by Brenda Drake
“The ones watching think it’s a trick.” She wrapped her mouth around the stuffed bread, biting off a big piece. “Yum.” She moaned around a full mouth.
All thoughts left him. He couldn’t ignore how she tackled that sandwich. For some reason, everything she did lately was so hot. She was driving him over the edge.
She’s trying to distract me.
“I know what you’re doing,” he said. “Not working. Finish up. We have a few hours before our train leaves. Want to see some of Vienna before then?”
“Sure.” She took a deliberately slow sip from her bottle, smiling against the rim.
“You’re terrible.” He shoved the last bit of bread in his mouth.
She was anything but terrible. Beautiful, caring, and selfless. She was more than that damn curse.
Andrei grabbed up the wrappings and bottles while she removed the scarf from the table. When he returned, she had wrapped it loosely around her neck. She looked nice in her dark, tight jeans that hugged her hips and a white T-shirt that was see-through enough to get a peek at her blue bra underneath it.
What am I doing? Stop checking her out. Shit. She just caught me.
She looked down at her chest, then adjusted the scarf to hide her cleavage. “Which way?” she said, glancing up at him, trying to stop a smile forming on her lips. Her eyes were like gold dust against the shining sun, and he couldn’t speak.
“Follow me,” he said, finally finding his voice.
He led her down the makeshift aisle between antiques and used clothes arranged on wobbly folding tables. Tall, pale buildings crowded either side of the thin, busy road. Daisy took it all in with excitement, which made it more enjoyable for Andrei. They meandered through long, narrow alleyways that seemed to be straight out of the medieval times, ending up at the famous Graben, a pedestrian street.
The street—with its winding road and high, Romanesque buildings—housed shops, restaurants, and coffeehouses. Daisy stopped at an extremely tall marble and gold statue with angels and saints rising up in a cloud. At the base was a kneeling king and at the very top was the Virgin Mary. Daisy tugged her phone out of the side pocket of her backpack. Her fingers tapped the screen.
“What are you doing?” Andrei got out of the way of a group of tourists snapping shots of the statue.
“Googling it,” she said. “It says it’s the Pestsäule or its better known as the Plague Column. Leopold the First had it built to honor those who died in the great plague. See that figure there.” She pointed out a sculpted woman falling backward with wild hair, a crazed look on her face, and withered breasts. “It represents the plague—”
Something behind him distracted her, and he glanced over his shoulder. The two men were across the walkway watching them, and they were doing a poor job at mingling in the crowd.
“Those men were on the train with us,” she said.
He turned his head back. “On the train? And the market, too.”
This is bad. What the hell do they want?
Daisy held up her phone and took several pictures of the street. “Don’t look at them.”
“Now what are you doing?”
“Getting a pic of them,” she said. “Maybe Miri knows who they are. Step back so I can pretend I’m getting one of you and I can zoom in on them.”
He warred with himself. Should I tell her? Would Miri want me to? She might freak out about The Thorn.
He decided to play along with her special ops, backing up and striking a pose. She can send the text and Miri can decide what to do then.
“Come on, you can smile better than that.”
He stuck his tongue out at her.
She dragged her finger across the screen to zoom in. “Okay, got it.”
“Let me see,” he said, strolling over to her, trying to look as natural as possible. He looked over her shoulder to view the pictures as she scrolled through them. “Text it to Miri. Let’s see what she says.”
Andrei hoped sending the photos would alert his aunt that they’d been found. And that she’d instruct him what to do.
Daisy sent the pic. “We have to ditch them.”
Andrei inspected the road. It was a busy place. “It’s safer to stay in the open with witnesses around.”
Her phone chimed.
His vibrated inside his back pants pocket.
Daisy read the message. “She doesn’t know them.”
He took his cell out and read the screen.
Don’t tell her anything, Miri texted.
i think she should know, he sent.
Now’s not the time. Get Daisy to safety. We’ll talk about this later.
He glanced down at Daisy. “We need to get out of the open.”
“Okay. Where?” She sounded as freaked out as he felt.
Spotting a coffeehouse across the road, he took Daisy’s elbow and led her to it.
She yanked her arm away. “I don’t want coffee. We have to get away from those men.”
“We will. Trust me. I just have to do something,” he said, searching the café for a vacant table, weaving around seated people. He found one in the back and sat down.
Daisy slid onto a chair beside him, her eyes locked on the door. “Now what?”
“I’ll be right back,” he said, standing.
She looked up at him with questioning eyes.
“Men’s room.”
She nodded.
He didn’t go inside the bathroom. He stood outside the door, so he could keep an eye on Daisy and sent another text to Miri.
who sent them?
The fresh air rushed over his heated skin as he waited for her response.
I’m not sure. It could be any one of the families.
how do you know so much about them?
Our family joined The Thorn centuries ago. Your mom and I left it.
He almost fell over. Her words played on a loop in his head.
Our family? Thorns?
His phone chimed.
Andrei?
Again, it went off.
Andrei, answer me.
His ringtone cut through the silence of the narrow alleyway. He glanced at his screen. Miri’s name flashed over it. He pressed the talk button.
