The Lotus Key: A pulse-pounding archaeological thriller (Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 6) by Luke Richardson

Author:Luke Richardson [Richardson, Luke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

30

As the sound of the chopper faded, Eden leaped out through the trees toward the mansion. She crossed the patch of rough ground where the chopper had been and ducked behind a tree trunk, one of many standing out of the ground like stubble. The color of the wood, and the lack of regrowth in such fertile land, indicated that the tree hadn’t been felled that long ago.

She looked up at the sky as the thrumming of helicopter blades disappeared into the sound of the jungle. A soft wind rolled in from the sea, dragging with it the smell of smoke from the grenade detonations.

“This woman has caused enough destruction already,” Eden said, suddenly feeling very alone. “Baxter, can you hear me?” She tapped the comms device. The tiny speaker buzzed and clicked, but no response came. Just in case Baxter could hear her, she summarized the situation.

She waited behind the tree for two minutes, watching the structure for movement. Seeing no evidence of guards left behind, she approached the building.

Gripping the rifle closely, Eden approached one of the operatives who had been hit during the gunfight. Walking between the fallen men, she felt her usual welling of frustration at the loss of life. Sure, these men had knowingly entered the fray, but that didn’t mean they deserved to die.

She crouched beside the first body, checking for a pulse she knew wouldn’t be there. The man was young, probably no more than thirty. He was of Chinese origin and wore black tactical gear and combat boots. Scowling at the grim task, she searched the man’s pockets and belt. She found several spare magazines, zip-ties, a few energy bar wrappers, but no dog tags, wallet or phone. She repeated the process with the other fallen men but found nothing to identify any of them. Zhao clearly wanted her people to be like ghosts—leaving no trace of who they were in life.

“It’s just too clean,” Eden said, turning and crossing to the building’s once grand entrance.

Pausing on the bottom step, she listened intently for any sign of movement from within. Hearing nothing but the gentle hiss of the wind through the glassless windows, she climbed, her weapon at the ready.

She stepped onto the porch and paused, tuning in to the sound of the old building. Hearing nothing threatening, she glanced over her shoulder at the sweeping vista out across the forest. She turned, pushed aside a thick plastic sheet which hung across the door, and stepped inside. She paused, listening as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. The room took up at least half of the level, with windows on three sides. Thick plastic sheets fastened across the glassless windows cast the room in a sepia-toned dusk.

Seeing the destruction, Eden grinned. Although Zhao had probably planned to move on from this base at some point, it appeared Eden and Athena’s arrival had sped up the process. She stepped further into the room and saw shards of rock and documents strewn across the floor.

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