Order of the Black Sun Box Set 11

by Preston William Child

  They had holed up in a hotel room that Purdue had booked for them. Sam wasn't keen on having to share a room with Daisy since that just meant her and her ramblings would be confined to just the one room between them. Sam considered maybe just sleeping on the boat instead but he sucked it up, and instead they focused on how they were going to get the pearl from this heiress. They first had to confirm that she had it. After a few hours of planning and with the help of some Black Sun hackers back at the compound that Purdue had brought on board for situations like this, they learned what Erica Diosa's itinerary was and where they could find her in the coming days.

  Erica was going to be attending a charity gala for fighting pollution in the world's oceans. That was a bit of irony that Sam appreciated considering that she apparently owned one of the belongings of a god of the sea. If Poseidon did exist, he might have appreciated her efforts to keep his kingdom clean. Even more than that, this gala was a perfect opportunity to share a space with the heiress that they could use to their advantage. A party was the perfect chance to be able to speak with her despite being complete strangers. That was part of the point of those grand parties, to make connections and meet people that you usually wouldn't have the chance to meet.

  The Order of the Black Sun had resources and connections that could do just about anything if required. It was one of the only things that Sam liked about working as part of the Order of the Black Sun. They didn't just have Purdue's money to help them now. They had all kinds of means to get things done. It was one of the perks of selling his soul to the organization that was his former nemesis.

  Because of those connections, they were able to get onto the guest list of the Gala by the Sea that was going to be going on that night. It was short notice but they also managed to have proper attire sent to their hotel room as well. Due to the theme of the gala, Daisy had a deep blue gown that was reminiscent of the sea while Sam wore a dark tuxedo with a matching blue tie. They looked like quite a pair, but no one would know that they really didn't like each other all that much.

  When they arrived at the gala, they walked down the entrance carpet like they belonged there. No one would question it, if they carried themselves with enough confidence that no one would bat an eye. Of course they were on the guest list—because people like them with so much presence had always been on the guest list. Sam once again wished Purdue was with them. He didn't have to pretend to be a billionaire that would go to an event like this—he already was one. David Purdue going to a gala was just a normal occurrence. But no, because of Purdue's other goals, Sam and Daisy had to fake it. It was riskier, but so far, they were doing quite well.

  They spent a boring fifteen minutes in their hotel room coming up with cover stories that they could fall back on if they ended up in any social situations at the party. Sam was a successful collector of maritime antiquities and even owned a number of lighthouses on the coasts. Naturally someone like that would want the seas to be protected so he could continue to find valuables that weren't stained and corroded by pollution. Daisy, on the other hand, was a marine biologist that specialized in the study of how pollution was affecting the ecosystems and livelihoods of the sea life. Sam secretly hoped no one asked her any questions...because he didn't trust her not to start going on a rant about how Poseidon was responsible. No scientist was going to start throwing around talk about Poseidon. Their cover would be blown instantly.

  As they frolicked through the gala, snagging bite-sized food samples off of trays, they kept their eyes peeled for Erica Diosa. She was a public figure so finding a picture of her beforehand wasn't difficult. They knew what to watch out for. Sam was offered many drinks by waiters that moved through the crowd of people but he turned each and every one of them down. He hadn't even taken a sip of liquor throughout the party since he wanted to be in the right head space and couldn't have it clouded even a tiny bit by any alcohol consumption. He needed to be aware of his surroundings and he couldn't let any wrong words slip out. He was much more fit to handle a situation like this sober, but the drink was helping him blend in more.

  He tapped his foot to the music and started to make a game plan. He would slide into conversations that he wasn't really a part of and laugh along whenever any of the other rich people laughed. Poverty seemed to be a prime topic for humorous discussion, as depraved as that was to joke about. He thought the days of considering the common people as peasants had long since passed but he was wrong about that. The rich were evidently just better about knowing when to say things like that. They didn't have to worry about it when there were no “peasants” around and they were surrounded by fellow “nobles” that just wanted to engage in unfiltered hedonism in the guise of a charity event. This whole thing was just a facade, an excuse for all of these cooperative executives, trust fund babies, and stockholders to mingle and party.

  Sam knew that he wasn't doing as great of a job as he thought he was at pretending to just be another guest. He kept getting strange looks from people. They were either trying to recognize him or figure out why he didn't smell like a million dollars like the rest of them. They could practically sense his lack of money. His aura probably just radiated poverty. Daisy, on the other hand, was getting a lot of second looks and curious mutters from onlookers. She was apparently a real knockout in that dress, as she was turning a lot of heads. Sam snickered at the thought of one of these rich boys trying to flirt with her and her just bringing up Aphrodite, the goddess of love. That would be a quick way to scare them off.

  As they navigated the crowd, Daisy tugged on his sleeve and nodded her head in the direction of the other side of the room. A beautiful young woman in a purple dress was chatting with a couple of white-haired moguls. Sam and Daisy weaved their way through all of the people to get a closer look, but made sure not to be too obvious. Spying on her from across the party would be a terrible way to make their introductions. They would need to be smarter and more cunning than that.

