If the gentle rocking of the small yacht wasn't enough to shake Jacqueline from the stupor of sleep, the soft and light fabrics alerted her that something was wrong. The last thing she remembered was a huge dark-skinned man grabbing her and bringing a needle to her neck.
Not beds and soft fabrics.
She reached for her neck and felt the bump caused by the way she had been knocked out. She also searched the rest of her body, including the new and clean clothes. Who dressed her? And where was Ignacio? For a brief moment, she feared for herself and what the men who had knocked her out might have done to her.
Damned.
She got up from the double round bed and tried to orient herself. The porthole-like windows were open, and she smelled the water and its gentle rocking. She was on the Nile, on one of the numerous yachts cruising along the ancient waters.
Even the dark jeans and the fine-buttoned blouse of a social nature were chosen carefully. Ignacio. That choice had his fingerprints all over it. She shook her head in denial, grabbed the only pair of white sneakers that fit, and cautiously left the room, trying to make as little noise as possible.
She saw two staff members in the kitchen, absorbed, and might have tried to talk to them if it weren't for the olive-skinned man with a dimpled smile that drove her crazy.
Ignacio lowered his blue-lensed glasses a bit, looking over them for a moment. He gestured for her to follow him to a table full of goodies where she could see the City of the Dead. Luxor, Aswan, and the Karnak Temple also were visible from the yacht's balcony.
The open-necked Hawaiian shirt emphasizing his thin, but somewhat athletic body was intentional. She knew that, but his relaxed and indifferent demeanor wouldn't temper her mind for the much-needed talk.
She would get her answers.
"Come on, spill it." Jackie sat in one of the plastic chairs under the yacht's awning. "What happened after I blacked out?"
"Good afternoon to you too, my love." Ignacio held a cup. "Want some? Chamomile tea."
"Ignacio, you have some audacity..." Jackie brought her hand to the bridge of her nose. It was not the time for sarcastic remarks "I won't get mad; I just want to know what you negotiated. What you offered to get us—" she opened her arms — "here? Can you tell?"
"It was a courtesy of Santiago Cortez." He took a sip of tea. "My brother's men saved us from the kidnappers."
The way Ignacio spun a lie... Yes, the yacht belonged to the incredibly wealthy Santiago Cortez, and she wouldn't doubt the favors her possible brother-in-law would ask of Ignacio. However, it was almost difficult, if not impossible, for the leader of a family with connections to the Spanish crown to know the details of the work of one of his younger brothers.
And to send a team to help them? She didn't buy it. He hadn't sent it before, why would he now? Although Santiago had the means and power to help Ignacio, it was hard to believe he would.
Nothing like a good old investigation to uncover the truth.
Jackie made her lips subtly curve upward and noticed the relief in the man's features, unaware that when they returned to Cairo, she would deconstruct the entire house of cards he had built.
"By the way, why are we going to Luxor?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I explicitly told you..."
"I discovered an interesting inscription while playing with the scepter." Jacqueline widened her eyes. Did she hear that right? He played with an artifact over two thousand years old?
Ignacio tossed the scepter onto the table and pressed a button. To her surprise, the scepter, which once fit in the palm of her hand, elongated and doubled in size.
"Here." He pointed to some hieroglyphs; she furrowed her brow. He knew she didn't understand anything of what he wanted to show. Egyptology and hieroglyphs were not what she had studied before. "Here it says there's a second scepter, Marco Antonio's, located somewhere in the vicinity of Karnak."
"You're not fooling with me, are you?"
"Jane." This time he used her correct name on a mission. "I can be many things, but when it comes to artifacts, I never lie. I wouldn't be who I am if I weren't reliable in that aspect. I even called the ministry and notified them that we have the scepter and are on our way to recover the second. They'll welcome us as soon as we arrive."
She was surprised. Ignacio had done exactly what she would do if she were investigating the discovery of famous artifacts. In fact, her role as a partner, supervisor, and liaison between agencies and him was exactly that.
"My assistant will stay in Cairo." He again sipped his tea. "The data center he set up there is powerful enough to assist us here in Luxor, and, to your joy, he stays out of the front lines."
Ignacio smiled at her and leaned in to caress her face.
"Never doubt what I do for you." His serious tone caught her off guard. "Never."
As the yacht approached the Safaga Port, which served all the cities along the banks of the Nile, Ignacio stood up and quickly disentangled himself, leaving her frustrated. When did he, of all people, become more responsible? Did the scepter affect him more than usual? Did the glow cause some personality change?
Jackie heard shouts chanting her fake name from the pier and began the descent, noticing how the small boats characterized the port, which looked more like a graveyard of ships. The cruises docked a bit further away, in their designated space.
They were promptly greeted by a brown and short-haired young man. A neatly trimmed mustache contrasted with the boyish face. He twirled an electronic pen in one hand while holding the tablet with the other.
"Fabian Aziz." He introduced himself and she shook his delicate hand. Probably some bureaucrat. "I am but a humble assistant to the secretary of the Ministry of Antiquities."
She had imagined it.
"Monsieur Cortez, mademoiselle Smith, please follow me." They were led to the back of a SUV where several open cases caught her attention. "You can choose."
Inside them were various heavy weapons, including submachine guns. Jackie tried to hold back her smile, but it was almost impossible to maintain a stoic face when she felt a customized Glock in the palm of her hand. There was also an attached flashlight.
She took the holster and strapped it to her right leg.
Ignacio passed behind her and purred in her ear.
"Beautiful."
Then he went towards Aziz to discuss the details of the mission, but nothing could get out of her mind that something bad would happen if they went to Karnak. Whether it was because of what happened while she was unconscious or because she had a slight feeling that Ignacio was lying to her, she didn't know.
