Chapter 33

The short window between the demonstration and the tour was a godsend. Nicki spent longer than any human should in the hotel's shower, which seemed surprisingly big and lonely without Stefan's body surrounding her. But she didn't want to see Stefan right away.

She leaned against the cool tiles. Her dizziness was totally due to lack of hydration, she knew. That and nerves. But it—not to mention her hallucinations of people in the water—scared her anyway. Visions of five years ago flashed in front of her eyes. Her father's gray face the day she'd found him on the floor, her brother's fear. Her mother's descent into petulance and fainting "spells," completely checking out as Nicki had cared for her dad and tried to keep her brother supported and motivated.

And then had come the day of the high school track meet, when her brother John had fallen too—passing out right in the middle of his race. Her worst nightmare come to life. He'd survived, but then he'd received the diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, and not only had his activity level changed…his entire approach to life had too.

Nicki pulled herself back from those thoughts, turning her face into the pounding spray. If she took much longer, Stefan would be in to check on her, and while ordinarily that would be something she'd welcome with open arms…not today. Today she needed to get the mission done, and convince Stefan that everything was good to go with her—her mind, her body, her heart. If he had one clue that she might have some sort of dizzy spell, he would never take her with him to find Ari. He might not take her anyway, but she had a shot if she remained healthy and alert.

He'd been impressed with her abilities up to this point, and she couldn't screw this up now. Not when she was so close to truly contributing, to truly being part of a team that mattered. She had to pull it together.

She did.

By the time Stefan did knock on her door, she was dressed in a summer dress and walking sandals, her video equipment cleared of all past sessions. She'd downloaded her own run to a memory stick. There'd be plenty of time to review that later and see if she could salvage any of it for use. She had a chance if Stefan had been focusing on her body, not her face. But if he'd had the camera trained on her face, then the viewers would see what he had doubtless seen—her panic, her concern, her stress. Maybe even the point at which she'd momentarily blacked out. Those images wouldn't be good for Josef, and they wouldn't be good for Ala?ati. Or windsurfing. Or her.

But that wasn't something she needed to worry about. Not yet.

Stefan knocked again.

"Coming!" Nicki shouted, glad to hear the strength of her voice. It sounded bold and bubbly, exactly how Stefan was used to hearing her. She wouldn't have to put on any sort of show, she reminded herself for the millionth time. She simply needed to be herself.

She opened the door and blinked. "Hey," she managed, taking in his perfectly crisp blonde hair, his piercing blue gray eyes, the sheer masculinity of him, clad in a casual button down short-sleeved shirt and crisp trousers. His feet were shod in tech walking shoes that still managed to look suitable for dining al fresco in some fancy restaurant.

She glanced down at her own attire. "Should I change? I'm a little less formal."

"You're perfect." He leaned down and took her face in both his hands, kissing her gently. "As much as you protest that word choice. Plus, the taxi is here." He noted the camera on her shoulder. "Charged up?"

In more ways than one. "We could shoot for hours and still have memory left," she said, giving him the thumbs up. They made their way down the hallway. "Before we're surrounded by people again, is there anything I should be searching for in particular?"

"Workers, mainly. Men of about six foot three, dark hair. Ari looks…looked a lot like Kristos, but he was built on a bigger frame." He shook his head. "They used to joke that Queen Catherine was tired after having such a big baby, so she didn't try as hard with Kristos."

"Ouch!" Nicki said. "Brothers, I guess."

"Kristos didn't mind. He said she had to give birth to a hunk of rock first, before she could sculpt the David." He smiled as Nicki gave a short, coughing laugh. "In addition to the workers, anything you can get of the overseers, or entry points from the warehouse to the outside, up or down the building, would be good. I don't imagine they have extensive security, but there has to be something keeping those men in place at night. In place and quiet. Especially if this feeder camp has been in operation for over a year."

He hesitated. "I also want you to see if you can pick up any evidence of animals—that's still an outstanding question."

