Luke kept his gaze trained on Olivia’s face. “The only way I can see getting out of this is to split up. If you go into the hallway and get his attention, I can come up behind him.”

“Split up,” she murmured, obviously considering the implications. “Okay. But how do I get into the house without going through this doorway?”

He walked along the cave wall, running his hand along the roughened surface. “We can make another exit—here. That should put you in the hall.”

“Just like that—make another exit?”

He answered quickly, “It’s possible, if you believe it can happen.”

“You mean—this is like Neverland? Or maybe the Wizard of Oz?”

Luke silently shared the references with Zabastian. “I guess you could put it that way.” He laughed, then felt his expression turn serious. “It could be dangerous. I mean—that guy is sitting with a gun in his lap. He could shoot you.”

“Then he loses an informant. He has no idea where to find the box.”

“True,” Luke agreed. But he still didn't like it.

“Why can’t you go farther back in the cave and open a doorway outside the house,” she asked.

“Because the cave is inside the house.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s just the way it works.”

She sighed. “Then you’d better open the alternative way out.”

Hoping he wasn't just blowing smoke when he'd told Olivia to have faith, he ran his hand against the stone wall. After a few moments, he felt it give way slightly.

The solid rock started to thin, and as he stroked the rough surface, he began to see through, into the hallway of the house where they’d been hiding.

The area was clear, but his chest tightened as he thought about the danger to Olivia. “Are you sure?”

“It’s our best chance. What do I have to do?

His voice was strained as he spoke around the lump in his throat. “In a minute, you can step through the wall and go quietly down the hall. Then you call out—like you’ve been somewhere else, and you just arrived back at the house.”

“Okay.”

He reached for her and pulled her to him, clasping her tightly, and she clung to him for a long moment, then pushed away and turned back to the cave wall. It was almost totally obliterated now, and they could see into the upper hall.

“Is this Luke’s plan—or Zabastian’s?” she murmured.

“Both of us. We’re working together.”

He watched her clench her fists, then step through. He could still see her standing there, and he wanted to keep watching—to make sure she was safe. But he had to get into position behind the Poisoned One. Hurrying to the cave entrance, he pulled back the pelt.

“Luke? Are you still here, Luke?” Olivia called from the end of the hall.

As the man jumped to his feet, gun in hand, and charged toward the hallway, fear surged through Luke. He wanted to shout a warning to Olivia. But he knew surprise was his best advantage. Saying a quick prayer for success, he reached through the opening and set down the box before throwing himself at the man’s back.

The Poisoned One heard something behind him and half turned. But it was too late for the attacker to make it all the way around. Luke tackled him, throwing him to the carpet before he reached the doorway.

The guy cried out in surprise and went flat on his face, but he recovered quickly, twisting around so he could get his weapon into position.

The two of them struggled, each using the martial arts training that they’d been taught.

From the corner of his vision, Luke saw Olivia leap into the room. He wanted to shout at her to stay back, but he couldn’t spare the breath—or the concentration.

The man gave him a head butt that made his own head feel like a Chinese gong.

He retaliated with a nerve pinch that should have put the guy out of commission, but he’d apparently been taught how to slip far enough from his opponent’s grasp to neutralize the technique.

Olivia flew by, heading for the desk.

Then, in a flash of movement, she brought her arm down.

Luke saw the heavy glass paperweight in her hand just before it thudded against the man’s skull, and he went still.

“Good work,” he said as he rolled away from the thug.

“Are you all right?” she demanded.

“Yes. Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s make sure he can’t attack again.” He reached down and handed Olivia the gun. “Keep him covered.”

She did as he asked, while he riffled through the desk drawers and found a roll of strapping tape. Lifting the man into the chair, he wound the tape around his upper body, securing him in place.

Then he taped his wrists to the chair arms and his legs to the horizontal pieces that held the wheels. By the time he finished, the Poisoned One was stirring.

He lifted his head and glared at Luke. “Where were you?”

“Somewhere else.”

“But . . .”

“I’ll ask the questions. When are your friends coming back?”

The man pressed his lips together.

“There are ways to make you talk.”

“You won’t use them in front of her,” the man said with confidence.

“Don’t count on it.”

Luke itched to slap the son of a goat across his smug face. He knew that striking his opponent’s flesh would give a feeling of satisfaction. But that was all he’d get out of it. And he'd be wasting precious time.

He glanced toward the computer. He wanted to boot it up and see if the Master of the Moon had sent him the location of the temple. But two things stopped him. He didn't want the Poisoned One anywhere near the message. And he knew that staying would waste precious time.

Instead, he stuffed a gag in the man’s mouth and taped it in place, then picked up the box where he’d set it on the floor. He and Olivia were on their way out of the office when a sound made him stop in his tracks.

The front door opened, then closed again.

“Smith?” someone called from the floor below.

