The Grecian Manifesto (6 page)

Chapter 10

Rome, Italy

Thanos squinted against the rising sun as the car wound
its way out of the airport and toward the city.

He’d made a move, going with a gut instinct that told him
Sean Wyatt would try to retrace Villa’s steps. Based on the information from
the phone conversation Wyatt had had with his friend Thomas Schultz of IAA, it
was a solid gamble. Dimitris Gikas’s private jet had flown through the night to
reach the ancient city on seven hills as fast as possible. Thanos wasn’t sure
where the United States president fit into the scenario, but it didn’t matter
at this point. If Wyatt went back to Villa’s hotel, Thanos and his men would
have him cornered with little chance of escape. It was a good plan, unless
Wyatt knew the IAA phones were tapped, and wasn’t headed to Rome at all.

No. Wyatt would try to save the girl. There was no
question in his mind. The only place to start would be in Rome, where she’d
been staying during her research.

Thanos had texted his boss before the plane took off,
letting him know the plan. Gikas had simply responded with one line.
Alive if possible.

He hated it when his employer limited his options. It was
much easier to transport a corpse than a living, breathing person. The living
caused problems, tried to get away, or simply wouldn’t shut up as they begged
to be released. The dead couldn’t offer any information, which was why Gikas
wanted Wyatt alive, but the dead were much more convenient. Thanos knew that
his boss needed Wyatt alive, though, and he would do his best to accommodate
his employer’s request.

The black sedan weaved through the increasing traffic,
heading farther into the madness that was Rome’s city streets. It wasn’t one of
Thanos’s favorite places to visit. He didn’t care much for history, and the
millions of tourists annoyed him to his core. There were times when he wished
he could just strangle some of them. Something about visiting vacationers got
on his last nerve.

At least Rome had good coffee, he thought. It was one of
the few saving graces the old city offered.
 
They merged into another lane, now surrounded by scooters,
motorcycles, and small cars. Thanos couldn’t handle driving in the mess. He
preferred that task be delegated to one of his men, leaving him to worry about
more important matters.

Twenty minutes later, they had arrived at the hotel where
some of Gikas’s other men had set up shop to watch Adriana Villa’s room just a
few days before. They’d tracked her movements, waiting patiently for the
perfect time to break into her room and lie in wait.

The men had reported finding nothing of interest in the
room, information that had disturbed Thanos. There should have been something
there regarding Villa’s work in her quest for the antikythera. He’d made sure
the men had double-checked, and they assured him that they had given the room a
thorough look.

There was nothing he could do about that now. Thanos had
become good at letting go of things that couldn’t be helped. All he could do
was focus on what to do in the future. For now, he and his men needed to get
set up and put twenty-four hour surveillance on the hotel where Villa had been
staying. If his instincts were right, Wyatt would come looking for the last
place his girlfriend was known to be. If he was wrong, they’d lost nothing but
a little time. As long as Wyatt was with the president, there was nothing that
could be done anyway.

A valet in a burgundy-and-tan uniform opened the car door
for Thanos, and then another swung open the entrance to the hotel in
anticipation. Thanos stepped out into the musty city air, thick with the smells
of car exhaust, Italian cooking, and the mild stench that always seemed to
accompany historic cities. He strode gauntly through the entryway and into the
hotel. One of his men from the earlier assignment was waiting inside. He wore a
tight, gray v-neck sweater with a white shirt and black tie. A shiny belt
buckle stood out from the top of his black jeans. Even though he was inside,
the man had on sunglasses.

“We haven’t seen anything today,” he said, handing over a
key to one of the hotel rooms they’d booked earlier.

At this time of year, getting accommodations could be
tricky, that is unless you worked for Dimitris Gikas. It hadn’t been
coincidence that a few cancellations popped up at the opportune time.

