Chapter Thirty-Two
Anastasia came to in a daze. It was dark, and at first that was all that registered.
She must have been dreaming because she felt strange, as if she had just had an out-of-body experience.
Briefly, she wondered where she was and then realized that it must be her cousin’s apartment.
She began to recall that she had come home to Egypt to look for her father.
A German man had wanted to meet her at the souk.
She had been apprehensive but had agreed.
Her cousin had dropped her off, and then…
The souk! The memories came flooding back to her.
The market. She was attacked. She swallowed hard and felt intense pain in her throat.
She suddenly recalled the bearded man with cruel eyes that seemed to smile as he choked her.
His partner had simply watched with satisfaction.
Anastasia shuddered. They had tried to kill her.
But then… then there had been someone else. She vaguely recalled another man who had seemed out of place. Tall, strong, and fast. He appeared out of nowhere and began fighting off the men who attacked her. He had helped her up and then wanted her to come with him. And then she remembered nothing.
Panic set in, and she realized with a pit in her stomach that she had no idea where she was or who had taken her.
She quickly sat up and pain instantly shot up her neck, through her head, and into her temples, causing her to gasp.
She laid back down for a few moments, caught her breath, and then raised herself up slowly.
First to her elbows, then to a sitting position.
Her head still hurt, though not as badly.
Where was she? The room was dark, but there was light shining through a window. Anastasia stood up on shaky legs and walked over to the window. Outside she was greeted by a view of the pyramids. She was still in Cairo.
Gathering her courage, she crept over to the door and opened it a crack. It made a louder sound than she was hoping for, and she paused to see if anyone had noticed. Outside she could see several men sitting in a living room area talking, though she could not make out any of them clearly.
“You can come out,” one of the men called to her in English. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
A chill ran through her, but she gathered her courage, pulled the door open, and stepped out into the bright room, blinking several times as the harsh sunlight poured through the windows. One of the men stood and walked over to her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her. His accent was British.
“Where am I?” she croaked in a response barely above a whisper. Her throat was sore and dry.
“Uh, Cairo… I guess?” he replied, somewhat confused.
“Why?” she asked in a raspy voice.
“Ummm,” the man seemed puzzled, “I’m pretty sure you’re from here.” Anastasia was getting frustrated. It hurt to speak, but clearly she wasn’t making any sense to her captors. Or were they her rescuers?
A handsome man stood and walked over to her.
She looked him over as he moved across the room, his gait smooth and athletic.
He had kind, forest-green eyes that seemed to smile, which contrasted with his hard and rugged features.
His brown hair was swept back and revealed a face with chiseled features and a crooked grin.
Anastasia found herself drawn to him as he quietly approached her, and she recognized him as the man who had fended off her attackers.
He offered assistance by sticking out a strong hand and she took it, thankful for the support as her legs were still shaky.
He walked her to a sofa and gently helped her sit down, taking the spot next to her.
“You’re Anastasia Metry?” he asked her.
Rather than being menacing, the tone of his deep voice was commanding and yet strangely captivating. She imagined that most people sat up and took note of the confidence in the man’s voice, and she found herself trusting him despite not having a clue who he was. She nodded feebly.
“My name is Nate Wilde. That’s Tim.” He pointed at the redheaded man. “That big monster over there is Shane, and you’ve already met Wally.”
The British man he called Wally came out from the kitchen area with a cup of tea and placed it in front of her, alongside two pills she recognized as ibuprofen.
“You have a bruised trachea, but no permanent damage. It’ll heal in time, but it’ll hurt like hell until then, and it’s going to leave a nasty bruise.
The tea should help, and there’s some anti-inflammatories if you’d like,” he said before backing away and giving her space.
“You’re a doctor?” she asked him.
“Medic,” he replied. “Former British army.”
“And a damned good one too,” Nate added. “You’re welcome to rest here as long as you’d like, and then we can talk about your father.”
“My father,” she whispered. “Have you seen him?”
“No,” Nate said. “I’m sorry. We’ve never met, and I don’t know where he is.
” Anastasia must have looked confused, because he elaborated.
“I’m a graduate student at Harvard and my dissertation research involves the Rub’ al Khali.
” He seemed to be keeping it intentionally vague, trying not to reveal more than necessary.
“My studies led me to a man named Gilbert Richter,” he continued, and Anastasia’s eyes widened. “Yes,” he confirmed, “that Gilbert Richter, the man you were supposed to meet. Except he was never coming. Richter was killed in Germany a week ago.”
“What?” Anastasia asked in shock. She wasn’t sure if she should believe him.
As if reading her mind, Nate said, “You can verify it. They’ve published his obituary online.” Her head was spinning. Why had someone killed a man she was meant to meet?
“Murdered?” she asked weakly.
“That’s what we thought. That’s why we came here. Someone tried to kill me the same night Richter died. We thought you might be next.”
It didn’t make sense. Who were these guys? They weren’t police. Nate was a graduate student? How could they have known Richter was killed, or that she was being targeted?
“How?” she asked and began coughing.
“For fuck’s sake,” the burly redheaded man called Tim said from across the room, apparently annoyed with the pace of the conversation.
“Nate here dug up something in his research. We have no idea what it is or why it’s worth killing people, but at least one man is dead, and you and he are lucky to be alive.
Apparently, you know something that makes you dangerous to be walking around.
” He spoke with a thick American Southern accent, and Anastasia noticed the blue hat on his head promoting the University of Kentucky.
Nate glared at the angry redheaded man sitting across the room drinking a beer before returning his gaze to her. “What we’re saying is, we don’t know what’s going on, but we think it might be related to a report your father got ahold of. A report that he may have sent to you.”
