Chapter 1 #2
“Sorry,” Stephanie loaded up the drinks, ignoring the questioning look Tomas sent her way.
She delivered the drinks, once again evading reaching hands and ignoring the taps on her butt she couldn’t even see coming.
An empty table drew her attention and she took her time loading up the dirty glassware and wiping down the table.
The two men she’d seen earlier were sitting close by and she took a closer look at them. One was very obviously Greek. Straight nose, dark hair, dark eyes, and the longer she watched, the more she got a weird vibe from the man. He was dangerous, and yet, he’d done nothing to make her feel that way.
The other man was slightly older and given his coloring, most definitely Greek as well. His dark hair belied his age, his face telling the story of decades of living. He seemed to be controlling their conversation at the moment and she wondered if the two men were related in some way.
As she observed them from beneath her lashes, the older man accepted an elegant vase from the young man.
Stephanie gave a start. She knew the design of that piece.
It was an ancient Macedonian vase – or a very good replica of one.
Although it looked ordinary and even run-down on the surface, it had to be over a thousand years old.
The older man took the vase, turning it this way and that way…
Wait! Isn’t it the same vase that was stolen from the museum in Olympus last week?
Stephanie moved around the table, getting a closer look at the vase without drawing unwarranted attention to herself.
It was the very same vase. A priceless artifact that - up until a week ago - was placed in a secure glass museum enclosure.
It was worth millions of dollars and was one of only a handful of artifacts that had been recovered from a specific time period.
Thanks to her art history background, Stephanie knew how important such a piece was to the history and cultural identity of Greece. No one had claimed responsibility for the stolen artifact nor had the authorities been able to find a culprit.
The older man tucked the vase into a cardboard box and handed over a bulging envelope to the younger man. He opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of bills, thumbing through them before nodding his head and tucked the envelope into his bag.
Stephanie’s heart was racing as she took the dirty glassware back to the kitchen. She just witnessed a crime but she wasn’t sure who to tell. She thought about getting Tomas’s attention but then she saw the younger man walk up to the bar and share a laugh with him.
She looked around the bar, hoping to see one of the police officers that sometimes frequented the bar. She spied one of them standing outside on the sidewalk and headed that direction.
“Excuse me,” she announced her presence.
The police officer turned around and then smiled at her while giving her body a once over. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I just witnessed a crime. Inside.”
The officer frowned and looked back at the bar and then back at her. “A crime, you say?”
“Yes. That robbery that occurred last week at the museum? Well, I just saw a man hand one of the stolen pieces to another and then they exchanged money.”
The police officer raised his brow in disbelief, “And you saw this out in the open? Two people committing a grievous crime and they didn’t even attempt to conceal their actions?”
Stephanie heard the words and took a moment to consider if what she’d seen was real, and nodded. “Yes. That’s exactly what I saw.”
“Miss, what is your name?”
“Stephanie Harris. I work here at the bar.”
“Miss Harris, I assure you that you have not witnessed any crime. Where are these men you saw?”
Stephanie turned and looked back toward the now empty table. She looked for the younger man, but he wasn’t at the bar any longer. “Since they haven’t come out of the bar, I assume they are still inside.”
“You can’t see them?” the police officer asked.
“Not right now. Their table is empty…”
“I think maybe the heat and humidity has gotten to you. Maybe you should take a small break before resuming your duties,” the officer told her patronizingly.
Stephanie shook her head and asked, “Aren’t you even going to come inside and question the men?”
“Question who? About what? It’s not a crime to give a gift to someone.”
“It wasn’t a gift. It was a priceless vase that was reported stolen in the papers last week. And it was purchased. With cash. A lot of cash.”
“There you go, it was a business transaction. That doesn’t seem like a crime to me.” He paused for a moment and then asked, “Stephanie, you like working here. Correct?”
“Sure, why?”
“Well, I think Tomas and his grandfather might question their decision to employ you if they knew you were acting hysterical and accusing their clientele of committing crimes. Tell you what? I won’t say anything about this.
You’ve obviously been on your feet for a while tonight and aren’t thinking clearly. ”
Stephanie’s fists clenched in frustration. Another officer arrived and the one she’d been talking to looked at her dismissively. She stared after them, unable to believe that the officer wouldn’t even try to find the men she’d seen.
