The Nostradamus File by Alex Lukeman Read Free Book Online Page B

flames. The sound echoed along the narrow street.
    They drove away, a column of black smoke rising behind them. One of the men leaned out and pulled the doors shut. Nick sat up against the side of the van.
    "Jesus," he said.
    "Maybe not," Selena said. "They're Israeli. That was Hebrew he spoke."
    "You are correct, Doctor Connor." It was the man who had shouted at Nick. He wore a yellow shirt.
    "You were at Mount Nebo," Nick said.
    "Yes. Someone would like to talk with you."
     
     

 
    CHAPTER THIRTEEN
     
     
    The van pulled into an abandoned factory on the southern edge of the city. Holes in the floor marked where machinery had been bolted down. Rusted barrels were stacked high in one corner. Light shone on scattered debris through gaping holes in the roof.
    The man with the yellow shirt said, "This way."
    "Who are you?" Nick said.
    "Please, this way."
    They followed him up a flight of metal steps into what had been the manager's office. Their footsteps echoed across the empty space. Broken windows looked out over the deserted factory floor. Inside the office was a battered metal desk with a man sitting behind it.
    "Ari!" Nick said. "What the hell are you doing here?"
    Ari Herzog was a senior operative in Shin Bet. Shin Bet was Israel's invisible shield, like the FBI and NSA combined, responsible for internal security and counter-terrorism. Nick knew him from Jerusalem, two years before.
    Herzog stood. "Waiting for you, Nick. As usual, things are interesting around you." He reached out and clasped Nick's shoulder and shook his hand. "You look the same. It is good to see you, my friend."
    "And you." He turned to Selena. "Selena, this is Ari Herzog. A friend from Israel."
    "Nick told me about you."
    "A pleasure, Doctor Connor. Please, sit," Herzog said.
    Herzog wore a white shirt that looked comfortably worn. He wasn't wearing a tie. A dark blue jacket with wide lapels hung loose enough to reveal a shoulder holster and the butt of a Jericho 9mm pistol. He wore black pants and plain black shoes. Herzog's eyes were dark, intense and tired looking, his face lined by stress and years of responsibility.
    "It's good to see you too, Ari. Thanks for bailing us out back there. But why have you been following us? I spotted your man." He gestured at Yellow Shirt.
    Herzog ignored the question. "That's Lev," he said. Lev had the grace to look embarrassed. "This is Aaron and Gabriel." He gestured at the other two. Gabriel had fired the grenade. They nodded. Both men had the look.
    "You haven't answered my question, Ari. Why were you following us?"
    "Because you are searching for the Ark." The words hung in the air between them. "We know about the death of the French bookseller and the manuscript."
    Something clicked in Nick's mind. "You thought we might lead you to it."
    Herzog nodded. "I was picked to contact you because we worked together before. I did not expect trouble so soon, but trouble seems to follow you." He smiled to show he was only half serious.
    "Who came after us in the square?"
    "Thugs hired to eliminate you. We suspected something might happen. Others are also looking for the Ark."
    Nick's head felt as though someone had begun to tighten a band around it.
    "I don't suppose you'd like to tell me who sent them?"
    "We don't know for sure. The desk clerk tipped the gunmen off that you were leaving."
    Nick felt his blood pressure rising. A headache started. He's not telling me something. What the hell is going on?
    " You were letting us do the work for you and take the risks. Did you plan to let us in on this, Ari?"
    Herzog looked down at his fingernails. When he looked up again, Nick saw he was now talking to Shin Bet and the Government of Israel. Ari might be a friend but his country came before friendship.
    "What have you learned, Nick?"
    "I think we'll call Director Harker," Selena said, "before we tell you anything."
    Nick had been so focused on Herzog that he'd almost forgotten she was there. He looked at her.
    "You