No Rules(93)

…

Donovan paused at the top, looking around as if admiring the view. He wasn’t. His small but powerful binoculars showed the closest guard talking with the two photographer-hikers they’d passed. No others hikers were around, and the other tourists were ant-sized specks on the Valley floor.

Jess actually was admiring the view, snapping pictures with the camera she’d discovered in the satellite phone. “Come on,” he told her, tugging at her arm. “Let’s get out of sight. I don’t think the guards really care if we get lost out here; they just want to make sure no one breaks into the tombs, but I still don’t want to draw more attention than we already have.”

They were over the rise and around a jutting arm of sandstone before he pulled out his phone and called Kyle. “I’m just south of the Valley of the Kings. Where are you?”

They exchanged GPS positions as he pinpointed everyone’s location on a small map on the phone’s screen, making sure Mitch did not have the most vital location. “Okay, we’ll take position north of you by sunset and watch for activity. One of us should spot the guy leaving. Call you when we’re there.”

“We?” Kyle’s question sounded carefully neutral.

He glanced at Jess as he answered. “We might need her.”

“It’s your call.”

Meaning it was his fault if her presence caused a problem. “That’s right. Out.”

Jess retied her shoelace and straightened. “Everything okay?”

“Yup.” He settled the backpack into position. “Movin’ out.”

He was slipping into his military training, his mindset already one of a Marine on maneuvers. If she noticed, she didn’t comment, following like a good little grunt. Despite his confident tone with Kyle, he hoped to hell he hadn’t been wrong to bring her. With any luck she’d continue to be quietly cooperative and this thing would go down without a hitch.

When she walked beside him, he watched her. Physically, he’d known she was up to the hike, but he hadn’t been sure about her disposition. She was an illustrator and writer—as much of a desk jockey as any bureaucrat. They weren’t the best at enduring hardships or pushing beyond their comfort zones. There’d been a real danger she’d hold him back or make his job miserable by dividing his attention. Just because he had an irresistible sexual attraction to her didn’t mean she was a good companion for a desert march.

But she kept her mind on the objective as well as he did and never complained about the heat, the distance, or the fact that the restroom was behind the nearest cleft in the rocks. Not bad for someone operating out of her element. She was highly adaptive to new situations—very much her father’s daughter. Wally would be proud.

Donovan was certainly pleased with her. Far more than pleased, if he was being honest, but he hesitated to put a name to his feelings. Every time his thoughts strayed in that direction he felt uncomfortable and more than a little guilty. Wally had warned him that his job didn’t mix well with family life and from everything Wally had told him, Donovan agreed. He could only imagine how upset his friend and mentor would be to know how much Jess tempted him to ignore that advice.

It was a good thing they wouldn’t be together much longer. With luck, they would rescue the hostages tonight and by this time tomorrow they’d be on a plane, halfway home.

The sun was setting when they reached a desolate vantage point north of the Valley of the Queens. He contacted Kyle to give him his coordinates and used the last of the rays from the setting sun to flash a signal for a visual confirmation. Kyle and Avery signaled in return. Mitch was out of his line of sight, but checked in by phone.

Now they waited. He found a vantage point from which to watch the valley and scuffed his feet around to scare away any scorpions. “Sit,” he invited.

Jess settled down beside him, hugging her knees to her chest as the air cooled. He pulled their jackets out of the backpack, then passed her a bottle of water and a power bar.

“What’s this?”

“Supper.”

She peeled off the wrapper and took a bite. “My compliments to the chef.”

It wasn’t sarcastic—more like, satisfied and grateful. He smiled. She continued to pass the toughness test better than he’d expected.

As they ate, he took out his binoculars to scan the valley below and the cliffs above, familiarizing himself with the lay of the land. The team could have lost their quarry out here without any effort at sabotage. There were a million places to disappear, even in daylight. At night the deep shadows could hide a battalion. A full moon would have been helpful, but they’d only get a quarter tonight, and it would be gone by midnight.