Given how spooked he seemed, she didn’t think it wise to question it too much.
She stopped a few yards from the table. The Professor had told her to come alone, but he wasn’t alone. A tall silver-haired Light Elf sat beside Smite-Williams with a weary expression on his face.
“Should I come back?” Shay inquired, keeping her attention on the elf.
The Professor nodded to a seat. “Correk has an interest in the object I want you to recover, so I asked him to come to this meeting.”
“And who is Correk, exactly—other than an elf?”
“You don’t need that information at this time.”
Shay sighed and rolled her eyes. “You know what? In the spirit of being a good example of sharing, and proving I’m on the ball here, I’m gonna give you some more information, even though you’re being…difficult.”
The Professor nodded. “And what information are you going to give me, Miz Carson?”
“The government has one of the stones. They know it’s extraterrestrial, but they can’t translate it. They’ve consulted Oriceran experts and human experts.”
An uncomfortable look spread over Correk’s face, and the elf cleared his throat. “I’m curious about something.”
Shay stared at him. “And what’s that?”
“How did you know about all of this to begin with?” The elf nodded at the Professor. “He mentioned you’d already been investigating this before he offered you the job.”
Shay shot Correk a grin. “I’m very resourceful, and I’m interested in ancient history. This is a big deal. Hell, it’s as big a deal as the truth about Oriceran coming out. Another planet with intelligent beings, and they’ve visited us in the past.”
Correk let out a quiet sigh. “It is at that.”
The tomb raider narrowed her eyes. “You’re not interested in it for the language or history, though, are you?”
The elf shook his head. “No.”
“Then why are you interested in it?”
“I have my reasons.”
“And they are?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Shay’s gaze ticked over to the Professor. “You have a Light Elf here. That makes me think it’s not just some stone with writing. It’s obviously got some magical power.”
She wasn’t ready to reveal she had a stone. The Professor and Correk were less than forthcoming, so the tomb raider didn’t see any advantage in being any more helpful than she’d already been.
The Professor sighed. “I can assure you, Miz Carson, the only danger you’ll face from that stone is in the process of recovering it.” The Professor and Correk shared a glance. “And I’m willing to double your fee for its recovery.”
“Huh. Well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?”
The Professor smiled and picked up his previously-neglected glass of beer. “Now that’s what I wanted to hear.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Shay surveyed the gathered gear on several tables in Warehouse Three. Pistols, grenades, underwater flares, amphibious needle guns, more than a few jammers, both aerial and aquatic drones, and of course, her cold-weather diving gear. It was almost everything she’d need for a raid where she wasn’t expecting a fight.
Then again, I wasn’t expecting a fight in Antarctica either.
“You two did a good job of getting my equipment ready. A damned good job.”
Peyton smiled. “Lily did a lot of the smaller arms. You don’t need a disguise or fake identity this time?” His gaze drifted longingly to the wall concealing the entrance to the Annex. “I’m sure we could find something in there that will work.”
“Nope. This is a straightforward raid, and if I do it right I won’t even be dealing with anyone other than to drop off my rental car and get on the plane. I’m only hoping I don’t get in a firefight under the lake.”
Lily patted the long black needle gun. “This baby has plenty of ammo.”
“You have to understand, fighting underwater always sucks.”
“Why? As long as you have the right weapon it’s not a big deal, right?” asked Peyton.
Shay shook her head. “Fighting is always about both offense and defense. The thing about fighting underwater is that you don’t have as much mobility, and there are issues with defense. Sometimes the best way not to die is to not be somewhere.”
“I’ll keep that in mind if I ever get in a fight underwater,” said Lily.
She is like a little sponge, soaking in every bit of information around her. Shay’s phone came to life, and she pulled it out, expecting the Professor. Instead, it was Brownstone.
What does he want?
Shay searched her mind, trying to figure out if the bounty hunter had said he was going to call her. Maybe he’d pissed off some other international gang and needed to destroy their local headquarters.
She snickered. “What’s up, Brownstone?” She held up her finger to her lips and looked at Lily.
“Alison has another Parents’ Weekend, and I was wondering if you were going to go. It’s this weekend, and she’d really like it if her Aunt Shay could be there.”
Shay was still dealing with her feelings about being a part of this strange extended family, but she did like Alison. They’d bonded more during their recent time together.
If she hit Lake Michigan the following afternoon and recovered the stone, she could easily make it back in time for a weekend trip to Virginia.
Shay pondered the logistics for a moment. “What’s your plan for the Parents’ Weekend? You gonna take Alison on a barbeque tour of Virginia?”
Brownstone grunted. “Nope. She wants to experience a Broadway show, so I’m taking her to Wicked in New York.”
“As in ‘New York City?’”
“Yeah. There’s only one Broadway, right?”
The tomb raider’s stomach tightened. “Oh, that sounds cool, but I’ve got a job coming up, though, so you’ll have to tell her I’m sorry. Maybe I can come during the next Parents’ Weekend.”
“Okay, no problem. Just thought I would ask.”
“Thanks for asking, Brownstone. I appreciate it.”
Shay ended the call and sighed.
Peyton stared at her.
“It’s that school again, isn’t
