Mission: Her Shield: Team 52 #7 Read online

  Nat tilted her head. Somewhere deep in the bowels of the labyrinth, noises echoed. She had no idea how close they were, or who was making them.

  “Come on.” She pushed herself to her feet and helped the other woman up. Faint light seeped in from somewhere, just enough to turn the black to murky gray. They started jogging down the tunnel.

  They needed to find a way out. They couldn’t keep up all this running around in circles.

  Suddenly, Cosette tripped and fell heavily to the ground.

  “Ow.” The woman let out a choking cry. “I’m so tired, and so thirsty.”

  “I know.” Nat knelt down beside her. In the faint light, she saw the woman holding her nose. Dammit, it was bleeding.

  Cosette started crying.

  “Shh.” Nat ripped off the bottom of her shirt and pressed the fabric to Cosette’s nose. “You’re okay. I don’t think it’s broken. It’s just bleeding a little.”

  “I’m so afraid, Natalie.” The Frenchwoman’s voice was shaky. “I don’t want to die here.”

  “We are not going to die. We’ll find a way out, or my team will find us.”

  “No one is coming.”

  “You don’t know my guys.”

  Cosette swallowed. “You sound so certain.”

  “I am. They’ll come for me. I trust them more than my own family.” She ran a hand down Cosette’s hair. “Now, we’re going to get up and we’re going to keep going.”

  The other woman gave her a tiny nod.

  Nat helped her up. She hadn’t been lying about her family. Her parents were the perfect definition of workaholics. Her mother was a high-powered lawyer and her father was a successful entrepreneur, always chasing the next deal. They’d divorced when Natalie was thirteen. They’d both remarried and had second families. Nat had just become even more of an inconvenience for them.

  She blotted Cosette’s nose. “There.”

  Suddenly, an enraged bellow echoed down the tunnel, followed by a woman’s high-pitched scream.

  Nat turned, her heart in her throat. “We should keep moving.”

  They set off at a quick walk. They turned a corner and ahead, Nat spotted light. Her heart leaped in her chest.

  They hurried forward and stepped into a large junction where five tunnels intersected. Light was trickling in from above. It looked like there were some grates set into the ceiling.

  Nat sucked in a breath. The walls here were covered in glyphs. They were amazing. She ran a hand over them, touching the faded paint.

  Cosette moved closer. “It looks like—”

  “Linear A,” Nat said. “Minoan.”

  The other woman moved farther along the wall, the pain of her nose clearly forgotten. She sucked in a breath. “Some of this looks the same as the glyphs on—”

  Nat gasped and looked at Cosette. “The Phaistos Disc.”

  No one had been able to decipher Linear A, or the closely related Linear B. The mysterious symbols on the Phaistos Disc were even more unique and mysterious.

  God, she wished she had a camera. She studied the Linear A and the Minoan glyphs. Absolutely incredible. This could be some sort of Rosetta Stone that would help them finally decipher the Minoan texts.

  Then, running footsteps echoed down one of the tunnels. She swiveled and watched a long-legged, African woman—dark hair askew, her clothes stained and torn—run into the junction.

  She pressed her hands to her thighs and bent over, panting. “It’s coming.”

  Nat waved a hand. “Come on.”

  The three of them moved together, barreling down one of the other tunnels.

  “I’m Nat, this is Cosette.”

  “Martha.”

  “Dr. Martha Manduli? From Kenya?”

  “Yes,” the woman replied with a lilting accent.

  “I’m Natalie Blackwell. We’ve traded a few emails.”

  “Yes, of course.” They turned a corner and ran down another tunnel. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”

  “Me too.”

  Ahead, Nat spotted something on the ground. She realized that part of the ceiling was partially collapsed. Chunks of stone littered the ground.

  Excitement tore through her. Maybe there was a way out. But when they reached the collapsed section, she looked up and saw nothing but dirt. Her hope withered.

  All of a sudden, another woman appeared at the end of the tunnel.

  “Help me.” She had a British accent, and tangled, blonde hair.

  A wild roar sounded, and a hulking shape shot out of the darkness and tackled the woman to the ground.