“Andrei?” Miri’s voice didn’t sound as soothing as it had when he was growing up. It was deeper and held an unsure tone. “Are you there?”
“Yes.”
“Listen,” she said. “Your mother and I agreed to protect you from this dark secret. I don’t know how connected our Amsterdam family is to the group. I moved to America to get away from it. And it’s the reason your mother took you to Brooklyn. My father said we were ungrateful. That we should embrace our legacy.”
“It’s a messed up one.” He swallowed hard. “Who told that other man from the train where to find us?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” She exhaled. “You must keep going. Take care of Daisy. I have many connections in Europe, so I’ll do what I can from here. You going to be okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “As good as someone can be who just found out some whacked out thing about his family.”
“All right. I’ll call you later.”
She didn’t wait for a response and ended the call.
It took him several seconds before he could concentrate on what Miri had said. His ancestors were murderers. And possibly, some relatives living today were.
What now?
His next thought punched him in the gut.
Bunică insisted on knowing his itinerary. Wanted exact cities, trains, and hostels they’d be using. Could she have given it to someone associated with The Thorn? He didn’t want to believe it. All grandmothers, especially those who had custody of their grandchildren, would want to know these things. He was determined to find out the truth.
He dialed her number and waited for her to answer.
“Hello,” she said.
“Call them off,” he hissed.
“Andrei, they found you?” Her
voice sounded shaky. “Why aren’t you answering your phone? I’ve been trying to call you. To warn you.”
“I don’t have any calls from you.” He glanced at his incoming records, and there were some from her. They went straight to his messages while on the train. His service had been spotty while traveling. “Who sent them? Are you part of The Thorn?”
“Miri. She told you about The Thorn?”
“Yes, she did. Answer my questions.”
“It wasn’t me. You know me better to think that. It had to be Lavinia.” She sighed. “I was over at her home talking about you and your travels. I mentioned Daisy’s grandfather had come from Romania. Said the name you told me—Froggatt. My cousin knew the name. Knew the family.”
“Are you a member of The Thorn?”
“No. My family has nothing to do with them. But your grandfather belonged.”
“How did they know how to find Daisy and me?” He was so angry that he wanted to scream at her.
“Lavinia came over for tea. Tricked me—” Her voice cracked. “Found my notes on your travel by the ice chest. I’m so sorry. You have to leave that girl. It’s not safe being with her. They will kill her. They believe changers are an abomination. Only God determines our fates.”
“I won’t let them kill her. I’ll die first.” He pushed the button on his phone’s screen to end the call and turned to go inside, coming face-to-face with Daisy.
Daisy swallowed hard. “They want to kill me?”
He pulled her into a hug. Her body felt frail within his arms, and he knew he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe. She was more to him than he had realized. Because right then he knew, his feelings for her were growing.
“No one is going to touch you,” he whispered against her hair. “I won’t let them.”
The old photographs from his family’s records of what they had done to fate changers flashed in his mind—torture, hangings, and burnings. His family belonged to this religious group. He was a Thorn. And in his arms, he held a fate changer. The thought of it all sickened him. He buried his head into Daisy’s shoulder, not wanting her to see the fear in his eyes.
Chapter Nine
Daisy
Weaving through shoppers and tourists, Daisy kept glancing over her shoulder. Dark clouds formed overhead, and the air grew cooler.
Where are they?
After Andrei had told her about The Thorn, it consumed her thoughts. Who were they? Could it be anyone? Maybe it’s that woman in the polka-dotted shirt walking her dog. Or that man with more hair on his arms than on his head who leisurely strolled behind them. She darted glances at him and he’d look back, probably wondering if her attention was on him or something else.
She hadn’t seen The Thorn men since leaving the coffeehouse. Did they give up? Andrei had a hold of her hand. His strong grip made her feel safe. The metro station was a few blocks down. All they needed to do was get to the train station.
“They’re not following because they know our itinerary,” Andrei said. “Bunică had everything, except the information on the heirs. I never gave her that. We can’t go on the train. My bet is they’re planning on us being there.”
“What are we going to do?” Daisy wasn’t sure what their options were. Time was a big factor.
“First we make sure we’re not being followed.” His gaze traveled across the pedestrians passing them.
Andrei stopped in front of a fountain with a statue of Saint Joseph and a child standing on a marble column. Water shot out of the mouths of two sculpted lion faces on opposite sides of the base. It hadn’t escaped Daisy that she was missing the entire beauty surrounding Graben Street, but she was too freaked out to appreciate it.
“I don’t see them.” Andrei pulled out a map he’d grabbed at the hostel. “The Stephansplatz metro station is down that way.”
They kept close to the buildings, mixing in with groups whenever they could. Daisy had never been so nervous and scared in her life. She actually had bad guys after her who wanted` her dead. In what world did that happen?
Oh, yeah. Mine.
Around the corner stood a gothic building with towers, a sphere that practically pierced the sky, and colored tiles that formed into a double-headed eagle on the roof.
