CHAPTER SEVEN
They awakened late, very late, the next day. Molly was glad she’d slipped a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door before they’d finally switched out the lights.
They’d slept, clasped tight in one another’s arms, as if warding off the rest of the world. But they slept fitfully, waking every couple of hours, kissing, caressing, and then drifting back off to sleep. It had felt like she was living in a different world than she had a week before. Everything had changed, some of which she loved, and some of which she hated. It was the contradiction that was keeping her restless, and she knew that her tossing and turning had kept waking David too. But this was her big day, and the start of a new…something.
The G20 speech was the last scheduled talk on the tour she’d done, and she had nothing planned after she left Athens. Harry had work lined up for her if she wanted to take it, and last week she’d had every intention of helping out on an excavation in Indonesia, even though that culture wasn’t her specialty.
But with everything that had happened, she felt less certain about her future. Less certain about everything. Less certain she’d even survive this week, with the Russians seemingly convinced she’d had something to do with Alexandre’s death.
They ate a late brunch, quietly reading the newspaper that had been delivered with the food, and saying little. It was as if they were already prepared to say goodbye. And yet she still didn’t really know what they were going to do after she gave her speech.
The newspaper strangely didn’t have any articles about the bombing and Alexandre’s assassination. She supposed that was good. When they’d turned on the television, the same was true. The G20 meetings had been relegated to third place in the news. A new presidential nominee and a flood in a southern state had taken the top spots.
“This is good, right?” she asked David.
He nodded thoughtfully. He’d made her promise that if the news was heavy on the incidents in Athens, then she’d agree to cancel her speech and leave with him. “Yes, I hope so.” A frown furrowed his brow though, and that did nothing to ease the tension in the room, or ricocheting around her mind and body.
Thirty minutes later, she changed into her light blue business suit and silk blouse while David waited at the window again. When she came out of the bathroom she was gratified to see his double take. He’d never seen her in anything so…normal.
“You look amazing. Authoritative. You’re going to rock this speech…Then we’re breaking for the border, all right?” he said, still looking tense.
She sought to reassure him, even though she was feeling as uncertain as he seemed to be. “I’m all ready to go as soon as I finish. The bellboy will come for my bag and they’ll leave it in the lobby for us to grab on the way out.” She wondered if she should try to find Victoria to explain that she was leaving. She’d have to look for her downstairs.
He opened the door for her, and she walked through. Grabbing her arm, he stopped her short and planted a knee-melting kiss on her lips. For a second, all thoughts of speaking before a group of government leaders evaporated. She moved close to him and dug her hands into his hair as he deepened the kiss. The smell of his skin was intoxicating. She wanted him so much, and briefly wondered if they would have another chance to make love before they disappeared back to their own worlds. Her heart constricted at the thought, but she pushed the feeling aside. Better to have one perfect day with him than months of uncertainty.
They took the elevator to the lobby, David staying very close to her, every step she took. The comfort that gave her allowed her to concentrate on her speech. She’d emailed it to the teleprompter guy already, so all she had to do was remember to introduce herself.
“You’re going to be great, sweetheart,” David whispered in her ear, as they entered the auditorium in the conference center of the hotel. Probably about fifty percent of the audience had already taken their seats. She’d been to enough of these events to know where to sit and wait to be introduced. She opened her handbag to grab her index cards, which were now somewhat battered by their frequent use. David squeezed her shoulder and took a seat about ten rows back on the end, presumably so he could make a quick getaway if needed.
She recognized a minister from Egypt and the culture and antiquities minister from Greece as they took seats with their small entourages. The head of the British Museum was chatting to one of the curators from the Louvre. Several prominent archaeologists were present too, and that was what gave her the biggest thrill. Her peers coming to listen to her speak.
The room filled up quickly, and she concentrated on her notes. She’d written a new first card, one that the teleprompter guy hadn’t received, so she didn’t want to mess it up.
The director of the archaeology museum in Athens took the stand. “As you know, Dr. Solent, our speaker this evening, helped foil a company’s plan to loot an archaeological site and sell its artifacts on the black market. And in stopping this outrage, she uncovered years of illegal antiquity trading. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in archaeology and geology. She did her masters at the University of Chicago with a focus on Medieval Europe and her doctorate in archaeology at Oxford University with a focus on Ancient Greek texts.” The director paused and smiled. “I’m not at all saying that she is more qualified than me, but you will have to pry this job out of my cold, dead hands, Dr. Solent.” Laughter rippled through the auditorium. “Needless to say, she is uniquely qualified to speak to us today. So without further ado, I present Dr. Molly Solent.” He turned to her, joining in the applause, and walked from the stage.
She walked up and smiled at the audience. “Before I start, I’d like to pay tribute to Professor Alexandre Doubrov, a beloved fixture of our field’s conference circuit, a mine of information, and a willing sharer of his vast experience. He was killed yesterday, here in this hotel, and we have no idea why. Alexandre, you will be missed.” She paused for a few seconds before continuing.
“The worst thing about working in our field is the absolute knowledge that there are people who are willing to steal and trade the most valuable parts of our cultures. To rob citizens of the right to their own past and their own history. To rob scholars of the opportunity to study their countries’ legacy and to learn from it. It is both an intellectual and a physical crime.”
She held her audience rapt in her point of view. No one fidgeted, no one rustled papers, and no one looked at their watches. David felt inexplicably proud of the way she held herself on stage, how she kept their attention, and how she spoke with such passion. He looked around. He felt smug that he was almost certain that he was the only one present who had experienced all of her passion. Jesus. Even thinking about her gave him a semi.
His phone vibrated in his pants, and he got up carefully and made his way to the door so as not to disturb anyone. Once the door was closed behind him, he answered it.
“Church.”
“David. How are things going there?” It was Baston, the owner of his company, and his boss.
“About as well as you would imagine,” he answered, not wanting to give anything away to the few people lingering in the lobby.
“I hear there’s been an arrest warrant issued by the Greek police. For your friend.” He said it almost casually, like he was telling them she’d been invited to a clambake.
“I did not know that. How long ago?” His heartbeat kicked up.
“An hour or so. I think the Greeks are under a lot of pressure from the Russians right now. Regardless, Church, this isn’t your fight. I’ve seen the footage, and it looks like she was into something.”
No kidding. David replayed the scene in his head. Molly trying to slip Doubrov some kind of note.