“Hell, no. It's all a bunch of lies. Of course it was the gold.” He stood up and headed for the door. “Let's go tell Eve and Quinn we've made the connection.”
October 21
7:37 P.M.
It was getting dark.
“It's time,” Trevor said quietly from the doorway. “You told me to tell you when Quinn was going down to the tunnel. He's heading for the kitchen now.”
Jane turned away from the parlor window and started for the hall. “You checked out the passageway?”
“I've just come back.” He smiled. “Can't you tell? I look like I've been crawling through a sewer. It's safe. First, Bartlett and I carried the coffin down and positioned it and then I checked out the passage. And I've left Bartlett down there to make sure it stays safe until Quinn gets to his ledge.”
She stopped. “Bartlett?”
“Don't worry. I gave him a shotgun and orders to fire at anyone but me or Quinn. You don't have to have much martial skill to be intimidating with a shotgun. After we get down there, Bartlett is going to stay near the ladder and guard the entrance to the villa. It's best that someone is outside those tunnels to give warning, if something goes wrong.”
If something goes wrong. Yet another qualification that filled her with panic. “I thought Bartlett was going to stay up here with Eve.”
“So did I. But he decided that wasn't going to happen. I arranged for there to be four security men to stay with her instead. Lord knows what other security Quinn's set up.”
“You promised me.”
“And I'll keep it. I won't let Aldo get past me to climb the ladder to the villa.” He nudged her toward the kitchen. “If you want to see Quinn before he goes down, you'd better hurry. He was opening the trapdoor when I left him.”
“We give Joe fifteen minutes and then we follow him?”
Trevor nodded. “That should give him time to get up on the ledge and position himself. I'll be there to back him up in—”
Eve was on the third step descending the ladder. “What does it look like?” She took another step down. “Really, Jane. What did you expect? I wasn't going to let Joe or you go down there without me.”
“You were supposed to—” She whirled on Joe. “Tell her— Keep her out of there.”
“Do you think I haven't tried? Can't do it. You know her. All we can hope for is damage control.”
“Why didn't you tell me?” Her voice was anguished. “Why didn't you—”
“Because I knew you'd be upset.” Eve grimaced. “And you are. But now you don't have to stew about it for days. Come on, Joe. Let's get going.”
“Don't do this, Eve,” Jane pleaded. “Please.”
Eve shook her head. “Jane, we're a family. We do things together.” She took another two steps down and disappeared from view.
“No!”
Joe started down the ladder. “You can't budge her. I'll take care of her, Jane.”
“Take care of yourself, Joe,” she whispered. Dear God, she had a terrible sinking feeling. It was only beginning and everything was going wrong.
Joe was out of sight. Lost in the darkness of the tunnel.
“I didn't know,” Trevor said. “As God is my witness, I thought Eve was staying here in the villa.”
“I know you did,” she said shakily. “It almost makes you believe in fate, doesn't it?” She shook her head to clear it. “But not Aldo's version of destiny. We can't let that happen.”
“She'll be with Quinn and me. I'll keep my promise.”
“You'd better.” She wanted to start down that ladder, run after Eve and Joe through the darkness. She couldn't do it, she realized frantically. She had to wait until they got into position on that ledge.
Fifteen minutes.
October 21
8:02 P.M.
“I leave you here,” Trevor said in a low voice as he fell to his knees at the entrance of the passage leading to Joe's ledge. “I'm going to work my way around to where Joe and Eve are waiting. The vomitorium is right ahead.” He handed her a flashlight. “Remember, a thirty-two Smith and Wesson is under the velvet throw and another gun is in the coffin. Joe said you knew how to use it, but don't do it unless you have to. If Aldo sees you with it, he may decide that a long-range killing isn't that bad. When you get up ahead, the torches are lit. But it's best if you try to stay in the shadows.”
She moistened her lips. “Then how will he see me?”
“He'll be able to see you. Just don't make it too easy for him.”
She laughed shakily. “Don't worry. I've no intention of doing that. But hiding in the shadows isn't going to do much good. You said he wouldn't shoot me and the whole point is to draw him toward me so that Joe can get his shot.”
Trevor muttered a curse and shone the beam of the flashlight on her face. “You're scared. We can call this off. It's not too late.”
“No, we can't.” She shielded her face from the light. “And of course I'm scared. I'm not an idiot. Get going. I want you there to protect Joe and Eve.”
He hesitated a moment and then began to crawl through the opening.
He was gone.
Silence.
Darkness.
Or was she alone? Was Aldo somewhere behind her in the darkness?
No, Trevor had positioned Bartlett outside the tunnel to keep an eye out. If Aldo was in this tunnel, he was ahead at the vomitorium. Waiting for her.
Her heart was pounding so hard she felt as if it were reverberating like thunder through the tunnel.
It was going to be all right. Joe would warn her if Aldo were waiting for her at the vomitorium. He'd either shoot Aldo or he'd fire off a warning shot if that weren't possible.
She drew a deep breath and started forward. Right ahead, Trevor had said. Look straight in front of her, move fast, and it would soon be over.
Christ, how she hated this darkness.
Is that how you felt, Cira?
Shit. Shit. Shit.” Trevor ground out the curse like a mantra as he ran through the tunnel, playing the powerful beam of the flashlight on either side of him. She'd been afraid. Of course she'd been afraid. She was only a kid.
Aldo didn't think of her as a kid. He thought of her as a demon. He thought of her as dead meat. Damn him. Damn him.
Why was he damning Aldo? Trevor was the one who'd let her walk down that tunnel alone.
It should be safe. He'd taken every precaution he could.
No, he could have taken another precaution. He could have found some way other than using Jane as bait. He could have forgotten Pietro and remembered that she deserved to live a—
Red.
He skidded to a stop.
The beam of his flashlight had picked up something red on the ground near a boulder up ahead. It was just a
