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“And your bodyguard?” Christos said.
Jasmine spoke to Ace in English. “He wants you to turn around so he can enter the code.”
Ace nodded and turned his back.
Christos entered the code, and the metal door slid open.
Jasmine peered into the dark interior. “Is there a light switch?”
Christos stepped over the threshold, and lights blinked on. “The lights are equipped with motion sensors.” He held out his hand. “Come see my father’s collection. You might find it interesting.”
Jasmine entered the room.
When Ace started to follow, Christos held up a hand. “He’ll have to wait in the hall.”
“Guard the hall,” she said.
Ace nodded and stood with his back to the door.
Jasmine fought a grin. Ace looked stern and robotic, so different from the warm, caring man she knew and loved.
Her heart fluttered.
Loved.
After all the years apart, were her feelings still as strong as they’d been that week they’d spent together?
Her chest tightened. She’d dreamed of finding him again. Now that she had, she didn’t want him to disappear. But did her feelings change anything? Were they destined to part again?
When she finally got around to telling him her secret, she seriously doubted he’d walk away from his son. If Eli weren’t in the picture, would he walk away from her?
These questions occupied space in the back of her mind. At the moment, she had more important priorities to pursue.
The door slid closed between her and Ace.
“As I was saying, the lights have motion sensors and are carefully positioned so as not to further damage delicate old paintings. The art must be protected from harsh lighting and humidity.”
“Exactly what I need for my collection,” Jasmine said softly.
“My father has ancient papyrus paintings with hieroglyphics he doesn’t want to fade any more than they already have over the centuries.”
As Christos led Jasmine deeper into the room, her gaze swept through the contents that she could see from where she stood. Paintings lined the walls, some encased in glass.
Other collectibles were displayed in glass cases or on shelves or pedestals. It was an impressive collection of gold jewelry, decorative pottery, miniature figurines and carved statues.
“My father has been collecting paintings for as long as I can remember. His more recent obsession is artifacts from ancient Egypt.” Christos stopped in front of a carved statue of an Egyptian god. “Take this statue of Isis, for example. It dates back to around 1045 BC.”
Jasmine stared at the statue, amazed that anything could stand up so well against time. “That’s old. And yet, it remains intact.”
Christos nodded. “It is. Egyptians clung to their beliefs in their gods and goddesses. My father became interested in the Egyptians after joining an archeological dig with a friend, Louis Bertolli, who was deep into Egyptian history and lore a couple of years ago. Even more recently, his interest has been peaked by a new discovery in the Valley of the Kings of a recently-discovered tomb. In that tomb, the hieroglyphs tell of a treasure the king hid. He left clues throughout his kingdom in the form of gifts he'd sent to the leaders of various outposts of his empire.”
Jasmine frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He sent gold jewelry, mosaics, stone tablets inscribed with stories in hieroglyphics and statues like this one of Isis. In each, he left a clue as to the location of the treasure.”
“Fascinating,” Jasmine said, and she meant it.
“My father became obsessed with finding and collecting the artifacts described in that king’s tomb.”
