East of Redemption (Love on the Edge #2) (17 page)

After racing down the tunnel about thirty yards, trying desperately to maintain footing on the uneven, rocky ground, I stopped us, and put my finger to my lips as I stared at her. She slowed her breathing from our run in an attempt to make herself as quiet as possible.

“Find them!” I heard Corrine’s order echo throughout the tunnels, bouncing off the rock in all different directions. I prayed she wouldn’t get lucky and pick this one first, but there were four of them so the odds were not in our favor.

Rain mirrored my wide but near-silent strides as we forged ahead. I didn’t want to give them any clue, so I tried hard not to even brush the rock wall with our packs. Sweat coated my face as we strained against the narrowing tunnel, and I was pissed to lose the precious water from my system. A few more yards and a bright, white light lit up the end of the structure, like a beautiful, beckoning beacon.

I made Rain go first, and then I followed her out, squeezing through the small exit that popped us out in a small valley between this mountain and the next.

“We have to cross as fast as possible,” I said, breathless and pointing to the mountain across from us. The valley was riddled with trees, rooted and fallen, and would offer us good cover if the team happened to choose the right path.

She nodded. “On three?”

I kissed her hard and fast. “Stay in front of me, just in case.”

The look in her eye told me she thought about arguing but knew we didn’t have the time.

“One,” I whispered. “Two.” I kissed her one last time. “Three.”

We bolted into the trees, weaving in and out of the thick trunks as fast as the terrain would allow us. Rain was quick on her feet, and I tried to keep her steady with the sheer will of my mind. One slip or roll of the ankle would cost us precious seconds we didn’t have, plus I didn’t want her to get hurt in any way, shape, or form. This damned expedition was supposed to be a walk in the park compared to what it had become. Rain’s life in danger not once, but twice, definitely hadn’t ever crossed my mind. I’d assumed it would be a rough hike and climb, sure, but the thought of having a gun pointed at her wasn’t something I’d ever pictured.

I was going to fucking kill Frank. Ruin them all.

The anger roaring in my gut pushed me harder, filling me with energy from the stores managed by rage.

We skidded to a stop at a bank of trees that hugged the mountain, our breaths matched in hurried huffs. My lungs ached like they’d burst, and yet I couldn’t get enough air. The heat sank into my bones and scorched the insides as we crouched behind a large trunk.

I scanned across the distance, but the trees didn’t give me any hint as to whether Corrine’s team had heard us or made it out. “I’d kill for a pair of binoculars right now,” I whispered between breaths.

Rain shifted and dug in her pack, fishing out the high-definition handheld we had.

“Smart.” I nodded as she flipped open the screen and pointed the lens toward the mountain. I kept my hand hovered over the top of it to try to stave off any glare that might catch the glass and give away our location.

She zoomed in as best she could, crouch-walking to get a better vantage point. A small clearing between the trees finally gave her the shot she searched for. Our bodies relaxed almost simultaneously as the screen showed no signs of movement from where we’d exited.

Rain shut the camera off and secured it back in her pack. “What now?” There was an exhilaration in her eyes I understood all too well. The chase, the mission—it fueled her fire as much as it always had mine. If I wasn’t careful, she’d be hooked like me.

“We keep moving until we can’t forge another step. Destination is only a two-day hike from here.”

She cracked a wild grin, shifting on her heels. “What are we waiting for?”

Rain

“WHAT EXACTLY IS
in that journal?” Easton asked me after we’d hiked up the new mountainside a good length, putting enough distance between ourselves and where we lost Corrine’s team to feel safe.

I was still trying to catch my breath from the run and hike, and I leaned over with my hands on my knees, sucking in lungfuls of air.

“Anything worth shooting us over?” he continued after I still hadn’t answered, his breath matching mine.

“Mainly he talked about me and Mom. You. Various finds he’d had.”

“And King Solomon’s treasure?”

I shrugged. “He was obsessed. Of course he wrote about his theories.”

Easton raked his fingers through his hair, gripping his hat in one hand. “
Specific
theories?”

I stretched my quads and shook out my limbs. “He focused a great deal on his belief that the treasure was scattered throughout the many natural caves in Israel in an attempt to throw off anyone hunting for it, as well as to keep it pristine and safe in the homeland.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did he emphasize one range more than another?”

“He talked about the benefits of a cave near a large water source. One where the looters would have had time to make camp and stash the treasure properly, deep within a natural cave that would be hard for a passerby to spot.”

He sank to his knees, and the quick motion made me think he might pass out again. “Easton?”

“That’s his cave, Rain.”

I sucked in a deep breath. “He didn’t give coordinates—”

“The mention of the water narrows it down significantly.” He clenched his hands behind his neck. “We have to move. I have to get there first. Catch the evidence on film and lay claim to the full horde that is in there.” He jerked to standing, stomping forward on the path.

I chuckled.

