Chapter Eleven
Three days felt like both a heartbeat and a lifetime.
Lamont had spent most of that time watching Ewen eat and sleep, marveling at how quickly the shifter’s body recovered now that they were bonded and Ewen had access to plenty of food.
Between meals and naps, they’d traded stories.
Ewen’s journalistic path was similar to Lamonts.
He spoke of investigative work that exposed corrupt city officials, mostly, but also of stories that highlighted the plight of underserved populations.
Lamont countered his mate’s stories with a few of his own.
How his coverage of historical discoveries had led to pages of academic argument that ultimately rewrote textbooks.
He also shared stories about his packmates and their time in the Underworld.
How they would be chasing errant spirits across the wasteland some days, and piled up in a heap of fur in front of the gates on others - listening to Cerberus grumble if one of them started farting.
It’d been fun. They’d laughed a lot of times, and yet their silences were always comfortable.
Lamont noticed that Ewen didn’t say anything else about his captivity, or the story he had been working on, and he recognized that secrecy for what it was.
Ewen would share when he was ready, and Lamont was fine with that.
Pushing wouldn’t help - Lamont had already learned his mate could be stubborn.
After breakfast on day three, when Ewen demolished three omelets, toast, and enough bacon to feed a small army, his mate set down his fork with a decisive clink.
“Can you click me up some clothes? Is that allowed, or can you only click things for yourself?”
Lamont glanced at the bathrobe Ewen had been living in and grinned. “I can do that for you. I can zap you anything you’d like. Are you getting tired of hotel chic?”
“Something like that. I’m going to need clothes to go out.
” Ewen’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I need to collect my things from the hotel where I was staying. Check out properly. My credit card’s probably screaming from paying for two rooms I’m not using, and not likely to be needing anymore. ”
Two rooms, that’s right. Lamont remembered Ewen had mentioned having his clothes in one room, and his source documents in another. “So, are we heading out today? Did you need some replacement glasses as well? I remember you wearing them the night you stopped me at the restaurant.”
“No to the glasses. I don’t need prescription lenses.
” He tilted his head to one side, meeting Lamont’s eyes squarely.
“I only wore them because I liked how they looked on my face, and I thought it would help others to take me more seriously. But as for going out today, that would be a yes.” Ewen straightened his shoulders.
“I can’t hide in here forever, right? And I need my laptop, my clothes, and the research I stashed before everything went to hell. ”
There it was - the first crack in the wall Ewen had built around the subject.
Lamont’s hound stirred, uneasy. They still had no idea who’d grabbed Ewen or why. The woman in business attire at the factory, the guards, the questions about sources - none of it added up to random thugs. Someone powerful wanted what Ewen knew.
But his mate was watching him. He’s testing me, Lamont realized. He is trusting me to do what I said I would do, which means being with him outside of this room. “It’s probably a good idea to get out and stretch out legs.” Lamont grinned to show he was fine with the idea. “Where’s the hotel?”
“It’s about fifteen minutes from here, I think, in which case it will be easily within walking distance.” Ewen’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “I can show you.”
“Then let’s get you dressed and head out.” Lamont wasn’t going to argue with his mate, even though the words “you can’t go out there” were on the tip of his tongue.
He materialized clothes for Ewen, choosing soft jeans, a pale yellow button down shirt and sneakers.
Ewen grabbed the clothes, looked at him, and put them back on the chair.
He dropped his robe, and Lamont just about swallowed his tongue.
My mate is gorgeous. I should’ve zapped up clothes with more buttons so it would take him longer to get dressed.
“Oh, that feels so much better.” Ewen slapped at his jeans pockets and straightened his shirt collar. “I feel a bit more like myself now. Are you ready to go?”
Lamont double blinked. His mind was still picturing Ewen naked. “Yep. Yep.” Ewen’s laugh let him know he’d been caught daydreaming. “But we stay alert. If anything feels wrong, we leave immediately. Do we have a deal?”
“Deal.”
They left the hotel and stepped into Cairo’s morning heat.
Lamont knew that male-male relationships weren’t appreciated in Egypt, but he stuck close to Ewen’s side as his mate led them through winding streets with the ease of someone who’d memorized the route.
Ewen pointed out the café where he’d worked on initial research, the newsstand where he’d bought English-language papers each morning.
“I always liked being in this neighborhood,” Ewen said, sidestepping a cluster of tourists. “It felt more authentic to me than the touristy areas. It’s not so overrun with people trying to sell me marked-up souvenirs.”
“Have you stayed here before on other assignments?”
“Twice.” Ewen nodded and then pressed close to Lamont as they made their way past another group of people.
“The first time I came here, I was covering archaeological discoveries in the Valley of the Kings and then, as it seems to happen with me, the next time I was following a story about antiquities smuggling.” Ewen’s expression turned wry.
“I seem to have a talent for finding trouble in interesting places.”
“Is that why you picked journalism?” Lamont used his size to make sure no one was touching Ewen as they made their way down the street.
“I’m not sure that picked is the right word.
It’s more like I fell into it and discovered I was quite good at it.
” Ewen paused at a corner, checking the cross street.
“Not to your caliber,” he added with a grin.
“I have read just about everything with your byline. But back in the day, I did a piece for my college newspaper about the administration embezzling scholarship funds. My article got the dean fired, and three students got their money back. I realized I liked exposing people who thought they were untouchable.”
