The Sacred Vault Read Online Free PDF Page B

of me by now.’
    ‘Oh, don’t be absurd.’ The tall, black-haired Connecticut native was in his late thirties, and in his tuxedo looked even more dashing than usual. Lola’s attention had definitely been caught, Nina noticed with amusement. ‘I certainly wasn’t going to miss this - even if I had to fly all the way from San Francisco to be here.’
    ‘Rowan, this is Matt Trulli,’ said Nina, making introductions. ‘He used to work for UNARA, and now he’s with the Oceanic Survey Organisation. Matt, this is an old friend of mine, Dr Rowan Sharpe. He’s in charge of the Treasures of Atlantis exhibition.’
    ‘Oh, I’m in charge?’ said Rowan, feigning surprise. ‘Funny, I thought you were. I mean, you’re constantly there bossing everyone about . . .’
    Nina gave him a little laugh. ‘I’m the boss, so I’m allowed to be bossy. Besides, the exhibition’s really important to me. I just want things to be perfect.’
    ‘Well, you always were a perfectionist.’ He winked at her, then looked her up and down. ‘And speaking of perfection, you look absolutely incredible tonight. I’m very jealous of Eddie.’ He sighed, smiling. ‘Ah, the path not taken . . .’
    ‘Knock it off, Rowan,’ said Nina, but not before Lola and Matt exchanged curious looks. ‘Rowan and I used to date,’ she explained. ‘A long time ago, when I was an undergraduate.’ Another look passed between them. ‘ Yes , I had boyfriends before I met Eddie. Why is everybody always so surprised about that?’
    ‘Though I’d actually known her for years,’ Rowan added. ‘I was a friend of Nina’s parents - Henry Wilde was my archaeology professor. I even helped them with some of their research on Atlantis.’ He put a gentle hand on Nina’s shoulder. ‘Henry and Laura would be so proud of you. You found what they spent their lives searching for.’
    ‘Thank you,’ Nina replied, with a twinge of sadness: her parents had lost their lives searching for Atlantis. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Both the impending exhibition and this evening were about celebrating what the hunt for Atlantis had brought her, not regretting what it had taken. ‘But the main thing now is that the whole world can see it for themselves.’
    ‘It’s a shame you can’t come with me for the exhibition’s entire tour. But I suppose Eddie would get rather annoyed if I took you away from him for four months.’
    ‘He might at that,’ said Nina, smiling. ‘And speaking of Eddie, I should go and find him again, so I’ll see you all later.’
    ‘Have fun.’ Rowan held up his drink to her, then said to Matt, ‘So, what do you do at the OSO?’
    As Matt launched into what promised to be an extremely technical summary of his work building robotic underwater vehicles, Nina continued through the room, looking for Eddie. Before she saw him, though, she encountered more very familiar faces. ‘Hi!’
    ‘Nina!’ said Macy Sharif in delight. The archaeology student had been in conversation with Karima Farran and Radi Bashir, the Jordanian couple respectively a friend of Eddie’s from his days as an international troubleshooter-for-hire, and a producer for a Middle Eastern news network. ‘How are you?’
    ‘I’m fine, thanks,’ said Nina, embracing her. ‘How are your studies going?’
    ‘Well, you know that I used to be kind of a C-student?’ Macy said with a cocky grin. ‘Well, I’m now a . . . B -student! B-plus, even. Sometimes.’
    ‘That’s great! And you’ve still got another year and a half to get that A - like I said at the UN, if you want a job at the IHA when you graduate, just ask.’
    ‘I think I will. Thanks.’ She glanced past Nina. ‘Hey, is that Grant?’ Nina nodded, and Macy’s look became more predatory. ‘I’m gonna say hi. You think he’ll remember me?’
    ‘You’re hard to forget,’ Nina assured her. Macy quickly applied another coat of lipstick, then darted off through the crowd. ‘He’s with