Shadowed by Grace (6 page)

Rachel tried to stay out of the way in the confined space as the priest brushed past her. The torch’s light wavered again, and he thrust it into her grasp. “Steady it.”

Scott groped in the darkness but shook his head. Rachel’s heart sank. Whatever had been hidden here was gone, or Father Guilliamo led them to the wrong place.

Scott and the father huddled in front of the place where the painting was supposed to hide, and Rachel reached for her camera. The lighting failed to reach far enough, but she had to try. She hesitated, then snapped the shot.

“Where could the altarpiece be?” The father’s soft words filtered to Rachel.

Scott shook his head. “I don’t know. Are you certain no one else knew it was here?”

“Yes.” The priest’s shoulders slumped, and he seemed to age before Rachel’s eyes. “I am at a loss.”

“Was anything else here?”

The father paused for a moment. “Our village held little of value, just the altarpiece. You must find it.”

“I can’t make any promises, Father.”

The man of the cloth pulled himself straight. “Then you may leave and I will search. Now back to the village.”

With sure steps the priest led the way from the cave. The sky darkened as they rode back to the village in silence, the jeep jerking and sputtering. Scott stopped on the square and turned to the father. “Thank you for trusting us with the altarpiece’s hiding place. I will do all I can to find it.”

The man studied him in the gloom. “I believe you. Grazie.” The man paused, almost invisible in his black cassock. The men clasped hands, the man’s trust causing Scott to stand taller, then the priest turned to Rachel.
“Signorina.”
He climbed out and disappeared into the parsonage behind the church.

Rachel slipped into the front seat, settling in as Scott popped the jeep into gear. The vehicle jerked then shimmied across the road and out of the village. After several minutes of silence, searching the area along the road for signs of anything, Rachel swallowed when she saw a flicker.

“Do you see that?”

“What?” Scott’s voice had a strangled edge.

“There was a flicker of light in that field.” Rachel’s gaze roved across the darkness. “We should have left earlier.”

Keep us safe, Lord!
The jeep felt like a tiny island in the midst of a hostile world. They’d been behind enemy lines since they left Naples, and that reality hadn’t changed while they explored the cave with the father. The jeep launched into a hole and then jarred to a stop.

“Come on, come on.” Scott muttered in low tones as he pushed against the gas. The wheels spun, but the vehicle remained trapped. “Can you drive?”

Rachel shook her head. “I’m from the city. Never learned.”

“You get to now. Unless you’d like to spend the night out here.”

As a distant drone of planes rumbled across the cloud-covered sky, Rachel shuddered. “I’ll try anything.”

He gave her a quick primer, but the levers and pedals blurred in her mind. Right for gas, left for brakes? But which one for shifting gears? “I can’t do this.”

“I’ve got to push.”

“Can’t we both do that?”

“Not if you want to keep the vehicle on the road.”

“Okay.” Rachel closed her eyes. She had to do this. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

“Whatever you do, don’t go in reverse.”

“Great.” She gritted her teeth. “You didn’t tell me how to find it anyway.”

Scott disappeared behind the vehicle. A deep breath. She could do this or they’d be stuck. Out here. She couldn’t spend the night on an isolated Italian road with a stranger. “Now.”

At the terse word Rachel shoved the stick forward and put her left foot on one lever and her right foot on the other. The engine ground and chugged as it tried to rock forward. “What should I do?”

Scott groaned.

“Are you okay?”

“As fine as I can be shoving this monstrosity out of a crater. Keep revving the gas.”

Right pedal. At least she hoped that was the correct one. She pushed it to the floor, and the vehicle squealed as it launched from the hole. “What do I do?”

“Push on the middle pedal.”

She shoved it down and the vehicle stopped, throwing her forward like a rag doll. Her chest slammed into the steering wheel, and she moaned. “I don’t want to drive.”

Scott hurried toward her. “You okay?”

Should she tell him it felt like the steering wheel was imbedded in her? There wasn’t anything he could do about it. “Umhmm.”

“Slide on over, and let’s get back to Naples.”

Rachel nodded and eased across the seat. Her neck felt like she’d spun around a ride at a fair too many times. If she kept her head steady and didn’t turn, maybe she’d be okay. Then she’d crawl in her bed and not move until her ribs quit aching and her head stopped throbbing.

Captain Justice didn’t look good. He hadn’t expected the vehicle to lurch from the pit with her foot pressed against the gas. She’d been game to learn something new, and now she shifted like an eighty-year-old woman who’d experienced a beating. What else could he have done? Asked her to push?

He didn’t like being this far from other soldiers. At this time of night, there was no guarantee their own guys would welcome them if they stumbled across a patrol. He hadn’t meant to spend so much time searching for the missing altarpiece. Now he didn’t know the safest course of action. Find a place to hide along the road and risk running into partisans or Germans? Or push back without headlights to Naples?

The road was littered with craters left from bombs and possible mines. If he wasn’t careful, they’d get stuck again or worse. On the open road they were the perfect target for some flyboy who couldn’t tell if they were friend or foe in the dark of night.

He edged the vehicle forward, trying to spot the deeper darkness of the craters. At this rate it would be daybreak before they returned to Naples. The front left tire sagged into a pit, then bounced ahead. Rachel gasped.

“How bad are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” The words were tight, as if pushed through a straw.

