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“I’m guessing that tomb is rumored to have some damn snazzy treasure.” Kairo reached out and picked up the scarab resting next to his laptop. He waved the jeweled side at the camera. “This is a pretty trinket here, and I’m sure it’s just the appetizer. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone grabbed the professor with the idea of him leading them to the tomb first.”
“Someone…someone wouldn’t dare. That’s…barbaric! We’re researchers. Scientists.”
Ed inwardly cringed. If Dr. Sutton had the same mentality as Kairo’s mom, he was in a world of trouble. They needed to find him and quickly.
“Mom, look at the last pic. The note. We need to know what it says.”
“O-oh! Yes. Of course,” she stammered. She was shaken, and Ed’s heart went out to her. Archeologists probably had to deal with grave robbers and scam artists, but there was no way kidnapping ever crossed their minds as a potential threat.
Ed’s heart squeezed as he watched Janet pale in front of their eyes. Her hand trembled as she pressed it to her parted lips.
“Mom? Mom! What’s it say?” Kairo demanded.
“It-it’s addressed to me. He says to hide the scarab and tell no one that I have it or they will kill him.”
“Shit,” Edison swore under his breath and paced away from the computer. Max Sutton was definitely in danger, and they needed to do something now.
“Mom, I need you to delete the pictures from your computer.” Kairo’s voice was low and urgent. Ed turned toward his friend to find him leaning closer to the screen, his hands balled into fists on either side of the keyboard. “Delete the entire email and delete it from your trash folder. No one should be able to open it since it’s encrypted, but we need to be extra careful.”
“Delete them? But…but these are the only known images of the final scarab. It needs to be studied. I couldn’t—”
“Mom, I’m serious. This is your life we’re talking about.” He picked up the scarab again and waved it in front of the camera. I have the genuine item here. We’re going to go find Dr. Sutton. I’m sure if you ask him nicely when this is all over, he’ll let you examine the real thing.”
“There’s no reason to be snide, darling.” She sniffed. “But yes, you need to go find Max and rescue him from these people.”
An ugly thought flitted through Edison’s mind and he crossed to Kairo. Placing a hand on the back of Kairo’s chair, he leaned down so Janet could see him on the screen. “Dr. Jones, when you corresponded with Dr. Sutton, were those emails encrypted?”
“Oh, um…I…” She hemmed and hawed for a moment, her eyes darting away from the camera.
Edison straightened and shifted so that he was leaning against the table beside the laptop. Kairo cursed a blue streak, and even Isidore seemed to look stricken.
“She could be in danger,” Izzie whispered.
If they couldn’t get what they wanted out of Max Sutton, they needed only to search his emails to see who he’d been corresponding with. Dr. Janet Jones was familiar with the scarab and Sutton’s work. She was the perfect person to pick up where Sutton left off.
“Do you think we could get Alexei’s uncles to keep an eye on her for us?” Ed asked. The “reformed” assassins were highly skilled and had done a great job of protecting Athena while they set a trap to capture the family members plotting to hurt Isidore.
“Maybe,” Kairo mumbled.
Izzie placed a hand on Kairo’s forearm and squeezed. “I know they’d be happy to help. It won’t take them long to make sure Athena is settled in California, and my jet will already be at their disposal.”
“I know. But they just left Greece and flew halfway around the world to get your sister settled. And now we’re going to ask them to fly all the way to the other side of the globe to watch over my mother?” Kairo frowned. “They have lives too. I’ll talk to Charlie and West. They both know some bodyguards who might be able to help. Ex-military.”
“Kairo? What are you planning?” Janet inquired. Her tone was sharp, but there was a new thread of worry.
“I’m lining up some precautions to make sure you’re safe. Until you hear that I’ve taken care of the Max Sutton thing, I want you to be extra careful. Be vigilant when you’re traveling alone. Don’t go out at night. Be wary of strangers. And don’t tell anyone about knowing Max Sutton or anything to do with his research.”
“Except for us!” Ed tossed out.
“Yes!” Kairo corrected. “I need all your correspondence with Sutton. Anything you know about where he was living, working, and who he was working with. We’ve got to figure out where he was if we are to have any hope of finding him now.”