  “Sam...” Daisy said, almost gasping.

  Sam saw it too.

  A white pearl with blue markings was around her neck, beside two dozen other pearls on a string, part of a necklace like it was any other normal piece of jewelry. It wasn't going to be easy getting that pearl. Sam might have preferred it being at the bottom of the ocean. At least then, he wouldn't have to pry it from a woman's throat.

  “What are we supposed to do?” Daisy asked. “Knock her out? Rob her blind?”

  Sam managed a nervous chuckle. “Look at you. I didn't expect such aggressive ideas from you of all people.”

  “Those are things I don't want to do!” Daisy hissed quietly. “That I could never do.”

  “I know, I know,” Sam snickered. “I wouldn't do anything like that either, at least not usually. But there are circumstances when I'm not opposed to thievery if we have to...maybe wait until we have a chance to slip away with it from under their noses.”

  “I don't want to do that either.”

  “Then how are we supposed to get the pearl? Sometimes there is no other choice—”

  “Then we'll find one!”

  “Look, I know it's not ideal...but getting those pearls back is kind of important, wouldn't you say? More important than whether or not a rich woman is going to miss one of her many necklaces, right?”

  Daisy looked very uncomfortable with the idea. Her eyes kept looking to the floor like she was going to find an alternative down there, but wasn't having any luck.

  “We...how exactly are we supposed to do that?”

  At least she was starting to accept that a heist might have to be done. Now it was just a matter of how. Sam wished he had Purdue and Nina in times like this. They used to be able to just put their heads together and concoct a plan. It was probably impossible for him and Daisy to do that; if they tried to put their heads together, they would probably repel away from each other like magnets.

  “We play this smart. How good are you at talking with rich people?”

  “I...well...” H
er face grew flush as she stammered uncertainly. She clearly wasn't accustomed to the idea of chatting with someone like that, especially not in a situation like this. Luckily, Sam had spent quite some time being very casual with a billionaire thanks to working with Purdue. He knew how to hold a conversation with someone like that.

  “That's fine, I've got this.”

  Sam had an idea of how he was going to make this play—it was just a matter of pulling it off successfully. He weaved his way through the crowds, snatching a glass of wine off of a tray as he approached the heiress. He was going to try a classic maneuver. He made sure to stand directly behind Erica and as she turned, he was just as sure to be so close that it was impossible to not bump into him. Her shoulder collided into him and he made himself as flimsy as possible, like he'd just been hit by a car. He threw his arms up and the wine shot into the air, raining down on them, just as Sam planned. Nothing started a conversation quite like an accident.

  The heiress let out a gasp. Some of it had spilled on her too. Immediately, they had something in common.

  “I'm so sorry!” Sam said, doing his best to look embarrassed. “I really should have been watching where I was going.”

  The heiress looked flabbergasted for a few seconds. She just stared down at her wet dress with her jaw nearly touching the floor. She regained her senses and shook her head. “No, no, nonsense. This wasn't your fault. It was mine. I crashed right into you.”

  Some of her aides were already flocking to her with napkins in their hands, ready to help clean up the mess. None of them bothered to offer Sam a napkin but he didn't really care. He didn't need an entourage to come babysit him—and everything was going as planned so far. When the pack of assistants dispersed, Erica offered him a bashful smile. “I really am sorry. I've ruined your suit.”

  “This is quite alright,” Sam said. “I wasn't a big fan of it anyway. You might have just done me a favor really. I won't have to wear this stupid thing again.”

  The heiress laughed. Sam's time sticking his nose where it didn't belong had taught him some things—like disarming people. It was a useful skill to have when you wanted to talk to someone for information. And after so many investigations, it was a skill he had perfected—at least, he thought so. Others might disagree with that notion.

  “There must be something I can do for this.”

  Sam jingled the glass in his hand. “I mean, you could get me another drink...since my first is all over us.”

  Erica smiled and Sam knew his plan was working. As he followed her over to the bartender, they passed by Daisy. She looked even more nervous than before. Sam winked to her when they walked by and felt a tinge of pride. All of her myths and fables weren't of much help to them at the moment. No, this was definitely more his area of expertise and Daisy would have to put aside all of her nonsense and follow his lead. That was a very satisfying feeling.

  Erica and Sam took their seats at the bar. He had admittedly been in similar position to this many times throughout life—trying to make conversation with an intimidating woman while sharing drinks. The only difference was just how elegant the rest of their surroundings were. This wasn't just some dive bar or sports bar. No, this was some place where he really didn't belong. These drinks were far too expensive for him. He tried to ignore that. The only thing that mattered was the conversation that was passing between them. Everything else around them was just static that he couldn't let distract him.

  “I've never seen you attend one of these galas before. Are you new around here?”

  “Just visiting,” Sam said. “My work brought me to Athens so I figured...why not enjoy all of the things this town has to offer? This party seemed like a good place to start...and it's for a good cause.”

  Sam kept catching himself staring at the blue and white pearl at the center of her neck and hoped the heiress didn't notice.

  “And what is it you do for work?”