“Not buying it.”

“Too bad.” Rachel looked away and he waited. “There’s nothing you can do. Just get us back to Naples.”

“That’s the problem.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“We can’t return in the dark. The best option is to find a place to pull off and wait for dawn when we can see the road.”

“No.”

“This isn’t a debate.”

“I can’t spend the night out here with you.” She shrank away from him on the seat.

“Ma’am, I want to return you in one piece.” He inched the car forward as she gazed out, her body angled away from him. They inched along. Had the Germans seeded the road with mines as they retreated? He hadn’t seen any earlier, so it should be safe. Still, should he risk it when he had company?

Nothing the army had given him laid out a procedure for situations like this. By himself he’d find a place to hole up. Today he had a passenger. A beautiful one. One he needed to protect in body and reputation. He needed someplace she’d know she was safe.

He’d heard stories of reporters and soldiers becoming more than friends. That wasn’t his plan. She was his assignment for a few days. Nothing more. Elaine had made it clear when she broke their engagement the day he boarded the
Queen Mary
that military life and love didn’t mix. He had no reason to think Rachel, no Captain Justice, felt any different. And with the nature of war, chances were strong he’d never see her again.

It felt like the road inched beneath them as he scoured for danger. “Help me find a place to pull over.”

Rachel shifted but didn’t look at him. “What do you think I’m doing?”

Scott bit down to keep from snapping back. He could imagine what cycled through her mind. How could he make her feel safe instead of stuck between unknown armies and him? Returning to the village wasn’t safe now. It sat behind them, and the road to Naples lay in front, both lost in darkness.

Chapter 6

May 17

SHE COULDN’T ALTER THE
fact she’d spent the night with the handsome Lieutenant Lindstrom without anyone to verify nothing happened. Who would believe searching for an altarpiece in an isolated cave had made it impossible to return? It sounded weak even to her, and she’d participated in the search. It wasn’t like she could find a cab or another way home.

She couldn’t deny he made her feel safe, unlike some of the GIs who leered at her like they hadn’t seen an American woman in months. He evoked images of strength and honesty with the way he treated others, qualities that drew her. But did she trust Lieutenant Lindstrom?

She didn’t know.

That didn’t matter. She had to rely on her instincts and work with him. Especially if she wanted to make it back to Naples. “I haven’t seen anything that looks like a lane.”

Scott huffed out a breath. “Me either. Doesn’t make sense though. I remember seeing several on the drive.”

“Maybe we haven’t gotten close enough to Naples yet.”

“Possibly.”

Rachel searched her side of the vehicle. Somewhere she’d find safety. She refused to consider the alternative. After several interminable minutes she saw something to the right. “Lieutenant, stop!”

He eased the car to a stop. “What?”

“Can you see through there? I think it’s a path.”

Scott leaned forward and she eased back against the seat to give him more space. “I don’t know. Let me scout down it a bit.” He pulled the vehicle under a stand of trees, then turned to the back, slapped a helmet on his head, and grabbed a rifle of some sort. “Stay in the jeep. Grab a C ration to eat. There’s a can opener in my bag. Wouldn’t hurt to slap your helmet on too. If anything makes you nervous, head for that tree. Then I’ll know where to find you.”

“Sure.” Sprinting into the unknown darkness sounded like a perfect nighttime war activity.

He stepped from the jeep and melted into the darkness. Every so often, she caught a glint of moonlight off his helmet before he disappeared from view.

The darkness squeezed her, almost as real as a person. Her skin felt clammy as her mind groped for safety.

They’d seen an occasional cottage or farm off the road. But she’d heard rumors of the Italian men who lived in the woods, avoiding being pressed into service by the German army. Were any of them watching her?

Scott worked his way down the path. He tried to pick his steps for maximum stealth, but it was hard to avoid twigs when the sliver of moon kept hiding behind the clouds. He hated leaving Rachel behind but couldn’t see an alternative. The uncertainty by the road seemed safer than the unknown off the road on a narrow path leading deeper into darkness.

As he neared the end of the path and a clearing, he edged back into the trees. A cottage. No lights shone from it, but he needed to proceed with caution. Who knew what waited inside? A small structure to the left looked like it was used to shelter animals, though he didn’t see or smell any.

How best to proceed?

He didn’t want anyone in the dwelling shooting before he could explain his presence. Yet he hadn’t seen much to indicate whether anyone still called this place home.

Guess there was one thing to do.
God, keep me safe.
He aimed his gun high and then moved. He didn’t want to leave Rachel alone one moment more than necessary.

“Ciao?” Scott cleared his throat and tried again. “Hello? I’m a friend.”

Well, he could hope the words were true. Pray this wasn’t the home of a partisan who’d decided Mussolini and Hitler were the right men to lead Italy into the future.

The door eased open and a capped head appeared.
“Sì?”

Great. Now he knew someone was here, but what should he say next? His Italian still came out rusty, and he didn’t want to speak the wrong phrase. How to make the man understand he just needed a place to stay?

“We’re . . .” Not lost. He knew where they were. He just didn’t like where that was. “My friend and I need . . . rest.”

The man cracked the door farther.
“Americano?”

“Sì.”

“Come.”

After some Italian mixed with sign language and pointing, they arrived at an understanding. They could stay until daybreak and get off the main road. “Grazie.”