The men entered one of the elevators just before its
bronze doors closed. A minute later, they were on the sixth floor in one of the
suites. Thanos had been specific about getting a room that was high enough to
see over the fountains in the square between their hotel and the one Villa was
using, but not so high that they couldn’t get a good view. The sixth floor had
been perfect. Thanos and his assistant walked through the room, past the gilded
lamps, a neatly made bed with a deep-red comforter, and an oak dresser, and
stopped at the doors to the balcony. A small telescope had been set up, making
it easy to keep an eye on their target on the other side of the park.

It wasn’t completely necessary, the opposite hotel only
being a few hundred yards away, but the telescope provided a more detailed
perspective in case it was needed.

Thanos examined the space for a moment, twisting around
and scanning the room. He cast another glance across the park and gave a quick
nod. “Well done. Have a man on this window every hour of the day. Make sure
they turn their phones off. We can’t risk them missing our quarry because they
wanted to check the football scores.”

“We’ll take care of it, sir. We have also arranged the
room next door for you. You’ll be the first to know if we see anything
suspicious.” The man stood erect as he finished giving the report.

Thanos appreciated having reliable helpers. They were
difficult to find in this day and age. It was one of the reasons he knew that
Gikas appreciated his services. In turn, Thanos appreciated the young Italian’s
attention to detail. “Excellent work. Take the first shift and rotate out every
hour with the other three. That way none of you will get so bored that you
start looking at the birds flying around or the buttocks of a ripe young woman
on the sidewalk.”

The Italian gave a single nod and stepped over to the
window. He picked up a pair of binoculars that rested on top of a round wooden
table and began staring through them at the opposite hotel. Thanos left the
room and went next door to his own room. When he entered, he found it similarly
decorated, and with a pair of binoculars provided just like in the other room. He
was pleased at how thorough his assistant was.

He closed the door and removed his jacket, hanging it on
the back of the chair at a little desk. Thanos stopped at the door to the
balcony for a few seconds, and then opened it wide, letting in the smells and
sounds of the busy city surrounding him. Tourists and citizens mingled in the
slow dance around the shops, cafes, and fountains of the piazza. Mist from the
elaborate fountain spewed into the air, evaporating quickly before it reached
the windows of the surrounding buildings. Children played in the water, some
held by a parent’s guiding hand, others not. Hundreds of other people sat in
chairs at small bistro tables sipping wine, beer, and even a few coffees.
Thanos stared at Villa’s hotel across the way and took in a long, slow breath.

“Your move, Mr. Wyatt.”

Chapter 11

Rome, Italy

Getting into the city of Rome is an exercise in patience
at any time of the day. On this particular morning, it seemed inordinately
perilous. Vehicles swerved in and out of tiny openings, whipping around the
ones in front of them and repeating the stunt all over again.

The driver of the car Sean and his companions were in
seemed perfectly at home with the chaos, which was no surprise since he had
been serving the American embassy in Rome for the last year. He was a man in
his early fifties named Carl. The remaining ring of shortly cut hair on his
head was mostly gray with smatterings of black, a reminder of the way it used
to look in the man’s younger days.

Carl didn’t say much, other than asking where the group
was headed and how fast they needed to get there. “As quickly as possible,” had
been Sean’s response, which resulted in a tad more reckless driving than he was
comfortable with.

After more near misses than Sean could count, and about
forty minutes later, the car arrived at the gray, palatial building where
Adriana had been staying. The structure was only fifteen to twenty stories
tall, but it occupied a huge footprint on the city’s landscape.

Sean and the others exited the white SUV and grabbed their
luggage out of the back. Yarbrough led the way to the front door with the
others in line behind. Tommy looked around at the scenery, admiring the
architecture and grandiosity of it all.

“I do love coming to Rome,” he said with a smile as big as
a billboard. “So much rich history and culture here.”

“Yeah,” Sean agreed hesitantly. His eyes panned through
the scene, searching for something he wasn’t sure was there or not. “And so
many dangers lurking in the shadows.”

