Edge of Tomorrow (40 page)

“One, my personal life is not their
concern—officially. Since they are my friends—and yours, too,
actually—there will be some raised eyebrows, grins, thumbs up.
Bruno will be jealous—he has his eye on you. Sara will be
pleased—she’s been pushing us together since day one,” he said.

“I’ve been wondering for sometime: did you
and Sara ever … ah, have a fling?”

“Why do you ask?” he replied warily.

“Well, Sara is an absolute doll, sexy—and
loves you, you know—and I know your company rules, and all, but
…”

“How could I not take her to bed?”

“Yes. It’s not important that you answer. You
two have such a close relationship; I was just wondering.”

“No, we’ve never had sex—not that I haven’t
thought about it from time to time over the years. She has a
boyfriend now—sort of—but she likes to play the field a lot. He’s a
retired Marine colonel whom she sees when she can—she travels a
lot, too, you know. Spends a lot of time in Arizona on training
issues and planning. We have just had an understanding from the
beginning and neither of us has broken it. Sara is very dear to me,
as you well know, but even though she flaunts her sexuality to the
extreme sometimes, we will never be lovers,” he related.

“Sara is special to me, too. I really like
her, although our first meeting was a little unsettling. Who else
are you taking to Rome?” Syd asked.

Hatch thought for a moment, then replied, “I
was going to ask Sara to come along. Mrs. C. told me this morning
that Sara is driving everyone crazy about being pampered, and Mrs.
C. demands that I do something about it. So it’s either take her,
or send her to stay with her colonel. What do you think?”

“I assume you have people in Rome to look
after her?”

“The best! And it’s very private at the
castle. She could sunbathe in the nude without Eddie peeping,” he
laughed.

“Then leave it up to her. Let her decide.
What about Shirley?”

“She’s going to Arizona with Smitty on
Wednesday. He’s taking Shadow-5 down there for weapons testing,” he
replied.

“I like Shirley, too. She’s a great kid!”
said Syd.

“Yes, she is. I have a lot of great
employees. Why don’t you make your call, then jot down some notes
for Mrs. C. so she can do your house hunting for you while we’re
gone. Then pack light—I’ll buy you some things in Rome, the latest
fashions!”

“Hatch! You’re terrible! I told you I can’t
be bought!”

“But I can pamper you for awhile, can’t
I?”

• • •

Sara opted to go with them to Rome: her
colonel was in Washington D.C. for a week at a convention. They
were wheels up out of Miami in the GS-V at 6:00 P.M. Sara pressed
Syd for details of her weekend with Hatch, so Syd told her about
the wonderful evening at
Le Bistro
and the lazy Sunday afternoon at the beach. She let Sara
speculate about what happened the rest of the time. When Sara
pushed Hatch for his version, he said pretty much the same thing,
but related the incident about how Syd had humiliated the
woman-beater, which Syd had not included in her story.

“Way to go, Syd!” she had chortled, giving
Syd a high-five. “I wish I could have seen that! Dr. Z. in
action!”

Janet, the stewardess, served dinner around
8:30 P.M. By ten o’clock, both Sara and Janet were asleep in the
rear of the aircraft. Hatch and Syd snuggled in the seat nearest
the lounge, where Syd had sat on the trip to Israel.

“Déjà vu
,
again,” she whispered.

This time, however, they kissed passionately
and groped each other with abandon, like two teenagers in the
backseat of a car.

“Too bad that you didn’t design this bird to
have a private bedroom. I’ve always wanted to join the Mile High
Club,” giggled Syd.

“Actually, we’re nearly nine miles up. That’s
even a more elite club, I think.”

“Alas—I’ve always wanted to say ‘alas’—no
private room,” she sighed, kissing him again as she groped his
crotch.

“Actually, the restrooms are oversized on
this plane. If you feel daring, we could …”

“What a lovely idea! You could sit on the
john and I could straddle you,” she giggled quietly.

“Or we could do it standing. So many
choices!”

“What are we waiting for? I can feel that you
are way past ready!”

