“Sorry. I have it right here.”
He reached down and grasped the pistol. In one smooth motion, he pulled it out and shot the guard twice in the face. As the guard fell backward, he shifted into gear and mashed the accelerator. The van lurched forward with a roar. Two guards stood in the road with guns raised, only to step back when they saw he wasn’t stopping.
Muzzles flashed as a wave of bullets ripped across the van’s front. Without taking his foot off the gas, he accelerated past the gate and into the street beyond, his tires squealing as he turned left.
Screaming tourists parted like the Red Sea as he careened down Via di Porta Angelica.
As the gate disappeared behind him, the man smiled.
It had all been so easy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“I need a weapon,” Zane insisted.
Stegmann hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of such a decision. Zane couldn’t blame him. Arming a third party within the walls of the Vatican could lead to some very unwanted consequences. If something happened, his job could be called into question. But Zane had no choice but to press his case. At this point, he was the only one who’d seen the man’s face, albeit from the side.
“You can take charge of the vault. There could be others hidden there. I’ll find the imposter. I’m the only one who knows what he looks like.”
The last point seemed to persuade Stegmann. He turned and flagged down a guard running past them. “Give me your pistol.” The man hesitated for a moment, confused, then surrendered his weapon. The commander handed it to Zane. Stegmann addressed the guard again. “Accompany him wherever he wants to go. Give him full access to our resources.” After getting a nod, Stegmann moved off toward the elevators.
Zane headed toward the exit.
“One moment.” Before departing, the guard quickly retrieved another weapon from a locker behind the security checkpoint. When he came back, Zane noticed he was holding a nasty-looking Steyr TMP, or Tactical Machine Pistol. Nice. The fully automatic weapon could fire a blistering nine hundred rounds per minute.
The two rushed toward the door. Emergency vehicles were lined along the curb. Zane heard deafening thumps and looked skyward. Two black choppers circled overhead like angry hornets, their spotlights sweeping across the buildings and open spaces.
Zane jogged down the sidewalk until he reached a place that gave him a better view of the parking lot.
“What are we looking for?” the guard asked.
“The perp is trying to leave by commercial vehicle.” Zane’s eyes surveyed the chaos that reigned across the plaza. “See if you see one moving.”
“There! Behind the trucks… going out.”
Zane shifted his gaze in time to see red taillights of a white van disappearing through the tunnel at the far end. That was likely the thief. Hopefully, the gate was already closed, but that was by no means a certainty. They had to be ready to pursue if he made it beyond the walls. At this point, Zane wasn’t even sure if the Swiss Guard were legally permitted to do that.
He turned to the guard. “Do you have a car?”
He shook his head. “Not here.” He looked around then pointed further down the sidewalk. “But we do have those.”
Zane followed his point. Three motor scooters stood at a rack about twenty yards away. It wasn’t ideal — most had a maximum speed of about thirty miles per hour — but it would have to do.
“Are they ready to go?”
“Yes, the keys are always kept in the ignition, but you can’t—”
Zane was already moving. “Radio the gate, and make sure it’s closed.” He paused briefly and looked back. “And tell them who I am!”
As the guard lifted his radio, Zane sprinted to the closest bike and hopped on. A key dangled from the ignition, so he pressed the Start button. Thankfully, the engine purred to life without any trouble. He squeezed the throttle and headed straight for the tunnel.
If the imposter had already made it past the gate, there was little chance he’d be able to catch him. Hopefully, the guards had done their work and sealed things off. If so, the man wouldn’t be able to leave unless he abandoned the vehicle and hid somewhere among the buildings. He might even try to scale a wall.
After passing two fire trucks in the tunnel, Zane emerged on the other side. St. Anne’s Gate was directly ahead. His heart sank as he took in the view. Mayhem reigned. Several guards surrounded what appeared to be a dead body lying on the pavement. Others had spread out into the street beyond, waving their rifles to and fro.
There was no van.
Zane accelerated up to the gate. The other guard should have radioed ahead by now. Any extended conversation might ruin their chances, so he hoped they would simply wave him through.
Just when he thought he was going to pass unhindered, one of the guards saw him and raised a submachine gun. “Stop!”
Zane cursed and brought the scooter to a halt. The guards were now trigger-happy and wouldn’t hesitate to mow him down. “Call the team at the Secret Archives. I’m a guest of Commander—”
“Get off! Now!”
Zane groaned in frustration but did as he was told. As he slid off the bike, a man in a gray suit was already rushing over. He laid a hand on the guard’s shoulder and said something in his ear. Immediately, the guard lowered his weapon and signaled Zane was free to pass.
“Which way did he go?” Zane slid back on the scooter.
The guard pointed. “After passing through the gate, he turned left on Via di Porta Angelica.”
“Were you able to get the name of the company printed on the van?”
The man in the suit gave him the name.
Zane nodded, thanked them, and squeezed the throttle. He turned north on Via di Porta Angelica, retracing the route he’d come in on. As he passed each street turning off to the right, he slowed and looked for signs of the van. Seeing nothing, he continued to the end, where he was forced to turn right. If the van wasn’t there, it meant the thief had gotten away.
A long line of cars was stopped ahead. As Zane eased up to the back of the line, his pulse quickened. A white van was stopped about ten cars ahead. He squinted and was finally able to read the name printed on the back door. That’s it.
As the wait continued, Zane mulled over his options. Should he run the scooter up onto the sidewalk and launch an assault? Or should he stay back and follow at a distance? Both scenarios had problems. If the thief were heavily armed, which was certainly possible, an attack would be little more than a suicide mission. Not only that, but a gunfight in the street would likely end with collateral damage. The sidewalks swarmed with people at this hour.
If Zane followed at a distance, he would likely lose sight once the van was able to accelerate to higher speeds. The scooter had no chance of keeping up once the traffic thinned. Despite the challenges of following, it was his only option. He couldn’t endanger the lives of innocent bystanders. There was likely a BOLO out on the van already, so at least he’d soon have the help of the Rome police.
The traffic began moving. Careful to keep a low profile, Zane followed his quarry along the streets running north and east of the Vatican. Thankfully, the van kept a moderate pace. That was a bit surprising and was probably an indication the driver didn’t want to draw attention to himself.
Ten minutes later, the van crossed the Pietro Nenni Bridge. On the other side, it turned north along the east side of the Tiber then slowed. Zane’s heart thumped faster. Was the driver looking for a turn or a parked vehicle to switch to? The answer came a moment later when it turned left onto a ramp that ran down to the river. Zane continued on without turning behind him. If he’d followed down the ramp, the driver would’ve realized he had a tail.