The Forbidden Tomb

10

Cobb drove in awkward silence to the far side of town where he found a rough neighborhood to ditch the car. Until he knew more, the location satisfied his two most pressing concerns: it was far from the iron-fisted thugs, and it was nowhere near the hotel where he and Sarah were staying.

Before making his exit, he wiped the steering wheel and door handles clean of any fingerprints. Then he left the keys in the ignition and calmly walked away.

‘Keep moving,’ he told the others.

Stealing the car wasn’t something Cobb had planned, but rather a necessary evil born of the situation. Now the best thing that could happen would be for someone else to notice the keys in the unlocked car and take it on a joyride of his own. The more distance he could get between themselves and a stolen vehicle, the better.

‘Name’s Simon, by the way.’ He thrust his hand toward Cobb as they strolled toward a main road. ‘Thanks for the help back there.’

‘Sure,’ Cobb said with a furtive glance.

Despite their time in the car, this was his first chance to size up the new addition. He was lean and wiry, a few inches shorter than Cobb and at least five years younger. His hair was closely cropped, and stubble covered his face. His look appeared to be one of convenience more than personal style. Nothing about him stood out. Not his size. Not his features. Not his attire. It was as if he had made every effort to blend in.

Knowing little else about him, Cobb turned to Sarah.

‘Jack, this is Simon Dade,’ she said. ‘Simon, this is Jack—’

Cobb cut her off. ‘Jack is good enough for now.’

Sarah understood Cobb’s hesitation. He didn’t know Dade, and until he did their relationship would remain casual, so first names were just fine with him.

She continued her explanation, hoping to allay some of Cobb’s concerns. ‘Jack, Simon is a CIA asset. He’s what they call a “tour guide”.’

‘An asset, not an agent?’

‘That’s correct.’

‘And what does a CIA tour guide do?’ Cobb asked.

‘Pretty much the same thing as an actual tour guide,’ she replied, ‘only he knows everything about the places that you’d want to avoid on vacation.’

Dade nodded. ‘It’s my job to know the city inside and out. Who’s responsible for what, and where, and how? Think of me as your local “big brother”. I can give you intel on every corner of Alexandria.’

Cobb glanced at him. ‘Does that mean you have surveillance capabilities?’

Dade grinned. ‘I might have access to a camera or two, sure. What are you trying to find out?’

‘Nothing yet. I just want to know your limits.’

‘Honestly? I’m not a very good cook. Other than that, I don’t have many.’

Cobb considered the comment. This early on, he wasn’t sure if he liked Dade’s cockiness or hated it. ‘When did you spot us?’

‘The airport,’ he answered.

‘Bullshit,’ Sarah said. ‘No way you spotted us that early.’

‘Wanna bet?’ Dade pulled his phone from his pocket and found what he was looking for. He showed the picture to Sarah. ‘You’re very photogenic.’

The image showed Cobb and Sarah exiting their private plane from Florida. Chartered by Papineau under the name of a dummy corporation that was buried under four layers of paperwork, the private plane had delivered them to the Cairo International Airport, nearly three hours from their final destination.

The arrangement was intended to guarantee their anonymity.

But it hadn’t worked with the tour guide.

She glared at Dade. ‘I wasn’t listed on the passenger manifest, and we didn’t fly into Alexandria. How did you…?’

He smiled cockily. ‘In my line of work, it pays to have your bases covered. Alexandria. Cairo. I’ve got connections at all the private terminals and airfields in Egypt. The passengers of every flight are documented and sent to me and a few other associates. We get our information from mechanics in the hangars, controllers on the tarmac, even some of the pilots themselves. Anyone with access.’

‘That has to be hundreds of flights a day,’ Sarah replied.

‘Try thousands,’ Dade corrected. ‘But trust me: the right picture to the right people is worth the effort.’ He smiled. ‘CIA checks don’t bounce.’

It was a joke — the CIA would never risk a paper trail — but Sarah understood his point. A couple of hours spent scanning through photos each night was worth the government payday. The CIA was a lot of things, but it certainly wasn’t bankrupt.

Cobb stopped and stared at Dade. ‘I’d appreciate if you could keep us out of the Agency’s spotlight. Considering what I did for you, I figure it’s the least you can do.’

‘No problem, Jack. Your secret’s safe with me.’

‘Glad to hear it.’ Cobb turned and started to walk away. ‘Nice meeting you, Mr Dade. Take care of yourself.’

Dade stared at Sarah for an explanation, but she had nothing to offer.

‘Jack,’ Dade called out. ‘I can help you.’

‘I’m not interested in your help,’ he shouted back.

‘Hey, you reached out to me, remember?’

Cobb spun around to address Dade. ‘And then I came to your rescue when you brought your troubles with you. Or have you forgotten that?’

‘What? Those two back there?’ Dade waved it off. ‘That was just a disagreement between friends. Nothing more. Besides, we could have easily outrun them. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time.’

‘Maybe so,’ Cobb snapped, ‘but can you outrun gunfire? Next time you have a disagreement, make sure they’re unarmed.’

Dade smiled, intrigued. He knew Cobb couldn’t have seen the two men chasing him for more than a few seconds, yet he had still managed to pick out the silhouette of their pistols beneath their clothing. That was an impressive feat.

‘Seriously, Jack. It was no big deal.’

‘Listen,’ Cobb said calmly, his voice as steady as his gaze, ‘I already spend enough time looking over my own shoulder for trouble. I don’t need to be looking over yours, wondering when Bigfoot and Biggerfoot will show up again.’

Dade raised his hand. ‘I swear to you, I’ll deal with them. They won’t be a problem. Just give me a chance to help. Tell me what you need to know.’

Cobb stepped closer. ‘Why are you so interested in helping me? You don’t owe me anything, and I’ll be damned if I want to owe you anything. I saved your life, and in return, you’re going to keep our whereabouts unknown. Or are you going to have a problem with that?’

‘With all due respect, Jack, I’m not here for you — I’m here for her.’ He nodded toward Sarah, who was quietly watching the scene unfold. ‘The two of us go way back, and I owe her more than you can imagine. So please, tell me, what can I do to help?’

Cobb glanced at Sarah. It was up to her and her alone. She knew her history with Dade, and if she wanted to call in a favor, it was her decision to make.

Sarah nodded without hesitation.

‘Okay,’ Cobb said, ‘we’ll call on you when the time is right — but that moment isn’t now. In the meantime, quit following us.’

‘No problem.’

Cobb lowered his voice, so only Dade could hear it. ‘I know you and Sarah have a past, but I’m a man who values his privacy. I can’t stress that enough. Now that I know what you look like, you’ll be on my radar from now on. And if I catch you snooping or lurking around, I won’t hesitate to take you out. Understood?’

Dade nodded. ‘Understood.’

‘And trust me, I run a lot faster than the goons.’