Pyramid of the Gods Read Free Page B

Ishi. But, if it turns out the capstone belongs to the Temple of Sekhmet, it would be wise not to forget your prior experiences.”
    Despite the urge to continue being a smartass, I held off. Instead, I turned my gaze to Ishi, who shrugged. Surely he hadn’t expected his tentmate to reveal details of their late night conversations...at least not like this.
    “Since we should begin digging at daybreak, I will leave you to consider our discussion tonight. ‘Night, Mr. Nick and Ms. Marie. Ishi...I will leave the flashlight with you.”
    “ Tawankans have eyes and a danger sense like marsupials,” I said. “He’ll have a much easier time avoiding scorpions and vipers than the rest of us...including you, Akiiki.”
    Our guide looked impressed, nodding thoughtfully as he turned to leave. We didn’t pick up the conversation until after Akiiki retired inside his and Ishi’s tent, and had turned on a lamp.
    “What in the hell was that all about?” I whispered to Ishi.
    “ I don’t know,” my friend said. “I guess I told him too much, no?”
    “ Maybe. But you need to tell me what else was discussed, so we can avoid unwanted surprises.”
    Ishi took his leave of us, and, after answering nature’s call, he rejoined Akiiki, who I assumed was still awake since a soft glow emanated from the tent.
    “I could really use a drink and a smoke,” I told Marie, when it was just the two of us. “But you know what? I’ll hold off for tonight.”
    That seemed to make her happy. We stood, and I pulled her closer. Leading the way to our tent, an irony occurred to me. On the eve of finally getting a little restitution for Mario, I was also ready to share my heart with a woman who had feelings for me.
    I prayed neither move was a mistake.
     
     

 
    Chapter Four
     
     
    I’m not sure what awoke me around midnight, but something did.
    At first, I thought it might be footsteps. I reached under my pillow for the Beretta, which happened to be my second most trusted weapon...a souvenir taken from the dying clutches of one Leonardo Da Vinci as a pile of gold coins crushed him inside the Temple of the Jaguar. Yes, it had been a sight to behold, and I relived it each day. It had also cost me my beloved Bowie knife, which I watched disappear into a lava stream as the chamber and all of its contents were lost forever.
    I hate when that happens.
    And, no, not all the gold was lost. I looked forward to reclaiming it, provided we made it through our present circumstances first.
    Now I stirred quietly in the darkened tent, gently lifting Marie’s arm from my chest, where she’d been snuggling comfortably. I was just wondering if maybe I was being a little too paranoid, when I heard the metallic ring of a shovel digging in the sand nearby. What the hell?
    Yeah, that got me moving.
    I debated waking Marie, but couldn’t risk tipping our visitor about someone being awake inside our tent. Regardless of whether it was a local bandit or criminals associated with Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, the result would likely be the same. A spray of bullets from a single assault rifle would be more than sufficient to take care of the four of us.
    I dressed quickly and crept to the tent’s entrance, pulling the canvas aside for a peek.
    “ Holy shit!” I whispered.
    A circle of lamps surrounded the marker where we intended to begin our excavation in the morning. A deep incision had been cut into the sand, exposing the tip of a square-topped pyramid covered in gold embossed hieroglyphics, although different from the standard glyphs I was familiar with. The hole spanned forty feet across, with an undetermined depth. Whoever did this apparently accomplished the sand removal without the use of heavy machinery. A lone shovel lay near scaffolding that protruded from the hole in the sand. The scene before me seemed impossible.
    The scaffold’s metal platform shook for a moment, followed by echoed footsteps resounding from below.
    Somebody’s down there...did