Through the mist of the fountains, he thought he noticed
something in one of the buildings on the other side of the street, something
out of place in one of the windows. Was it a silhouette? Sean wanted to believe
he was just being paranoid. Paranoia had saved him on more than one occasion,
though. A bread truck pulled up next to the curb and cut off his line of sight.
He shrugged it off, but stepped back over to the SUV before Carl could pull
back into traffic. Sean spoke to the driver for a minute before the man nodded
and drove away.

When he joined Tommy at the hotel entrance, Sean attempted
to wipe away the concerned look on his face before his friend said anything.
“Everything all right?” Tommy asked, beating him to the act.

“Yeah,” Sean lied. “Why wouldn’t it be?” he cast his
friend a mischievous glance.

The metal-and-glass doors opened into a vast atrium,
featuring a bronze water fountain in the center that portrayed two mermaids.
Red and gold tapestries dangled from the second floor on either side of several
marble columns that decorated the room. The matching floor tiles covered the
entire span of the area. Tourists were filing out the door, ready to begin
their day of discovery in the ancient city.

Yarbrough was already inside, talking to a man who appeared
to be one of the local authorities. The meeting had been arranged before they
had landed at the airport, an easy trick when you worked for the president of
the United States. The olive-skinned man was much shorter than Yarbrough, and
the Italian’s pointed nose seemed much more elongated as he stared up at the
secret agent. He nodded several times and then ushered Yarbrough over to the
concierge desk.

After a short conversation with the brunette woman behind
the counter, Agent Yarbrough was handed a plastic key card, which he accepted
with a smile and nod. A moment later, the two men joined Sean and Tommy in the
middle of the lobby.

He held out the key for Sean. “The room number is on the
back of this. The concierge said the room was paid for through to the middle of
next week. Whatever your friend was looking for, she was prepared to spend a
great deal of time finding it.”

Sean looked down at the room number and felt a twinge of
nausea in his abdomen. He wished he’d gone with her to Italy. She’d invited him
to go, but he insisted he wanted to get things set up with his new life in the
Florida Panhandle. He knew that standing there letting regret wash over him
wouldn’t save her. What would save Adriana was trying to find a clue, anything
that could lead them to what she was researching.

Yarbrough looked over at the Italian man with the pointed
nose. “Thank you for your cooperation. The president appreciates your help.”

The short man held up both hands and shook his head. “I
assure you, it is no trouble at all, signore. Your president has been very
helpful to our government during this difficult time in the economy. It is the
least I can do.”

He was right. President Dawkins had pushed hard for
reinvestment into new Italian companies and businesses. He pooled his network
of powerful allies together and managed to raise over five billion dollars in
venture funding. Having a strong belief in entrepreneurship helped Dawkins
start business incubators all over the United States, a move that resulted in a
huge jump in the gross domestic product, not to mention the lowest jobless rate
in history. Thanks to John Dawkins, the Italian economy was beginning to
experience a smaller, but similar growth.

Sean was grateful for the help as well. “Thank you, signore,”
Sean said to the man, who nodded with an appreciative smile.

The three headed to the nearest set of elevators and
slipped in to an empty one before the doors closed. Tommy noticed the Italian
had stayed behind in the lobby. “He not coming with us?” Tommy asked.

Yarbrough hit the button for Adriana’s floor. “In these
kinds of situations, we find that discretion is the best course to take. The
less our friend knows the better.” Tommy gave an understanding nod.

A few moments and a short ride later, the doors opened and
they stepped out into the long, narrow hallway. Sean glanced at the room
numbers to the left and noted that they were descending in that direction. “Her
room should be that way,” he stated.

He started to the left, walking hurriedly down the corridor,
passing the golden wall sconces and various paintings of Tuscan scenery. The
art had a prefabricated feel to it, as if the artists had just created it en
masse for a paycheck. Sean stopped at a door on the right and paused for a
second. The
Do not disturb
sign hung
from the doorknob.

He frowned and looked over his shoulder at Yarbrough. “Has
no one even been in here to check out the room?”

