Fireworks: Riley (6 page)

“You’re really boring me with this two week vacation thing. I was hoping we could navigate our way through a field of land mines or maybe jump out of a plane without a parachute.”

Riley grinned at her and saw the same excitement shining in her eyes as he knew must be in his. Maybe they were crazy. But at least they were crazy together.

“You want to go back to the tent?” he asked.

“Only if we can get naked once we’re there. By my calculations it’s been hours since you’ve been inside me.”

“Damn woman, I’m not a machine.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” she said, arching a brow at his obvious erection. Adrenaline was a weird thing.

“I’ll make you a deal. If we unseal the door and manage not to get killed, I’ll let you be the boss once we’re inside the tent.”

“Well you know I’d never pass up a deal like that. Lets get busy.” She smiled but then her grin faltered. “In all seriousness, who do you think the blood belongs to?”

“I don’t know,” Riley admitted. “But I have a feeling Walker may have gotten a little help with his illness. There’s one thing I’ve learned in this business, and that is you can’t trust anyone. Not colleagues and certainly not friends. You and me, babe. That’s where it begins and ends.”

Riley opened the journal and studied the code Walker had left incomplete. But it was just enough for him to see the pattern. He scribbled it out twice on his own and tried other variables just to make sure there were no other options, and once he was satisfied he laid the journal flat on top of the platform, next to the raised blocks.

“Maggie, I want you to go back into the passageway. Just to be safe. That way you can get out to call for help if you need to.”

“I’ll pass, thanks. I’m not leaving you in here by yourself.”

He rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue with her. He wouldn’t have left her alone if the tables were turned either. “Stand directly behind me then and shine your flashlight from up above. I want to make sure I’m seeing the marks clearly. Some of them are very similar.”

She did as he asked and then he traced the markings on each of the blocks gently. Then he took a deep breath and he pressed the one in the middle with two hands. It took a great deal of strength and the stone of the block grated as he pushed it so the top was even with the platform. The noise seemed louder than it should have, an echo that surely they could hear from outside the tomb, but he knew it was his own heightened senses.

A loud click echoed in the room once the block was in place and the silence that followed was deafening. They both held their breath as they waited for the first sign of danger. But there was nothing.

Riley moved to the next block, this one in the upper right corner, and did the same thing, pressing it until it was level with the platform. Sweat dripped from his brow, but his hands were steady, just as Maggie’s were as she held the light.

The next block pushed down much easier than the previous two, and then he was left with the final block. At least according to the code that had been deciphered. Once he pushed down the fourth block there were still two blocks that remained. But that didn’t necessarily mean they were part of the key.

“Here goes nothing,” he whispered, and pressed down the fourth block. It clicked into place just as the other three had, but then there was nothing but silence. And the door didn’t open.

They were quiet for several minutes, listening for any sign of change in the room. Riley started looking around for the final piece to the puzzle and then found it on the floor just in front of the door to the sealed room. There was another grid of nine square stones, but each one had four different hieroglyphs etched on every square. Only one of them had the four he’d just pressed onto the platform in the correct order.

Riley grabbed Maggie’s hand and carefully stepped onto the correct square. The floor trembled slightly as the stone sunk with his weight, and he was careful to stay completely still so he didn’t accidentally touch one of the other stones. Another click was heard as the stone went down as far as it could and the sealed door in front of him snicked open with a soft pop of stale air and dust.

“No matter what you do,” Riley said, pushing the door open wider and shining his flashlight inside. “Don’t step on any of those other squares. I don’t have a good feeling about being in here. Let’s look for the book quickly and get out. Patience is going to keep us alive today.”

Maggie nodded and he helped her cross over the threshold without touching the squares.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered once they were inside.

“You can say that again.”

The room was a treasure trove of priceless artifacts and gold. So much gold that the light from the flashlight reflected off its surface and glared into their faces. The temptation to look at every piece and touch was overwhelming. He knew without a doubt he’d never be a part of a find like this for the rest of his life. It was a possibility this was the last find of this magnitude for all eternity. But his life with Maggie was the priority. There was nothing worth the risk of losing that.

“Do you know what it looks like?” Maggie asked, standing perfectly still. They both knew that sometimes the interior rooms could be booby-trapped as well.

“I’m hoping we’ll know it when we see it.”

He looked around the room to see if anything looked off or out of place, and it was then he noticed the small pedestal against the far corner. On top of the pedestal was a golden statue unlike any he’d ever seen before. It was an obvious likeness of both Ramses and Nefertari, and golden tears trailed down their unsmiling faces. Though the busts of their heads were separated, a long boat sat on their heads—a funeral barge that the Egyptians used to transport goods into the afterlife—connected them together.

And inside the barge was a small book, no larger than the size of his hands resting side by side. It was really quite beautiful. The outside was made of pure gold and encrusted with all facets of precious gems.

“It’s beautiful,” Maggie said.

“And deadly.” Riley took a soft cloth from the inside of his pocket and wrapped it gently. And then he held his breath as he lifted it from the pedestal. It was so small there was no need to put it inside the backpack he’d brought. Instead he slipped it inside the pocket of his cargo pants.

“Let’s get out of here. We can look at it later.”

Maggie let out a long breath and they made their way back toward the outer room, careful to step over the squares on the way out. Riley pulled the door closed behind them and all at once the squares in the floor rose back to floor level and the squares he’d pressed on the platform rose back to their standing position.

“You sure know how to show a girl a good time, Dr. MacKenzie.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet, Dr. Lawrence.”

They worked tirelessly for the rest of the day in Sector C, transporting inferior pots, jewelry and artifacts from the room and bringing them out to the covered area where Sam and Jay diligently cataloged and inspected each item.

