Stegmann translated. “He said there is a slight heat signature at the turn about fifty meters ahead.”
The commander turned and gave his men a few quick orders. They fanned out to both sides, pressing themselves up against either wall.
“Please tell your men not to shoot until we know who this is,” Carmen whispered, after settling in behind Stegmann. “My team is still out there.”
“My men don’t shoot unless I tell them to or unless they’re shot at.”
The last part unsettled her a bit, but she realized it was a protocol any military group would use. Every soldier, regardless of rank or experience, had the right to defend his or herself. Ten seconds later, a scrape carried down the cave. The sound was faint, but Carmen’s keen ears picked it up.
One of Stegmann’s men spoke excitedly from the other side. Carmen didn’t like the alarm in his voice.
“What did he say?” she asked.
Stegmann turned his head. “The thermals don’t show anything. Whatever it is, it isn’t giving off heat.”
Carmen’s pulse quickened. An image of the boy flashed in her mind. Could it be him? If he was some sort of demonic presence, his body might be a shell. He’d certainly looked cold-blooded.
A soft mechanical whine carried down the cave. Carmen frowned in the dark. She’d heard that sound before. Then it hit her…
She grabbed Stegmann’s shoulder. “I know who that is. Tell your men to stand down.”
Stegmann did as asked.
Carmen stood and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Keiko?”
The whining stopped and a familiar voice broke the silence. “Yes, it’s me.”
A soft blue glow appeared. Immediately, the Swiss Guards aimed their rifles at the light.
“Don’t shoot!” Carmen shouted. “She’s with me.”
The guards lowered their weapons as Keiko came toward them. Carmen heard other footfalls. A few seconds later, Zane and the others walked into the light. His eyes widened when he saw the armed soldiers of the Swiss Guard. “Please tell me this isn’t a dream.”
Stegmann stepped forward and shook his hand. “I can assure you we’re very much real.”
“Did you guys get lost too?” Carmen asked Zane.
He shook his head. “We didn’t realize you were gone until a few minutes ago. We were heading back down to look for you when Keiko picked up vibrations on the cave floor. We thought it was probably you but couldn’t be sure.”
Stegmann looked at the soldier holding the GPS. “How far are we from the city?”
“Only a few hundred yards.”
Carmen looked at the new arrivals. “Any sign of the order?”
Reid shook his head.
“I’m assuming they’re still at the gate,” Stegmann said.
“That or they went in to look for us,” Zane offered.
“Kind of ironic they spent all that time looking for the key, and it turns out there are alternate routes,” Carmen said.
Stegmann looked at Zane. “I think we need to go.”
Zane nodded his assent.
The journey back to the city only took a few minutes. As they approached the cave mouth, Stegmann sent two of his men ahead to perform due diligence. As they emerged, Carmen realized they were not far from the temple containing the Og’s ossuary. Several minutes later, they arrived at the main avenue bisecting the city and turned left toward the staircase. As they marched, Carmen found the silence disturbing. Why was it so quiet?
Minutes later, the group arrived at the plaza and the pool containing Nephilim statues. The staircase was two blocks ahead. Before long, they would be back on the surface.
As they approached the pool, Zane looked at Stegmann. “Do you have any men up top?”
“We’re all here. I didn’t have enough—”
The loud crack of a gunshot cut him off.
“Everybody down!” Zane shouted.
As Carmen looked for a place to seek cover, she saw movement in her peripheral vision. Someone teetered then dropped to the ground. When she realized who it was, her heart rose in her throat.
Connor Reid lay on the ground beside her with a gaping hole in the center of his forehead.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
A bad situation worsened in the seconds that followed. Another shot came on the heels of the first. A Swiss Guard spun and fell over, dead before he hit the ground.
Everyone scrambled for cover. Zane crab-walked to the wall encircling the pool. He shouted at the others to do the same. Some dove. Others crawled on all fours, but eventually, they all made it. Carmen came last, dragging Reid’s body along with her. It was a noble gesture. Zane was certain the operative was dead, but she probably held out hope he’d somehow survived. As gut-wrenching as it was, he’d have to grieve later.
Zane’s ears told him the shooter was high and to the right along the plateau at the top of the stairs. That meant they were pinned down for the moment. Any attempt to flee to the safety of nearby buildings would expose them to sniper fire. Under different circumstances, he might have taken the risk. In this case, the shooter had already proved himself lethal by taking down two targets in quick succession. After taking the first one down with a head shot, he’d shifted his aim slightly and done it again.
For now, the wall would provide some level of protection. But what if there were other shooters? The answer came a few seconds later when a barrage of semi-automatic gunfire came from the far end of the pool, strafing the stone wall above them.
The whole thing had been a trap. Rather than attack in the tunnels, Lawson’s men had set up in a place they knew their targets would have to cross. Their plan seemed simple: have the sniper take out two early, then when everyone scattered, the other gunmen would attack from the far end of the pool. The sniper’s one mistake had been in letting them get too close to the wall. He’d succeeded in taking out the two targets, but thankfully, the rest had found cover quickly.
Pratt poked Zane with the butt of his rifle. “I count at least a dozen tangos at ground level.”
“Let’s see if we can shake them up a bit.” Zane rose for a brief moment then ducked. It was hard to see through the maze of statues in the pool, but he’d managed to see a head peering over the wall on the far end. With the location imprinted in his mind, he rose up and fired at the spot. The head jerked and fell from sight.
One down.
The kill produced a wave of return fire. The enemy was angry. Zane shouted for everyone to stay low. Let them release their frustration and deplete their ammo. As he waited, an idea surfaced. He got Stegmann’s attention and mimed with his hands, indicating he wanted the thermal imaging monocular. Stegmann gave a nod of understanding and had the device passed down.
Monocular in hand, Zane scooted to his right, putting one of the statues in the pool behind him. He signaled for Pratt and Carmen to draw near. “I need you to lay down some covering fire. No need to target anything.”
Carmen looked at Pratt and counted with her fingers. At the appointed time, the two lifted their rifles over the wall and fired. Zane rose at the same time and aimed the monocular at the plateau at the top of the stairs. Seeing nothing, he moved it right. A red-and-yellow smudge appeared. Although the image wasn’t sharp, Zane noted the shooter was on one knee next to a boulder.
He marked the location of the sniper and dropped down.
Carmen and Pratt followed suit.
Zane knew he needed to act while the image was fresh in his mind. Setting the monocular aside, he retrieved his rifle. As was his routine, he took three deep breaths then squeezed all the air out of his lungs. Even the slightest movement of his chest could send the bullet off course.