“Who is driving?” Don asked.
“I will drive,” Costa offered, “if the pretty lady wants to relax a bit?”
Nina cast a quick glance to Don as she gave Costa the keys. The archeologist just grinned, knowing how she fancied the Greek, and also knowing why. He had never met Sam Cleave, but from the various explorations and news worthy coverage that Purdue’s hunts have delivered before he had seen pictures of the investigative journalist.
It was uncanny how Costa resembled him, but Don hoped that Nina had the clarity of mind to remember that the art professor was a different person to Sam, no matter how he resembled him. Another thing Don secretly knew was how much his friend, Dave Purdue, still loved his ex-girlfriend. In so many late night drunken discussions, Purdue had admitted to him how he would never give up on winning her back.
During their trip to Krakow, the Volvo was nowhere to be seen. If it was indeed following them, it was in no rush to catch up. Just after three o’clock in the afternoon, Costa steered the van onto the turn-off toward the picturesque Medieval aged town. Don, who was in the front passenger seat, reached back to Nina to wake her.
“Dr. Gould?” he jested. No reaction from the slumbering historian prompted him to raise his voice with a touch of panic. “We’re lost! I knew we should have turned off at the vineyards, Zorba! For fuck’s sake, I told you!”
Costa was in stitches at the comedic antics of Dr. Graham next to him, holding in a fit of laughter as they drove into town. Nina sat up to see what was going on, furiously wiping strands of stray hair from her scowling brow. Her eyes widened when she saw Don, but he put her at ease almost immediately.
“Ah, you’ve joined us.”
“Jesus, Don!” she moaned, wiping her eyes roughly. “Don’t do that. My nerves are already on end about this meeting.”
“Why?” Costa asked.
“Well, this guy is expecting Purdue. What if they don’t trust us? What if they…?” she complained.
“Don’t worry,” Don smiled, caressing her hand. “Purdue called them to let them know a very attractive, rugged man is meeting them on his behalf. They’ll trust me when they see me.”
“I just need to know where we are meeting them, Nina. And then I need you to tell me how to get there,” Costa reminded her.
“Oh shit, of course, yes!” she stammered, retrieving the information on the GPS. “They will meet us at the Main Market Square, right by the statue of Adam Mickiewicz. I have a picture of it so that we know where to find it.”
“Excellent. I cannot wait to get this done,” Costa said.
“Why in such a hurry?” Don smiled. “Enjoy the sights, take it in.”
The Greek professor’s expression changed, looking a bit more sincere. “I love the sights as much as anyone, Dr. Graham,” he explained, “and I don’t want to be a boring drip or anything, but Soula was a close friend of mine…”
“No, no, I understand, my friend. It is only logical that you would want this sorted out. Geez, I still can’t believe that they would go to such lengths,” Don sighed.
“I can. Those fuckers have a God-complex and the money to perpetuate it. Believe me, they would go to any length to maintain power,” Nina replied with no small measure of contempt in her voice.
“That is true, I’m sure. Come to think of it, we forget that the Black Sun was founded by the sickest fucks of the Nazi High Command. Why was I even surprised?” Don conceded.
Costa knew the Black Sun only by reputation. Soula never told him that she or the stone had any connection to the organization. From what he had heard about them, and found in light research was damning and worth being maligned by all opposition that ever had the misfortune of dealing with them.
The van stopped near the gathering place on the square where the 4.2 meter tall bronze statue stood in its detailed beauty. Especially Costa, with his eye for fine art, admired the lines and contours of the detailed statue of the poet Adam Mickiewicz with the secondary sculptures surrounding the square pedestal.
“Be right back, kids,” Don exclaimed and jumped out of the van. He still showed a bit of a limp as he crossed the square. The silence in the van was a bit awkward, so Costa decided to make small talk.
“Maybe I should have gone with him,” he said.
“Why? He can take care of himself,” Nina replied. She was leaning on the backrest of the single front seat, resting her head on her forearms. Costa could smell Nina’s perfume, and it drove him crazy, but he had to keep things casual. He had to focus on obtaining the Medusa stone before embarking on the search for the Euryale as soon as Purdue let them know where he was. It was now plain that whoever held Professor Barry hostage had the last of the three stones.
“So, tell me about you and Dave Purdue,” he said suddenly, catching Nina completely off guard.
“Um, what about us?” she asked, minding her tone as not to sound as surprised as she was.
“You have history, I believe. Much history, including romantic history, I hear,” he said, staring deep into her eyes and rendering her powerless to his thrall. Nina felt compelled to answer his every question without reservation, but she could not figure out why. Surely the fact that he reminded her of Sam could not have such control over her… could it? Costa suddenly broke eye contact and looked around the square and the passers-by. “I’m so sorry, Nina. I did not mean to pry,” he apologized. “It’s just that you…”
Nina was intrigued. “It’s just that I what?” she asked, proving to be invested in his thoughts.
Costa looked at her again. His dark eyes pulled her in, locking out the world. Her body rushed with excitement, yet felt numb at the same time. She looked at his full lips as he was about to speak, reminiscing about his warm breath in her hair when they were hiding in the crate.
“You… have this hold on me, Nina. I feel like I am under a spell when I am in your magical presence. It is not a pick-up line,” he said quickly. “I mean it. I pry, because I want to know how — accessible — you are to me. If there is someone else, I will back down.”
Nina felt her heart racing. “No! No, you have every right to ask. How will you know if you don’t ask, right?”
He nodded humbly.
“Purdue and I were romantically involved a long time ago. It was at the height of his trouble with the Black Sun,” she filled him in. “But we are ancient history.”
‘A bit harsh on Purdue,’ she thought, but she really wanted Costa. He looked like Sam and to trump that, he was a charming and exotic academic who treated her like what she thought mattered.
Before Costa could reply Don slammed hard against the door. “Got it! Let’s roll, my friends!”
“Don, what the hell is that tucked into your shirt like a bib?” Nina asked.
“Oh, didn’t want to litter,” he winked. “Folded my foil sandwich wrapper up. You never know when an old conspiracy theorist such as myself might need it for a hat.” Having a good laugh with Nina, Costa started the van, leaving Nina wondering what he would have proposed next.
Chapter 32
“Deon, I have a question,” Helen said.
She accompanied him as he watered the plants of the house where she and Claire were kept. A multitude of different species of plants was hosted in the solarium of the house that served as a greenhouse. It was Greece, after all. The sunny days and temperate climate allowed for year-round growth.
“Certainly,” he answered kindly.
“I am not going to beat around the bush. We both know Claire, and I are going to die as soon as David gives you the Medusa stone,” she started, but her tongue abandoned her speech when he turned to face her. Deon’s expression was that of an angry god on in an ancient painting, between grace and fury.