Sean simply shook his head as he steered the car off the road and into his driveway. The iron gates opened slowly, allowing the vehicle to pass through. Coop’s eyes grew wider as he observed the property. The driveway wound its way up a gradual hill, weaving between rows of huge trees and lush bushes. In the dark, he couldn’t tell exactly what kinds of plants they were, but the sight was impressive nonetheless.
At the top of the hill, Sean’s terracotta manor rested amid what Coop assumed to be a stand of massive oaks. Floodlights illuminated the sides of the building, showing off the dark shutters and beige siding. Several interior lights were on, giving the impression that someone was home.
“Adriana got here ahead of us,” Sean informed his passengers. “I have two guest rooms, so you guys won’t have to share a bed.” He snickered at the thought.
“Oh, I was hoping Charlie and I could cuddle for the night,” Coop ribbed his friend.
Charlie merely shook his head.
Instead of pulling the car around to the bottom of the driveway to the garage, Sean steered it to the loop in front of the home and parked in front of the fanned, sandstone staircase. As he got out of the car, the heavy walnut door to the house swung open. A woman in gray cotton pajamas and a black tank top appeared in the entrance. Her dark-brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. She crossed her tanned arms, pouting her lips slightly to feign irritation.
“She doesn’t look happy,” Coop whispered as he climbed out of the back seat.
Sean knew better. He trudged up the steps to the open doorway and wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing his lips against hers for a few seconds. When he pulled away, she sighed and smacked him on the chest.
“You know, you make a terrible worried girlfriend,” he joked. “Usually, women like that aren’t international badasses.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I tried. I don’t know if I can ever truly be domesticated.” She shrugged.
“The pajamas are pretty sexy though,” Sean added with a grin.
She shook her head and turned her attention to the other two men who were hesitantly making their way to the home’s threshold. “Welcome, gentlemen.” She extended a hand to the weary travelers, first Charlie, then Coop. “My name is Adriana Villa. I hope your journey wasn’t too difficult.”
“Other than my butt being numb, not too bad,” Charlie grumbled.
Coop shook his head and stepped past his grumpy friend, taking Adriana’s hand in his. He was surprised by the firm grip, although when he took a second look at the definition in her arms, the shock soon dispersed. “My name is Browning Cooper,” he said. “My friends call me Coop.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” she said with a polite smile. “And it’s nice to see you again, Charlie.” She raised an eyebrow with a look that could have melted an iceberg.
Charlie blushed and let a little crease escape across his lips. “Good to see you too, Addy.” He was the only person that called her that, and while she wasn’t sure she liked the shortened version he’d come up with, Adriana knew it was a term of endearment, so she let it pass.
“I’ve arranged the guest rooms for you. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where they are. I’m sure you’re all exhausted. We will have more time for chatting in the morning over coffee.” She put her hand out, motioning for the men to go in ahead of her.
Sean gazed at her quizzically. “Look at you, being all domestic after all.”
She shook her head at his kidding. “There’s nothing wrong with being a good host,” she said stepping inside the home.
“I know I was only—” Sean started to say he was just messing around when the door closed hard in his face. The sound of the lock turning added to the drama of the moment. He shook his head and started laughing, expecting her to open the door in a second. Thirty seconds later, he was still standing there. “She just locked me out of my own house,” he said to himself, still giggling.
The lock turned again, and the door reopened. She leaned against the frame with a sly grin on her face. He shook his head and followed her inside.
The following morning, smells of fresh coffee, turkey sausage, eggs, and toast wafted through the home. Sunlight poured through giant windows into an open kitchen that featured a Tuscan-style stone backsplash, sandstone tile floor, black granite countertops, and cream-colored cabinets.
Sean sat on a stool at the bar, reading through emails on his smartphone, sipping coffee while Adriana busily scoured the Internet for information on the diary and gold coin.
It was a wonder she’d been able to sleep through the course of the night. Sean was startled awake every time he heard a noise outside. Visions of the huge Russian kept him on the thin edge between slumber and alertness, which meant he hardly slept at all.
The two older men scuffled their way into the elegant kitchen in their robes and slippers. Adriana had dug out some old things Sean didn’t wear much anymore and offered them to the guests before heading to bed the night before.
“Nice duds, kid,” Charlie said spinning around in a green-and-brown robe, modeling it for his hosts.
“Glad you like it, Charlie. Did you guys sleep okay?” Sean took another sip from his cup of coffee.
“It was simply one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in over the course of my entire life,” Coop proclaimed, stretching out two arms. “I must know where you bought it.”
Sean’s eyes squinted as his lips narrowed in a grin. “I’ll give you the name of the company before you leave. They’re down here in Atlanta. Make really good mattresses.”
“I might just be in the market after a night of sleep like that.” Coop stopped and sniffed the air dramatically. “And something smells outstanding.”
Adriana closed her laptop and smiled at the compliment. “I put the food in the oven because I wasn’t sure when you two would be getting up. From what Sean tells me, you’ve had a harrowing last twenty-four hours.”
She meandered over to the stainless steel oven and removed a few glass dishes containing foil wrapped objects. Once the dishes were on top of the stove, she unwrapped the foil to reveal the sausage and eggs. She then stepped over to a loaf of bread, removed a few slices and put them in the toaster.
“Looks good,” Charlie said with hungry eyes. “You didn’t have to go through all the trouble of cooking that.”
“It was no trouble at all,” she assured them, melting their worries with her smile. “Do you men take coffee?”
Both nodded.
“Yes, please,” Coop said. “One cream and one sugar.”
“Just like Sean’s,” Adriana said as she poured the first cup and added the prescribed amount of sugar and cream.
“One sugar for me is all,” Charlie said politely. Something about her always disarmed his usually gruff nature.
Sean interrupted the morning niceties and slipped his phone into his pajama pants pocket. “We need to take the coin and the diary over to the IAA labs once we finish breakfast. Tommy and his crew should be able to give us some more information on what we’re looking at.”
When the toast was ready, the two older men sat down at a little breakfast table nearby and devoured the food.
“How did you two meet?” Coop asked. He cut the sausage in half and put a piece in his mouth while waiting for the answer.
Adriana took a gulp of coffee before responding. She lovingly put her hand on Sean’s shoulder and rubbed it for a second. “Las Vegas.”
Sean let out a quick laugh. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten their first encounter, but hearing it out loud like that did sound funny.
“Oh?” Coop nodded slowly. “Were you out there for a convention or something, Sean?”