by Lori Dillon
David glanced down at Sera. He was certain the same despair that he saw in her eyes shone in his own.
Whether the announcement was true or not didn’t matter. What did matter was that, as far as Italy was concerned, David and Sera were still enemies.
Chapter 25
Walking Sera home that night was the hardest thing David had ever done.
They didn’t speak. They didn’t touch. They didn’t even say goodnight as she slipped in the back door of the Angelicos’ dark villa.
Having her stay at his apartment until dawn would have been the safest thing to do, but he didn’t know if he would have been able to keep his hands off her. But, given the circumstances, that’s what he needed to do. Watching two young men gunned down in front of them brought the war—and the realization that they were still enemies—into harsh reality.
Once again, the day dawned bright and new. And like any other Monday, he got up and went to work just as everyone in town was doing. On the outside, everything appeared nearly the same. After the chaos of two nights ago, the town seemed to slip back into its normal routine, the only difference being that people had to walk around long-dead bonfires and piles of debris, choosing to ignore them as if they weren’t there. But David felt different and, just as everyone else was probably doing, he kept it hidden as he made his way to the ruins.
Approaching the site, he could see Sera getting the equipment ready for the day. She was graceful and fluid as she moved about the tables under the tent, and even under her mannish work clothes, she looked beautiful to him.
He closed his eyes, unable to shake the vision of her standing in the firelight in the middle of the street. Every time he thought of her lying on his bed, ready to welcome him into her arms, he had to fight back the fire inside threatening to consume him.
When he opened his eyes and looked at her again, he wanted nothing more than to walk up to her, pull her into his arms, and kiss the daylights out of her. He wanted to lay her down under the canvas tent and unbutton her shirt to see those glorious breasts in the bright light of day. He wanted to kiss them, taste them, and lose himself inside her until the war went away and nothing but the two of them existed.
But he couldn’t. Not now.
At any moment, their lives could be completely torn apart. Neither of them knew what tomorrow might bring, and until this damned war was over, it wouldn’t be fair to her. To either of them. But that didn’t stop him from wanting it just the same.
Sera turned as he approached. Dark circles weighed heavily under her eyes. Her expression as he drew closer was one of apprehension and regret. Evidently, he wasn’t the only one who hadn’t gotten much sleep. He wondered if it was for the same reasons.
“Are you all right?” he asked, stopping a few steps away from her, afraid if he got too close, he might act on the fantasy that had rampaged through his head.
“I don’t know.”
God, her eyes were haunted. Had he put that look there?
“Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
Her face grew pinched, and she looked away.
“I’m not sure.” Then she closed her eyes and shook her head, as if correcting herself. “I’m feeling things I shouldn’t feel. Wanting things I can’t have.”
He nodded, understanding exactly how she felt.
“I know. Right now I want nothing more than to take you in my arms and forget that we’re enemies in this damned war.”
Her eyes flew open, hope and desire flickering in them before her stubbornness smothered them out.
“But as far as Italy and America are concerned, we are enemies.”
“No. No, we’re not.” He shook his head in denial. “Our countries may say we are, but I know we’re no longer enemies. Not after what happened between us.”
A telling blush crept up her cheeks, and he watched her swallow hard. Was she regretting what had almost happened?
“Then, what are we? After the other night, I don’t think we can call ourselves just friends anymore.”
David took a step forward. He stood so close, all he had to do was reach out and she would be in his arms. But he didn’t.
“No. I think both you and I know we’re more than that now. We can’t ever go back to how it used to be.”
“Then what are we going to do?” She looked so lost, as if she wanted him to give her a simple answer when there was none.
“I know what I want to do.” He stepped even closer, until their bodies nearly touched, forcing her to look up at him. He didn’t miss the flaring of her nostrils or the darkening of her blue eyes. But she didn’t retreat, as she always had before. She just stood there, looking at him, making him want her more with each breath she took.
“What do you want to do?” she asked, her voice husky and low. She almost whispered, as if she were afraid of what his answer might be, but wanted to hear it all the same.
An ache of longing shot through him, so real he thought he might double over from the pain.
“For starters, I want to rip that damned straw hat off your head and run my fingers through your hair like I’ve ached to do a thousand times.” The force of holding back from doing just that nearly killed him.
Sera’s eyes danced back and forth with his own, gauging, probing, wanting. Time seemed to stretch on forever, a million questions flying through the air between them without either uttering a single word. Finally, she reached up and slowly peeled the hat from her head, letting it tumble to the ground. It was all the invitation he needed.
Contrary to the heat of his words, he reached up with one hand and gently touched his fingers to her temple, tunneling them along her sensitive scalp through the silky, brown waves. She closed her eyes and groaned, turning her face into the palm of his hand.
He brought his other hand forward to cup her cheek and brushed the pad of his thumb across her lush lips.
“And I want to kiss you, here, now, in the bright light of day, until we’re both breathless and wanting more.”
“Oh, David.” Her hands caught his wrists, but she didn’t pull his hands away. Instead, she moved hers up to cover his and hold them in place. Her eyes opened then, looking at him with the same smoldering passion he’d barely been able to make out in the moonlit darkness of his room.
