Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
STASIE
“Don’t be nervous.”
“Who says I’m nervous?” I stepped out of the car and took Jack’s waiting hand.
I slid out of the plush back seat and stood before a large and imposing house.
It was a Spanish-style mansion with a cream-colored exterior and terracotta roof.
Groundskeepers moved around the outside of the home, trimming the bushes into perfect little boxes.
A light breeze ruffled my hair and sent my silky dress flowing against my body.
Though I preferred my athletic gear for meetings like this, I could pull out all the stops and wear a dress and heels. Jack offered me his arm, and I tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow. “This is new.”
“This is important.” He guided me down a long, smooth walkway that led up to an ornately carved, thick wooden door.
Behind me were views of the crystal-blue ocean. The sky was the most vivid blue with only wisps of clouds in the sky. The sun was warm on my skin. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. Finally meeting the big boss makes me feel like I’m being promoted.”
“I suppose you are in a way.” We stopped in front of the door and Jack pressed the doorbell. Though there was no chime or ring, the door opened and a man dressed in a butler’s uniform held it wide open.
Without a word he turned from us and started walking away. I glanced up at Jack and chuckled. “That’s creepy.”
“Isn’t it?” Jack stepped inside and I kept my hold on his elbow.
We walked behind the butler following him up a grand winding staircase and down a long hallway with double doors sitting at the end of it. The butler stopped at the door, motioned toward it, then walked away from us.
I hiked my thumb in the direction the butler walked. “I might need to follow him out.”
Though this place was light and bright with dazzling views, something wasn’t right. An eerie feeling sat in the pit of my stomach and my guard had gone up.
Jack straightened and I dropped my hand from his arm. He gave me a warm smile. “It’s just a meeting.”
“They’ve been going so well lately.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
“There’s the kick of positivity I’m looking for.” Jack grabbed the knob, twisted it, and pushed the door open. He motioned to the room with a sweep of his hand. “After you.”
“Thanks for that.” I lifted my chin and walked into the room.
The office was twice the size of any hotel room I’d ever stayed in.
It matched the house perfectly with light-colored floors and walls and panoramic views of the ocean.
The desk was simple yet clearly expensive.
The woman sitting behind it was stunning with long, wild midnight hair.
Her skin was a warm olive tone with a touch of red in her cheeks.
Her dark eyes took me in, and instantly I knew this woman had sized me up and made a choice.
She wore a pristine white suit that dipped low in front, giving a view of small, pert cleavage.
When I entered, she rose to her feet and walked out from behind her desk. She sauntered up to me and greeted me with a warm hug. “It’s so good to finally meet you, Anastasia. I feel like it’s long overdue.”
“Please call me Stasie.” Though there was something off about her, as in she probably had some bodies buried in her basement, I still found myself loving her boss bitch vibe.
“Stasie then.” She motioned to the chairs that faced her desk. “Please, take a seat.”
I glanced toward Jack and we both moved toward the armchairs, each taking our own while she leaned back against her desk. She never took those dark eyes from me. “You’re our most successful . . . curator.”
Warmth rushed to my cheeks. “Thank you. I like to uphold the values you’ve set forth for us.”
She nodded. “Yes, well, here at Sisyphus, we believe in family and history. I feel like it’s so important to uphold and return things that had been taken from these families so long ago.”
Sisyphus was one of the biggest conglomerates in the world.
They had interests in many areas of business—from a billion-dollar cosmetics line to art restoration and curation.
Tendrils of her business expanded the globe.
If there was a successful enterprise, Sisyphus had something to do with it.
Their research and technology sectors held multimillion dollar contracts with multiple governments.
Phillis was the spearhead of it all. Talk about girl power.
“Not to mention all of your donations to museums around the world.” I wasn’t trying to flatter her, but it was difficult not to. “Your efforts are well documented, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?” She pressed her hand to her chest and chuckled. “I’d prefer Phillis, or even better, Phil.”
“Phil it is.” I nodded in agreement. “So I understand you have a new job for me?”
She nodded and pushed away from her desk to walk behind it and take her seat. “I do, but first I understand you’ve had a few close calls the last few days. Are you alright?”
I shot Jack a look, much the way a sibling would for tattling. He held his hands up. “Hey, your well-being is everyone’s concern here.”
“I’m fine.” I gave him a lingering glare as I turned back toward Phil. “I’m happy to do whatever you have in mind for my next assignment.”
