, I'd started to wonder if she'd forgotten about our arrangement. Part of me had hoped that was the case.
My mind flashed back to the Maya Mountains. I recalled Votan's helicopter descending out of the dark clouds. His men had fired almost immediately. Two workers, a man and a woman, had crumpled to the ground without a word. Their blood had seeped onto the rocks.
I'd felt tremendous sorrow. However, I hadn't felt guilt. I knew Votan and his army were responsible for their deaths. Still, something changed inside me as I'd raced for cover. At that exact moment, I knew my days of treasure hunting had come to an end.
Or at least, I thought they'd come to an end.
My throat felt parched. More sweat beaded up on my brow. Uneasily, I shifted my beat-up canvas satchel, trying in vain to get comfortable. Finally, I shrugged it off. As the excess weight left my body, I felt slightly better.
But only for a few seconds.
I shifted again, feeling even less comfortable than before. I was too wired to sleep, too exhausted to concentrate.
Crossing my arms, I leaned back. My skull touched a window. The surface felt cool and damp against my head. I forced myself to relax. My eyes closed over. My mind drifted away.
Then the helicopter jostled.
My head smacked against the acrylic glass. Searing pain ripped through my skull.
So much for sleeping.
Opening my eyes, I looked around. Beverly sat on my left, headphones clamped over her ears. Her eyes were closed and her head leaned on my shoulder. Graham sat on my other side. His torso was twisted toward me. His cheek was firmly pressed against a window and I caught a sly smile on his face. From the look of it, he was having a dream.
A hell of a dream.
"Can't sleep?" Emily's soft voice carried into my ears.
I looked across the aisle. Her nose was buried in an old tome. She flipped pages with one hand and used the other to take notes on a legal pad.
Crowley sat on her left, facing Graham. He caught me looking in his direction and frowned.
"I'd like to," I replied. "Unfortunately, Dr. Wu isn't much of a pilot."
"It's not his fault. The air's choppy."
"I've been meaning to ask you something. What happened to the sarcophagus?"
"Miranda placed one of her other assistants in charge of it. He's going to conduct a full-fledged excavation of the tomb over the next six
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