“You know,” he said, getting close to her ear, “none of the treasures in this room hold a candle to you.”
She leaned over and kissed him. “You’re sweet,” she said. “But you’re also full of it.” He shrugged.
“It’s good to get out of the desert,” Ana said.
“And into high society?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. It was clear Nate was not comfortable among the high-profile individuals in the room, many who had personally sought him out already. This time Ana shrugged.
“I’m not the one who’s the world’s newest celebrity sensation,” she said, framing him in a box with her thumb and forefinger. “Nathan Wilde, ruggedly handsome adventurer-slash-explorer.”
“I don’t know about all that,” he said, blushing and looking away.
“Well, you do clean up nicely, anyway,” Ana said, straightening his bow tie.
“Yeah, he does,” a voice came from behind. They turned to see Tim, smiling in a tuxedo.
“Tim!” Ana said and rushed over in her heels to give him a big hug.
“You trimmed your beard,” Nate noted.
“Hey, I’m a respectable businessman now,” Tim said, feigning insult.
“And I want to hear all about it,” Ana said, putting her arm through his.
“Sure, but we’ll have to shake those two ugly bastards first.” Tim pointed to the other end of the aisle of curio cases.
Nate and Ana both turned and saw Wally, who also wore a classic tuxedo, and Shane, who sported a fully white, over-the-top tux.
“Is there a doctor in the house?” Shane asked, his big arms spread open.
“There is,” Nate replied, “but unfortunately, I’m pretty useless unless you’ve already been dead for a thousand years.”
“Cheers, mate,” Wally said and smiled.
“I’m surprised security let you two in,” Tim commented with a grin.
“Oh, they wouldn’t.” Wally smiled at Ana. “Had to sneak in through the Tuileries.”
The five of them exchanged hugs and handshakes. It was great to catch up, and they found a quiet corner of the hall to sit, talk, and drink. Nate explained many of the displays around them, and they recalled their adventure locating the lost city.
“Hang on a minute,” Shane said after a while. “I picked up something special just for this occasion.”
He left briefly and then returned to the table with a bottle of Horse Soldier Commanders Select V bourbon. The premium whiskey was named in honor of the 5th Special Forces Group teams that invaded Afghanistan after the September 11th attacks and rode on horseback during their defeat of the Taliban. As Nate, Tim, and Shane had all served in 5th Group, it was a perfect symbol of their adventure together and their bonds of brotherhood, and a great way to cap off the evening. Shane poured glasses for each of them and handed them out.
Wally raised his glass for a toast. “To Ubar,” he said.
“To Ubar,” they all agreed, clanking glasses and taking a sip.
“And hey,” Shane said, “aside from getting shot and banned from Saudi Arabia, this whole Ubar thing didn’t wind up too bad. Maybe we should start a company.”
“Wilde Expeditions,” Ana joked with a nudge. Nate rolled his eyes.
Tim held his glass out. “You know, six months ago I thought you were crazy. The whole idea of a lost city, really. And I don’t think I ever really believed until we fell on top of it.”
“Then why’d you come?” Nate asked.
“Because you believed in it. I knew you were going regardless, andI wasn’t about to let you do it alone.” Wally and Shane murmured in agreement.
“So, here’s to the brotherhood,” Tim said and raised his glass. He winked at Ana. “And sisterhood.”
