Page 9 of Enticing Kane

Kane held his gaze for a long moment, the air crackling with unspoken defiance. But he knew this was a battle he couldn’t win—not here, not now. He nodded once, a terse acknowledgment of the chain of command, even if he didn’t like it.

“Understood,” he said, his voice flat.

Carter straightened, satisfied. “Good. Now, let’s move on to the next item on the agenda.”

But Kane barely heard him. His mind was already turning over what he had just learned, the implications sinking in like a cold weight in his gut. From the time Carter and his men had arrived, Kane had known there was more to this mission than met the eye, but now he had confirmation. He’d alerted Cerberus of Carter’s arrival; he needed to ensure they knew of these newest developments. And now, Kane was more determined than ever to see this through.

As the meeting continued, Kane’s thoughts were elsewhere. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were sitting on a powder keg, and any misstep could set it off. He needed to be ready, to anticipate every possible threat—because whatever was buried beneath the sands of this ancient city, it was worth killing for.

When the meeting finally adjourned, Kane left the tent, his mind a storm of conflicting emotions. The night air felt cooler now, the darkness more oppressive. He started toward his tent, but a movement near the excavation site caught his attention.

His instincts flared to life, the soldier in him instantly on high alert. Without a second thought, Kane changed course, moving silently through the shadows toward the source of the disturbance.

The area around the site was still and quiet, the ruins standing like silent sentinels in the night. But Kane’s keen eyes picked up the slight shift of a shadow, the almost imperceptible sound of a footstep on sand. Someone was out there, watching.

Kane’s hand went to his weapon, the cool metal a reassuring presence at his side. He moved closer, his senses attuned to every sound, every flicker of movement. This was no ordinary trespasser—whoever it was knew how to move in the dark, how to avoid detection. But whoever it was, wasn’t as good as Kane.

He rounded a corner, his eyes scanning the area, and caught a glimpse of a figure slipping between two crumbling walls. They were fast, but Kane was faster. He moved in pursuit, his steps silent as death.

The figure darted ahead, disappearing into the shadows of the ruins. Kane followed, his body tense, ready for anything. He knew these ruins better than anyone—every corner, every hidden alcove. The intruder was heading toward a dead end, and Kane intended to catch them there.

He turned a corner, his gun at the ready, but the space was empty. The figure had vanished, leaving only the faint echo of their footsteps behind.

Kane scanned the area, his frustration mounting. Whoever it was, they were gone. Was it the man he had seen before? But this time, they had left something behind—a warning that this was far from over.

Chapter Four

Maggie

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the ancient ruins that had become Maggie’s temporary home. She knelt beside a partially uncovered stone slab, her fingers delicately brushing away the dust of centuries with a small, soft-bristled brush. The excitement thrummed through her veins like an electric current. There was something different about this chamber—something that didn’t quite fit with the rest of the site.

Maggie had spent the better part of the morning working on this particular section, and now, as the final layers of dirt fell away, the slab revealed an intricate series of symbols carved into the stone. They were unlike anything she had seen before—curved lines and geometric shapes that seemed to defy the conventions of the historical timeline she had so carefully constructed in her mind.

Her heart pounded as she sat back on her heels, taking in the full scope of what she had uncovered. The symbols were arranged in a pattern that suggested language, but not one that she recognized. This wasn’t just a minor find; this could be groundbreaking. The possibilities raced through her mind, each one more thrilling than the last. If these symbols were what she thought they were, they could rewrite the history of the region, challenging everything scholars had believed for decades.

“Maggie, you need to see this.” Dr. Hassan Nazari’s voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present. He was standing a few feet away, peering down into a narrow opening they had recently unearthed. His dark eyes were wide with concern, a deep crease forming between his brows.

“What is it, Hassan?” Maggie asked, her excitement tempered by the serious tone of his voice. She stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees as she walked over to him.

Hassan gestured to the chamber below, his expression grim. “This chamber… it’s different from the others. The symbols—they don’t match anything we’ve seen before. And look at the stonework; it’s much older than the rest of the site. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Maggie nodded, already feeling the weight of his words. “I know. I’ve been working on that slab over there,” she said, pointing to the stone she had just uncovered. “The symbols… they’re completely out of place. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Hassan’s gaze flicked to the slab, his concern deepening. “Maggie, this could be dangerous. If these symbols are as significant as we think they are, it could attract unwanted attention. And with the military presence here…” He trailed off, his unease evident.

Maggie frowned, turning to look at the soldiers stationed around the perimeter of the site. They had been a constant presence since the dig began, but she had tried to ignore them, focusing on the work instead. But now, with Hassan’s words hanging in the air, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

“What are you saying, Hassan?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Hassan hesitated, his eyes searching hers for a moment before he spoke. “I’m saying that we need to be careful. There’s more going on here than we realize, and I don’t think the military is just here to protect us. I’ve seen them watching us, taking notes, asking questions that don’t seem relevant to our work. I don’t like it, Maggie.”

Maggie felt a chill run down her spine. She had been so caught up in the excitement of the dig that she hadn’t considered the implications of their discoveries—or the potential risks. “But we can’t just stop,” she argued, though there was a note of uncertainty in her voice. “This is too important, Hassan. We could be on the verge of something incredible.”

“I’m not saying we should stop,” Hassan said, his tone firm but gentle. “But we need to be smart about this. We can’t let our excitement blind us to the dangers. If we push too hard, we could lose everything.”

Maggie looked down at the symbols again, her mind racing. He was right, of course. She knew that. But the thought of walking away now, of leaving this discovery incomplete, was unbearable. She had worked so hard to get here, to prove herself in a field dominated by men, to show that she was more than just the daughter of ranchers.

The thought of her parents brought a lump to her throat, and she turned away from Hassan, blinking back tears. It had been years since the accident, but the pain was still fresh, a wound that never quite healed. She could still remember the day they died—a freak accident on the ranch, something no one could have predicted. But in the aftermath, she had been left with a crushing sense of guilt, a fear that no matter how hard she tried, she would never be good enough to make them proud.

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