Page 80 of Emi's Hero

Members of the Jordanian camera crew frowned, looking lost. One of them spotted Jasmine and waved her over.

Jasmine’s brow furrowed. Her gaze darted toward the museum entrance once more before she strode across the floor to join the cameramen. She listened to the American cameraman and translated what he was saying for the Jordanians, who, in turn, grinned, nodded, and went to work adjusting angles.

Jasmine stepped back into the shadows.

Ace nodded to Hank. “Excuse me. I want to check on something.”

Hank’s eyes narrowed as his gaze swept through the people milling about. “Anything to be concerned about?”

Was there anything to be concerned about? Ace’s gut told him something was off, but he didn’t see a need to alarm Hank until he had a better idea of what. “No, I just want to look at some of the displays.”

“Are you a history buff?” Hank asked.

“A little. I’m always amazed at artifacts that were created centuries much earlier than our country’s inception.”

Hank nodded. “Yeah, some of the items in this museum date back hundreds of years before Christ.” He gave Ace a chin lift. “Explore while you can. It looks like they’re getting ready for another take.”

His gaze remained on Jasmine as Ace strode across the smooth stone floors to the room Jasmine had visited twice in less than an hour.

The room was climate-controlled, with soft lighting and several display cases positioned at its center. At a brief glance, nothing appeared out of place, but as Ace moved closer to the display cases, he frowned. They appeared...

Empty.

His pulse leaped as he read the information plaque beside the row of cases.

Copper scroll. 1stcentury AD.

He circled the cases and found that they all had keyed locks. He didn’t dare lift the tops off the cases. If he did, he’d leave his fingerprints all over the glass and possibly be accused of stealing what had been inside.

His stomach knotted. Jasmine had been in here. Had she come to steal the copper scroll? Did she have it stashed in that satchel she’d carried around all afternoon?

Ace spun on his heels and left the room. His gaze went to the last place he’d seen Jasmine. She wasn’t there.

His pulse slammed into hyperdrive as he scanned the vast corridor where the film crew worked.

She was nowhere to be seen.

Ace strode toward the museum’s entrance. As he neared the massive doors, someone opened the door and slipped through it.

That someone was Jasmine.

What the hell was she up to? If she’d stolen the scroll, he had to get it back. If he didn’t, the museum would hold Hank’s team responsible for the theft, especially considering they were the security team.

The copper scroll was a national treasure. If he didn’t get it back, it could cause an international incident as well as delay film production.

Ace slipped out of the museum and paused to locate the thief.

Dark hair flashed as Jasmine rounded the corner of a building across the street from the museum.

Ace had to wait for a delivery truck to pass in front of him before he could cross the road. As he waited, two large men dressed in black entered the side street, heading in the same direction as Jasmine.

Once the delivery truck passed, Ace crossed the street and broke into a jog, hurrying toward the street Jasmine had turned onto.

As Ace reached the corner of the building, he heard a woman shout, “No!”

He turned onto the street.

A block away, the two men in black had Jasmine by her arms. She fought like a wildcat, kicking, twisting, and struggling while holding onto the satchel looped over her neck and shoulder. One man ripped the scarf from her head and reached for the satchel’s strap.

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