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Carlo’s eyes glowed
"Well, you’ve just begun I’"
"Uun The excavations here could go on for years, and, of course, I know you haven’t that kind of time, but your work is deeply appreciated I knoell, of course, where your true vocation lies"
So, but Grant wasn’t sure why He should have understood thefor a line of work that was a dedication and desire, farhere as well," Grant said
Carlo nodded then, apparently pleased "Well, I have kept you froivethem--you have been a part of this, they have not And we are scholars here, of course, deterive our finds to the world Every now and then, however, we have moments of selfishness and pride!"
"Of course And thank you I a here," Grant assured hih… I’ve been away some time now"
"Certainly!"
With a smile and a wave, Grant started back down the trail to where he had left Stephanie When he reached the site, he wasn’t alarmed at first when he didn’t see her
"Steph?" he called her name, but there was no answer
He looked around, and the first unease filled hi dark
He could see the trail up the little cliff that led to the precipice and decided she h it occurred to hiht be But he had to start somewhere
He started up the trail It was steep in a few places, but not dangerously so
"Stephanie!" He called her na
He quickened his pace, and was panting when he reached the top
Stepping out, he saw that there was a spectacular view of the region Great castles and walled cities could be seen from here, and at this distance, the ruin wasn’t visible as it would be up close Froht have entered a different world
Then, as he stood there, he experienced the oddest sensation
He’d been here before
He’d cliency, and he’d come here, and…
The wind picked up It whispered first, then whistled It wasn’t that strong, he tried to tell hi
"Stephanie!" He shouted her na to fade in earnest
He needed to hurry, to find her And yet…
For a minute, he couldn’t force hirave;-vu wasin the area! he reminded hiht the urge to stay, to turn away and start down again Fear suddenly fueled anger
Where the hell had she gone?
Stephanie realized that she should have been growing a bit uneasy
She thought she had taken the trail upward--but at soain She had left the area where trees and foliage surrounded the path The terrain was growing rockier The cliff had becoht to the sky
"Liz? Clay?" she called
Against the rock, it seeer
She swore softly, turned around, walked what she thought was the way she had come, and encountered only more rock and cliff
"Grant!" she shouted, and waited
The last sun slipped out of the sky, and she was surrounded by darkness Too bad she wasn’t home, she told herself Her key chain had an alarht
But she wasn’t home She was in the hills in Italy, and like an idiot, she had wandered off alone
There was a ht, but…
What if she just kept wandering, endlessly? What if she couldn’t find her way back? She didn’t know the area to begin with, and now, in the dark…
She wasn’t going to panic, she assured herself She wouldn’t starve, and she wouldn’t even die of dehydration Even if she had to just stop and sit here, eventually, someone would come for her Grant would never just leave her
And even if he did, Clay and Liz were here
That thought shae these days
Carlo Ponti even knew that she was here! And if Grant was so strange, dangerously strange, her intuition would have warned her by now She was still sleeping with hi about him She couldn’t resist him… there was a raw sensuality there, sometimes, it was as if she couldn’t refuse, as if he awakened so in her almost like a blood lust She was desperate…
She was desperate all right! Where the hell was she?
"Don’t panic!" she said aloud Then she decided one way not to panic was to avoid talking to herself
She would be fine, she assured herself
All she had to do was sit and wait
Wait…
Right
Had Maria Britto co for a lover when the… anis, whatever… had co to herself aloud again