By the time the sun went down, there was no sign of Dr. Bekhit or word from anyone about Walker, and Riley was starting to wonder if the next time they’d see anyone was when the deadline was up and soldiers came back to dispose of their bodies.

It was dangerous to take off on foot with limited supplies, but he’d rather take his chances with the desert than someone holding a weapon. There was time enough to make a decision. At least for the night they’d be safe. And they’d be alerted to anyone approaching the area since the desert was so quiet at night.

They were all exhausted, and after a light supper of cheese and bread from their supplies, they all went to their respective tents for the evening.

“Do you think one of us should try to make it into the city tomorrow? Even if they don’t bring a car back?” Sam asked, holding the flap of his tent open.

Riley could tell by the look on the man’s face that his gut was screaming just as loud as Riley’s that something wasn’t quite right about the situation.

“Let’s give it until morning and reevaluate. And then yeah, we do what we gotta do.”

Sam nodded. “That’s what I figured you’d say. I’m with you, MacKenzie. To the end.” And with that Sam disappeared inside his tent.

Riley’s tent was set up on the opposite side of the camp, away from the sorting tents and the tomb itself. And away from the others on his team. He liked his privacy. And he liked facing in a direction that would allow him to see lights coming from outside—whether from cars or flashlights—and he liked his tent to be positioned so sound was directed toward him and not away. He was always careful. For good reason.

“I’ve missed this,” Maggie said once they were inside the tent.

He bent down to light one of the lanterns in the corner and looked back over his shoulder at his wife with a curious expression.

“You’ve missed camping in the desert?” he asked.

Her face was serious and he sat down to face her, unlacing his boots and putting them in the corner.

“I’ve missed spending this time together with you. I feel like I owe you an apology.” She shrugged and he could see the tears in her eyes as she blinked and struggled to hold them back.

“No, of course not,” he said, panicking at the sight of tears. “What would you have to apologize for?”

“I know I’ve been different this past year. And that I’ve gotten harder to live with the longer we keep trying to have a baby and not succeeding. But last night while we were making love, I didn’t think of that once. It was only about being with you. And I realized how much I’ve missed you over the past year. That level of intimacy.”

“Sweetheart. You don’t owe me an apology. I want a family as much as you do. And we’re a team on this. And you’ve only been a little crazy,” he said, lips twitching.

She sniffed out a laugh and one of the tears slipped free. “We’re a team,” she said, nodding in agreement. “And I’ve come to realize that you’re the most important thing in my life. You’re my focus. The reason I want a child is because it would be an extension of who we are together. But if it’s not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be. I don’t want to live the rest of our lives like we have the last year. Filled with disappointment after disappointment when focusing on each other is what’s important.”

“You want to stop trying?” he asked, more confused than ever.

“No, of course not. But I realize a child is not the end all be all of our love. I want to enjoy every moment I have with you. And if we’re blessed with children then we’ll enjoy those moments when they come as well.”

“Deal,” he said, smiling, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. She was his best friend and his partner. Her happiness was his, and vice versa. They’d work through this together, no matter what the outcome might be.

“Now do you want to see this book in my pocket, or not?”

“That’s not a pickup line I’ve ever heard before,” she laughed. “Very original.”

“Thank you. I try.” He pulled the cloth wrapped book out of his pocket and laid it in his lap, unwrapping it carefully.

Even in the dimness of the lantern light, the book shone with an unnatural glow. Maggie moved closer, so she sat beside him, and her finger trailed along the gilded edge.

“It’s almost hot to the touch,” she whispered. “How odd.”

Riley opened the book carefully, though the papyrus pages were perfectly preserved, the edges of each page coated with gold leaf. And inside the writing was precise and beautiful, as if a machine, or magic, had written the glyphs instead of the human hand.

“It is warm.” It was almost like holding his hands over an open flame. Maggie’s hand rested beside his, each of them touching a corner of the outside of the book, and it was as if he could feel its power running through both of them in a continual loop. It was intoxicating. And he could see how when the words were spoken that it could bespell whoever possessed the book.

With that in mind he closed it and wrapped it back in the cloth, sliding it inside his backpack. Almost immediately a chill filled the air, and Maggie shivered.

“So weird,” she murmured, removing her own boots and then working at the buttons of her shirt. “Why do I feel so sad?”

He couldn’t explain it, but it was powerful. The best thing for them both would be to push past it. “I have no idea. If you’re that sad then maybe you shouldn’t be the boss tonight after all. It’s a pretty big job.”

Her brow arched and he grinned at the indignant look on her face. Her hair and body was bathed in the glow of the lamplight and it was hard to take his eyes off her as he discarded his own shirt and pants.

“Don’t worry. I’m up for it. As are you, I see.”

He snorted out a laugh. “So sassy.”

The blankets that covered his bedroll were soft and he spread them open and shook them out, just to make sure no creatures had made themselves at home. And then he lay on his back in the middle of the covers and propped his hands behind his head.

“Now what?” he asked as she finished getting undressed and knelt beside him.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m in charge, remember?”

“As far as I can see, you’re just a lot of talk and not a lot of action.”

“Better watch out or you’re going to end up with a gag in your mouth.”

“I’d rather end up with you in my mouth,” he said with a leer.

“I’ll take it under advisement. Now be quiet. You’re distracting me.” She grinned and then leaned down to nip at his hipbone and he jerked against her. “It’s been so long since I’ve tasted you.”

“Don’t let me stand in your way,” he said through gritted teeth as her hand wrapped around the length of his shaft and she moved between his thighs. And then her damp, hot mouth surrounded the head of his cock and every teasing thought escaped his mind.

“God, Maggie,” he groaned. Her tongue swirled around the head and then she swallowed him from tip to shaft. And then she repeated the process over and over until he thought he might die from the pleasure. Her hand stroked him so it worked in tandem with her mouth and his balls tightened.