Sean and his companions followed Jabez up the sidewalk and into the entrance of the little church. Inside, the smell of dust filled Sean’s nose. But as he looked around, he was surprised to find things left in remarkably good shape. The pews were all in their rows. Church hymnals had been left in their slots on the back of the seats. And the cushions in the pews seemed to be in decent repair.
The sanctuary was minimally decorated, featuring white walls with dark window frames, and a few dark buttresses pointing up to the angled ceiling. Two bronze chandelier-style light fixtures hung from the roof over the center aisle between the rows of seats. In the front, the wooden pulpit sat alone with a cross emblazoned on the front of it. There were a few pots to each side, but they were empty. The plants that were in them at one point must have been removed long ago.
It was cold in the room, but not as cold as it was out in the elements. A few of Jabez’s men had brought in small heaters. Sean had wondered how the things were going to operate on no power. Then he realized they had fuel cells in them. The men placed the devices on the floor in each corner of the sanctuary and turned them on, causing them to hum quietly in place as they put out warm air.
“We can sleep on the pews,” Jabez stated. “Those cushions are much better than sleeping on the floor or an air mattress. And there are enough for all of us.”
Firth let out a deep sigh and shook his head but said nothing. Sean wondered if the professor had reached his maximum output for complaining.
Adriana didn’t wait for anyone to say anything. She dropped her gear off in the next to last row and started pulling out some of her things, making herself at home. When she was satisfied with her claim to a spot, she sat down on the pew and pulled out her tablet again, diligently trying to find the anomaly they were looking for in the mountains.
Sean watched her, mesmerized. She was an intriguing woman. Once her mind was set to something, Adriana wouldn’t let anything get in the way of finishing. Since they’d met, there hadn’t been much time to spend in a social-type setting. But something inside him ached to. He hadn’t felt that way in a long time about anyone. There had been some flings here and there, but nothing serious. He had been intrigued by Allyson Webster. She, however, had done what he felt so many others had done to him, which was why he preferred to fly solo. Allyson hadn’t been who she claimed to be, instead turning out to be some kind of international criminal only along for the ride to see what kinds of priceless treasures she could steal and sell on the black market.
There were any number of women he’d met through the years, but there had only been one Sean had ever really trusted. Much less given his heart to. That was a long time ago. And she was gone. He blamed himself for it for years, only forgiving himself after drowning his guilt in work for the government. Axis had been a blessing in that regard. It was tough to think too much about the past when you had people chasing you, shooting at you, lying to you. Paranoia had become his best friend, and had made him alert, cautious, and tenacious. Maybe now he was getting soft. He’d let down his guard with Allyson. And now he found himself doing the same with Adriana.
Sean told himself that Adriana was different. She’d stuck around, and proven herself over and over again. Deep down, he wondered if he was simply justifying his feelings because of her good looks.
She looked up from the tablet, catching him in the act of staring at her. A crease reached out to her cheek in a little smile.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked innocently.
He looked away briefly, ashamed that he’d been caught staring, but quickly brought his eyes back to her. “Just impressed with how diligent you are. You don’t give up easily. That’s an admirable trait.”
“I get it from my father,” she replied and returned her attention to the screen.
Her face resonated in the glow of the electronic device’s retina display. “He taught me to never give up on anything I set my mind to, even if he believed it to be silly.”
“That’s good advice.”
She nodded. “It has served me well in my endeavors. Some people might call what I do a childish venture; that I am playing a fairy tale hero. But to be able to return great works to their rightful owners, or to a place where they can be shared with the rest of the world, is good work.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think it’s childish at all.” His face twisted slightly. “Although, I’m glad to be out of the game where people are chasing me and trying to kill me all the time.”
Adriana smirked and glanced back up at him. “It would seem you are hardly out of that game.”
Touche. He snorted at the comment. “Well,” he hung his head for a second, “I guess I’m still trying to get out of it.”
Her eyes returned to the screen again while she spoke. “For people like us, Sean, I am not so sure we can ever retire to a life of gardening and bridge. While I do not enjoy the dangerous aspects of what I do, I believe some part of me needs it.”
“Not me,” Sean disagreed and took a seat next to her. “I’ve got other plans.”
She continued to scroll her finger across the screen, zooming in occasionally to get a closer look at a peculiarity then moving on.
“What kind of plans?”
He hadn’t really talked to anyone about his retirement goals. But it was something that weighed on his mind, and had been even heavier over the course of the last few months. The thoughts reminded him of Tommy, and again his heart panged slightly. He hoped his friend was okay.
“I’m a man of two places,” Sean began. “I’ve got some land up in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia. Going to build a cabin there near a lake. I figure I’ll spend some of my time there, and some of it at my beach house.”
He could see her eyebrows rise in the glow of the tablet’s screen. “You have a beach home?” she seemed surprised.
He shifted uneasily. “Well, no. Not yet. But I’m looking at some places down on the Gulf of Mexico. Nothing too touristy. Just a quiet beach town.”
“And what will you do in your cabin and in your beach house?” she sounded dubious.
“I dunno. I’ve always enjoyed mountain biking. Tons of places in the mountains to do that. And I’m really interested in flat water kayaking. My cabin will be right on a lake, so I can do that anytime I want. It’s so peaceful being out on the water, paddling, cruising along. Who knows? I may even open up a sea kayaking shop near my beach house. That looks like it might be fun, too.”
There were a few moments of silence before she asked the question that was already stuck in his head. “Have you spoken to your friend about this?”
“Tommy?” Sean knew exactly who she meant. “No. Not yet. I haven’t had the time. And now that he’s…I guess I feel a little guilty about wanting to walk away.”
“But do you not enjoy the work, the traveling, discovering ancient artifacts and secrets that have long been hidden?”
“I guess,” he shrugged. Actually, he did love that part. But he was tired, and just wanted to be in one place for more than a few weeks at a time.
“That did not sound convincing,” she said skeptically. “However, you must do what your heart calls for.” Her words hit him in more than one way.
He wanted so badly to move a little closer to her. The outline of her face, the smooth texture of her creamy skin beckoned to him. He thought better of it, though. She could be like an untamed animal. If he moved too quickly, it might startle her. Maybe he had become gun shy with women. Or maybe he just didn’t want to get too close to someone again.