Page 21 of What Doesn't Kill Her

“Probably not, since he went against orders and checked the bag through to Portland, knowing full well it couldn’t easily be retrieved from the hold of the plane.” Nils waited for a response.

She thought through all the possible scenarios. “So Horst and I could face some...challenges?”

“Possible challenges. Yes.”

“Nils.”

“Probable. I don’t believe in coincidence.”

“No kidding.” She ladled on the sarcasm. “What does this restorer guy have to say?”

“Not much. He’s only got a wireless up there—”

“What? Is he living in World War II?”

“And he didn’t respond when I called.”

She took a moment to let that soak in. She and Horst were taking a priceless antique head into the Olympic Mountains and hiking it up to a weird recluse expert...and the guy didn’t know they were coming? “Nils...”

“How well do you trust Horst?” Nils asked.

“Good question.”

“You don’t want to say too much.”

“Not now!” Not with Horst sitting next to her.

“I told the boss at Richart Movers we needed someone trustworthy, and he said he’d do the best he could on such short notice.”

“Oh, dear.” The short notice thing was not promising.

Horst glanced at her as if trying to follow the conversation, but he seemed uncertain.

That worked for her. “Why the late update?”

“If I’d told Max all this, he wouldn’t have passed the message on.”

“So you men fixed things up between the two of you, and this is the result?” She hadn’t packed everything she would need, like her body armor and her extra weapons. She rode in a van with firearms that looked good but which she had not tested, with some guy she hoped had had proper security training. She was acquiring a head that Nils Brooks calledpriceless. Great. Just great.

And...her adrenaline kicked up to enjoyable levels.

Yes, she had missed this.

“It’s not that bad,” Nils said. “I’ve dealt with Richart Movers before. They’re a young company, but the owner is reputable and—”

Kellen hung up on the pompous self-satisfied chauvinist asshole, smiled tightly at Horst and said, “Just getting the details of the operation.”

“Anything I should know?”

“Men are jerks.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Smart guy, this Horst. He didn’t argue with her. He might be okay; just because Max and Nils were jerks, that was no use thinking Horst was going to grab the mummy’s head and run with it.

“What challenges are we going to face?” he asked.

“Hmm?”

---