Clearly Kree was tying up loose ends.

Jake rolled back to his feet, only to collide into a hellcat with a sword. Nefertiti fought off a pair of guards. A third made a grab for her, but Jake blocked him with a chop to the wrist. He followed it with a rabbit kick to a kneecap. The man fell with a shocked cry, knocking into one of Nefertiti’s opponents. She used the advantage to stab the other through the shoulder.

As the two of them backed away, more huge men pushed into the bedchamber. Nefertiti and Jake were forced back to the private balcony.

“Now what?” Jake asked.

Nefertiti grabbed Jake by his cloak and rolled them both over the balcony railing and into open air. As they plunged, tangled together, Jake had one last thought.

Well, death is one way out of this mess.

20

CROOKED NAIL

Jake had forgotten one important detail. It rudely became apparent when his back struck stone, knocking the wind out of him. He’d just been thrown off the balcony of a pyramid, a structure with smoothly sloping sides.

Nefertiti landed on top of him. The sides of the pyramid were steep, too steep for Jake to stop himself. He slid headfirst down the slope as Nefertiti rode on top of him. Only his thick cloak kept his skin from being ripped off by the stone.

But for how long?

“Don’t move!” Nefertiti yelled.

She clutched fistfuls of his cloak and squirmed into a seated position on his chest. She began using her heels like brakes to guide their trajectory.

He suddenly realized what she was doing.

She’s turned me into a human bobsled.

He craned around to see where she was taking him.

“Quit squirming or you’ll get us both killed!”

Like that wasn’t going to happen anyway.

She leaned hard to the left, braking with a heel. Jake felt their course swing farther to the side. Then a frightened yell. “Hang on!”

Suddenly, Jake was flying through the air. Nefertiti became airborne, too. He screamed, not knowing what was happening—then he splashed into a pool of water. Nefertiti cannonballed beside him. He sank deep, then kicked and sputtered back to the surface.

They had landed in a pool built atop a large open balcony. Treading water, he stared up. He spotted faces peering down at them from the royal chambers. An arm pointed. Their escape had not gone unnoticed.

Nefertiti surfaced and waved him toward the steps. Only then did he notice people lounging in the gardens around the pool, fanned by collared servants. Everyone had frozen in place, stunned by their dramatic entrance.

“We must go!” Nefertiti said.

Jake understood. The fast trip down the outside of the pyramid had earned them a good lead. They’d best not waste it. They needed to be gone before word of what transpired in the royal chambers reached the lower levels.

They clambered out of the pool, soaked to the skin. Jake shook like Watson after a bath. Nefertiti merely smoldered, her black hair plastered to her scalp. One look and Jake knew her anger was hot enough to dry her clothes all by itself.