The Jerusalem Creed: A Sean Wyatt Thriller (25 page)

Sean and the others moved quickly over to where the dying man lay. He looked up at them with enraged disdain. His eyes flashed rage, but he was helpless. A sickly laugh escaped his lips even as his body trembled. “Killing me won’t stop the war from coming. My ships are already on their way.” He coughed. Blood from the broken nose covered his face, and he spat his words. “My drones will rain death on the Western empire, and no one will be able to stop it. You lose, American.”

“I don’t think so, Mamoud. We know about your ships. At this very moment, a coordinated effort among global agencies is making sure your drones are safely grounded.” Sean crossed his arms. His ribs ached, and he winced from the shot he took on the jaw, but he was okay. He stared at the dying man with his usual sly grin. “It’s over, Mamoud.
You
lose.”

Mamoud’s eyes widened. Tears filled them, and he grimaced. “That is impossible.”

“Actually,” Tommy jumped in, “this is kind of what we do. Foil the plans of evil masterminds and such.”

Mamoud struggled to breathe. Blood was oozing down his neck at a steady pace now. He knew there was only one thing left to do. “May Allah have his vengeance on you.”

He closed his eyes and yanked the tomahawk out of his neck. His eyes shot open again as blood spurted out onto the floor and the side of the sarcophagus, fast at first, but as the seconds went by, it slowed, eventually to a steady trickle. Finally, Mamoud’s head drooped to the side, and his body went limp.

A shuffling sound came from the entryway, and the group spun around as two silhouettes entered, surrounded by the bright light from the antechamber. As they drew closer, the faces were revealed from the shadows.

“Cut it a little close there, Mac,” Sean said, grinning.

“You’re welcome,” Joe said, returning the smile.

Helen holstered her weapon and stepped over to Sean. “We hung back to make sure they didn’t know we were around. Looks like they didn’t figure on you having us follow them while they were following you.” She put a finger to his cheek. “You’re going to need to put some ice or a steak on that. Don’t want it to swell.”

Sean chuckled. “I’ll get around to it.”

Joe and Helen looked down at the dead madman. “Was that true what you said about global agencies taking down his ships?”

Sean nodded. “I hope so. Emily is on it. Knowing her, that means it’s probably done. From the sounds of it, she put a ton of resources into the operation.” He sighed, just now starting to catch his breath. “Their little scheme is done.”

Muhammad’s confusion was written all over his face. “I don’t understand,” he said, pointing at Joe and Helen. “You had them follow you? Don’t get me wrong, Mac, I’m glad to see you. Very glad. And you as well, Helen.” He changed his expression to one of gratitude and bowed low to both.

“Yeah,” Joe said, “Sean knew where they were headed, but he also knew Mamoud and his friends probably had no idea where to go once they got to Susa. If they were left to their own devices, they’d have been rummaging around the tourist site above us.” He motioned to the ceiling with a flick of the head.

Nehem listened to the conversation, standing behind the others. He turned his eyes to the mysterious stones resting on the sarcophagus and moved closer. He noticed for the first time a thin engraving on the lid. The others noticed he’d turned his attention to the box and watched as he ran a finger along the lettering. “Here lies Daniel, a servant of the one true God,” he read aloud.

Sean and Tommy passed each other a knowing smile.

The Israeli archaeologist turned his attention to the breastplate. He picked it up with the greatest of reverence and stared at it for a long moment. No one said a word, letting him have the time he wanted with a relic he’d chased for so long. A tear trickled down the side of Nehem’s face. He quickly wiped it away and turned to Sean. “Thank you, all of you, for this.”

Sean gave a single nod; his satisfied grin said enough.

Then Nehem turned to Muhammad. “Long ago, our people were brothers. We came from the same father. You are my brother. I thank you.”

Muhammad bowed his head low. “The side of good does not choose religions, races, or countries. It only chooses good. These men had evil intentions. It is a shame the few discredit the many. But I thank you for your gratitude.”

