The memory of that day lingered for a minute longer as the forty-year-old Thanos stared down the long, straight road. Pine trees blew in a strong coastal breeze. He smiled, remembering how the rival boss had begged for his life. The bulbous man had made the mistake of thinking he wouldn’t need additional guards for a sixteen-year-old errand boy. Even as he bled out onto the concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse, his face was awash with shock at the turn of events that brought about his demise.
Thanos’s employer had rewarded him for his loyalty and his bravery. He promised him that he would someday be the number one man in his organization, so deep was the trust of Dimitris Gikas toward Thanos.
For the last five years, Thanos had relentlessly served Gikas. So far, he’d never let the man down, but this situation with the Secret Service was his biggest challenge yet. He didn’t want to admit it, but they’d been lucky to escape with their lives. He let that notion go. Thanos didn’t believe in luck. He relied on his strength and wits, and making his own fortune.
A major question, the only question that was on his mind right now, was what the Secret Service wanted with Sean Wyatt.
One of his men in the BMW opened the back door and stepped out. He was one of three hired guns Thanos had brought on. This particular man was Italian, with tightly cut, almost-black hair. His accent was thick, making his words somewhat difficult to understand.
“We have the president’s location. It appears he’s on vacation,” he said.
“That would mean he’s in Camp David. No chance of getting into that place.” Thanos squinted one eye as he considered the information. The only plan now was to sit and wait until Wyatt left the presidential vacation compound.
“They aren’t there, sir. The American president is in South Carolina. From the sound of it, he is in a public resort on one of the islands.”
The new information caused Thanos to raise an eyebrow. “What would he be doing there?”
“I do not know the answer to that, but my source is good. And they said that the president has a guest.”
It had to be Wyatt. Even if it were, there would be no way to get to him now. Secret Service agents and a security detail would surround him. Thanos knew they would have to be patient. It was likely that the president’s visit with the former Axis agent would be short. They would need to act quickly to get to where Wyatt was headed. The problem with that being they had no idea where he was going.
Thanos thought for a moment as the Italian mercenary stood close by with hands on his hips, waiting for a decision. “Wyatt will go after the girl,” he said with near certainty.
“How does he know that we have her?” the Italian asked.
“The United States government must have eyes on our employer,” he said, casting a look around the area with a suspicious stare.
“Why would they be watching him?”
Another wind gust rolled across the flats, kicking up a swirl of sand and dust. Thanos squinted hard against the dust devil until it passed. “The eyes of the world are on Greece right now,” he said as the wind died down once more. “The United States always meddles with other people’s issues. They, no doubt, are interested to see what happens with the Greek government. If that is the case, they know that our employer is one of the leading candidates to become the next leader.”
The Italian seemed pensive for a moment before asking his next question. “What is our move, then?”
When Thanos answered, it was with a sinister tone. “If Wyatt is going to come looking for the girl, it would be wise for us to leave him a trail to follow.”
“And lead him into a trap?”
“Exactly.”
Chapter 7
Sean had trouble believing what he’d just heard. He knew that President Dawkins was an intelligent man, and in his career he had seen a lot of unbelievable things. An ancient hunk of metal that could tell the future, however, seemed a bit on the far-fetched side.
As if reading Sean’s thoughts, Dawkins spoke up. “I know that is a little out there, but the numbers our scientists ran are pretty accurate.”
Sean thought for a moment then raised a question. “If you guys can predict the future based on the computer model, you wouldn’t need the device. No one would. So, why bother with finding it?”
Dawkins smiled. “I knew you were smart, Sean. I’ve heard a lot about you. Our tests are incomplete because much of the original antikythera was damaged. We were only able run trials based on the few symbols that were available.”
“Did you try completing the Greek alphabet and subbing those letters in?” Sean asked, thinking that was the obvious solution.
“We did. It threw everything off. Some of the symbols that were unreadable do not come from the standard Greek alphabet, or the ancient one.” Sean thought they had probably tried that, but it was worth asking. “Needless to say, a working version of the antikythera would be the most valuable device on the planet. In the wrong hands, it could be incredibly dangerous.”
That went without saying. Sean’s immediate thoughts went to a dictator type, like the leader of North Korea, or even a terrorist organization. With something like that in their possession, they could take over the world in less than a year. Nations would crumble. Billions would die. Sean could see the potential danger, but he still had doubts about whether or not the thing was real, or even if there was another version of the relic still out there.
“So, what is it that you want me to do, exactly?” he asked after a few moments of silent contemplation.
“We need you to find the Eye of Zeus,” the president said plainly. He leaned forward a little farther with his elbows still on his knees.
Sean laughed out loud for a split second. “No big deal. Just find a three-thousand-year-old artifact with no idea where to start, and no leads.” His comment brought him back to the questions about Adriana. She knew more than any of them about the Eye of Zeus. She’d been investigating it tirelessly. There was still something the president wasn’t telling him. “Where is Adriana?”
John Dawkins looked Sean straight in the eyes, never flinching, barely passing a glimpse of sympathy to him through the ether. “She’s been kidnapped.”
The words struck Sean like a lead ball to the chest. Now it made sense why he hadn’t heard from her in the last few days. He went over their last conversation concerning where she was and something she was going to investigate that day. Rome, if he remembered correctly. She’d been in Rome, researching some ancient documents regarding the antikythera. Sean squinted hard, hoping to recall the name of her hotel. Another question popped up in the back of his mind, distracting him from his focus for a moment. Why had she been in Rome searching for a Greek artifact?
He shook his head and refocused. Adriana was in trouble. That was all that mattered. He had to find her. Her face appeared in his mind’s eye for a moment: passionate, caring, and full of courage.
“You will have any resources you need,” Dawkins said, pushing the conversation forward. “I know that this news probably hurts. She’s your girlfriend, correct?”
Sean had never called her that. He just assumed that was the case. “Yeah,” he said in a choked voice.
“Sean, I know this is troubling, and you have my deepest sympathy. If it makes you feel better, we have reason to believe that she is still alive. The man that took her wants information, information that Adriana possesses. You’ll need to move fast, though. I don’t know how long Gikas will keep her around if she doesn’t give him what he wants.”