Free Artifact by Gigi Pandian Page B

Library.”
    “I accept your offer of sticking together.”
    “My offer?”
    “You said I had to be careful. Sticking together is the best way to do that. You’re involved now, too.”
    There were two possibilities. Either Lane was right that an unknown party was after me and it was safer to stick together, or after being presented with such a tempting treasure Lane himself had...okay, I hadn’t figured out exactly how he could possibly be involved. But if he was, I needed to keep an eye on him.
    Either way, from the sleepy looks of all the passengers around me, I’d gotten more rest than any of them. I was starting out ahead.

     

Chapter 12

     
    We rode the Underground from Heathrow into the city. Much of the journey into London is above ground. We watched the outskirts of London speed by, passing by rows of sprawling stone houses with the wash hung out to dry.
    I hadn’t been back to London in over a year. Apart from the time I’d spent with Rupert, I passed most of my time in London looking at India Office Records in a reading room of the British Library. It was an intense year, and I finished my dissertation by the end of it. Rupert, on the other hand, was happy to prolong the student experience. His archaeology dissertation (the subject of which I was never entirely certain) was a never-ending work-in-progress that his heart was never committed to. Born wealthy and knowing parental money would keep coming as long as he was still in school, Rupert had chosen one of the longest courses of study available. While flitting around from one archaeological subject to another, he took his time, enjoying life. That was Rupert’s strong suit. And we certainly did enjoy the finer things in life that year.
    Spending my days studying the lives of people who had lived long before me left me with a desire to live my life to the fullest each night when I left the hallowed library halls. Not because the research was mundane and I needed some excitement, but quite the contrary. The pieces of history that survive are the dramatic ones. The kind that can make you wonder why your own dreary existence is worth living.
    My research area is especially full of drama. Adventurous traders, proud rulers, courageous soldiers. No, my days weren’t boring. But my nights with Rupert were even more exciting. Had he lived in a previous century, I have no doubt he would have voluntarily headed to India in search of his fortune like some of his ancestors.
    The train headed into underground darkness as we neared central London. I pulled my thoughts back to the present.
    Lane and I found adjoining rooms in a quiet Bayswater hotel. I quickly freshened up, then slipped my heels back on. I heaved my messenger bag across my chest before knocking on Lane’s door.
    “I’ll share a cab with you to the library,” I said when he opened the door. “There’s something I want to look up there before I make another stop.”
    He yawned in response. His shoes were off and his dress shirt half unbuttoned. I pulled my eyes from the latter.
    “Haven’t you ever heard of a nap?” he asked. “It’s not even noon here. The library will be open all day. And it’s only a quick tube ride from here.”
    “A cab is much more efficient. Besides, you don’t want me to go out there all by myself, do you?”
    Lane raised an eyebrow. He was quite good at it.
    “I didn’t see anyone suspicious when we got off the plane,” he said. “There’s probably nothing to worry about.”
    “You don’t believe that.”
    “No. But you don’t believe you need a bodyguard, either. What do you want?”
    “Your help.”
    His eyebrow shot up again.
    “I thought if we got started now,” I said, “we could meet for dinner. We could compare notes before I leave for Scotland tomorrow.”
    Fifteen minutes later we passed the sprawling King’s Cross/St. Pancras station and arrived at the British Library. As we walked inside, I thought I noticed Lane give a fond look to an