****
Unsurprisingly, given his habits, it was Jonathan who first heard the news. He staggered into the museum one morning, obviously hungover. "Oh, Evy. I think you should know something."
"What is it now, Jonathan?" Evelyn had infinite patience when it came to her brother, despite the irritation that so often entered her voice when talking to him. It was one of the things Rick loved about her.
"There were some chaps at the bar last night," Jonathan said. "They were talking about going on a dig." He paused. "To Hamunaptra."
"Hamunaptra!" Evelyn's eyes widened.
"Those guys must not be up-to-date on current events," Rick said. "Hamunaptra no longer exists."
"That's what I tried to tell them!" Jonathan exclaimed.
"Jonathan!"
The Englishman winced, as much from the sharpness of her cry as the realization that he had somehow screwed up again. Rick almost felt sorry for him.
"You told them about Hamunaptra?" Evelyn demanded.
"Only that it had sunk beneath the sands," Jonathan protested. "I was trying to do you a favor!"
"And they didn't ask how you knew this?" Rick asked.
"Well…" Jonathan hedged.
Rick rolled his eyes. Trust Jonathan to open his big mouth and get them into some trouble.
"They know you were there?" Evelyn sounded furious. Her color was high and her eyes flashed.
"I don't think they believed me, though," Jonathan said hopefully.
"Jonathan, you should know better than to say things like that to total strangers." Rick half-expected her to order her wayward brother to go to his room.
"Well, clearly I don't," Jonathan said, and had the nerve to sound almost cheerful about it.
Exasperated, Evelyn turned away.
Rick felt compelled to make an effort on her behalf. He cleared his throat. "Maybe you shouldn't be allowed to talk to anyone anymore."
Yet for once his chivalry backfired. "Ooh, would you two take this somewhere else?" Evelyn snapped. "I have work to be doing, you know."
Stung, blaming Jonathan for his fall from Evelyn's good graces, Rick heaved himself out of the chair he had been lounging in. "Sure. Fine." He walked out of her office, casting a stern glare at Jonathan.
Carnahan was as unaffected by his displeasure as by Evelyn's. "Right. I'll see you tonight then." He sauntered off.
Disgruntled, Rick followed.
****
Three days later Jonathan announced that he had been approached by the men in the bar. They wanted him to guide them to Hamunaptra and were willing to pay handsomely for his services. Knowing her brother's penchant for wild escapades and his love of money, Evelyn gave him a piercing look. "You told them no, didn't you, Jonathan?"
"Of course I did, old mum!" Jonathan flapped a hand at her. "I may be a fool, but I'm not crazy. You won't ever see me back at Hamunaptra."
Rick was only marginally reassured by this. He thought Jonathan sounded far too hale and hearty. "What did you say when they upped their offer?"
"Oh. Well." Jonathan looked at him with vague alarm. "How did you know they did that?"
"I didn't," Rick said sourly. "But isn't that what guys like that always do?"
"I'll have you know I still said no," Jonathan said, lifting his chin defiantly. "I told you. Nothing will ever get me back at Hamunaptra."
"Thank God," Evelyn said. "Jonathan, you really must be more careful who you talk to."
"Yes, yes." Jonathan stood up impatiently. "I'm off, then." He ambled toward the door.
"Watch your back!" Rick called. "These guys might not want to take no for an answer."
But Jonathan was already gone.
He turned and looked at Evelyn, who was frowning at him. "What?"
"Do you really think they'd…just kidnap Jonathan?" she asked worriedly.
He wished he could take the words back, and cursed himself for being such an idiot. "Nah," he said. "I was just trying to scare him. I'm sure he'll be fine."
****
That evening they sat in the rear courtyard, sipping chilled wine. Rick was not much of a wine drinker, and he would never let any of his cronies see him like this, but he had nothing against sitting here with Evelyn. The night was cool and heavy with the scent of jasmine. Between them, they had almost demolished a plate of bread and mangoes. His fingers were sticky with fruit juice and he felt a bit giddy, as though there was magic in the evening breeze.
They sat on the low stone wall marking the edge of the courtyard. Beyond, in the street, a horse trotted past, and further away, someone was singing an off-key serenade. A car engine swelled as it approached. It had been six weeks since the events at Hamunaptra.
He took his courage in hand. "Evelyn." His voice came out funny, and he cleared his throat and tried again. "Evelyn."
She had been sitting with her head tipped back, gazing up at the stars. Now she looked at him, her lips still curved in a faint smile. "Yes?"
He was rendered speechless by her beauty. He had never before told a woman he loved her. He didn't know how to begin. "Evelyn, I—"
In the street, the approaching car drew right up to the building, the headlights splashing them with white light. Behind this one were three more cars, each one coming as fast as the first.
Rick jumped to his feet, one hand shading his eyes against the glare from the headlights. He watched a figure vault from the car.
The other three cars rocked to a stop and men poured out onto the street. They were all armed, and they did not look like they were here to check out a book from the library.
Rick grabbed Evelyn's arm and hauled her to her feet. "Come on!" He began running for the entrance to the library.
"Evy" The voice of the first figure was familiar; it was Jonathan Carnahan. As he stared in shock, the Englishman jumped the stone wall and burst into the courtyard. "Run, Evy!"
"What's going on?" Rick shouted.
The first gunshots split the night. Stone chips flew from the floor of the courtyard as the bullets came terribly near. Rick dragged Evelyn behind the nearest sarcophagus and pulled his gun.
