“Do you understand me?” the younger man added. He stood up and took a business card and a pen out of his suit jacket pocket and quickly scribbled down a few words then tossed the card carelessly next to the plate of food. “I’ll be in touch,” Townsend said walked out of the room.
The woman at the bar who’d been watching took that as her signal that the meeting was over and threw some dollar bills on the counter to take care of their tab. Then, she too stood and strode out of the building.
During all his years as a high-level government agent, Jennings only had to answer to a few people. Who did Townsend think he was?
Jennings snorted as he looked down at the small, government-issue business card Townsend had left. It contained only a three-word sentence in sloppy cursive. I want in.
Chapter 35
Tommy and Will were soaking wet, which was a bad thing considering darkness had settled in the desert. More stars than Tommy had ever seen sparkled in the dark blanket above. Nights could get very cold there so it was imperative that they get back to the car quickly. That, and the fact that someone was trying to kill them. The corridor that had led out of the cavern had opened up near a clearing surrounded by desert rocks and hills.
It took several minutes before they could get their bearings and find their way back to the information center where their car was parked. The building was empty and only a few lights glowed dimly within.
Both men noticed the black BMW SUV sitting quietly on far side of the parking lot. It must have been the shooter’s vehicle.
“Start the car,” Will said as he eyed the other car.
“What are you going to do?” Tommy looked confused.
“Slow them down.”
Schultz understood and jumped into their rental car and revved up the engine. He looked out the window as Will fired his remaining two bullets into a front and rear tire of the SUV then sprinted back to the car. Tommy wheeled the vehicle out of the parking lot and down the dusty road.
“What’s the plan now?” Will asked as he slid his weapon back into his jacket pocket.
Shultz thought for a moment before answering. Paranoid, he checked back in his rearview mirror even though he knew there would be no way their pursuer could be behind them.
“We head back to Atlanta. This thing needs to be analyzed,” he held up the small golden leaf. “We need some answers. And I think I know who can help us find them.”
Chapter 36
When Sean and his companions finally reached fresh air, night had settled in across the desert. The exit for the mysterious chamber had come out right next to the Colorado River. It was hidden by a large array of stones, keeping the cave completely hidden from view. With some effort, Sean had been able to leverage one of the giant rocks out of their way.
Fortunately, there was a rafting expedition spending the night in a clearing just downstream. The young, rough looking guide and his tour had been more than willing to let Sean and the two women to join them. They even had a few extra sleeping bags and some food to help settle their hunger. A quick explanation of how they’d been hiking and lost track of time had seemed acceptable to the scruffy river guide.
Sitting by the campfire brought old memories from a distant past back to Sean’s mind. He remembered the days he’d spent as a boy with his parents out in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. It seemed like they’d gone camping once a month. His current surroundings were much different than where he’d gone as a child. High desert canyons and no canopy of trees provided a severe contrast, but a beautiful one.
Adriana lay quietly nearby, staring up at the stars as they fought with the flickering glow of the fire at their feet.
The guide and his half-dozen whitewater tourists were already asleep in their tents or lying around in different places in the clearing. Emily had passed out a few feet away. She wasn’t a field agent anymore and the events of the day had been a little more stressful and exhausting than she was used to. “You sure can see a lot of stars out here, huh?” Sean broke the silence.
Adriana smiled. “Yes. I love to stare at them.” Her eyes just stared into the night sky. “What do you think about when you look at them?” She asked in a whisper.
No one had ever asked him that before. It made him feel something deep down that he had not felt in a long time. He thought for a moment before answering. “I think about what is out there and who is out there. I wonder what it would be like to be able to visit other planets. It makes me think about how small we are here on this earth and how vast and huge the universe really is.” Then he asked, “What about you?”
She took a deep breath. “I wonder where God is and how he did all of it. How does his science work? How does he hold it all together? Or does he hold it all together? Does he just set it in a perfect mathematical motion that will maintain itself forever?”
“Wow. Those are some heavy thoughts,” he said.
She smiled at him for a second then went back to gazing up into the darkness. “Are they? I just want to know how it all works, I guess.”
“That’s a pretty complex thing to try and understand,” he paused. “But I like it.”
He looked at her for a minute. She was beautiful in the dancing light of the campfire. Her brown hair had been pulled back to one side behind her ear. He wondered if she could be trusted, if she had been completely honest with them. At the time, he didn’t have a choice. Besides, she’d saved their hides in Vegas.
“What do we do next?” she interrupted his thoughts.
He diverted his gaze to the bright orange coals of the fire. “We head back to Atlanta and regroup with Tommy. He needs to see the piece,” Sean said as he cradled the concealed piece of gold. “And I think there is someone else I know who might be able to help us figure this thing out.”
She seemed satisfied with the plan and rolled over on her side, bracing her head on her arm as she closed her eyes. “Good, I’m coming with you.”
Sean slid into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, too. His mind ran wild as he tried to fall asleep. He’d been shot at several times in the last few weeks. After leaving the Justice Department, he believed those kinds of days had been left behind.
Now he wasn’t so sure. And he felt like there was certainly more to come.
Part II
Chapter 37
The phone rang in Alexander Lindsey’s pocket. He looked at the number and answered immediately.
The voice on the other end spoke quickly, “We have a problem.”
It seemed like that was all he was getting lately: problems. It was growing tiresome. He missed the days when things were simpler. When he rose to power, he solved problems for other people. It was straightforward for him.
Alexander had always been a thinker, a doer. He didn’t understand nor have compassion for those who could not get things done on their own. It was an interesting irony that now, in his current status and with his endeavors, he had to rely on underlings to get things done for him. And he loathed it.
“What is the problem now, Eric?” he asked into the phone as he stood from his opulent desk and its accompanying high, leather-backed chair.
“There is a new player in the game. He has a lot of connections, security clearances, access to important information,” Jennings said plainly. “He’s watching us.”