Chosen (20 page)

“Far fewer people will get near us there than outside,” Abu said. “And we won’t be throwing salt on an open wound by tearing open the Haram’s outer wall.”

Alexana nodded. “In the end, it might be much cleaner to go in from the top and use a crane to lower the equipment. Should we proceed on this track?”

Everyone nodded.

“Excellent,” she smiled confidently. “I’ll leave you to figure out the logistical details while I secure final financing and get the nod from the powers that be. We’ll need security forces, and that will take some finagling. I’ll plan to meet all of you on the Haram in three days’ time. At 7:00
A.M.
sharp. Security passes will be sent to you by messenger. If any of you feel that you must drop out because of the obvious risks, please notify me immediately.” She smiled at each one. “Shalom and marahaba, my friends.”

“You’re not going alone, Sana,” Sam began.

She turned to him with a pointed stare. “Yes, I am. The world will shortly know what we intend, and who’s in charge. My disguise might throw them off for a while, but I cannot hide forever.”

Across the Nablus Road from the École Biblique, atop a two-story building, Shehab and four of his men waited for Samuel Roarke and the others to exit. Intelligence reports told them that the team was proceeding with the dig, with or without Alexana. It did not add up for Shehab; Alexana had been carefully chosen to lead the dig. To hand it over to her brother—who had experience, but not as much
as his sister—would require at least one meeting between Abba Eban and Abdallah al Azeh. Yet the two had not been seen together.

Shehab frowned as the Bedouin woman who had entered the École Biblique compound that morning emerged. He made a low sound in his throat and nodded, indicating that two of his men should follow her. Maybe the woman knew something, perhaps even the whereabouts of Alexana Roarke.

Alexana kept her head down as she made her way through the Damascus Gate and back into the Old City. She dared not look around, for fear of discovery. Although her blond hair was covered, her light skin might have given her away in the bright daylight. Remembering the veil, she drew the cloth across her mouth and cheeks, leaving only her eyes exposed. She then buried her pale hands in the folds of her skirts and walked quickly by two men who casually watched her.

Don’t think you’re going to pick up a new girlfriend, buckoes,
she thought. Her mind turned to a more intriguing man, Ridge. Would he ever forgive her? She berated herself for the way she’d handled the situation. Her chest felt tight as she thought about the conflicting desires of her heart: Ridge and Solomon’s Stables.
Why must I choose, Lord? I don’t feel you leading me to one over the other. Where are you?

She turned the corner, lost in thought, and bumped directly into the chest of a very large man. He grabbed her by the shoulders. Alexana glanced up, then, catching herself, back down. But he had already caught sight of her bright blue eyes, wide with surprise. Grinning with the excitement of discovery, he pulled away her veil and roughly turned her around so that his companion could get a good look.

“Recognize this one?” he asked his companion in Arabic.

The man grinned, looking her over. “Shehab will be pleased. Bring her.”

Alexana acted on instinct. She quickly threw a knee to the second man’s groin, doubling him over, then brought her heel down on her abductor’s toes. Both backed off momentarily. Alexana never paused.

Running furiously, she first turned one corner and then another, heading directly to the suk. Disappearing into the crowd was her only chance, yet there was little time to blend in. Her pursuers could not be far behind. Alexana chose a nearby dress shop, and, with a few hurried words and a few well-placed shekels, gained sanctuary in the makeshift dressing room for five minutes. She grabbed two dresses on the way in, throwing one over the curtained door to make it look as if she were changing. No respectable Muslim man would give the door more than a glance.

She backed into the far corner, praying that they would not even enter the store. An hysterical urge to giggle washed over Alexana. She thought about her pursuers madly rummaging through women’s clothing, looking for her.

Incredibly, no hand came to rip the curtain aside and drag her, screaming, into the street.

Alexana left the store after purchasing a new headdress and veil, leaving the old clothing behind. Then, feeling safer on the rooftops than the streets, she climbed the stairs at the corner and made her way to Lydia’s house.

