He shot her an ironic glance. “My point exactly.”
She sighed. “It’s the Valley of the Kings.”
“So?”
“Tyler, I was raised on this stuff. It was my father’s passion, and I guess he passed it on to me. Maybe I didn’t go into it professionally, but it doesn’t mean I’m not passionate about the history.” She sought a way to make him understand. “Remember you said I learned about the pharaohs the way you learned about dinosaurs? I’ll bet you could identify a hundred species and tell me when and where they lived and what they ate.”
“Sure, but I wouldn’t endanger my life to go see a paleontologist dig up a skeleton. Isn’t that the parallel with the Valley of the Kings? It’s a graveyard for pharaohs.”
“Yes, it is, but we’re not talking about touring an empty tomb. We’re talking about a tomb that’s been sealed for over three thousand years, that’s filled with artifacts and writings about the life of the king. It’s a look into the past. It’s not a paleontologist’s dig, it’s…” She struggled to find a comparison. “It’s Jurassic Park. It’s as real as it gets. Would you pass up a chance to go to a real Jurassic Park?”
As comparative logic went, she thought it was a stretch, but from his expression she could see she’d hit the mark. He understood. He looked torn, at least slightly, so she pushed her opening.
“I never thought I’d be here, Tyler, and I’ll never be back again.”
As soon as she said it, something inside her said, Why not? You came once and you can do it again. You can go anywhere you want to. It was an easy fact for most people to see, but for her it came as a thrilling realization. She didn’t say it out loud because it wouldn’t help get her to the Valley of the Kings tonight, but it was a truth to remember and keep close to her heart. The world had opened up for her.
He hadn’t said anything. He pulled up to the front of the hotel and stopped. A valet approached, but stepped back politely when he saw no one was in a hurry to get out. Tyler looked at her, somber and determined. He hadn’t been persuaded.
She hurried to make her final plea. “Wally sent me here, Tyler. He wanted me here.”
He hesitated, and her hopes soared. “He didn’t want you in the middle of the action,” he said. “He wanted you to figure out where the vase was so we’d find the hostages.”
“And we still haven’t. You don’t know what you’re looking for out there. There’s no sign pointing the way to the tomb of Ramesses VIII. It’s hidden, Tyler. Well hidden. It has been for three thousand years, and believe me, experts have been looking for it.”
He said nothing, but she knew he was teetering.
“The rabbit goes to the beaver’s house,” she reminded him.
“And what does that mean?” he said, jumping on it, his frustration showing. “It’s supposed to be in the middle of a river. The courier disappeared into the desert, Jess. There’s no river there. How do you explain that?”
“I can’t,” she said helplessly. “But maybe it’s like you said, if I’m there, I’ll see something that will register as a clue, and I’ll realize whatever it was Wally wanted us to know. It could be something important. Life and death.”
That was it. It was the same reasoning that had made him give in to Evan and let her come to Egypt—she would know it if she saw it. She knew as soon as she said it that it was the one argument he couldn’t refute.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel, as if he needed something to anchor him as he went against his gut instincts. “Fine. You’ll go with us. But you’ll follow my orders exactly, and stay behind us. Got it?”
She smiled and nodded.
He heaved a sigh. “Come on, let’s get our stuff.”
…
Donovan walked outside to make one last call to Evan, claiming he got better cell reception there. He still hadn’t told Jess about the mole and his suspicions regarding Mitch, wanting to ensure that everyone acted as naturally as possible and didn’t tip off the informant. But Evan should know what was going on. He should also probably know where to look for Jess if the whole mission went to hell. He wasn’t looking forward to telling him that part.
“We’ll be leaving soon,” he told Evan, watching Jess wander the gardens as he spoke. “You may not hear from us again until it’s over.”
“I understand. Good luck.”
“There’s one more thing. I’m taking Jess with us.”
“What do you mean? She’ll be with the team during the assault?”