The Relic Hunters

CHAPTER FIFTY

Several days later they were at an impasse.

An obscure hotel in Nevada was their home, a large, overwarm conference room with dodgy air conditioning and a smell like burnt waffles was their meeting place. Bodie and his team were sat waiting, wired with impatience.

“Your frizzy girlfriend was clever,” Cassidy told Bodie. “Whisking us out of there straight onto a chopper and then to America. She beat you just a little.”

Bodie tipped back a mug of coffee, savoring the strong taste. “Gotta say, I didn’t expect that. She was a step ahead. Oh, and what the hell? She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Yeah,” Cross said. “The name Heidi Bodie really doesn’t work.”

“Piss off, Cross.”

“Glad to see you’re all recovering nicely.” Heidi walked in at that moment, a bunch of files clutched under her right arm. “My own kidneys still ache, and I’m sure young Cassidy’s hurt worse than she’s letting on. But hey… we’re all on the same side, right?”

“Young Cassidy?” The redhead blinked. “I like this woman.”

“Still thirty, though.” Cross leaned over, intoning the age in a deep voice. “Can’t turn back the clock.”

Cassidy glared. Jemma stepped in to help. “He can’t help it,” she said. “Once you get so elderly.” She shrugged.

“Elderly?”

“First the good news. Our friends over in the Greek government, along with the rescue services, managed to save 80 percent of the artifacts and stop the chamber from collapsing. They’re truly delighted the Statue of Zeus was found and saved.” She sobered. “It helps in some very small way to ease the suffering of those lost in the events triggered by the Illuminati. Many of their secret papers are lost, either shredded or burned, or even carried away. But heads will roll, my friends. Heads will roll.”

“That’s great,” Bodie said. “It truly is. I guess the bad news is that we’re in America now, right?”

“Well, you’re here now,” Heidi said simply. “What are you going to do about it?”

Gunn whipped out his phone. “I got the blueprints to this place and the towns all around.”

Jemma tapped the table. “And I could devise a plan of action in about ten minutes.”

Heidi held up her hands, “Oh, I have no doubt you could break out of here. No doubt at all. But…” She paused. “You haven’t.”

“We thought we would sign off first,” Bodie said. “I believe we’re square. We held up our end, helped save lives. We figured, even though you’re CIA, we can trust you.”

“A big assumption,” Heidi said. “Considering I work to a chain of command and act on orders alone. Personal feelings can’t interfere here.”

“Personal feelings?” Bodie asked.

“Whatever. The fact remains that a decision was passed higher up to break you out of jail, Bodie, so that your team could help the CIA recover lost relics. Particularly if those relics pose a threat to national or world security. We must act.”

“You’re offering us a job now?” Cross asked. “Damn.”

Bodie knew that whatever they decided it didn’t have to be final. They were beyond competent enough to induce their own future. What they didn’t need was a CIA capture order hanging over their heads.

“We’re persons of interest to several governments around the world,” he said. “Are you going to smooth that over?”

“We can help with that.” Heidi nodded. “And you people love your relics. What could be better than hunting them down for a living? Working on our side of the law.” She grinned. “It’s still a gray area, you know. The world we operate in.”

Bodie laughed too. “I do believe we already know that.”

“We have some incredible jobs lined up,” Heidi teased them. “With secrets you just won’t believe.”

Bodie stared at his team, evaluating their reactions but the truth was he knew them inside out. He knew their thoughts. Jemma would be assessing the future and thinking it might hold some promise; she needed a stimulating future. Cassidy would be up for anything that Bodie sanctioned and so, probably, would Cross. The older thief had been around the longest and probably saw this group as his last hurrah in the covert world. Gunn was Gunn, always along for the ride. Did the geek really have anywhere else to go?

Jeff, though. What would the young archaeologist do? The CIA couldn’t exactly lock the poor lad up.

“If we join you,” he said carefully. “It will be mostly on our terms. Every plan, every idea even, will be ours and ours alone to sign off on. If your CIA bosses try to change it, we’re out.”

Heidi nodded. “I can live with that. I’ll take the heat for you.”

“What’s in the folders, Frizzy?” Cassidy asked, eyes searching the Manila envelopes. “Rewards?”

Heidi laughed. “New jobs,” she said, splaying them out across the table. “Take your pick, though the ones marked blue are more vital.”

“New job?” Bodie felt a rush of gravity and turned a serious gaze upon Heidi. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew — the first job is Jack Pantera.”