She walked back to the bar, relieved when she saw that her shift was over.
“Tomas, I’m clocking out,” she told him, heading for the backroom to wash up, donning a dress over her bikini, and retrieving her bag.
It was still fairly early, and she decided that she couldn’t let the crime go unreported.
The police station was only a few blocks away.
With a plan in mind, she grabbed her bag and pushed through the back door. She rounded the corner, her eyes on her phone as she consulted her GPS to make sure she was headed in the correct direction, when she suddenly collided with a man.
She backed up quickly, almost toppling over in the process but managed to keep her footing.
She looked up into the eyes of the handsome man she’d seen in the bar from time to time but never up close.
He was tall, at least 6’2”, with midnight black hair that looked mussed up.
His bangs were just a little too long and she resisted the urge to put them back into place.
He was handsome in a classic way, strong jaw line with a shadow of a beard.
His shoulders were broad and there was an aura of strength about him.
She inhaled and the scent of sandalwood reached deep inside her, making her want to do nothing but stay near him a bit longer. He reached out for her and she instinctively backed up, breaking the spell he seemed to have cast around them.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, intending to go around him and continue her mission.
“Whoa! Panemorfi.”
Stephanie shook her head, “What?”
The man gave her a grin and took a step toward her, “I called you beautiful.” His eyes raked up and down her body and she saw the heat ignite in his eyes.
Stephanie shook her head. “I need to go.”
“Wait. You speak English. I do not have anyone who speaks this language in my party this evening. Join us. We are going to my yacht for a night you won’t forget.” He looked toward the backdoor of the bar and raised a brow. “You finished working tonight?”
Stephanie nodded, “I have someplace to go.”
“Go later,” the man stated. He moved closer and lifted a finger, rubbing it across her cheek and then down to her collarbone. Stephanie shuddered, despite herself. His finger was very gentle.
“I’m Ries Kafatos. You and I could have a good time this evening.”
Stephanie shivered and then moved back, realizing she’d allowed herself to get backed up against the wall of the building. She shook her head and brushed his hand aside. It suddenly dawned on her that she wasn’t afraid of this man. She was just disappointed that he was like all of the others.
“Look, I really need to go. Now. I have to report a crime.”
Ries smiled at her and played with a lock of her chestnut hair which escaped the clip. “Do you really need to go?”
“Yes. Please move. I must get to the police.”
Ries sobered a bit then and gave her a quizzical look. “The police?”
“Yes. I witnessed a crime and…I told the officer inside. He didn’t believe me.”
“I saw you speaking to the police but did not know it was about something official.”
“I saw someone selling stolen items…”
“Truly? You witnessed this?” Ries asked with an arched brow.
“It doesn’t matter. I need to find someone else who will listen to me.”
“I would be very willing to listen to you,” Ries told her, once again crowding her and pushing his hand in her hair. Stephanie grabbed his hand and pulled it down, ignoring how nice his touch felt.
God this is wrong. This man is a drunken stranger. He won’t even remember this conversation tomorrow.
“Come to the yacht with me. I promise to listen to you and if I can help…”
Stephanie shoved him out of her way, giving herself a few inches to get away from the wall. “Get out of my way. I need to find someone who is sober and cares more about seeing justice done than adding another notch to his bedpost.”
“That is not what I was…”
She gave him a disgusted look and hurried down the sidewalk.
She pulled her dress tightly around herself, wishing she’d worn jeans and a t-shirt instead.
Ries’ actions had been nothing more than she should have expected from a spoiled rich boy.
He’d promised to listen to her story but she was sure it was just a ruse to get her to his yacht.
Prior to coming to Greece and taking this job, Stephanie had never given a second thought to her looks.
The guys she’d known back home hadn’t bothered to hit on her and she’d always been treated like one of the guys.
Here though, she was treated like nothing more than a sex object.
The men who frequented the bar only cared about what she looked like on the outside and whether or not she was willing to play their flirtatious games.
She wished she could find someone who would do both. Appreciate her as a woman, and as a scholar. But such a man did not seem to exist.
As she headed for the police department, she felt a sense of despair.
She believed that once she graduated from college, she would find her place in the world where she would be respected and treated as an equal.
Ries had just reminded her that not only was that not likely to happen professionally but the police officer out front had also proven to her that even the legal system was biased against her.