The man in the chair made a muffled sound as he tried to respond.

“Smith?” the question came again.

When the captive didn’t answer, two sets of footsteps came pounding up the steps. And Luke knew it wasn’t the Hanovers coming home to check their e-mail.

Two of the men leaped into the room. Sizing up the situation quickly, one of them grabbed Olivia and knocked the gun out of her hand. It hit the rug with a dull thud as he held her against his chest and his own gun against her head.

The other trained his weapon on Luke.

“Turn over the box, or I’ll kill the woman,” the Poisoned One said in a deathly calm voice.

Luke hesitated. If he gave this dung fly the box, he knew that he and Olivia would be dead moments later.

Let me have full control, Zabastian shouted inside his head.

The last time you had full control, you almost got us killed.

This time, you will be killed, if you do not do it.

oOo

In the hours since Zabastian’s spirit had come shooting out of the box, Luke had gotten more comfortable with the joint custody of his body. Now, in a desperate act of faith, he opened his mind fully to Zabastian, allowing the warrior to take the helm. As he did, the world seemed to go into fast forward. Or maybe it was Luke who leaped out of the space-time continuum into some parallel reality.

Moving like a whirlwind, he hurled the box between the two men.

Their faces registered shock, and they both made a grab for the precious object, their attention momentarily diverted from Olivia and Luke.

As they took their eyes off of him, he leaped forward, knocking the gun trained on Olivia away, then whirled to kick out a foot, catching the other man in the balls.

The attacker doubled over, and Luke brought the side of his hand down on the man’s neck.

“Down, Olivia” he shouted.

Olivia ducked, throwing the other man off balance, as Luke whirled back around, catching the assailant in the face with his elbow.

The man made a gurgling sound as he sank to the floor.

Olivia looked on in amazement as he gave each of the men another solid kick.

“How . . . how. . .”

“I let the big Z take over,” he answered as he strode into the hall and picked up the box, turning it in his hand, making sure that it was all right.

There was a slight chip out of one corner. Other than that, it looked the way it had when he’d first picked it up.

He glanced back at the men who had attacked them. He should shoot the bastards. But the thought of Olivia's watching him do it made his stomach curdle.

Before he could make a decision, the wail of sirens came drifting toward them through the night air.

“Do you think they’re coming here?” Olivia whispered.

“Don’t know.”

But as the sound grew louder, he changed his mind. “Yeah, I think they are. We’d better split.”

He grasped the box against his chest with one hand and held on to Olivia with the other, hurrying her down the steps. By the time they reached the first floor, he could see patrol cars pulling to the curb outside the house.

“Shit.”

Olivia stared wide-eyed through the window. “What do we do now?”

“Get out the back way, I hope,” he added as they sprinted for the rear of the house.

He unlocked the door, and they ran into the backyard, just as a cop came around the side of the house.

Luke pulled Olivia into the shadows, praying that the officer hadn’t seen them. When the man kept going toward the back door, Luke breathed out a small sigh. He led Olivia along the stockade fence screening off the alley. When he found the gate, he eased it open.

The alley was clear, and he ushered Olivia across. But before they reached the other side, a cop car pulled into view.

Olivia made a strangled sound. Luke kept his hand firmly on her, leading her into the backyard opposite his friend’s house.

Immediately, a large Doberman started barking.

Luke thrust the box into Olivia’s hands. As the dog came toward him, snapping and snarling, he went down on his haunches.

“Good boy. I know you’re defending your property. Good boy.”

The dog stopped snarling and looked at him with dark eyes. Luke held out his hand, letting the animal sniff him.

“Good boy,” he repeated.

The dog made a chuffing sound, and Luke patted him on the head. He’d always been good with animals. He had the feeling that the big Z had the same talent.

Olivia had hung back.

“Come on,” he murmured to her, and she made a wide circle around the large animal. They had almost reached the end of the yard near the house when a powerful flashlight beam illuminated in the back.

“Police. Halt.”

In response to the menacing voice, the Doberman rushed to the back fence and started barking again, then snapped menacingly at the officer, who took a quick step back.

“Good dog,” Luke whispered.

Taking advantage of the diversion, he hurried to the gate at the other end of the yard, and they slipped between the houses, then across the street and through the next backyard.

Another police siren sounded in the distance.

“They’re all over the place.” She turned toward Luke. “We've done all we can by ourselves.”

“You have a suggestion?”

“Yes. Call Decorah Security. They’re probably looking for you.”

He stopped talking aloud, switching to an internal debate. Luke versus the warrior. Zabastian didn’t want to trust anyone. Luke argued that they were running out of options. And the longer they stayed on the street, the more likely that they’d end up in a jail cell. And if they got arrested, the cops would take away the box.

I will kill them before I give up the box, Zabastian said.

You can’t kill them. They’re the authorities.

I bow only to the authority of the Master of the Moon.

