Page 20 of Enticing Kane

When they finally reached the relative safety of the main camp, Maggie sank onto a crate, her body shaking with the aftershocks of adrenaline. Kane was beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder, a silent gesture of comfort that she desperately needed. She reached up to cover his hand with her own.

“Maggie,” he said quietly, his voice gentle but firm. “We’ll get through this. But you need to stay focused. We have to keep that artifact safe.”

Maggie looked up at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty. “But at what cost, Kane? Hassan was shot because of this thing. And who knows what else could happen? Maybe... maybe we should have left it buried. Maybe it was never supposed to be found.”

Kane’s expression softened, his eyes reflecting the same doubts that plagued her. “I don’t have all the answers, Maggie. But I do know that we can’t let people like Langley get their hands on it. You’re right—this artifact is dangerous. But that’s why it’s important that we’re the ones who protect it.”

Maggie nodded, though her heart still felt heavy. She had always believed that her work was about more than just digging up the past—it was about preserving history, about learning from it. But now, faced with the reality of what they had uncovered, she wasn’t so sure.

The artifact sat in its case, a silent reminder of the choices they had to make. There was no telling what this discovery might actually be or lead to. It could possibly change the world, but at what cost? Maggie didn’t have the answers, and that uncertainty gnawed at her, a constant reminder that the line between knowledge and power was a fragile one.

As night fell over the camp, Maggie found herself standing at the edge of the site, staring out at the vast expanse of desert that stretched before her. The stars were beginning to appear, their cold light a stark contrast to the warmth of the day. She felt small, insignificant in the face of the universe, and yet the weight of the world seemed to rest on her shoulders.

Kane joined her, his presence a comforting anchor in the darkness. They stood in silence for a long time, the wind whispering through the sands, the night peaceful and still. But Maggie knew that this peace was fragile, that the danger was far from over.

“I moved Langley up to one of the tents,” said Kane. “I didn’t think leaving him alone in the actual dig was a good idea.”

“Kane,” she said softly, breaking the silence. “Do you ever wonder if we’re doing the right thing?”

He didn’t answer right away, his gaze fixed on the horizon. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, contemplative. “All the time. But we have to make the best decisions we can with the information we have. Sometimes, there’s no clear right or wrong—just choices.”

Maggie nodded, feeling a little of the weight lift from her shoulders. “I just... I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of this.”

“Neither do I,” Kane replied, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently. “But we can’t control everything. All we can do is try to keep each other safe.”

Maggie leaned into him, drawing strength from his calm resolve. The night was dark, the future uncertain, but for the first time in what felt like an eternity, she didn’t feel so alone. As the stars blazed overhead, Maggie made a silent vow—to protect the artifact, to protect her team, and to do whatever it took to ensure that their discovery didn’t become a curse. They would face whatever came next together, and that gave her a glimmer of hope in the midst of the darkness.

Chapter Ten

Kane

Kane stood near the edge of the dig site; his eyes fixed on the horizon where the sun had made its final descent. The full moon and the stars lit up the sky and provided a soft, ambient light. The desert stretched out endlessly before him, a vast, empty expanse that held as much danger as it did beauty. The wind picked up, whipping sand across the dig site and into the air, but Kane barely noticed. His mind was elsewhere, focused on the plan he had been carefully constructing with Sara.

Things had changed drastically since they had unearthed the artifact. The air at the dig site was thick with tension, an almost palpable sense of unease. Rupert Langley’s attempted theft of the artifact and Hassan’s injury had shaken the team, leaving everyone on edge. Someone had slipped in and taken Langley from the tent where Kane had left him. Kane didn’t like it. He knew they couldn’t stay here much longer—the danger was escalating, and it was only a matter of time before something, or someone, pushed things too far.

He glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of Sara as she approached, her expression as serious as his own. She was one of the few people he could trust in this situation, and together they had been working on a covert extraction plan to get Maggie and the artifact out of the dig site before anyone else could make a move. Sara had connections in the nearby town, and they had managed to secure a vehicle that would take them to a safe location where they could regroup and figure out their next steps.

“Everything’s in place,” Sara said quietly as she came to stand beside him. “We’ll move tomorrow night, under cover of darkness. The route’s clear, and I’ve spoken to our contact. We’ll have a safe house ready.”

Kane nodded, his gaze still sweeping the perimeter of the dig site. “Good. We need to be quick and quiet. The last thing we want is to draw any more attention.”

Sara glanced at him; her eyes filled with concern. “And Maggie? How is she holding up?”

Kane’s jaw tightened at the mention of her name. Maggie had been through so much—more than anyone not trained as an operative should have to endure—and yet she had remained strong, determined to see this through. But he could see the toll it was taking on her, the weight of the responsibility she carried.

“She’s holding up,” Kane replied, his voice gruff with emotion he tried to suppress. “But this has been hard on her. She knows what’s at stake, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Sara studied him for a moment, her expression softening. “You care about her.”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement, and it hit Kane harder than he expected. He had spent so long trying to keep his feelings in check, to focus on the mission, but it was getting harder every day. Maggie wasn’t just a responsibility to him anymore—she was someone he cared about deeply, someone he couldn’t imagine losing.

“I do,” he admitted, his voice low. “More than I should.”

Sara nodded as if she had expected that answer. “Then make sure she gets out of here safely. We all need to get out of here safely.”

Kane looked at her, appreciating the calm resolve in her eyes. She had been a steady presence through all of this, and he knew that he could rely on her to see the plan through. “We will. Tomorrow night.”

Sara gave a small nod of agreement before turning to leave, heading back to her preparations. Kane remained where he was, the weight of everything pressing down on him. The plan was solid, but the risks were enormous. One wrong move, and they could all end up dead—or worse, with the artifact in the wrong hands.

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