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“Caligula Hunter! It’s been too long. You look just like your father.” Reuben totally missed Cal’s wince as he dropped his full name and shook Cal’s hand enthusiastically.
“It’s good to see you again, Reuben. Wish it was under different circumstances.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, smudging the dirt there. “Also, I go by Cal now.”
Reuben dropped Cal’s hand and took a half step back to take him in from head to toe, lingering for a heartbeat too long on his groin. “Yes, I can imagine Caligula is quite the mouthful.”
My mind immediately fell into the gutter, and I coughed to cover a laugh. I’d learned on my first visit to Reuben’s that he was an unapologetic flirt, and the whole moment was madeeven funnier because Cal didn’t seem to know what to do about Reuben’s appraisal or the not-so-subtle innuendo.
Luckily, our host didn’t give Cal time to recover. He turned on his heel, expecting us to follow, and walked into the house.
“What the fuck was that?” Cal whispered low as we approached the threshold.
I shrugged. “That’s Reuben.”
“I don’t remember him being like that the last time I met him. I mean, I remember him being, uh, friendly, but… did he just flirt with me?”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll keep you safe. And I already know you’re a mouthful.” Winking, I slapped him on the back and left him stunned on the doorstep as I walked into the blissfully cool, air-conditioned house.
Cal hurried to catch up, the door sliding closed with a gentle whoosh behind him.
“I’ve made up two rooms near the pool. I figure you’d both appreciate a swim after being on a plane for fifteen hours and now in the middle of the desert.”
“Thank you, Reuben. A swim sounds great.” I actually couldn’t think of anything better.
“Only one downside to the rooms in that wing of the house.” Reuben fluttered a hand like it wasn’t a big deal.
“What’s that?” Cal asked.
“You’ll have to share a bathroom.” He paused and turned to face us. I wasn’t sure what expression was on my face, but he frowned. “If that’s an issue, I can make up other rooms.”
“No. That’s not a problem at all.” Hopefully, we wouldn’t be staying for long.
Cal rushed to assure Reuben that sharing some space would be fine, even though his frown told a different story. “Yeah, I’m just grateful to have somewhere to crash.”
Reuben looked between us, eyes narrowed, then shrugged and turned down a long hallway. As we walked deeper into the house, we’d dropped down a few feet. I knew part of Reuben’s estate was underground, and I watched Cal’s face as we went deeper into the house and deeper into the earth. Our host kept up a running commentary about the mansion, but Cal didn’t seem to be listening. It didn’t escape my notice that his attention snagged and held on every piece of art we passed.
“Here we are.” Reuben gestured to two flat panel doors set apart from each other by around ten feet. “I’ll let you duke it out over who gets which room.”
He turned to leave, but Cal stopped him. “When are we going to talk about the list and our next steps toward finding the missing painting?”
Reuben smiled and patted his arm. “All in good time. Rest and relax. I’ll have something to eat brought down by the pool. We can talk about the case tomorrow.” The older man turned his back to us and walked away while Cal mumbled something under his breath I couldn’t quite catch. Given the way he threw the door open behind him, I could guess where his head was.
If I’d found my grandmother’s name and a full dossier on her whole career as an art and antiquities thief in an FBI file, I’d probably be feeling a sense of urgency too.
The door clicked shut behind him, but it didn’t stop me from inviting him for a swim. “Meet me out here in ten minutes if you want to get in the pool. It’s hard to find.”
His words were muffled by the door when he replied. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Setting the timer on my watch, I pushed into my own room. The space was larger than I thought it would be from the hallway. A king-size bed was pushed up against the far wall, an abstract painting done in shades of gray hanging over the simple modern headboard. The matching nightstands, desk, and coffeetable nestled between two low leather chairs in a small sitting area across from the bed were also modern in design, all light wood and sharp angles. The floor was polished concrete with soft area rugs striped with bright color situated around the bed and in the sitting area. We were more or less underground, but there were short windows set near the ceiling that let in just enough light to make the room feel welcoming and not like a cement box. On the right-hand wall were a set of pocket French doors that concealed a small walk-in closet and a single door that led to the shared bathroom.
I tried to resist, but I dropped my bag on the bed and quietly pulled open the bathroom door, checking to see if Cal had opened his door on the other side.
He hadn’t, so I shut mine again and turned back to my bag. Pulling my bathing suit out, I laid it on the bed and considered it for a long moment.
When Reuben said pool, what he really meant was a massive underground saltwater spring. Unlike some of the thermal hot springs in the country, this spring was consistently around seventy degrees and large enough to be perfect for swimming in any form.
At least for me.
Ducking back into the bathroom, I grabbed a large white towel and stripped down, throwing my clothes over one of the leather chairs. I wrapped the towel around my waist just as the alarm on my phone went off, telling me Cal’s ten minutes were up.
