They drove for another fifteen minutes in silence. The gunman never took his eyes off them while keeping the weapon wisely trained on Max rather than Ed. This all would have been over if the bastard had turned the gun on him. His military training had him ready to be staring down the nasty end of a gun, but all scenarios came with potential risks to hiis person.
Risks he wasn’t willing to take with Max’s life.
For now, they could wait. Backup was approaching and everyone was playing nice. This meeting would help to fill in some blank spaces as to who was keeping their eye on Dr. Sutton and his research.
The taxi turned toward a crumbling garage with dirt-covered windows and two metal bay doors that were dinged and rusted. A collection of old cars sat without tires in the weed-filled parking lot out front. A heavy layer of dirt and sand covered them as if no one had touched the vehicles in years. A modern tomb that was slowly being retaken by the nearby desert.
As they drew up to the farthest bay door, it rolled up, revealing dim lights and a handful of people standing around. Metal screeched and rattled, complaining about being forced to move. The taxi stopped in front of the open door, and the guy in the passenger seat motioned for them to get out.
Max flashed him a weak smile before he turned his attention to the door. Ed grabbed the hand closest to him and squeezed it, drawing Max’s eyes to him.
“Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine.”
“Yep. No problem,” Max breathlessly agreed.
Ed slid across the back seat to exit from the same door as Max and stepped in front of him as they entered the garage, using his bigger frame to shield him. His eyes scanned the area, taking in possible exits, the number of attackers, and potential hiding places. There were easily seven people inside the garage with them, including the two who had come in the taxi, but he suspected there were more hiding in the shadows and watching from the dark spots in what appeared to be a second-floor office.
The main garage area was two stories tall but completely open overhead for tall vehicles and a series of winches and pulley systems to lift heavy objects. But right now, there wasn’t much on the floor to use as a shield or a place to hide. There were some old tables, battered metal folding chairs, deteriorating boxes, and rusting tools. Not much that would help.
“Seven. Maybe more,” Ed murmured under his breath for Kairo.
“Got it. We’ll be following your lead,” Kairo confirmed.
“Max. Max. Max,” someone purred in a low, amused voice. Each time the woman said Max’s name, the click of a hard heel accompanied it on the concrete as she walked from the shadows of the garage. “You know, I wondered when our paths would cross at last, but I never thought it would be something quite this good.”
When she stepped into a shaft of light tossed into the garage from the open door, Ed felt something tug in his chest. She looked…familiar, but he didn’t know how or why. Someone from his past? They’d run across their fair share of smugglers, thieves, and bastards over the last several years. Was she from that rogue’s gallery?
No, that couldn’t be it. She wasn’t pinging any particular memory.
This felt more vague. An echo.
She stopped a few yards away, keeping a safe distance between them while also putting her hired guns in front of her. The woman was short and slender, with dark hair cut into a sleek bob that came to her sharp jawline. She was dressed in a pair of boots, black cargo pants, and a long-sleeved, white linen shirt common to the area. Was she another researcher or archeologist? Someone who possibly didn’t have a pristine reputation? A grave robber?
“Who are you?” Max snapped. He stepped past Ed, walking toward the woman like he intended to get right in her face. Ed’s hand shot out and snagged Max by the shoulder, holding him close so he could easily pull the man behind him again. “We’ve never met be—shit,” he broke off into a slow swear as though a lightbulb had suddenly flicked on in his head.
“There’s that smart boy, but tell me, are you still a fucking slow runner?”
“Amy,” Max exhaled. “I—” He stopped, still wordlessly stunned. “How…”
She wrinkled her nose at him and took another step forward. The light hit her face just right and Ed nearly gasped. Green eyes. Almost the same shade of green as Max’s. Was she…Max’s older sister?
“Actually, I go by Rive now.” She playfully shrugged her narrow shoulders, but there was something cold in her eyes as she stared at her brother, and the lines on her face seemed too harsh. “Amy is so American, and I have little use for that place. Besides, I’ve never felt like an Amy.”