In light of the new information, an emergency meeting was called with attendees from the United States, Israel, Croatia, and the Swiss Guard. After reviewing all available information, the assembled group determined Peter Rust was indeed Roger Lawson.
Unfortunately, Rust’s boat had disappeared by the time a Croatian surveillance team was put in place. Zane believed the news wasn’t all bad. It meant Lawson now felt safe to travel. But where would he go? Zane asked Brett Foster to locate all properties owned by the enigmatic Peter Rust. Within hours, Brett had assembled a map showing real estate holdings across the globe. One in particular grabbed Zane’s eye — an upscale villa on a mountain overlooking Palermo, Sicily.
The rest, as they say, was history.
“Are you going to be a part of the exploratory team being assembled for Hermon?” Amanda asked. “If there is room, I’d love to be a part of it.”
Stegmann and Father Fiori exchanged a glance. Father Fiori answered, “I’d like to be a part of it myself. Unfortunately, no one will be going back in, at least not for the time being.”
Zane’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“The Israelis claim the upper tunnel system has collapsed,” Stegmann said. “They say it would take years to safely cut through. They believe the explosives Lawson set off weakened the entire network of caves, leading to a widespread collapse.”
“Meaning we could’ve all been killed had we not gotten out when we did,” Zane noted.
“They won’t rule out trying to reach the city at some point in the future,” Father Fiori said. “They’ve assembled a panel of their country’s finest geologists in order to study how they might gain entry, but nothing will happen anytime soon.”
“If they do make it in, we might never know,” Amanda said.
Zane frowned. “Why is that?”
“Think about it. There is an entire city down there, and we know very little about it. They will probably want to understand what they’re dealing with before they announce it to the world. Remember, the legend says it’s the entrance to Hades. Talk about creating controversy.”
Father Fiori lifted an eyebrow. “Do you believe the caves lead to the underworld?”
Amanda considered her answer. “I don’t think any of us can say for sure. I will say this… I have no doubt those are the deepest caves on earth. None of the others around the globe even come close. Regardless of how you define the underworld, that’s what we found.”
As Father Fiori continued to question Amanda about their experience, Zane slipped away to find a restroom. He’d had two beers at the hotel bar while waiting for the ladies and needed to seek relief. He finally ran down one of the servers, who pointed him toward an alcove across the room.
After finishing in the restroom, Zane returned to the banquet hall and plucked another flute of champagne from a nearby tray. He took a sip and glanced back toward the entrance. Carmen had a cell phone pressed to her ear, her face etched with concern. It was strange she would even take a call here. Should he go back? His gut told him not to. Carmen often got that look on her face when talking to Ross. The last thing he wanted to do was get knee-deep in a Delphi problem right now. He’d let her deal with it.
Zane looked around for an excuse to stay on this side of the room. A talkative priest. A lonely nun. At this point, anything would do. As he surveyed the area, his eyes came to rest on a set of French doors opening onto a balcony. Perfect. After all the traveling, he could use a breath of fresh air.
A cool breeze caressed his face as he stepped outside. He crossed to the rail and looked down. A river of taillights stretched into the distance. Rush hour was still going strong. He shifted his gaze across the rooftops on the other side of the street. St. Peter’s Basilica glowed brightly beneath a full moon.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Zane jumped at the sound of the voice.
“Didn’t mean to scare you.” Emily joined him at the rail.
“You’re fine. Just don’t tell anyone I got startled. It’s not the kind of thing a senior operative wants to get out.”
“What happens in Rome stays in Rome.” Emily laughed then slid toward him a bit, her shoulder brushing up against his arm.
The two stood in silence, staring at the moon. Zane wondered if the contact had been purposeful. He’d sensed some attraction on her part but had brushed it off as a temporary manifestation, something that often happened when two people worked together in the field. Perhaps the brush had been a coincidence. Then again, perhaps it was an attempt to gauge his interest. If the latter, he didn’t want to go there, at least not now. He needed to get over Katiya before diving into anything resembling a relationship. Even casual dating was off for now. Perhaps at some point, he’d reflect on a potential relationship with Emily. But not now and certainly not after two beers and a flute of champagne.
“So how is your dad?”
“Dad is great. He loves being around Amanda. I think those two could talk archaeology for hours.” There was a long pause. “He poured his heart out to me the other night. He said he was happy to be alive…” Her eyes moistened, and her voice cracked. “Because it meant he was able to see me again. He really believed they would kill me once this was all over, and he couldn’t bear the thought of that happening.” She looked at Zane. “Dad has never told me anything like that before. He’s always been a man’s man when it comes to things like that.”
“There is something special about the love between a father and daughter.”
Emily laughed and wiped her eyes. “We’re so funny. Neither one of us wants to let the other out of sight. In fact, we’re going to take a trip across Europe together beginning in two days.”
“That’s wonderful.”
She looked at him. “Do you want to come with us?”
Zane averted his gaze. “I wish. Unfortunately, our fearless leader already has another operation on the docket. We’ll be here for two more days, then it’s back to the States.”
They stood in silence for a full minute. Finally, Emily crossed her arms. “It’s a bit cooler out here than I thought.”
“Oh, here…” Zane set his flute on the rail, removed his jacket, and draped it over her shoulders. “I didn’t realize you were cold.”
“Thank you.”
After Zane retrieved his champagne, he felt Emily’s eyes on him. He met her gaze. She held it for a moment then moved in his direction. Caught off guard, he averted his eyes to the rooftops across the street.
An awkward silence ensued. Emily finally turned and looked out over the city. “So what’s her name?”
Zane frowned and turned his head slightly. “Who?”
“The other woman.”
Zane was about to ask who she was referring to but realized that would just delay the inevitable. He knew what she meant. Emily obviously didn’t know her name but was able to sense her existence.
“Is it that obvious? How did you know?”
“Because I’m a female.” She glanced at him. “We always know when there is someone else.”
Zane nodded slowly. Most did have that ability. In this instance, he saw it as a blessing. It was better she knew. “We’re not seeing each other anymore, but it’s—”
“I understand. I’ve been there before. If you ever need someone to talk to, let me know.” She patted his arm. “Thanks for the chat, but I’d better go check on Dad.”
He felt a pang of guilt at running her off. “I’m sure he’s fine. Why don’t you stay out here and chat for a bit?”
“I might come back out later. I really do want to check on him. I need to make sure he’s not talking Amanda’s ear off.”