Familiar Mirage. Caroline Burnes

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      “Me-ow!”

      “Familiar?” Omar said carefully, though he could hardly believe the cat was trying to tell his name.

      “Me-ow!” The cat nuzzled his leg, rubbing his head against the white robe with great relish.

      Omar looked up at Beth. “I think that’s his name.”

      “But that would be an American—”

      “Me-ow!” Familiar lifted a paw and held it up. Tentatively Beth met his paw with her own hand. “Me-ow!” the cat proclaimed, swatting her palm with his claws sheathed.

      “Incredible. He just gave me a high-five,” Beth said.

      “Incredible indeed,” Omar said. He watched the cat intently. There was something odd about this one. He’d known and loved cats all his life, but he’d never seen a cat who could so clearly communicate with humans.

      John Gilmore sauntered up to Beth and Omar. “So the two of you are adopting a stray cat,” he said with one corner of his mouth twisted. “How cute. I’m just wondering if we’re here for an archaeological expedition or as emissaries of the Humane Society.”

      Omar’s fist clenched, though he made sure that no other part of his body registered his anger. Beside him, Beth, too, tensed.

      “If you’re so overly worried about our expedition, why aren’t you suited up for the dive?” Beth asked with a measure of calm that Omar could only admire. She was a woman who’d learned to govern her emotions and to sharpen her tongue for use as a weapon. What she lacked in physical size, she made up for in spirit and intelligence.

      “I could ask you the same,” John countered. “Him, too.”

      “You could, but you aren’t in charge of this expedition. I am,” Beth said evenly. “You don’t have to worry your pretty little head about any of the decisions that need to be made. That’s my job.” Her tone suddenly hardened. “Now suit up and prepare to dive.”

      Omar watched as John’s face suffused with blood. Beth had angered him deliberately. He felt a tiny smile tug at the corners of his mouth. Sometimes words were far more effective than fists.

      John abruptly wheeled around and went to put on his diving gear. Mauve sauntered up to Beth. “That wasn’t particularly smart. You’re going down in the sea with him.”

      “John is annoying, but once we get to work, he’s a professional,” Beth said.

      “I hope you’re right,” Mauve said. “I’d feel better if I were going down there with you.”

      Beth shook her head. “I need you on top here. You can run the equipment better than anyone.”

      “I’ll be there with you,” Omar said, and both women turned to him. “As your guide, I’ll be at your back at all times.”

      He saw the slight tremor pass through Beth, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the reaction was to the hint of a threat his words induced, or the image of him standing behind her, protecting her from anyone who dared threaten. He wasn’t sure exactly which he preferred.

      Chapter Four

      “Now, we all know what we’re looking for?” Beth asked as she stood on the deck of the boat with the four members of the crew who were diving with her. Omar stood slightly behind her, but she was more than aware of his presence. She shot a glance at Mauve, who was staring blatantly at Omar’s sculpted chest and stomach, the lean and sinewy legs that emerged from the bottom of his conservative swim trunks. She’d always disliked the small briefs-style suits some men favored, much preferring the boxer-shorts style.

      And in Omar’s case, she was more than a little interested in the man who wore them.

      At the sound of Mauve clearing her throat, loudly, Beth brought her attention back to the group who stood in the hot Egyptian sun waiting for her to continue. Mauve’s wicked grin almost made her choke. She flushed but got a grip on her thoughts.

      “If my hypothesis is correct, we should find a temple built to Con in Herakleion. In the temple there should be hieroglyphics that will reveal the exact location of the lost city.

      “If it exists,” John said.

      Anger made Beth whirl to look at him, but before she spoke she’d already governed her temper. “John, we all know that we’re here to explore my personal hypothesis. You knew that when you signed on. Creating doubt in the project isn’t helpful, and if it continues, I will send you back to the States.”

      “A professional always doubts.” He lifted his chin and glanced at the other members of the dive team.

      Beth noticed that only two of them met John’s glance—Ray and Judy—the two who doubted her the most. John was always a pain in the butt, but he was sometimes helpful. She made a note to question Ray and Judy closely after they made the dive. Their doubt could prevent them from seeing a clue.

      “Doubt can be effective, but not nearly as much as belief,” Beth countered. “I believe in the lost City of Con. I believe in the woman who became a goddess. And I believe she had the ability of second sight. Those of you who don’t believe the same, just keep an open mind and we’ll gather our facts and let the evidence prove or disprove my theory.”

      She nodded and began to adjust her diving mask and regulate her oxygen. She felt a tug on her tanks and turned to see that Omar was checking her harness.

      “Thanks,” she said.

      He nodded. “I will be at your back,” he said softly. “I hope there’s no need for me to be there, but I will be watching you.” He took the heavy light from her. Each pair would share one light. “I’ll carry this.”

      “I’ve worked with John on two other expeditions. He’s always like this, but he is excellent at reconstructing sites.”

      Omar nodded, then adjusted his own mask. Through the plastic shield, his dark eyes searched hers. Beth turned away and felt his gaze scan down her body, sending tiny little prickles of awareness all through her.

      She went to the side of the boat and dropped backward into the water.

      Almost immediately she felt a concussion in the water beside her and a swirl of bubbles as Omar dropped in beside her. The site of the sunken city had already been marked by other scientists, and they followed the markers down through the depths.

      Beth’s first glimpse of Herakleion made her stop her progress and simply stare. In all her excursions to date, she’d always worked to bring a buried site from the soil, carefully brushing layer after layer of soil away from the ruins. In this instance, the city rested on the white-sand floor of the sea. Some silt had built up, but most of the city was visible, rising from the floor of the sea like Atlantis.

      Entire buildings were still intact. Beth’s crew stopped behind her, all of them staring at what had once been a thriving seaport.

      Beth motioned her crew forward and they swam into the city, the three pairs each covering a different quadrant as they searched for an edifice that might be a temple to the goddess Con.

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