by Rene Fomby
“Right?” Harry tried a slug of his beer. “So, back to the present, now that house shopping is over, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“Don’t rightly have one. We could head back to Siena for a month or so, hang out until the new house closes. But I’ve kind of gotten bored with all that out there. Other than racing around the crooked little Italian streets in my Alfa, of course, all but daring the local police to try and give me a ticket. It’s really pretty funny how they all seem to look the other way whenever I zoom past. Literally. I don’t think I could get away with any of that here.”
“I wouldn’t suggest trying it.”
“Yeah. Given our history, it’s not like the police or prosecutors around here are likely to cut either of us any slack. Okay, back on topic, Gavin and Andy are done with their honeymoon thing and are setting up shop in D.C., Carlo Rossi is busy trying to pull Europe back together and make kissy face with the Muslims, Margaret has her hands full with little Sophia, and my dear friend Claudia Boucher is stuck cooling her heels in an Italian jail cell for the next few years. So, other than Maddie, I’ve got butkus going on for me out there right now, not a single person to hang out with. At least here in Houston I have you, for whatever that’s worth.” She tried a long, cold sip of her wine, watching him over the rim of her glass. “So, how about you? Now that Annabelle’s out of the picture, is there someone special in your life right now, someone you’re dating, perhaps?”
Harry looked away, embarrassed and not entirely certain how to answer that question. “Yes. And no. Yes, there is someone special. But no, we’re not dating right now.”
“Why not?”
Harry finally, reluctantly made eye contact. “Well, you might say we’ve been in a long distance relationship for quite a while now.”
“Long distance?”
“Well, much shorter now.”
“Oh. I see. That would definitely make things much easier, I guess. Being closer, that is. And, this girl, does she share the same feelings toward you?”
“More of a woman than a girl. But, now that you ask—I think so. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”
“Have you asked her? That seems like a great place to start.”
Harry shook his head. “Sometimes that’s the hardest place to start.”
“I got you.” Sam set her wine glass down and eyed him coyly. “So, do I know this young lady?”
“I think you do. In fact, I’m pretty sure you do.”
“Okay, so how far along are you two in this relationship, if you don’t mind sharing? Lovers? Just friends? Friends with privileges?”
“Well, we’ve—what do you call kissing? First base?”
Sam pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. Isn’t that second base?”
Harry shrugged.
“So. You kissed. How did that work out?”
“I guess it didn’t. The very next morning she hopped on a plane and hightailed it out of the country. Hasn’t been back to Texas for over a year, at least not to Houston. Until now, that is.”
Sam picked up her glass, using it to hide behind, hide the smile that was slowly threatening to betray her. “Ouch! What in the world did you say to her that caused her to take off like that?”
“I don’t think I said much of anything, to tell the truth.”
“So, it must have been the kiss. That can be a real problem for some women. A bad kisser is a real put-off.”
“Well, I think you might be right. It must have been the kiss. But what can I do? I mean, I can watch movies, even practice kissing my own hand all day long, but that doesn’t mean I’ll get any better at it.”
“So … sounds to me like you might need to line up a kissing coach.”
“That’s a thing? Really? A kissing coach?”
“Yes, it is. In fact, I happen to be fully certified by the State of Texas to provide those kinds of services. I’m pretty sure my license is still valid …”
“Wow, that’s great! So, do you think you can help me out, here? I’ll be happy to pay the current rate. More than the current rate, really, given the fact that I’m so terribly desperate.”
“Hmm. I usually ask for references, just to make sure I don’t get mixed up with any creeps. Or pervs. But you look like a nice fellow. Maybe a little on the nerdy side, but that’s pretty much par for the course in my line of work. So, sure, let’s give it a shot and see if you’re salvageable. As a matter of fact, Maddie’s sound asleep right now, so it appears I have an immediate opening in my schedule. Will that work for you?”
“Uh, certainly. You take Venmo?”
“Tell you what, I’ll just bill you later, if that’s okay with you.” Sam patted the cushion next to her, and Harry moved over, sitting as close as he could without actually touching. Sam scooched over to press her hip lightly up against his. “So, let’s see. I guess the first step is, you put your left hand around my waist, like so.” She grabbed his hand and pressed it against the inside of her waist, just below her ribs.
“Gosh, this is so complicated!”
You don’t say. “Don’t worry, we’ll take it slow. Okay, next, place your right hand on my back, just under my neck. Yeah, just like that. My, you appear to be a natural at this. Don’t know why you’ve had any problems so far.” So far, so good. But now comes the tricky part … She arched her back ever so slightly, and felt him stiffen in return. “Okay. This is clearly where you got in trouble the last time, when you were with—what did you say her name was?”
“I forget, it’s been so long. Sandy, maybe? Susy?”