J
ust before dawn Alexana and Lydia awoke to the sound of someone pounding on the front door. Frowning, Alexana flew out of bed and into her clothes, preparing to escape through the window if necessary. Lydia put her hand out in a calming gesture, indicating that she would find out who dared to awaken the household at that hour. However, before she could act, both women heard Ridge’s voice, raised in agitation as he spoke to Lydia’s father.

Relief flooded through Alexana as her heart cried for her to go to him. But in the face of his anger, she stood frozen.

Lydia went to the top of the stairs. “It is all right, Father. Please, let Mr. McIntyre come up to the drawing room.”

Grumbling, Jacob allowed Ridge to race past him and up the stairs.

“Where is she?” Ridge asked Lydia, bypassing any pleasantries.

“I’m here,” Alexana said quietly from Lydia’s doorway.

Ridge turned and stared in relief at Alexana. Then he shook his head, as if trying to remember the reason for his abrupt visit.

“Can we talk?” he asked gruffly.

Alexana’s face fell, hope for reconciliation dying in the light of his harsh manner. “Here,” she said, indicating a small library to the left of Lydia’s bedroom. She steeled herself for what he had to say.

Ridge followed her into the library and frowned as they sat. “I had a visitor this morning,” he said gruffly.

Alexana looked at him, openly curious. “Who?”

“Another contact from Hamas,” Ridge said grimly. “He told me Shehab’s men very nearly had you in their hands yesterday. He gloated, saying that Shehab spotted you leaving the École Biblique and, on a hunch, had you followed.”

“That was his whole scoop?” Alexana scoffed, sounding more courageous than she felt. “I hope you didn’t pay him for such gibberish.”

“Alexana!” Ridge signed in frustration. “Are you telling me that they didn’t chase you through the suk? That they didn’t nearly grab you?”

“Ridge, I’m sure his story was exaggerated,” she hedged.

He shook his head, sighing. “So, it’s true. You were almost taken again. And this time you wouldn’t have been under Khalil’s protection.”

“We’ve been through this,” Alexana said with a sigh. “There is a small faction within Hamas who want to harm me. But they’re not going to! Look at what happened yesterday. They had me in their hands, but I escaped. I can take care of myself,” she said bravely. She fought to make her facial expression match her even tone.

Ridge rose and paced. “Don’t be a fool, Alexana. You’re too highly educated and too knowledgeable about the ways of the Middle East to be so naive. No one is invulnerable here. Not even you!”

Alexana lowered her head and closed her eyes. “All right,” she admitted. “I realize that. I do. If it will make you feel better, I won’t go anywhere alone, okay?”

Ridge stared out the window, silent. She felt miserable that he was so concerned for her and miserable that they were not together when each was so clearly in love with the other.

“Ridge, I—”

“Save it, Alexana.” He would not even look at her. “You can’t convince me that this is a sane decision. That you really have to …” He paused and looked at her as if a divine revelation had just hit him. He came and knelt beside her, his expression softening as he took her hands in his. “What if. What if I asked you not to do it?”

“Don’t ask me, Ridge. Please. Don’t make me choose.” She looked at him tenderly. “I am in love with you. You know that, don’t you? You might be too angry to care about that fact right now, but I still do. If you’ll just hang in there, we’ll get through this dig. It is undoubtedly the most volatile excavation I’ve been involved with. But Ridge, don’t you see? What if I face all these roadblocks because there’s something truly wonderful down there? What if Satan is using these men in Hamas to keep us from discovering a find that is sure to glorify Jesus?” She stood and paced, realizing that this possibility was what pushed her to pursue the dig, even in the face of danger.

“There might not be anything down there but stairs,” she continued. “But even so, those are stairs that Jesus and the disciples walked. Maybe it will encourage someone, somewhere, to see those simple blocks of stone unearthed. Who knows how God works? You know he speaks to each of us in different ways. This is my chance to really make a difference.”

“And make a name for yourself.” His tone held none of the venom his words bespoke.

“No, Ridge,” Alexana said gently, refusing to give in to anger. “At first, I admit, I was glad for the opportunity. For a while, this dig will
place my name front and center in the archaeology community. But when I was stuck in that Bedouin camp, it became clear to me what I seek.

