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Julian prided himself on his efficiency and competency, but once again he was bringing the cardinal bad news. Swallowing his discomfort, he knocked on the cardinal’s door. Once he was ushered in, he shifted nervously on his feet in front of the cardinal’s desk, clutching the paper tightly in one hand.

“What is it now?” Cardinal Lazo asked.

“Your Eminence, the DNA results have arrived.”

“It’s about time. What does it conclude?”

“Well, that’s the thing.” He cleared his throat, bracing himself for the onslaught that was sure to come. “We’re not sure what it means.”

Cardinal Lazo set down his pen and rested his elbows on the desk. A frown crossed his face. “Explain yourself.”

“The results confirm that the DNA is one-hundred percent German shepherd.”

The cardinal stared at him as if he were out of his mind. In a way, he wished he were. That, at least, would make a lot more sense than the skewered results of the testing.

“What? Why is a dog the result of his DNA test?”

Julian swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. “I’m sorry, but that’s the DNA that was taken from the water bottle in the trash at his room in the hotel. I don’t know why or how it was in his room.”

The cardinal slammed his hand on his desk, causing Father Koenhein to jump. The cardinal was well known for his temper, but he’d never been physical before. Julian chalked it up to stress and a sincere concern for the Holy Father.

“He played us, that’s how.” Rage made the cardinal’s voice tremble. “I need a viable DNA sample. Where’s Slash now?”

“That’s the thing. We don’t know, sir. We lost him and his fiancée just outside of Genoa. But we have someone watching his relatives, in case he shows up there.”

“Where isthere?”

“Sperlonga. He has a couple of cousins and a grandmother he’s quite fond of who live there.”

“What about his parents?”

“His mother and stepfather live in London. Obviously we have the listening devices in Father Armando’s office, as well as in his home. If he shows up there, we’ll know. Most importantly, he hasn’t left Italy. Our contacts at the Foreign Office will let us know if we does.”

“Good. Find him. If he shows, I want you to get the word out that his DNA needs to be secured at whatever cost it takes.”

“Whatever cost?”

Father Lazo leaned forward, his eyes hard. “You heard me. Get me a DNA sample however you can. This is a matter of extreme importance to the church. Is that understood?”

Father Koenhein lowered his gaze. He would do whatever necessary to protect the church. It was his God-given reason for being on Earth. “Yes, Your Eminence. I understand.”

“Good. Don’t fail me this time.”

“I won’t, sir. You have my word on that.”

Lexi

I had a splitting headache. The lights seemed abnormally bright and it took me a minute to get my bearings. Classic symptoms of a concussion. I was lying on my back and could see a white ceiling. I blinked a couple of times and heard whispering nearby. Whatever they were saying, I didn’t understand it.

“Slash?” I croaked.

“Cara, you’re awake.” Slash’s face swam into view as he took my hand. I felt the softness of bandages. Were those on his hand or mine? “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. My head hurts a bit.” I didn’t want him to worry, but I was actually suffering from a Wookie-sized headache. I blinked several more times until things came into better focus. “Where am I?”

“A hospital in Salerno. You got knocked out by the blast.”

“The blast.” Memories flooded back. I struggled to sit up, but the effort triggered more pain in my head. “Ouch. Did anyone get hurt?”