their loot was secure in a hotel safe was beyond him. In less than one minute he had the metal contraption open and was staring at the marble relief of the Greek goddess known as Alecto.
The first of the three Furies.
“Hello, sexy.” He turned the marble in his gloved hands and examined the back. The numbering matched the one he had carefully secured at home.
Dr. Maxwell didn’t have a clue what she’d so carelessly left hidden in the hotel safe. If she did, she never would have been so blasé about the piece.
“Two down, one to go,” he muttered, sliding the relief into the velvet pouch he’d brought for it.
He walked back into the bedroom and paused next to the bed. Lisa was still sound asleep, her steady breathing the only noise in the room.
Before his body changed his mind for him, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Regret snaked through him at the thought of what hadn’t been, but as he’d learned a long time ago, regret was for shit. What he held in his hand now was the key to everything.
“Thank you, querida,” he said as he straightened. “I sure do wish things could have been different.”
CHAPTER THREE
A pounding headache roused Lisa from sleep.
On a strangled groan, she flopped onto her back and tossed an arm over her eyes to block the intense stream of light. She’d forgotten to pull the drapes last night, and the tall windows were now letting in every irritating ray of sun the Italian city of Milan could throw her way. Her retinas burned beneath tightly shut eyes, and the drumming in her skull wasn’t getting any better as she lay there waiting to die.
Two glasses of wine at dinner. Another half glass when she’d been back in her suite. She shouldn’t have a massive hangover like this. She could handle her alcohol better than that.
Muttering curses at no one in particular, she pushed herself onto her side, grappled for the phone and punched room service. The perky female voice only made her wish for a gun.
“Coffee. The biggest pot you’ve got,” Lisa grunted.
“Si, Signorina Maxwell.”
She replaced the receiver and flopped back into the pillows. The last thing she remembered was tumbling onto this big bed with that sexy Spaniard. She didn’t have a clue when he’d left, but judging from the silence in the suite, the man was long gone.
Her gaze swept over the yellow rose and folded note lying on the pillow next to her. She reached out and lifted the paper.
It was pure paradise, querida. I only wish we’d had more time.
Rafe
A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. Too bad she couldn’t remember that paradise. She let out a long breath and fingered the golden bud he’d obviously swiped from the flower arrangement on the coffee table in the living room. At least he’d left her something.
Rubbing her forehead, she glanced toward the red numbers on the digital clock. Ten forty-five. Dammit, she’d missed her flight for a night of wild sex she couldn’t even remember.
She rolled to her side and lifted the cordless phone again. When the operator answered, Lisa gave directions for an outside line and rattled off the Greek phone number. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she closed her eyes and waited until the room stopped spinning before pushing to her feet.
A steady stream of Greek filled the line, making the pounding in her brain kick up a notch. “English, please,” Lisa said as calmly as she could.
“Art Institute of Athens,” the voice replied in a clipped Greek accent. “How may I direct your call?”
“Dr. Maria Gotsi, please.”
Music filled the receiver, then a click resounded as the line was transferred. “Dr. Gotsi’s office. This is Elise.”
Lisa rose on unsteady legs and pressed the heel of her hand against her throbbing head. “Um, this is Dr. Maxwell. I have a one o’clock appointment with Dr. Gotsi today.”
“Yes, Dr. Maxwell. She’s looking forward to your visit.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to reschedule. I’m still in Milan, and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to make the next flight.”
Paper rustled over the line as Lisa took a step toward the closet to retrieve her robe. When she dropped her hand and looked up, she noticed the open closet door. She was pretty sure she’d shut that after hanging up her jacket last night.
“Dr. Gotsi is available around four this afternoon, if that works better for you,” Elise replied.
Lisa reached for the