“My original prayer was for this to glorify my God, not me. I’ve seen that I can be delayed, kidnapped … possibly even killed. But still those stairs remain, a solid reminder of God’s power which withstands the tests of time. I’m still here. I truly believe God wants me to see this through.”

Ridge frowned again. “How am I supposed to argue with that? You’re telling me this is a divine call? That God spoke to you like he did to me in the Church of All Nations?”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t a grand, spiritual realization; it’s more like a sure, quiet stream … a pull that tells me that I’m following God’s path. Sometimes God speaks in lightning bolts, fast and furious; at other times, his voice is as quiet and steady as a hummingbird’s beating wings.”

Ridge looked helplessly at her. “You know more about God than I.”

“Please, Ridge,” Alexana said, urging him to rise with her.

He let Alexana draw him to his feet, then pulled her close. “I’m so afraid, Sana. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I know. I know.” She rested her cheek against his broad chest. “But God is in this with us. He’s watching out for us. If he weren’t, I don’t think I’d be standing here right now. He has a plan for each of our lives. Exploring the Temple Mount may be one of his purposes for me. I can’t walk away. Do you understand?”

“I think so.” Ridge pulled her away from his chest and held her at arm’s length, studying her face as if he wanted to memorize each curve, each dimple, each freckle. “Please, Sana. Promise me you’ll
take more precautions. You’re right: I can’t be around to protect you all the time. I’ll trust in God to take care of you. But I think he also wants us to use common sense. Try to stay one step ahead of these men; outsmart them. I know you can. You’re a wise woman.

“And I’ll do my part. I’ll finally broadcast my story that you’re alive and well and proceeding with the dig. Hopefully, some pressure from the U.S. will help dissuade the radicals who are pursuing you.”

Alexana grinned, realizing that he was reluctantly bestowing a blessing on her project. She wondered if there might be room in his heart for both her and her career, after all. “Thank you, Ridge,” she said quietly. “I want you to be careful, too. You’re sent to danger zones even more often than I.”

“Agreed,” he said, smiling at last and pulling her close once again. “And now, may I kiss you? I’ve been wanting to for days.”

“Please do, Mr. McIntyre,” Alexana smiled back at him. “Please do.”

R
esponding to Alexana’s invitation, Ridge made his way to the Temple Mount, feeling as though his feet were cushioned by air. He absently fingered the press passes she had sent via messenger.
If Nike could package this feeling,
he thought,
they’d double their profits!
He eagerly anticipated seeing Alexana. Perhaps they might even have a moment alone. Then, he could ask her to dinner …

“McIntyre!” Steve yelled from the checkpoint where he waited, camera in hand. As he neared, Ridge realized that the security guard would not let Steve in.

“No cameras,” the guard said in heavily accented English before Ridge could say a word.

“I am a journalist from CNN,” Ridge said in sloppy Arabic. “I have a pass,” he said, switching to English. “See my pass? Steve has one too.” Both men held their clearance out to the guard. Although he obediently examined them, his expression did not falter.

“You may pass. No cameras. Leave here.”

“No way, man,” Steve said, gesticulating broadly. “This baby is brand-new. It’s like part of my body. I don’t go anywhere without it.”

The guard shook his head again, unmoved by Steve’s dramatics, while Ridge struggled to figure out a way beyond the impasse.

“Ridge!” Alexana yelled from the top of the ramp that led to the
Temple Mount. Then, noticing their dilemma: “Let them by!” she commanded the guard in Arabic.
“And
their equipment. They have been cleared with security passes!”

“No picture of mosques,” the guard grumbled. He then stood aside, realizing he had little choice in the matter.

Ridge and Steve hurried past. “Maybe we can film your intro in front of the Dome of the Rock,” Steve said under his breath. “You know, give the audience a sense of locale.”

“Good idea,” Ridge agreed. “Let’s see what Alexana has in store for us first though.” He smiled at her as they approached.

“She’ll have to make it fast,” Steve said. “Headquarters called. We need to hit Tel Aviv this afternoon. They want us to interview some American businessmen about the peace process and how it’s affected financial matters.”