He was different and hiding something. She was sure of it.
The two hours that followed were peaceful. Ignacio and Fabian got along well; the Egyptian even got the contact information of the recovery specialist. She, forgotten in the back seat, only wanted to observe the conversation of the man with whom she had spent several months.
The way he operated, relaxed and calm, reassured her, but she couldn't do anything about the feeling that gnawed at her inside. For now, she didn't want to get upset and ruin something that could just be paranoia. Jackie would let things flow.
They got out of the car in the vicinity of the temple and saw the people's movement. The ministry's assistant categorically stated that the inner temples were closed for investigation, but the outer parts remained open to the public.
After all, the temples and the Valley of the Kings that bordered them were postcards of Egypt. They would never close because of suspicion.
The trio pulled a backpack with some supplies and started the walk through the strong sunlight that burned them mercilessly, but that was nothing she wasn't already used to, and apparently, Ignacio was too. At least, the sneakers made everything more comfortable.
They arrived at the Karnak temple through an avenue, also called a dromos, lined with sphinxes. According to both Fabian and Ignacio, the street existed since the time of two pharaohs: Amenhotep III, who built the lower part, and Ramses II, the owner of the temple.
She admired everything impressive about those monuments. She even found herself imagining how inspiring it must have been to live in the time when the huge structures were built. It would leave any visitor speechless, amazed by the cultural power of an eternal empire.
It was her duty to protect that. As much as she loved Ignacio, she would try in every way not to fall for the tales of that annoying rogue trickster.
Upon reaching the Precinct of Amun-Ra, one of the main parts of the Karnak complex, they were greeted by a delegation of six armed men, all military, stern, and professional. Jackie greeted each of them.
"I won't undermine your authority, Commander." She nodded to Ignacio. "I'm just his partner, but tell me. What can we expect?"
"Honestly?" Zafir, the leader of the armed men, glanced at Ignacio briefly. "LIDAR found some hidden chambers. We evacuated the site under the pretext of renovations, but people talk."
"You mean what happened at the Palace Hotel in Cairo?"
Zafir nodded and signaled that they could walk.
"We can't cover the vast complex with a few men, and I don't want to use weapons in the temple, but..."
"Understood." Jackie put one hand on her hip and used the other to shield her eyes from the sun to see better. "What's the common procedure here?"
"I'll cover the entrances and that's it. If someone gets through, I assume you know how to handle the threat if you encounter it."
Jackie smiled in response and pulled Ignacio close, dragging him away before he could start a conversation about Egyptian history and hieroglyphics with Aziz.
Zafir whistled to signal his men to take their positions at the temple entrances.
"You never change, do you?"
"I've told you before; I have you for that."
"Why do you annoy me so much when we're on a mission?"
"Because I know I can trust you." He touched her nose, lifting it slightly. "When you want, Jane, you can be quite sensual."
"Business first, then pleasure." She squeezed that something between his legs, making Ignacio stand on his tiptoes. Softening her voice, she continued. "And if you're good..."
She left the rest hanging in the air as she entered the temple.
Returning to her calm and firm demeanor, she wouldn't let her guard down even for a second.
Before them, according to Ignacio, was the Grand Hall that surrounded the area of worship to Amun. The place had immense walls and columns adorned with paintings and hieroglyphs in bas-relief, which Ignacio couldn't help but touch, as if he could feel the undulations under his long, slender fingers.
Jackie shook her head. While some saw the beauty of the monuments, all she could think about was how the space between the columns was large enough to hide assassins behind them. She wouldn't underestimate Julian's ability to surprise her.
They passed through the Grand Hall without incidents, which even made her think they were safe. But why did she feel like all of this was the calm before the storm? Although inside, the temperature was mild and the breeze refreshing, she felt suffocated by warm air.
She unbuttoned the first two buttons of her shirt, revealing a discreet neckline.
For the ancient Egyptians, the statues, columns, and sphinxes guarding the entrance were like enormous guardians taking care of the temple. For her, they seemed like ancient symbols that did nothing to diminish her restlessness or the butterflies in her stomach.
As she approached the entrance to the underground tombs, the sense of anticipation grew. Deep down, she knew she would encounter him at some point, knew that Julian would find a way into the temple. But she didn't expect to find her name spray-painted in large letters at the base of the statue of Ramses II and didn't expect to hear the whistle that announced him.
"Took you long enough, huh?" Julian pointed a rifle at her.
Jackie didn't even have time to process what those letters meant. In a quick, almost instinctive movement, she pulled Ignacio behind her and aimed the pistol at Julian's head.
"Coming to be arrested, Lattimer?" She looked around, searching for Julian's men. "Where are your soldiers?"
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way."
Jackie heard footsteps approaching.
"Run when I give the signal," she whispered so that only Ignacio could hear.
"I am your humble—"
"Now!"
She zigzagged between the columns, firing and taking cover. Ignacio ran in the opposite direction, sliding across the polished floor to the last one as Julian and the men returned the violence in their guns of various calibers. Jackie fought back, but the disadvantage was clear.
She had a pistol. They had rifles and submachines. So, she needed to find a—
"Jane!" Ignacio shouted, waving the scepter. "I'm going into the tomb! Cover me."
"Ig!"
She tried to stop him, but Ignacio sprinted towards the underground tombs without waiting for her response. If he thought he could get rid of her using the conflict, he was sorely mistaken.
Jacqueline gritted her teeth and mustered courage. In a sort of forward dive, she somersaulted and entered the mausoleum, right behind the Spaniard.
However,she didn't expect him to be already facing an altar and that Julian would be ascrazy as they were.