by Parker, Ali
I checked the time and decided it was time to get out to the site. I didn’t want to go too late and get stuck in the heat. I was going to come back to the hotel and hang out in the lobby with the hopes of accidentally on purpose running into Mae again. My hired car and driver were waiting out front when I walked outside. Nothing could ruin my mood.
When I got to the site, I quickly found Emmanuel, the man that was funding the dig. “Good morning,” I greeted.
“Mr. Helms,” he said, extending his hand. He led me into a large tent set up to be his office. “Have a seat.” He gestured to the wood chair positioned in front of his desk.
I sat down, looking around the place that had an actual wood floor. “How long have you been out here?” I asked.
He smiled. “It’s been close to a year. It’s only been recently that we have finally made some good discoveries.”
I nodded. “I imagine that must be difficult to keep pushing on when you come up empty.”
He chuckled. “Difficult, yes, but it’s the money that tends to be the real problem.”
“Are you expecting to continue digging or has the financing been exhausted?”
He grinned. “Not anymore. The recent finds have made it possible for us to continue with our work here for months to come.”
“I didn’t realize you had multiple finds. I’m anxious to see them, especially the piece from the era we spoke of.”
“Why don’t I show you around?” he offered.
“Thank you, I would like that.”
He escorted me around the large site, showing me the areas that had been excavated and thoroughly explored. “We found very little to give us hope in this area. Lots of little things and plenty of coins but it wasn’t until we moved over here that we really struck gold.”
I followed behind him as he walked toward a site that was underground. I would have made a terrible archeologist. I didn’t care for the cavernous digs. “Down there?” I asked.
“Are you okay with that?”
I nodded. “Sure. Yes, of course.”
I followed him inside, staying in the area cleared for visitors and doing my best not to touch or disrupt anything. I listened as he talked, carrying on about his future plans. I wasn’t listening all that well. I was focused on the artifact that was my reason for coming all the way to Rome.
“Why don’t I show you what we will be selling soon?” he asked.
“Yes, please,” I said a little too eagerly. “I’m anxious to see the piece from the Republican Rome period.”
“I have several pieces I would like to show you. I’m sure you will be impressed.”
“Are they all from the same time period?”
He made a face. “I can’t say for sure. We have had several experts give varying opinions. Dating artifacts can be a fickle business.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. It made me leery of whatever else he thought he might have found. I didn’t want fakes. I made the trip because the artifacts were supposedly from a specific time period. I wouldn’t panic just yet. I was hoping I could determine the age, although it wasn’t my area of expertise. It was another reason in a long list that outlined the many reasons why I needed Alec.
I walked into another smaller tent and saw a small display of items. None of them were the piece I came for. “Where is the statue?” I asked.
Emmanuel avoided eye contact. “I don’t have that particular statue,” he said.
I stopped browsing the presented items and looked at him. “Excuse me?”
“It has been purchased by another,” he answered.
I frowned. “I thought we had an arrangement?”
“Nothing was set in stone and I knew you were interested in anything from the era.”
“Who bought it?” I asked. “I will make an offer to the buyer and go about it that way.”
I was irritated and I wasn’t going to hide my irritation. I didn’t appreciate shady businessmen and I got the feeling that was exactly what Emmanuel was. He needed money to fund his dig and was getting it by selling to anyone who offered. I had a name in the business and felt there should have been some respect for a business relationship that could have proved very fruitful for him.
“I have other items I would like to introduce you to,” he offered.
I took a deep breath. I would look, but I knew what I wanted. “Fine,” I muttered, giving him the attention he desired. None of it intrigued me. I was ruined. I wanted the statue. It was the find of the year and I wanted it in my museum.
“Do you see anything that interests you?” he asked hopefully.
I turned to face him. “Emmanuel, do you know who I am?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Do you know how much I buy from people just like you?”
He shrugged. “I’ve heard rumors.”
I nodded. “Millions of American dollars every year. That’s how much I spend. I am someone who appreciates antiquities. I don’t mind paying an item’s worth and maybe a little extra with the understanding I would have first dibs on any future finds.”
I could see him struggling. He was finally understanding the gravity of his mistake. “The offer was too high to ignore. It was more than generous, and it was made with the specific requirement that it be held back for her.”
“Her?” I asked, intrigued by the idea of a woman buyer. I didn’t often encounter women in my business. It tended to be men, old men.
“Yes,” he answered without giving any further details.
“I’ll have to think about it,” I said, turning to leave.
“I’ll walk you out,” he offered.
“Emmanuel, I would really like to know more about the statue. Is it going into a private collection or a museum?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “It seemed to be more of a personal want. I don’t believe it was going into a museum or to be resold at auction. The buyer seemed very determined to get the statue. I’m not one to deny a pretty young woman.”
I stopped walking. “A pretty young woman?”