“Okay, we’ll go with Sandy for now. And for God’s sake, close your eyes. You’re freaking me out, staring at me like that.” She kept her own eyes wide open, watching him, studying his eyelids, his nose, his lips. Especially his lips. “Good. Now, s-l-o-w-l-y lean in toward me.” She moved her face a hairsbreadth downward, angling her lips just so, less than an inch away from his, his warm breath brushing against her own as her tongue reached out lightly to soften her lips. “Perfect. And part your lips just a tiny bit, not like you’re kissing your spinster aunt, but not like you’re planning to shove your tongue down my throat any second now, either.” Her breath caught in her throat as she watched his lips move in compliance, now just millimeters away from hers, touching but not yet touching, the original ballet between Adam and Eve. “Good. Very good. By Jove, I think you’re getting it …”
“This all feels a little awkward …”
“Hush! Talking spoils the mood. Okay, now, just hold it like that a second or so longer. Our lips just an inch or so apart, I can feel your breath on mine, then, s-l-o-w-l-y close the gap, just like …”
Coming up for air an hour later, they both agreed the problem couldn’t have been the kiss.
acknowledgments
This book completes the story of William Tulley’s conspiracy that first began with Resumed Innocent and continued with The Chi Rho Conspiracy. The legal aspects of this book are based upon my own real-life cases from my criminal defense and civil litigation practice in Texas. Unlike my previous two books in the series, however, the major case in this one, the murder allegations against an engineer from Yemen, are completely fictional. My intent with the case was to illustrate the general role that racism and bigotry plays in corrupting the criminal justice system, as well as the systemic problems caused by the unchecked ambitions of certain prosecutors.
While Resumed Innocent focused mainly on criminal justice, and The Chi Rho Conspiracy introduced readers to problems endemic to the pharmaceutical industry (and was itself based upon the previously untold story of a very real drug), my objective with New Rome Rising was to explore the rich and also largely untold history of the Christian faith, a subject very few of us Christians truly understand. The research for this particular book took a great many years—my entire life, in many ways— and in the end I was forced to leave massive amounts of well-researched and truly fascinating material on the cutting room floor. This is not, after all, a non-
fiction religious history book, but instead a fictional thriller, so boring details involving two thousand years of history and Church intrigue had to take a backseat to explosions and gun fights. More’s the pity, but I would encourage you, the reader, to explore that history on your own. Truth is quite often much stranger than fiction.
Many people have provided invaluable advice and assistance in the creation of this book. Kara Vaught, of course, remains an amazing and talented editor, as well as an even more amazing and patient mother. Dr. Janice Smith, to whom this book is dedicated, offers constant encouragement for me to stay focused on my writing and leave my day job as a lawyer in the dust. And last but certainly not least, my everlasting thanks to Elizabeth, my greatest cheerleader, my inspiration, my best friend forever, the keeper of my heart, and, to a very large extent, my role model for the character of Samantha Tulley.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge you, my readers. Writing can be a lonely existence, and every author I know wrestles with what our readers actually think about the words we struggle over every day. Did I go too far with this? Did I over-explain the science in that? Does the story move at a good pace throughout, or does it bog down frustratingly in various spots like an Ayn Rand rant?
So, here’s my offer. If you like these stories, but you want them to be even better in the future, go to this book’s page on Amazon or Goodreads and tell me what you think. It’s free, it only takes a moment, and it really helps other readers sort through all of the millions of books out there to find one special little story to help take them away from this crazy world we live in. If only for a short while.
And, while I’m at it, thank you. If you are reading this, you must have enjoyed at least some part of this story, which brings a great deal of warmth to my heart. I would also encourage you to follow up elsewhere on many of the non-religious details laid out in the book. With the exception of the side story about the First and Last Librarians (which quite possibly could have been true), virtually every bit of the story is well documented online, even the bits regarding the Nanteos Cup and the Holy Grail. Which just goes to prove the old maxim about not necessarily believing everything you read … especially if it comes from the Internet!
Cheers, and good health to you!
Rene
other books by rene fomby
Resumed Innocent (Sam Tulley #1)
The Chi Rho Conspiracy (Sam Tulley #2)
The Game of War
Private Eyes
coming soon
From Russia With Fur (Private Eyes #2)
With Her Majesty’s Secret Corgis (Private Eyes #3)
bonus materials
Long before he started writing books, Rene was an award-winning news photographer. Now he’s turned his eye to recording memories of his many trips abroad with Elizabeth, his faithful travel companion and biggest cheerleader, and has saved many of the photos of places in this and other stories on his author website, www.renefomby.com. Some of the pictures are better than others, but we included even the iffy images whenever we thought they might help your inner vision of the exotic travels of Sam Tulley and friends. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
the mousetrap
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
the conclave
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
the light at the end
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
the wall
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
the gathering storm
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
the rabbit hole
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
a new rome rising
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
the lost church
128
129
130
131
132
133
a resumed innocence
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
acknowledgments
other books by rene fomby
coming soon
bonus materials