The Revelation Code (Wilde/Chase 11) Read Online Free PDF Page A

smoke again. The thought occurred that he should find one of the dead agents’ canteens, as there was no way of knowing how long it would be before he was rescued, but he dismissed it. He knew he would find what he needed to survive. ‘“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall lead them unto living fountains of waters . . .”’ he said quietly as he firmly secured the cap.
    His cargo secured, he set out into the wilderness.

 
    1
    New York City
    Twelve Years Later
    ‘H as everything I’ve done in my life been worth it?’
    Nina Wilde sat facing Dr Elaine Senzer, but her eyes were lowered, avoiding the psychiatrist’s gaze. Instead she fixated on small, irrelevant details – a scuff on the other woman’s shoe, indentations on the carpet where her chair had been moved – as she tried to put her fears into words. ‘That’s the question I’ve been asking myself recently,’ she went on. ‘And the thing that’s worrying me is . . . is that I’m not sure it has.’
    Elaine leaned forward, adjusting her glasses. ‘I’m curious why you’d say that. You’ve already achieved more in your life than most people – I mean, it’s fair to say that you’re the most famous archaeologist in the world. You found Atlantis, you discovered the lost city of El Dorado and a hidden Egyptian pyramid, and all those other amazing things. That’s something to be proud of, surely?’
    ‘Is it?’ Nina caught herself leaning back in her seat, as if subconsciously trying to maintain the distance between them. ‘Yeah, I found all those things – and I got a lot of people killed in the process. Too many people.’
    ‘You didn’t kill them personally.’
    ‘Some of them I did.’ Even without looking directly at Elaine, she could sense the psychiatrist’s shock at the revelation. ‘They were trying to kill me , it was always in self-defence . . . but yeah, I’ve killed people. And you know what’s really scary? I’ve lost count of how many.’
    Elaine hurriedly scribbled a note. ‘I see.’
    Nina gave her a grim smile. ‘You’re not going to have me committed to Bellevue, are you?’
    ‘No, no,’ the dark-haired woman hastily assured her. ‘I actually think it’s good that you feel able to tell me about it at this relatively early stage. If you remember, when we started these sessions last month, it was quite a challenge for you to open up about anything at all. The very nature of post-traumatic stress causes sufferers to try to internalise it – there’s a great deal of anger, guilt—’
    ‘Tell me about it,’ Nina muttered.
    ‘I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way,’ said Elaine, with sympathy. ‘You have to tell me.’
    ‘You want me to tell you about my guilt?’ Nina snapped. ‘Okay – about four months ago, one of my friends was murdered right in front of me. And it was all my fault! Macy wouldn’t have been there if not for me . . .’ Her voice faded to inaudibility.
    A long silence was eventually broken by the psychiatrist. ‘Nina . . . are you okay?’
    ‘If I was okay, I wouldn’t be seeing a shrink, would I?’ the redhead replied, wiping her eyes. ‘What kind of a stupid question is that?’
    Elaine shrugged off the insult with professional calm. ‘Tell me about Macy. I know you’re reluctant, but I really think it would help. Please,’ she added, seeing her patient clench her fists. ‘In your own time; you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.’
    ‘For a hundred and fifty bucks an hour, I’m not going to sit here in silence. I could do that for free at Starbucks, and the coffee would be better.’ Nina took a deep breath, then a second, before continuing. ‘Macy . . . she was an archaeology student when I first met her. She had a case of’ – a brief smile at the memory – ‘hero worship.’ Her expression darkened once more. ‘Spending time with me soon cured her of that.’
    ‘But she was your friend,’ Elaine said.
    ‘Yes. She could be