The agent pointed at the sign on the door. “If the men who
took her put that on the handle, it’s unlikely that any of the hotel staff
meddled with anything, especially since the room is paid for through to next
week. They’d technically be obliged to obey the request.”

“Good.” Sean inserted the key card and turned the latch.

He pushed the door open cautiously, an old habit he fell
back on when going into an unfamiliar space. He peeked into the first corner on
the right, then back to the left toward the window. The place was empty: empty,
and completely trashed.

Whoever had gone through there was definitely looking for
something. Sean stepped forward, remaining cautious and moving slowly. He
reached over to the inner wall and flipped on a light switch to get a better
view of the mess. Two dresser drawers lay on the floor, the bottom one hung
halfway out of the cherry furniture piece. Adriana’s clothes were scattered
around the room as if desperate hands had aimlessly tossed the articles. Bed
sheets and pillowcases had been strewn about as well, some thrown onto the
floor. A small closet next to the bathroom was open, displaying a few of
Adriana’s shirts, one yellow sundress, and a pair of her shoes.

“What were they looking for?” Tommy said in a reverent
tone. He peered around the room at the chaotic scene.

Sean shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure, but whatever
they wanted, they wanted it fast. It looks like a tornado went through here.”
He fought back the lump in his throat. There was still a faint scent of
Adriana’s perfume lingering in the air. To him, the room smelled just like her.
He winced at the thought.

Agent Yarbrough walked over to the window. The drapes had
been pulled together, blocking out most of the natural light from the morning
sun. He started to pull one of them back, but stopped when he saw Sean staring
at something behind the door. One of Adriana’s jackets lay in a heap on the
floor near the doorstop. Sean reached down and picked it up, letting the scent
of it fill his nostrils for a few seconds. He let out a deep sigh, and then
frowned. A solitary key attached to a green rubber key ring was sitting on the
thin carpet under a leather chair. If he’d not picked up the jacket, Sean
wouldn’t have noticed the little object.

Sean cocked his head to the side and knelt down to get a
closer look.

“What is it?” Yarbrough asked, taking his hand away from
the window shade.

“It’s a key,” Sean said, picking it up. He eyed it
curiously and turned it over to see the writing on the other side of the green
piece.
Stazione Termini, 57
was
stamped on the back. “It’s a locker key from the train station.”

Tommy took a step closer and examined the object. “You
think she dropped it?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Sean shrugged. He stared at the key. “But I don’t
think it was an accident.”

Yarbrough still stood near the window. “Why would she
leave a locker key?”

Sean knew the answer. Adriana believed he would come for
her, and she also believed that Sean would know what to do. At least, that’s
what he hoped. If Adriana had left him a breadcrumb to follow that meant there
was something she wanted him to have, something important. What it was he
didn’t know, but he knew he needed to find it.

“We need to get to the train station and see what’s in
that locker,” Sean said as he stuffed the key into his khaki pants pocket.

“How do you know there isn’t anything else to find here?”
Yarbrough said, turning back to the window and reaching for the drapes.

“Because,” Sean began, “they searched the room before she
came back.”

“How do you know that?” Yarbrough asked, flinging open the
curtains as he spoke.

Sunlight poured into the room, brightening it
significantly. “Because this key would not have been on the floor here under
her jacket.” He visualized what happened as if he’d witnessed it himself.
“There was a struggle. She slipped out of the jacket and dropped the key with
it onto the floor so that the men who took her wouldn’t see it. She knew I
could come to find her.”

“That’s a big assumption,” the agent said dubiously.

“It’s all we got.”

Tommy butted in. “I’m with Sean. They would have already
checked everything. If that key was lying on the floor, they would have easily
seen it.”

Yarbrough put his hands on his hips and stared out at the
square, stretching slightly. Something clicked from that side of the room, and
the window suddenly cracked like a dozen spider webs. Agent Yarbrough instantly
clutched his left shoulder and dropped to the ground. “Get down,” he shouted in
agony.

The sickening realization hit Sean almost instantly.
Someone was shooting at them from the outside.