“You thought you could do it on your own,” Will murmured.
A brief, wry grin twisted on Max’s lips and something in Ed’s chest lurched at that expression. It was a look of bitterness and regret. Something he felt like he shouldn’t be seeing in Max’s face. Kairo had talked about his mother’s frustrations regarding her work, but there was something in Max’s eyes that left Ed feeling like there was more to the man than digging in the Egyptian sand and searching for lost civilizations.
“I’ve got a long history of thinking I’m the smartest guy in the room. Most of the time, I’m right. But these guys…” He drifted off for a second and shook his head. “They had my number. They raided my place in Cairo, took the laptop I had hidden there with my encrypted notes. I had my passport on me and enough money to grab the first flight I could out of Cairo and into Europe.”
“That’s how we found you in Athens,” Ed said.
Max chuckled, but the sound was dark and weary. “Not even close. They found me at the Cairo airport and I ran. I sneaked onto a truck heading north out of the city. From there, I caught a train to Alexandria and a boat that took me to Cyprus. After that, it was a blur of tiny prop planes and boats until I ended up in Athens. There, I slowed down long enough to get a friend to wire me money to fly to London. I didn’t think they knew about the scarab, so I thought I’d drop the scarab with Janet and leave directly for the US.” He stopped and shrugged. “They caught me at the airport.” Max lifted his eyes to Ed, his smile sad enough to fracture Ed’s heart. “When I spotted you, I knew I was trapped. There was no chance of escaping. I couldn’t let them get the scarab.”
“Don’t worry. We’re keeping you and the scarab safe,” Ed reassured him.
The professor blinked at him once, the smile falling away from his lips. “What do you mean? The scarab is with Dr. Janet Jones, right? You did as I asked. You sent it directly to her, correct? She should have it safely in her hands right this second.” With each word he spoke, he was his voice rose in volume so that he was practically shouting at the end.
Ed winced. “Actually…it’s here. With us. Now.”
“Here? In Cairo? You have it here?” Max screamed. He jumped from the sofa, snatched a throw pillow by the corner, and smacked Ed with it. “They nearly killed me for that damn thing and it’s here! They are going to steal the tomb if they get their hands on it! I almost died for that thing!”
Ed lifted an arm to protect himself. He could easily take the pillow from Max, but he was afraid of hurting the guy and he was still recovering from his first injuries.
“All right! All right! We understand that you’re—ah!” Charlie stood and tried to stop Max’s attacks but became Max’s newest target instead.
“Don’t any of you have brains in your heads? They’re going to steal the relics in the tomb!” Max continued to shout. “They could damage the hieroglyphs on the walls, erasing the truth about Kazemde forever!”
The spunky archeologist turned his back on Ed to attack the others as they tried to draw closer. On the next swing, Ed snatched the pillow out of his hand. He tossed it across the room so that it landed safely in Izzie’s arms. Max swayed on his feet, gasping for air, his face bright red and sweaty. Ed placed an arm around his shoulders and eased him onto the sofa while West, Alexei, Charlie, and Will stood over Max as if waiting for the injured man to strike again.
“Deep breath. Everything is okay,” Ed murmured in a low, soothing voice.
“But…it needs to be safe. All this pain, it…it can’t be for nothing.” The words sounded as though they were getting caught in his throat while he stared down at his clenched and trembling fists.
Ed tightened his hold on Max and dipped his head so that his mouth was beside his ear. “It won’t be for nothing. Who do you think can protect it better? How many guns do you think Dr. Jones owns?”
“I can tell you,” Kairo snapped. “None.”
Ed continued, “And who do you think has a better security system?”
“Again, none. Dr. ‘Why do I need to use a password’ Jones,” Kairo complained.
Will moved around to kneel on the other side of Max. With care, he captured the man’s hand and pressed his fingers to his pulse. When he was satisfied with what he found, he lifted one side of his T-shirt, checking a bandage that covered a set of stitches along the side of his abdomen where Max had been stabbed.