  Oh, fuck. Nat’s heart pounded like a drum on steroids.

  Cosette dropped to her knees, rocking in terror. “We’re going to die.”

  The blonde woman trapped under the creature was screaming. Screw this. Nat took a step forward and met Martha’s dark eyes.

  The other woman straightened her shoulders and nodded. They both reached down and grabbed hunks of rock off the floor.

  Then they ran forward.

  Nat stared at the muscular back of the creature and the shirt hanging off it in shreds. Its skin was a dark gray. The monster was tearing at the woman’s clothes.

  No, you don’t. Nat lifted the rock and slammed it down.

  With a roar, the monster turned.

  Nat sucked in a breath. She took in the huge set of black horns, the glowing eyes, and the contorted face—like the bones beneath it were trying to break out of its skin.

  There was no sign that the creature had once been a man.

  The beast swiped a hand at Nat. He hit her in the side and the force of the blow lifted her off her feet. She flew through the air and hit the wall.

  Ow, ow, ow. The air rushed out of her lungs. Damn, it was strong. She wrapped an arm around her aching ribs.

  Martha tossed her rock. Nat forced herself onto her knees and grabbed another stone, one of her nails breaking off in the process. She hurled the rock.

  The man-beast whirled to face her. Martha jumped onto the creature’s back. Ignoring her aches and pains, Nat pushed to her feet. With a grunt, she hefted up a larger chunk of rock.

  When the creature spun, trying to knock Martha off, Nat rushed in, slamming the rock into the monster’s muscled gut.

  It let out an angry bellow and gave a wild shake. Martha flew off, ramming into the wall. But she didn’t stay down. The woman leaped up. She ran to Nat and gripped the rock with her.

  Together, they charged at the beast, slammed into it, and drove it back against the wall.

  With a roar, it threw them off. Nat hit the ground and rolled. She pushed up on her hands and knees to see the creature turning and running down a dark tunnel.

  Then there was silence.

  Martha had a hand to the wall, sucking in air. The woman that the monster had attacked was curled in a ball on the ground sobbing.

  “It’s gone.” Nat crouched beside the woman.

  “I-it was t-trying to rape me,” she said, brokenly.

  God, God. Nat thought of the horns, the glowing eyes. She swallowed, glancing back toward the junction where they’d seen the Minoan texts. Was it possible they’d just met a real-life, mythological beast?

  She touched the woman’s shoulder. “You’re safe now.” Please don’t let me be lying. “What’s your name?”

  “Lydia. Lydia Beckwith.”

  Nat held out a hand to Lydia. “Come on. We’re safer if we stay together.”

  Nat glanced at Martha as she helped Lydia to her feet. They shared a nod. “Thanks for the help.”

  Martha nodded back. “Let’s find a way out of this hell.”

  * * *

  Axel was resisting the urge to pace, or punch something. Barely. He stared through the window into the hospital room.

  Callie and Lachlan were talking to a tired and traumatized woman lying in a hospital bed. She was pale, her brown hair lank around her scratched-up face. She’d been attending the conference and had been injured in the a
ttack—she had a broken arm and leg.

  “This is taking too long,” he muttered.

  “Stay calm, Axel,” Seth said.

  “Screw calm. Nat might be hurt, or—”

  He broke off. He couldn’t voice his worst thoughts. Grinding his teeth together, he shoved his hands in his pockets. She was out there, somewhere, alone and afraid.

  Hold the fuck on, Nat.

  Through the glass, he saw Lachlan stiffen. He took something from the woman, and then strode out of the hospital room.

  “What?” Axel demanded.

  Lachlan held up a cell phone. “She recorded part of the attack.”

  Adrenaline punched through Axel. Yes. He and the rest of the team clustered around as Lachlan swiped the phone’s screen.

  The footage was shaky and showed several overturned tables and chairs. Screams echoed from the phone, followed by a loud crash. The woman’s hand was shaking and her harsh breathing dominated the recording.

  She shifted, crawling across the carpet. The legs of someone ran past, just their shoes and shins visible.

