Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Riding beside Sarah in the dark, Ginger listened to the soft crunch of the camels striding through the desert.
They’d procured the animals with the help of the owner at the hotel, preferring to leave the exhausted horses at the stable there rather than force them to make another long trip.
The owner didn’t ask questions—he was getting handsomely paid—and the two women had started toward the Serapeum.
Had Noah given Osborne her message about returning tonight?
She prayed that he had. Noah was stubborn, and he had to know the odds were stacked against them. How else would he survive this?
The gun at Ginger’s waistband weighed heavily.
As they drew closer to the necropolis, sickness curdled in Ginger’s throat. Her exhaustion made her feel sluggish, but she had to press forward. She had dealt with less sleep than this before.
They’d been forced to leave Jack, who was still fading in and out of consciousness, though his fever had improved remarkably.
Near the Serapeum, Sarah gave Ginger a sidelong glance. “Are you ready?” They dismounted the camels, then found a stump of a pillar to tie them to. From there, they approached the entrance to the Serapeum, a large doorway that would lead them underground.
Ginger sucked in a breath. She reached into her medical bag slung over one shoulder. Her fingers brushed against the cold metal.
The entrance seemed unremarkable, as though they were heading into a cellar.
Sarah had explained that, like so many archeological discoveries, the locals had paid little attention to the treasure beneath their feet until a French archeologist had blasted through with dynamite, causing irreversible damage to the site.
A few men waited by building the entrance, along with Osborne. Their faces were in shadow, lit only by the glow of an oil lamp held by a man further inside.
Ginger’s heart beat faster. Noah had given Osborne her message, it seemed.
Please be alive, Noah.
Osborne stepped out toward them. “Both hands where I can see them, Lady Virginia. I’ll have to take those pistols, of course.”
Ginger’s hand tightened, fisting around the hand grenade in her medical bag. She pulled it out and lifted her chin. As she leveled her gaze with Osborne, his eyes widened.
She slipped her finger into the ring and pulled the pin, the metal of the ring tugging into the back of her pointer finger as she pulled.
Osborne’s men dropped back, one covering his head.
The slightest hint of a smile touched Sarah’s lips.
Ginger’s hand was tight around the grenade, holding down the lever.
She drew closer to him. Somehow her hand remained steady, despite the pounding of her heart in her ears.
“I don’t trust you, Osborne. So we’ve made our own plans.
We’re going inside, and once Noah Benson is released safely we will give you the concession paperwork.
Shoot Sarah and you won’t get your paperwork.
Shoot me and this grenade will fall with me. We’ll all die.”
Osborne stepped toward her, and she held her hand up. “Or I could throw this at you and your men now, if you’d like.”
“Do that and you risk trapping your lover underground.”
He was right. But digging Noah out was a possibility she’d had to consider when they’d come up with this mad plan. “As long as it kills you, I’ll take that chance.”
“And Mrs. Hanover? How do you know I won’t shoot her?”
Ginger shrugged. “Shoot her and you won’t get the concession papers. Jack Darby remembered the cipher you gave her and let her have a try with it. As it turns out, she’s the only one who knows how to find the papers. And they’re right here in the Serapeum.”
Osborne’s eyes narrowed. At last, he nodded. As he turned toward his frightened men, the yellow lamp light gave her a glimpse of the redness on his face.
He’s furious.
She held back a smile.
Osborne’s men shifted nervously. Osborne barked an order at them, then led them inside the ancient temple.
The cool temperatures of the underground structure in the desert did little to stop Ginger’s shivers.
The lever of the grenade dug into her hand, a hard-edged reminder of how little lay between her and certain death.
A slight slip of her hand would cause detonation.
In a tunnel like this, the fragmentation and explosion would kill them all.
Their footsteps echoed, but with only the men’s torches for light, she couldn’t see far into the carved walkways of stone. Sarah had explained that archeologists believed the structure had been intended by the Apis cult as a burial place, but that all the tombs had been empty.
While normally that would fascinate Ginger, right now she found it terrifying. They were surrounded by death.
Deep in the labyrinth, the reverberation of their footsteps filled the chambers. Bile tinged her throat as Noah came into view. Ginger’s heart lurched.
He was alive. His hands were tied behind his back, attached to a rope that had been thrown over and tied to a large wooden beam, forcing his arms up behind his back—at an uncomfortable angle.
Thank God he’s alive.
