Stolen Vengeance: Slye Temp book 6 (35 page)

Chapter 47

Rikker rode in a limo the Orion Hunters had delivered close enough to Navarro’s building for Rikker to reach by limping as fast as he could. Blood ran down both sides of his face. His head felt as if it had been split in half. He had cuts and a cracked rib, even with the Kevlar vest under his clothes.

Fucking Paddock had popped him with three rounds. It hurt to breathe.

Damn Sabrina Slye and her bastards had been a nuisance too long.

He lifted the mangled scroll in his hands. He was not returning to China empty-handed.

The General had been calling constantly, demanding to know why the assassinations ended up as a clusterfuck and why Perdido and Navarro had been left alive in FBI custody.

Rikker deleted those messages.

The General was no longer his problem. He’d have to cover his ass on his own from now on.

Wayan was another story. Rikker would rather face a cobra, naked and with his hands tied, than go back to Wayan without something.

Someone had to pay for what Rikker had lost. He needed answers and he needed them soon.

Sabrina Slye was the best place to get those answers and she wouldn’t be surrounded by her guard dogs forever.

Chapter 48

Valene followed the FBI agent leading her through the hall of a plush hotel in downtown LA. Two more agents stood outside the door and gave her agent a nod of acknowledgement.

They took one look at her handcuffs and ignored her.

When the door opened, she followed the leader into a spacious suite. She counted six people.

One was the pope.

The. Pope.

It might seem crazy, but the room felt powerful as if the pope just exuded energy that radiated all around him. He gazed at her and with the lift of his hand he waved over a middle-aged man who had neatly trimmed hair and was wearing a suit. Must be his assistant.

Once the pope finished speaking, the assistant came to Valene’s FBI agent and spoke in low, quick bursts.

The next thing Valene knew, her handcuffs were gone and she was seated in a comfortable chair next to the pope.

Pope Lando had the kind of face that made you want to tell him your troubles. He reminded her of her dad in a way. That’s who she’d always poured her heart out to, but she couldn’t now, because her dad was so sick.

With one word from His Holiness, everyone departed the room, leaving her and the pope alone with tea.

She was pretty sure the FBI and the pope’s staff were still close by, but he’d shocked her by sending the others away.

She was having tea with the pope, when Catholics around the world would love that opportunity. Talk about feeling guilty for bailing on her religion.

He said in perfect English, though with an Italian accent, “I understand that you have something important to tell me about a scroll that should have been in the Vatican.”

She tried to talk but lost her breath.

Giving her a gentle smile, he said, “Take your time, child. You have nothing to fear from me.”

She needed that little encouragement. “I was approached by a man who I thought represented the Vatican.”

“The FBI offered some background as to what has happened.”

Breathing was good. She kept drawing it in, hoping one of those deep breaths would settle her down. “I really thought I was retrieving it for you, but to be perfectly honest we had an arrangement that he would pay me really well to locate the scroll and to keep all this confidential. I understood that you wouldn’t want it in the news so if anyone said anything to the press, it wasn’t me.”

“Why would you think I would fear this being public knowledge?”

She thought on that. “Everything he said made sense.”

“Such as?”

“I know you’re shaking up everyone who has dirty hands in the banking groups, and you’re holding priests and others responsible for their service to the church.”

“I’m holding all accountable to God and our people, then the church.”

“Right, that was sort of what I meant.” 

“What was the reason I would keep this secret?”

“Because it would look bad for you to lose an artifact this rare and important from the Vatican. The media would turn it into you being careless with the Vatican treasures.”

He tapped his chin. “That would be in conflict with my goal to clean up the secretive dealings within our organization, wouldn’t it?”

When he put it that way, he had a point. “I suppose so.”

“Was the money the only reason you agreed to find the scroll?”

“I’m not going to lie to you. The money was very important at first, but the deeper I got into this, the more I realized that everything I’d ever hunted for had held meaning for me. There was a time when I only searched for something that I felt
had
to be found.”

“But you needed the money this time?” the pope said, bringing her back to what got her into this mess.

“I did and still do, but while trying to get my hands on the scroll, I almost destroyed people who mean more to me than all the artifacts in the world. I’ll figure another way to deal with my problems and still protect the people around me.”

It was so calm sitting in his presence. He glanced around and asked, “What happened to the scroll?”

She said, “If you’ll ask the FBI agent who brought me here to return my purse, I’ll answer that. He had it with him in the car.”

Once the purse had been delivered and they were alone again, Valene tugged on the false bottom, revealing the extra space. She pulled out a silver cylinder that she handed to the Pope. “I truly thought I was returning it to you, but when I realized the man I’d been dealing with was a liar, I didn’t know who to trust. So I had a duplicate made to use as bait to catch the man paying me, but that one burned up in the helicopter fire. I hid this one until I was positive it would end up in your hands, and this is the best chance I’ll ever have for that.”

A man named Nick had convinced her that he and Dingo were teammates and that he was the one in the hospital in LA when she’d helped Dingo’s team find the doctor in Chinatown. Once he’d convinced her that he was a friend of Dingo’s and wanted to know if she had any information that would help Dingo, like finding the scroll, she told him what she was going to do.