“I know the type you mean.” Lamont loved how his mate had a spine of pure steel underneath that slight build. It reminded him of a terrier, although he’d never say so. He didn’t want to deal with a pissed-off fox.
The hotel appeared ahead. It was a mid-range establishment that appeared to balance comfort with anonymity.
Lamont approved - it wasn’t flashy or memorable in any way.
Just one of those places where weary business people could lay their heads without being disturbed.
The perfect place for a journalist to keep a low profile.
However, the closer they got, the more Lamont’s unease grew. There was something decidedly off, although he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Too many people loitering in doorways? Too few? Lamont didn’t know the immediate area well enough to know. He scanned faces, looking for recognition or threat.
Ewen didn’t seem to be bothered, pushing through the lobby doors. Lamont followed, positioning himself slightly behind and to the left of his mate. He was close enough to intervene, but far enough to give Ewen space.
The front desk clerk smiled in recognition. “Mr. Cross! We were worried when you didn’t return.”
“My business ran longer than expected.” Ewen’s lie appeared to come easily. “I need new keys for both rooms, please. I’m afraid I misplaced the others. Room five-twelve and six-fourteen, if you please.”
The clerk produced two key cards. “You also have a message that came yesterday.”
Ewen accepted the envelope, glanced at the contents, and then shoved it in his pocket. “Thank you.”
“Who was the message from?” Lamont was scanning the lobby as they headed to the elevator.
“My now-dead contact, letting me know he’d be a bit late.”
Damn. Lamont knew he should say something, but what could be said about something like that? Ewen was carrying enough guilt as it was, and no matter how much Lamont might say it was so, it was going to take a while for Ewen to understand he wasn’t responsible for the actions of others.
Lamont’s hound growled low in his mind, hackles raised.
Someone’s watching us.
Lamont scanned the lobby again, but saw nothing obvious.
Staff were busy going about their work, there was a couple with a mound of suitcases in the middle of the lobby checking a brochure and probably waiting for some form of transport.
There was a businessman reading a newspaper in the corner chair…
Him. Lamont’s hound snarled. The man wasn’t turning the pages, and he didn’t appear to be reading anything. He’s watching the lobby over the top of the paper, using it as a mask.
Lamont guided Ewen into the elevator, keeping his body between his mate and the lobby until the doors closed.
“What’s wrong?” Ewen had picked up on his tension.
“It might be nothing. Or it could be someone curious about the American who disappeared for two weeks and just came back. I’m not sure.” Lamont watched the floor numbers climb. “Which room first?”
“Five-twelve. That’s where I slept.” Ewen’s jaw tightened. “The other one has my research materials.”
The elevator dinged - fifth floor.
Lamont stepped out first, checking both ends of the hallway and making sure it was empty. He nodded for Ewen to lead the way.
They walked past identical doors until Ewen stopped at five-twelve. His hand shook slightly as he inserted the key card.
The lock beeped green.
Ewen pushed the door open.
Lamont’s hound roared a warning the same instant Ewen froze in the doorway.
The room had been destroyed.
Not ransacked, it was completely destroyed.
The mattress hung half off the bed frame, sliced open with stuffing scattered like snow.
Drawers had been yanked from the dresser and smashed apart.
Torn clothes were thrown across the floor.
Even the bathroom door hadn’t been safe, hanging crooked on broken hinges.
Someone had taken their time. Methodically searching every inch and destroying what they couldn’t steal.
“Don’t touch anything.” Lamont caught Ewen’s wrist before his mate could step inside. He scented the air, sorting through the chaos for useful information.
Three people had been here. No, four. Different colognes, different sweat signatures. It was likely a recent event, possibly within the past twelve hours. They’d come after sunset, probably between midnight and dawn, when the hallways would be empty.
“They were looking for something specific.” Ewen’s voice had gone flat. “This wasn’t random vandalism or an opportunist crime.”
“You know they were looking for your research.” Lamont pulled Ewen back from the doorway. “Whatever you found, they wanted it badly enough to do this.”
“Then they’re going to be really disappointed.” A grim smile crossed Ewen’s face. “I didn’t keep anything important in this room. This was the decoy, remember.”
“The other room?”
“If they found this one, they probably found that one too.” Ewen’s hands curled into fists. “But my laptop has encryption that would take weeks to crack. And the physical documents are hidden where they won’t think to look.”
Lamont’s hound wanted to translocate them both out of Egypt. Whoever had done this might still be nearby, watching, waiting to see if Ewen would return. Like the man with the newspaper in the lobby.
“We need to leave.” Lamont kept his voice low. “Now.”
“Not without my things.”
“There’s nothing here worth saving.” Lamont’s arm indicated the shattered room. “I can put the room back to rights, so that they won’t charge you for damages, but your personal effects are gone. Can’t you see…?”
“I’m done running from these people - it’s about time we became the hunters instead of the hunted.” Ewen met Lamont’s eyes. “But I’m not stupid. We’ll check the other room quickly, grab what we can, and get out. You can do your zappy thing. Five minutes. That’s all I need.”
“If you told me where you hid the papers, I could…”
Ewen was already heading back to the elevator. “Five minutes.”
Lamont waved his hand, checked just long enough to see the mattress and bathroom door had been magically fixed, and slammed the door to five-twelve shut as he hurried toward the elevator after Ewen.