Blood Talisman (7 page)
had the same result.
Andrew nodded and pointed ahead as they approached a road block guarded by
several soldiers. They were waved on after a momentary stop, then slowed again at what
Andrew guessed must be the entrance to the bunker. Yet nothing was visible to the naked
eye—absolutely nothing. They climbed out of the vehicle, a Secret Service man on either side of Denise Harper, and followed them to where President Metcalfe, Henry Hollingsworth, the Defence Secretary and the rest of their retinue, which included Andorra and Marcus, waited.
A low humming sound emanated from beneath the rocks and sand and a few seconds
later a steel cage pushed its way up through the ground. No one showed any surprise or said anything apart from Roger who muttered, “Sweet.” They were shepherded into the cage which was large enough to hold all of them except the soldiers who had guarded the convoy in armoured vehicles front and rear. The cage descended rapidly for several seconds before stopping at the end of a long brightly lit corridor flanked on either side by metal doors.
“The one second on the right there, Andrew…”
Marcus sent a mental message to him.
“My
senses tell me there are ancient artefacts stored there.”
Andrew could sense it too and was sure, from the tilt of Andorra’s head in the direction of the door, that she had not missed it either. Whatever had been uncovered during the excavation lay behind that door, and Andrew was determined to find out what it was.
It was obvious President Metcalfe had been to this place before as he led the way down
the corridor, his Secret Service men hurrying to keep pace. Security was at its ultimate level here. Cameras surveyed them from every corner and armed guards were stationed up and down the corridor. The entourage walked quickly to a set of double doors which slid open as they approached. A large room lay beyond the doors, in the middle of which was an oblong
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BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 40
table. Several men and women were already seated at the table. There were barely
suppressed gasps of surprise when Metcalfe entered.
So the secret Andorra had been entrusted with had not been leaked, Andrew thought,
watching the expressions of the people in the room. It would have been far too much of a temptation for the terrorists not to have attempted an assassination attempt on the President if they had known of his inclusion in this meeting.
All but two people rose to acknowledge the President. Andrew didn’t need to be told
that the two who did not were the representatives of Al Qaeda, but he noticed that at least the Taliban members showed the President respect by standing and nodding stiffly in his direction. If they realised what Andorra and her companions represented they gave no
outward sign of recognition, yet Andrew was sure that either the Taliban or Al Qaeda or
perhaps both groups were responsible for Andorra and Tony’s earlier captivity. Someone
with a great deal of authority in a US government office was in collusion with them. The President greeted the group in passable Arabic, warmly acknowledged the other men and women representing various governments, then let the translator take over, getting down to business almost immediately.
The meeting dragged on. Bitter recriminations were thrown at the allied representatives
by the Taliban and Al Qaeda duos, but President Metcalfe fielded them well, reminding the four men of the atrocities committed by both terrorist groups against the people of Iraq and neighbouring countries, not to mention the threats against Europe and the US. That day, little was settled, but at least all the leaders agreed to meet again in the morning. As the room emptied, Andrew hung back, determined to find some way of entering the room he was sure held something useful in his search for the Scrolls of Ashelak.
A Secret Service agent appeared at his side and smiled. The man was handsome. Perfect
teeth, chiselled jaw and bright shiny blue eyes.
“You with the Prez or Denise?” he asked, his hand touching Andrew’s arm.
“Actually, neither,” Andrew replied, wondering how he could get rid of him without
seeming rude, or more to the point, suspicious. “I am a friend of the Lady Andorra’s.” He
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 41
nodded towards the group walking slightly ahead of them. “We were…uh, called in, at the
last moment.”
“Ah…” The agent held out his hand. “Stan Walker.”
Andrew took the big, warm hand offered. “Andrew Berés.”
“You’re Hungarian.”
“Very perceptive, Agent Walker, but I suppose that’s part of the job.”
“Yeah, plus I spent some time in Europe.” His smile widened. “I particularly enjoyed
my time in Hungary. The people there are, uh—very friendly.”
Gods, the man is coming on to me,
Andrew thought, recognising the handsome man’s overt flirtation.
And getting in my way—or could he be of some help?
“This is quite an impressive place,” Andrew said.
“Yeah. It’s under what used to be the site of an old city.”
“Babylon, it’s believed.”
“That’s right. They dug up some interesting stuff. They’ll ship it all off to some museum eventually, I expect.”
“I would love to see what they found.” He glanced at his watch. Another four or five
hours before Tommy’s plane was due. Enough time for… He met Agent Walker’s blue gaze
and smiled.
I hate having to do this, but
… He waited until the President and other dignitaries were far enough ahead, then said, “You can arrange that, right?”
Agent Walker looked a mite confused for a moment or two before he cleared his throat.
“Yes, I can arrange that.”
He walked over to the door that Andrew and Marcus had noticed earlier and waved a
plastic card in front of a small panel set to one side. With a soft hiss the door slid open and Walker ushered Andrew inside. The room was immense, almost as large as some of the archives he had visited in his search for the Talisman. He immediately used his vampire
vision and senses to quickly and efficiently scan the room for anything related either to the Talisman or the Scrolls of Ashelak. He sighed with disappointment as nothing relevant to his search was apparent.
Beside him, Walker stared about in silence. Andrew knew he wouldn’t remember any
of this in a few minutes, but right now he needed the man’s memory intact.
“You say all of this was found while they were excavating for the bunker?”
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 42
“Yes,” Walker immediately replied. “We were briefed on this before our first tour of the facility. There’s more,” he said, gesturing at a far wall, “but I’m not cleared for that area.