“Yes. She was here earlier to pick up the item. When I left her, she was taking care of all the necessary paperwork.”
I nodded. I was beginning to understand what was really going on. I should have known. I should have known it couldn’t be a coincidence. I dismissed the thought. It couldn’t be. “Do you have a name for this mystery woman?” I asked again.
He looked thoughtful. “I believe she was operating under an LLC,” he said. “I can’t quite remember the name.”
I let the information sink in. There was nothing more for me to see. “I’ll be going,” I said. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Oh, there she is,” Emmanuel said. He pointed toward the parking area. I looked in the direction of the woman with her back to us.
I didn’t have to see her face. I knew exactly who it was. What I didn’t know was why. Why in the hell would she come all this way to buy a statue she didn’t really want? Where was she planning to put the damn thing?
“That woman purchased the artifact?” I asked.
“Yes, sir. That’s her.”
“Thank you,” I muttered and walked away from him.
The woman was trying to bait me. Her leaving me this morning without a word was just the start of her little game of revenge. I had a feeling she was going to be a thorn in my side for weeks and months to come. I smiled at the thought. I couldn’t really be bothered by that fact. It could prove troublesome, but nothing I couldn’t overcome.
Chapter 31
Mae
I was flying high. Elated. Satisfied. Everything. I had all the emotions. It felt good to have finally secured the statue that I was ninety-nine percent sure was from the days Caesar ruled the Roman empire.
I wasn’t a historian, but I had done my due diligence before I ever forked out a penny. There was also the fact I knew Tyson was after the damn thing. That was as good a seal of approval as any. I trusted his judgment even if I didn’t necessarily
trust him.
The driver was waiting for me in the dark SUV I had rented for my stay. As it turned out, my stay was going to be very short. I was actually relieved. I didn’t want to spend another night with Tyson. No, not true. I did want to spend another night with him, which was why I absolutely could not spend another night with him. I always felt like I was handling C-4 when I was around him. He was dangerous. One little spark and things erupted.
“Mae!” I heard my name and spun around with alarm.
“Shit,” I breathed the word. It was Tyson. He was walking toward me with very long strides. Obviously, he knew.
I waited, ready to go toe to toe with the man that deserved my tiny little bit of revenge. I was happy I could look him in the eye and see his face when he realized I owned what he wanted. There was nothing he could do or say to take away from my moment of victory. This round, I won. He knew it and I knew it. Now, it was time to sit back and gloat, just like he had done when he bought the family business.
“Wait up,” he said again when I turned back toward the waiting vehicle.
I stopped walking and turned to face him with my arms folded across my chest. “What?”
“You left in a hurry this morning,” he calmly said. “I thought we could have breakfast together.”
“I had things to do.”
He grinned. “Like buy a statue you know I wanted?”
I shrugged. “Maybe something like that. Although, technically, the statue was already bought and paid for before I showed up here. Today was just a formality.”
The shit-eating grin on his face was not what I expected when he found out about what I had done. “Indeed. Want to tell me why you bought a statue that cost that kind of money? That’s not exactly quite as practical as a house or car or even a designer handbag.”
“I needed it for the collection,” I answered without giving him any extra information.
“The collection?” he questioned.
I was surprised he wasn’t angry. I was actually a little bummed that he wasn’t upset. I expected fireworks. I wanted him to be pissed off and raging. I wanted him to feel like I had felt when I learned of the sale.
“Yes.”
“Who exactly are you working for that could afford or want that particular piece? Very few collectors back in the states were even privy to the information. It wasn’t even on the official market.”
“I’m not working for anyone,” I replied, feeling a great deal of satisfaction at the confused yet slightly shocked expression on his face.
“You said you had a job.”
“I do.”
He sighed. “Are you going to be this evasive all the time?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
“Are you always going to be a self-serving asshole?”
His mouth dropped open. “That wasn’t fair or accurate. I thought we were over that.”
“Because we had sex?”
“I guess, yes, because we had sex. A lot. A lot of really good sex. I told you I was sorry, and I thought I made my reasons for doing what I did clear. I thought we were in a good place.”
“Nope.”
He shook his head. “Nope what?”
“Nope, I’m not over it just because we had sex. I won’t deny I like sex with you but that doesn’t mean I’m not still mad at you.”
He mulled that over. “Okay.”
Now it was my turn to be confused. “Okay what?”
“You can be mad. I think I like angry sex with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not even close to what I meant.”
“But you said it. Who are you working for?”
“I told you I’m not working for anyone.”
He rubbed a hand over his hair, mussing it up. I was thrilled to witness his frustration. “You have a job, but you are not working for anyone. Do I have that right?”
I grinned and slowly nodded. “Bingo.”
“You are your job?” he questioned with a furrowed brow.
“I am the owner, manager, and curator, yes.”
“Curator?”