She thought he’d call her out, but he’d grinned and managed to not only find the scroll where she’d hidden it, and sneak it into her purse, he also got word to the pope that she’d requested a meeting with him.

The pope held the tube gently, staring at it with sad eyes, then he opened it and carefully reviewed the first part of the scroll before putting the parchment back in the cylinder. “You took a great risk in telling the FBI agent that I was expecting you and if he did not allow you to talk to me that he would regret it.”

More of Nick’s machinations, no doubt, but Valene just smiled rather than admit or deny anything of the sort. Then she said, “Didn’t seem like much of a gamble at the time, until he cuffed me.”

“The FBI had received a bomb scare from someone who said if they didn’t get to speak to me personally they were going to blow up this building.”

Chill bumps lifted on her arms. The FBI could have locked her away forever until they decided she was not a part of that.

“However, my assistant keeps his ear to the ground in all situations and brought your request to my attention. We have a mutual friend who spoke to my assistant.”

Did that mean Nick knew the pope?

She didn’t care, because both Nick and Pope Lando had saved her bacon. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for returning this scroll.”

“It belongs to you ... or that would be the Vatican and the Catholic people,” she quickly amended, taking his sense of duty to God and the church into account. “Will you allow anyone to study it?”

“Eventually, once the danger has passed.”

“The scroll is bad news?” she said, her insatiable curiosity racing to the forefront.

“The scroll is tangible evidence of Galileo’s writings while he was unfortunately under house arrest. He claimed these were visions, and I am not in a position to dispute that, but the people searching for this are not interested in Galileo’s musings. They want to alter the course of our future by manipulating one man’s writings. I have always heard that this script would dictate a horrible war between major powers in our world.”

“That’s what I heard, too, but you don’t believe that this scroll can really predict that?”

When he just stared at her as one would a slow child, she nodded. “Right. Lots of prophesies in the scriptures. What exactly is the meaning of this scroll?”

“I believe the writings are a warning more than a prophecy.”

“Have you read the scroll?”

“I have not.”

“Do you intend to allow anyone to read it?”  Yes, that sounded eager, but she’d like to read it.

“Yes, once the danger trying to rise up has passed.” He sat quietly for a moment, pondering something, and it was so peaceful in his presence.

When he spoke, his voice was strong. “Thank you for returning something you could have claimed was lost or stolen, then sold. It shows how strong your heart is.”

“I appreciate your wonderful words, but I don’t deserve praise. I’m failing everyone who depends on me.”

“Everyone is a large number, my child.” 

Valene sighed. “I’m failing my father, who needs to get into an experimental treatment program for a rare lung cancer, which was why I took this contract for the scroll. I’m failing my friend Henri who needed the money from this contract to move to a new location and save his relationship. And ... I let down the man I’m in love with, but that relationship was lost before I had a chance to have it. And ... ” She’d been trying to come to terms with this and now seemed as good a time as any to admit something she’d been in denial about for too long. Her voice was raspy with unshed tears. “As long as I’m confessing, I’m fighting to keep my father here with me and he might be ready to go...” She swallowed. “But I won’t let him. I’m a bad person.”

His Holiness put his hand on hers where it rested on the chair arm, and the tears she’d held back came rushing out. He let her cry, patting her hand and offering her tissues.

When she finally quieted, he started to speak and his assistant stepped into view. “I’m sorry to interrupt your Holiness, but you have a meeting with the Vice President in forty minutes. He arrived an hour ago.”

The pope said, “I have something more important to do at the moment. Call and make my apologies for the delay and reschedule for this evening.”

“Yes, your Holiness.”  The man left as silently as he’d entered.

Valene said, “I’m sorry to impose on your time. You’re clearly busy and I should go.”

“Not yet.”

“I thought you had something to do.”  And it had to be major to include the Vice President of the US.

“I do. I must pray for a soul.”  Then he proceeded to tell her to bow her head, which she did, and he prayed for her father, that God might see fit to watch over him. He prayed for her friend that Henri would realize material goods would not save a relationship, and he prayed for Valene that she would follow her heart and allow it to lead her to love.” 

It might have been her crying, but she felt a huge burden lift just by being with the pope.

When she stood, she took his hand. “Thank you for being who you are.”

“Just remember you have an angel watching over you. We all do.”

She’d like to believe that, but any angel who took a look at Valene’s life would put in for hazardous duty pay.

Chapter 49

Twelve days later, Valene walked out of the hospital with her father’s doctor who was saying, “I’m surprised at Ronaldo’s improvement. I’d like to say it’s the new treatment we have him on, but I have to tell you this is hard to explain.”

“Thank you for going to bat for my dad.”

“After you called me on the mat in my own office, I had to face myself the next morning in the mirror. I asked myself the questions you asked me and decided to start looking for more options. I got excited when I found out about this new program, but I didn’t want to contact you until I knew for sure the money wouldn’t be an issue.”

“It’s not. I’ve got some new clients. I can handle this.”  She might even write a book about how to stay trim living on ramen noodles.

