Page 56 of The Death
“Yes, I might be useful,” Celine said softly. She held up her hand when Dominic whirled to face her. “No, don’t start trying to argue with me. I’m going to Shafira and I won’t listen.React however seems right to you, but I don’t have time to stay around and try to convince you that there will be times when I can’t do what you want. Right now, I have to go get my equipment and then I want to go find Kontara and say goodbye. She’s probably already upset by all this.” She was heading toward the tents. “Like Quinn said, I’ll see you in four hours…”
“Celine.”
She glanced back over her shoulder.
“This isn’t over,” he said quietly. “I can’t let it be over. You’ve just made it more difficult for me.”
“Too bad. I only want to help. This is all kind of scary and it would be so much better if I could count on you. But regardless, it has to be done…”
She disappeared into the tent area.
“Who told you that I’d want to say goodbye to you?” Kontara crossed her arms across her chest and stared belligerently at Celine. “How many times have I told you that what you’re doing is stupid and reckless and you don’t deserve anyone to care about what’s going to happen when you get to Shafira? I’ve described what happened to me and all those other women at that hideous camp. You probably won’t even be able to find the damn place. You realize how difficult it was for me to escape? Just thinking about those bastards makes me start to shake. Why would you believe you’re anything special?”
“I don’t believe that,” Celine said. “Probably the opposite.I know how strong you are and what you’ve gone through. But that’s one of the reasons I have to go.” She tried to smile. “Because it has to stop and we have to punish them for doing it. And now they have Eve and that little kid, and that makes everything even worse.”
“Oh, shit.” Kontara’s arms were suddenly around her, hugging her. “Why didn’t you listen to me?” she asked fiercely. “Why didn’t you pay attention to Dominic? What good is a lover if they don’t keep you safe and make sure you have a chance to live a few more days? I thought better of him.” She backed away from Celine. “Okay, I’m done. I’m finished. Get out of here. You’ve said goodbye and now you’re going to do this stupid thing and expect me to be sorry and worry about you. Well, it’s not going to happen. I’m going to go into my tent and go to sleep and pay no attention to when you and those soldiers of Dominic’s leave the camp.”
“Whatever’s best for you.” Celine gave her a hug. “Take care of yourself. I know it hasn’t been easy for you to help lead us here. I just wanted to come and tell you how much you mean to me and how glad I was that you were my friend.”
“Oh, shit,” Kontara said again in disgust. “And now you pull that past-tense bullshit?” She turned back to her tent. “Try not to get killed. I hate to be right all the time.”
“I’ll do my very best,” Celine said.
“See that you do.” Kontara disappeared inside.
Celine hesitated, gazing at the door of the tent. Then she cleared her very tight throat and started up the hill toward her own tent to pack.
SHAFIRA
“You’re burning the midnight oil again.” Caldwell threw open the door of the workroom and strode over to the table where Eve was starting to do the repair work on the head of the mummy reconstruction. She had been using delft clay for a mold that could withstand the melting-point temperature of pure gold. “I know you’re trying to impress Zakira to try to influence him, but I have a few needs that should be taken care of myself.” He threw the phone on her lap. “Phone Quinn and let him know you’re still doing well.”
“Why?”
“What difference does it make? It was your idea in the first place. But since that first call, my men haven’t been able to track down either Quinn or his men. It’s as if they disappeared into the jungle after they visited Dominic’s plantation. I’m uneasy. Now make the call.”
She shrugged. “Whatever you say. I’ll be glad to talk to him again.” She dialed Joe’s number. When he answered, she asked quickly, “Are you okay, Joe? It seems Caldwell is uneasy, and that made me uneasy. We’re fine here, and things are just the same.”
“That’s good to know,” Joe said. “I’m still as well as I can be without you. I’m fighting mosquitoes and cursing the entire continent of Africa at present. I just have to keep telling myself that everything is going to be fine if we just hold on. I remember what you told me after you found out Michael was taken. It helps a lot.”
“It helps me, too,” Eve said as she looked across the room at Caldwell. “And I’m glad that Caldwell is uneasy. Maybe it will encourage him to forget about Zakira and make a more reasonable deal with us that will get us out of here.” Caldwell was shaking his head and she added, “He didn’t like that. I’ll have to hang up. Keep on doing whatever you’re doing. I enjoy seeing Caldwell nervous and sweating.” She pressedDISCONNECT.
“I’m not nervous and sweating,” Caldwell said. “I just thought Quinn might drop a hint about where he was so that I could gather him in and have the entire family.”
“Well, you’ve disturbed my concentration, and Zakira won’t be pleased with either of us.” She was wiping the clay off her hands. “I think I need to clean up and then get to bed.”
Caldwell opened the door for her. “Ask me if I care. It’s about time this charade is over anyway.” He pushed past her and then looked over his shoulder. “Because at first I thought I saw something in you that reminded me of myself. We’re both brilliant and talented and rule our own worlds. But you’re too soft and could never survive in my world. That means you’ll have to go, too. Enjoy the kid while you have him.”
He left Eve staring after him as he slammed the outside door.
She shivered. He had only been there a few minutes, but she had noticed a change not only in him but also in Joe, and she had to accept and deal with it.
“Mom?” Michael called softly from the other room. “Is everything okay? I heard Caldwell.”
“Yes, you did.” She braced herself, then opened the door that led to their quarters and crossed the room to kneel on the floor beside Michael’s cot. “I just talked to your dad, and he said he was still fine but didn’t like the mosquitoes. It sounded as if this part of Africa isn’t his favorite place. But that’s probably just because he wants to be with us.” She paused and drew a deep breath. “And because he was trying to tell me something and knew Caldwell was listening.”
“Yeah, Dad never complains about stuff like that.” Michael sat up in bed. “What do you think he was trying to tell us?”
“I think he was trying to warn me that he and the team were having a difficult time trying to locate this village, and maybe that something had gone wrong with their plans to attack and get rid of Caldwell and Zakira.”
