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He stared at Slash, thinking, then shook his head. “Ah, I’m afraid I’m long retired from such intrigue. I drink coffee and brandy during the day and spend my nights with whomever is willing to stay with me.”

Slash didn’t believe that for a minute. Pacini’s eyes remained sharp, assessing. As much as Pacini might have wanted to deny it, Slash saw the interest their conversation had sparked. He also knew the man had many deep and important connections at the Vatican. In many ways, Pacini was still a very dangerous man. As head of thesodalitium pianumfor so many years, he held a lot of important secrets.

Slash leaned forward. “Who else knew about the operation? As far as I know, there were only a few of us in the know.”

Pacini looked at the fountain, thinking. “It was the tightest held secret of the organization. Only you, me, Carmelo and Manna were officially in the know regarding the details. Carmelo passed away two years ago from liver cancer, and Manna is rarely sober these days. I assure you, even if he was, he wouldn’t remember you. About a year after the Congo, he overdosed. He survived, but it addled him. These days he seeks solace in the bottle. That leaves you and me.”

Manna was a good man, and Carmelo had been, too. The operation had hurt all of them. “No one else knew about the mission?”

Pacini shook his head. “No one.”

He ran a hand through his hair, considering. Father Armando and the pope both knew, as a result of his confessions, but Father Armando hadn’t been a cardinal yet, and the current pope hadn’t yet been elected pope. Besides, he trusted both of them to respect the vows of his confession even among other priests. It was possible Manna and Carmelo had also confessed, which brought in any number of priests who could know and might not be as circumspect as the pope and Father Armando. Still, there had to be a deeper connection somewhere.

“Perhaps someone is just fishing,” he mused aloud. “If so, they won’t get anything from me.”

But Pacini was no longer listening. He stared out at the piazza as if frozen deep in thought, then snapped his fingers. “Wait. When we disbanded thesodalitium, I borrowed a couple of Vatican clerks to help me close down things. It’d be unlikely they saw or understood anything of value, but it’s possible.”

He wanted to believe him, but he didn’t. Swallowing the frustration, he kept his voice even. “What about my file? Could they have seen that?”

Pacini’s eyes shifted slightly, just enough to raise doubt. “I doubt it.”

“But it’s possible.”

Pacini reluctantly nodded. “All things are possible, but I sincerely don’t think so. Besides, priests are sworn to secrecy. What would be the point? Revealing information on the Congo operation would only hurt the church.”

“Maybe someone doesn’t want to hurt the church.”

Pacini paused, gave him a long, hard stare. “Are you saying you’re the target?”

“Blackmail.” That made the most sense. “But I’m not sure to what end. Any chance you remember the names of those clerks?”

“Not off the top of my head.” He drained the last of his wine. “But I’ll get them to you.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Pacini stood, resting both hands on the back of his chair. “In the meantime, be careful, Viper. I share your sense of concern. I suspect there are layers of complex motivations at work, and those behind this will not be eager to see you picking at them. They clearly know more about you at this moment than you know about them, so be careful who you trust. People who say they’ve got your back may be simply positioning themselves for an easy stabbing.”

“I’m ready.” He could handle whatever they threw at him, as long as it stayed directed at him. “I can play this game, too. But I’m not going away without answers.”

Pacini dipped his head in acknowledgment. “I figured as much. Good luck and I’ll send you what I find.”

Chapter Sixteen

Lexi

I’d just walked in the door at home when my cell rang. I recognized the tone, so I dropped the keys trying to get the phone out of my purse. When I bent down to get the keys, my briefcase dropped on my foot, causing me to hop around on one leg, cursing while finally retrieving my cell.

“Slash?” I slammed the front door shut and tapped in the code on the alarm.

“Cara. Is everything okay?”

It was so good to hear his voice, I momentarily forgot why I had called him in the first place. So, I stood there dumbly in the foyer of our house, the purse hanging drunkenly off my arm, my brain freezing. “Uh, I...”

“Cara?”

“Slash, hi. I’m fine.” I closed my eyes. “No, actually, I’mnotfine. I miss you. A lot.”

He let out a breath. “I miss you, too. More than you know.”