DARIUS
The heat bouncing off the tarmac was oppressive, but it was the encounter outside the diner that kept Darius Wayne’s mind turning as he stepped into the conditioned air of the restaurant. He had barely cleared the threshold when Pete, the owner of the establishment, stepped out from behind the counter with a familiar nod.
"Afternoon, Mr. Wayne," Pete said, wiping his hands on a clean dishtowel. "Welcome back. Would you like your usual table for one?"
"Hi, Pete," Darius replied, adjusting the cuffs of his linen blazer. "I’m actually meeting some people today that may already be here.”
"Oh, right,” Pete said with a nod before gesturing toward the booths lining the far wall.”The rest of your party is this way.”
Darius followed, his eyes scanning the space. Pete led him along a path that kept them slightly to the side, blocking a direct view of the back booths until they were nearly upon them. It was a quiet touch of discretion Darius appreciated, though his focusremained entirely on the two figures waiting at the corner table. Baxter sat on the inside, his posture eager, while the woman beside him remained perfectly upright, an aura of calculated poise radiating from her.
As they reached the table, Pete stepped back smoothly. "I'll send your server right over with some menus, folks."
"Thank you, Pete," Darius murmured.
Baxter stood immediately, a rehearsed, corporate smile smoothing over his features. "Darius. Glad you could make it. I want to introduce you to Dr. Wineberg. Dr. Wineberg, this is my cousin, Darius Wayne."
Dr. Wineberg extended a manicured hand, her grip surprisingly firm but entirely clinical. "A pleasure, Mr. Wayne. Baxter has told me a great deal about your vision for the island."
"Dr. Wineberg," Darius said, offering a polite, brief nod as he slid into the opposite side of the booth, masking his annoyance at Baxter’s loose tongue.
Before the conversation could shift, a young waitress materialized at his elbow, her notepad ready.
"Can I get you a menu to start with, sir? Or something to drink?" she asked, and he noted how her eyes darted to the large pot plant on the back corner of the booth. “Sorry.” She reached behind them and picked up two dark leaves. “I don’t want these falling into your food.”
Darius gave her a grateful nod, then answered her question, "Just black coffee, please. Don’t worry about a menu for me," Darius said, his voice flat. He didn't want to be here, and he had no intention of prolonging the meeting with a meal. Themoment the waitress stepped away, he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the laminate table, his dark eyes locking onto his cousin. "Alright, Baxter. Let's get straight to it. What is this about?"
Baxter didn't flinch, though his eyes darted briefly toward Dr. Wineberg before settling back on Darius.
"It’s about protecting our investment, Darius. I’ve recently received information indicating that the Hearts Hotel property could possibly sit directly on, or immediately adjacent to, a highly significant historical site."
Darius kept his expression entirely blank, though a cold spark of irritation flared in his chest.
"A historical site." He turned his gaze to the woman sitting across from him. "I assume this is your area of expertise, Dr. Wineberg?"
"It is," Dr. Wineberg said, her voice carrying a smooth, practiced cadence that belonged in a university lecture hall. "Specifically, pre-Columbian maritime cultures. My research suggests the ridge line running beneath the Hearts Hotel might contain extensive, undisturbed Calusa habitation layers. If any physical evidence of that settlement is formally uncovered and documented, the state of Florida will step in. Under current cultural resource protection laws, it would trigger an immediate, mandatory archaeological survey. We are talking about a legal freeze on the property that could last anywhere from twelve to eighteen months."
Darius listened, his face an unreadable mask.
"And have they found anything?" He kept his eyes focused on her.
"We don't know for certain yet," Dr. Wineburg admitted, tilting her head with a small, careful smile. "However, the hotel is currently undergoing renovations. More importantly, my sources within the academic community have confirmed that Dr. Anna Caldwell has just been called down to Sanibel Island. Dr. Caldwell is the preeminent authority on Calusa settlement patterns in this region. She doesn't board a flight for a simple routine inspection. If she is on her way, it means a discovery is either imminent or has already occurred."
Darius let out a short, humorless breath, alongside a slow, thoughtful nod. So they didn’t have any definite information and had called this meeting on possibilities. Something stirred inside him. He didn’t trust this woman. There was something about her. A cold calculation in her eyes, and he knew she was choosing her words carefully. Giving just enough to ensure he knows there is a threat, but not committing to any hard evidence.
Darius’s gaze shifted back to Baxter.
"So there is not hard evidence that anything has been found yet?” His glance shifted between the two people in front of him.
“No,” Baxter said, then pushed forward. “But, we can get…”
“I don't operate on possibilities, Baxter. You came all the way out here to disrupt my schedule because of a possibility?” He cut his cousin off.
"Darius, this is about getting ahead of the narrative before they find anything substantial," Baxter pushed back quickly, his tone sharp with defensive urgency. "If the Heart family goes public with a discovery, the preservationist groups will rally around them, and our acquisition is dead in the water. Dr. Winebergalready has feelers out with her contacts to determine exactly what prompted Dr. Caldwell’s sudden travel plans."
Darius remained silent for a long moment, studying the two of them. He had felt an instantaneous distrust of Dr. Wineberg the moment she spoke, a sharp, instinctual warning that mirrored the irritation he felt whenever Baxter tried to play his corporate games. He leaned back slightly, testing the waters.
"Let's say they do find a settlement. What exactly does that mean for our project? What are you proposing we do with that information?" Darius aimed the question at Dr. Wineberg.
