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fire as Harry shoved the woman back around the bend in the tunnel. She sprawled on her face, hopefully safe from the incoming rounds.
    Harry returned fire to force the other man back. He doubted he hit the bastard, but the action bought him time to hunker down.
    The other man emptied a full magazine into the tunnel. The shooter yelled into the ringing silence afterward. “Give us the woman and we might let you live.”
    “Pass,” Harry said. “Give up now and you won’t end up like your friend.”
    The other man laughed nastily. “Him? He was an asshole. No loss. I bet you think you got me where you want me. You probably have friends upstairs. So what? I got something for them.”
    Harry saw him dodge across the room and fired. Too late, as it turned out. The man threw something up the well and made it to the far side of the room safely.
    A loud blast upstairs told Harry it had been a grenade.
    Dirt and falling pebbles pelted him from the roof of the tunnel. He spun on his heel and tripped over something. A man lay on the floor, his eyes open and staring. The woman was giving him CPR, but from the amount of blood, Harry knew it wouldn’t do him any good.
    He scrambled to his feet, grabbed the woman’s arm, and yanked her along in his wake. “He’s gone! Run!”
    She still had her flashlight in her hand, which allowed him to see ahead. There was a room around the next bend. They barely made it before the tunnel collapsed. A huge cloud of dirt and debris whooshed into the air, making him cough and shield his eyes.
    A flash of light from the side gave him just enough warning to dodge and throw up his arm. The woman’s flashlight hurt like hell, but better than if she’d caught him on the head like she’d intended.
    “Whoa! I’m on your side!”
    She took another swing at him, catching him in the shoulder. The light from her makeshift weapon made the room twist wildly. Her hair fell crazily across her face as she snarled at him. “You killed Abel!”
    He caught her third swing and twisted the light out of her hands. He managed to turn his torso and catch her knee on his thigh.
    “No! The people trying to kidnap you did. Your boss sent me to rescue you.”
    “I’ll bet.”
    “He said to tell you that you’re too important to Project Liberty to let them take you. The security passcode is kiwi.”
    She didn’t look completely convinced, but she stopped trying to maim him. She wiped tears from her eyes and coughed. The dirt in the air was like being in a sandstorm. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded. “And why would anyone want me so badly that they’d kill a kind, gentle man like Abel?”
    “That’s a long story.”
    She gestured toward the collapsed tunnel. “We’re not going anywhere soon.”
    “Hang on.” He activated his radio. “Paul? Allen? Are you all right?”
    “Harry?” Allen asked. The reception was poor, but comprehensible. “We’re good. Are you okay? Part of the well room collapsed.”
    “Yeah, I’m seeing that up close and personal. I’m fine and I have Miss Cook with me. There’s no way you’re getting to us and the pyramid might be unstable. Get out now and organize a rescue.”
    The other man’s tone sounded dubious. “Copy. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
    Harry turned to the woman now that he knew his people were safe. This was the first real look he’d gotten of her. The picture his father had given him didn’t do her justice. She was beautiful. Even covered in dust, with her large eyes streaming tears. His greater height and weight didn’t intimidate her at all.
    “Miss Cook, my name is Harry Rogers. Your CEO hired me and my team to come after you when he found out his ex-wife had taken an interest in you.”
    She stared at him. “I’ve heard of you. The estranged son. Your feud with your father is legendary. Why would you ever work for him?”
    He used her flashlight to examine the walls and ceiling for cracks. “That’s an even longer story. The