Curse of Atlantis Read Online Free Page B

had recently been installed. Intricately chiseled from marble, it had a pedestal at its center that emitted a single beam of light. Specifically design ed for one purpose, it sat conspicuously empty and gnawed at Nicolae's patience.
    Nicolae stared at the empty altar and his rage began to grow. He visualized the crystal globe sitting on the pedestal as the beam of light shined up through it. He visualized its magnificence and the ancients that once held it. He wiped his forehead with his s leeve and felt his face reddening in anger.
    "ENOUGH!" he shouted , now enraged.
    Abruptly, he turned on his heels and left the room. Moving swiftly to his desk, he grabbed his phone and dialed.
    " Dimitri ... my office, NOW !" Nicolae roared into the mouthpiece.
    "Yes, B oss,” Dimitri replied straight away.
    Nicolae walked to his window and stared out over the city of Moscow . As he watched the bustling metropolis busy itself in its daily routine, he contemplated his next move. With fists clenched, he struggled to control his rage. Moments later, he heard a loud knock at his door.
    “Enter,” Nicolae responded instantly.
    Dimitri quickly opened the door and entered the room. Sighting Nicolae by the window, he slowly positioned himself behind the couch, giving him an imagined barrier of safety between him and his boss.
    “Yes, Boss?” Dimitri asked.
    Nicolae turned and held his position by the window. He knew if he moved closer, he would be tempted to act.
    “I’ve been patient. Where’s my treasure?” Nicolae asked coldly.
    Nervously clearing his throat, Dimitri replied, “We’ve had complications. The Nizhny refinery has been giving us trouble again. I completed that business as you ordered.”
    “Hmm, the Maganov affair . Most unfortunate,” Nicolae said, softening momentarily.
    “He was a hard man to deal with… unbending, stupid,” Dimitri said, his tone turning contemptuous.
    “So where’s my treasure?” Nicolae repeated, now moving closer.
    “Igor and I have been managing the Transneft problem as well as the Sateco trucking deal. Before that, we purchased Danone, MSC , and Amur River . And then we had the issue with…”
    “ENOUGH!” Nicolae roared.
    Staring back at Dimitri , he seethed with anger.
    “ Dimitri , you are my number one, but you’re testing my patience . What have you done about my treasure?” Nicolae demanded.
    Dimitri swallowed hard. He knew he needed to choose his next words carefully.
    “Trubachev is handling this matter. I’ve been overseeing his progress. He tells me the archeologist refused his offer. He’s currently tracking down the American, but is having trouble,” Dimitri responded, trying to cover for his colleague.
    “Tracking down the American? It doesn’t take two months to track a man. I can do that myself in a day… get him in here immediately,” Nicolae demanded.
    “Yes , sir,” Dimitri replied simply.
    He quickly left the office and returned moments later with Ivan Trubachev strutting confidently behind him. Tall, brawny , and arrogant, in his earlier years he preferred muscle over mentality when dealing with those that stood in his way. Now, in his early fifties, he’d grown lazy living off his reputation, and his work began to suffer.
    “Ivan, where’s my crystal globe?” Nicolae demanded.
    “I’m working on it,” Ivan responded matter-of-factly.
    “Specifically, what have you done?” Nicolae asked, desperately trying to control his anger.
    “I called this Dr. Arista in Caicos and offered him one hundred thousand American dollars for it, but he refused. I called back later and offered him one hundred and fifty thousand American dollars, warning him of the consequence of refusal, but he simply laughed at my offer,” Ivan said.
    “Laughed? He laughed at you?” Nicolae asked, somewhat shocked by Ivan’s lack of concern.
    “Yes boss, he laughed. I thought about taking him out, but he’s been in the news a lot lately and I didn’t want to create an