Undiscovered(14)
“Shut it. What have you got for me?”
“He who thinks he is far better than all of us paid me a visit.” Darcy’s voice was sharp and annoyed. “He wants to talk to you.”
“I take it you’re talking about Special Agent Burke.”
“God, that man is so fricking annoying. He talks to me like I’m an idiot.”
“He talks like an FBI agent.” If Burke wanted to talk, then he had information. “Okay, Darce, give him my number.”
“Roger that. You please deal with him, so I don’t have to.” His sister hung up.
“Problem?” Layne asked.
“Nope. It might be a break.” Like clockwork, his phone rang. “Ward.”
“Ward, it’s Burke. Heard you’re after Anders.” Burke’s voice was grim.
“Yeah. He attacked a dig in Egypt. We’ve been hired to get the stolen items back and provide security for the dig.”
“You and Anders don’t mix, Ward.”
“Appreciate the concern. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.”
“Fuck you,” Burke said good-naturedly. “Word is, Anders is in deep.”
“To who?”
“To whom,” he heard Layne mutter under her breath.
“No one warm and fuzzy,” Burke replied. “You know I’ve been investigating this global black-market ring, they call themselves the Silk Road. I’ve never gotten close to the head of it. Don’t know who the main players are.” A frustrated sound. “But Anders has been selling to them and it sounds like he borrowed money from them at some stage. Money he’s having trouble repaying.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. If he doesn’t pay them back to the tune of twenty million in the next month, he’ll be dead. These people don’t dick around. The last one of their guys who screwed them over was found with his head stuck on a spike outside the Tower of London.”
Dec winced. “Anders appears to be going after the lost city of Zerzura.”
“Shit. He must be feeling the heat.” Burke paused. “Zerzura isn’t real, right?”
“So the experts tell me.” He saw Layne watching him steadily. No doubt piecing everything together from her side of the conversation.
“He might make mistakes, then, Ward,” Burke said. “You might be able to finally nab him.”
Dec grunted. “Or it just makes him even more dangerous.”
“Tread lightly. You need help, give me a call. I have some friends in Interpol who could help you out. They’d be very happy to get their hands on Anders.”
“Got it. Burke…thanks for the info.”
“You know I’m keeping a tab. You’ll owe me.”
“Screw you.” Dec ended the call. But he knew he had a small debt owing to the FBI agent, and if and when Burke came calling, Dec wouldn’t hesitate to help the man. Even if he did drive Darcy crazy.
“What?” Layne demanded.
“That was my contact at the FBI. Said Anders is in deep debt to some very nasty people. He’s desperate.”
“That’s not good.”
“No. Rush, I think it’s time we head to your dig.”
“The train to Luxor leaves this afternoon. We have to overnight on the train, and then it’s several hours’ drive in a four wheel drive to get to the dig site.”
He smiled. “I have my company jet on standby at Cairo airport.”
Now her mouth dropped open again. God, Dec was getting a real kick out of surprising Dr. Rush. “The university is paying me very well to keep you and its artifacts safe.”
But as they headed off down the street, Dec once again got the feeling they were being watched.
Anders wasn’t gone. He was just biding his time.
Chapter Four
Layne stepped out onto the tarmac at Cairo Airport and spotted the sleek black jet.
Wow. She traveled a lot—but it was always in narrow Economy seats, or crammed into the back of small charter planes.
“Come on, Rush.” Declan walked two steps ahead of her. “I’ll introduce you to the team.”
She followed him up the steps and ducked inside.
She’d expected leather seats and plush décor, but this jet had been outfitted very differently. The seats were, indeed, leather, but other than that, there were sleek computer screens along one wall and lots of built-in storage compartments beneath.
But what dominated the small aircraft were the three tall people lounging around.
They all called out hellos to Declan, but Layne felt her eyes widen. She’d never seen a more dangerous-looking, intimidating crew in her life.
“Everyone, this is Dr. Layne Rush,” Declan said. “She’s head of the dig, from Rhodes University.”