"Jonathan!" Evelyn yanked her arm free. "Where's Jonathan?"
"Get inside!" He pushed her behind him. "When I cover you, run for the library. Shut the doors and don't open them for anyone."
"I will not—" Evelyn started.
Rick rose onto his knees and began firing over the lid of the sarcophagus. There were maybe sixteen men in the courtyard, all advancing slowly toward the building. He could not see any sign of Jonathan Carnahan.
The men dived for cover when he began firing, yet continued to shoot back. He ducked behind the cover of the sarcophagus. "I thought I told you to get inside!"
"Don't you order me around, O'Connell!" Evelyn seized his other gun and cocked it, her lower lip caught in her teeth.
The courtyard went silent.
Rick took a deep breath and was about to pop back up to resume firing when Jonathan shouted out. "Evy!"
"Oh, no." He gave Evelyn a fierce glare. "Stay down!" Slowly he peered out over the sarcophagus.
They had Jonathan. One man held the slight Englishman in a tight grip, one arm twisted up behind him, and a pistol was aimed at Jonathan's temple. His blue eyes bulged, and begged Rick to save him.
"Let him go!" Rick shouted.
"I am afraid not," said another man. He smiled coldly. "We require his services."
"Hamunaptra's buried," he yelled. "You can't get anything out of it."
"We shall see," said the man. "There are many stories about Hamunaptra. I choose not to believe anything unless I can see it for myself." He gave that glacial smile again. "As I can see your friend here has truly been to the City of the Dead."
"I haven't, I haven't!" Jonathan cried. "It was all a lie, I'm telling you!" He broke off and groaned as the man holding him captive twisted his wrist harder. "O'Connell!"
"We will be going now," said the leader of the group. He sketched a salute with his pistol.
Beside him, Evelyn sprang up, and Rick bit back a silent groan. "Stop right there!"
The leader snorted laughter. "Put it away, my dear, before one of us has an accident." The guns of his men were trained on her and Rick with equal disbursement.
"You heard him!" snapped another man. "Drop your weapons!"
"Drop your weapons," repeated the leader. "Or he dies." He smiled thinly. "I can always find a new guide. Perhaps even one of you."
Jonathan's eyes begged him not to do it. Evelyn would never do it. But Rick could see no choice. There were just too many of them. Even if he could take them all out, one of them would surely fire at Jonathan. Or Evelyn. He could not take that risk; he would never forgive himself if he was responsible for hurting one of them.
Slowly he began lowering his gun to the lid of the sarcophagus. The leader watched him with gimlet eyes, and smiled when Rick let go of the weapon altogether. Evelyn was slower to comply and this seemed to amuse the man.
The men began to leave the courtyard, backing away, their guns still trained on Rick and Evelyn; the man holding Jonathan began dragging the Englishman backward. The gun at his temple did not waver.
"O'Connell! Evy!" Jonathan struggled futilely in the man's grip.
"Rick, do something," Evelyn urged in a low voice.
"I'm thinking," he muttered. "I'm thinking."
Jonathan stared at him. Evelyn stared at him. The leader of the men watched him coolly. Rick felt panic begin to gnaw at him.
A single gunshot split the night. The man holding Jonathan arched backward and cried out, pain and surprise contorting his face. He let go of his captive and Jonathan immediately ducked and began scrambling forward.
Another shot, and now a second man fell. The shots were coming from behind him, Rick realized, between him and the museum. He whipped around and saw a shadowy figure standing before the doors leading to the library. Fire bloomed at the end of the rifle a third time, and another man fell.
They had been taken by surprise, this gang, but now they opened fire. Jonathan, caught in the middle, yelped in fright and began to run faster.
Rick snatched his gun and began shooting. Chips of stone flew from a bullet striking the lid of the sarcophagus and he felt something sting his cheek. He was dimly aware that Evelyn was beside him, firing the other gun.
"Get back!" a voice shouted. It belonged to the man firing the rifle, and Rick smiled grimly as he recognized it.
Jonathan streaked past them, panting in terror. Rick grabbed Evelyn's arm and began running with her toward the library.
Their attackers pursued, their faces tight with grim anger. They were clearly unused to not getting their way.
Rick shoved Evelyn ahead of him and twisted around so he was running backward, still firing at the men. He would be out of bullets soon, and he meant to make every shot count. Behind him, the rifle had fallen silent.
At the doors, he ran out of ammunition. He turned around and nearly tripped and fell over his own feet. A hand on his shoulder steadied him and he looked up gratefully at the leader of the Med-jai. "What are you doing here?"
Something struck him in the back of the leg, something hot and immediate. Rick shouted and went down to one knee. It felt as though someone had struck him with a hammer, sending fiery pain up and down his left leg.
"Rick!" Evelyn, who was inside, turned around and began to run back out.
"Get back!" ordered Ardeth Bay. He reached down and yanked Rick to his feet.
They staggered the last few steps. The stone of the building flashed past and Rick frowned – had some of those stones always been red? – and then they were inside the library. Jonathan and Evelyn rushed up to shut the doors and throw the key.
Rick stumbled and went down again. "Dammit!" His lower leg felt heavy, full to bursting with pain. His pant leg was already soaking through with blood.
"Who are they?" Ardeth demanded.
Evelyn ignored him, pushing past the Med-jai to reach Rick. Her face was white and strained. "Rick."
He was going to pass out; he could already hear the roaring in his ears. Cursing his weakness, he tried to smile reassuringly at her.
From the look on her face – the last thing he saw before he fainted – he didn't succeed.
****