Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers) (5 page)

A
FTER THEY DRESSED
and packed, they left. They stopped at the front desk and asked the clerk if he could tell them who was in Elevator Guy’s room. Jake expected to be told that the information was confidential, but the man punched a button and gave them a name—Thomas Little, from Chicago. Thomas had already checked out of the hotel. It was probably an alias, but Jake called and left the info on Nathan’s cell phone. His people could find out who Thomas really was.

“This hotel’s security sucks,” Jake told Kendall after they’d walked away.

“I’m surprised they gave you his name,” she said, glancing over her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Jake asked, but his neck was prickling too.

“I think we’re being watched.”

He scanned the area but didn’t see Thomas or anything out of the ordinary. There was a couple trying to console a crying kid, a tour group, and a woman sitting in a chair, her back to them, only her legs visible. Nice legs. No one seemed to be paying attention to Kendall and Jake, but no one genuinely spying on them would. They hurried outside, and when the valet pulled up, Jake handed him some euros and they left.

“You’re good at spending Nathan’s money,” Kendall said.

“He has so much he won’t miss it.” He drove around the streets in circles, taking quick turns in case they were being followed.

Kendall’s phone rang. She looked at the display and then shoved the phone in her bag.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Jake asked.

“No.”

Was she avoiding a man? “Boyfriend troubles?”

“Sort of.”

She had a boyfriend. He wasn’t surprised. But he was disappointed, even though it shouldn’t have mattered. “Is he pissed that you went to Italy without him?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, just an aunt who won’t rest until I’m married.”

Ah, so no boyfriend. “Any prospects?” Perhaps their filthy rich, handsome boss?

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You think I need a boyfriend?”

“No. I just figured...forget it.” Maybe the psychic thing turned men off. “I see you found your phone.”

“It was under the bed.”

“How’d it get there? Were you hiding from ghosts? You know if you get scared my bed’s always open.”

“Do you do this with all women?”

“Jealous, darlin’?”

“Hardly.” Kendall’s fingers played with the strap of her bag. “You don’t have any alcohol, do you?”

“You planning on getting drunk? We haven’t even had breakfast.” Was he that irritating or was the vision troubling her? He didn’t blame her for being bothered over what she saw. Who wanted to foretell someone’s death? Still, she would have to let it go and move on or they could be next.

“I had a bad experience at Vatican City when I was younger.”

“What happened?”

“Too much history, too many relics. It was overwhelming.”

“Does Nathan know?” Jake asked. He doubted Nathan would send Kendall somewhere that would upset her. He was too protective of her for that.

“No. I haven’t told anyone.”

“I can go alone,” Jake offered. “You can stay in the car.” Though he preferred to keep her in sight.

“No. I’m curious to see if it’s different now that I’m grown. But I’m nervous too. I can’t afford to mess up my senses now. There’s too much at stake.”

“If you start feeling bad, we’ll leave.”

“I fainted the last time,” she said, sounding embarrassed.

“If you faint, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out.” If it wasn’t for that threatening note, he’d stay in the car and let her meet Nathan’s contact. Jake hated crowds.

And it was crowded. Families and tourists swarmed the place like flies. After finding a place to park, he and Kendall started walking. “We’re early, but if someone’s looking for us, what better place to hide than in a crowd?”

“Have you been here before?” she asked, looking toward the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

Jake shook his head. “We have two hours to kill. Let’s grab something to eat then look around.” They stopped at a little restaurant nearby. Neither of them ate much, and after a few minutes they paid the bill and left.

She looked uneasy, but as they approached the obelisk and the colonnade, she seemed to relax. Jake wasn’t much for organized religion yet had to admit the place was impressive. And intimidating. He could imagine how it could affect a child with Kendall’s gift. If she had a gift at all. The jury was still out on that.

While waiting to meet their contact, they saw as many sights as they could without a tour guide. She didn’t appear overwhelmed this time. Her face glowed as she moved from place to
place. It was easy to see why Nathan had hired her, besides the fact that she was gorgeous and could supposedly find things no one else could. Jake could feel history reflected in her face.

He checked his watch. “It’s almost time.”