• • •

The GS-V landed at Leonardo da Vinci
Intercontinental Airport in Fiumicino, just outside Rome, at 4:37
A.M., which was 10:37 A.M. Tuesday, Rome time. As Hatch, Syd, and
Sara deplaned, a blue Jeep Grand Cherokee with Triple Eye logos on
the front doors pulled up and stopped. A well-built man with gray
hair—cut short in a crewcut—got out of the passenger’s door. He was
5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed in at 185 pounds. His face was
clean-shaven and well tanned, and there was a tiny scar running out
from his left eye. He hugged Sara and shook hands with Hatch. He
was introduced to Syd as Carmelo Cifelli, Triple Eye Rome Station
Chief.

They all piled into the SUV and drove a
short distance to a Bell 430 Triple Eye helicopter. When they were
airborne, Hatch asked the pilot to swing over Rome so the women
could see some of the sights of Rome: the Coliseum, the Fountains
of Trevi, the Tiber River, Vatican City, et al. Then the chopper
swung to the north and headed for
Il
Castello di Bragno
, Hatch’s estate in Italy. It was
only twenty miles from the airport, so it did not take long before
Hatch pointed down at it. It was nestled between two lakes,
Lago di Bracciano
, and the
smaller
Lago di Martignario
,
on 45 acres of forested land. It sat on top of a small knoll and
was surrounded by a moat whose water came from
Lago di Martignario
. The castle had several
sections, some three stories in height, others four stories or
higher, and a very tall, square watch tower which rose 50 feet
above the highest point of the castle. The tower had notched
ramparts on its top.

The castle had been built in the 1500s
entirely of Tufo stone, and the upper floors had views of both
lakes. On a clear day, Rome could be seen in the distance from the
tower. The building was surrounded by large pine trees, and several
orchards of apple trees. There were several walled courtyards, two
of them with swimming pools of a natural design, similar to the one
at Klaus Haus. Hatch had a restoration and renovation project
underway: some 150,000 square feet had been completed. The
renovated areas had electricity—with generator backup—running
water, heat, telephones, satellite communications, and a high-tech
alarm system. Hatch had insisted, however, that the changes not
destroy any of the facade, inside or out. There were several large
Tuscany, handmade fireplaces, one each in the two living rooms, one
in each bedroom, and the huge dining room. The latter could
accommodate 100 guests, though Hatch had never seen fit to
entertain that many people. The main room—referred to as the “great
room”—was two stories high with a balcony circling the room on the
second floor, a place where ancient archers once stood guard,
watching the festivities below.

As the chopper banked over the castle
and headed for the landing pad, which was tucked in one of the many
walled courtyards, Syd soaked in the
16
^th
century majesty of the
castle. Hatch had purchased the castle for 3.5 million dollars on
15 acres of land, then purchased the surrounding acreage for
another two million. Renovations so far had cost an additional two
million dollars. The deed was in the name of Carmelo Cifelli, who
was an Italian citizen. Hatch thought it much cleaner that way: no
Van Lincoln or Triple Eye on the deed.

The helicopter landed softly in the
courtyard. The four of them walked across the large courtyard to a
large wooden door with iron straps holding it together, and huge
iron hinges, while the chopper pilot secured his aircraft.

“Did I actually see a moat around this
place?” asked Syd, still in awe of all she had seen.

“Yes, you did. It’s fed off the waters of
Lake Martignario, that small lake you saw coming in. There’s a
bridge at the front entrance, but it’s not a draw bridge. Hope
you’re not disappointed,” answered Hatch with a laugh.

“This place is too magnificent for words! How
could I be disappointed?” she exclaimed.

Cifelli opened the large door. She expected
it to squeak and groan—like a haunted house—but it swung open
smoothly and quietly with very little effort on Cifelli’s part. Syd
was now guessing there would be high ceilings and wide halls lined
with suits of armor. However, she was still surprised when that is
exactly what she saw as they turned into the main hallway.

“My God! It’s awesome!” she blurted.

“You haven’t seen anything yet! It’ll take
you a week to see it all,” laughed Sara.

