Kathlyn Trent, Marcus Burton 01 - Valley of the Shadow (20 page)

He just shook his head at her, awed. "That's really bizarre," he said. "And Dougray and Abrahams didn't protest?"

She cocked her head thoughtfully. "That's something that gets stranger every time I think about it. They followed me all the way to Israel, spent all of their time with the diplomats, and then kept their mouth shut when we were told not to discuss the find. I've never seen Abrahams so silent and Dougray looked almost intimidated. It was weird."

Marcus appeared genuinely baffled. "They were so determined that you find it. Now everyone wants to keep it a secret?"

She shrugged. "I've stopped trying to figure them out. I'm just glad it's over and done with."

"How'd your intuition work this time around?"

She snorted ironically. "Like a charm, just like it always has. No fits, no fainting, just the feeling I usually get when I'm on to something." She wriggled her fingers as if she was casting a spell. "They call it The State, remember?"

"So you're saying it's only my dig that makes you flop around like a fish out of water?"

She scowled. "What a terrible thing to say. I think I'll go out and come back in again if you...."

He cut her off by slanting his mouth over hers, drawing an immediate passionate response. Her clothes were coming off before she realized it and they fell back on his futon, snapping one of the legs with their combined weight and sending it crashing to the ground. Kathlyn started to laugh until he caught a breast in his hand and the laughter stopped. He took her a couple of times on the floor, and once bent over his desk.  It was nothing short of magical after weeks of longing.

They spent the next couple of hours wrapped in each others arms, sweating it out in the heat of the Egyptian mid-day. All Marcus wanted to do was stare at her, touch her, tell her how much he loved her. Though they could hear the sounds of the busy day outside the canvas, no one dared disturb them for obvious reasons. Kathlyn dozed lightly towards the late afternoon and he let her sleep. When the sun set, however, and he decided to rouse her so she would have a chance of sleeping through the night. He tried to kiss her awake but she turned the tables on him and tried to coerce him into making love to her again, which he gladly did. When it was over, he finally got out of bed out of necessity and she groaned in protest.

              "Where are you going?" she demanded sleepily.

              He pulled on his boxer briefs, followed by his jeans. "As much as I would love to spend the next solid month in bed with you, we should probably get up and go have dinner with the rest of the crew. Then I'll take you up and show you the progress we've made on the tomb."

              She rolled over on her stomach and hugged the pillow. "I don't want to go. I want to stay here."

              He pulled his shirt over his head. "Sweetheart, you won't sleep tonight if you don't get up."

              She groaned and wriggled her heart-shaped bottom. He smacked it lightly, then rubbed the red handprint, finally biting it gently. The situation threatened to get amorous again as he nibbled at her tender buttocks but she started giggling. It tickled. Marcus grinned and smacked her lightly one last time, forcing himself away from her very delicious backside. The woman had an amazing ass. They would never get out of that tent if he continued. 

"Do you want me to help you get dressed?" he offered.

She popped an eye open. "If you do that, we'll end up right back in bed."

He conceded her point. "I'll wait outside."

"You'll do no such thing." She sat up in bed and the sheet fell off, revealing her supple and shapely form. "You sit in that chair and talk to me."

Marcus sat in the chair and put his shoes on as she put her shorts and shirt back on.  After the boots went on, she dug around in a smaller bag for her makeup and touched up her face. She then brushed her hair into a ponytail as he sat back, watching appreciatively. He was so mesmerized by her movements, studying her with great admiration. When she was ready to go, he took her hand, kissed it, and led her from the tent.

The evening was hot and stifling. Everyone they came across welcomed Kathlyn back and she felt as if she had come home again. It was odd how a short three months ago, her welcome had been so much different and she felt very fortunate that the situation had turned out the way it had.  Gazing up into her husband’s strong, handsome face, she felt like the luckiest girl on the planet.

