Adriana hoped the men who’d taken her had been in a hurry to get out of the room. She figured that if they had discovered the key they would have already asked her about it, or would have found the locker and the contents within. Since they hadn’t mentioned it, that meant at least the location of the mechanism was safe.
It was folly to hope for rescue. But there was no way to let anyone know where she was. Her phone had been taken, probably when she was unconscious, leaving her with no communication with the outside world. In her most desperate moments, she envisioned fanciful scenarios in which Sean burst into the cellar and took her away. She forced herself to focus on the situation. Thinking about ridiculous things like that would only make her predicament worse, and they were less than productive.
Adriana reminded herself that everyone slipped up from time to time. She simply had to wait for one of the guards to make a mistake. Even the tiniest of opportunities could be opened wide to a window of hope.
She closed her eyes and let exhaustion take over, trying hard not to think about what the next day might hold.
Chapter 9
At first, President Dawkins had been hesitant to let Sean bring someone else on for the mission, but after getting his explanation as to who Tommy was and why Sean needed him, the president had been willing to make an exception. Dawkins knew of Tommy’s exploits as an international treasure hunter, though Sean defended that insinuation.
“He’s not a treasure hunter, sir,” he’d said to the president. “A lot of the world’s governments trust his agency to take care of their priceless artifacts. He’s providing a good service at a premium price. He doesn’t sell the things he finds. That’s what treasure hunters do.”
“Just make sure you keep a tight lid on this,” Dawkins had said as Sean was leaving the hotel room.
Dawkins had given Sean full use of a small private jet, which Sean was happy to accept. Even though Tommy had the IAA company plane, Sean didn’t want his friend to have to use it if it wasn’t necessary. They’d be harder to track this way.
Sean knew Tommy would be in town since the two had exchanged a few text messages the previous morning. A new team, comprising Joe and Helen McElroy, was carrying out the IAA’s current projects. Tommy had brought the couple on after Sean retired, needing to fill a void in the artifact recovery section. Joe had been instrumental in the discovery of Noah’s ark, and Helen had helped take down the Biosure Corporation and its plot to infect the planet with a new super virus. The two made for the most logical replacement of Sean and were both happy to take the position. From what Sean had gathered, they were somewhere in Denmark at the moment.
When the airplane door opened, Sean was glad to see Tommy already there, waiting on the tarmac with two suitcases, a laptop bag, and a ridiculous grin. He’d let his oak-brown hair get a little longer, now just past the bottoms of his ears. He had on a white polo and khaki shorts, a common staple for him in the throes of an Atlanta spring.
Sean descended the stairs, followed closely by Agent Yarbrough. The president had insisted that Sean allow the Secret Service agent to accompany him on the mission. Sean had resisted, but he knew the president would have the final say. It also wouldn’t hurt to have another gun along for the ride, though Sean hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Tommy let go of the rolling suitcases and opened his arms to give Sean a quick hug. Wyatt responded by slapping him on the shoulder, as was his usual greeting.
“Good to see you again, my friend,” Sean said, grinning as he slipped on his Oakley sunglasses.
“Likewise, buddy,” Tommy replied. “How are things with the bait and tackle business?” He chuckled as he asked the question.
“Very funny. The surf and paddleboard shop is doing fine, though it looks like I’m going to lose a few days of business.” He glanced back over his shoulder at Yarbrough as if subtly blaming him for the occurrence.
“Who’s your friend?” Tommy asked and stepped forward with a hand extended.
“Agent Gerald Yarbrough,” he answered for Sean.
Tommy was impressed. “You really weren’t kidding, huh. You met the president?”
Sean rolled his eyes and shrugged, making like it wasn’t a big deal. “It wasn’t my idea.”
“That is so cool. Is he on the plane?” Tommy asked, sounding like a little boy.
Sean shook his head in disbelief. “No. He has his own plane. And I’m pretty sure that he’s got better things to do than jet around the globe with us.”
“Fair enough,” Tommy surrendered.
Sean took one of the suitcases and hefted it up the steps to the cabin of the plane. It was similar in size to the G5 the IAA flew, but the interior was decorated very differently. Dark wood furnishings and tanned leather seats complemented the richly adorned walls.
Once everyone was aboard, the flight attendant closed the cabin door, and the engines whined, pushing the plane along the tarmac. Tommy sat across from Sean and Yarbrough, and crossed a leg over one knee.
“Where’s Adriana?” Tommy asked abruptly, completely unaware of what had transpired.
Sean hadn’t told him over the phone what was going on. He preferred to tell his friend in person. “She’s been kidnapped, Tommy.”
The words caused Tommy to scrunch his face, not sure if Sean was joking around or serious. “What?” He stared at Sean, searching for a crack in the armor. There was none. Sean’s eyes told the truth.
Yarbrough cut into the conversation. “We believe she was abducted within the last forty-eight hours. The man responsible for this is one of the most powerful people in Greece. His name is Dimitris Gikas.”
Tommy shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m a little confused. If you know where she is and who has her, why haven’t you gotten her out of there yet?”
“It’s…delicate,” Yarbrough said in response.
“Delicate?”
“She is not a citizen of the United States. You have to understand that we cannot just go into a man’s private property with guns blazing and attempt a rescue. There are politics to consider.” Yarbrough’s answer didn’t seem to help curb Tommy’s frustration.
He held back his next question as the plane suddenly accelerated down the runway and began to lift off the ground. It tilted to the right and straightened out, still climbing at a dramatic angle.
“How do you even know this Gikas has her? Where did you get that little tidbit of information?” Tommy asked finally.
“We’ve had our eyes on Gikas for some time now. As one of the wealthiest, most ambitious men in the country, he is a likely candidate to become their new leader if the government breaks down. The president believes that Gikas is helping fuel the government collapse from within. We know he was formerly involved with organized crime in Athens, but now everything seems to be legitimate.”
“Seems to be?”
Yarbrough folded his hands and put his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. “Let’s just say that Dimitris Gikas always gets what he wants, even if someone else doesn’t want to give it to him.”
Tommy seemed to accept the information for the moment, but was still troubled. “Okay, so we can’t go after Adriana. What are we going to do?”
Sean had been listening quietly to the exchange and finally interjected. “I told you on the phone that we were heading to Rome to look for the Eye of Zeus.”
Tommy nodded. “That’s the thing Adriana was looking for, right? The antikythera?”
“Yeah. As it turns out, this Gikas character is looking for it too. And you’re not going to believe why.”