The two smiled at each other for a second, and then Tommy interrupted. “So, not to put a damper on this tender moment, but we’re surrounded by a bunch of dead bodies. Any chance we could take this party somewhere else?”

Adriana shook her head and punched him in the good shoulder.

“What?” he genuinely looked offended. “I’m just saying.”

Helen interjected. “And there’s the matter of the young woman we found in their vehicle. She was unconscious but alive. They’d left her in the back, not sure why. We put her in our van for safekeeping. It’s warm in there, but she’ll be fine.”

Nehem’s eyes perked up. “A young woman? What did she look like? You said she’s alive?”

Joe nodded. “Yep. You think you know her?”

Tears welled in the corners of Nehem’s eyes. His voice trembled. “My daughter.”

Jerusalem

Two Months Later

“That’s a remarkable contraption,” Sean said. He stared at a case made from three-inch thick glass. Inside, the Hoshen gleamed in the yellowish gallery light. On the opposite side of the room, the two stones sat on a pedestal in a similar case.

“Thank you,” Nehem said, beaming with pride. “They were both designed to lower the artifacts to one of two locations. Same as the Isaiah scroll, there is a safe level, and then there is a research level, all deep below ground. The three pieces we found are still undergoing evaluation and analysis.”

Following the events in Susa, Nehem had extracted the artifacts in secret. He wasn’t about to let the Iranian government get their hands on what he believed rightfully belonged to the people of Israel. He knew that if that happened, the relics would be put in a basement somewhere, or worse. Based on the interaction of the stones with the breastplate, there was something mysterious and potentially dangerous going on.

Once the group left the country, Muhammad set about sealing up the entrance to the tomb. He reasoned that anyone who wanted to pay homage to Daniel could do it in the tourist spot above ground. No one needed to know about the actual crypt. Sean and the others agreed. Within a week, the entire antechamber was blocked off with cinder blocks and concrete.

At the new display’s opening ceremony, Tommy was standing nearby, next to Adriana. He raised a suspicious eyebrow. “I hope your scientists aren’t trying to figure out a way to replicate it and put it to military use.”

Nehem shrugged, stretching out the cream-colored suit he’d chosen for the opening ceremony. “I honestly do not know. I can only speak for my research team. We want to know how it works. We’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Neither have we,” Sean interjected.

“Right,” Nehem agreed. “And we owe it to ourselves to at least ask the questions. Don’t we?”

“Doctor,” Adriana said, “those relics are in their rightful place. We trust that you and your government won’t do anything foolish.”

Tommy seemed irritated, but he pushed those feelings aside. “Well, either way, Israel is an American ally, so I guess at least we’re on the right side.”

Nehem raised a playful eyebrow and nodded. “Indeed.” His eyes drifted over to the opposite side of the room. His daughter stood by the wall, talking to a pair of the honored guests. Her bright smile charming everyone within fifteen feet.

Sean spent the next half hour shaking hands with diplomats, archaeologists, researchers, and curious visitors. Gradually, he let himself slip through the mob and out the door. The late afternoon sun splashed onto his face and instantly warmed his skin. He realized how cool the inside of the museum was kept, probably more for the protection of ancient artifacts than the comfort of the visitors.

He put on his sunglasses and strolled leisurely over to a railing that looked out over the city. White apartments and office buildings towered in the distance among the sprawl of smaller, similarly colored dwellings. Dark-green cypress trees waved in the breeze nearby. Sean stopped at the polished steel railing and rested his hands on it. Behind him, the bright-white stone of the museum reflected the sunlight in the corners of his sunglasses.

He’d only been standing alone for a minute before he realized someone was behind him.

“That’s good work you did, taking down all of those shipping vessels.” He didn’t turn around as he spoke. He didn’t need to. Sean knew who was standing behind him. Partly because Emily always wore the same perfume. She’d worn it for years.

