CHAPTER NINETEEN

"I've got the door in view. They placed a two-by-four in front of the door as well. I can splinter that, but stand back as far as you can. I'm good, but this is going to be tight."

"We're as far back as we dare, Hiro. Fire at will," said Leif. He turned, covering Ellie's head with his big arms, while Major did the same to Elena. The other men formed a barrier around them, waiting for the sounds of gunfire.

Within seconds, they heard the rapid fire of the drone, splintering wood, and split metal. When it stopped, they held their collective breaths, looked above them to be sure the tunnel wasn't crumbling.

Major looked at Leif, Brix, and Sebastian and nodded. Lining up shoulder to shoulder, squeezed into the opening of the tunnel, they made a three-point stance football run toward the door. Once, twice, and the third time, it fell.

The rush of fresh air was overwhelming as they left the tomb. The drone was still airborne, looking at them.

"We're all good, brother. Thank you," said Leif, giving him a thumbs-up.

"You got it." As the drone left them, Elena just stared at them all, shaking her head.

"We would have died in there had it not been for your friend," she said. "What do we do now?"

"Now, we find somewhere safe for you to go," said Leif. "We can't risk your life any longer."

"I agree," said Major.

"But you need me. I can get you into the museum to make sure the mummy is alright." She felt a sense of panic at the thought of leaving Major.

"Honey, I don't think this is about the mummy. I think Farah is trying to cause chaos that will further divide the city and the nation. If she can do that, she might be able to exact her plan in a different way. I just don't know what that way is," said Leif.

"Where would I go?" she asked.

"Well, we could send you to our home in Louisiana. You could see May and Thomas," said Ellie. Major stood stoically, not saying anything.

"I-I don't think so," said Elena. "I mean, that's really far away from my home, and I wouldn't know anyone there other than May. I could go visit a friend of mine in England for a few weeks. She's been asking me to come and visit her."

"England would be good," said Leif, nudging his friend.

"Yeah, England is good," said Major. Ellie rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay. I guess I'm going to England," she said, walking toward their car. Ellie stared at Major, giving him a knowing glare.

"What? You heard her. It's too far."

"Ask her to go, Major. She's scared. Don't screw this up. If she goes back to Louisiana, you'll know where she is. She'll be safe there, and we can go home afterwards. If she goes to England, she'll be alone. She'll be more scared."

"So am I," he said, walking away from his friends.

"I'm not sure I want to fall in love," laughed Alistair. "You guys are fucking stupid over this shit."

"Let me know that you've arrived safely," said Major, standing at the security check-in points. "You have my number."

"Yes," she smiled. "I have your number, and you have mine."

"You'll call if you need anything?" he said.

"Yes. I'll call if I need anything." She started to walk away, then turned back toward him. "Major? I don't regret one moment of knowing you. Not one. These were the best days of my entire life. I hope we see one another again."

Major stepped closer, pulling her in for a long hug. When he looked down into those seductive eyes, he kissed her, melting into her. She gripped the back of his shirt as if her life depended on it. When she pulled back, her lips were swollen and red. Tears filled her eyes.

"Don't cry, baby."

"I'm not. It's happy tears. I get to see my friend." She kissed his cheek, then hurried through security. She never turned around, never waved goodbye for fear it might crush her.

Major stared at her tiny retreating body, then felt someone slap the back of his head.

"You're a fucking idiot," said Sebastian. "That's a woman worth keeping."

"Shut up. We've got an op to finish." He stormed off toward the parking lot, the others following him.

"I really liked her," whispered Ellie to Leif.

"Me, too, honey. And I think he did too, but he's got to figure this shit out. Don't push him, okay?" She nodded at him.

"What do we do now?"

"We try to figure out what her end game is. If it's not really about the mummy at all but about blowing shit up and creating chaos, we have no idea what she's capable of doing." Ellie's cell phone rang, and she looked at the others.

"It's Maddie. Hey, what's going on?"

"The Saudi royals have disowned Farah. She is not under their protection, nor do they believe she's operating with a full deck. What they do know is that she's been keeping company with a man by the name of Dagobert Burkhard."

"He's an arms dealer," said Forrest. "One of the biggest and worst in the world."

"See, smart and handsome," smirked Maddie. Forrest stared at the screen, swallowing, and she just laughed. "We think they're lovers and business partners. As you've noticed, Egypt is in turmoil. It's not as bad as a few years ago when there was a full-blown coup, but it's darn close. We think Burkhard is trying to get weapons into the country for terrorist groups, and Farah is backing it with all the family jewels, so to speak."

"I'm going to call Jenny and see what she's found out," said Ellie.

"She's back here," said Maddie. "I was in a meeting with her early this morning. We figured this out together. I like her, El. I can see why you've stayed with her. She's good people."

"I think so, too. Thanks, sis."

"That's why we do this. To protect one another," smiled Maddie. "You guys need to find Burkhard and Farah and figure out what they're trying to do. If she gets a private audience with the president, she might just kill him."

"Maddie?" said Forrest. "I'd like to see you when I get home. Can we make that happen?"

"I'd like that a lot, Forrest. Maybe we can all meet back home for Leif and Ellie's wedding. It's about time one of us got married." Ellie laughed, shaking her head at her sister. She was surprised when Leif spoke up.

"I think that's a great idea. Start making plans. Our wedding will be the day we get back. I'm not wasting another fucking day." Ellie laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm going to bet Mama Irene heard that all the way from here."