He stopped in his tracks and craned his head around. “What could possibly be funny?”

“You don’t have to worry about Corrine finding any of that out.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked. “Clearly I do, since she has the journal now. She knew with how well-trained and desperate Harrison was to find the treasure, that he’d write it down, and that you would be the only one who would have the journal. I have no idea why she didn’t assume it’d been lost with him—that’s what I had thought—but she’s always been a cunning bitch. I don’t know what scares me more—how she figured out you had it, or what she’ll do with the information within it. No wonder she was prepared to kill us. If she gets there first, she’ll make history for uncovering the bulk of King Solomon’s treasure, when in reality, that honor should go to Harrison.”

“Did he find the bulk? I thought you two only found a few pieces.”

“It’s there. Harrison wasn’t wrong. We didn’t get time to bring in a full team.”

“And you don’t have one now, either.”

“No.” He sighed. “I have to have proof.
Tangible
proof in order to get the backing I need to run a full-scale excavation. And now we have to hurry, or we’ll lose our chance.”

I gripped the straps of my pack. The thrill of the hunt and the exhilaration of the chase still pumped through my blood like liquid fire. The challenges this job had presented me with were overwhelming and incredible, and I was only slightly scared of how much I enjoyed it. Something had to be wrong with me, since this job had nearly killed me twice.

“Again, you don’t need to worry. At least not about the information. As for her knowing how I had it . . .” I sighed. “I’ve had offers on its purchase . . . it would only take a little digging to find out he left it to me before he died. Now, as to who would put the idea in her head that she needed it? I have no idea. Mainly the offered buyers were scholars, or other archeologists who wanted to use his notes on a past number of excavations.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked, and I smoothed my palm over it.

“Corrine can’t read Hebrew, can she?” I highly doubted it, with the way the woman seemed allergic to actual, good old-fashioned hard work, and it wasn’t the easiest of languages to learn to speak, let alone read, if it wasn’t your first.

“No. She butchers Italian, and she’s half that.”

“Then we’re fine.” My shoulders sank as I let my hand drop. “I am sad to lose that book, though, it hasn’t left my side in nine years.” The weight of the loss settled on my chest, not unbearable but definitely not pleasant. It was nothing compared to the actual loss of my father, though it had been the last piece of him I’d had. A hot rage bubbled in my stomach, churning a plot for revenge and retrieval after this gig was done.

“Harrison wrote in Hebrew?” Easton’s voice halted the fantasy of me driving Corrine deep into the African Bush and leaving her stranded there.

“Yes.”

“You can speak
and
read it?”

“Yes. I started studying it right after his death. I had to if I ever wanted to know what he’d written on the pages where he didn’t use English.”

A sly grin shaped Easton’s mouth as he looked at the sky and nodded. “Clever as always.”

I followed his eyes to the bright-blue sky above us, and my heart ached. I missed talking to Dad, missed his passion for each location he’d carted us to, but I also missed the way my life had been when he was alive. It’d been full, and it had included Easton. That portion of the ache was on the edge of disappearing, if only he’d let me in again. I was sure if he did, we could get past whatever had forced us apart in the first place. My heart dared to hope for the future, but I continued to shoot it down with a strong dose of reality—not every wound could be healed.

“Come on,” I said, nudging him. “We should still keep at it. You dropped the last of your water in the cave.”

“True.” He picked up his pace, the silence settling over us as I assumed he reflected on our past, and the future that he’d robbed us of.

“How far do we have?” I asked, unable to stay trapped in my own thoughts anymore.

“Half a day after we make camp tonight.”

“Wonderful.”

“And it should only take me a day to locate where the majority of the treasure is stored. After that, it’ll be a two-day hike back. Barring any more obstacles, you’ll soon be on a plane headed back to your life.”

The finality of the plan struck me, and my stomach dropped. Even after last night, the past few days, he still wanted to go separate ways? I shook my head. I had to get through to him. I knew he hadn’t lied when he’d spoken to me with such passion last night, but I didn’t have a clue what kept his heart in chains, or how to break them. I only prayed I had enough time to do it.

“Oh, now this is a real find!” Easton’s enthusiasm showed in his face and tone as he looked directly at the handheld I’d retrieved from my pack once we laid eyes on the concrete structure before us. He pointed at it. “This is one of the abandoned Israeli military bunkers used in the Yom Kippur War in 1973.” He turned his head left and right, scanning the area around us before bringing his attention back to the camera. “The path we’ve taken is dangerously close to Golan Heights, where military still actively patrol the border, keeping an eye on Syria, which is only a breath away. We’re basically playing hopscotch with the ceasefire lines that have been established since the civil war between them. Honestly, if we get caught out here on the wrong side of a line I can’t see, it would be really, really bad news.”

He took a deep breath and slipped downward into the bunker’s opening. The thing had been built right into a chunk of the mountain, mostly concealing its location but not entirely. He motioned me toward him.