Sin and Sacrifice (29 page)

During the plane ride,
Dracht had called Rhett and explained, in painstaking detail, what
he'd learned from Saul. Rhett had relayed that to her with a fair
amount of surprise at the tale.

He wasn't the only one.
Evelyn had been downright stunned.

“
Father Valanzano knows
the system well. As do we. If we thought there was any danger of
that, we wouldn't have contacted him to begin with,” Dracht
said.

“
I don't see them taking
that route, Alex, I have to be honest,” Rhett added.

“
Saul only
thinks
that the Church
will be swayed when they hear the details because his mind has been
warped into believing the wrong truth. He's delusional, and
obviously the rest of them have been convinced of the same thing.”
Dracht seemed to have lost all respect for the rogue group of
Templars. With good reason.

Rhett sank down onto an
ottoman with his knees splayed wide, clasped hands dangling
between. He fit right into the grandiose surroundings, as
impressive and imposing as the arching ceilings and masterpiece
paintings on the walls. Whenever their eyes met, she swore she saw
a secret smile in his own.

She didn't miss a thing
Dracht said in the meantime.

“
The thing is, Alexandra,
that if they knew the real truth, that you are who you say you are,
then they can take further steps with the Knights who've acted out
against you. Once we find the rest of them, they'll all face
charges and you won't have to ever worry about them again.”
Christian spoke up this time.

“
And then what? I mean, I
get your point. But then we'll become curiosities and have no life
but the one they dictate.”

“
Why would you think
that?” Christian asked.

“
Because I'm not stupid.
They'll want something in exchange for their help. They'll want the
same information the Templars have been tryin' to wheedle out of us
for centuries. And I don't need to explain what world-wide
repercussions this will have if it gets out.”

“
...that can never happen,
Alex,” Dracht said, cutting in. “They wouldn't allow it for one
thing because they'll realize the consequences. They've kept many
secrets for thousands of years--”

“
None of them are
living,
Dracht.”
Alexandra, blunt as the day was long, nevertheless spoke with
respect to the brothers.

Evelyn thought wonders
would never cease.

“
What do you think,
Minna?” Rhett asked with a chin tick her way.

Demure and quiet, Minna,
with her hands clasped lightly in her lap, said, “I think it is the
only way we can ever hope to continue living and have some
semblance of a normal life.”

Alexandra scowled sideways
at Minna. “What? C'mon, Min-Min. We'll be nothing more than
glorified prisoners.”

“
They gain nothing by
keeping us prisoners of any kind. Perhaps they will simply continue
to offer us their protection,” Minna said, splaying a palm toward
Rhett, Dracht and Christian to indicate who she thought might get
the job.

Alexandra snorted. “There's
no way they'll let us out of their sight ever again, much less live
'our own life'.”

“
We have no other choice
but to trust them, Alex. There are only three of us left. We must
preserve what we can.” Minna's voice was filled with so much inner
sorrow that Evelyn reached an arm around her shoulders to both give
and share comfort.

“
Evelyn?” Christian asked,
putting her on the spot.

She licked her lips,
rubbing Minna's arm lightly. Alex had a valid point. She understood
where her hellion sister was coming from, but she also believed
Minna was right. They had no choice any longer.

“
I think we have to trust
that they'll do the right thing. Rhett made a good point that we've
already discussed between us before. With facial recognition and
fingerprinting and everything else, it's only a matter of time
before making new identification with new names doesn't work
anymore. If the wrong authorities pick us up, it could go a
lot
worse. Think about
it, Alexandra.”

Alex exhaled and shoved up
off the couch, tonguing the wound on her lower lip. Hands on her
hips, she paced around the large room while all eyes followed her.
The dark length of her hair, unbound and wavy, made a curtain to
hide most of her profile when she bent her head in
contemplation.

Evelyn met Rhett's eyes and
held them while her sister made circuits of the room. A prickle
raced along her skin at the energy she imagined passed between
them. Even with a look, he moved her. She had come full circle with
her thinking and trusted Rhett and his family
implicitly.

It had nothing to do with
the sparks she felt every time she was around him. He had proven
himself time and again, risked his life in their honor.

Finally, Alex lifted her
hands and let them smack down on the outside of her thighs. “All
right. Whatever you guys think.”

“
Good. I think we should
have him come here instead of flying to Italy. It's not wise to be
putting ourselves out into the open more than we need to until we
collect what's left of the group,” Rhett said.

“
Which could take weeks,
if they've been trained like you,” Alexandra pointed
out.

“
We have our ways,”
Christian said where he leaned against the wall, arms crossed over
his chest.

It seemed to be a favored
position of the brothers.

“
Or we could bait them
out,” Alexandra suggested, leaving no doubt she meant using herself
to lure them.

“
Alex!
Don't even think it,” Evelyn said, lurching up off the couch.
She frowned at her sister; there had been too many losses already.
The risks were too great. Evelyn would have rather waited weeks or
even months for the others to be found before putting another
sibling at risk.

What worried her more, was
that Dracht, Rhett and Christian didn't have the same
reaction.

Christian watched Alex
thoughtfully. Rhett regarded her while scraping the tips of his
fingers through his whiskers. Dracht...was grinning.

Were they all
mad?

Minna did not look as
opposed to the idea as Evelyn wished she did. Then again, why
should she? Minna had always been practical and ready to do what it
took to see a situation resolved. She was much more methodical and
precise than Alexandra however. Alexandra would likely just waltz
out into the open and invite the chaos in.

Evelyn rubbed her
temple.

