Adam Dawson and Kevin Dvorska stopped dead in their tracks and looked at each other. After a few moments, they looked over their shoulder and looked back at Kristine.
"All I ask is for ten minutes to explain myself, after that you can leave if you want," she said.
"Ok, have it your way -- for now. After ten minutes if I'm not satisfied, you're a corpse," Adam told her.
"Please follow me gentlemen," she said, as she walked past them to the front door.
Kristine led them inside the castle and after they cleared the front door, she hung a sign on the front that indicated the tours were canceled for the day. She closed and locked it, then looked at both of them.
"What I need to show you is upstairs," she told them.
Kristine brushed past the two Seals and removed a thick red rope from the staircase, and then went up. Adam had an instinct to get his Sig out of the sedan but decided against it. The CIA operative was no match for two trained killers.
The blond haired woman went down the hall and stopped in front of a large oak door and looked back to see if they were following her. To their credit, they separated with Kevin staying a few feet away and Adam moving behind her.
"Welcome home Mr. Dvorska," Kristine said in a whisper to Kevin.
When she walked into the room, Adam and Kevin followed her but were on hyper alert, just in case something went bad. They entered a large study filled with books from the ceiling to the floor. Kevin wondered how someone could gather that many books and still find use for them.
When Adam saw that it was just a study, he decided to put an end to the fun and games today. The mission was an utter failure and the CIA operative was as useless as Johansson, even on his best day.
"Kevin, go start the car and point it out of here. I'll do what needs to be done and then I'll meet you at the front door in two minutes," Adam told him.
"That's very kind of you Mr. Dawson, but before you kill me for no reason, I really think you should look behind you and meet Mr. and Mrs. Baldomr Purgstall," Kristine said with a shit-eating grin.
When Adam turned around, the only thing that kept him from struggling for breath was the intense training that every Seal goes through. It's a reflex that keeps you calm when presented the unbelievable, no matter what the circumstance.
"Holy fucking shit," he muttered under his breath.
"You go ahead L-tee, I'll do it," Kevin said as he glared at the tour guide.
"Turn around Kevin, I think I know why she's acting this way," Adam uttered out.
When Kevin turn around, Kristine knew she was safe from being killed and thrown into the caves.
"Holy -- mother -- of..." Kevin muttered.
"Now you understand why I was so taken aback with you, Kevin -- Dvorska," Kristine said.
Kevin looked at the painting with disbelief. The painting had to be over a hundred years old, and it still looked as if he himself was standing with the beautiful woman in a bright red dress, along with their son. This had to be a trick, some sort of hoax that she was playing on him, it just wasn't possible.
"It took me a lot of years to track down the great, great, grandson of Baldomr and Nevanka. I never really knew how I'd act when I finally got to me you," Kristine said.
"Kevin that really looks like you in one of those old time photo shops back at Virginia Beach," Adam told him.
"Yeah it does L-tee, but that's not me and none of this is real. I'm endangering the mission and we need to leave. There is one thing we need to do and that's to take out..." Kevin said, but he was interrupted by a sudden breeze that flowed through the room.
They all three thought it was strange that the air would rush into a totally closed room, but when Kevin turned around to face Kristine for an answer, a large porcelain vase flew off the mantle above the fire place and smashed on the floor at Kevin's feet.
"As I said in the tour gentlemen, Predjama castle is haunted. To be perfectly honest with you, that is the first time they have ever broke anything. It was either a welcome home Kevin, or they really want you to keep your temper for some reason," she said as she moved to pick up the pieces.
"Um -- I don't mean to sound rude or anything Kristine, but what the hell is going on?" Adam asked.
"Well let me just pick up these last few pieces of this very expensive vase, and then we can go down stairs and calmly talk about it. That is if I have a reprieve on my life Adam," she said as she stood up.
When they finally made it down stairs and to the kitchen, Kevin and Adam both took a seat at the small breakfast bar in the corner. Adam looked around at the small kitchen and wondered how much of it was from years past and what was updated.
"Would you gentlemen care for a drink, or something to eat? I make a mean steak and eggs with a Bloody Mary," Kristine said as she opened the refrigerator door.
"Water if you have it and then some answers," Adam said.
Kristine pulled two bottles of water out of the door and moved over to sit with the two Seals. She handed one to Adam and one to Kevin who refused to even touch the bottle. He stared at her with very angry eyes. He knew he couldn't change form and risk having his team leader know what he really was, so all he could do was glare at her.
"Ok Adam, some answers. As I indicated earlier, I owe my life to Kevin's grandparents. Marta and Toncek Dvorska helped my grandparents, Titiana and Dario Sekerija escape to America after being tortured by some SS Major. Well at least they ended up helping them at the end. My grandmother told me the story when I was very young, and it has captivated me ever since," Kristine said.
"Wait a minute. I was informed that you grew up here in Predjama," Adam said.
"I did. After my grandparents passed away my father moved us to Slovenia, and we settled here in Predjama when I was eight. That however is not the reason I've been researching the Dvorska's," she told him.
"You see, here in Slovenia, property is property forever. Even though the state took control of Predjama castle, if a true living heir of the last known owner ever laid claim to the property, they would have no choice but to relinquish the castle to him or her," Kristine said and then looked over at Kevin.
"Kevin, do you remember ever getting letters in the mail saying that you were the rightful heir to Predjama castle?" she asked him.
"Yeah, but I thought it was some sort of scam. Send some money to us for legal fees and we'll send you the papers for the Brooklyn Bridge. That's why you've been acting funny around me, because I'm the heir of Predjama castle?" Kevin asked.
"Well of course, why else would I be so taken aback with you Mr. Dvorska?" she replied with a puzzled look.
"You said something about a captivating story about his grandparents," Adam said.
"It's not about his grandparents; it's what supposedly happened before they showed up with their son Luka. You have to understand that she was very old when she told me this so I don't know how much is true. They were being questioned about the whereabouts of the Dvorska's from an SS Major. She never knew why they wanted them, just that he was very insistent on finding them," she said.
"Did your grandparents ever tell you a story about a large wolf?" she asked Kevin.
