CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Hiro? Any way that you could manipulate a satellite and tell me how many men are waiting at the tomb of Queen Sitre in the Valley of the Queens at Luxor?"

"Well, that's oddly specific," said the man. "Hold on. Luckily, we're friends with Egypt right now, so I'm sure they won't care if I borrow one of their discs."

Leif chuckled, shaking his head. Garr and Brix drove the kidnappers back to Luxor in their own vehicle. They left the one man alive in the trunk, tied up. If he were lucky, someone would find him in the morning. If not, he'd be smelling his dead friends in the heat and eventually die himself. They did the police a favor and pinned an explanation note to the seat.

"I've got six, maybe seven, on the outside of the tomb, but it's open, so there could be more inside."

"Is it supposed to be open?" asked Major.

"No. They're all closed at this time of night, but I also don't see the usual guards that are there. Those sites are monitored closely by the military to prevent any further destruction or looting."

"Get me as close as you can," said Sebastian. "Turn off the headlights, and just move as close as you can to the entrance of the valley. I'll go in on foot and try to see what and who is there."

"It's too dangerous, Sebastian," said Leif. "If we go, we go as a team."

"That includes me," said Ellie, walking back toward them. "Mags doesn't know why they took her. She was here to teach a class on counterterrorism. If she saw something, she has no clue what it was or who it was."

"Alright, we all go," said Leif, turning to Ellie. "But listen to me. This is me, Leif Frode, U.S. Army Ranger in charge of this op. You will follow my orders, Ellie, and if you don't, I'll ship your ass back to the states faster than you can shake a stick."

"I get it," she nodded. "And by the way, that was hot." The guys all laughed, shaking their heads.

"I tell him that all the time," said Sebastian.

"You're an asshole," frowned Leif, staring at his teammate and friend. "I mean it. Do as I say."

"I promise."

"Alright, let's get as close as we can and move around the valley toward the top of this ridge here," he said, pointing to his phone. "All lights off after this. Everything will stick out in this blackness. The stars are bright, and the sky is not helping our situation. Stay low, stay hidden."

They drove as close as they dared, then Sebastian took the cell phone of the man they'd captured and sent a text to the number, stating he was a few minutes away. As they neared the valley, they noticed that the military guards were present but were seated at the valley entrance playing cards.

The men shook their heads, pointing to the cliffs that they needed to climb and move around to get to the tomb. In silence, they secured the ropes and moved up the ledges. Once at the top, they maneuvered their way through the valley until they were right above the tomb.

"Where are they?" asked a man.

"I don't know," said another man. "He said he'd be here soon. You should kill him just for being late."

"I should kill all of you for allowing that woman to be touched. That wasn't part of the plan. We were simply to take her and wait."

"She was beautiful," smirked the second man. The first man backhanded him, sending him to the sandy floor. He wiped the blood from his mouth and stared back at him.

"She was valuable, and we've lost her. For now."

"How is one woman so valuable?" asked another man. "There are plenty of women out there."

"This one was special. Her skills were needed, but we'll have a hard time convincing anyone of that now. We needed to know what she knows, and you've blown our chances for that."

Leif stared at the others, sending a questioning glance toward them.

"What are you doing in there?" he yelled toward the opening of the tomb.

"We're just looking at it. Shit, relax," said the man. "This is creepy shit. She still has hair, and you can see her fucking nose."

"Don't touch it! We're not thieves. Besides, it's just a fake. The real one is in the museum."

"No, we're not thieves, just kidnappers and rapists," said one of the other men. Reaching his limit from the men, he turned swiftly and shot the man who spoke. Realizing his mistake, he knew someone would come quickly to investigate.

"Nice," said the man on the left.

"Leave him. Our man isn't coming anyway. Let's get out of here."

Leif and the others waited above the tomb as the military guards swarmed in, finding the dead body. Realizing that nothing had been stolen or damaged, they gratefully closed the tomb and took the body.

"Now what?" asked Ellie.

"There's something significant about this tomb. I think we need to find those archaeologists that May recommended and ask some questions tomorrow," said Leif. "Honey, I hate to ask this of you, but I think we need you to color your hair."

"It's alright. Red hair dye is common here. I'll color it red, and I have brown contacts I can use. I'll keep my hair up and make sure I wear a hat."

Returning to the hotel, they weren't shocked to find the local police searching the rooms of the men they'd captured earlier.

"Is something wrong?" asked Leif innocently.

"Did you see these men tonight?" asked the officer.

"They were downstairs in the restaurant while we were eating dinner, but they left before us."

"Thank you," said the man, nodding at them.

Leif took Ellie's hand, leading her into her room. She stood in the middle of the room, looking around, and shook her head.

"I don't want to stay here," she whispered.

"I'm going to stay with you," said Leif, holding her tightly. "Nothing has to happen other than we both get some sleep, Ellie."

Nodding, she went into the bathroom and ran a shower for herself. She came back out, grabbed her clothes, and then closed the bathroom door. A few minutes later, Major was at the door with Leif's things, grinning at him.

"Cops are gone. Thought you might need your things."

"She's scared, brother. That's all." Major held up his hands, shaking his head.

"You're big people now. You can do the horizontal mambo, and no one cares. It's about time anyway."

"Asshole," smirked Leif.

"Look, Leif, I'm about as unlucky as they come with the ladies, but Ellie's a good one. Make this right so you two can live your happily ever after. See you in the morning, brother."

