Sign of the Cross

serious. Especially without proof.’

Jones argued, ‘But you do have proof. You have us as witnesses.’

‘Witnesses to what? You didn’t see Benito do anything. Furthermore, since you snuck into this country illegally, you guys aren’t even officially here. You’re persona non grata.’

‘Fine,’ Payne said, disappointed. ‘But please do something. At the very least, can you send some Interpol agents out to the lake? I’m telling you, Maria and Boyd are in danger.’

‘Jon, I just can’t. Right now we’re spread so thin it’s embarrassing.’

The sound of Dial’s phone broke his concentration. He glanced at the number, annoyed, until he realized who was calling. Jumping to his feet, he told Payne and Jones he had to take this call. ‘Dial here.’

‘Nick, this is Cardinal Rose. I’m sorry to call you so late, but you told me to keep you posted on any rumors at the Vatican. And, well, this is a doozy.’

Over the next few minutes, Rose filled him in on Benito Pelati’s actions at the latest Supreme Council meeting — at least everything the American appointee had blabbed to Rose over a series of drinks. Very stiff drinks. Rose laughed and added, ‘I would’ve gotten more, but I ran out of bourbon.’

Dial thanked the cardinal for the information, then returned to the table with a much different vibe. A minute ago he was grumbling about a lack of evidence and how he couldn’t risk moving any of his agents. Now he had a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye.

‘So,’ he asked, ‘have you guys ever been to Lake Albano?’

71

Villa Pelati,

Lago di Albano, Italy

(eleven miles southeast of Rome)

The helicopter roared across the calm waters of Lake Albano and settled in a stone courtyard a hundred yards from the main house. Built in the 1500s, the estate sat on the rim of a prehistoric volcanic crater and offered spectacular views of the lake, forest, and wine country.

Childhood memories came flooding back as Maria stared out the chopper’s window at the place she once called home. Thoughts of her mother and the silly games they used to play filled her with equal parts of nostalgia and nausea.

‘How long has it been?’ Dante asked while opening the hatch. ‘Ten years?’

She ignored him, not in the mood to talk to the person forcing her to walk down memory lane. In her mind he had ruined her life once before and was threatening to do it again.

The ironic thing was that Maria and Dante had been the closest siblings in the Pelati family. Even though they had different mothers and were born twelve years apart, they carried the burden of not being Benito’s firstborn son and were forced to bear all the disappointment that went along with it. Whereas Roberto was treated like royalty, Maria and Dante were treated like second-class citizens, receiving none of the love or attention that their older brother was given. In time Benito softened his stance toward Dante, realizing that his second-born son was a capable child, and allowed him to enter the family business right before Maria was sent away to school. Not surprisingly, she linked the two together and shifted a lot of the anger toward her father and focused it on Dante.

In her mind Dante had turned his back on her in order to win their father’s affection.

It was a sin that she still hadn’t forgotten. Or forgiven.

Maria climbed from the chopper and waited for Boyd to do the same. The two remained quiet during their trip from Vienna, much to Dante’s chagrin. He tried to interrogate them during the first ten minutes of their flight, but when they chose not to talk, he decided not to push it. He knew his options were limited, and he could be much more persuasive on the ground.

Lights in the trees twinkled as they walked through an elaborate garden and onto the stone walkway. Marble columns surrounded the shimmering water of the pool to the left while a series of statues lined the path to the right. A wide set of stairs led them to the open patio and the back entrance to the house.

Dante punched in the security code. ‘Father is at the Vatican until morning. There are things to discuss before his arrival.’

Maria almost gagged at the term father. She had grown up without one and was in no mood to have him reappear in her life. Not now. Not if she was about to be killed for her actions. That would be a cruel way to die, forcing her to see him one last time before she was murdered.

‘Do you remember his den?’ Dante asked. The foyer was over twenty feet high, so his voice echoed as he spoke. ‘I used to read stories to you in there by the fireplace. Your mother used to get so mad at me. I always saved the scariest ones for right before bedtime. I’d frighten you so much that she’d have to stay in your bed for half the night.’

Maria smiled at the memory, although she didn’t want to. That was a different time, a different life, back when she was happy and things were so much simpler.

The den was just as she remembered it. An antique desk sat on the left and faced the fireplace to the right. A leather couch, two chairs, and a glass table filled the space in between. Bookshelves and paintings lined the walls, as did an assortment of relics that were displayed on marble pedestals. A colorful rug covered the floor and made the room feel warm and cozy. Maria considered that ironic, since she knew who the room belonged to.

‘Have a seat,’ Dante said, motioning to the couch. Then he turned his attention to the guards. ‘Gentlemen, I can handle things from here. Please wait in the hall.’

They closed the door, leaving Dante alone with Maria and Boyd for the first time all night.

‘I know the two of you have a lot of questions.’ Dante took off his suit jacket and folded it over one of the chairs. Suddenly his holster and gun were in plain view. The sight doubled the tension in the room. ‘It’s been a hectic week for all of us.’

Maria rolled her eyes. She couldn’t imagine how Dante could lump the three of them together. They were adversaries, not allies.

‘First of all,’ Dante said to Boyd, ‘let me apologize for our recent lack of communication. Once you left Orvieto, I had no way of reaching you.’

Boyd’s face filled with relief. ‘I wanted to call, but the attack frazzled me. I had no way of knowing who was behind it. Whether it was you or someone else.’

‘Once again, I apologize. I didn’t know about their plans until Monday night, after you had left the Catacombs. If I had known what they were planning to do, I would’ve warned you.’

Maria sat there, stunned. Her brother was speaking to Boyd like they were partners. The conversation was so unexpected that it took a moment for things to register. ‘Oh my God, what’s happening here? Professore? You two are talking like friends.’

‘Why shouldn’t we be? He gave us our permits to dig.’

‘Yeah,’ she argued, searching for the right words, ‘but he’s going to kill us.’

‘Kill you?’ Dante scoffed. ‘Why on earth would I do that? I just saved you.’

‘Saved us?’ she screamed. ‘You just dragged us off at gunpoint. That’s not saving us!’

‘It is when you consider how many people want you dead.’

‘Yes, but…’

Boyd patted her shoulder, urging her to calm down. ‘In Maria’s defense, I must admit I was uncertain of your intentions until a moment ago. Your poker face is bloody brilliant.’

Dante laughed. ‘Let me apologize for that as well. You must remember that the guards work for my father, not me. If we’re to succeed, I must continue this charade for as long as possible.’

‘What are you talking about? What charade?’ she demanded.

‘The charade that I’m helping Father.’ There was a bitterness to his tone that wasn’t present before. He practically spat the word. ‘You of all people should know that.’

‘But…’ she stuttered, searching for words.

Boyd held up his hand, signaling her to stop. ‘You can talk about your mutual hate of him later. For now there are more important matters to discuss.’

Dante locked eyes with Maria. He wanted to say so much but realized it wasn’t the time or place. ‘He’s right,