Secrets Of The Serpent's Heart (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 6) (24 page)

Even after he left the library and fled down the street, Daniel was still reeling from his encounter in the Rare Book Room. It had never once crossed the Scion’s mind that his beloved friend might be a sodomite. Even more shocking was the notion that Chris considered him one too. Such an abomination was strictly forbidden among the Nephilim. An offender would be banished from the brotherhood and cast out of the celestial kingdoms for all eternity. It was unthinkable that one guilty of such a sin could ever be the son of a Diviner. God would surely never allow it. Had Chris forgotten that the Scion was a married man who had sired three children? Daniel brushed aside the contradictory memory of his own unwillingness to consummate his marriages and quickened his pace.

His car was parked in the garage of an office building two blocks away. It was dark and quiet in there—the perfect refuge. His thoughts still churning, he ran toward the underground lot like a fox diving for its burrow. Once past the dim entryway, he spotted his car and immediately made a beeline for it. Fumbling for his keys, he managed to drop them on the ground beside the driver’s door. Only when he stooped to pick them up did he realize someone had glided up directly behind him.

“Hey, buddy. Long time no see.”

Daniel jumped up and wheeled about. The face that confronted him almost made him faint dead away. “You!” He backed up and bumped into the side view mirror.

“The name’s Erik.” The blond thief had the audacity to extend his hand.

Daniel didn’t return the greeting. Instead he asked, “What do you mean to do? Kill me?”

Erik chuckled. “Now why would I want to do a crazy thing like that?”

“Because you ARE crazy!” the Scion retorted. “You and your two friends. Why won’t you leave me in peace?”

“Your life is anything but peaceful. Besides, we have mutual interests that I’d like to discuss with you.”

Erik took the car key out of Daniel’s limp hand. He pressed the fob and unlocked the doors. “Get in,” he commanded as he walked around to the front passenger side of the vehicle.

Daniel mutely complied even though he wondered at his own willingness to cooperate. If Erik was going to kill him, the thief would surely want to stage the attack inside Daniel’s car where the garage’s security cameras couldn’t detect the crime. Nevertheless, the Scion obediently slid behind the wheel and closed the door.

Erik climbed into the passenger seat and did likewise. He turned to face Daniel. “The Nephilim must be slaying a whole herd of fatted calves this week.”

Daniel squinted at him uncomprehendingly.

“You know. The return of the prodigal daughter and all that jazz?”

“H... Hannah. You mean Hannah.”

“Yup. I bet your father is jumping for joy.” Erik studied Daniel’s face appraisingly. “You don’t look too happy about the reunion though. What gives?”

Daniel hesitated before answering. He had to get his thoughts off of Chris and onto what was happening in the present moment. The thief was asking him about Hannah. He needed to make sure he didn’t betray too much information. “It’s obvious she left because she was discontented with the Nephilim—discontented with her marriage to the Diviner. She should have been allowed to go her own way. My father is interfering with her happiness by bringing her back.”

Erik folded his arms and cocked his head to the side, considering. “So you’re not even a little bit worried that she’ll rat you out?”

The Scion gulped. “What?” He forced a laugh. “What could she possibly have to say about me?”

The thief shrugged casually. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that you helped her escape in the first place?”

“You couldn’t possibly know that unless—”

Erik cut in. “Unless she’d told us so herself.”

“Then it’s true.” Daniel let out a gasp. “She was being held by you three. I thought Mr. Hunt was lying.”

“Hey, she wasn’t being ‘held’ by us.” Erik made air quotes. “She found Cassie on her own and asked for shelter. We simply provided it.”

“I see.” Daniel grew somber. “I wish I’d known.”

“If she’d tried to contact you, Hunt would have found her in a matter of weeks.”

The Scion frowned in concentration. “He said it wasn’t just the three of you who helped her.”

“Huh?”

“Mr. Hunt said you’re part of a much larger operation. Are you?”

Erik faltered, obviously taken aback by the question.

Daniel pounced. “Then it really is true! Who are you people?”

The thief darted him a wary glance. “Better if you don’t know. We like to fly under everybody’s radar—especially the Nephilim’s.”

“It’s too late for that.” Daniel shook his head regretfully. “My father knows about you now. He’s ordered Mr. Hunt to find your leader and to destroy your organization so you can’t interfere with the quest for the Sage Stone.”

“That’s just great!” Erik threw his hands up in disgust. “Like we didn’t have enough plates to spin already.”

“You should protect yourselves. Go into hiding,” the Scion urged.

“It’s not your concern,” Erik retorted dismissively. “You and I have got other things to discuss today.”

