The Oracle Code

26



Safe House

Kandahar

Kandahar Province

Afghanistan

February 15, 2013

The meeting place Layla had arranged was in an older section of the city that was scheduled for reconstruction. All of the surrounding buildings had taken damage from Taliban attacks, and only a few of them were still habitable.

Following Layla’s directions, Lourds pulled into an alley and stopped halfway down.

Anna looked at him as he put the car in Park. “Are we at our destination?”

“Yeah, it looks like it.” Lourds got out, then reached back into the rear seat and got his backpack. Turning, he headed back to the car following him. A pair of Jeeps had already parked ahead of and behind the two cars, and he immediately felt more secure.

Captain Fitrat got out of the car containing Layla. He nodded to Lourds but kept his assault rifle handy and watched the tall apartment buildings on either side.

Layla hurried over to Lourds, but she didn’t embrace him. She stood a proper distance away and looked him over. “You are unhurt?”

“I am, thanks to Captain Fitrat and his people.”

The captain acknowledged Lourds with a small smile. He wore wraparound sunglasses that hid his eyes.

“And to you,” Lourds added.

Layla nodded.

“Did you get the man who tried to smash into me?”

Fitrat scowled and shook his head. “The men in that car were very well-armed. They killed one of my men and injured two others before they got away.”

“They got away?”

Fitrat nodded. “It could not be helped. Their vehicle was abandoned only a couple miles down the road. When my men found the car, your attackers were gone. Either they had another team standing by or they confiscated a passing vehicle. We will see.”

Frustrated, Lourds gritted his teeth. “Did your men get anything that could help identify the people chasing me?”

“When they found the car, it was burning. The men set fire to it before abandoning it. The fire made locating the vehicle easier, but it also destroyed whatever forensic evidence we might have found.” Fitrat frowned. “These men are very driven, Professor Lourds. That identifies them to a degree, but beyond that, we don’t know anything. You have caught the attention of some very bad people.”

Layla walked over to Anna. “I am Dr. Layla Teneen.”

“Anna Cherkshan.”

Surprise lifted Layla’s eyebrows. “Cherkshan? As in General Cherkshan?”

Anna smiled sourly. “I prefer to be known as Anna Cherkshan of The Moscow Times. My father has enough accolades.”

“I see. I’ll remember that in the future.”

Feeling badly about his faux pas, Lourds approached the women. “My apologies. I wasn’t thinking. I should have made introductions.”

Layla smiled. “It is quite all right. Perhaps we could go inside.” She headed toward the doorway, and as Lourds passed through, he discovered the original door had been kept, but it had been heavily reinforced with a solid core and a steel frame.

***



The interior of the building was in a lot better shape than Lourds had expected. It had twelve bedrooms, a large dining room/kitchen, and working electricity.

“This is one of the practice areas the Americans and Canadians have used to train the Afghanistan National Police in urban tactics regarding counter-terrorist situations.” Fitrat took off his hat and placed it meticulously on the table. “At the moment, no one is using it, but we assign security in the area at all times to keep equipment from being liberated.”

“I see.” Lourds put his backpack on the table. He gave a small smile. “All the comforts of home.”

“Yes. We even have television. American TV.” Fitrat pointed to the large-screen television in the living room that was big enough to house a banquet. “We steal the signal to get HBO and ESPN. The American soldiers who train our future policemen do not want to do without the comforts they have grown used to. Perhaps later, if you are not too tired, you might enjoy watching a basketball game. I believe there is one on.”

Lourds grinned. “Perhaps.” He looked at Layla. “I need a room to work in.”

“Of course.” Layla looked at Fitrat. “Captain, if you would see to getting Miss Cherkshan squared away?”

“I will.”

“She will also need clothing and toiletries. She’s not carrying a bag, so I’m assuming she has only the clothes on her back.”

Anna smiled appreciatively. “That is right. Professor Lourds felt it was not prudent to try to go back to my hotel room. I am still in yesterday’s clothes, and I am not happy about that. Does this place also have hot water?”

“It does, and there is a bath you can have to yourself.”

“That would be awesome.”

It still occasionally shocked Lourds to hear true American slang coming from Anna. Every now and again, her time at the Columbian School of Journalism showed through.

“Captain? Will you show Miss Cherkshan the way to her bath?”

“Of course. This way, miss.” Fitrat took the lead and headed off with Anna in tow.

“Thomas?”

Hefting his backpack one more time, Lourds fell into step behind Layla and followed her upstairs to another floor of the building.

“Captain Fitrat has men in the alley and on top of this building.” Layla talked as she walked up the stairs.

Lourds couldn’t see the sway of her hips beneath her burqa, but he recalled the times he had, and the memory made his heart pound with anticipation.

“So we will be relatively safe as long as we are here.”

“Relatively safe?”

Layla glanced back at him. “If whoever is after you decides to bomb the building from an airplane, there will be definite problems, yes?”

“Yes, most definitely. And thank you for that delightful scenario. That was one that I hadn’t considered, and it is now number one with a bullet.”

***



The room held all the amenities of a good hotel room without being lavish. There was a large bed, a love seat and two chairs, and a desk in the corner. A television sat atop a chest of drawers.

Lourds looked at the bed. “Big bed.”

Layla smiled at him. “I am afraid we will not be sharing it. Captain Fitrat is a progressive thinker compared to most men in this country, but many of his men are not.”

Disappointed, Lourds nodded. “I understand.”

“However, that is not to say that we cannot have private conferences.” Layla smiled at him.

Lourds placed his backpack on the bed. “Feeling up to having a private conference?”

“I do. However, I was thinking that perhaps you needed someone to scrub your back.”

Smiling, Lourds took her by the hand. “As it turns out, I do. You said there was a bath?”

She began disrobing and laid her clothes neatly on the bed. Getting undressed took her a while, but Lourds enjoyed the show, and his pulse quickened when she finally stood nude before him.

“I’ve missed you.” Lourds took her into his arms.

“I have missed you as well.” Her voice caught in her throat, and she stared at him. “When I heard the news about the attack at the dig site, I was so afraid I would never see you again.”

Lourds shook his head and held her. “That didn’t happen. I’m here.”

Layla traced his goatee and his lips with a forefinger. Her touch was so light it sent chills down his spine. “I know.” Her eyes glistened. “But those men—whoever they are—seem very determined.”

“Yes.”

“Is there any way you can walk away from this?”

Lourds hesitated. With every fiber of his being, he wanted to know the secret the scrolls held. He wanted to get some kind of justice for Boris’s death. Walking away would be the hardest thing he’d ever done.

But for the first time in his life, he knew he could do it.

“All you have to do is ask.”

For a moment, Layla stared quietly at him. “You would do this for me?”

“Yes.”

“I am flattered.”

“Layla, I love you. That’s just how it is.”

“I know that. But if I asked you to do this thing, and you did, there would be a piece of you that forever wondered if you could find whatever it is these people are looking for.”

“The tomb of Alexander the Great, for whatever reason they want it.”

She nodded. “Exactly.” She took a breath and let it out. “I will not ask you to do that then. I ask only that you be careful.”

“I will.” Lourds’s heart sang.

“I am going to hold you to that.” Layla stood on tiptoe and kissed Lourds, pressing her body full-length against his. Then she turned and led him to the bath.