Free The Eden Factor (Kathlyn Trent/Marcus Burton Romance Adventure Series Book 2) by Kathryn Le Veque Page A

heavy boots, and a faded beige duster.
The duster was like her personal signature, unique only to her.  It was an old,
torn-up thing, but Kathlyn wouldn't let it go. With her honey colored hair
flowing, her John Lennon sunglasses and her full colored lips, she made quite a
sight.
      "All right," she
stood at the entrance to their tent, her gaze moving out into the compound
beyond. She cuffed her sleeves and cracked her knuckles. "Let's go see
Fayd."
    Marcus stood up from his chair.
"Ready to rock and roll?"
    "Let's do it."
    "Go get 'em, baby."
    Smiling, he followed her from the
tent. Last night, he had been the threatening one. This morning, he didn't envy
Fayd Fahdlan in the least.
     
    ***
     
    The moment Marcus saw Dr. Fayd
al-Rashad Fahdlan, he almost forgot his apology to his wife for his
chest-beating antics. The guy looked like something out of Lawrence of Arabia.
He had a beautiful face, a beautiful smile, and almost had a gentle, courtly
manner about him. He greeted Kathlyn traditionally, a kiss to each cheek, and
Marcus struggled not to become unglued. Fortunately he had Lynn and Dennis
sitting in on the meeting to either hold him back or help him pound the living
daylights out of the guy should he be so inclined.  Juliana, Mark and Otis
Dison were there, too, for Kathlyn's sake. This meeting involved the four of
them perhaps more than anyone else.
    Fayd was extremely pleasant when
introduced to Marcus. He complimented him on his Valley of the Kings dig and
congratulated him on his marriage to Kathlyn. Marcus had to admit, the guy was
amiable. And smooth.  But Marcus remained his cool self, as usual. He had
always had the reputation of being a hard-ass, something that was in no danger
of being ruined today.
     Fayd had come with two of his
brothers, Hamid and Ali. They, too, were very friendly. All in all, the meeting
didn't start out on the wrong foot at all contrary to the negative buildup. 
But when the Vatican representative was introduced, the potential for tension
finally reared its ugly head.
    His name was de Tormo. He was
short, fat and balding and smelled like he hadn't bathed in months. He was also
curt in his manner and all of Kathlyn's hopes for a smooth encounter went out
the window when Marcus visibly bristled at the man's demeanor.  Not
surprisingly, Fayd tried to downplay the representative's manner. But Marcus
knew a jerk when he saw one. He glanced at his wife, a knowing expression
passing between them.
    "Mrs. Burton," de Tormo
went right to the point after the introductions were properly complete.
"It is my understanding that you have excavated something that, by most
accounts, appears to be the remains of human being with wings. For my purposes,
would you care to elaborate?"
    Kathlyn had dealt with
representatives from The Vatican before. The majority of the time, they were
very pleasant and genuinely interested in what she was doing, at least when
they weren't going on record with the media. But de Tormo wasn't one of those.
The distain in his voice was evident and that, in turn, put her on the
defensive.
    "Mr. de Tormo," since
he addressed her incorrectly, she would return the favor. "I would be
happy to answer your question if you would make clear what your purposes
are."
    "I am a Vatican
representative. That should be quite clear."
    "Humor me."
    He just looked at her with his
fat doughy face and dull brown eyes. "I come from the highest
source."
    "Are you here to investigate
me? That's been done before, you know."
    "I'm not here to investigate
you. His Grace is curious."
    Kathlyn lifted her eyebrows in
disbelief. "Are you telling me that the Pope sent you directly?"
    The man fanned himself.
"Yes, unfortunately, he has an insatiable curiosity in such matters. And
in spite of the position The Vatican takes on your work, he has followed your
career with great interest."
    Kathlyn sat back in her chair,
casually. She wasn't about to show any reaction. "I'm flattered. But I
want