“Keep in touch. You’re where you want to be and that’s not here. With us. Look, I have to go.”
Heidi tried to speak but her throat was too constricted. The call ended with nothing further said and a hole the size of a football where her heart should be. Is it time to give it all up? Priorities, right? That’s what it’s about, or so they say. Damn, but what if every man and woman who upheld the law and fought for the rights of decent civilians decided to do the same? What then?
She gripped her knees tightly, wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked up, straight into dark skies illuminated by a silver moon. No help up there. The conflict of career and family was very real for her. Both were incredibly important, but if either one didn’t exist then she would become a more shallow person. She needed both to function.
Movement came from the left and she checked her gun before turning to see Eli Cross. Gunn and Jemma were walking along behind him.
“Been a long, bumpy trip,” Cross grumbled as the newcomers all sat beside her. “It better be worth it, Agent.”
Heidi swallowed the pain and nodded, showing her game face. “I’ll say thanks for coming to the few who came. No doubt Bodie and Coleman will be able to catch us in the field. I’ll give you a quick briefing and then we’re off. Got it?”
“Why the clandestine meet?” Gunn asked.
Heidi stared at him. “We’re the CIA, dude.”
“Ahh, sorry.”
“Briefly… five statues were recently unearthed in South America that match precisely to four others that were found on the Azores a decade ago. I hope I don’t have to clarify the significance of that, considering what’s between both places.”
Gunn shook his head dubiously. “You mean the ocean? Nope. Bodie and Cassidy are the ones that will need the full documentary. But that’s a big presumption, Agent.”
“Understood. But the idiots who made this find announced it to the world several days ago. By now we’ll have every crackpot and his pet alligator on the way to Brazil.”
“Brazil?”
“The statues have been taken to the National History Museum in Rio de Janeiro for examination.”
Gunn’s mouth fell open. “Rio? Now that’s pure bucket list. I do like the sound of that.”
“Yeah, Rio. But don’t get sidetracked. I meant it when I said it’s attracted an awful lot of international attention. And an entire pigpen of unsavory characters.”
Cross grunted. “Always the same. Why did they announce it so publicly?”
Heidi blew her cheeks out. “I have no sane answer to that question.”
“And why are you in such a rush?” Gunn asked. “I mean — so what? Atlantis has been there a bloody long time, Agent. It’ll be claimed by Morocco or some other nation. And it’s not like they’re gonna dredge it up very quickly.”
Heidi sighed. “Are you kidding me? The stakes are huge. First, it’s international waters. Second, Atlantis was an advanced civilization. There could be devices, engineering, ideas, and medicines that could change our planet. We want a new frontier, a big step forward. The world is ready for it now more than ever. And guess what… Uncle Sam wants it first.”
“Naturally,” Cross said, nodding.
“These original Azores statues,” Gunn said. “I’m guessing they had Phoenician origins?”
“You’d be right. The Phoenicians were an ancient civilization who spread across Lebanon, Turkey, Gaza, and even to the Atlantic Ocean. It has been suggested that they were the remnants of Atlantis, all that remained after the great cataclysm.”
Jemma made a noise. “They were also supposed to originate from Bahrain. Another classic history quarrel. I remember that much.”
“And this is why I’m looking to enlist the services of a history expert,” Heidi admitted. “For this mission, at least.”
Gunn shuffled on the cold concrete. “Not a bad idea. Look, is there a reason we’re sitting around like this? It’s bloody freezing up here.”
“I like it,” Heidi said. “It helps me think about… things.”
Cross might have seen something in her eyes, for he spoke quickly. “You want to go to this museum and get a look at the new statues?”
“Yeah, to make a definitive ID.”
“How long have they been on display?” Gunn asked.
Heidi shook her head. “Stop being so naive. They’re not on display. There are no good photos. Why do you think I called the relic hunters? The press conference was a few days ago, and the statues have since been transported to the museum—”
“For examination?” Jemma asked.
Heidi raised a brow. “Yeah, for investigation.”
Gunn finally understood. “My bottomless computer skills are at your service.”
Cross looked out toward the distant Washington Monument spearing up at the scudding darkness. “You want to use us as deniable assets,” he said. “Again. But that won’t happen. We should be able to form a plan by the time we arrive in Rio.”
Heidi nodded gratefully at him. “Perfect. We can let Bodie run his eyes over it.” She paused. “I’m assuming he meant what he said?”
Cross shrugged. “All being well, they should have no problem taking Pantera tonight.”
Heidi took a moment to remain completely still and consider what she was doing right now. Twenty minutes after losing it over the conversation with her daughter, she was once again traveling farther afield. The hurt deepened, but the quandary didn’t have the decency to unravel itself. She still felt drawn, driven. The search for Atlantis or any ancient myth may take a back seat to current affairs — it also had to remain under the radar — but it was no less important. It all went back to the excitement about everything that might be discovered. Imagine the concerns that may arise if an enemy state found it and the secrets contained therein.
She rose and joined Cross, staring toward the Mall. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It evokes a sense of internal contemplation, yeah.”
“We touch so many lives, help so many people, and yet we can’t do a damn thing about our own.”
Cross nodded carefully, saying nothing.
Heidi knew the choice was to quit then and there or to compartmentalize her daughter for a while. The trouble was, at the moment, she could do neither. Every time she went away, she made it worse. The odds of a reconciliation diminished. She sensed right now that it was at a tipping point. Yes, she was a good agent, one who could put personal issues aside for the job. But the more she did that, the closer she came to losing one of the reasons she was so good at her job. Without one, there could not be the other.
To be good at this job, you not only had to be driven — you had to be obstinate. Headstrong. The rule book couldn’t tell her what to do. The head and the heart were always at war.
Feeling a further upwelling of emotion, she turned away and faced the cold concrete steps where her team waited.
“So, what the hell are you guys still standing there for? Plane’s waiting, c’mon.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Bodie narrowed his eyes. The bastard was right there, looking out of the window, staring practically straight down the hidden camera’s lens. Jack Pantera was bald and distinguished, and always cut a dashing figure, which some might have believed would make his trade even harder. It was quite the opposite. Jack could tape on a wig, slide a pair of sunglasses over his nose, and blend in to any scene, anywhere. He had always been a privileged son of a bitch too, Bodie reflected. Born into wealth, he had chosen his own path with the time and ease to do it. No worrying over security and bills for Jack.
So why choose to be a thief?