  “Archaeology.” It wasn't exactly a lie, but it definitely wasn't the whole truth. “I travel all over the world, digging up treasure. How about you?”

  “Oh, I don't really have a traditional job. I was kind of born into wealth. My family runs a rather expansive international oil company.”

  Sam was well aware of her financial situation but did his best to look fascinated by everything she was saying. He hung onto every word.

  “Ah, yes, so you are one of those spoiled people who always used a silver spoon whenever they ate something. Five star meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is that right?”

  He was glad she didn't take too much offense to his jabs. They weren't meant to ridicule her, just to tease and make her even more comfortable. He was relieved when she laughed at his taunts. “You make it sound so horrible. Just because I don't get a paycheck every week doesn't mean I don't work. I contribute more than most people to charitable events like this, to groups all over the world.”

  “I'm not judging,” Sam said coyly. “I have a friend who is absurdly rich. He spends it all hopping all over the world.” He left out the part about Purdue looking for ancient relics and now running a secret society. Those didn't seem vital to this particular conversation. “With that much money, you can do whatever you like.”

  “That's true,” Erica said, looking down into her drink. “So, have you found any good dinosaur bones lately?”

  “That would be a paleontologist.”

  “There's a difference?”

  Sam shrugged and smirked. “Not really, to be honest.”

  Sam glanced across the ballroom and saw Daisy standing awkwardly by herself, staring at them. She was looking more than a little conspicuous. He would need to hurry this along. He was just surprised by how friendly and down to earth the heiress was. He expected her to be stuck up and dismissive but it was quite the opposite. He was actually enjoying the conversation he was in the midst of. It was just a pleasant talk between two strangers. It wouldn't be as easy to steal that necklace from her as he thought it would be. He decided to be more direct.

  “That's an interesting piece of jewelry,” Sam said, pointing at the blue and white pearl. “Where did you get that?”

  “This?” She put her fingers on the necklace, glancing down at the pearls. “It's been passed down in my family for a very long time.”

  “Interesting.” He didn't need to pretend.

  If Purdue was there, he would have found some sneaky way to end up with the pearl. He might have convinced her to let him see it or wooed her to lower her guard. But Sam wasn't Purdue. He had his own way of doing things. Sometimes trickery wasn't needed. All of his investigations had taught him the power of truth, and that sometimes it was better to use that than deception. Honesty could occasionally unlock doors that could otherwise never be opened.

  Sam decided to risk it, and reached into his pocket and pulled out the pearl that had devastated the Order of the Black Sun's plumbing. He held it out in front of the heiress and Erica's eyes grew large with surprise.

  “That's...it looks just like...”

  “Just like yours, yes.”

  Erica's posture shifted and her eyes narrowed. She seemed much more closed off than she had been just seconds before he took the pearl out. He had hoped that both of them sharing similar pearls would be just another thing in common to discuss but it had clearly set off some red flags in her mind. Her perception of him had very drastically shifted the second she saw that and he realized why; he had just given her reason to think that he had ulterior motives—and of course he did.

  “What is this?” she said accusingly. She looked ready to storm away, like a trap had just been sprung on her. She started to get up but Sam shook his head.

  “Please, wait,” Sam said. “Please...just hear me out. Listen to what I have to say. That's all.”

  Erica was standing, looking at him with a mix of shock and irritation, maybe even some disgust. She stared at him for a long moment, before slowly lowering back onto the stool. She folded her arms, closing herself off. “
Go on then. Before I change my mind. What do you want?”

  “This is going to sound a little unorthodox, I'll admit, but I actually really need that pearl.”

  “No,” Erica said defiantly. “That is not going to happen. End of story. Have a nice life.”

  She started to get up again but Sam acted quickly.

  “Do you want me to tell you why I'm here or not? There's a lot more to that pearl than you realize.” He glanced at Daisy across the room who was still watching with worry. “Supposedly the one in my hand and the one around your neck are part of a set. Three pearls that used to belong to—”

  “Poseidon.”

  Erica said the name so casually that Sam froze. She knew.

  “Yes, that's always been the story in my family. There were always stories that my ancestors stole one of the pearls from the god, at least that's what everyone always said. I didn't know there were more...but it doesn't really matter. I'm not just going to let some stranger take it away.”

  “Bad things will happen if we don't reunite all three of the pearls.”

  “Oh please,” Erica said with a roll of her eyes. “That's cryptic and vague. And by the way, it's disgusting that you orchestrated this whole conversation just to try to get this from me. That's a horrible thing to do to someone.”

  “First off, I'm sorry,” Sam said. “But second, it's not just a threat or nonsense. I watched this pearl's power rip pipes apart, causing spurts of water to explode from the walls and whip through the air like it had a mind of its own. I saw the water turn into a person and demand that we give the pearl back to it. That happened. I saw it with these two eyes.”

  He knew how crazy it sounded but at least it was the kind of crazy that he had seen with his own two eyes and knew for a fact had really happened. He probably sounded like just as much of a raving lunatic as Daisy but maybe channeling some of Daisy's weirdness would help, he wasn't sure. Surprisingly, Erica didn't look at him with disbelief. There was just recognition.