"Did you notice?" she suddenly held up her left hand; on it gleamed a small gold band, looking perfect on her tanned fingers. "I bought it in Jerusalem since we didn't have time to get one when we got married. How do you like it?"

He inspected it. "Very nice. I still want to buy you a nice stone to go with it, though."

"That's fine," she noticed how jagged her nails were and she put her hand down with a frown. "I bought you one to match. It's in my bags, somewhere."

He made her go back and get it. They were late to dinner but they had brand-new matching wedding bands and Marcus kept looking at his as if he couldn't believe it. He'd never really felt truly married until this moment, like it all finally came together now that he had his wife and his wedding ring on a permanent basis. It was a strangely fulfilling feeling.

Kathlyn felt it, too. They kept looking at each other, grinning sweetly when their eyes would meet. But conversation between them was limited because Gary, seated on Kathlyn's right, kept up a steady stream of chatter about what they'd been able to uncover about the mysterious chamber thus far, which was basically not a whole lot more than what she already knew. He'd had the bones carbon dated, analyzed for nutrition and DNA, and nothing had come back as unusual or surprising. They were basically stuck and he was determined to solicit her opinion at this precise moment. Since she had had such strong feelings about the chamber, he thought the past few weeks might have given her more insight.

But it really hadn't. Kathlyn was deep in conversation with Gary when the first strange popping noises zinged over her head. Next thing she knew, Marcus threw her on the ground and covered her with his big body. Everyone started screaming, running from the tent in all directions as the bullets flew over their head. The Marines, in and around the camp, swung into action and their shouts and guns could be heard echoing off the hills. The archaeologists in the tent were in a panic.

"The tomb!" Kathlyn hissed. "They've come to rob the tomb!"

The bullets had stopped for the moment and Marcus was up, fury written all over his face. "They're not going to get my goddamn tomb."

Kathlyn latched onto him. "No, wait! Let the Marines take care of it. That's what they're here for!"

Bullets hit the tent again and everyone went down, like falling rocks. Marcus first thought, after the tomb, was of Kathlyn's safety. There was no protection from the canvas.  He needed to get her, and everyone else, someplace safe.

"We've got to get out of here," he said to Lynn. "We're sitting ducks."

Lynn came from a rough neighborhood. He felt like he was home again. "Stay down," he commanded. "Kathlyn's right; let the Marines work. They've got the firepower; we haven't."

"So we just lay here and wait?" Marcus wasn't happy.

"We do unless you want to get your ass blown off."

Having no real choice, Marcus continued to lie on top of his wife, his big arms around her both comforting and protective. Juliana was wedged between and under Lynn and Mark, while everyone else was just scattered about. The plastic mess tables offered no protection whatsoever.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the bullets stopped again. The shouts of the Marines faded and the sounds of cars rolling off into the distance gradually disappeared.  The only thing Marcus could hear now was the pounding of his heart. When it became absolutely still and silent, Master Sergeant Bubalo entered the mess tent.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

Marcus pushed himself up and pulled Kathlyn along with him. "What in the hell was that?"

The Marine's hands were red from gripping and firing his weapon. "Three cars just rolled in and started firing. When we returned fire, they sped off again and a few of my men gave chase."

"Did they damage anything?" Marcus asked.

Everyone was up by now, looking at the Sgt. Bubalo as if he had all the answers. "No, sir," he said. "Not as far as we can tell. Holes in tents, things like that, but no one killed or injured. Mr. Dougray and Mr. Abrahams were up by the site when the firing started. We shoved them, and some of the workers, inside the shaft to protect them."

Marcus was angry and confused. "So what the hell was it all about? A diversion? A warning?"

The Marine shook his head. "We don't know yet, sir. That's why a few men gave chase to see if we could find out anything. Meanwhile, we're doubling the patrols along the camp perimeter and the Major is making a call to have reinforcements brought in right now."

"Where are McGrath and Bardwell?"

"They were in Mr. McGrath's tent, sir. They're fine."