She didn’t hear him. She was staring at a statue of Saint Peter, her eyes intent on his face. What did she see that everyone else didn’t? Jake touched her arm to get her attention and a tingle ran through his hand. A voice whispered in his ear; a male speaking Hebrew. One of his team members—ex-team members—had spoken some Hebrew. Jake dropped her arm and took a step back. The voice disappeared. He blew out a breath. He was just getting caught up in her fervor. Or he’d overheard someone speaking Hebrew as they walked past.

He pulled her from the trance, and they made their way back to the obelisk, where they were supposed to meet Nathan’s contact. A lone man stood a few feet away, watching the crowd.

“I think that’s him,” Jake said.

As if on cue, the man rose and walked toward them. He was midthirties, with light brown hair and a few pounds overweight. He could easily pass as a local or a tourist.

“You are Kendall and Jake?” he asked.

Jake was relieved that the man addressed them in English. “Yes. Edward?”

“Edward Romano. There’s a little trattoria here if you’re hungry. Nothing fancy, but very good food.”

“We already ate,” Jake said. “We don’t have much time.” He wanted to get the info and get out of here. He was jittery from staying in one place too long. They found the least busy spot and listened as Edward told his story. One of his ancestors had helped build the castle where the secret order lived. According to family stories, the group was shrouded in mystery, a brotherhood of some sort, but no one was sure if they were monks or knights or Satanists. The few who had tried to investigate had disappeared. The locals believed the place was cursed.

Kendall looked intrigued. “So it’s a real castle?”

Edward nodded. “Or it used to be. I don’t know how much of it remains. It could have been destroyed.”

“You haven’t been there?”

“No.”

“What kind of stories did you hear about the order?” Kendall asked.

Edward looked over his shoulder at the bustling crowd. “Power and evil. The Protettori were feared.”

Kendall frowned. “That means protectors, I think.”

Edward nodded. “I don’t know if that is what they were really called or a name given to them by the villagers. The stories are still whispered today.”

“Did your ancestor leave any records that might help us find the box?” Jake asked.

“If he did, they’re lost now. He died a year after the castle was built. The stories go that everyone who had contact with the Protettori ended up dead. Everything I know was passed down by word of mouth.”

“Your English is excellent,” Kendall said.

“I studied at Cambridge. I wanted to see the world. To explore.”

“But you’re back here now.” Kendall watched Edward, her gaze steady.

“Italy is home. There’s something about the place, a pull. I hope you find what you’re looking for. I don’t know what the Protettori were about, but they were protecting something. I’m nosy enough to want to know what.”

Her gaze met Jake’s and he knew she was thinking the same thing he was. The box.

“You’ve never tried to find out yourself?” Kendall asked.

He looked alarmed. “No, the place is cursed.” His expression settled into an embarrassed grin. “I may be well educated, but I’m still as superstitious as my
nonna
. I’ll point you in the right
direction. If you find anything interesting, I would appreciate it if you would share the information.” He gave them a rough map that would get them to the area. “It’s well off the road. You will have to hike in. And be careful. The stories say the path leading there is enough to kill a man.”

“Hope you brought hiking boots,” Jake said as they left.

“You didn’t like him,” Kendall said softly after a moment. “Are you naturally wary of strangers or was it something about him in particular?”

“You digging around in my head?” He could already see the drawbacks of traveling with a psychic or whatever she was. He didn’t want anyone knowing his thoughts or his past.

“I could just tell that you didn’t like him.”

“Just wary, I guess.” He couldn’t tell her it was because Edward’s eyes were the same dark brown as the dirt in a lonely, forgotten grave. “You should be wary too, considering that note.”

Kendall didn’t hear him. She was staring over her shoulder at the colonnade.

“We can’t keep playing tourists,” Jake said. “We have to find that box.”

She stood rooted to the spot, staring at Saint Peter’s Cathedral. “Fake.” She said the word so quietly Jake almost didn’t hear.

“What’s fake?”

Kendall shook her head. “What?”

“You said something was fake.”

“I did?”

“You don’t remember?”

“No.”

“Does that happen a lot?”