You’re not going to get to him unless you let me handle this. Where are you going to get a computer to get that e-mail? Are you going to break into another house?

Luke’s vision had turned inward. He looked up to see Olivia watching him.

She kept her gaze fixed on him. “Remember the password that got you into the Moon Priest’s Web site?”

He blinked.

“Decorah43. Don’t you think that might be a sign?”

“Um. . .” He huffed out a breath. “Okay, we can call them.”

“Does Zabastian promise not to hurt anybody?”

“Yes,” Luke snapped, hoping it was true.

Olivia reached for her phone—but it was lying broken several miles away.

“Sorry about that,” he muttered. He looked up and down the street, then pointed toward the left. “Up there is a business area. We should be able to find a phone.”

“Yes.”

“Walk normally.”

“Yeah. Sure. And what are we doing out at . . . ?“ She stopped and looked around, blinking as though she was just taking in their surroundings. “It’s morning. I guess we’ve been on the run all night.”

“With a couple of interludes in that cave,” he said, hearing the thick quality of his voice.

She took on a wistful look. He thought she was going to say something, and he waited with his heart pounding. But she apparently changed her mind about discussing the cave.

Wanting closer contact, he reached for her hand, and she clasped her fingers with his. They walked close together up the street, a couple out for an early morning stroll, but both of them were on the lookout for the cops.

On the avenue, most of the businesses were still closed.

“There’s a phone up by that alley,” Olivia pointed.

Luke fumbled in his pocket and came up with some change.

Frank Decorah had a private number that was only supposed to be used in emergencies. He answered on the first ring.

“Luke?”

“Yes.”

“Thank God. Are you all right?”

“Yes. We escaped from . . .”

“The thugs who are after the box,” Frank finished for him.

“Right. But a lot has happened. The cops are also looking for us.”

“Where are you?”

He gave the cross streets. “We’re about 20 yards up the block—at the alley. We’ll wait in there.”

“We’re in Baltimore. Not far away,” Frank said. “We’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks,” he said again, then hung up and joined Olivia in the shadows.

He scanned up and down the street. Most of the businesses were still closed, but a coffee shop had opened up. He saw Olivia look wistfully in that direction. They hadn’t eaten since last night, and he was thinking that coffee and a muffin would taste really good.

Before they could discuss breakfast, a car pulled to a stop beside the phone booth.

He stared at the vehicle, trying to see who was driving.

When he started forward, Olivia grabbed his arm. “That’s one of Carl’s cars.”

He jumped out of the vehicle and came around to her side.

“Olivia,” he said, his voice a mixture of triumph and anger. “I found you!”

“How?” she breathed.

“I’ve been driving around ever since . . .” He stopped and changed directions. “And here you are standing right out on the street. Weren’t you supposed to be unpacking a shipment of antiques and making an inventory list?”

Luke saw her features harden. Crossing her arms, she said, “You know damn well we ran into some problems. You bought a consignment of antiques that you knew were stolen.”

He blanched. “How . . .”

“You’re the one who got us all into trouble.”

Peterbalm shook his head. “Don’t try to change the subject. You left the office with a carved wooden box that belongs to me.”

“Did we?” she asked.

“I want my property back,” he said as he pulled a gun from under his jacket.

She gaped at him.

“Carl, calm down,” she managed to say. “I don’t have it.”

The man’s gaze swung to Luke. “Yeah, he’s got it.”

“You can’t have it,” Luke said. “It’s stolen property, and it doesn’t belong to you.”

“Or you either. But I went through hell because of that thing—and I want it back.”

oOo

Olivia could barely believe her eyes. In all the time she’d worked for Carl Peterbalm, she’d never seen him act like this. He might be mean and petty. He might have sexually harassed her, but he had never seriously threatened anyone with violence.

Luke’s voice was calm and even. “I’m returning it to its rightful owners.”

Carl snorted. “You expect me to believe that? You’re going to sell it to the highest bidder.”

“You might. I’m going to take it back where it belongs.”

It seemed that Carl wasn’t capable of listening, and his eyes had taken on a maddened look that told her he had tipped over the edge. “Hand it over—before you get hurt.”

Still, she had absorbed Zabastian’s values in the time they’d been together. No way were they going to hand over the Moon Priests’ property to Carl Peterbalm.

Raising her chin, she answered, “No.”

“You’re making a mistake.” Carl’s voice rose an octave. “I’m in the right here. You’ve taken my property. Those men almost killed me because of that damn box, so I know it’s valuable. And I’m through talking to you. Hand it over.”

“Carl, listen to me.” As she spoke, she took a step forward.

“Stay away from me before you get hurt.” When he swung the gun toward her, she froze.

But Luke took advantage of the opening and leaped forward.

As he charged, Carl fired the gun. At point-blank range, it would have been hard to miss a man right in front of him.