“Should we run out and get you a soapbox? I believe that

  is the saying. History is always a double-edged sword, my

  friend, and a lot of my people died at the end of those pretty

  swords the Templars carried into the Holy Land.” Yasmine

  kept her voice light, but she pointed at her. “But we wouldn’t

  be earning interest on our accounts at the bank if it wasn’t for

  your army of God.”

  That did make Levi laugh. Banking was usually the only

  thing people knew about the Templars, if they knew anything

  at all. “What if I told you André Sonnac gave up the sword

  and tried to find a quiet life at Beau Ciel with a woman from

  the Holy Land? They tried to make a life at the family’s estate

  only to have it stripped from them by Pope Clement V when

  he ordered the Templars slaughtered. They ran before the

  papal forces arrived and took with them a full account of the

  Templar history, including their own.”

  “He loved a woman most people thought of as an infidel

  back then?” Yasmine’s voice was softer but still disbelieving.

  “This dark skin wasn’t considered acceptable, and in some

  circles that hasn’t changed much.”

  “If I’m right, their love was epic, but I’ve shared all I

  know, and since the Church destroyed so much, a journal

  found in a shop in Florence isn’t going to stand up to

  scrutiny.”

  “You sound like a romantic,” Zara said.

  Hearing her voice jarred Levi’s attention away from

  Yasmine. She’d almost forgotten the young woman was there.

  “If you knew me, I doubt you’d believe that.”

  Zara laughed and shook her head. “You should listen to

  yourself more often, then. As fun as tonight has been, I

  promised your grandfather I’d take a walk with him in the

  morning.”

  “Come on, then,” Yasmine said.

  “No, you stay,” Zara said, putting her hand on Yasmine’s

  arm. “You can’t help if you’re across the street.”

  “Let me walk you back,” Levi said. She stood and was

  pleased that Yasmine stayed seated. “There’s tea in the

  kitchen. Feel free to hunt for it if you want some.”

  Zara put her hand in the crook of Levi’s arm, and

  Yasmine’s eyes seemed riveted on her sister. “Come on,” Zara

  said. They walked across the street as Zara moved closer to

  her so they could squeeze through some cars parked along the

  side of the street. “Thank you for a lovely time. Don’t let my

  sister sink back into her shell. She needs something to get

  excited about again.”

  Levi took her keys and unlocked the door for Zara. “She

  seems old enough to make up her mind about things.”

  “She’s no pushover, but sometimes she likes the safe road

  too much.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Levi stayed still when Zara stood

  on her tiptoes and kissed her cheek. She waited until she heard

  the lock engage, then let out a long breath. “What the hell was

  that?” She shook her head at the question and had to laugh.

  Mysteries were everywhere.

  ✥ ✥ ✥

  Yasmine looked around the room and thought Levi fit here.

  They didn’t really know each other, but that gut sense of

  knowing something without proof settled in her head, and she

  sighed. She had to pace herself and not get caught up in all

  this. In a couple of weeks, she’d have to go home, settle back

  into her life, and start thinking of all the things expected of

  her.

  “Damn,” she said out loud. Today was the first time since

  she’d worked with Nabil that she didn’t feel trapped. When

  her mother spoke of responsibility and expectations, Yasmine

  could almost hear the doors of her jail cell slamming closed.

  Her life would be confined to a space that would grow smaller

  with time.

  “I have to stop drinking,” she said, laughing. She went

  back into Levi’s kitchen and filled the kettle sitting on the

  stove. The large, open space was the exact opposite of her

  small apartment close to the university at home. It was a

  perfect contrast of her life and Levi’s.

  It took her a few minutes to find Levi’s selection of tea and

  take out two mint tea bags. She heard the door open and close

  as the kettle whistled. The loose braid she’d put her hair in that

  morning was starting to come undone, and she combed the

  strands of hair that had escaped behind her ear. She didn’t have

  to turn around to know Levi was in the room with her—she

  sensed her.

  “Thank you for walking her back. Zara’s adventurous

  streak scares me at times. She never knows when it would be

  prudent to be wary.” She poured the hot water and finally

  faced Levi as she let the tea steep.

  “You can’t find treasure unless you’re willing to take

  chances,” Levi said. Her arms were crossed, and her hip was

  leaning on the granite-topped island.

  “That might be true, but it’s no reason to be reckless.” She

  handed Levi a cup and mirrored her stance on the other side of

  the island. “Is there more to the story you told me?”

  “Plenty, and you haven’t heard the best part.” Levi

  narrowed her eyes, but her smile was still in place. “Can I trust

  you, Dr. Hassani?”

