“Who do you consider the lowest of the low?” Blount snapped, but Hadel rode over her.
“Not to mention the strong presence of the United States military, which aids and abets our corrupt government.”
Blount redirected the conversation. “Bishop, we’re going to play a cell phone video captured by one of the victims of the tsunami and we’d like your comments on it.”
“Of course.”
“The video shows your missionaries rescuing a white family from the flood waters, and then, almost immediately, fighting off a drowning African-American man…”
Tam’s phone vibrated just as an indignant Hadel shouted something about ‘ambush journalism’ and the tendencies of overcrowded boats to capsize. It was a text from Maddock. She fired off a reply and sagged against the wall, eyes closed. Why had she ever wanted to be in charge? What she wouldn’t give right now to be out in the field, matching wits with her quarry. Maybe she’d even get to shoot somebody. That would relieve her stress.
“What’s wrong?” Avery looked up from Krueger’s notebook. She was still upset with Tam for keeping her at headquarters, but she’d been working diligently since the others left on their respective missions.
“First the Dominion attacks the wrong city, making me look like a fool, and now Maddock finds the Hall of Records.”
“Really?” Avery sprang to her feet, upending her chair. “Where was it? What did he find?”
“It was under the Sphinx, just like Krueger said. And it was empty.”
The gleam in Avery’s eyes flickered and died. “What?”
“The Templars got there first. He’s sending me a picture of…” Her phone vibrated again. “Here it is. The Templars left a calling card.” She handed the phone to Avery.
“The cross looks authentic. Lord knows we’ve seen enough of these lately.” The Templars had been at the heart of a mystery Tam aided Maddock and his crew in solving. “But these squiggly lines are odd.” Avery’s gaze went cloudy and she bit her lip.
“What?” Tam could tell the young woman was deep in thought, but she dared not get her hopes up.
“I think I know where this is!” She snatched up the notebook and flipped through to a hand-drawn map. “See how the lines on this carving match up?
Tam looked at the map. It showed a stretch of river and an island. “It’s not an exact match. The Templar carving doesn’t show this island.” She tapped a chili-pepper shaped stretch of land that ran parallel to the shore, joined to the mainland by bridges at its north and northwest tips.
“That’s because this island wasn’t built until the 1800s but, according to Krueger, it’s one of the Templars’ most notorious ‘hide in plain sight’ constructions. He believes it’s the place where the Freemasons, the modern descendants of the Templars hid their most sacred knowledge.” She paused. “And it has Atlantean connections.”
“Where is this place?” Tam held her breath. Hope stirred inside her again, though she was reluctant to believe it.
“It’s in Washington D.C. I know it must seem like a stretch, but Krueger was right about the Hall of Records. Isn’t it at least worth having Maddock and the others check it out?”
For the first time in she couldn’t remember how long, Tam permitted herself a genuine smile. Now she recognized the location.
“Girl, forget Maddock. There’s no time to waste. Besides, I’m the one who can get us inside. Grab your toothbrush. You and I are going on a trip.”
Chapter 41
“You realize I know what you’re up to?” Bones lay stretched out on the hotel bed, tossing his Recon knife in the air and snatching the falling, spinning blade just before it hit him in the face. He’d been at it for the past ten minutes, complaining all the while about boredom and insomnia.
“What are you talking about?” Dane groaned. Sleep eluded him as well, but he’d at least tried harder than Bones to catch some shut eye.
“Only getting two rooms. You’re hoping I’ll keep you from hooking up with Jade.”
“I’m not going to hook up with her. You’re the hookup guy in this partnership.”
“You’re not planning to hook up with her, but I know how those things go when you meet up with an ex. It starts out all friendly, and then it gets nostalgic. Next thing you know, you’re wondering why you ever dumped her in the first place. It’s psychology and hormones.” Bones caught the knife again and flung it across the room where it stuck in back of the desk chair.
“You’re paying for that.” Dane sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You’ve been through this before?”
“Are you kidding? I hook up with my exes whenever I get a chance. It’s a lot like makeup sex. The difference is, I don’t get into long, committed relationships, like you do. I’ve tried a few times, but it doesn’t last.” He got up, retrieved his knife, and sheathed it. “It’s bad enough you want me to run interference for you, but you’re messing up my game. Sofia looks like a mountain I’d like to climb.”
Dane ignored the labored metaphor. “Wait a minute. You think it’s bad I want you to keep Jade away from me? I’m being faithful to your sister.”
“It’s not faithfulness if somebody has to make you do it. If you’re going to go back to Jade sooner or later, I’d rather Angel find out now, instead of down the road. It’ll hurt her less.”
“It gives me a headache when you say something that makes sense.”
“Screw you, Maddock.” Bones smiled to show he had not taken offense. “I’m going to get some fresh air before I go stir crazy.”
Just then, there came a soft knock at their door. Bones gave him a look that said, What did I tell you? He opened the door to find Jade standing there, looking abashed.
“I… needed to talk to Maddock about something.”
“Go ahead. I’m going out for a few minutes.” Bones left without looking back.
Jade sat down on the bed, facing Maddock, and gazed at him, her brown eyes shining with deep emotion.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“I’m not sure.” She looked down at her hands. “It was fun today. You know, solving the puzzle, proving a legend was true, almost getting killed.” She laughed. “God, I’ve missed it. I know that sounds crazy, but I never feel more alive than when I’m with you.”
“Nostalgia’s a funny thing. It makes you forget the bad times.”
Now, Jade met his eye. Her gaze was hard, but her words soft. “You’re trying to sound callous, but I know you better than that. Tell me you don’t feel it too.”
“Of course I do. And yes, our highs are pretty high, but you can’t deny that our lows were sometimes about as low as you can get.” He poured all his effort into ignoring her eyes, which always mesmerized him, and her other features that he found just as enticing, and concentrated on the bad times: the fights, the jealousy, the months apart.
“It’s called a roller coaster, and people love them. How boring is life if there aren’t any ups and downs?”
Dane had no reply.
“You don’t have to give me an answer. Just promise me you’ll think about it. About us.” Jade’s smile faltered and faded into a tiny frown. She stood and headed for the door.
“Leaving already?” Dane didn’t know why he’d said that. From the time they’d checked into the hotel, he’d wanted nothing more than for the two of them to keep their distance from one another.
“I want to get back to the room before Bones tries something with Sofia.”
“He won’t be happy.”
“He will when I remind him about the punishment for adultery in a Muslim country.” She looked back over her shoulder, a wicked gleam in her eye. “I don’t actually know what the law is in Egypt, but I’ll make up something suitably horrible.”