The Midas Legacy (Wilde/Chase 12) by Andy McDermott Page A

wasn’t that bad. And it’s a Hollywood action movie! What did you expect?’
    She sighed. ‘I don’t know. I guess I’d hoped it would be more like Gorillas in the Mist than some pulp mash-up of James Bond and Indiana Jones!’
    Eddie laughed. ‘You do remember all the stuff we’ve been through, don’t you? Like how we first met? I pulled you out of a car at the bottom of a river!’
    ‘I could hardly forget it. Although a lot of it, I’m still trying really hard to.’ Her expression became serious, even downcast. ‘To be honest, I almost walked out right at the beginning. That opening, where Eden Crest’s parents were murdered just as they found a clue leading to Atlantis? It hit way too close to home.’
    ‘That’s what was bothering you?’ he asked with sympathetic concern.
    Nina nodded. ‘It’s not just that it was a dumb movie. It was a dumb movie that used my life for plot points – it took the worst thing that ever happened to me and reduced it to a way to get a character the audience’s sympathy. It . . . it hurt, you know? My parents were all I had, and that scene brought back how it felt when I lost them.’
    Eddie was silent for a moment, then took her hand. ‘You’re right, we should go home. Macy’s probably still up waiting for us.’
    ‘I told Holly to put her to bed at seven.’
    ‘Macy never goes to sleep at seven for us; why would Holly do any better?’
    They turned to leave – only for Grant Thorn to hurry across the lobby to intercept them. ‘Hey, there you are!’ drawled the Californian, looking sharp in a tuxedo. ‘I was hoping to catch you. What did you think of the movie?’
    Nina was about to let him know her true feelings, but the sight of Marvin Bronze and several journalists arriving in his wake – as well as the actor’s puppy-like expectancy – persuaded her to be more diplomatic. ‘It was . . . interesting,’ she managed.
    ‘Guys, this is Dr Nina Wilde,’ Marvin said exuberantly to the reporters, ‘the author of the book the movie’s based on. You wanna find an ancient legend, you call her! She discovered Atlantis, King Arthur’s tomb, even the Lost Ark of the Covenant. That was a few years back, though, so Nina: what’ve you done for us lately? Joke,’ the tanned little man added on seeing her startled expression. ‘So, how much did you love the movie?’
    The redhead recovered her composure. ‘Well, you changed a lot from my book, which was what actually happened, but it was all still very . . . exciting.’
    Marvin chuckled. ‘You didn’t tell us everything, did you? All classified, very hush-hush,’ he clarified for the journalists. ‘We had to fill in some of the details ourselves. But we stayed with the spirit of the story, didn’t we?’
    ‘Insofar as Atlantis was being hunted for, yes . . .’
    ‘You did a great job,’ said Eddie, stepping in to save his wife. ‘Some of the story was different from real life, but you can’t have too many explosions, right?’ A couple of chuckles from the group. ‘But I just had a message from our babysitter saying our little girl’s missing her mum and dad—’
    ‘Mom,’ Nina corrected automatically.
    ‘—so we need to get moving. Family comes first, right?’
    ‘Aw, man, that’s a shame,’ said Grant. ‘You’re not coming to the party? We got celebrities there, Masta Thugg’s gonna do a set . . .’
    ‘Afraid not.’ Nina had rolled her eyes during the movie when she saw that Matt Trulli had been replaced by a wisecracking fictional character played by an American rapper. ‘We have to get back to Macy.’
    The name caught Grant off-guard. ‘Macy. How . . . how is she?’
    ‘She’s great, thanks. She’s three now.’
    ‘Three! Man, has it been that long?’ He seemed about to add something, but then eyed the recording devices nearby. ‘I’m happy for you guys. And, y’know, calling her . . . It would have meant a lot to her.’ Nina and Eddie’s