Marcus was still uneasy. "I want to check the tomb," he looked at Lynn. "Stay here and make sure everything is cleaned up and fixed up, whatever damage there was. Kathlyn and I will go check the site."

"Okay," Lynn agreed. "I'll join you up there when I'm done."

Marcus and Kathlyn left the tent as the others beginning picking up the place. They headed for the dig site with the look of hunted deer about them. They kept looking around, waiting for more gunmen to jump out from behind rocks. The sun was down, only a hint of orange in the western sky and the wash of pale blue intermingled with the stars.  Kathlyn stopped by their tent on the way up and grabbed her pack and duster, purely as a way of a security blanket. They always went with her and Marcus would not fault her a bit of comfort in an unstable moment. But his main concern was to get her into that tomb, the safest place he could think of from a hail of bullets, should whoever was shooting decide to return.

They crossed the parking lot of the Valley of the Kings, hurrying up the slope to the shaft.  There were several Marines milling about the entrance who assured Marcus that his tomb had not been robbed or even hit. Dougray and Abrahams were still inside. Marcus thanked them as he and Kathlyn made haste into the tunnel.

It was cool and dark.  The Honda generator was already on, courtesy of Dougray and Abrahams. They reached Chamber A when a shout from the tunnel entrance halted them. Lynn and Juliana were jogging towards them up the dimly lit passageway.

"I thought you were going to see to the camp?" Marcus asked.

"Dennis has control of it," Lynn said. "He didn't need me.  Besides, Dr. Maurer was heading up here and I figured she shouldn't be without an escort right now."

Marcus looked at Juliana, looking fine in her jeans and tee shirt, and then cast Lynn a long look. "Never let it be said that you aren't a true gentleman,” he fought off a grin.

Lynn gave him an expression that suggested he better not voice what he was thinking even though he was right. Together, the four of them headed down the steep stairwell and into Corridor C. The conservationists' implements were stored neatly and the walls of the low-ceilinged hall were growing more beautiful by the day. The quartet emerged on the other side into Chamber D, noticing it was empty. He figured that Dougray and Abrahams were further back in the sarcophagus chamber.

They crossed the footbridge and passed into Chamber E. A few of the workers were here, looking rather frightened. When they saw Dr. Burton, they immediately focused their attention on him and Lynn said a few words in Arabic that seemed to calm them. They went back to talking amongst themselves.

Passing through the antechamber didn't have any horrible consequences for Kathlyn. She had no feelings at the moment and she was grateful. Marcus kept a tight grip on her, however, and she finally had to remove her hand from his to restore some of the circulation.  Moving into the sarcophagus chamber, they found Dougray and Abrahams in quiet conversation.

Dougray was the first to notice them. "Has the shooting stopped?"

Marcus nodded. "The Marines are tracking down the bastards who started it. We just came in to check out the tomb and make sure everything is okay."

Dr. Abrahams turned to the group; in Dougray's shadow, the dean of the SCU Archaeology and Anthropology Department had been virtually non-existent.  He focused on Kathlyn, a tall man very much at home in the midst of an ancient Egyptian tomb.

"Quite a welcome home for you, Kathlyn," he said. "We should have stayed in Israel."

She smiled. "There's nothing there for me. Everything is here, in Egypt."

Kathlyn meant Marcus, who was now wandering over by the tabernacle, inspecting the thing as if something had changed since the last time he saw it. She watched him with adoring eyes. Abrahams looked at his watch, then at Dougray.

Dougray seemed to understand the unspoken message. It was an odd exchange but no one thought much of it until Dougray lifted his hands as if he was a preacher about to start a prayer meeting.

"Since you are all gathered here, I have an announcement to make."

Marcus was over by the sarcophagus. He looked up, glancing at his wife as if she knew what in the world they were talking about. But Kathlyn merely lifted her eyebrows, having no idea, as Dougray shifted his attention to her.