  Come on, show something useful.

  Then a roar drowned out everything else. It sounded like an enraged animal.

  A large shape crossed in front of the camera.

  “What the fuck?” Blair muttered.

  Lachlan touched the phone screen and swiped back. An image froze on the screen.

  Axel’s blood ran cold. At first glance, it looked like a tall, muscular man. But the man’s muscles were straining and bulging, his skin was a dark gray, and his clothes were torn like he’d done an Incredible Hulk transformation.

  But the most eye-catching thing was the long set of black horns on top of his head.

  “A man-bull?” Smith said incredulously. “That’s a new one.”

  Lachlan touched the screen and the creature moved on, crashing and roaring.

  “Let me go, asshole!”

  Axel sucked in a breath. That was Nat’s soft Aussie accent.

  They caught another glimpse of the monster heading for the door. It had Nat tossed over its shoulder and she was pummeling its back with her fists.

  The recording ended.

  “That fucking thing took her,” Axel said.

  “And several other women,” Lachlan said. “The police accounted for the survivors, the injured, and the dead, and compared it to the list of conference attendees. Seven women, including Nat, are missing. One man is unaccounted for, as well.”

  “Seven?” Blair said. “How the hell did he subdue seven of them, and get them away from the hotel? Even if they were unconscious, surely he couldn’t carry them all.”

  “We don’t know.”

  “Things like that monster can’t stay hidden,” River said. “People would notice.”

  “Police are searching and appealing for help from the public,” Lachlan said. “I’ve got Brooks scanning any reports coming in.” Lachlan’s phone rang and he pressed it to his ear. “Ty, talk to me.” A pause. “We’ve got some cellphone footage that shows the attacker. We’ll see you in five.” Lachlan looked at the others. “We’ll meet Ty at the hotel. He’s studying the artifacts.”

  It was a short drive from the hospital to the hotel where Team 52 had set up a makeshift headquarters.

  After a quick ride in the elevator, they all strode into Ty’s hotel room. Artifacts were spread over the dining table and coffee table. He also had several pieces of equipment set up as well.

  The big man looked up from a microscope. “Don’t touch anything. Let’s see the footage.”

  “There’s my sweet-tempered man,” River drawled.

  Axel paced as River showed Ty the recording. Then Ty stiffened, as though he’d been shot.

  “What?” Axel asked.

  “Most of these artifacts—” Ty waved a hand at the table “—are Minoan.” He snatched a tablet up from his gear.

  “Yeah,” Axel said. “Old Greek stuff.”

  “The Minoan Civilization was based on the island of Crete. It flourished during the Bronze Age and it’s most famous for this.” Ty held up a tablet so they could see.

  Axel sucked in a breath. On the screen was an image of a statue. It was of a man with a bull’s head and horns.

  “The Minotaur,” Callie breathed.

  “You got it,” Ty said. “The Minotaur and the labyrinth are all stories central to the Minoans.”

  Lachlan grunted. “I don’t think a man-bull has been living around here for centuries, and then randomly decided to attack a bunch of archeologists.”

  “No,” Ty agreed. “But there are a lot of Atlantis myths and legends centered on the Minoans.”

  Lachlan nodded slowly. “So this is probably some sort of ancient technology. Find out what, Ty.”

  “On it. I’m running every test I can on all the artifacts.”

  The tablet chimed, and Brook Jameson’s face appeared. The team’s tech whiz pushed his glasses up farther on his nose and waved a hand at them. He was wearing a blue T-shirt over his muscular chest, with what looked like an election logo on it that said “Obi Wan Kenobi, he’s our only hope.”

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Brooks winked at Callie, his smile blinding. Callie blew him a kiss.

  The pair had just gotten together and were glowing with love. Every time Axel turned around, another member of his team was hooking up. He rolled his eyes impatiently.

  “What’s up, Brooks?” Blair asked.

  “Reports of a disturbance on a ferry that left Athens eight hours ago. One of the ship’s crew was found dead. Word is that something had clearly stowed away in the hull.”

