“State them,” she said, folding her hands with feigned patience. “I’ve some terms of my own.”
“I’m sure you do.” His mouth quirked, almost a smile. “First, I’m in charge. If I say we abandon the hunt, we do so. You can find someone else to risk their neck, but you won’t endanger my men or me.”
“And what fee do you command these days?” she asked, bracing herself for his answer.
He named an exorbitant sum without hesitation.
The audacity of the number pulled a tight smile to her lips. “Done,” she said, savoring his brief flash of surprise. He was a fool if he thought any amount of money would keep her from her goal. She didn’t care a whit about the money except for thefreedom it gave her to pursue her dreams. She could pay ten times the amount he’d asked without putting much of a dent in her fortune.
“So easily?”
She leaned back, her relief so overwhelming that she feared she’d burst into tears. “This is all I’ve ever wanted, Max.” That wasn’t entirely true. She’d wanted him just as badly. Perhaps even more so.
He looked at her for a moment, his practiced arrogance wavering. She thought again of his anger at the tavern, the way he’d lashed out at her return to his life. Had she pushed him too far then, thinking only of her goals? Or was his presence now a sign that she had been right to seek him out?
“What else?” she asked, willing the tremor of vulnerability from her voice.
“I choose the crew. And you tell me exactly what your plans are. Once things have been set in motion, I won’t have you changing them on a whim.” He sat back, his calm defying the storm of questions swirling within her.
“I want a say in everything,” she insisted. “You may be in charge and set our route, but I’ll not be kept in the dark, nor will you keep me from entering the labyrinth if we find it. This is as much my expedition as yours.”
He smiled. “Your father would have had my head for taking you out to the desert. I think that might have been what he was most afraid of.”
“Father is dead,” she replied grimly. “This bargain is strictly between you and me. I no longer answer to anyone else.”
He smiled then, a real smile, and once again, those dimples flashed.God help me.“Good for you, Eden. I’m glad you’re finally out from under the thumbs of men who don’t deserve you.”
She blinked rapidly, his words touching something deep inside her she’d feared lost forever. No one else had ever understood her the way he did. Suddenly, the thought of making this trip with him, of sharing her dreams with the one person who’d always been as passionate about exploring as she was, made her breathless with anticipation.
“Max... should we talk about what happened between us back then? Clear the air and try to lance those old wounds?”
The lingering smile on his face faded as though it had never been, and she knew she’d gone too far. He obviously had no interest in rehashing old grievances.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said sharply. “All of that happened so long ago. I haven’t thought about it in ages. I think it is best if we just move forward as old friends. That’s all we are, isn’t it?”
She swallowed a surge of disappointment. She’d always known that he’d put it all behind him, that he’d never given her a second thought after he’d walked away, so she didn’t know why it hurt so much. She schooled her features as best she could, pretending her heart wasn’t breaking all over again. “Of course. You’re right. We need to put the past behind us.”
He nodded, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “When do we leave?”
“As soon as preparations allow. I must be at the dig site on the night of a new moon, so we have to take that into consideration.”
“Then we’d best begin at once. The winter dig season is nearly upon us.” He stood, and for a heartbeat, she glimpsed the recklessness of their younger days, a shadow of the camaraderie they’d shared. “I’ll start making preparations and let you know our next steps.”
“Max... thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he told her grimly.
After he took his leave, Eden couldn’t contain a little shriek of happiness. She was finally going to Egypt! And even better, she was going with Max!