Drawing her closer, he stared deep into her eyes, trying to bore himself into her soul.
“I want to lay you down and crawl inside you until I don’t know where you begin and I end.”
All thoughts of what they could and couldn’t have didn’t matter in that moment. All that mattered was Sera and the way she was looking at him right now. The trust and longing in her eyes broke down any walls that might still be standing between them. He leaned in, eager to take what she offered and make his words come true.
Then, somewhere close behind him, he heard the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked.
Pulling back slowly, he dropped his arms and turned to find Giovanni standing behind them, a Luger pointed straight at David’s heart.
“Sorry,” Giovanni said in mock apology. “Did I interrupt something?”
David heard Sera’s gasp from behind him. “What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like? I’m making a citizen’s arrest. Did you know the Germans offer quite a sizeable reward for turning in spies?”
“But he’s not a spy,” she snapped.
“Like hell he’s not.” Giovanni’s hate-filled eyes never wavered from David, and neither did the aim of his gun. “I’m not stupid. I saw him sneaking down an alley to meet his friend. I found the American cigarettes they so carelessly left behind. It’s not a huge leap to figure out they were up to no good.”
“Just because he stops to talk to a friend and smokes a few contraband cigarettes doesn’t make him a spy.”
“No, maybe not.” He turned his gaze briefly to Sera, acknowledging her reasoning with a slight tilt of his head. “But the fact that he noticed me in the German camp on
several occasions does. The only way he would have seen me there is if he’d been watching them on a regular basis. No one does that out of mere curiosity. Only a spy would.” Giovanni turned his cold stare back to David. “And thanks to him, I’m a wanted man. My reputation as an archeologist is ruined. I can never work on a site again.”
“You did that to yourself by selling priceless artifacts,” Sera pointed out. “How could you? I thought you loved the ruins.”
Giovanni’s sharp laugh cracked in the air. “Serafina, you are so naive. Selling artifacts to the Germans is far easier and much more lucrative than just digging them up.” He smiled at her, his soulless eyes reminding David of the lazy crocodiles that sunned themselves on the riverbank near the base camp in Africa, deadly predators that looked deceptively calm, but were constantly on guard for an easy meal from an unwary victim. “They really liked the silver cup, by the way. Thanks for finding it for me.”
“Bastardo!” She lunged at him, and Giovanni quickly swung the gun in her direction.
“Sera, no!” David grabbed her before she could take another step and shoved her behind him.
“Smart man.” Giovanni’s look was cold and hard. “We’re going to take a little walk now. All three of us.”
“Where?” David asked, although he could guess the answer.
“To the German camp. I’m sure they’ll be very eager to talk to you about what you’ve been doing.” A sadistic glint came into Giovanni’s eyes. “I can only imagine the inventive methods the Nazis have for getting information out of a spy. Before they execute you, of course.”
“Giovanni, don’t do this,” Sera pleaded. “If you ever cared about me at all, please don’t do this.”
“This isn’t about you,” he spat. “I need the reward money now that I have a price on my own head, thanks to your lover.”
“Money? Is that all you care about?”
“Hardly, although it is an added bonus.” His face took on a determined look. “No, when the Germans win this war—and they will—I intend to have my place firmly established with them. Who knows, I may even be made Director of Excavations once it’s all over.”
“You’re insane.”
“No, my dear,” Giovanni chuckled. “I’m a realist. And right now I’m just ensuring my future by turning an Allied spy over to the Nazis.”
“But he’s not—”
“Don’t you dare defend him, you little whore,” he snarled, and then his face hardened against her. “I can just as easily turn you over to the Germans, too. I wonder what the going rate for an Allied sympathizer is, especially one who’s half-American?”
Sera’s fists clenched the shirt against David’s back and he felt her fear, as physical as his own. It was not an idle threat. He had to protect her, at any cost.
“I’ll go with you. Just leave her out of this.”
“No!” she cried over his shoulder. She attempted to move, but David reached his arm back to hold her in place and shield her behind him.
“Don’t do it, David,” she pleaded. He felt the warmth of her words seep through the weave of his shirt, mixing with the sweat trickling down his back. He felt her whole body shake as she trembled in fear for him. “You’ll be shot.”
“It’s going to be all right. Trust me.” But even as he spoke them, he had trouble believing his own words.
“So touching.” Giovanni waved the nose of his gun in the direction of the old road. “Let’s get moving. We shouldn’t keep my comrades waiting.”
He forced them to walk down the dirt path along the city wall, heading in the opposite direction of the main entrance. It was too early for the tour groups to be this deep in the ruins, so help in the form of a crowd of witnesses would not be likely.
Giovanni took them down the same route David had taken after their fight over Sera. That time, he hadn’t paid much attention to where he was going, but now he scoured the area, looking for a chance to escape, waiting for that brief moment when Giovanni might let down his guard.
He was careful to keep himself between Sera and the gun. Giovanni walked several steps behind them, close enough to shoot, but not near enough for David to make a move.
