Standing on one foot, the man was immediately thrown off balance by the impact. As he was falling down, Dirk jumped up, grabbed the foot that had been thrust at his chest, and shoved it skyward. The startled assailant crashed to the truck bed, landing on his head and shoulders while sending a trio of artifact bins flying. One of the bins turned over at Dirk’s feet, releasing the ceramic box inside. Dirk reached down and grabbed the box, then lunged at Ferret-face. The Arab was struggling to his knees as Dirk smashed the box against the man’s temple. The box shattered, sending him sprawling on the bed unconscious.

“Sorry about that, Dr. Haasis,” Dirk muttered as he collected a mangled roll of papyrus in his hand and stuffed it in a bin. He then quickly tied Ferret-face into the same configuration as he himself had been bound, then jumped off the truck.

The trail was still quiet as Dirk moved to the front of the truck, checking but failing to find the vehicle’s ignition keys. He continued across the parking lot, moving quietly and methodically, before slipping down into an adjacent field at a run. Leery now of the gunmen’s night vision goggles, he figured his best chance at avoiding detection was to just get quickly out of sight.

He started down the hillside toward the beach, sticking to low-lying gullies and washes that offered the most concealment. He contemplated running out of Caesarea Park and trying to obtain outside help but knew that by the time any police would respond, the thieves would be long gone. And so might Sophie, Haasis, and the others.

He staggered across the stony remnants of a two-thousand-year-old residence and then past an ancient garden until he reached a bluff that overlooked the beach. Below and to his left rose the shadow of a Roman amphitheater. It was one of the best-preserved structures at Caesarea, a towering semicircle of stone seats that stood mostly intact and was still utilized for outdoor concerts and theater performances. With dramatic flair, the Romans had positioned the open end along the beach, offering theatergoers a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea as a stage backdrop.

Dirk worked his way along the bluff until he could see over the high stands of the amphitheater. A crossed pair of flashlight beams on the ground illuminated the group of captives, huddled in a mass on the beach behind the stage. Dirk could make out the two armed gunmen striding back and forth in the light, jabbering to each other over the crash of the nearby waves. He could also see that they were positioned in a difficult spot to approach undetected, with wide beachfront on either side and the flat expanse of open stage in front.

He watched as a silver-tipped breaker crashed onto the beach, rolling to within twenty yards of the group before dissipating away. It was nearly high tide, he observed. Watching another wave roll high onto the beach, he made up his mind. Guarding the captives, the gunmen had their backs to the sea and wouldn’t expect an attack from that direction. A seaward approach was his only chance.

He gazed up the beach, barely making out the spit of land angling into the sea where he had discovered the ancient scrolls. Mentally searching for a tactic, he cursed that most of his dive equipment was back in his tent. But there was the pit excavation, which was still incomplete. There was a good chance that some digging tools were still nearby. And there was also his generator and water jet.

He thought for a moment, then twisted his face into a grimace.

“Well, a mad plan is better than no plan,” he muttered to himself, then hastily descended the bluff toward the sea.

Sophie felt the eyes of the gunman stare at her incessantly. Stalking back and forth like a hungry tiger, the shorter of the two gunmen aimed his bloodshot eyes at her with nearly every step. She intentionally avoided making eye contact, tending to Sam and Raban or looking away toward the sea. This only served to frustrate the guard, and he finally demanded her attention.

“You,” he said, waving his gun at her. “Stand up.”

Sophie rose slowly to her feet but kept her eyes focused on the ground. The gunman poked his rifle beneath her chin, forcing her to raise her head.

“Leave her alone,” Raban cried in a weakened voice.

The gunman stepped over and thrust a boot at the agent, striking him on the side of the jaw. Raban crumpled over, lying on the sand in an open-eyed daze.

“Coward,” Sophie said, finally looking the Arab in the eye with contempt.

He slowly moved close to her. Easing his rifle up, he gently poked her in the cheek and jaw with the weapon’s muzzle.

“Mahmoud, you like that one?” his partner said, watching the confrontation with amusement. “She is pretty, for a Jew. And even prettier for an antiquities agent,” he added with a laugh.

Mahmoud said nothing, his eyes boring salaciously into Sophie’s. He eased the gun barrel down the side of her neck, then followed the border of her open-collared shirt, pressing the cool metal against her skin. When the barrel reached the top button of her blouse, he held it there, straining against the clasp. When it failed to give, he slowly pulled the barrel to one side, attempting a glimpse of her left breast.

Sophie wanted to knee him in the groin but opted for a quick kick to the shin, hoping it would lessen the likelihood of him killing her. Mahmoud jumped back, grunting in pain as he hopped about on one foot. His partner laughed aloud at the scene, heaping further humiliation on the gunman.

“You have a spirited one there. I think she is too brazen for you,” he taunted.

Mahmoud shook off the blow and marched over to Sophie. He stood so close that she could smell the dank odor of his breath.

“We shall see who is spirited,” he hissed, a rabid glare to his eyes.

He turned to hand his rifle to his partner when the loud whine of a generator erupted down the beach. A few seconds later, a pounding splash of cascading water echoed over the waves. All eyes turned that direction, and a faint silvery arc could be seen shooting over the horizon.

“Mahmoud, go and see what that is,” the partner ordered, his demeanor suddenly serious.

Mahmoud leaned toward Sophie and whispered in her ear, “I shall have fun with you when I return.”

Sophie eyed him with daggers as he turned and marched down the beach, his rifle at the ready. She then collapsed onto the sand, trying to hide her hands that trembled with fright. Trying to calm herself, she thought again of Dirk and wondered whether he might have had anything to do with the commotion.

As the figure of Mahmoud disappeared into the darkness, the other gunman paced nervously in front of the captives. He scanned down either stretch of beach, then stepped around the captives and surveyed the empty seats of the amphitheater with a flashlight. Finding nothing amiss, he resumed his position along the beachfront.

Lying on the sand, Sam rolled to a sitting position, finally regaining his bearings after an earlier blow to the head.

“How are you feeling, Sam?” Sophie asked him.

“Okay,” he answered in a slurred voice. He looked around at his fellow captives, slowly reorienting himself. His gaze shifted toward the gunman, and he raised an unsteady arm in his direction and asked, “Who’s that?”

“One of several terrorists holding us hostage,” Sophie replied bitterly. But she nearly choked on her last words as she glanced toward the guard and realized that wasn’t who Sam was asking about.

A dozen yards behind the Arab, a shadowy figure had emerged from the surf and was making a quick beeline toward the guard. He was tall and thin and carried a blunt object in his arms. Sophie’s heart nearly pounded out of her chest when she recognized the owner of the profile.