Chapter One

Don’t look back.

Doctor Eve Blakeley concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, on ignoring the prickle that shivered down her spine, on resisting the urge to halt in her tracks, to turn around and face whatever was causing the sensation.

Not real.

She made it a habit to run the almost five miles to work each morning. A habit she’d picked up from her ex-husband. One of the few things she had taken away from their six years of marriage—a love of running, an ability to hit a target with a handgun every time, and three children.

Running was the best therapy she knew. Usually. But this morning she couldn’t shake her demons. They were somewhere behind her, keeping pace, waiting to…

She’d thought she’d been improving; twelve years was a long time, and she should be over the kidnapping by now, but for the last few days she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that someone was watching. Every muscle tensed, waiting for the bullet to rip into her, slam her to the ground, the nightmare to begin.

Not happening.

Her route to the university took her along the River Cam. There were always plenty of people, dog walkers, and runners like herself. It was peaceful, beautiful, the river slow-moving, the sky blue, the spring air warm on her skin. The birds were singing.

Everything was bloody perfect.

But the ball of dread was growing in her stomach, and she swallowed down the fear crawling up her throat. Finally, she stopped, whirled around, and stared.

Nothing.

There was never anything. Sometimes she despised the person she had become. That she allowed herself to be so affected by what they had done to her, that she gave them power. She hated that.

She started running again. Reciting stuff in her mind to keep focused, and she arrived at the university without incident. Of course she did, because there was nothing to be scared of. Nothing real.

As she walked through the courtyard, a sense of peace washed over her. She loved this place. It wasn’t the life she had envisioned. Growing up, she’d imagined herself traveling the world to far-flung places, finding exotic relics and artifacts…having adventures. But life had a way of stepping in without warning and changing a person’s direction.

All the same, she was happy. Mostly. She had a fabulous job she loved at one of the best universities in the world. She lived in a beautiful place with her three gorgeous children. And a long way away, she had an ex-husband who, while not exactly a major presence in their lives, was at least on amicable terms and paid his child support on time. Which reminded her—she needed to get a hold of him and remind him to call their daughter next week—it was Harper’s eleventh birthday.

She showered and changed before heading for her office. She had a nine thirty lecture, then she was free to do research for the rest of the day.

Janis, her assistant, glanced up as she entered the outer office. “Mr. Tuul is here to see you, Eve.”

“He is? Was he scheduled?”

“No. He apologized but would like five minutes of your time. He knows you have a nine thirty lecture but hopes you can fit him in first.”

“Of course I can.” Mr. Tuul was the representative of The Mongolian Historic Society, the organization that funded her research. They gave enormous contributions to the university. She was hardly likely to tell him to go away and come back when she had more time.

“Good,” Janis said, “because I put him in your office.”

“Thanks.”

She had a nice office. Small, but with a window overlooking the courtyard below. A large mahogany desk, lots of bookshelves, and two chairs. Mr. Tuul stood at the window, hands clasped behind his back, staring down, but he turned as she entered. He was over six feet tall with short black hair. She’d always imagined Genghis Khan would look just like him. The Mongolian warrior was supposed to have fathered many, many children during his conquests; maybe Mr. Tuul was a descendant.

While he was clearly Mongolian, she had never heard a hint of an accent in his perfect English. And he wasn’t the sort of man you could ask personal questions. Today, he wore his usual impeccable dark gray business suit. He stepped toward her and held out his hand. She took it, and they shook briefly.

“I apologize for my impromptu visit,” he said. “I planned to make an appointment, but I’ve been called away and needed to talk to you before I left.”

He did? She hoped he wasn’t pulling the funding. There was no reason. Her research was going well. “Would you like a seat?” She waved her hand at one of the chairs. “A coffee?”

“Thank you, your assistant already offered. But I won’t take up too much of your time.” He sat down, rested his hands on his lap.

Eve perched on the chair on the other side of the desk. “How can I help you?”

“Dr. Blakeley, we would like to make you an offer.”

She relaxed back in her seat and smiled. “That sounds interesting.”

“In your last paper, you claimed you are close to discovering the location of the Spirit Banner of Genghis Khan.”

That had been the focus of her research for a number of years. The Spirit Banner was a spear bound with horsehair, and some believed it to be the repository of Genghis Khan’s soul. Its last known resting place had been a Buddhist monastery in central Mongolia, but it had disappeared in 1937 during the Soviet reign of terror.

“I believe I’m very close.” She was just awaiting one more piece of information, then everything would fall into place.

“We would like you to make a trip to Mongolia. You will take a team to find the Spirit Banner. We will of course pay for all expenses, and a preliminary amount has already been transferred into a new account. Use it as you see fit.”

For a moment, her pulse sped up, and she actually considered the idea. But only for a moment. She hadn’t done field work in twelve years. The idea made her stomach clench.

When she remained silent, he continued, “And there is an additional incentive. If the Spirit Banner is found, then we will fund a further expedition to find the tomb of the great Genghis Khan.”

Wow. Now that was a much bigger deal. The location of the tomb of Genghis Khan was one of the best kept secrets in centuries. And one of the things any archaeologist would literally kill to find.

“We have recently come upon certain information, which we believe, in conjunction with your methods, will enable you to identify the site.”

Her heart was racing now. She tried to keep her face as expressionless as his but was sure he could see the excitement shimmering in her eyes. “What information?” Eve’s methods used a mixture of detective work and imaging techniques to locate areas of archaeological interest. So what new information had they found?

“It involves a talisman we know to be buried alongside our great leader. Find the Spirit Banner and the information and the funding is yours.”

Of course she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t even go for a run without suffering a near panic attack. But God, she wanted to go. “I can’t. I’m afraid I don’t do field work. I have too many family commitments.” That was the excuse she always gave people. Blame it on her poor children. “But I could coordinate the expedition from here.” If they put someone else in charge, she would die. This was the culmination of everything she’d worked for.

He studied her for a moment. “I’m sorry. But that would not be possible. We need someone on location. If you change your mind, let me know. You have one week to accept, or we will make alternative arrangements. After that you will have a week to find the Spirit Banner and another week to discover the location of the tomb.”

The burial site had been a secret for eight hundred years, so why the sudden urgency? “That doesn’t seem like much time.”

“There are reasons, which at the moment, I’m not at liberty to disclose, but if you succeed, that will change and you will know everything.” He rose to his feet. “And whatever your decision, we’ll continue to fund your research here. Provided you’re willing to share the results of your work with whoever heads the expedition. Now I’ll leave you to your work. Good day.”

And he was gone.

She stared at the door, teeth clenched, a sick dread churning in her stomach, anger burning inside her.

Fear and anger, her constant companions.

Who would they put in her place? To use her hard work. To get all the glory.

Bastards.