that was being put to good use at the moment. “I thought the exact same thing when you showed up unannounced. You should have called ahead. The result would have been different.”
Ben and Joshua sidestepped the intruder, making their way up the inclined ramp. They backpedaled as they moved, always watching the man in black.
“How did you get here?” Ben asked as he continued backwards, pulling his stunned assistant along. “Who are you working for?”
Anu slowly turned, seeing another red dot appear on his chest as a third gunman stepped into view behind his prey. One more move and the professionals would shoot. “How did I get here?” He smiled again, chuckling out a laugh. “Let’s just say I dropped in.”
“And your employers?” Ben again asked, his voice starting to shake. He was having trouble keeping up this front. “We both know you don’t work for who you say you do.”
“True,” Anu replied, shrugging, “but I do, in fact, work for a friend of Mr. Boyd’s. Who it is exactly, I can’t say.”
“You can’t say, or you won’t say?”
Anu just answered Ben with another silent voracious grin. The answer was pretty clear. He wouldn’t be talking.
Okay, Ben thought, what would Hank or Kane do?
Hank would summon his gifts, something he’d been getting better at the last few weeks. Todd had outfitted him with a few new accessories, making it easier for him to call upon, and therefore, control the fires within.
And Kane?
Kane would just march right up to the guy and start swinging, or if push came to shove, he’d just shoot the guy where he stood.
The problem was neither were here.
Was there a third option? He looked around and knew what they needed to do… Run
“Joshua…” Ben whispered, pulling the younger man in close, “run.”
The twenty-something from Raleigh stopped and looked into Ben’s eyes, his mouth opening and closing like a fish trying to breathe in air. Ben shook him, squeezing his shoulder hard, getting his attention.
“Run, damnit—don’t stop. Hide if you have to, but do not , under any circumstances, follow me.”
“W-why?” Joshua asked, shaking.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ben replied, glancing back down to the blue-eyed man. “He’s here for me.”
Joshua’s jaw unhinged, unable to form words. He didn’t have to, though, Ben spoke for him.
“Damnit, Josh, go!”
He turned and ran, heading straight through the command tent, heading for the back entrance. Within his earpiece he could hear the security team conversing, surrounding the man named, Anu. They were ordering him to the ground and from what Ben could discern, Anu was surprisingly listening and obeying.
Ben didn’t stick around to find out, either way. He bolted through the back flap and leapt into one of the excavation’s uncovered Jeep Wranglers. It was waiting where he’d left it earlier in the day and he started it, putting it into gear.
Shots erupted from the other side of the tent, originating from the direction of the site. Ben’s foot paused just above the accelerator as he listened to the battle waging atop the orichalcum slab.
He groaned at what he heard. It didn’t sound promising.
He was instantly struck with a gust of wind that collapsed one of the tent’s supports, making it list to the left. But it wasn’t the damaged tent that really caught his attention, it was the bodies sailing into the air above him, screaming the entire way up until they were out of earshot. Something—someone—had just thrown part of the security team sixty-plus feet into the desert sky.
The Jeep tore its way back towards the village. Ben didn’t need to see the men land to know their fate. He only had one life to be concerned with right now. His.
As he cruised over the UNESCO-sanctioned national park, something that was jailable on any other day, he was alerted to an incoming call from ‘Q.’ The notification popped up in his glasses’ lenses, just on the outer edge of his
Ben and Joshua sidestepped the intruder, making their way up the inclined ramp. They backpedaled as they moved, always watching the man in black.
“How did you get here?” Ben asked as he continued backwards, pulling his stunned assistant along. “Who are you working for?”
Anu slowly turned, seeing another red dot appear on his chest as a third gunman stepped into view behind his prey. One more move and the professionals would shoot. “How did I get here?” He smiled again, chuckling out a laugh. “Let’s just say I dropped in.”
“And your employers?” Ben again asked, his voice starting to shake. He was having trouble keeping up this front. “We both know you don’t work for who you say you do.”
“True,” Anu replied, shrugging, “but I do, in fact, work for a friend of Mr. Boyd’s. Who it is exactly, I can’t say.”
“You can’t say, or you won’t say?”
Anu just answered Ben with another silent voracious grin. The answer was pretty clear. He wouldn’t be talking.
Okay, Ben thought, what would Hank or Kane do?
Hank would summon his gifts, something he’d been getting better at the last few weeks. Todd had outfitted him with a few new accessories, making it easier for him to call upon, and therefore, control the fires within.
And Kane?
Kane would just march right up to the guy and start swinging, or if push came to shove, he’d just shoot the guy where he stood.
The problem was neither were here.
Was there a third option? He looked around and knew what they needed to do… Run
“Joshua…” Ben whispered, pulling the younger man in close, “run.”
The twenty-something from Raleigh stopped and looked into Ben’s eyes, his mouth opening and closing like a fish trying to breathe in air. Ben shook him, squeezing his shoulder hard, getting his attention.
“Run, damnit—don’t stop. Hide if you have to, but do not , under any circumstances, follow me.”
“W-why?” Joshua asked, shaking.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ben replied, glancing back down to the blue-eyed man. “He’s here for me.”
Joshua’s jaw unhinged, unable to form words. He didn’t have to, though, Ben spoke for him.
“Damnit, Josh, go!”
He turned and ran, heading straight through the command tent, heading for the back entrance. Within his earpiece he could hear the security team conversing, surrounding the man named, Anu. They were ordering him to the ground and from what Ben could discern, Anu was surprisingly listening and obeying.
Ben didn’t stick around to find out, either way. He bolted through the back flap and leapt into one of the excavation’s uncovered Jeep Wranglers. It was waiting where he’d left it earlier in the day and he started it, putting it into gear.
Shots erupted from the other side of the tent, originating from the direction of the site. Ben’s foot paused just above the accelerator as he listened to the battle waging atop the orichalcum slab.
He groaned at what he heard. It didn’t sound promising.
He was instantly struck with a gust of wind that collapsed one of the tent’s supports, making it list to the left. But it wasn’t the damaged tent that really caught his attention, it was the bodies sailing into the air above him, screaming the entire way up until they were out of earshot. Something—someone—had just thrown part of the security team sixty-plus feet into the desert sky.
The Jeep tore its way back towards the village. Ben didn’t need to see the men land to know their fate. He only had one life to be concerned with right now. His.
As he cruised over the UNESCO-sanctioned national park, something that was jailable on any other day, he was alerted to an incoming call from ‘Q.’ The notification popped up in his glasses’ lenses, just on the outer edge of his
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