“None of this would have been possible without a team of fine, young helpers. First, let me introduce to you, Emmanuela Giovanni.”
Emma rose from her seat and, mid-chew, covered her mouth with one hand, giving a small wave with the other.
All right, Emma, Xander mentally cheered, keeping still as a statue while the crowd applauded.
“Many of the fantastic photos are the result of her artistry. We will be seeing quite a few of them in the presentation prepared by Karl Tillmann,” Soliman continued, his eyes on Karl’s seat. The crowd applauded some more as Soliman scratched his head and glanced around. He frowned and coughed. “Who seems to have disappeared. But he’s somewhere out there.” He waved his hand dismissively.
“And last, but not least, Leila Sterling, who would like to now give a few words herself.”
Finally.
The crowd applauded once again. The clapping continued as Soliman craned his neck to scan the audience once again.
Xander searched for that familiar gorgeous face among the crowd. Except he didn’t see it anywhere. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen her come back from the exhibit at all. Surely she wasn’t still hiding there…
After the applause began to die down, Soliman gave a weak laugh. “Leila? Don’t be shy.” He stared directly at Xander and their eyes met. Xander frowned and shook his head.
Soliman coughed again and thumbed through his notes. His face turned a deep shade of red. “While we’re waiting for Leila, we’ll go ahead and move on to the presentation.”
As the music started, Xander slipped out of the Great Court and headed back to the exhibit. She’d been reluctant to speak, yes, but Leila was no coward. She must have lost track of time. The sounds of the festivities faded until only his reverberating footsteps could be heard. He had left her nearly half an hour ago, what on earth was she doing?
“Leila?” Xander called as he reached the hall. His voice echoed among the glass cases containing mummies and pottery.
Silent as a tomb.
With a frown, he retraced his steps to the foyer. Unsure where else to search, he stopped a few yards away from where the crowd began, their attention drawn to the presentation. He slipped his phone from his pocket and called Vivian.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” he muttered, turning in circles as he waited.
“Xander?” Vivian finally answered in a hushed voice. “Sorry love, this isn’t the best time. I’m at the—”
“Vivian, I need you to call Leila.”
“You what? Hang on, let me go somewhere where I can talk.”
He took in a deep breath for patience. She had no idea he was here. He was planning on surprising her when the dancing started.
“Could you check the loo? Give her another call?”
“Her friend Emma already looked, but she wasn’t there. I’ve called her too, but she didn’t… wait a minute. How do you kn—”
“Keep trying and let me know if you reach her,” he said sharply.
“What’s going on?” Vivian asked, but Xander hit the end call button.
Vanished without a trace. Not answering the phone
His stomach gave a sickening churn.
He glanced up at one of the security cameras in a corner. There might be an easy way to find her after all.
• • •
An icy breath traced its way down Leila’s back as madness burned in Amir’s eye. Scowling, he let go of her then disappeared into the storage room. His voice faded, barking orders as his men went in and out, carrying crates and boxes.
Her heart pounded as she stole hasty glances to her left and right. She counted four of them, following Amir’s every command, including the two men who glared as they held her arms. She was severely outnumbered.
She swallowed and her eyes settled on Karl’s body, left lying a few feet in front of her. If she didn’t do something, she would be joining him. Now was her chance before Amir returned with the gun.
She glanced up at the man to her right again. Stomping on his foot seemed to work well enough last time. With all the strength she could muster, she lifted her foot and slammed her heel down on the man’s foot once again. He yelled and his grip on her forearm loosened enough for her to wrench free and swing around to face the man to her left. She threw all her weight into her arm, striking him under his nose with the heel of her palm. The nasal bones crunched beneath her hand, his head snapping backward.
The man at her right had regained his composure and lunged for her again. In one last desperate move, she went for his eyes. She gouged and scratched and kicked until he lost his hold. She shoved him away and broke into a run.
Her heart thudded so loudly in her ears she could barely hear the shouts behind her as she bolted for the stairwell door. Her shoes clicked against the tile floor with each stride.
She was almost to her escape when a muffled bang came from behind her. With a thud, a round black hole appeared in the door. She reached for the handle and another bang came from the other end of the hallway.
A sting sliced across her upper arm. Her knees buckled as the pain escalated into a burn. As the sensation continued to intensify, she held the bloody gash with one hand, a warm fluid running over her fingers. Groaning, she leaned her back against the wall before she could lose balance. Her vision blurred as footsteps approached.
“Impressive,” came Amir’s voice. “I underestimated you.”
Leila ignored him, fighting to stay conscious. A forceful hand yanked hers away from the injury.
“You got lucky this time,” Amir went on. “We’ll have to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” He gripped her wounded arm and yanked her toward him.
Leila cried out, her vision turning gray as she was dragged down the hallway. Somehow she hung onto consciousness as she was propelled into the storage room and shoved against one of the metal support columns. Color slowly returned as she focused on her surroundings. The wooden shelving units, which once held the countless artifacts, now stood empty.
Something scratched and tugged at her wrists, sliding over her clammy skin. Too late she noticed her hands had been wrested behind her and she was stuck to the pole.
