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could hear Marcus cursing at himself.
    The flow of workers streamed into the house through a long hallway, which emptied into the main ballroom. Darius moved purposefully past the crews polishing marble flooring, hanging gauzy draperies, and carving designs into Greek columns. He noted workbenches and tools around the room. Wheeled trash bins were stationed around the room to dispose of things without ruining the newly marbled floors.
    Even the porte cochere teemed with activity. Many embellishments were getting a good coating of gold paint. It seemed a Grecian theme was taking shape for the Troy Cosmetics Annual Gala.
    Because of its age and history, it hadn’t been too difficult to find architectural maps online for the Troy Estate. He hoped the old maps were still accurate. Brass and velvet stanchions cordoned off the workers from entering the rooms on the far side of the foyer. These off-limits rooms were likely the ones Lilith used to display her private collection of antiquities. Her collection was reputed to be one of the finest personal displays in the world.
    According to the maps, there should be a staircase in the back room that would lead him down to a basement level. From the rumors about this old house, he figured that would be where they would be keeping his grandfather.
    “I’m ready.” He whispered into the little wire mouthpiece. “I’m in the foyer.”
    “Hang on. ALICE is on it.” Darius could hear Marcus’ fingers clicking across the keyboard on his end. “Okay. The security feed is on a loop, and you are now like a ghost.”
    Darius ducked under the cord and walked very slowly through the first room. Iridescent glass vessels sat on granite pedestals. Jewelry sparkled from within glass cases, and several highly erotic Roman bath tiles hung on the walls. A whistle pierced his ear and he cupped it reflexively.
    “Now there’s a few positions even I hadn’t thought of.”
    “Marcus,” Darius grounded out, wiggling the earpiece. “don’t friggin’ do that again. You’re supposed to be keeping an eye on the thermal cameras.”
    “Sorry. There’s not a soul near you. Geez, these rooms are more interesting than the galleries at the MFA. Someone on the floor above you is moving in the direction of the staircase.”
    “Okay, keep an eye on everyone.” He fingered his belt buckle again, double-checking that the throwing knives were still in place. He was ready for any demons unfortunate enough to challenge him.
    Darius finally entered the last gallery. A circular staircase stood in the far corner of the room. It led both upstairs to the residence level, and downstairs to the basement level.
    “Okay. I see it. I’m--” Darius’ voice trailed off. He couldn’t have moved if he’d wanted to. In the semi-darkness of the room, a single spotlight shone down on a statue. A magnificent statue. Holy. Shit.
    He’d seen so many wondrous artifacts in his lifetime, but this one he’d put at the top of his list. Here was something even he might consider keeping. His blood raced, tingling through his body.
    She’d been stunning enough in the photograph, but here the lights and shadows together seemed to bring her to life. The amber spotlight magnified every glorious detail. The golden patina glowed like a flame.
    “Wow. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” Even through a darkened video feed she could apparently inspire awe in a seasoned professional like Marcus. “Can you get a little closer?”
    “She’s in perfect condition. Almost as if she’d been carved yesterday.” The sculptor had captured a pure, realistic quality.
    “Do you know anything about it?”
    “She’s the statue my grandfather has searched for his whole life. The Lady of Flame. I can understand his obsession now. She’s the Egyptian goddess of war, Sekhmet. Usually, she would have a lion head on a human female body. But this one is all human. Very curious. She’s in the typical style of clothing and stance, yet