  “Bingo,” Axel straightened. This was it. He felt it in his blood. His instincts had kept him alive too many times in too many dangerous shitholes when he’d been with Delta. He never ignored them.

  Brooks frowned. “You want to know where the ferry was headed?”

  “I can guess,” Lachlan said. “Crete.”

  Brooks’ eyebrows rose. “Yeah. Man, you stole my thunder.”

  Axel was already heading for the door. “Let’s roll.”

  Chapter Three

  “Everyone okay?” Nat asked.

  Martha was helping Cosette, and nodded. Lydia, a British historian, had recovered from her attack and gamely nodded as well. Their little group limped down one of the tunnels.

  Martha glanced at the walls. “No sign of any exits out of this place.”

  “No.” Nat tried not to get too dejected. It had been several hours since they’d seen the Minotaur. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. Something in one of the artifacts had somehow turned Dr. Kitchener into a monster.

  “Look,” Cosette said, excitement in her voice.

  Ahead, a water fountain appeared, carved into the wall. A trickle of water was flowing from it.

  With cries of happiness, they all knelt beside the fountain, scooping up the water.

  Nat hadn’t realized just how thirsty she’d been. Her stomach was still full of hard, tense knots, but a bellyful of water helped smooth some of her ragged nerves.

  “I don’t think we’ve been down this way.” She peered down the dark tunnel. There was no sound, other than the faint tinkle of trickling water, and she was taking that as a good sign.

  “Let’s keep moving,” Martha said.

  They continued onward. As they walked, she wondered just where the hell they were. Were they still in Greece? How would her team find her?

  For a second, she was a little girl again, hiding out in her closet because it was her birthday, and she was hoping that this time her parents might not be too busy to see her.

  Don’t give up hope. Nat squeezed her hands into fists. Team 52 had just saved the freaking world on their last mission. They never gave up.

  Nat stumbled over something on the floor of the tunnel. “Shit.”

  “Natalie, are you okay?” Martha asked.

  “Yeah. There’s something on the ground here.” She knelt down and reached out to touch the objec
t. Her stomach dropped to her feet. “My God, it’s a body.”

  Nat could barely see in the murky light. Was it the Minotaur? She patted down the body and felt a long tumble of hair.

  “It’s a woman.” She touched the woman’s neck, and felt something wet and sticky on her fingers. Blood. “No. Oh, no.” She groped for a pulse. “I can’t see anything.”

  “Is she okay?” Martha asked.

  Nat swallowed. The woman’s body was cool to the touch and there was no pulse. “She’s dead.”

  Cosette moaned.

  “No,” Lydia whispered.

  Natalie made herself pat the woman down. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. Rest in peace now.” There was something bulky in the woman’s pocket. Nat’s pulse leaped. “Oh, God.”

  “What?” Lydia demanded.

  “She’s got a cellphone.” Nat pulled it out and touched the screen. It lit up. She scanned the screen, her pulse racing. There wasn’t much charge left, and thankfully, it wasn’t locked.

  She aimed the light down at the woman and sorrow hit her. “It’s Pippa Joubert.” The bubbly blonde archeologist was from South Africa. Despair a choking sensation, Nat closed the woman’s eyelids.

  She pushed her to her feet. “There’s no signal down here.” She saw that Dr. Joubert had tried to make several calls, but hadn’t gotten through. “We need to keep moving. We need to see if we can find a place where we can get a cell signal.”

  Renewed energy hit her little group. She sensed the faint stirrings of hope.

  They set off, their pace brisker than it had been previously. Before the dim light of the phone shut off, she saw the shadows of more engravings on the wall. She wished she could use the light, but she didn’t want to waste the battery. The screen went dark.

  “I almost didn’t attend this conference,” Martha said. “My girlfriend wanted me to go on vacation. To the beach.”

  “The beach sounds like a wonderful idea,” Lydia said.

  “Well, you couldn’t have predicted this,” Nat said. “None of us could have.”

  Martha gave a startled laugh. “True. So, are we going to address the fact that we’re in a labyrinth covered in Minoan text, being hunted by something that looks like the Minotaur?”