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Tommy raised a curious eyebrow. “Try me. You and I have seen enough to believe almost anything.”

Valid point, Sean thought. “The Eye of Zeus wasn’t just a navigational device. Gikas believes that it could actually tell the future, based on celestial positions in relation to where the device was on Earth.”

For a few moments, the only noise in the cabin was the low hum of the jet engines outside the plane. Tommy considered what Sean had said and leaned back in his chair.

“Okay,” he said after a long breath. “So, this device can tell the future.” Tommy sounded skeptical. “I could see why someone who wants to take control of a country would want to have something like that. Any idea where it is?”

Sean and Yarbrough passed each other an uncertain glance. It was Sean who answered. “No. We don’t even know if we have any leads. The only thing I could find was the hotel Adriana was staying in and her room number. I just hope she left something behind that the kidnappers may have missed.”

Tommy stared at Sean blankly. “You mean we don’t have the slightest clue as to where this Eye of Zeus thing might be, haven’t got a single lead, and we’re flying halfway across the world on the slight possibility that we might find a breadcrumb?” He tried not to sound incredulous, but it was hard not to.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” Sean shrugged. He was trying to be as calm as possible, but the truth was that inside he was worried about Adriana.

Tommy could tell his friend was upset, despite trying to hide behind his usual carefree mask. “I’m sure she’s fine, buddy. Don’t worry. We’ll find her. Knowing Adriana, I’d be more worried about the guys who took her.” He laughed at the thought, and Sean had a quick chuckle too. Yarbrough didn’t get the joke and remained his usual stoic self. “So, I guess the plan is find a clue, recover the relic, draw out the bad guys, offer to swap said relic for the girl, and then kill them all.”

Sean’s face darkened. “Exactly.”

“Well,” Tommy hit the recline button on the side of his chair and eased the seat back, “sounds like you’re coming out of retirement.”

Chapter 10

Rome, Italy

Thanos squinted against the rising sun as the car wound its way out of the airport and toward the city.

He’d made a move, going with a gut instinct that told him Sean Wyatt would try to retrace Villa’s steps. Based on the information from the phone conversation Wyatt had had with his friend Thomas Schultz of IAA, it was a solid gamble. Dimitris Gikas’s private jet had flown through the night to reach the ancient city on seven hills as fast as possible. Thanos wasn’t sure where the United States president fit into the scenario, but it didn’t matter at this point. If Wyatt went back to Villa’s hotel, Thanos and his men would have him cornered with little chance of escape. It was a good plan, unless Wyatt knew the IAA phones were tapped, and wasn’t headed to Rome at all.

No. Wyatt would try to save the girl. There was no question in his mind. The only place to start would be in Rome, where she’d been staying during her research.

Thanos had texted his boss before the plane took off, letting him know the plan. Gikas had simply responded with one line. Alive if possible.

He hated it when his employer limited his options. It was much easier to transport a corpse than a living, breathing person. The living caused problems, tried to get away, or simply wouldn’t shut up as they begged to be released. The dead couldn’t offer any information, which was why Gikas wanted Wyatt alive, but the dead were much more convenient. Thanos knew that his boss needed Wyatt alive, though, and he would do his best to accommodate his employer’s request.

The black sedan weaved through the increasing traffic, heading farther into the madness that was Rome’s city streets. It wasn’t one of Thanos’s favorite places to visit. He didn’t care much for history, and the millions of tourists annoyed him to his core. There were times when he wished he could just strangle some of them. Something about visiting vacationers got on his last nerve.

At least Rome had good coffee, he thought. It was one of the few saving graces the old city offered. They merged into another lane, now surrounded by scooters, motorcycles, and small cars. Thanos couldn’t handle driving in the mess. He preferred that task be delegated to one of his men, leaving him to worry about more important matters.

Twenty minutes later, they had arrived at the hotel where some of Gikas’s other men had set up shop to watch Adriana Villa’s room just a few days before. They’d tracked her movements, waiting patiently for the perfect time to break into her room and lie in wait.

The men had reported finding nothing of interest in the room, information that had disturbed Thanos. There should have been something there regarding Villa’s work in her quest for the antikythera. He’d made sure the men had double-checked, and they assured him that they had given the room a thorough look.

There was nothing he could do about that now. Thanos had become good at letting go of things that couldn’t be helped. All he could do was focus on what to do in the future. For now, he and his men needed to get set up and put twenty-four hour surveillance on the hotel where Villa had been staying. If his instincts were right, Wyatt would come looking for the last place his girlfriend was known to be. If he was wrong, they’d lost nothing but a little time. As long as Wyatt was with the president, there was nothing that could be done anyway.

A valet in a burgundy-and-tan uniform opened the car door for Thanos, and then another swung open the entrance to the hotel in anticipation. Thanos stepped out into the musty city air, thick with the smells of car exhaust, Italian cooking, and the mild stench that always seemed to accompany historic cities. He strode gauntly through the entryway and into the hotel. One of his men from the earlier assignment was waiting inside. He wore a tight, gray v-neck sweater with a white shirt and black tie. A shiny belt buckle stood out from the top of his black jeans. Even though he was inside, the man had on sunglasses.

“We haven’t seen anything today,” he said, handing over a key to one of the hotel rooms they’d booked earlier.

At this time of year, getting accommodations could be tricky, that is unless you worked for Dimitris Gikas. It hadn’t been coincidence that a few cancellations popped up at the opportune time.

The men entered one of the elevators just before its bronze doors closed. A minute later, they were on the sixth floor in one of the suites. Thanos had been specific about getting a room that was high enough to see over the fountains in the square between their hotel and the one Villa was using, but not so high that they couldn’t get a good view. The sixth floor had been perfect. Thanos and his assistant walked through the room, past the gilded lamps, a neatly made bed with a deep-red comforter, and an oak dresser, and stopped at the doors to the balcony. A small telescope had been set up, making it easy to keep an eye on their target on the other side of the park.

It wasn’t completely necessary, the opposite hotel only being a few hundred yards away, but the telescope provided a more detailed perspective in case it was needed.

Thanos examined the space for a moment, twisting around and scanning the room. He cast another glance across the park and gave a quick nod. “Well done. Have a man on this window every hour of the day. Make sure they turn their phones off. We can’t risk them missing our quarry because they wanted to check the football scores.”

“We’ll take care of it, sir. We have also arranged the room next door for you. You’ll be the first to know if we see anything suspicious.” The man stood erect as he finished giving the report.