Leila’s gaze fell on the backpack Xander had risked their freedom for, sitting forgotten at their feet. She tugged it toward her, then paused. When Xander didn’t move or say anything to stop her, she unzipped the top. Several small, packaged snacks lay on top, and just under those, a travel-sized toiletry bag. She dug deeper and found a couple of water bottles, two black sweatshirts, two packages of MREs, and a bundle of cash in what looked like different currencies. Under that lay a stack of passports. Frowning, she opened one of the passports to see her picture staring back at her. Except, it wasn’t her name beside the image.
She snapped it shut and buried the passports back in the bag. At the bottom were a few black T-shirts, and just below those, her janbiya, which she hadn’t seen since the police had taken it from her. They had a lot more to talk about than she realized, and there was no use putting it off any longer. They couldn’t just sit there all day without saying a word.
Chewing on her bottom lip, she studied the burns on her arms. Now that the adrenalin was wearing off, the sting was beginning to burrow deeper into her skin.
She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “So, about yesterday…” She peeked at Xander.
He didn’t move. His gaze remained straight ahead, fixed on the horizon. Knowing he was listening, she told him everything. Starting with the moment she joined the Medjay, to her training with Drake, to her meeting with Faris—including his threats and demands; including that Faris insisted her mother and brother were safe.
The more she talked, the harder it was to stop. It felt amazing. Suddenly, she felt light, as if the slightest gust of wind would blow her away and then she would just spread her arms and fly. Xander knew everything now. No more secrets. Not from her. And he let her talk, hardly moving the entire time.
For it all to make more sense to him, she delved deeper into her involvement with the Medjay, what they were and what they did. And then she explained how the British SIS believed Soliman to be involved with the bombing of the Egyptian Museum.
“It’s just not possible that Soliman did it,” Leila finished. “His whole life revolves around preserving and protecting artifacts. It just doesn’t make any sense for them to suspect him. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Xander let out a puff of air and ran his fingers through his hair. “Let me get this straight. Just yesterday, the Egyptian Museum got bombed, your mum and little brother went missing, then you break into a villa in Palm Hills, and get attacked by Faris at gunpoint? Then you broke into Soliman’s house, get arrested, and ended up in SIS custody.”
Leila chewed on her bottom lip. “Yeah… it was a crazy day.” The more she thought about it, the more she realized anybody else listening to her story wouldn’t believe a word of it.
“And you’re also a part of a secret society that steals artifacts?”
She flicked at a fly on her knee. “Yep.”
Xander stood and began to pace. “Do you want to go to prison?” He flailed his arms as he spoke.
“No, but—”
“Then why are you doing it? Why are you working with those people?”
Leila glanced at her hands and wove her fingers together. “Dad was a Medjay.” She let that statement sit for a moment, then took a deep breath before she continued, “He did it to get back at Faris—so Faris would know Dad was on to him. I guess I feel the same way. Faris hates the Medjay because we won’t let him do his shady business in peace. We won’t let him, and others like him, just go around stealing, trading, hiding, and making tons of money off this stuff.” Her voice intensified with each word. She jumped to her feet. “And you wouldn’t believe some of the things we’ve found. There are all kinds of artifacts out there. Artifacts that have been missing for decades. Artifacts I didn’t even realize existed. And they don’t belong in someone’s basement. They belong with people who know how to take care of them. They belong to Egypt.”
Xander stared at her, his expression a mixture of anger and bewilderment. “I don’t care about the artifacts.”
“What?”
“You’ve been breaking into houses, Leila! After telling me you’ll be at your aunt’s, or you’re trying to meet a deadline, or you’ve got a headache. I could go on. How many of those were lies?”
Leila’s face grew hot from the inside, and not because of the blazing sun. She balled her hands into fists. He had some gall to point a finger at her.
“Are you for real?” She stepped up to Xander, then prodded his chest with her finger. “What about you, huh? You had a bag full of cash and fake passports in my apartment.”
Xander frowned at her, nostrils flaring.
She sucked in her breath, her voice cracking as she poked his chest again. “What have you been doing, Xander? Why did you have an implanted microchip? How did all those agents know you?”
He grabbed her hand. “I work with them, all right? The chip was implanted when I started.”
“You… you work with them.” She yanked her hand from his grip. “You work for British intelligence?”
“Yeah, I do. And you know why?” Xander leaned forward. “I did it for you.”
“Really? And weren’t going to even tell me?” She took a step back. “Why? How did you even get this job?”
Xander crossed his arms. “Like most everyone else does. I applied online.”
Leila gritted her teeth. Now he was getting smart with her. “Oh, please.”
“I’m serious.” He dropped his arms in a shrug. “I can show you. There’s a form on their website.”
“And when were you planning on telling me about this? When you get shot dead while on the job? When we have to run for our lives? I just had to cut a freaking microchip out of you!”
“You’re one to talk,” he scoffed. “You’ve had your fun, and just look where it got us.”
“You’re not going to blame this on me, you jerk. You owe me an explanation. Why are you working for those people?”
“I have my reasons. What are yours?”
Leila raised her chin. “I asked you first.”
Xander let out a frustrated growl, paced for a moment with his hands on his hips. Finally, he started, “I applied a few weeks after Vivian woke up from the coma.”
At the mention of his sister, Leila’s frown softened. His sister woke up from a six-year coma before Leila and Xander got together. A letter bomb destroyed the Harrison family home, killing Vivian and Xander’s parents. Xander had been in Egypt when Vivian unexpectedly woke up—he dropped everything and left the excavation to be with her.
“I didn’t reckon anything would come of it, but I applied anyway. Well, they vetted me… I was approved and got an offer for an interview. But by then a few years had gone by, you and I got together, my job with the Metropolitan Police was steady enough, and I didn’t want the job. I honestly didn’t want to do any police or military work anymore. I wanted to get back into archaeology.
“But Jones… We served together in the military, you see. I never really liked him, to be honest. He’s always been a brute. Anyway, he insisted I join. Thanks to my job experience and ability to speak Arabic, he thought I’d be a perfect fit. Badgered me about it forever.” Xander stopped pacing and returned to his seat on the boulder. “But when you vanished into the desert, I needed Jones. He had endless resources. He said he’d help if I took the job.”
Leila nodded, recalling the moment she and Xander were stuck on the top of the crumbling, burning mountain. They never would have made it out alive if that helicopter hadn’t swooped in and rescued them. She had just figured it was a search and rescue department and had never bothered to find out more about it.
