The Prophet.”
“And why do they call him that?” Jabez scoffed.
“I don’t know. I guess they think he’s some kind of a religious guru.
All I’m saying is your men should be careful. I’ve come face to face with some
of his group. Taking him down won’t be easy. And these mercenaries are like
weeds. You pull one and three more pop up.”
“My men can handle themselves.”
“Fair enough. Still, I think we’d both feel a lot better if we were on
a plane headed to Turkey.”
Jabez nodded and turned, heading back to one of the Range Rovers. Sean
motioned to Sahid and the young Middle Easterner bounced up out of his chair
and jogged over to one of the big tents. A few moments later, he and the others
from Sean’s convoy appeared through the flaps of the tent in the blinding
sunlight, and began loading up their vehicles. Sean cast an apologetic glance
at Sahid as the young man headed towards him.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” Sahid complained in a whiny, heavily
accented voice.
“I know,” Sean held his hands up in a pleading manner. “I didn’t think
any of this was going to happen.”
“Your company pays us well, Mr. Wyatt. But we are going back to Cairo.
No amount of money is worth dying for.”
Sahid turned around and stormed off, headed towards the SUVs that had
brought them over from the Luxor train station. Jabez twisted his head with a
smug grin on his face.
“Need a ride back to Cairo, my friend?”
Sean gave a questioning look to Adriana and Professor Firth before
answering. “Seems that way.”
“Not to worry,” Jabez had a playful glimmer in his eyes, a strange
site for such a hardened exterior. “I know a way we can make up for lost time.”
Chapter 14
Egyptian Desert
Will woke up to a searing bright light. His face felt warm, telling
him the sun was the cause of the brightness. He ached in several places,
particularly on the side of his head where a constant pounding was taking
place. He grimaced as he tried to sit up. The surface underneath him was hard.
He realized he lying on a mixture of dirt, sand, and rocks. His vision was
blurred, at first, and he wondered how long he’d been unconscious. Fifteen feet
beyond his feet, train tracks stretched out for miles in two directions. It was
then he began to recall the events of the previous night.
His thoughts jumped to the man who’d pulled the trigger. The
scruffy-faced blonde had been lucky. Why had Wyatt been up at that time of night on the
train? Will guessed Sean likely had problems sleeping. It was one thing
they must have had in common. Will hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in years,
and he figured his enemy was probably wired the same way. Thoughts of sleep
caused his eyes to get groggy again. Irrational ideas began seeping into his
mind. Just lie
(should this be lie?) down over by those rocks and rest for a bit. He shook
his head, forcing himself to sit up a little more. Sean Wyatt had gotten the
better of him. He couldn’t let that happen again.
His plan had been to enter the train car where Wyatt and his friends
were sleeping, and execute each one with a toxin that stops the heart. It would
have been simple enough. A quick injection into the neck and the victim would
be dead before they could feel the prick of the needle. He wouldn’t have even
had to dispose of the bodies. Will could have simply gotten off the train at
Luxor and met up with The Prophet. Instead, it had been his body that rolled
onto the rocky sand in south Egypt. He counted himself fortunate to be alive.
The thought reminded him of the round that Wyatt had fired, reminding
him of the terrible soreness on the right side of his chest. He pulled a cell
phone out of his inner jacket pocket. The device had been equipped with a
titanium case, and was nearly indestructible. A bullet from Wyatt’s gun had
disproved that, putting a huge dent through the back of the case. The phone
would be useless. But it had saved
“And why do they call him that?” Jabez scoffed.
“I don’t know. I guess they think he’s some kind of a religious guru.
All I’m saying is your men should be careful. I’ve come face to face with some
of his group. Taking him down won’t be easy. And these mercenaries are like
weeds. You pull one and three more pop up.”
“My men can handle themselves.”
“Fair enough. Still, I think we’d both feel a lot better if we were on
a plane headed to Turkey.”
Jabez nodded and turned, heading back to one of the Range Rovers. Sean
motioned to Sahid and the young Middle Easterner bounced up out of his chair
and jogged over to one of the big tents. A few moments later, he and the others
from Sean’s convoy appeared through the flaps of the tent in the blinding
sunlight, and began loading up their vehicles. Sean cast an apologetic glance
at Sahid as the young man headed towards him.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” Sahid complained in a whiny, heavily
accented voice.
“I know,” Sean held his hands up in a pleading manner. “I didn’t think
any of this was going to happen.”
“Your company pays us well, Mr. Wyatt. But we are going back to Cairo.
No amount of money is worth dying for.”
Sahid turned around and stormed off, headed towards the SUVs that had
brought them over from the Luxor train station. Jabez twisted his head with a
smug grin on his face.
“Need a ride back to Cairo, my friend?”
Sean gave a questioning look to Adriana and Professor Firth before
answering. “Seems that way.”
“Not to worry,” Jabez had a playful glimmer in his eyes, a strange
site for such a hardened exterior. “I know a way we can make up for lost time.”
Chapter 14
Egyptian Desert
Will woke up to a searing bright light. His face felt warm, telling
him the sun was the cause of the brightness. He ached in several places,
particularly on the side of his head where a constant pounding was taking
place. He grimaced as he tried to sit up. The surface underneath him was hard.
He realized he lying on a mixture of dirt, sand, and rocks. His vision was
blurred, at first, and he wondered how long he’d been unconscious. Fifteen feet
beyond his feet, train tracks stretched out for miles in two directions. It was
then he began to recall the events of the previous night.
His thoughts jumped to the man who’d pulled the trigger. The
scruffy-faced blonde had been lucky. Why had Wyatt been up at that time of night on the
train? Will guessed Sean likely had problems sleeping. It was one thing
they must have had in common. Will hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in years,
and he figured his enemy was probably wired the same way. Thoughts of sleep
caused his eyes to get groggy again. Irrational ideas began seeping into his
mind. Just lie
(should this be lie?) down over by those rocks and rest for a bit. He shook
his head, forcing himself to sit up a little more. Sean Wyatt had gotten the
better of him. He couldn’t let that happen again.
His plan had been to enter the train car where Wyatt and his friends
were sleeping, and execute each one with a toxin that stops the heart. It would
have been simple enough. A quick injection into the neck and the victim would
be dead before they could feel the prick of the needle. He wouldn’t have even
had to dispose of the bodies. Will could have simply gotten off the train at
Luxor and met up with The Prophet. Instead, it had been his body that rolled
onto the rocky sand in south Egypt. He counted himself fortunate to be alive.
The thought reminded him of the round that Wyatt had fired, reminding
him of the terrible soreness on the right side of his chest. He pulled a cell
phone out of his inner jacket pocket. The device had been equipped with a
titanium case, and was nearly indestructible. A bullet from Wyatt’s gun had
disproved that, putting a huge dent through the back of the case. The phone
would be useless. But it had saved
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