She pressed a palm against her forehead and looked back at Saint Peter’s Square. “I think that’s the first time.”

“Don’t tell me it’s not really Saint Peter buried there.”

She didn’t answer. Now she was scanning the crowd, searching the faces. “Someone’s watching us.”

Jake hoped she was just a paranoid psychic, but he was getting that same prickle in his neck that he’d had at the hotel. He scanned the masses looking for Thomas or anyone out of place. There was no longer any question that someone else was after the box. The only thing that worried him was how far he’d go to get it.

“Come on. Let’s go.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her through the crowd. A few feet later, Kendall gasped.

“What now?” he growled.

“Someone touched me.”

“We’re in a crowd. Someone probably bumped you.” He’d been elbowed several times since they arrived.

“This was different.” She looked shaken.

He pulled her away from the spot, and when he glanced back, a man looked right at them before disappearing behind one of the columns. Thomas? Too far away to tell. If Kendall hadn’t been with him, he would’ve gone after the man, but he couldn’t do that with her in tow. “Come on. If someone’s there, we’ll lead them on a wild goose chase.”

They moved quickly, darting through groups of people, joining one party, and then slipping into another, gradually moving closer to where he’d left the Maserati. When he was sure no one was following, they hurried to the car. He put on a hat, had Kendall duck low in the seat as they left, and then drove for miles before stopping at a rental company to switch cars.

Following Edward’s directions, they headed north in the most nondescript BMW Jake could find. The drive took them through towns and scenery that the average tourist would have killed to see, but Jake and Kendall had other things on their minds besides ruins and history: the box, Thomas Little, and his warning note. If it was his. Jake looked at Kendall, who was holding her bag on her lap. Could she have written the note and pretended Thomas had done it? Jake couldn’t think of a good reason for her to lie. Either way, the situation made him uneasy. If she
had sensed the author of the note simply through touch then her sixth sense was real, and he wasn’t comfortable with someone who might take a peek into his past.

Kendall perked up as they approached a quaint town with cobblestone streets and tiny shops. “This town is charming.”

“Glad you approve. This is home for the next several hours. There’s an inn up ahead.”

“Did Fergus make reservations?”

“No. I called while you were packing. But Fergus gave me a list of places to stay.” The ever-resourceful Fergus. “How long has he been with Nathan?” Jake sometimes wondered if Nathan could take a piss without the man.

“For as long as I’ve known him.”

“How long’s that?”

“I started working for him a few months ago.”

About the same time Jake did. Watching Nathan and Kendall together, he had assumed they’d known each other longer.

“You sleeping with him?”

Now why the hell did he say that?

Her green eyes widened and then narrowed, the glare sharp as a cactus. “No, not that it’s any of your business.”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I was just making sure you were alert,” he lied, and then checked to see that she wasn’t touching anything that belonged to him, just in case her gift was legit. Her hand was resting on the seat. The car was rented in his name—his alias. Did that count? “How did you meet him?”

“I was working at the Smithsonian. Nathan had lent us a collection. When he came to pick the pieces up, one of them was missing.”

“Let me guess. You did your bloodhound thing and found it?”

“Yes.” She didn’t roll her eyes or glare at him. Maybe she was starting to relax. “It had gotten mixed in with another collection. He was impressed and offered me a job.”

Jake barked out a laugh. “I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that you look like a swimsuit model.” Better than a swimsuit model. They usually didn’t have enough to fill a bikini.

“It wasn’t like that. We just connected. I guess we have a lot in common. I wasn’t looking to change jobs, but his offer was too good to refuse. I needed the extra money for my aunt Edna. She was about to lose her antique shop.”

So there was a heart of gold hidden inside that sexy exterior. “Did Nathan know about your abilities then?”

“I don’t know how he could have. It’s not something I advertise.”

Smart. It wouldn’t be wise to draw attention to a gift like that. There were lots of unscrupulous people who would do anything to get their hands on someone with her ability. It was probably a good thing Nathan had hired her. He had the means to protect her. Just like he protected himself. He was harder to get to than Fort Knox. Digging up his history wasn’t any easier. He was the damned poster child for reclusive billionaires. “How much do you know about Nathan’s past?”