"I love long walks on the beach," Jack replied, then added, "and candlelit dinners."
"Ha ha, funny boy. I figured you'd still be sleeping after the long day yesterday," Serena speculated.
"My internal clock woke me up early, so I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed on up the beach. I'm heading back now if you want to walk with me," Jack offered.
"Sure, that'd be nice," Serena said, flashing a Jack a warm, comfortable smile.
Walking side by side, they carried on casual conversation. Jack answered questions about his childhood and Serena answered questions about her interests. As the topics came and went, they noticed two men approaching them.
"Huh, that's kind of strange. Do you normally see guys in suits walking the beach this early?" Jack asked.
"Never," Serena replied simply.
"Hmm, I wonder what they're doing here," Jack speculated.
"They can't have business with us, right?" Serena asked, now feeling a bit uneasy.
"Do you owe anyone money?" Jack joked.
"Only the bank," Serena responded.
As the two men closed the distance, they walked with a purposeful stride. Within minutes, Jack and Serena could see their faces clearly. Forty feet away, Jack could see the lines in the faces of the two men and guessed their ages to be around forty. As the two slowed their pace, there was no mistaking for whom they came.
"Good morning, are you guys looking for us for some reason?" Jack shouted as they moved closer.
"Yes, we're looking for a Jack Roberts. Are you him?" the taller of the pair asked.
"Who's looking?" Jack responded cryptically.
As the two men came to a stop in front of Jack and Serena, the taller man extended his hand and said, "I am Dimitri and this is my colleague, Slavin. I was hoping to have word with you this morning."
"Whatever you’re selling, we’re not buying,” Jack joked.
While he removed his sunglasses, Dimitri forced a cordial smile, then said, “My friend, we’re not selling. We’re buying. My employer is most interested in your crystal globe. He has sent me here to make you an offer.”
“At seven-thirty in the morning?” Jack responded incredulously.
“It is evening where we come from,” Dimitri replied.
“And where’s that?” Jack asked.
“Russia,” Dimitri answered simply.
“Russians? Didn’t you guys already make an offer a month ago or so?” Jack asked.
“Yes, where my colleague failed, we hope to succeed,” Dimitri replied.
As Dimitri answered Jack’s questions, Slavin adjusted his earpiece, listened for a moment, then spoke a few words to Dimitri in his native language. Turning to Slavin, Dimitri nodded slightly. Pulling a cell phone from his pocket, Slavin slowly turned and took his phone call several feet away.
Jack eyed this interruption with suspicion. He now felt uneasy about the two dark–suited strangers and wanted to end their meeting quickly.
“You know, Dimitri, I’m really not an expert at these sorts of things. Why don’t you give me your business card and I’ll have someone call you,” Jack said, hoping his brush-off would be enough.
“My friend, by your answer, am I to understand that you WILL negotiate for a price on the crystal globe?” Dimitri asked, directly.
Jack thought about telling Dimitri that he was in no way interested. Looking at the tall dangerous Russian standing in front of him and the other standing off several feet away, he sensed a growing threat to both his and Serena’s safety. He knew the truth would not suffice.
“Well, Dimitri, as long as you don’t make me some lowball offer like the last guy did, I’m sure we could come to some kind of deal,” Jack replied, trying to sound believable.
Dimitri smiled a great smile of relief. He extended his hand and said, “My friend, I’m sure you will not be disappointed.”
Dimitri shook Jack’s hand. In that moment, he could see the doubt in Jack’s eyes that betrayed his words.
Dimitri pulled away. His eyes turned cold and his expression became hardened.
“There will be no deal, will there?” he said bluntly.
Jack froze. He knew he’d been caught in his bluff. He searched his mind to find a better answer, but there were none to be found. Reluctantly, he replied with the truth.
“I’m sorry, Dimitri. I guess I’m not ready to sell the crystal right now,” Jack said, feeling dread as he spoke.
“This is most regrettable,” Dimitri shot back.
He eyed Jack momentarily, spoke a few words in Russian to his colleague, then stormed off down the beach at a hurried pace.
Jack looked at Serena with worry. He could see the same expression staring back at him.
Looking back at two men now far away, he said, “Somehow I get the feeling he’s not going to take 'no' for an answer.”
“I have that same feeling,” Serena responded.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
ONE HOUR LATER:
As Jack and Serena approached the beach house, they noticed something peculiar.
“Did you leave the rear door open?” Jack asked Serena.
“No, why?”
“Someone did. There’s a curtain blowing through the doorway,” Jack said, then asked, “Do you think your parents are home?”
“No, they normally would have left by now,” Serena said, somewhat confused by the sight.
“Well, if I didn’t leave it open and you didn’t leave it open and your parents are gone, who else could have…” Jack stopped walking. He looked up at the house, then back at Serena and his expression changed to dread.
“Oh no…” Serena blurted out.
Before she could finish, Jack sprinted off toward the house. In seconds, he leaped up onto the rear deck and entered the home. Serena followed behind.
“Holy Shit!” Jack yelled loudly.