“
It's a good idea, Ev. I'd
rather just get it over with. Then we can see what the Father V guy
has to say and--”

“
No,
Alexandra. I won't listen to another word of it.” Evelyn felt
every eye on her. “It's not worth it. Let them do their jobs.
They're Templars too, and if anyone knows how to find them, they
do.” Evelyn threw a hand wide to indicate the brothers.

“
Why don't we talk about
more immediate concerns. Staying here is a good idea because it's
fortified already. The other Templars wouldn't think we'd bring you
here and won't show up because they know we'll detain them. Let's
figure out what you need, if anything, and get you settled into
your rooms?” Rhett suggested. He stood up off the
ottoman.

Evelyn didn't immediately
jump on Rhett's offer. She stared at Alexandra, facing off with her
sister over an idea she just didn't agree with. Then Alex smiled
broad and deviant at her, diffusing the situation like she always
did. Evelyn wanted to throttle her, which wasn't anything
new.

“
C'mon, Ev. He's right.
One thing at a time.” Alex swung an arm around her
shoulders.

Evelyn scoffed but
relented. There was little use in arguing and demanding. She caught
a grin on Rhett's mouth, too, as he led them across the large
room.

Bigger than it looked from
the outside, the Templar Stronghold impressed Evelyn with its
design and function. The front end consisted of the broad foyer
with a library and offices off to the sides. It led back into the
long living area where they'd had their discussion, flanked by the
stairs leading to a second floor. Beyond that sat an indoor sand
pit situated in a courtyard surrounded by arches and hallways that
gave easy access to the bedrooms lining the perimeter. A clear dome
rose over the pit, allowing sunlight or moonlight to filter down
and illuminate the sand.

Evelyn recognized it as a
training area, especially after she caught sight of several Templar
swords attached to a board within easy reach. Just seeing the
swords caused a shiver to race down her spine. Those weapons had
once meant death and destruction. Had terrified her, filled her
sleep with nightmares.

Although the moldings,
ceilings and statues of the stronghold were elaborate, the space
itself was spartan and clean. The furniture, heavy teak accented
with leather or microsuede, suited its purpose rather than
fashion.

Rhett escorted them along a
hallway that ran parallel to the courtyard with doors leading off
to medium sized rooms. Each bedroom—Evelyn counted ten rooms on
each side of the pit—offered a queen sized bed, one dresser and one
teak chair. Nothing fancy, just clean and neat. The small closet
might hold enough clothes for two weeks, if that.

Of course Alexandra and
Minna gravitated toward the sand pit and only redirected their
attention after Rhett called their names three times.

Rhett suggested they could
put two more beds into one of the more spacious rooms so the girls
could all sleep in the same space, but Alexandra declined. Evelyn
knew her sisters would go exploring when they couldn't sleep and as
long as they were all under the same roof, she didn't really care
where anyone slept.

The back of the stronghold
sported a gym, a large, galley style kitchen and a long dining
room. Nailed to the wall of the dining room were what looked to be
ancient Templar artifacts; chainmail, more swords, a white shield
lined in hammered silver with a red cross emblazoned through the
middle.

Such blatant signs unnerved
her, until she caught a warm look or smile from Rhett. He grounded
her, reminded her that he was on her side.

The building seemed like a
fortress, with bulletproof windows, Rhett pointed out, and steel
enforced doors on the only two main entrances leading in from the
outside. There were updated alarms as well, and they were cautioned
not to touch the doors after dark unless they told someone first.
The basement, which they didn't visit, had a secret entrance that
Rhett explained in some detail. Evelyn understood he meant to give
them knowledge in case, just in case, the barriers were
breached.

She put thoughts of that
from her mind. Evelyn was tired of death. Tired of running. She
just wanted peace.

Chapter
Twelve

A slice of moonlight
slanted down through the dome high in the ceiling, painting the
sand in the pit white instead of beige. Rhett could only see a
sliver of the milky illumination in periphery from his supine
position on the bed. This room flanked the training pit at an
angle. For now he studied the ceiling, one arm cocked up behind his
head.

The smell from dinner the
brothers made the women finally dissipated and midnight had come
and gone, leaving the stronghold in silence. On rotation with
Dracht and Christian, Rhett was supposed to be resting. Unable to
sleep, his mind wandered through the things he'd learned the last
two days, lingering on Evelyn.

Immortal.

A daughter of Adam and
Eve.

He still had a hell of a
time wrapping his mind around it. Evelyn would live a long time
after he was gone, hundreds or thousands of years, not bound to
mortal concerns like the rest of them.

Rhett wondered if her
thoughts had strayed where his had. Did she think about them, too?
He knew she felt the same inexorable pull. The current between them
was alive with attraction and chemistry. It didn't matter how long
he'd known her. He couldn't deny the magnetism or the furious
desire to see her safe.

His life up to this point
didn't allow for personal relationships that lasted longer than one
night stands. The dangers were too many, the intricacies too hard
to hide. He'd accepted his role with no remorse, no regret.
Constantly on the move, challenged with puzzles and danger, he
could ask for no better job. It made him feel alive.

Evelyn made him feel alive,
too. In ways his job didn't. He wondered if she had ever been in
love, if she'd ever had children. Were they immortal, too, destined
to live out forever on the earth? Those were questions he hadn't
asked on the flight over.

Eventually, someday, he
would marry and start a family of his own, leaving his offspring to
carry on in his wake. It was the way things were done, had been
done for thousands of years.

The hiss of steel on steel
snapped his attention to the crack of his door. Easing up off the
bed, he crossed the room in silence, fully dressed. Just in case.
He had a clear shot of the sand pit and the doorways of all the
rooms across the courtyard.