in that house with Lisa? Hell, he’d never survive it.
He rubbed a hand over his hair. “Shouldn’t need it that long. We’ve still got a couple leads.”
“Okay. Anything you need, you just ask.”
What he needed was for someone to crack him upside the head and tell him this was a dumb idea. Instead, Rafe stood with the folder and headed for the door. “When I have news, I’ll be in touch.”
Maria Gotsi paced the plush sitting room of her South Beach hotel. Beyond her veranda, turquoise water and miles of white sand sparkled back at her, but she barely spared the luscious view a glance. Her brain hurt. No, it ached. Alan was dead.
Her Alan was dead.
It didn’t matter that their relationship had fizzled out a lifetime ago. He’d taken her under his wing all those years before, had taught her everything she knew and was today. And even if some hidden part of her hated the fact that she felt any angst for him at all, after the way he’d broken her heart, she respected him. Always had.
She owed him.
Before she could change her mind, she grappled for the cell in her Ferragamo bag, dialed and waited. The phone rang four times before she swore, disconnected and dialed again. When the familiar voice finally answered, she drew in a breath.
“We wondered when we’d hear from you, Dr. Gotsi.”
Calm and collected. That’s how she needed to play this. “Things are getting out of hand. Alan was not a threat.”
“Alan,” the voice said, hardening, “was competition. Competition is always a threat. Especially in this case.” When she didn’t answer, laughter echoed through the line. “Did you think he was going to let you broker this deal? Let me fill you in on a little information, Dr. Gotsi. He was going around you, playing both sides.”
No. The blood drained from her cheeks. Alan wouldn’t have done that. Not her Alan.
“I’ve covered my tracks well, but I will not let even a threat of this tarnish the Institute.” She’d worked too damn hard for it. “This needs to end.”
“When I have the Furies, we’ll call it finished.”
Maria ran a frustrated hand over her brow. “There’s no guarantee they’ll ever find Tisiphone. She could be buried under miles of rock at this point.”
“Oh, they’ll find her. I have complete faith in Dr. Maxwell.”
She felt a stab of guilt, envy and admiration all rolled into one for a woman she remembered meeting years ago at a party she’d attended with Alan. The poor grad student had been so over-the-top for Stone, she hadn’t seen what was right in front of her face. No wonder she was so driven to find that damn relief.
Maria lifted her head and looked out at a view she barely saw. Lisa Maxwell wasn’t her concern. At this point, the only thing that mattered was making sure her own ass stayed nice and safe. She still had a bargaining chip. “That’ll only get you one.”
“I’m confident we’ll get the others. If not, we have you as backup, don’t we?”
“Kauffman won’t sell. I’ve tried.” Not until he had all three. And even then, there was still no guarantee he’d sell to her. She wasn’t naïve and stupid, as Lisa Maxwell had been. She knew he was using her. In the same way she was using him.
A means to an end. Everyone was after something.
“So convince him. You’re good at that.”
Catching the disgusted tone in the words, Maria’s blood ran hot. She’d picked some powerful men to tangle with over the years, but she hadn’t fucked her way to the top. She’d made herself with hard work, brains and a body she knew how to work to get what she wanted. No one was going to insinuate otherwise.
“That’s not part of my deal.”
“Fine. Find another avenue. Do what they do and steal them, for all I care. Just make sure Kauffman sells to you or me. Otherwise I can’t guarantee what will happen to the rest of the competition.”
When Rafe slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the massive front door of Lauren’s house, the sight that greeted him brought a wicked curve to his lips.
Lisa was on her hands and knees, leaning over a mess of papers spread out on the living-room carpet in front of her. She’d pushed the coffee table out of the way, had a highlighter clenched between her teeth and a pencil tucked behind one ear. And she was wearing the skimpiest denim shorts he’d ever