A few minutes later, Ellie came out in a pair of shorts and tank top. He smiled at her, kissing the pink skin of her shoulder and then went into the bathroom as well, running a cold shower. Looking down at his stiff cock, he shook his head.

"Behave, you asshole."

By the time Leif had nearly drowned himself in cold water, Ellie was sound asleep, curled up on her side of the bed. He was grateful, sliding between the sheets beside her. Always a light sleeper, he didn't expect to fall asleep so quickly. When light seeped in through the windows, he looked at the dark hair of the woman by his side and smiled. Rolling into him, Ellie clutched his middle, inhaling.

"Good morning," she said in a sleepy voice. "Did I snore?"

"Like a freight train," he smirked.

"I did not!" she laughed. "Did I?"

"No. And it wouldn't matter if you had. I slept like a baby." He kissed her, trying to make it chaste and sweet, but that plan didn't work out. Ellie wrapped her leg over his body and climbed on top of him, kissing him, gliding her tongue along his lips.

"Leif," she said breathlessly.

"Baby, you're killing me here. I don't think we have time."

On cue, there was a banging at the door. Ellie giggled as Leif stood, his cock jutting straight out like a flag at half-staff. He opened the door halfway, and Sebastian grinned at him, handing him a paper bag.

"Thought sunshine could dye her hair before breakfast. We're gathering some intel from home, but we'll be ready for food when you guys are."

"Give us thirty minutes for the hair dye to work," said Leif. "Thanks for getting this."

"Sure," he grinned. "You might want to do another cold shower. Stiffies at breakfast are frowned upon in Egypt."

"Bite me."

Ellie just laughed, shaking her head. She took the dye, and immediately put the gloves on, and began the process of turning red. Her hair had red tendencies anyway, so it should pick up the red coloring well enough. While she sat watching the timer, she kept staring at Leif's groin, seeing the stiff ridge he was trying to push down.

"El, you staring at my hard dick isn't helping my hard dick."

"That's because only I can help your hard dick, but you seem to be taking your sweet time, even after we've been waiting more than ten years for this."

Leif turned, staring at her, and then charged toward her. He pushed down her shorts, ripping the tank top from her body. Standing naked before him, she was everything he'd dreamed of, other than the red dye on her head.

Every single night since he was sixteen, he'd dreamed of this body. The curves, the taut nipples, the perfect vee of hair. She was perfect.

Ellie was breathing so heavily, waiting for him to make a move, she finally decided it was her turn. With the hair dye still in place, she pushed his pants down, his cock bobbing up and down, the head a painful purple color.

"It's gonna hurt, Ellie."

"I know. But only for a minute." He nodded, gripping her waist and lifting her to settle on his middle. Reaching behind her, she stroked his thick cock, loving the rumble of his chest as he groaned from her touch. Her own body was soaked with juices, needing to feel him inside her.

Touching his head to her opening, she gasped at the feeling of him, the sting telling her this was going to be difficult. She'd dreamed of this so many times she almost felt as if it were choreographed.

"All at once or slow and steady?" he asked.

"I think like a bandage," she whispered.

Leif nodded as he held fast to her hips and thrust upward, slamming into her. Tears streaked her beautiful face, and he felt like shit, then realized she was rocking against him.

"Fuck, baby," he moaned. "There's no rush, Ellie. Take your time. Let the sting go away first."

"It's everything I knew it would be," she said. "You're so big, Leif. I can't believe we fit."

"We fit perfectly, honey. Condom?" She shook her head.

"A little late to ask," she smirked. "I'm on the patch for other reasons. We're good."

Leif gripped her breasts, massaging, tweaking her nipples, tugging on them as she arched backwards. With his palm flat against her belly, he slid downwards, his thumb rubbing her hard nub. He wasn't going to last, but he damn sure wanted to make certain that she got her orgasm first.

"Leif, Leif," she gasped.

"Fuck yeah," he growled.

When her body nearly bent backwards with joy, he pounded into her, releasing years of frustration and desire. Without even pulling out, he stood and went to the shower.

"Can that shit come out now?" he grinned. Ellie laughed.

"Yes, we can wash it out now."

"Good because I'm gonna fuck you again."

"Good because I need it."

Forty-five minutes later, they walked into the restaurant. Ellie had gone from a stunning blue-eyed brunette to a radiant, brown-eyed redhead. The others all nodded her way, smiling at her and giving a thumbs up.

"See, I can be covert," she grinned.

"Honey, there is nothing covert about that red hair," smiled Major. "You look good, Ellie, but you're beautiful no matter what."

"Thank you," she smiled. "So, Major, if Walker loves my sister Mags, and Forrest has a thing for Maddie, and Sebastian has a thing for Em, who are you crushing on?"

"My omelet right now," he smirked.

"Come on, Major. Is there a woman back home? Someone you're crazy about?" she smiled.

"Nope."

She looked at the others, and they all shrugged, not giving anything away. Major was extremely handsome in an almost exotic island sort of way. He had light caramel skin, a beautiful head of rich black hair, and a body to die for. She wondered why women wouldn't flock to him. Or maybe they did, and he didn't like it. Or maybe he preferred men.

"You know, if you like men…"

"Stop right there, Ellie. I like women. I don't judge anyone, but that's not my preference. Just leave it alone, okay."

"Okay," she nodded. "I'm sorry. I just love you all and want to see you happy."

"We are happy," said Sebastian. "Let's focus on what they wanted with Mags."

"Alright. Where to today?" Leif smiled at the others, taking the last bite of his eggs.

"The museum."