“Fuck you,” she spat.
Mitch’s hands moved behind her back, and Alicia uttered a short scream of pain as the zip cuffs cut into her skin. “What did you say about Wally Shikovski?” he repeated.
“I didn’t say—” Her words dissolved into a scream that ended on a whimper. Whatever he was doing was probably unethical, but Donovan watched dispassionately, not even considering objecting. “I, I said Jeff should have killed him,” she panted. “But he didn’t.”
“Who did? Who sent the killer to Michigan?”
“How should I know?” Another subtle movement by Mitch made her gasp and moan. “Stop,” she whined. “I don’t know anything.”
“Now why don’t I believe you?”
Donovan didn’t believe her, either. More importantly, he didn’t believe his original conclusion about Mitch. Not only had he seen no glimmer of recognition between him and the kidnappers, he’d seen real anger and deep hurt on Mitch’s face when questioning Alicia about Wally. It wasn’t an act, he’d bet his life on it. He had bet his life on it, two minutes ago. Mitch wasn’t the mole.
A cold feeling settled in his gut; he had a very important question to ask Mitch. Later. Now he watched Mitch shove Alicia beneath the low door, and was pleased to hear a few more curses and cries of pain. It wasn’t nearly enough to make up for what they’d done to Wally.
They were alone, the others barking orders and hustling their captives through the tomb. The lights from the adjoining room cast a dim yellow glow through the room, not enough to read Jess’s expression. She hadn’t stirred and he wondered if she’d fallen asleep.
He pulled out his gun and laid it on the floor, using its bright light to pierce the gloom as he pulled back and looked at her face. She stared back at him, eyes sharp and alert. “You understood,” she said, her voice hoarse but her meaning clear.
“Of course I did,” he told her, stroking her cheek and smoothing the tender skin beside her mouth where the gag had pulled so tightly. Fresh anger flared at the evidence of her ordeal, and he forced himself to concentrate on her words instead. “You used the code. All the Omega team members understand the code.”
Her smile spread. The piercing claws that had gripped his heart with fear eased a bit. Wally’s daughter was pretty damn resilient.
Her gaze shifted to the granite slab that rose beside them, a spark of excitement lighting her eyes. “We did it, Tyler,” she said, her voice a little stronger this time. “The two of us together.”
“Yes, we did.” She deserved most of the credit, but for the sake of accuracy, he added, “The whole team did it.”
She shook her head, obviously amused at his misunderstanding. Her eyebrows rose, encouraging him to follow her meaning. “The tomb of Ramesses VIII,” she said eagerly. “Wally’s clues led us here.” Her grin could have lit the whole room. “Dad and I found it.”
He couldn’t help smiling, too, warmed by her obvious love for her father and pride in his accomplishments. No anger, no pain, and for the moment at least, no regrets. He hoped Wally could see it, wherever he was.
He helped massage the feeling back into her arms and legs, then led her back through the low doorway. “Let’s catch up with Mitch,” he said as he guided her, making sure she didn’t bump her head. “I need to ask Mitch about whether he knew Alicia and Jeffery in college.”
Jess stood, brushing at dirt. “Mitch didn’t go to college.”
He turned. “What?”
“I talked to him in Cairo while you were with the customs people. He said he registered at a community college, then dropped out the first week and joined the Marines. Why, what’s wrong?”
Everything. A bad feeling settled in his gut. “Come on, let’s find the others and get some answers.”
He turned, expecting to see his team members and their four captives waiting in the treasure chamber. Only one man stood there.
Donovan squinted in the dim light, certain his eyes were fooling him. “Evan?”
“About time you came out,” Evan said.
Behind him, Jess tried to edge around his side to see better, but he held her back. The bad feeling was spreading through him, fast. “What are you doing in Egypt?”
“Finishing what I started. But not in here. Outside.” He motioned toward the tomb’s entrance with one hand, and Donovan’s gaze automatically dropped, following the movement. Ice water washed through him as he finally saw what he should have noticed immediately—the gun Evan held pointed at him, and at Jess behind him.