Apparently they found some kind of deep pit that they’re still trying to figure out what to do with. Choices are to fill it in or send some guys down to check it out. So far, no decision has been made primarily because of the meetings scheduled for the next few weeks. They’ve just shored it up until a decision is made.”
Andrew nodded, then made his way to the door, Walker at his heels. “Thank you,
Agent Walker, that was very interesting.”
“No problem.” Walker closed the door behind them. He met Andrew’s eyes, and his
smile was endearingly shy. “You seem like a really nice guy—cute too, if you don’t mind my sayin’ so—and I was wondering if you’d be free for a drink later when we get back to the hotel. I’m at the Hilton.”
Andrew held the man’s smiling gaze for the few seconds it took to have him forget
what he had just asked, and that they had just been behind the door of a secured area.
“Hey, Walker!” Andrew’s keen hearing picked up the call from Walker’s Bluetooth.
“What the heck are ya doin’? We’re getting ready to leave.”
“What?” Walker jumped a little and stared at Andrew for a moment. “Hey, we better
catch up with the others. Sorry man, I don’t know what I was thinking holding you back like this.”
“That’s all right,” Andrew said. “My fault.”
The agent didn’t ask why Andrew considered it his fault, but rushed on ahead, leaving
Andrew to follow behind.
Once they were at ground level again, Marcus asked quietly as they made their way
back to the parked vehicles, “Find anything of interest?”
“Yes, and no. There is nothing in the storage room, huge as it is, but Agent Walker says there is a deep pit that is closed off until they decide what to do with it. That sounds interesting.”
“How deep?”
“Deep enough for them to consider having experienced men go down to take a look.”
“Or fill it in, perhaps,” Marcus said. “Although I believe man’s natural curiosity will
win out.”
“They are no more curious than I.”
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 43
“Hmm…” Marcus turned a wry smile on Andrew. “I don’t suppose I can talk you out
of this exploration you are contemplating?”
“Marcus, if you would rather I didn’t go through with this, I will respect your wishes.”
“No, Andrew. I don’t think you will be satisfied until you have investigated every
avenue. Tommy will be here soon, though.”
Andrew nodded. “He’ll want to join me of course, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to
dissuade him.”
Marcus gave him a knowing smile. “I would wager that once Tommy knows what you
have in mind, you will lose that particular debate.”
Baghdad Airport was crowded, noisy and completely disorganised. There had been a
bomb scare earlier resulting in the building being evacuated and all planes had either been diverted or were circling the area waiting for landing instructions. Now, the bomb had been found, declared a fake and the people were being allowed back in to meet their loved ones or to stand and wait in the long departure lines.
Andrew grimaced at the chaos around him, but he could already sense Tommy’s
presence in the terminal, his mind filled with colourful recriminations against every airline in the world. Andrew’s frown turned to a smile as Tommy barrelled through the security barrier, a bag slung over his shoulder, his face lighting up when he saw Andrew waiting for him. Uncaring of the milling crowds they wrapped their arms around each other and grinned happily at one another, their lips touching as they exchanged hellos.
“Tell me you came by cab,” Tommy said, “and that I don’t have to travel vampire
express to the hotel.”
Andrew chuckled at Tommy’s aversion to being flown around. His firefighter
boyfriend had no head for heights unless there was a ladder under him. “We’ll hail a cab, though it would be a lot quicker if—”
“Never mind quicker. As anxious as I am to get you naked and in bed, I’d rather wait
for the cab.”
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 44
On the way to the hotel Andrew quietly told Tommy about the bunker, the storage
room and the fact there was some kind of pit behind sealed doors.
“And you want to explore this pit, right?”
“Yes, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to come with me. Apart from the fact it could be
dangerous, getting you clearance to accompany the President’s entourage would be
impossible.”
Tommy stared at him for a long moment before he said flatly, “You know, you must
think I am really dumb.”
“No, of course I don’t!”
“Then why would you even say what you just said? You’re a vampire, you can do just
about anything—and that includes getting us both inside that bunker without being seen.
Come on, Andrew, you know I’m right.”
Heaving a laboured sigh, Andrew said, “Marcus was also right. Very well, but you
must stay close to me every moment.”
“I’ll be glued to your side the whole time.” Tommy stroked Andrew’s thigh. He looked
out of the taxi’s window at the desolate city streets. “Are we nearly at that hotel yet? Doesn’t look too hospitable around here.”
The cab had turned a corner and was slowing as the driver drove down a narrow alley.
Ahead of them they could see what looked like a half dozen or so men blocking their way.
“Uh-oh,” Tommy muttered. “I’d bet this isn’t a welcoming committee.”
“I think you’re right,” Andrew said at the same time as he leant forwards and smacked
the driver on the back of the head. “Reverse…now!” he snapped, meeting the driver’s hostile eyes in the rear view mirror. The man’s expression changed to one of fear and compliance.
The taxi skidded to a halt, then immediately and rapidly backed up. The men gave chase,
yelling at the driver to stop, but Andrew overrode their demands with mental images of
what he would do to the driver if he did stop.
Once back on the main road, Andrew threw open the door and dragged Tommy out of
the cab with him. “Sorry, but it’s vampire express from here, my love.” Wrapping his arms around Tommy he soared upwards leaving an astounded group of thugs gaping as he and Tommy sped away into the night sky.
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 45
“Okay, I’ll give you that one,” Tommy said, opening his eyes as Andrew alighted on the
balcony outside what he assumed to be their hotel room. “There was a definite need to get the hell outta there fast.”
“I could have taken them.” Andrew waved his hand over the glass door’s handle. The