He looked around the living room and kitchen. All the doors to cabinets and closets were open. Strewn on the floors were their contents. Jack ran quickly through the house and found each room looking the same. As he made his way back into the living room, he saw Serena standing at its entrance in shock.
“They broke in… those Russian bastards broke in,” Jack said.
Serena stood motionless. Her mind was still in shock as she realized the gravity of their situation. Jack walked over to her and touched her shoulder.
“Are you going to be alright?” he asked.
“We’re in danger. We’re in a lot of danger,” Serena said, her eyes intense. “This isn’t the end of it.”
“We better call the police,” Jack responded, running toward the phone.
“No wait!” Serena shouted, stopping Jack in his tracks. “I’m calling my dad first. They’ll be going to his office next.”
Jack tossed her the phone.
“Quick… I don’t think he has much time,” Jack said, his voice filled with concern.
As Serena pushed the buttons, her fingers trembled with fear. She placed the receiver to her ear and paced back and forth, stepping over articles that had been haphazardly thrown across the floor. As Javier answered the phone at his office, Serena uttered a few simple words:
“Dad, we’ve got a problem.”
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
JAVIER’S HOME: SEVERAL HOURS LATER:
As the local police pulled away, Berta stepped from the window.
“Thank goodness no one was hurt,” she said, her voice still trembling from fear.
“And now that the police are onto them, they probably won’t be back,” Serena added.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Javi said. “This is the second time they’ve been here. They’re persistent and I’m not so sure the local cops are a match for brazen guys like these.”
“So what do we do? We’re not going to just hand over the crystal to them,” Jack said, defiantly.
“I don’t know Jack. I don’t know if there’s anything we can do, except watch our backs,” Javier responded.
“That was great thinking putting that crystal in a safe deposit box, Dad. I’m pretty sure they won’t be breaking into a bank to get it,” Serena said.
“Yeah, that should keep them at bay for a while,” he replied.
“That is until they see us leaving the bank with it,” Jack countered.
“Maybe we should hire some security to guard the crystal,” Serena said, offering a solution.
“Local security would be useless with these guys. We’d need professionals and I’m not sure if we can afford them right now,” Javier said.
As they spoke, Jack turned and walked into the kitchen. Now curious about his abrupt exit, Serena asked, “Where’re you going Jack?”
“I’ve got a phone call to make,” he replied with a wily grin.
Chapter 5
Offices of Javier Arista:
Javier hung up the phone and exited his office. Walking into his laboratory, he found Serena and Jack hunched over a map of the Mediterranean. Their conversation was light and Jack seemed to be enjoying himself.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” Javier asked in a serious tone, pretending to be upset.
Jack stiffened a bit, causing Javier to laugh.
“Jack, relax. I’m just kidding,” he said, clearing away the moment of tension.
“For a minute there, I thought you were going to tell me to get back to work,” Jack joked.
“Well, actually, Jack, I am,” Javier started, his voice now growing in excitement. “I just got off the phone with Burt and he said we should have all the arrangements set by next week, so we’ll be leaving in two days for Greece as planned.”
“Huh, I thought for sure we’d be delayed a week or so. So all the permits are set?” Serena asked.
“Not yet, but Burt thinks they’ll be signed before we get there,” Javier said, reassuringly.
“Two days… I’ve got some work to do,” Jack said, picking up the phone.
“Jack, everything’s taken care of. What work do you have?” Serena asked, a bit puzzled.
“I’m building a side-scanning radar device,” Jack replied, proudly.
“Jack, that’s fantastic, although I have to tell you, we do have all the latest electronics,” Javier said.
“Oh, I’m sure you do. It’s more about me satisfying a hobby than it is about me adding a new piece of equipment to your repertoire,” Jack replied.
“Jack, you really are amazing. Is there nothing you can’t do?” Serena asked, shaking her head in surprise.
“Windows… I don’t do windows,” he shot back humorously.
Jack picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. He spoke quietly to the man on the other end for a few minutes, then said, “Came out perfect? Fantastic. What about the other components?”
There was a brief pause from Jack. He then responded, “Ok, thanks. I’ll be over shortly.”
Hanging up the phone, he turned to the probing stare of Serena.
“Cloak and dagger, eh Jack?” she teased.
“Not really. I was just talking to the guy about the radar equipment,” Jack explained.
“For a minute there, I thought you were secretly ordering us a pizza for lunch,” Javier teased.
“Sorry, no pizza. I have to go pick up my parts, but I can bring one back when I return if you’d like,” Jack said, sincerely. “By the way Serena, can you give me a lift?”
“One way or round trip?” she replied with a grin.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
"By the way Serena, we're going to need to swing by the bank first," Jack said with a knowing smile.
"If you need some cash, I can lend you some," Serena responded.
"This is going to be a much larger withdrawal," Jack replied, cryptically.
"The crystal?"
"Yup?" Jack replied simply.
"Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow? I know we haven't seen the Russians in a week, but why take a chance?"
"The bank closes early on Fridays and we leave on Saturday, so it's either sometime today or only a few short hours tomorrow," Jack rationalized.
"Hmm, I guess that sounds right. Does my dad know about this?"
"Who do you think suggested it?" Jack said with a smirk.
