“Leila,” he said, his voice taking on a serious note, “I’ve had a lot of time to think lately and, well…” He paused, studying her face. “I need to tell you something.”
Leila stiffened. Her lungs stopped mid-breath. He was going to apologize.
“I think we should go public about Neferkheri’s tomb.”
She blinked.
“What?” she blurted, forgetting she wasn’t supposed to talk to him.
“As long as the public eye is on the tomb, it will be more difficult for Amir to do anything to get inside. It’s so rare, the Egyptian government would practically deploy the army to guard it. Which means we’ll have more security. The whole world would be watching. Amir can only watch with them, licking his wounds.”
Leila shook off the confusion. Of course he would be talking to her about the excavation. They were coworkers, nothing more. What exactly had she wanted him to say, anyway?
“I think you may be on to something.” She scrunched her lips to one side. “Excavating a sealed tomb of this proportion would be nearly impossible to accomplish in secret, in any case.”
“Exactly. Amir has insinuated he has a mole in our team. I don’t know what sort of network he has. It may be he has someone else to do his dirty work. We need to plan for the possibility he could attempt something even if he’s in hiding. Or in prison.”
The idea of having to work under the public spotlight was daunting. The task was intimidating enough as it was. Adding journalists and security breathing down their necks to it would be a pain. But it had to be done.
“Well, thanks for the heads up,” she sighed and once again attempted to shut the door, ready for the conversation to be over.
“One more thing,” he said, pushing back on the door with his hand. “And I say this without equivocation.”
Leila stopped herself from rolling her eyes. What now? Couldn’t he just leave? It’d better be about the dig and not another one of his provocations.
“I’m exceedingly sorry about what I said last night.”
Her mouth dropped. Did she hear him correctly?
“That was a sad excuse for such behavior,” Xander continued, dropping his hand. “But the thing is, I’d use any excuse. In fact, I would do it again right now if I had one.”
“Okay,” she breathed, her eyes about to pop out of her head. “Thanks.” Before he could say another word, she gave the door another shove. It snapped shut.
She leaned back against the door, her heart thumping loudly as she listened to his retreating footsteps.
That was probably the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.
Her mind whirled as all of the information began to truly process. Police interviews, informing the media of a sealed tomb, and then on top of that, there would be Xander to deal with. The man was driving her crazy. And judging by the look in his eyes, it was only a matter of time until he found another excuse.
• • •
Leila sat at the table, rubbing her temples with her fingertips to ease the pounding headache. She’d been talking to police for hours now, alone, since the police had separated her and Xander. She had the sinking feeling they weren’t taking her seriously. One officer actually spat out his tea when she first mentioned Amir.
The police station buzzed with activity. Several times they had been interrupted about a protest in the city. But she remained persistent and gave them all the details of the villa, what Amir had told her, and also how she got her cuts and bruises. Except for the pink scar above her eye. That was secret.
But the investigators exchanged skeptical glances when she explained the situation with her mother. Their passive interest in the whole thing made her more frustrated by the minute, so she was relieved when the officers decided to take a break. They left her to her own devices for an hour.
Neal knocked on the doorframe and held up a plastic bag. “Hungry?”
Glad for a reason to get up and walk around, she followed him out a side entrance into a quiet alley. The crumbling stucco walls and the clotheslines didn’t make the most beautiful setting, but it was nice to get out of the stuffy building.
“How are you doing?” he asked as they settled on the stairs.
She shrugged as she unwrapped her shawarma, a meat and vegetable-filled pita sandwich, hesitating. It wasn’t a big deal to tell him facts in a professional setting. He was a cop, after all. But how could she talk to Neal about her feelings? She didn’t even know how she felt. Her mind was in a complete fog. All she wanted was justice. And to get to the tomb first. And maybe kick Xander in the shin.
“I want to go back to work,” she said, hoping she sounded casual enough. She took a large bite of the sandwich.
“Are you sure?” Neal raised an eyebrow. “With Amir out there? You know, I can arrange a flight home for you.”
Chewing, she shook her head. She didn’t know how to explain without telling him about the tomb. Like Xander said, once the news got out, there would be increased security. But first, she needed to find out what Soliman wanted to do before she opened her huge mouth.
Maybe she was being too optimistic, but the police were sure to catch Amir soon. Running away to hide didn’t feel like an option to her. She wasn’t trying to be brave. It was her job, her duty, to make sure the tomb was safely excavated.
“Look, if you need to talk to someone, that can always be arranged,” Neal went on, giving her a skeptical stare.
Leila swallowed then grimaced. “You mean therapy? Working is good therapy too.”
“Just keep in mind I can refer you if you want. But if you insist on staying, do me a favor.”
Leila gave him a sideways glance. Neal’s expression was serious.
“Sign up for self-defense classes?”
She stared, mid-chew. It wasn’t the advice she was expecting, but he wouldn’t have to tell her twice. “I can do that.”
Neal frowned.
“I promise,” she said with her mouth full. Of course he’d misread her hesitation. She’d love nothing more than to give Amir a swift punch in the jaw.
