Page 41

Chapter Twenty-Five

Slash

A thousand miles and an ocean away in his Rome hotel, Slash closed his laptop, resting his elbows atop it and placing his forehead in his hands. She’d found the files. He had no doubt it was Lexi the second the alarm had been triggered. She’d been faster than he expected, and he should have known better than to underestimate her. As soon as he saw the hacker’s methods, his suspicions were confirmed. He’d hacked enough times with her to know her style. He also knew Xavier and Elvis were helping her. It was their back door, after all. It’s what he would have done—brought in the best to get the information. If only they knew this was the one time he didn’t want their help. He didn’t want any of them to know what those files held.

He’d known he’d never be able to hold all three of them off in a hotel without special equipment and top-notch wifi speed. But he had to try. Then, without warning, they’d suddenly backed off when they were within seconds of getting the files they wanted.

Why?

He wasn’t sure of the answer. But he had his suspicions. Did they know it was him on the other side?

A headache brewed behind his eyes. His shoulders ached, and he felt swamped with a sense of wasted time and useless futility. Why was he doing this? He’d placed his fiancée and his closest friends on the opposing side. How the hell had that happened? How had he let that happen?

What is it that gives meaning to your life? That’s your direction, Nicolo.

Father Armando’s words echoed in his head. He’d asked Slash that very question when he’d sought counsel from the father about a transfer after the incident in the Congo. Slash had truly believed the work he could do behind the computer would give his life meaning, but now he knew he’d been wrong. His work gave himpurpose, but it was Lexi who gave his lifemeaning.

He’d thought he could leave his past behind, take ahold of the life he’d always wanted. Lexi had offered him a new start, a chance at genuine happiness. He wanted to have that more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life.

Now they were worlds apart and it was his fault.

His past would always haunt them. He didn’t know how to fix that, wasn’t sure it was even possible. He picked up his phone, held it in his hand. After a moment, he tapped out a quick text, saying the only thing he could at this moment.

I love you,cara. I always will.

He stared at the text for a long time before sending it, then slipped his phone back into his pocket. As he was about to stand, he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and opened it. She’d already responded to his text.

I know you love me. Now you’re going to have to trust me.

He stared at the message for a long time, wondering what she meant and how he should respond. He waited for questions that never came—questions he wouldn’t know how to answer. But his phone remained silent. After a minute, he set the phone aside, poured himself some coffee, then sat down to resume the work on his laptop.

He had important things to do before he left for Genoa again.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Slash

Slash slipped the concierge a two-hundred dollar tip to have maid service first thing in the morning. He also tipped the maid well, ensuring she would do a good job. The cardinal’s team would be back, and he wanted to make sure they found only what he wanted them to find. As soon as the maid finished cleaning and left, he made some small adjustments, then took one look around the room and headed out. His visit at the Vatican, coupled with the hack on the Africa file, made it clear that time was ticking for him to get the answers he needed. And he fully intended to get them.

He ran several errands in Rome, so by the time he arrived in Genoa it was dusk. He parked two blocks away from the small brown apartment building next door to the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and entered the building along with a young woman who let him in after he smiled at her. She gave him a long once-over, which he politely acknowledged with a slight nod before he quickly climbed the two floors to Father Armando’s apartment.

He pushed the buzzer and waited patiently until the priest came to the door and looked through the peephole. The lock clicked and Father Armando swung open the door, looking concerned.

“Nicolo, you’ve returned so soon? Are you okay? What happened?”

“Emilio, can we talk?”

His use of the father’s familiar name, as well as the grim look on Slash’s face, surprised him. But it also alerted him that something was afoot, and Father Armando was an astute man.

“Of course. Forgive me. I’m surprised to see you. Come in.” He opened the door and Slash walked inside, waiting in the foyer until Father Armando had relocked the door.

“To what do I owe this visit?” he asked, ushering Slash into the small living room. A radio was on in the background. From the sound of it, the father had been listening to a program about detoxifying the Christian soul.

“I couldn’t pass up the chance to visit you again while I was in Italy. Please continue listening to your program. I’ll wait.”

The father looked confused, but Slash shook his head and held a finger to his lips as he removed a radio frequency detector from his bag. Slash liked this model because not only could it detect most wireless cameras and microphones, it could also detect wireless bugs, and he needed to make certain the apartment was completely clean before they started talking.

He started in the living room, stopping beneath a ceiling light fixture. Setting down the detector, he took a chair and placed it beneath the light. A couple of quick turns on the light fixture and he found what he was looking for.