“But you did drown?” She leaned back in the chair, steepling her fingers.
“I mean, technically I did, but it was just for a moment. They pulled me out pretty quickly.” I didn’t want to make it sound like a bigger deal than it was.
She arched her eyebrows at me. “I heard you rescued a man from drowning and saved his life. You sacrificed your own well-being to help someone else.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Don’t do that.”
I glanced around the room. “I’m sorry, do what?”
“Don’t play down what you’re capable of just to make others feel comfortable. Own your space. You saved him and nearly died doing it.” Her face was deadly serious. “In this world, we women need to own our space and not be afraid to take credit.”
Yep, I got a girl crush. It was inspiring to sit here and listen to her speak. “You’re right. Yes, I rescued him and nearly died. But I am okay, and I would like to work.”
A smile crept over her face. “Are you afraid to die, Stasie?”
The question surprised me. It wasn’t every day that people spoke about death so candidly. But if she would give me candor, then I would give her the same in kind. I let go of a deep breath. “No, I’m not afraid to die. If I die, then it was meant to happen that way.”
“And yet you challenge death by cliff-diving, or bungee jumping, even skydiving. I’ve kept tabs on you. You are fearless.”
The compliment made me squirm in my chair. “I like adventure.”
“How’s it make you feel?” Her eyes were so steady, taking in every word I said and watching my every move.
“Alive,” I answered honestly.
“And the rest of the days, when you’re not doing those things, do you feel alive?” Her questions were too deep, too probing.
I glanced toward Jack, and he too watched me intently. My eyes darted between the two of them. “I don’t have a death wish, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I might have a death wish.
She folded her hands and rested them on the desk in front of her. “Would you live forever if you could?”
I chuckled. “No matter what I say, the answer doesn’t matter because no one lives forever.”
“Of course not.” Phillis chuckled. “It’s all hypothetical.”
“In that case, I’m not sure I’d want to live forever. It seems . . . tiresome.” I shrugged. “There’s got to be more after death.”
Phillis pursed her lips. “And that seems like an adventure to you?”
“I suppose so.” If I’d ever told anyone about the visions I had, somehow, I knew Phillis would’ve found out about them and asked.
She leaned back in her chair. “I’m the opposite. Life seems like the best adventure to me.”
“You would think that.” I snorted.
Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
The smile dropped from my face, and I forced myself to match her serious tone. “You’re sitting at the top of the world right now. Why wouldn’t you want to stay there?”
This time she chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that. I have my businesses, and they’ve been successful enough. I just think there’s so much more to do.”
Successful enough? I wanted to laugh at that. She was the most successful person I could think of. “So you would live forever if you could?”
With a deadpan face she answered, “Absolutely.”
Silence fell between us, and she just stared at me. I felt like a bug under her microscope. To break the tension, I turned to Jack. “Would you want to live forever?”
He licked his lips and ran his hands over his thighs. “I can’t say that I would. I think you’re right. It’s tiresome.”
Phil narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before pulling a thin slip of paper from her desk and handing it over to me. “I am looking for these.”
I pulled the paper closer to gaze down at the picture. “Shackles?”
“They’re chains from Ancient Greece. My family owned them for the longest time but lost them during the Balkan Wars. I would very much like to have them back.” She licked her lips. “They are important.”
I’d recovered many different things for many different people.
But shackles were an odd request. How could anyone find sentimental value in something like chains?
Then I remembered who and what she was. They might not have sentimental value, but they could have real monetary value.
“I won’t ask you why they’re important. But I’ll get them for you. Ask Jack, I am good at what I do.”
“They’re more valuable to me than my entire company,” she spoke honestly.
“But why?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Her lips pulled into a full smile. This time I saw the darkness lingering behind her eyes. “What if I told you they could stop death in its tracks?”
“I would say that’s a nice story, but nothing stops death.” I didn’t know what made me feel so confident to just blurt it out. But I wasn’t wrong. Nothing stops death.
She gave a chuckle. “Then find them for me, and we’ll test the story to see if it’s true.”
So many people were attached to so many odd things. I never judged them, and I wouldn’t start judging now. If Phillis, Phil, wanted the shackles, then shackles she would get. “I look forward to testing that theory.”
“Good.” Jack nodded. “We leave in three days. I’ve got to get some things in order.”
“Three days is a while for you,” I teased.
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to occupy your time.” He winked.
“Don’t I always?”