Daniel rubbed his head distractedly. Chris was intruding on his thoughts again, as if this day weren’t already bad enough. “What do you want from me?” he asked in resignation.

“A little information. A little help. We want to rescue Hannah.”

The Scion sat up straight and turned to stare at the thief. “Are you insane?”

Erik smiled derisively. “You already called me crazy so why would you even be surprised?”

“The Nephilim compound is run like a prison these days. There are guards at the gates. Guards with guns.”

“I’m well aware of that, chum,” Erik countered.

“There are also security cameras set up around the outer walls and inside the hallways of the main building. It would be impossible to get Hannah out of there.”

“By yourself maybe,” the thief retorted. “But with a little help from us...” He trailed off.

The Scion still couldn’t follow Erik’s train of thought. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that if we join forces, we might be able to pull it off.”

The thought had never occurred to Daniel before but these thieves had shown remarkable ingenuity in the past. Knowing that they had a pool of resources from which to draw actually gave him some comfort. Perhaps they and their associates could find a way where he could see none. He permitted himself a faint glimmer of hope. For the first time that afternoon, his attention was entirely riveted on Hannah’s escape. “How would we go about it?”

Erik grinned triumphantly. “I knew you’d see things my way. What I need from you is some information. You’ll have to stroll around the grounds of the compound and note the location and angle of every surveillance camera on the outside wall. You’ll also need to check the cams around Hannah’s room. I’ll want schematics of all that stuff.”

“What possible good would that do?”

“It will help me pinpoint blind spots. There are bound to be sections along the fence line that can’t be seen by one or more of those cameras. The same rule applies to the corridors inside the building. I should be able to map a path to get her out of there without anybody noticing.”

Erik paused as another thought struck him. “I assume she’s got somebody guarding her room?”

“Actually, no. She’s locked inside her chamber but several people have the key. I’m sure I can get a copy myself.”

“Hmmm,” Erik rubbed his chin. “That’s a break for us. How long will it take you to pull the information together about the cameras?”

“A few days, I suppose. How will I get in touch with you?”

Without replying, Erik handed him a cell phone. “It’s a burner. My number’s already programmed. When you have the intel I need, call.
 
I’ll meet you here.”

“Don’t expect to hear from me for at least two days.”

“Fair enough.” Erik handed the car keys back to Daniel and opened the passenger door.

“One final question before you go.”

Erik was already outside the car but he leaned back in. “What is it?”

Daniel wavered. “I know my reasons for wanting Hannah to escape. Her return could create some difficulties for me personally.” He eyed the thief skeptically. “But why on earth would you go to all this trouble to help her?”

The Pythia sat behind her obsidian desk with the Chatelaine and the Scrivener opposite. They’d chosen this venue for their strategy sessions since it was larger than either Maddie’s or Griffin’s offices. Cassie also found she could think more clearly surrounded by lighted waterfalls and the grounding stone of the desk itself.

“Hey.” Erik strode into the room carrying a roll of papers under his arm.

“Um, how are you?” Cassie asked tentatively. It was the first time the two had met since their conversation on her birthday.

“Fine.” The Paladin shrugged. “I hear your retrieval went well.”

“Who told you that?” Griffin sounded surprised.

“Rinchen. I’ve been getting an earful from him about the Dynamic Duo. That’s his new name for you and Cassie. He can’t seem to talk about anything else.” For some reason, Erik appeared mildly irritated by their success.

“We were rather brilliant.” Griffin gave Cassie a conspiratorial wink.

She laughed.

“So I’ve heard,” the Paladin said testily. “Again and again and again. The only time Rinchen isn’t singing your praises is when he’s skyping with his new girlfriend in China.”
 
He abruptly threw his stack of papers onto Cassie’s desk. “How about we skip the chit-chat and get down to business?”

“What put you into such a foul mood?” Maddie asked.

“Something a little birdie told me. Daniel says Hunt knows about the Arkana.”

His listeners exchanged shocked looks.

The Chatelaine pursed her lips. “I guess I gave that hayseed one too many breadcrumbs to follow. Who would have thought he could put it together on his own?”

“He doesn’t know where we are, just that we exist,” the Paladin added. “Daniel says the Diviner ordered Hunt to find us and shut us down so we can’t get to the Sage Stone before he does.”

Maddie shrugged. “He’s welcome to try.”

Erik unrolled the sheaf of papers he’d brought. “We can talk about that another time. Right now, we’ve got an extraction to plan.”

The other three stood up to get a better look at the diagrams.

Erik went straight to the point. “This is what Daniel was able to map out about the security set-up.” The top page contained a rough sketch of the perimeter of the compound with markers to indicate the location of each camera. “He gave me enough intel about the types of cameras and lenses they’re using for me to be able to calculate the angle of coverage.” He traced his finger over green lines which had been drawn across the map. “You can see the gaps. There are blind spots along the fence line, especially at the back of the property. As long as I stick to those, the Nephilim will never see me.”