"Keeping secrets from me again, huh? What else aren't you guys telling me?" Serena asked, pretending to be offended.
"I'll never tell," Jack replied humorously.
The two jumped into her car and headed into town. With the windows down and the wind circulating around them, Jack breathed in the flowery scent of Serena's perfume. As they traded topics to talk about, Jack sneaked quick glimpses of Serena's beautiful Latin features. With her soft voice and intoxicating perfume, Jack struggled to concentrate on her words.
"...and then it slipped out of my hands and smashed on the ground. Boy was my dad pissed," Serena said, finishing her story with a small chuckle.
"Yeah, me too," Jack replied.
Serena turned and looked at Jack for a moment. Feeling her eyes upon him, he turned and caught the puzzled expression on her face.
"What?" Jack said, like a child caught in mischief.
"Are you even listening to me?" Serena said, only mildly insulted.
"What do you mean? Of course I'm listening to you," he replied, defensively.
"Well, what was up with your answer then?" she pressed further.
"What answer?"
"I was telling you the story about a dig I went on with my dad and how I dropped an ancient vase and your response was 'yeah, me too,'" Serena explained.
"I said that?"
"Yeah... you did. Almost like you weren't listening," Serena said. "So... did you even hear a word I said?" she asked again.
"To be honest... no, but I have a good excuse," Jack replied honestly, now searching his mind for the right words to say.
"This oughtta be good. So what excuse do you have? Pressures of work; not enough sleep; illness?" Serena teased.
Jack cleared his throat. With his heart racing, he nervously began to speak.
"Well, I don't know if this is a good excuse, but it is the truth... you're distracting me."
"Me? Jack, what are you saying, that I talk too much? That you can't stand the sound of my voice?" Serena asked, now feeling insulted.
"Whoa, hang on a minute. I never said any of that," Jack replied, still trying to find the right words to explain.
"I don't think you really have to, Jack. Telling someone their voice is distracting is enough. I think I can figure the rest out from there. I'm just..."
Jack laid his hand on Serena's, delicately cutting her off in mid-sentence.
"Serena, you're distracting me but not in the way you think. Your soft voice is distracting me. Your beauty is distracting me. Your amazing intelligence is distracting me and your perfume is driving me freaking crazy," Jack finished, his face now turning red.
Serena turned and looked into his eyes. She felt his hand over hers and immediately her heart began to race.
"Wow, you're forgiven," Serena blurted out.
With the two at a loss for words, they sat quietly and thought about their new revelation.
As Serena rounded a corner, she placed both hands on the wheel. Straightening out of the corner, she laid her hand back down on the seat.
With a flirty smile, she said, "You can hold my hand if you'd like."
Quietly, softly, Jack slipped his hand across the seat and their fingers tightly locked.
Moments later, their gentle touch was interrupted by their destination.
Pulling up in front of the bank, Jack reached into the back seat and grabbed his duffel bag. As he pulled the bag between them, they momentarily turned and faced one another. Staring into each other’s eyes, their hearts raced. Serena smiled warmly and Jack melted. So close to each other, their desires seemed unbearable.
On impulse, Serena leaned in and lightly kissed Jack. As her warm sensual lips touched his, his mind whirled in a torrent of emotion. His heart pounded frantically
and his body trembled.
Instantly, Serena pulled away.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” she said, feeling a little embarrassed by her advance.
Jack stared longingly into her eyes and said simply, “That was amazing.”
She smiled with relief, knowing their feelings were mutual.
Interrupting their private moment, a car pulled up next to them and a well-dressed older man stepped out. As he locked his door, Serena sat back in her seat.
Looking to Jack, she said softly, “You better go.”
He touched her hand lightly and said, "I'll be right back."
"Be careful Jack," Serena said, her expression now changing to concerned as she remembered their purpose.
"It's a bank. No one’s going to try something here," he replied confidently.
"Just be careful," she reiterated.
With a cordial smile, he closed the door and walked to the bank.
Serena sat patiently in the car and waited. Every minute or so, she checked her mirrors for anything suspicious. Satisfied all was safe, she turned the key and listened to music. Moments later, Jack exited the bank and headed for the car.
Suddenly, Jack heard a voice from behind him. He froze. Sitting in the car, Serena watched Jacks face as he stopped. Fear raced through her as she watched Jack slowly turn around.
"Excuse me," the voice called out to Jack.
Walking toward him, a tall man in a dark suit hurried his pace. Jack thought of running, but resisted the urge. He knew a bullet could travel faster than his legs.
"Excuse me," the voice called out once more.
Serena grabbed her pocket book and frantically searched for her cell phone. Pulling it from a side compartment, she switched it on. As she readied to dial "911", she looked up to see Jack pointing. She noticed he was now smiling. Moments later, the man crossed the street as Jack made his way to the car.
"What the HELL was THAT all about?" Serena cried out as Jack got in.
"Directions... can you believe it? I nearly shit myself," Jack replied, his face still white from fear.
"Honestly, I thought you were a goner. I was about to dial '911,'" Serena said, still holding the phone in her hand.
Curse of Atlantis Page 4