She didn’t bother asking how he knew it was her. She just assumed he was good. “I appreciate the compliment.”

“It’s why you’re the director.”

She drew in a deep breath and then sighed. “Take a few weeks off, Sean. Enjoy some time with your lady friend. Relax. See the Holy Land or something.”

“I’ve seen it.” He stared out at the setting. “Seems like every time I try to kick off my shoes and relax, something happens. Adriana said she needs to check in on her father. Apparently, he got a troubling text message from someone.”

Emily’s face scrunched in concern as she leaned over and rested her elbows on the rail. “Troubling?”

“Yeah. She didn’t elaborate much. But she’ll be on the next flight out of here to meet him.”

“Isn’t he in Ecuador or something?”

Sean shook his head. “Not anymore. From the sound of it, he’s on the move.”

“You going to help her?”

“I offered.” He shook his head again. “But she wants to take care of it herself. I try to respect her wishes. Adriana can handle herself.”

Silence fell over the conversation, filled only with the sound of the wind rustling through the trees and washing over the hillside amid the distant noise of vehicular traffic.

“I don’t suppose you have a job for me?” he blurted.

She snorted a laugh and bowed her head. “No. Not right now. We’re busy cleaning up all the fallout from this one.” She paused for a minute before saying, “You know, you saved a lot of lives. Possibly millions. We found enough munitions and explosives to take out entire sections of major cities. By the time the air forces responded, a lot of people would have died.”

“Yeah. That’s what bothers me,” he said.

She patted him on the back and started to head back into the museum. “It’s why we’re here, Sean. It’s why you came back. It’s why I always knew you’d come back.”

“And why you bugged me all those years.” He smirked as he said it.

“Yep.”

“Well, you know you can call me when you’re in a pinch.” He stood up straight and faced her. “Hopefully, that isn’t too often. No offense. The less I hear from you, the better. Means the world isn’t going crazy.”

She smiled and reached out both arms, wrapping them around his strong shoulders. He returned the gesture and hugged her back. A moment later, Emily was walking away, her heels clicking on the concrete as she approached the museum.

Adriana and Tommy passed her as they exited the building, shaking her hand and bidding her goodbye before joining Sean. Adriana wore a tight black dress with matching heels and a silver belt hanging just below her hips. She looked ravishing as the two walked toward Sean. Tommy less so, with his plaid button-up shirt nearly untucked and mismatched with the standard tweed blazer he seemed to wear at all formal occasions.

Adriana spoke first. “I have to go see about my father.” Her dark eyes mesmerized him like a chocolate whirlpool sucking him down into a delicious death.

“I know,” he forced a smile. “I understand. Go take care of him. I know you will. Call me if you need me.” He offered the last bit even though he knew she was too proud to do such a thing.

Her eyes narrowed, and a narrow grin crossed her lips like a lion about to devour its prey. “Oh, I need you. But that will have to wait.”

“Thank goodness,” Tommy cut in as the two moved closer together, lips brushing each other.

Both heads twisted in his direction simultaneously. “Do you mind?” Sean asked. He didn’t wait for an answer, instead turning back to her and pressing his lips firmly against hers. Ten seconds went by that felt like an hour to Tommy. Finally, they let go, and Adriana left, winding her way down the path and back to where the cars were parked.

Sean watched her until she disappeared behind a row of shrubs and small trees. Tommy stepped closer to him and clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“You’re a lucky man.”

Sean chuckled. “I would be if I could keep her around for more than a few days at a time.”

The two stared after her even though she was gone from sight.

“You knew the situation when you got involved. She’s not the settling down type. Not yet anyway.”

“I know.”

“But you’re hoping that someday she might be.”

“Maybe.”

Tommy’s head turned, and he eyed his friend suspiciously. “You know, Sean, you’re not the settling down type either.”

Sean’s lips parted in a grin, and he looked over at Tommy. “I know. But I’m hoping someday I might be.”