She wanted to run to him, free him from the ropes. The grenade in her hand, the only thing keeping her safe, felt more slippery than ever.
Osborne had forced him to step onto three rickety wooden crates, and Noah appeared to be completely still. What would happen if he fell off those crates?
Ginger’s eyes followed the rope behind his head.
A fall would mean Noah’s arms would go over his head—backward.
She let out a choked cry. His shoulders would dislocate, the tendons tear. Her palms ached intensely. “Let him go.” Her voice sounded hoarse from the strain.
Osborne came out of the shadows. “Get the concession first. Once you have Benson, I have no assurance that you’ll give it to me.”
“I will.” Ginger’s voice shook. She met Noah’s eyes. His pupils were large in the dim light, his lids unblinking. Having him so close by but unable to reach him or help him made her feel weak.
Then he saw the grenade in her hand. His brows furrowed, sudden understanding dawning in his eyes.
With a callous shrug, Osborne inspected her.
“Call me a skeptic. You know what a kick to those crates will do to Benson. Just because you may have the advantage now, it doesn’t mean I’ll leave him unharmed if you don’t keep your side of the agreement.
Let’s take care of first things first, Lady Virginia.
Mrs. Hanover gets the concession, then I release Benson. ”
Sarah released a slow, tense breath beside her. “I need a torch.”
Osborne handed one to Sarah. She drifted it around the space, trying to find her way. She directed the light down a path. “That way.”
“I’m going,” Osborne said. “I don’t trust either of you.”
“You stay here.” Ginger’s voice was calm and in control. Osborne couldn’t know how sweat had broken out on her back, or how her hand ached from gripping the grenade. “But you can send one of your men if you’re worried.”
Osborne’s hands clenched. “Only if she gives me any weapons she has.”
Ginger and Sarah’s eyes met. Would Sarah feel safe walking alone with one of Osborne’s men and no way to protect herself?
Sarah seemed to understand Ginger’s questioning look.
She pulled her gun out of its holster, then turned over a knife.
Osborne smirked. “Don’t think of trying to be heroic, Mrs. Hanover.
My men are under strict orders. If they suspect even the slightest betrayal, they will put a bullet in Benson’s head. ”
“And then Ginger will throw the grenade,” Sarah remarked dryly, clearly unimpressed by Osborne’s threats. He scowled at Sarah and Ginger felt a flare of pride at her poise.
Sarah went down a stone path. The longer Ginger held the grenade, the more she wanted to shift it in her hand, relieve the pressure of the lever pushing into her palm. The ring attached to the pin remained on her other forefinger, and she squeezed the pin into her fist.
Please hurry, Sarah.
After a few minutes, Sarah returned, her face troubled.
“Well?” Osborne stepped toward her. “Where is it? Did you find it?”
“I found this.” Sarah showed him a small broken Egyptian figurine. “In a crevice right where the cipher said to look.” She muttered a swear word and stared at it in confusion.
Ginger bit the insides of her cheeks to keep her expression even. Sarah was so convincing that she nearly believed her.
Osborne snatched the figurine. “This is all you found?” He lifted the figurine toward Sarah. “What is this?” His voice was a snarl of anger.
“It appears to be another clue.” A shadow crossed Sarah’s face.
“Two summers ago, Paul and I worked at an excavation near the Pyramid of Djoser, just south of here. The statue of Ramesses II was discovered there at the Great Temple of Ptah, broken in six pieces over a hundred years ago. This appears to be just the head of the statue.” Her eyes glimmered.
“My guess is that Paul hid the paperwork for the concession under the head of the statue in Memphis.”
Ginger held her breath. Would Osborne believe it? She didn’t dare look at Noah for fear that her reactions would be less controlled if she did.
A few beats passed. Osborne’s men had steadily moved back while they’d been speaking, more than likely afraid of the grenade.
Sweat beaded on Peter Osborne’s tired, dusty face. “Then you’re telling me it’s not here?”
“We came for another clue, apparently. Archeologists have an interesting sense of humor.” Sarah smiled.
Ginger held her breath, counting the moments as comprehension dawned on Osborne’s face. He scowled. “If I’m going to Memphis, you’re coming with me, Mrs. Hanover.”
“That wasn’t our deal, Mr. Osborne.” Ginger glared. How her hand had remained steady on the grenade this whole time, she wasn’t sure. The aching in her hand had turned to a cramp.