Page 24 of Enticing Kane

Maggie nodded, though Sara couldn’t see her. “I’m on it. Give me a minute.”

Picking up a handheld device, Maggie quickly scanned the crystal in detail and transferred the information to her laptop. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she initiated the data transfer. The screen filled with streams of code and symbols—far more than she had thought she could get with a scan. The scanner whirred and started to crackle before it spit out the last of what it could retrieve and then went silent. Whatever the artifact was, it had overwhelmed the poor thing. Sara had set up a secure server to receive the data, one that was far beyond the reach of Carter and whoever it was that truly pulled his strings.

“Come on, come on,” Maggie muttered, her eyes darting between the laptop screen and the tent entrance. Every second felt like an eternity as the data slowly transmitted, the progress bar inching forward with agonizing slowness.

Just as the transfer reached 95%, the ground shook beneath her feet, and Maggie heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire erupting from the far side of the dig site. Her heart lurched as she realized that the assault had begun. Carter’s men had made their move.

“Maggie, we’ve got to move!” Sara’s voice was urgent in her ear. “They’re here! We’re under attack!”

“I need just a few more seconds!” Maggie replied, her voice strained as she watched the progress bar inch closer to completion.

She could hear the chaos outside—shouts, the crack of gunfire, the heavy thud of explosions—but she forced herself to stay focused. The data had to be transmitted. It was the only way to ensure that their discovery didn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Finally, the progress bar hit one hundred percent, and the laptop pinged softly, indicating that the transfer was complete. Maggie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her entire body sagging with relief.

“It’s done!” she shouted into the radio, quickly disconnecting the artifact from the laptop. “The data is secure!”

“Good, now get out of there!” Sara ordered; her voice sharp.

Maggie grabbed the crystal and placed it back inside the artifact before stuffing it into her backpack, her hands trembling as she slung it over her shoulder. She was about to rush out of the tent when a loud explosion nearby shook the ground, throwing her off balance. The sound was deafening, and the shockwave sent a cloud of dust and debris flying through the air.

“Maggie!” Kane’s voice crackled through the radio, filled with desperation. “Where are you?”

“I’m coming!” Maggie shouted back, coughing as she staggered to her feet. She had to get to Kane, had to find him in the chaos before it was too late.

She burst out of the tent, the scene before her a nightmare of smoke, fire, and chaos. Carter’s men were everywhere, their dark uniforms blending into the shadows that were beginning to form as they engaged in a fierce firefight with the site’s defenders. After their return to the dig site and his confrontation with Carter, Kane had issued firearms to those at the dig who knew how to use them. The air was thick with the smell of burning fuel and gunpowder, and Maggie’s heart raced as she scanned the battlefield for any sign of Kane.

“Maggie, over here!” a voice called out, and Maggie turned to see Sara waving frantically from behind a stack of crates. She was crouched low, her rifle held at the ready, her face set in grim determination.

Maggie ran toward her, ducking low as bullets whizzed past her head. She reached Sara just as another explosion rocked the camp, sending a plume of fire and smoke into the sky.

“Where’s Kane?” Maggie gasped; her eyes wide with fear.

Sara shook her head, her expression tight. “He’s trying to hold off Carter’s men near the main gate. We’ve got to move, Maggie. We need to get you out of here.”

“I won’t leave without Kane!” Maggie protested, her voice trembling. “I have to find him!”

Before Sara could respond, a group of Carter’s soldiers rounded the corner, their rifles trained on them. Sara fired a quick burst, taking down two of them, but there were more coming. Too many.

“We’re outnumbered!” Sara shouted, grabbing Maggie’s arm. “We’ve got to go, now!”

Maggie hesitated, her heart torn between the need to find Kane and the reality of their situation. But before she could make a decision, a powerful hand grabbed her from behind, yanking her backward with brutal force.

She cried out, twisting to see who had grabbed her, but her captor was already dragging her away from Sara, his grip like iron. Maggie struggled, kicking and clawing at the man’s arm, but he was too strong. He pulled her into the shadows, away from the battle, until they were hidden behind a half-collapsed wall.

“Let me go!” Maggie shouted, trying to wrench herself free.

The man’s grip tightened, and he turned her roughly to face him. Maggie’s blood ran cold as she found herself staring into the dark, cruel eyes of the militia leader, the man who had confronted Kane earlier at the dig site. Kane had Cerberus locate and transmit an image of the man to him and had then printed pictures and distributed them to all those involved.

He was tall and imposing, his face hardened by years of battle. A jagged scar ran down the side of his face, and his eyes gleamed with a twisted mix of triumph and malice.

“You’re not going anywhere, Dr. Dillon,” the man sneered, his voice thick with an accent she couldn’t place. “You’ve caused me a lot of trouble, but it ends here.”

Maggie’s heart pounded in her chest, fear threatening to overwhelm her. But she forced herself to stay calm, to think. She had to find a way out of this, had to outwit him somehow. She couldn’t let him take her—couldn’t let him get his hands on the artifact.

“What do you want?” she demanded, her voice shaking only slightly.

The man’s eyes flicked to the backpack slung over her shoulder, and a cruel smile curled his lips. “I think you know what I want, Dr. Dillon. Hand over the artifact, and maybe I’ll let you live.”

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