This was the one-two punch I had been waiting to deliver for weeks. “Yes. The curator of a museum. My museum.”
The look on his face was priceless. If only there had been a camera recording it. No matter, I wasn’t soon to forget the look on the face of the man I both loved and hated. A slow smile spread over his face. “Your own museum? I guess congratulations are in order.”
I shrugged. “Thanks.”
“As the owner of your own business, you might be looking for ways to make money. Let me help you. I’ll buy that statue off you for more than you paid. You will already be adding to the black.”
“No thanks.”
He raised one dark brow. “No thanks?”
“Yes, no thank you. I’m not interested in selling it. I’ve just barely bought the damn thing. I already know just the place it will go and do not care to sell it.”
He slowly nodded. His eyes were scrutinizing as he stared at me. “Mae, what I said last night, all of it was true. I never meant to do anything that would or did hurt you. I never meant to cause you pain or sadness. I truly believed I could help you and your brother and sister by buying the business. It wasn’t a dig at you.”
“I believe you,” I told him. “I really do. I don’t think you were trying to be malicious.”
“So, can we be friends?”
I smiled. “I don’t know. We’re competitors now. This statue isn’t about us being friends or not being friends. This is about business.”
“Then, think of it from a business standpoint. You stand to make a tidy profit by selling me the statue. You’ll never have to worry about getting it insured or setting up a display. Let me help you.”
That pissed me off. It was the exact wrong thing to say. “Help me? Because you think I’m incapable of managing on my own? You think I’m an idiot and can’t figure out how to run a profitable business because I don’t have a shiny business degree? Guess what, Tyson? It isn’t all about money. This is me wanting that statue and I got it. It’s mine. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? I took something you wanted. Your answer is to throw money at it until you get what you want.”
“That is not exactly the case, but yes, I do have the money to throw around. Yes, I do want the statue, but then you know that because you heard me talk about it. I shared my excitement about the find with you. I think you want me to be mad. This is step two of your revenge plot against me.”
“Not everything is about you, Tyson.”
He laughed. “But this is. How much, Mae? How bad do you want me to bleed? I’ll do it. I want to apologize and make it up to you. If that means buying the thing from you for far more than it is worth, so be it. What will it take for you to forgive me and for me to get my statue?”
Now, we were getting somewhere. He was on the verge of begging. “There isn’t any amount of money in this world that would make me give this statue up. It’s mine and I plan on keeping it that way. I’m sorry if that doesn’t work with your plans, but I won’t budge.”
He let out a breath and looked down at his shoes. “Okay.”
I could hear the defeat in his voice and immediately felt guilty. Revenge wasn’t nearly as sweet as I thought it was going to be. I suddenly felt like shit. I did know how much he wanted the statue. His love for historical items was real. He loved his treasures like normal people loved pets. They meant a great deal to him. Truthfully, I didn’t think my revenge plot all the way through. I was not a vindictive person. I did not intentionally hurt anyone. That wasn’t who I was.
So why was I feeling a tiny bit satisfied while I watched defeat take him down?
“I need to go,” I said. “I have a flight to catch.”
He slowly nodded, his eyes searching mine. “Can I call you when I get home?”
“Why would you? I’m not selling you the statue.”
“Because like I said, I want to be friends.”
>
“You can call, but I make no promises I will answer.”
He grinned. “Then I will call, and I will hope you will answer.”
I knew he would. I would deal with that when it happened. I needed to get away from him before I did something stupid—like cave in and sell him the damn statue. Or kiss him. No more kissing. Kissing was off the table.
I said nothing more to him. I got into the vehicle and asked the driver to take me to the airport. I told myself not to do it, but I did it anyway. I turned to look behind me, and sure enough, he was still standing there, watching me go.
I blew out a breath, shaking off the myriad of feelings. Damn if I didn’t want the man. He was too damn sexy for my own good. Despite the little bit of guilt I felt for taking the statue, I did feel good. I felt accomplished. Not only did I get to give him a little dose of his medicine, I got a beautiful artifact that was very rare. It would attract visitors to the little museum and hopefully boost visitation.
I wasn’t trying to become a millionaire or billionaire like Tyson. That wasn’t my goal. I wanted to prove to myself, Patrick, and Tyson that I could successfully run an antiquity business and museum all by myself. I didn’t need them to help out or tell me what to do.
Benjamin was teaching me everything he knew. One day, they would understand just how mistaken they were. I was going to be successful without them. Success was truly the best revenge. I needed to prove it to myself. I needed to prove I was capable and had I been given a chance to run the family business like I saw fit, it could have been so much bigger and better.
Patrick had screwed himself with that one. He should have let me try. I could have given him a steady income with very little work. He thought the windfall of money would sustain him for the rest of his days. I didn’t believe that was very practical. But why would he listen to me? I was just his little sister who didn’t know any better.