“That building is huge,” she said, trying to keep up with his quick steps and long strides.
He rechecked the map. “That’s Stephansdom or rather St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Here’s the entrance.”
She followed him around the low concrete wall and down the escalator to the gray-and-red platform. They took a spot at the end. Andrei pulled another map out of his pack.
“What are you? A map dispenser?”
“I like to be prepared,” he said. “And I know there’s an app for it. Don’t want to risk no service. We can’t afford getting lost.” His face held no emotion, and the tone of his voice was serious. He was most likely as worried as she was about the men following them. “We’re going to take the bus to Rome. It’s a twenty-one-hour ride. We’ll have to stay over someplace on the way.”
Air punched Daisy’s face as the subway pulled up to the platform and squealed to a stop. Daisy stepped into the car, but Andrei stood on the platform.
“Hurry up,” she said.
He stood close to the doors staring up the length of the train. “I’m just making sure those men don’t get on.”
Daisy debated getting off to stand with him. She didn’t like him being out there and her in there.
“Shit,” he said. “That’s them.”
She moved to exit, but he stopped her.
“No. Wait. They’ll see you.”
A beeping sound went off and then a woman’s voice came over speakers somewhere announcing the doors would close in different languages.
“Andrei…” His name came out as a whine between her lips. Her stomach rolled. She had to get off. The thought of those men scared the crap out of her, so she waited for Andrei’s signal.
“They’re on,” he said. “Get off.”
Daisy dashed out just before the doors closed.
She couldn’t pull her stare from the train moving down the track fearing the two men would find a way to hop off.
“Guess we need to find another way.” Andrei adjusted his backpack and headed for the escalators.
The train disappeared into the dark, and she took off after Andrei. “How far of a walk is it to the bus station?”
“Too far,” he said, stepping onto the escalator and grasping the rail.
Daisy hopped on behind him. He was intense—alert and scanning the people going down to the platform. A light rain fell over Graben Street. People huddled under umbrellas or rushed to get wherever they were heading. The rain misted Daisy’s face as she hurried alongside Andrei.
He gave her a sidelong glance. “We’re looking for a taxi stand. Unlike New York, taxis here don’t drive around looking for fares. The map has one listed just up the street.”
It seemed like a lifetime since the taxi driver dropped them off at the bus station. Daisy tried to distract herself the few hours they’d been on the bus. With every stop, she’d sit up and scan the waiting passengers, fearing The Thorn men would be in line.
Andrei sat next to her studying the map lay out on his knees. “We can’t go into Rome’s station. We should get off at the closest city, and then find a way to travel in from there. Joost Van Buren lives with his parents in the Parioli district here.” He stabbed the location on the map with his finger.
Daisy checked the bus schedule on the English brochure she’d grabbed from a stand. “That won’t work. The bus makes nine stops, and the final one before Rome is Florence.” She opened her map app and Googled the distance between the two cities. “That’s about three hours by car. And I’m not hitchhiking.”
“Then if we’re going to the Rome station, we need a plan.” He looked up from the map. “They might expect us to arrive on this bus.”
She leaned over to read the map. Her arm brushi
ng against his sent tingles across her skin and into her stomach. If she had to be on this journey with someone, she was glad it was Andrei. He was strong, smart, and gorgeous. Plus, they worked well together.
And an answer hit her. “What if we get off in Venice, take a bus to Milan, and go into Rome. They won’t expect us to come in from there.”
“That could work,” he said and studied the route she pointed out. “We can sleep somewhere in Venice, then head for Milan on the first bus. We’ll still need to find a way to slip by them.”
“Okay, we’ll come up with one when we get there.” The muscles in her shoulders were twisted and tight, and she rolled her neck to loosen them. “After we see what we have to work with.”
Her eyes traveled over the passengers in front of her. Any of them could be dangerous, and she wouldn’t know. How was she going to spot a threat in a crowded station?
St. Mark’s Basilica was more breathtaking than she imagined. The eleventh-century gothic-style monument was rich with columns, arches, and spires. In the recesses of the building were murals of the-day-in-the-life of saints or something. Whatever the scenes were, they were beautiful. And she especially liked the golden-winged lion at the top.
The sight, actually all of Venice, was on her bucket list. But she couldn’t enjoy it. Not under the circumstances. And definitely not with The Thorn men searching for her.
“Can you smile?” Andrei aimed his phone at her with the magnificently beautiful cathedral in the background and pigeons hopping around her feet.
He lowered his phone. “Got it. Sorry, there’s no time to go inside. That line is intense.”
“That’s okay,” she said, even though it was a huge disappointment. She was lucky to get to see the outside. Hopefully, she’d be able to come back someday. And she wouldn’t hate it too much if Andrei tagged along.
“How about a gelato?” He nodded in the direction of a shop.
After grabbing two cones, they strolled along the tiny cobbled streets and stopped on a small bridge arching over a canal. She stood at the wrought iron banister, holding her waffle cone and taking in the sights. Tall colorful buildings with planters hanging from windows flanked the narrow canal. She’d only seen Venice in photographs, and it was even more beautiful in real life.