on the other, John sprinted down a long hallway to Ariella’s room and knocked on the door. She opened it and stood there for a moment before she grabbed him around the neck, pulling him into the room and kissing him deeply. John responded, forgetting for a moment why he was there.
“We’ve got to go, Ariella.”
Ariella closed the door and arched her eyebrows coyly. “Where?”
“We’re taking your father’s yacht to Italy.”
“Just you and me?”
“No, all of us. We’re taking the Devil’s Bible to the Vatican, and we really need to hurry.”
“Oh.” Disappointment etched her face. “That’s why you came to my room.”
John’s eyes widened. “What did that bump on the head do to you?”
Ariella laughed as she turned to retrieve a bag from her closet. “What bump? I feel fine.”
John shook his head and hefted the ever-present backpack containing the book over his shoulder. “I promise you that, when I get rid of this thing, we’ll never be apart again.”
Ariella flashed him a sensuous smile while grabbing some clothes from a pile on her bed and stuffing them into her bag. John opened the door and they both ran straight into Sarah in the hall. “I want to be on the team,” she said. “I know this is why I’m here now.”
Ariella looked at John and hesitated before answering. “Are you sure, Sarah? I mean, your dream pretty much confirms that you were meant to be here, but this is a big commitment. We’re getting ready to head back out into the Mediterranean, and there could be a repeat of what happened earlier today.”
“I’m sure, Ariella. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
“Ok then. Come with us. Welcome to the Bible Code Team.”
Down in the communications center, plans were being made for a hasty departure across the Mediterranean. Lev sat at a console, wearing a white dress shirt and khaki shorts. His tanned and calloused feet slipped in and out of his flip-flops as he talked to the ship’s captain on his cell phone. Alon had doubled the sentries around the perimeter and placed the villa on high alert for any suspicious activity. For security reasons, only those with a need to know were informed of the new mission now unfolding around them.
Chapter 32
The yacht was located about twelve miles north of the villa in the ancient port of Caesarea. Moshe and Alon departed the grounds at 2:00 AM in a small car, followed by Daniel and Sarah who caught a ride with several of the cooks in a large truck full of provisions. Nava and Gabriella had been notified and were now airborne in the Blackhawk en route to the villa.
Leo and Lev made some last-minute arrangements before jumping into Lev’s old Land Rover, while John and Ariella grabbed Camp and piled into the rear seat. John never let the backpack out of his sight, taking one more peek inside at the clear container holding the red book before giving Leo a thumbs up. Thirty minutes behind the other departing vehicles, the Land Rover rolled out onto the highway and began speeding up the coast toward Caesarea.
Lev was the first to see the headlights of a large white SUV turn onto the road behind them. It sped up and kept pace.
“That’s not one of ours, is it, Father?” Ariella said.
Lev looked into the rearview mirror. “No, it’s not. I’ll speed up a little and see what they do.”
The SUV matched the Land Rover’s speed as the two cars raced down the highway. The large vehicle inched closer, pulling to within a few feet of the Land Rover’s rear bumper.
“Whoever they are,” Lev said, “they don’t care about keeping a low profile.”
Lev lifted a military walkie-talkie from the front seat next to him and called Nava in the helicopter. “We have company.”
“How many?”
“Looks like only one vehicle for now. A big white SUV … and they don’t seem to be worried about keeping a low profile.”
“Be there in three minutes.”
The occupants of the SUV hadn’t counted on the Bible Code Team having air support as the Blackhawk swooped out of the sky and fell in behind the tailing car.
Speeding down the highway, a man in the front passenger seat of the SUV pulled out a pistol and aimed it from his side window at the Land Rover ahead. He began firing, shattering the Rover’s rear window and causing everyone inside except for Lev to dive down in their seats.
From the rear seat of the SUV, a third man produced a light machine gun and leaned out of his window. He looked up and aimed the gun at the Blackhawk before making the fatal mistake of pulling the trigger, firing off a series of bursts at the helicopter overhead and sealing the fate of everyone inside his own vehicle.
Nava and Gabriella exchanged glances as they pulled up and circled around, coming back into position behind the SUV. Gabriella studied a computer-generated display through her helmet eyepiece and chose her weapon. “Got him in my sights.”
Nava held the chopper steady while simultaneously keeping an eye on the occupants inside. The man with the machine gun crawled into the back of the SUV and lowered the rear window before aiming straight up at the helicopter.
“Now would be a good time, Gabriella,” Nava said with a hint of sarcasm.
With the push of a button, a rocket erupted from a side pod on the helicopter and streaked toward its target. Within seconds, the SUV was a flaming, unrecognizable heap of wreckage on the side of the highway. The large gray helicopter sped by overhead as Nava and Gabriella high-fived each other in the cockpit.
John stared through the shattered glass of the Land Rover’s rear window at the flames receding in the distance. “Whoever they were, they definitely miscalculated you, Lev.”
Leo was growing weary of the intrigue. “My God, who are these people? Did the police ever get any information from the two you caught spying on us at the villa?”
“Nothing,” Lev said. “They refused to talk. The police could only charge them with trespassing and had them deported from the country.”
“Well, it looks like they still have friends around; only this time, they did a little more than trespass.”
The Land Rover pulled into the harbor in the early morning darkness. The lights from the yacht were ablaze, highlighting members of the crew who could be seen scurrying about the decks, making the boat ready for sea. The “small” yacht Lev had told them about earlier was actually a luxurious two-hundred-thirty-foot-long super yacht. The boat had a dark blue hull and white superstructure, and the main deck sat at least twenty feet above the water line. As soon as the Land Rover came to a stop, it was surrounded by crew members who helped Lev and the others carry all of their equipment up the gangplank to the yacht’s main deck.
The Blackhawk had arrived with the Land Rover and was circling the harbor, sweeping the docks with strong searchlights looking for anyone who didn’t belong. Satisfied the scene below was clear of intruders, the two women landed the helicopter at the end of the wharf, but kept the engines running.
While the turbines continued to whine, Nava climbed out of her armored seat in the cockpit and stepped out onto the dock. Her long black ponytail hung from the back of her helmet and swished back and forth as she walked over to speak with Alon. After a quick embrace and a few words, she waved in the direction of the helicopter and turned to board the yacht with Alon, leaving Gabriella to take control of the Blackhawk. Alone now, Gabriella lifted the chopper into the air, where she would remain overhead until the boat was safely out of the harbor.
Leo and Lev made their way up an interior stairway of the yacht to the darkened bridge. Only the red battle lighting and the greenish glow from the radar display highlighted the men’s faces as they conferred with the captain and scanned the periphery of the harbor. Besides the helicopter overhead, several of Moshe’s most experienced men, armed with sniper rifles and night-vision goggles, had been secretly placed in concealed positions around the harbor to avoid any surprises.
Leo poured himself a cup of coffee from a pot nearby and settled into a raised seat next to the captain’s chair. He took a sip from the steaming cup while brushing the long gray-streaked hair from his face and peering out