  “You might be sliding back into that rude persona I met at

  first.” She narrowed her eyes too, and Levi chuckled. “If you

  need to hear me say it, you can trust me.”

  “Come with me.” Levi took her cup and walked back to

  the study. This room, like the office Yasmine had at Tulane,

  had beautiful full bookcases and a feel of permanence. A stand

  close to the desk held five swords on display, and she held her

  breath when Levi picked one up.

  “You don’t have to threaten me to get my cooperation.”

  Levi flipped the weapon in her hand and laughed. “My

  grandfather tells me it’s in the genes, but this is simply a big

  key.” Levi drove the sword all the way to the hilt into a slot

  behind a copy of Don Quixote and turned it to the right.

  Yasmine expected something to happen where Levi was

  standing but she was surprised when the case behind her

  clicked and swung out an inch. “You really are full of

  surprises.”

  “You have no idea. This place was built to hide something,

  but don’t ask me what. The empty room through there came in

  handy, though, and people like the ones who broke in the other

  day would never find it.” Levi swung it open so they could

  step through into a space more austere than the study, but still

  strangely comfortable.

  Another great rug covered the floor, the furniture was all

  nice antiques, and the lights were a combination of overhead

  fluorescents and lamps. The bookshelves in here weren’t as

  plentiful, but it made sense when Yasmine stared at the wall

  before her. On it was a map and history of André Sonnac’s

  life, and at the center was a sketch of him in his Templar

  armor.

  “Dr. Hassani, meet André Sonnac and Farah Elbaz.” Levi

  placed her hand at the bottom of André’s picture, and to the

  right of it was another of a beautiful woman in a djellabah, a

  type of loose-fitting dress still worn because of its comfort and

  coolness. “I found these sketches in one of the books I

  acquired, but I don’t know yet if it’s truly them.”

  “I’m sure your monks fell in love with more than one

  woman along the way, infidel or not. Faith isn’t always

  adhered to when the heart and other things decide to go in a

  different direction. Why does this particular couple fascinate

  you so much?” She moved closer to the sketches and studied

  Farah’s likeness. Even in the simple drawing, she demanded

  attention. It was as if her strength had been captured in the

  lines of her face.

  “That might be true, but I didn’t find any of the others, I

  found this one. Maybe it’s the romantic in me I didn’t realize

  existed, but their story sounds like one the world should hear.

  Maybe they went on to have a family, or it ended as quickly as

  it began, but I want to know. It’s become something of an

  obsession, I suppose.” She stood close to Yasmine but didn’t

  touch her. “The other thing is that André sounds like he was an

  important part of the Templar history, but he never became a

  known part of Templar history. Bringing the unknown Templar

  history to light is something I’m passionate about. The church

  should answer for what happened.”

  “What?” She glanced back at Levi and then to the drawing

  of André. There was something in the eyes that didn’t come

  across as cruel. With her eyes closed she could almost imagine

  the way André must’ve looked at Farah and what price they

  must’ve paid for it. “What do you mean?”

  “Knowledge of the Templar history only exists today

  because there were men who were willing to defy the pope,”

  Levi said, sitting in one of the two chairs that faced her wall of

  information. “To do that back then was considered sacrilege,

  and you gambled with your soul.”

  “Maybe, but you might be right in that there is a story

  here.” Yasmine stared at the two sketches. “I’d like to know

  why he left the order. That might be the best story of all.” She

  turned and joined Levi, sitting in the other chair.

  “Look at her.” Levi pointed to Farah. “I can tell you

  exactly why André left the order. Beautiful women have a way

  of making any one of us forget whatever belief system we

  have if it means being able to be with them.”

  “Is that your philosophy?” She smiled at how romantic

  Levi sounded.

  “The way I look at it is, it doesn’t matter what name you

  call God. Your faith should tell you that he created all things.

  So loving a beautiful woman and sacrificing for her isn’t

  turning your face from God. It honors him in the best way

  possible by following his teachings of love.”

  “You’re an interesting person, Levi.” She pressed her back

  into the leather of the club chair and gazed at the massive

  amount of information that must’ve taken hundreds of hours to

  compile. “How can I help you?”

  “I’ve only glanced at the scrolls I just acquired, but they’re

  going to take me much longer to decipher them than it would

  take you. I’ll be willing to hire you if you help me with that

  and also use your code-breaking skills to find what they really

  say, because clearly they won’t just give up their secrets in

  plain language.” Levi held her mug with both hands and

  looked at Yasmine as if she were the most important thing in

  the room.

  “Is this related to what you’re working on?”

  “I have no idea, but when something like this becomes

  available, I like to acquire it if I can. It’s good practice, if

  nothing else.”

  Levi smiled, and it made Yasmine think of passages in

  books when someone was described as roguish.

