Free The Norse Directive by Ernest Dempsey

always preferred to be direct. Wasting time wasn’t something Sean did very often.
    “That was why I wanted you to call me. It’s strange. The runes only spell out one word: awaken.”
    Sean paced back and forth on the sidewalk, thinking about the new information. Awaken? What in the world could that mean? The thoughts started mingling with others.
    Tommy went on. “Whatever it is, this coin is extremely rare. We won’t know for sure until we run some labs on it, but that kind of writing is definitely old. Where did you say this guy found it?”
    “I didn’t.” Sean stopped at the corner of the building, pivoted around, and started strolling back toward the entrance again. “I need you to dig around for a guy named Francis Jackson.”
    “Who’s that?” Tommy asked through the earpiece.
    “This guy in Knoxville says that the coin is a family heirloom, handed down originally by Jackson. I want you to find out all you can about him.”
    Sean imagined Tommy busily taking notes on the other end of the line.
    “Okay. Anything else?”
    “Other than figuring out who the guy is on the face of the coin, no,” Sean said after a few seconds of consideration. “That’ll do for now.”
    “You know,” Tommy’s voice took on a salesy tone, “for someone who’s retired from historical work, you sure seem to be interested in this case.”
    Sean snorted a quick laugh. “I knew you were going to say that. And the answer is no. I’m not coming back to work at IAA.”
    “I didn’t say anything.”
    “You were going to.”
    “Come on,” Tommy urged. “You know me better than that. I know you’re happy with your life. But I have to ask, what’s up with this case? Why the interest?”
    Sean glanced around the parking lot, eyeing each car suspiciously. He’d been trained to always be observant, to never take anything for granted. In the years following his service to the United States government, some of that training had lapsed, but there were other old habits that died hard.
    “I’ll talk to you more about it in the morning. I’d rather have that conversation in person than over the phone. And I’m not entirely sure I’m clean right now.”
    There was a pause on the other end of the line. A long time ago, Sean had taught Tommy a term they could use in case one of them was being followed. It was a word he’d brought to IAA from Axis. When an agent thought they’d picked up a tail, they said they were dirty. If they lost the person following them, they would say clean. Since the Russian escaped from their grasp earlier, Sean wasn’t about to make any assumptions.
    “Understood,” Tommy replied. “I’ll see you in the morning. Be careful,” he added.
    “Thanks, Dad, I will.” He grinned and shook his head as he hit the end button, muting the laughter coming from the other end.
    Sean opened the door to the restaurant and let out a family dressed in orange-and-white University of Tennessee gear, then reentered the building. His companions still sat at the table, which had been cleared of all the empty plates. Coop was happily signing the bill. Charlie begrudgingly allowed it.
    “Hey, Coop, you don’t have to pay for our dinner,” Sean protested.
    “Sorry,” he responded. “It’s already been done. You’re my guests, and I’m happy to do it.”
    “I tried to stop him,” Charlie defended, returning to his grumpy demeanor.
    Coop folded his hands on the table and took on a serious expression. “The truth is, I feel a little guilty too.”
    Sean’s face scrunched. “Why’s that?”
    Coop shrugged. “I haven’t been completely up front with you, gentlemen. I’ve been keeping something from you regarding the coin.” He looked down at the table for a second with a face awash with guilt. “The coin isn’t the only thing that was handed down by my ancestors. It came with something else.”
    Sean’s lips creased in a smile as if he knew what was coming next.
    “What do you mean you haven’t