Page 19 of Enticing Kane

“Step away from that artifact!” Langley barked, his voice sharp and commanding.

Maggie’s blood ran cold. Langley had been a thorn in their side since the beginning, his presence a constant reminder that their work was being monitored, controlled by forces beyond their knowing. But this—this was different. There was a wildness in his eyes, a desperation that set off every alarm in Maggie’s mind.

“What are you doing, Langley?” Maggie demanded, instinctively moving to shield the artifact with her body. “This is a scientific discovery. You can’t just?—”

Langley’s hand shot out, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her away from the device. Maggie gasped, struggling to break free from his grip, but he was stronger than she had expected. Hassan immediately moved to intervene, his eyes blazing with anger.

“Let her go, Langley!” Hassan shouted, stepping forward to push Langley away from Maggie.

But Langley was prepared. With a quick, vicious motion, he pulled a gun from under his shirt, aiming it directly at Hassan. Maggie’s heart stopped, the world narrowing to the cold metal barrel pointed at her friend’s chest.

“Stay back,” Langley hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. This artifact belongs to us, to the people who can actually use it.”

“Use it?” Maggie’s voice was incredulous, her mind reeling. “This isn’t a weapon, Langley. It’s an ancient artifact. It belongs in a museum, in a lab—not in the hands of some power-hungry?—”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Langley snapped, his grip on the gun tightening. “This device is the key to everything—power, control, the future. And the people I work for aren’t about to let a bunch of naive archaeologists get in the way.”

Before Maggie could respond, Hassan lunged at Langley, trying to disarm him. The gun went off, the crack of the shot echoing through the dig site like a thunderclap. Maggie screamed as Hassan staggered backward, blood blossoming on his shirt as he fell to the ground.

“No!” Maggie cried, rushing to Hassan’s side. Her hands pressed against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was clear that he was badly hurt. His face was pale, his breathing shallow, and panic clawed at Maggie’s chest as she realized how dire the situation had become.

Sara was already on the radio, calling for help, but Maggie knew that they were on their own for now. She looked up at Langley, her fear turning to fury as she saw him reaching for the artifact. Where the hell was Kane when she needed him? Usually, he was either underfoot or standing as some kind of ominous watchdog, and now he was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t you dare!” Maggie shouted, her voice shaking with anger. “You’ve done enough damage already!”

Langley ignored her, his eyes locked on the device as he reached down to take it. Maggie’s heart pounded in her chest, a primal instinct kicking in as she realized that she couldn’t let him take it. Whatever this artifact was, it was too dangerous to be in the hands of someone like Langley.

Without thinking, Maggie lunged forward, grabbing the artifact just as Langley’s fingers brushed against it. The strange markings flared to life at her touch, the light intensifying as if in response to the conflict. Langley snarled, trying to wrestle the device from her grasp, but Maggie held on with all her strength.

Suddenly, there was a blur of motion, and Kane was there, his powerful form colliding with Langley and knocking him to the ground. The gun skittered across the dirt as Langley fell, and Kane was on him in an instant, pinning him down with an iron grip.

“Stay down,” Kane growled, his voice low and deadly. “It’s over, Langley.”

Langley struggled, but Kane’s strength was undeniable. Within moments, Langley was subdued, his wrists bound with a zip tie as Kane pulled him to his feet. Who the hell carried zip ties with them? And what possible uses could Kane have for them other than subduing half-crazed government archaeologists? She shivered at the notion and wondered when she’d become a sex addict? Okay, the answer to that was easy—since the night she first had Kane.

Maggie watched as Kane sat Langley up, with his back against the wall of the deep trench they were working in. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her hands still clutching the artifact. The world seemed to tilt around her, the adrenaline rushing through her veins making everything feel surreal. She looked down at the artifact in her hands, the light pulsing softly now, as if it had calmed in response to the resolution of the conflict. But the danger wasn’t over—not by a long shot.

“Anybody else hearing the theme from Raiders of the Lost Arc?” quipped Hassan, making a joke when he was gravely wounded.

“No, but the one from The Twilight Zone keeps playing,” responded Maggie with a reassuring smile.

“I think you’re both nuts,” grumbled Kane as he turned to her, his eyes intense as he assessed the situation. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice tight with concern.

Maggie nodded as his stern voice snapped her back to reality, though her mind was still reeling. “Hassan is hurt. We need to get him medical attention, fast.”

Kane’s gaze shifted to where Hassan lay, Sara doing her best to staunch the bleeding. Without hesitation, he moved to assist, grabbing the medical kit they kept at the top of the trench and working quickly to stabilize Hassan. Maggie watched, her heart aching with fear and guilt. Hassan had been hurt because of her, because of the artifact they had uncovered.

As Kane worked, Maggie’s thoughts raced, the weight of the situation crashing down on her. The artifact—their discovery—was at the center of all this chaos. It wasn’t just an academic find; it was something far more dangerous, something that had the potential to cause unimaginable harm.

When Kane finished tending to Hassan, he turned back to Maggie, his expression grim. “We need to secure that artifact and get out of here. We don’t know if Langley was working alone or if there are more people coming after it.”

Maggie nodded, her mind still struggling to process everything that had happened. She looked down at the device in her hands, the weight of it both physical and metaphorical. This was supposed to be the pinnacle of her career, the discovery that would make all the years of hard work and sacrifice worth it. But now, all she could think about was the cost—Hassan’s injury, the danger they were in, the possibility that this artifact could fall into the wrong hands.

When Kane had moved to help Hassan, Sara had scrambled out of the trench and then returned with a reinforced case. When Sara rejoined them, she took Kane’s place monitoring Hassan. With Kane’s help, Maggie quickly secured the artifact, placing it in the case to protect it from further tampering. Maggie’s hands shook as she locked the case, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. This wasn’t just an academic exercise anymore; this was a matter of life and death.

As they prepared to move Hassan to a safer location, Maggie’s thoughts churned with doubt and fear. Who could they trust? Langley had proven that not everyone at the dig site or associated with it was on their side, and the idea that there might be others like him—people willing to kill for the artifact—was terrifying.

Kane stayed close to her as they moved, his presence a steadying force in the midst of the chaos. Maggie was grateful for his support, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was spiraling out of control. She had dedicated her life to uncovering the past, to bringing knowledge and understanding to the world. But now, that knowledge felt like a curse, a burden that she wasn’t sure she could carry.

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