  “So will you consider my offer?” Levi asked.

  “I’m very expensive,” she said, teasing. The Templars

  weren’t her favorite subject, and she in no way admired them,

  but working with Levi wasn’t something she’d pass up.

  “Name your price.”

  “Dinner at Blanchard’s. I read about it, and it was on my

  list of things I wanted to try.” She winked and wanted to be

  embarrassed by it, but she couldn’t find it within her to be.

  “When do you want to start?”

  “Would you mind if I sat in on your lecture tomorrow? We

  can walk over to the lab and check out our find afterward.”

  Levi smiled at her, and it made her happy to find a friend.

  “Afterward we’ll have dinner at Blanchard’s, and we can make

  a schedule over a wonderful meal. Does Zara also have a

  desire to try Blanchard’s?”

  Levi asked as if she were fishing for an answer that would

  fit a scenario that probably always ended with her dinner

  companion in her bed.

  “I’ll ask her, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving her

  behind.” She didn’t mean to sound defensive, but she also

  didn’t want to come out with a big announcement that she

  wasn’t interested in where Levi might be leading her.

  “I just need to know how many for the reservation.” Levi’s

  smile dimmed a little. “You have nothing to worry about, Dr.

  Hassani. I’d never do anything to make you feel

  uncomfortable.”

  “You don’t, and please, it’s Yasmine.”

  “Then, Yasmine, it’ll be you, Zara, and the infidel for

  dinner tomorrow.”

  She couldn’t hold in her laughter, and Levi joined her.

  “It’ll be my pleasure.” Yasmine winked again and decided she

  might be going a little insane. Her mother’s voice in her head

  screamed at her to finish her job and stay away from the

  Montbard family before they led her astray. Her problem was

  the definition of tempting was alluring and enticing, and Levi

  Montbard was all those things. “And thank you for tonight and

  sharing all this with me.”

  “We’re only just beginning.”

  She feared that was completely true.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Levi carefully wiped the surface of the stones and set them on

  a table that had a camera over it. She’d given Yasmine and

  Zara a ride in that morning, but the sisters had been running

  late, so Yasmine had left them to prepare for her class. Zara

  offered to walk over with Levi to see if any features on the

  stones could be made out. There was something there, but time

  had made it faint. They’d checked the scrolls, but they were

  still drying and dripping mercury.

  “The camera will make this clearer?” Zara asked. She

  stood close to Levi and watched everything she was doing.

  “It should, and we’ll use different lighting and filters to

  enhance whatever’s there.” She took the cable trigger for the

  camera and started shooting.

  The morning had been strange in that Yasmine had been

  quiet but Zara hadn’t shut up in the car. It probably had to do

  with the night before, and Levi regretted teasing Yasmine the

  way she had. Flirting was something she did with women, but

  this was the first time she’d ever sensed that the woman

  wanted to run. It was a different headspace for sure.

  “Is my sister going to help you?” Zara’s eyes never left the

  stones. “She’s good with languages, but my field is

  symbolism. If you want, I can help you with these.”

  “She said she’s going to, but I promise not to hold her to

  anything if she’s not comfortable. And I never turn down help.

  If you’re willing, I’ll gladly give you this assignment.” She

  changed the filter and shot some more pictures. “I didn’t think

  before asking that this is a vacation as well as a work trip.”

  Maybe this was the scout sent out to scope a field that

  suddenly seemed filled with land mines. It sounded like the

  sisters had a close enough relationship to share what was

  going on in their daily lives. “You know both of you are

  welcome to stay at the house until you’re ready to go home.

  It’s no fun to come to New Orleans and work the whole time

  and then have to rush back.”

  “I’m trying to convince her of that, so I’d appreciate your

  help. This isn’t the time to back down now, Levi. My sister is

  —” Zara stopped and didn’t seem to know how to go on.

  “Your sister is a good person, but maybe she’s wound a

  little tight.” She pressed the trigger again, hoping she hadn’t

  just insulted Zara.

  Zara laughed but shook her head. “I’m not sure exactly

  what you mean, but I think you might be right. You have to

  know how we were raised to understand.”

  They moved to the computer, and Levi brought up the

  pictures they’d taken. “I do understand, to some degree. I

  visited Morocco a few years ago to meet with some of the

  faculty for some research I was doing. I was surprised by the

  size of the class that was getting ready to begin and I decided

  to sit in.” She started printing, wanting to get all this locked up

  before they left. “It was Yasmine’s class, and she was so in her

  element, I told my grandfather about her. He’s been trying to

  get her here ever since.”

  “I don’t mean to share too much with you, but yes. She is a

  great teacher, but that’s all she is right now. Do you understand