Doctor Bowen stopped her. “Didn’t you get my email?”

“No.” She’d stopped looking at her personal email account once her dad went into the program and wasn’t online. Dingo hadn’t been in touch. Henri wasn’t speaking to her.

“The entire treatment plan is paid for.”

“What? How can that be? I just made arrangements for the payments four days ago.”  Had Dingo sent the money? How would he have known?

“The money was received yesterday.”

“Who paid it?”

Doctor Bowen gave her a fatherly smile. “The message I got said to tell you your angel was watching out for you.”

She got chills. That was what the pope had told her. Tears blossomed in her eyes, but she didn’t have the capacity to feel embarrassed this time.

“I’d say your angel has had a hand in your dad’s care, too. I don’t want to give you false hopes, but he’s responding much better than I’d have ever imagined. The other doctors on his team are excited.”

She grinned. “Someone said a very special prayer for my father and I’m pretty sure it went right up the line to the top of the chain.”

“Your father is a very lucky man to have such a loyal daughter. Every man needs a woman like you in his life.”

Every man except Dingo.

She thanked the doctor and stepped out into the balmy afternoon air. She turned to walk along the sidewalk to the parking lot and almost ran into someone she couldn’t believe was waiting there.

“Hello, Valene.”

“Hi, Henri. What are you doing here?”

“I stopped by to see your father at the assisted living and heard he was in the hospital. I was worried about you.”

She’d been through so much that she thought she’d gotten over losing Henri as her friend, but she hadn’t. “Thank you.”

He stepped up to her and took her hands, ignoring the people passing them. “I almost lost Geoffrey.”

“I know and I’m so sorry. That was not my intention.”

“I realize that now. I got scared and fear made me angry so I lashed out at you. I was angry later with Geoffrey. I was angry in general. You and I never fought the way Geoffrey and I fight.”

“I’m sure this will pass, Henri.”

“I hope not.” He laughed.

She smiled at seeing him happy. “I don’t understand.”

“You and I never fought because we were close but we always gave each other a lot of room to do what we needed. Even when I packed up to leave, you were angry but that’s your normal operating level. We didn’t speak for a long time because you were hurt and I felt guilty over the whole thing. But Geoffrey and I fight because there is so much passion.”

The light bulb went off. “I know what you’re saying. I fight with someone else like that. Or I did.”

“The brooding Neanderthal you brought to my shop who found Geoffrey?”

“Yes.”  If she called Dingo brooding he’d get pissed off.

If she got the chance again, she’d do it just for the makeup sex.

“He was the one you were with back before your dad got sick the first time, wasn’t he?”

“Yep. That was him.” See? It didn’t suffocate her to talk about it. In another ten years, she’d be downright casual when it came to discussing Dingo.

“You were so happy then. You should be with him.”

“It’s not always my choice, Henri.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Was that enough money for you to make the move?”

“That’s another thing. Coming so close to losing Geoffrey made me think. When he returned from his harrowing mall experience, we both took a look at life and put it back into perspective. We’re selling our high-rise apartment and buying a location where we can have our business and our home in the same spot. We won’t be in a chic part of LA or Pasadena, but we are consultants at heart, and brokers. With our combined expertise, all we need to offer clients is a comfortable place to meet.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Henri.” And she meant it. He was clearly happy. No, he was more than happy. He was content and at peace. “As long as you feel like it will be okay.”

“It will be more than okay. We won’t have a building as a yoke around our necks. Geoffrey would like to travel for consulting. We realized we could do just as much business, maybe even more, by streamlining, and in doing so, we would finally have time together, which was number one on our list of priorities.”

Henri looked up and his eyes brightened.

She knew before she turned around that only one person could do that to Henri.

Geoffrey’s gaze went from Henri down to where he held Valene’s hand, then he seemed to brush it off with a long sigh and walked over to them.

Henri asked, “Did you get lost?”

Geoffrey scowled. “No. I was looking at a map print hanging in the hall.”

“Oh?” Henri said.

Geoffrey waved it off. “Nothing of value.”

Valene withdrew her hand from Henri’s and stuck it out to Geoffrey. “Thank you for all that you did to help on the scroll contract, and congratulations on what you two have planned. It sounds really terrific.”  She swallowed how much she envied them, but in a good way.

Geoffrey nodded and went to withdraw his hand, but she held tight, causing panic to flair in his face.

She stifled the urge to chuckle and added, “Henri will always be my friend. I love him
as
a friend, but I will never be a threat simply because you make him very happy, and I want Henri to be happy. When you’re both settled again, I’d like to meet for dinner so that I can get to know you, too, Geoffrey. I’ve learned that one can never have enough friends.”

Geoffrey’s gaze registered shock then his eyes watered and he showed his backbone. “Thank you. We’ll send you an invitation to our housewarming.”

She smiled and her heart no longer hurt when she looked at Henri. He’d been right. She’d loved him for so long as a friend, she’d confused that with being in love.

Now her heart only hurt when she looked at Dingo, which shouldn’t be an issue since he was gone forever.