Erik selected another schematic and placed it on the top of the pile. “This is the corridor outside Hannah’s room. The camera is mounted up high and her door is right next to an intersecting hallway so the cam doesn’t quite cover it. I guess when it was first installed she’d already flown the coop and nobody cared about an empty room. There should be enough of a blind spot for her to slip out.” He leafed through the pile of papers and extracted another map. “This is the corridor layout for the main compound. We can thank Metcalf for his paranoia. Some spots have too much coverage, like he was targeting specific individuals. Other spots have no coverage at all. As long as Daniel follows the route I mapped out, he should be able to get Hannah out of the building via a service door. I’ll be waiting outside to take her the rest of the way through the grounds.”

“What do you want us to do?” Cassie asked.

“Us?” Erik’s eyes narrowed at her choice of words.

“Yeah, us,” the Pythia repeated in annoyance. “Griffin and me.”

“So are you two joined at the hip now?” the Paladin asked sarcastically.

Griffin turned on him. “And how is our relationship your business?”

“It’s not,” Erik admitted off-handedly.

The Scrivener warily returned to studying the diagram.

“How do we fit into your plan?” Cassie persisted.

“You don’t,” Erik said. “This is a one-man operation not a three-ring circus.”

“But you’ll need some kind of backup,” Maddie objected.

“Why?” the Paladin challenged. “I think I can fetch one little girl all by myself.”

“That’s crazy!” the Pythia exclaimed.

Griffin laid a restraining hand on her arm. “You’re wasting your breath, Cassie. Clearly, a superhero like Erik doesn’t require the assistance of mere mortals.”

“You’re going to take at least one person with you.” The Chatelaine’s tone was menacing. “And make no mistake. That’s not a request.”

“It has to be someone who has some context and knows Hannah’s story,” Cassie said. “Preferably somebody she trusts. Your choices are pretty limited. It’ll have to be me. She’s never met you or Griffin.”

“Not you, toots,” the Paladin countered. “If I’m gonna be forced to take somebody, I’ll take Zach.”

“Zach!” the other three shouted in unison.

“You have got to be joking!” Maddie snapped.

“The kid has a bigger stake in this than anybody,” Erik retorted. “It’s his girlfriend who’s being held captive.”

Cassie shook her head vehemently. “That’s all the more reason to keep him out of it. He’s too emotionally involved.”

“Being emotionally involved never stopped you from going on a mission,” Erik grumbled in a low voice.

The Pythia walked around the desk until they were standing nose to nose. “If you’ve got something to say to me, then say it!”

The Paladin’s eyebrows shot up in mock surprise.

“What is going on with you?” she demanded. “The three of us used to be a team.”

“You and I used to be a lot of things.” His tone was cynical.

“And if we’re not anymore, whose fault is that?” the Pythia shot back.

“Shut up!” Maddie stamped her foot. “And I mean all of you! This sniping is getting us nowhere. Cassie, sit down! You too, Griffin! Erik, cut the snark! If you three want to stage a brawl, do it on your own time. Right now, there’s a girl whose life might be in danger. I need you people to check your personal baggage at the door and get it together! Alright?”

Cassie and Griffin resumed their places. Erik folded his arms truculently. They all lapsed into a mutinous silence.

“That’s better.” The Chatelaine settled into her own chair and turned toward Erik. “Now explain to me why Zach is your pick to go on this mission. The kid has barely finished his first round of self-defense training.”

Erik rolled his eyes at having to justify his choice. “Hey, I’m just trying to cooperate. You tell me I can’t make this a solo mission so I agree to take backup. Cassie says I have to take somebody Hannah already knows. Who’s a better choice than her boyfriend?”

“I don’t like this,” Maddie said ominously. “The kid might be reckless.”

“He won’t be involved in anything dangerous,” Erik protested. “All Zach has to do is hook a ladder over the wall, act as lookout and drive the getaway car. I’m pretty sure any tyro on his first day could manage that.”

“When?” Maddie asked simply.

“I’ll need a couple more nights to coordinate everything. I have to notify Daniel and get Zach on board.”

The Chatelaine remained silent for several seconds, tapping her long fingernails on the arm of her chair. Finally, she said, “This plan has disaster written all over it. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t approve but I’ve seen you pull crazier stunts than this and come home without a scratch.” She studied Erik intently. “Don’t make me regret my decision.”

“Trust me, chief. It’ll be a walk in the park.”

“Yeah, with snipers,” Cassie murmured.