They approached the main foyer where a
small, gray-haired woman was standing. She greeted them excitedly,
and Syd was introduced as a friend of Hatch and Sara. She was Head
of the Household,
Signora
Gina d’Atello. Syd guessed she was about 65 years old, but
she was very spry and energetic.

“Your rooms are ready as you
requested,
Signore
Lincoln. I
have sent Paolo to fetch your luggage to your quarters. You and
the
signorini
may wish to
freshen yourselves after your long flight,” she said with an
Italian accent. “I will have lunch served in the small dining room
at whatever time you wish.”

“Grazie,
signora
,” replied Hatch. “How about it, gals? I know
our bodies are all out of whack with the time change. Do you want a
nap first? Then breakfast? Lunch?”

“Maybe a short rest, then a good Italian
lunch for me! How about you, Sara?” answered Syd.

“I could do with some rest. I’ll second Syd’s
suggestion.”

“Good! How about two o’clock local time?
That’ll be about 8:00 A.M. body time,” asked Hatch.

“That sounds OK,” said Syd, and Sara
nodded.

“There is fresh fruit in your chambers if you
need refreshment sooner,” said Gina d’Atello.

“I need to have a talk with Carmelo. Why
don’t you two go on up and get some rest. I’ll see you at lunch,”
said Hatch.

Gina turned to a young Italian girl,
who was standing back from the group, and said, “Teresa, please
show the
signorini
to their
chambers.”

“Si, Nonna
,”
answered the girl.

Teresa was about five feet five inches tall
with short black hair and an olive complexion. She wore a black
skirt which reached her knees and a white blouse buttoned to the
neck. Syd guessed she must be around 16 or 17 years old. She would
find out later that she was Gina’s granddaughter.

Teresa led Sara and Syd up a wide staircase
to the second floor of this section of the castle. The hallway on
the second floor was also wide, and at least ten feet tall, and the
walls had tapestries with coats-of-arms and medieval scenes on
them. Also, shields and various weapons—maces, swords, daggers,
crossbows—adorned the walls. There was a suit of armor every six to
eight feet. They finally stopped at a large door, which Teresa
opened, then pointed to Sara.

“Your chamber,
Signorina
Sara,” announced Teresa.

“Same one as last time. This is called
the
Queen’s Chambers
, Syd.
The next one down is the
King’s
Chambers
—that’s for Hatch, of
course—and the one after that is yours, I bet. It’s called—hands
over your ears, Teresa—the
Mistress’s
Chambers
. That’s where the lord of the castle in the
olden days kept his latest plaything,” teased Sara.

“Sara! Not in front of this child!” exclaimed
Syd. “She’ll think I’m a plaything!”

“I am no child,
signorina
! When I am dressed like this, I look
younger. I am 21, actually, and not a virgin! Just don’t tell my
grandmother. She is very old school about sex!” laughed Teresa
without a trace of an accent.

“Well! You’re up front, aren’t you?
Your English is excellent! And drop the
signorina
crap. Just call me Syd. Where did you
learn your English?” asked Syd.

“I
must
call you
signorina
in
front of my grandmother, Syd. She requires it. I learned English in
school, and now I will be a senior at the American University of
Rome in the fall semester. My major is English. I watch a lot of
American TV and movies, which helps with the accent and the idioms.
Now, let me show you to
your
chambers, Syd.”

“See you later, Sara. Get some rest,” said
Syd, then she followed Teresa down the wide hall.

Teresa opened the ancient door and walked in,
followed by Syd. The room was monstrous, and it was just the
sitting room. Teresa showed her the bedroom with its massive bed
which was hand-carved out of oak, and a large bathroom. There were
no closets, but two massive antique armoires were against the walls
in the bedroom. Syd saw her suitcase on the bed.

Teresa giggled, “What makes this suite
different from the
Queen’s Chambers
is that there is a secret passageway connecting it the
King’s Chambers
. That makes it
convenient for the king to slip in and have a dalliance without
being seen in the hallway.”