He had to do something. He didn’t trust Giovanni not to turn Sera over to the Germans just as he threatened to do. David had gotten her into this. He’d be damned if she was going to die because of him.
His only hope would be to distract Giovanni until an opportunity presented itself.
“So, why didn’t your comrades come with you this time?”
Giovanni took a moment before he answered. “They were busy.”
Sure, they were. “You mean they didn’t believe you after you were proved wrong the last time you dragged them here?”
“I was not wrong!” Giovanni shouted behind them.
David cautioned himself. Distracting Giovanni was one thing. Getting a bullet in the back of the head for pissing him off was another.
“Are you so certain? A few cigarette butts and suspicion from a disgruntled ex-archeologist aren’t a lot to go on. What if they don’t believe you this time?”
“David, be careful,” Sera whispered over her shoulder.
“Trust me,” he whispered back. “Be ready, and do as I say.”
David slowed his steps, and Sera matched his pace. As he’d hoped, he heard Giovanni’s footsteps draw closer behind them.
“Oh, they’ll believe me this time.”
“How so?”
“Simple, really.” Giovanni spoke as if the answer should be obvious. “You’re going to tell them exactly who and what you are.”
David had to laugh.
“Now, why would I go and do a stupid thing like that?”
Giovanni’s voice came from only a few feet behind them, his words uttered with an assurance that he was in control.
“Because if you don’t, I’m going to put a bullet in Serafina’s pretty little head.”
The deadly determination in his voice put David on guard. He wasn’t about to see if Giovanni would really go that far.
They were nearing the Amphitheatre entrance. Once outside, there would be little between them and the German camp. If David was going to act, he had to do it now. Without breaking his stride, he stuck his foot out in front of Sera, just enough to catch her ankle and trip her.
“Oh!” she cried as she went down.
David’s left arm shot out around her waist to grab her. As they stumbled together, his other hand scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground.
“What are you—”
He spun, tossing the dirt into Giovanni’s eyes.
“Accidenti a te!” Damn you!
“Run!” David grabbed Sera’s arm and tugged her toward the Palaestra. A bullet ricocheted off the stone walls behind them, followed by another. Two shots, six more to go.
The sound of gunfire would no doubt bring anyone within earshot in this direction. If he could get Giovanni to waste all the bullets, they might have a fighting chance, providing he didn’t have another magazine on him.
Entering the large enclosure, they kept to the shadows of the colonnade. A quick glance revealed that Giovanni was close behind. He fired, hitting the column next to Sera and showering them with a rain of tiny bits of plaster. Three down, five to go.
David shoved Sera behind the next column, using it to shield them. He saw a shadow at the end of the row of pillars duck into an opening. This was their chance to make a run for it.
Grabbing Sera’s hand, he pulled her further down the walkway, ducking behind each column along the way, always watching the end to see if Giovanni reappeared. The main entrance to the Palaestra was just ahead. Once they reached it, they would be one block away from the Via dell’Abbondanza, the main thoroughfare through the town. Hopefully, some tourists would be there by then.
David stopped at the archway and peered down the street. It was empty. Bad in that there were no crowds of tourists to disappear in. Good because there was also no sign of Giovanni.
“It’s clear. Come on.” Just as he stepped out into the sunlight, a shot rang out, hitting the wall beside his head.
“Damn!” David shoved Sera back in the archway. “He must have gone around. He cut us off.”
“We have to use the Amphitheatre entrance. It’s the only way out of this side of the ruins.”
David didn’t like it. It was too close to where Giovanni wanted them to be. Too close to the German camp. But they had no choice. Giovanni still had four shots left.
They ran back down the colonnade. David glanced over his shoulder as they reached the end and saw Giovanni’s dark form appear in the archway where they’d been standing only seconds before. He charged after them with fury in his eyes, the gun pointed straight at them.
“Hurry!” David shoved Sera ahead of him. “He’s right behind us.”
Another shot whizzed past as they sprinted down the old road. David thanked God that Giovanni was such a lousy shot. But even lousy shots got lucky sometimes.
As if on cue, a second bullet pinged off the wall to their right, barely missing Sera. Instinct made David pull her to the left, out of danger, but also away from their only way out of the ruins. Taking the only available cover, he yanked her into the darkness of the tunnel leading into the Amphitheatre just as another shot fired behind them. Seven. Only one bullet left.
He practically dragged her through the tunnel, panic making the light at the end look like a beacon of safety. Charging out into the sunlight, they took several strides before the momentum of their flight slowed down.
David looked around them with a sickening feeling. Bad idea. The place offered no protection. Unlike the last time they stood there, not a single tourist was in sight. They were alone in the arena. The entire area was open, with nowhere to hide. They’d never make it to the opposite side and the safety of the other tunnel in time.
David heard the muted sound of Giovanni’s footfalls on the stone-paved floor of the passageway and turned in time to see him charge out into the sunlight from the darkness of the tunnel. Giovanni’s steps slowed to a walk when he saw them standing there. He grinned as he stopped and took careful aim.