Anastasia thought about the hydrology report.
Could that be what was worth killing for?
She didn’t see how. Last night she had noted it as interesting, but not deadly.
Now this man was telling her it could be the reason she was almost killed today, as well as the reason her father was missing.
Or was he dead? The thought filled her with dread.
“My father…”
Nate looked away, and she knew. Tears formed in her eyes and began silently streaming down her cheeks. When Nate turned back, his hard features had softened and his eyes seemed almost compassionate.
“I’m sorry, Anastasia. I don’t know. But…”
“But everyone who has come in contact with this report has been attacked or killed,” she squeaked out, her first full sentence causing a strain on her throat.
Nate said nothing for a long time. Finally, when he spoke, it was with purpose. “Do you have a copy of the report?”
Anastasia instantly became suspicious. Was he just after the report? Was any of what he said true? For all she knew, he was working with the men who had attacked her, and this was all some elaborate plot. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned away from him.
“Why?”
“That’s a yes,” Tim chimed in, crushing an empty beer can in his fist and heading to the fridge for a replacement.
“Look,” Nate said in a patient tone, obviously trying to set her mind at ease, “it’s important to my research. That’s true. But it’s also the reason someone is trying to kill us. If we knew what was in it, maybe we could figure out who is after us and why.”
This was too much. Confusion was mixing with grief, and Anastasia felt like screaming and crying at the same time.
Instead, she thought of her father and took a few seconds to compose herself.
Then she stood up and steadied herself as she was still feeling a little wobbly.
Nate moved to help her, but she pushed his arm away and then turned and walked toward the door.
She needed to think, and she wanted out of this place.
She needed to be in control of her own circumstances again.
When she neared the door, the big man called Shane stepped in front of her. She looked up into the face of the behemoth, the mouth set under a crooked nose smiling at her, not in malice, but rather in amusement. He crossed his arms and shook his head, almost imperceptibly.
“I’m leaving,” she said. Shane continued smiling but didn’t move. It was the market all over again, and she felt her anxiety rising.
Nate stood and quickly jogged over to her side. “Look, Anastasia…” he started.
“Ana,” she snapped back. It slipped out, but she didn’t regret correcting him. Her friends and family called her Ana, and her late mother had been the only person to call her by her full name. This man using it was beginning to annoy her.
“Ana,” he said gently with a smile, and she couldn’t help but like the way it rolled off his tongue.
She felt her attitude toward him begin to soften.
“You’re free to go. We’re not holding you here.
” Shane stepped aside. “But someone out there is still trying to kill you. They know who you are, they probably know where your family lives, and they almost certainly had something to do with your father’s disappearance. ”
She stopped and stared up at him fiercely, tears still brimming in her eyes.
She read no ill intent on his face, and his deep green eyes seemed genuinely empathetic.
She once again felt the magnetism of this man and was drawn to him in a way she didn’t quite understand.
Still, she needed to stay focused and looked away.
After staring at the floor for several seconds, she composed herself, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“And why should I trust you?” she asked defiantly.
“Why?” Tim yelled from across the room, his rising anger apparent.
“Maybe because he dragged the rest of us halfway across the world for the sole purpose of rescuing you, a girl he’s never even met.
Then we all stuck our necks out to save you, at no small risk,” he added, brandishing the Makarov pistol in his hand to drive the point home.
“For the love of God, woman, we’re not your enemy.
We’re trying to help you!” He turned around and stormed off.
Ana suddenly felt foolish. Tim’s outburst had shaken her out of her stupor and put things in perspective.
Maybe Nate and his friends were trying to help.
After all, they had fought off armed men in the streets of Cairo for her.
But she wouldn’t just willingly give up the only leverage she had before getting what she needed.
“If I give you a copy of the report, then what? What will you do?”
Nate looked up at Wally, who subtly shook his head, then at Shane, who mouthed No. Finally, he sighed and returned his gaze to Ana.
“We’re going to hop on a cargo ship bound for the Gulf of Aden. We’re going to jump ship somewhere in line with Socotra and enter Yemen illegally. Then we’re going to make our way across Yemen and up through the Rub’ al Khali for several hundred miles to search for the lost city of Ubar.”
Ana stared at him blankly. He returned her gaze.
There was no smile this time, and his features were resolved.
He was serious. Was he really planning to do what he said?
Then a second thought came to her. What if her father also traveled to the area Nate was talking about, the area she identified last night from the report?
It could explain why he had disappeared without a trace.
It took less than a second for Ana to make up her mind.
“I will give you a copy of the report,” she stated, “but I’m coming with you.”
“Absolutely not,” Nate answered instantly.
“Why not?” she asked testily. “Is it because I’m a woman?”
“No,” he said matter-of-factly, “it’s because you’re not an experienced operator, and we can’t do what we need to do if we’re worried about protecting you.” He looked down at the floor and shook his head. “Why would you even want to come with us?”
“Because if it’s that important,” Ana retorted, her confidence building, “then maybe my father tried to reach this place before you. If the research leads you there, maybe it led him there as well.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Nate said. “Maybe not.”
“His expedition was approved and financed before he disappeared.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s no way.”
“Then there’s no way you’re getting that report.” Ana crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip. Her father had always called her stubborn, and today was going to be no exception.
Nate sighed. Tim had returned to the room and Ana could see all three of them were vehemently shaking their heads no.
“We let you on the boat, and you hand over the report,” Nate stated.
“Once we’re underway,” she agreed.
Nate rubbed his eyes and sighed, before slowly nodding and sticking out his hand.
“Alright, Miss Metry, you’ve got yourself a deal.”