Nicki nodded. "Animal-animals or, like, three-headed dogs and all that?"

"All of the above."

She made a face. "I have a hard time believing they could hide animals in a warehouse. Someone would notice that."

"Agreed. But if you see anything suspicious that leans that way, it could be important."

The taxi was waiting for them at the front entrance of the hotel—and not a taxi at all but a personal car of Omir's. Stefan sat close to her despite the roominess of the back seat, and Nicki sensed her calm return. She could do this—she was doing this. Stefan didn't appear to be concerned about her health or the safety of the mission. He trusted her to do her job, and her job was a simple one. Take pictures and don't get lost while being sure to comment appreciatively at the right times. She could do this.

The car wound through the pretty streets of Ala?ati. Acting every inch the respectful tourist, Stefan drew her attention various villas as they climbed the mountain, as if they hadn't walked through this same district earlier in the day. His chatter served to ratchet down Nicki's stress further.

"Up there—that one," Stefan said suddenly, and she blinked, following the direction of his pointed finger. A villa sat perched on the edge of an outcropping of stone, wide decks open to the glory of the bay and the distant Aegean Sea beyond. "Do you like it? It's similar to the one I own in O?ros."

"Really?" The villa was stunning but not pretentious, with clean lines and vivid blue accents. "It doesn't really hold a candle to the royal palace," she teased.

"Ah, but that isn't mine," he said. "My villa is where I go when all the work is done in the palace, and the royal family is at rest. It's where I light my own candles, and listen to the sea sing her lullabies."

"That sounds nice." Nicki kept the wistfulness out of her voice, but it was a near thing. The thought of Stefan on some promontory somewhere, watching the sunset, lighting candles as the night drew down on the city, was an image she'd have burned into her brain for the rest of her life.

"I like to think so. You're welcome to visit while you remain in O?ros, if time allows."

Nicki nodded, keeping her manner easy. She didn't know if he was maintaining their banter for the sake of the driver or to keep her entertained, but they chatted back and forth for the remaining few minutes as they wound up familiar roads, and finally turned down the street that fronted the warehouse. The gates to the excavation site stood open, and they rolled inside.

Omir was waiting for them.

"Welcome, welcome," he said as Nicki and Stefan exited the car, Nicki already bringing up her camera.

"Let me know what you want me to shoot," she said, staring around as if she'd never seen the site before. "I can't believe you stumbled over this."

"The area was a bit of a blight on our beautiful city," Omir said, warming to her clear admiration. "Overgrown, choked with weeds and brush." He gestured all around them, and Nicki swung around, keeping her camera low as she squinted to the side.

"That building looks old—there had to have been something there."

"The plot of land belonged to an industrial firm who had thought to build. Then the economy crashed, as economies do, only this was in the nineteen fifties. They let their lease expire, and the city bought the land and buildings. We had much to focus on with the beautification and development of the bay, however. It simply wasn't a priority."

"Wow," Nicki said, staring around with appropriately wide eyes. As she continued her expressions of awe, Stefan had turned away, peering intently at the far corners of the site.

Omir caught the movement. "So impatient! But then, we were as well when we discovered the treasures that lay underneath all the brush. You'll see why we're eager to open it as a tourist destination." He brightened as Nicki brought her camera up and repeated his little speech for the good of posterity. He explained the old usage of the land, how it had fallen into jungle, and then declared with excitement how the city had reclaimed the property, only to discover the masterpiece beneath.

"The industrial firm would probably have blasted through the ruins, perhaps not even realizing what they were," Omir continued dourly. "But the fates were not kind to them, and they paid for their hubris."

He waved to the warehouse building. "Soon we'll tear down the last remnant of their operation to make way for parking and an extension building for the ruins. It's a fitting end for a company who sought to deface this national treasure of Turkey."

Nicki didn't look at Stefan, but she knew his attention was once more focused on the Turkish official. If they didn't get Ari out of there on this trip, there was no guarantee he'd be there in another week or month.

If they were going to find him, they'd need to find him tonight.