He set the explosives, something Baahir knew little about. He just watched and took it all in. Even now, Baahir knew they weren’t going to find anything. It was obvious to him, and he was pretty sure Khaliq knew it too. The SOA leader had a look on his face that said as much.
“We’re ready,” Ajmal announced.
Khaliq didn’t take his eyes off the semi-cleared piece of land. He only nodded and backed up behind a nearby pile. Ajmal forced Baahir to follow. He knelt between the two men and covered his head with his filthy, blistered hands.
The detonation was mostly contained, but it did toss a few stones into the air. Baahir and the others were pelted with debris, but nothing larger than a gumball. As the dust settled, Baahir stood and inspected the damage. Everyone did. Baahir hung back with Khaliq and Ajmal while the others moved in to clear the area of the, now, smaller stones. It took some time, but once everything was cleared, Baahir’s suspicions were confirmed.
There was nothing here.
Khaliq took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He released it and dipped his chin to his chest, and chuckled softly. Then, he turned and drew his pistol, shooting Haider, the man who had made the “discovery,” in the chest. The display of violence was plain as day. Fail Khaliq here, and you die.
Baahir’s nerves had unknowingly got the best of him. He fidgeted in place. His right leg shook like crazy, and he, all of a sudden, didn’t know what to do with his hands. It didn’t go unnoticed.
“Do you have something to say, Dr. Hassan?”
Baahir didn’t meet Khaliq’s hard stare. “N — no. Why do you say that?”
Khaliq stepped up next to him. “I’ve seen this look before — I’ve seen it in my own men’s eyes.” Baahir finally met his gaze. “You have something to say, but you are too frightened to reveal it.”
Khaliq smiled. “Let me help you…” He raised his sidearm and pointed it directly at Baahir’s face. “Tell me, Dr. Hassan, or share in the same fate as him.” He motioned to the dead man.
Baahir swallowed his terror. “There isn’t anything to—”
“Over there,” Ajmal interrupted. He motioned east. “He reacted to something over there.”
Khaliq’s attention shifted to his trusted colleague. Ajmal nodded his assurance. He lowered his gun. It was now aimed at Baahir’s chest.
“Show me.”
Ajmal grabbed Baahir by the shirt collar and dragged him back to the spot he had mentioned. Once there, the Egyptologist was tossed into it. Hands out, Baahir caught himself before he bounced off the rubble. His breathing was fast, anxious. The coarse surface of the rocks stung his abused hands. Baahir paid the discomfort no attention, though. He pushed himself off and turned to meet his maker.
“Is this it?” Khaliq asked. His pistol was back in the holster on his hip.
Baahir didn’t reply.
Khaliq stepped forward and went for his gun.
“Yes!” Baahir blurted out. “I mean, maybe. I don’t know for certain.” Khaliq gently rested his hand on the grip of his sidearm but didn’t draw it. That didn’t mean the threat wasn’t just as powerful. Baahir slowly raised his hands, pleading with the man. “I’ll need time.”
“You have one hour.”
Baahir didn’t argue. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Khaliq could kill him whenever he wanted, regardless of the agreed-upon timeframe.
Baahir nodded and turned back toward the rocks. “Okay,” he said, talking it out, “when I first saw these, they looked different to me. Does anyone else see it, too?”
Khaliq and Ajmal joined Baahir, but still kept their distance.
“I do,” Khaliq agreed. “These look as if they were placed here.”
Ajmal grunted. “Unnatural.”
“Yes!” Baahir exclaimed, imagining what lay beneath. “We need to clear as much off as we can — by hand.” He met Khaliq’s eyes. “If this is it, then we need to be careful not to cause a major collapse.” Khaliq didn’t seem pleased. “You’ve waited this long. A mistake like that could bury it for another lifetime.”
“And if you’re wrong?” Khaliq asked.
Baahir shrugged. “Then I will no longer be your pet.”
Starting from the top, Baahir, Ajmal, and two other men began pushing stone after stone aside, allowing them to crash to the earth below. It wasn’t a very long drop, only fifteen feet or so, and when they landed, two other men, assisted by Khaliq himself, cleared the debris away the best they could. The Scales of Anubis leader had decided to get his hands dirty, which was good. They needed the extra set of hands. In a fit of rage, he had gunned down one of his men and depleted the team of a valuable asset.
The one-hour death threat was long overdue by the time they got to the bottommost boulders. And like before, these were heavy and unmovable. They’d need to use something besides brute strength to move them.
Ajmal dropped his pack and dug in. He produced an identical block of plastic explosives and charger set and got to work rigging the blockade.
“Please be careful,” Baahir begged, cringing at the thought of damaging the entrance.
