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Ace’s lips pressed into a tight line. “How long was it from the time they took Eli to the time you got the call?”
“It was an hour before I got home. As soon as I walked in the door of my apartment, my housekeeper handed me the phone, and it rang.”
“They must have been watching you or your home.” Ace nodded. “What did they say?”
“A man told me to get the copper scroll, or they’d kill Eli.” She looked around, a sense of hopelessness washing over her. “Now, I have no way of knowing where it went or if I can get it back in the next forty hours—my deadline to deliver.” She raised a hand to Ace’s chest, laying it flat against his solid muscles. “Please, let me go after them. I didn’t steal the artifact for the money. I took it to save Eli.”
Ace stared into her eyes, his own narrowing. “I’ll help you find the men who took your satchel if you promise to return the copper scroll to the museum.”
She shook her head. “I can’t make that promise. If it comes to a choice between Eli’s life or an ancient artifact, it really isn’t a choice. I’ll do anything to save Eli,” she said, her tone low, her fingers clenched into fists.
“How about this? I’ll help you find who stole the scroll from you. I’ll also help you find and free Eli. Then we’ll return the scroll to the museum.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “All I want is to get him back safely. What happens to the scroll is not at all important. But if it works out, I’ll give the scroll back to the museum.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out, her heart banging against her ribs. “Now, can we please go after those men?” Tears welled in her eyes. “I can only imagine how terrified Eli is in the hands of his captors. I hope they aren’t hurting him, that they’re feeding him, and that he has a warm place to sleep. He doesn’t deserve this.” Her heart squeezed hard in her chest.
Ace’s jaw hardened. For a long moment, he stared into Jasmine’s eyes. Then he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “If I help you, I’ll be aiding and abetting a thief who has stolen a national treasure.”
She nodded. “Then don’t help me. But let me go after those men.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. But to catch them, we’ll need more help than I can provide by myself.”
Jasmine shook her head. “I can’t go to the police.”
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I’m not going to the police.”
She touched his arm. “They said that if I notified any law enforcement agency, they’d kill Eli.”
“I’m not notifying a law enforcement agency.” He selected a contact and sent a text. Moments later, he received one in response.
“Who are you texting, and what did you say?”
“My boss. I told him I had a mission I need to take care of.”
“You told me you were a Navy SEAL. Your boss is the president of the United States.” She shook her head, worry stirring acid in her stomach.
Ace gave her a tight smile. “I’m not in the Navy anymore. I work for a security agency headed up by Hank Patterson. He’s in the museum now, watching over the movie star and the film crew.”
Jasmine shook her head. “He already has a job and needs to be there for the film production. How can he help?”
Ace grinned. “He has an entire team of people who can help locate those two thieves. I’m contacting his computer guy, Swede. He knows how to tap into surveillance systems at airports, train stations and anywhere else those men choose to travel through.”
“But your Swede doesn’t know who he’s looking for.”
Ace glanced up at the corner of the building closest to them. “There’s a camera on that building. All we have to do is talk to the building owner, tap into his surveillance footage and send the images to Swede.”
“That all takes time,” Jasmine cried. “I don’t have time.”
Ace cocked an eyebrow. “What else do you have?”
She glared at him. “If you’d let me go, to begin with, I could’ve caught up with them.”
He shook his head. “They were moving fast, and a vehicle picked them up at the end of this street. You wouldn’t have been able to keep up on foot.”
She pouted. “You could’ve mentioned they’d been picked up.”
His lips twitched. “Come on. Let’s ask this building owner if we can tap into his surveillance system. I’m sure they’ll want to help a damsel in distress.”
She frowned. “You’re not going to tell them what was in the satchel, are you?”
