by Jonas Saul
A long line had formed by a bus with Terravision written on the side of it, the name of the airport advertised on the top of the bus. Inside Termini, a long line of trains with aerodynamic noses waited.
A car door slammed behind them. She looked back for a quick second, then did a double take. The man dressed in black with the cowboy hat and boots moved away from a taxi and headed for the inside of the train terminal.
A horn blared. Sarah had stopped in the middle of the road to watch the cowboy.
“Sarah?” Kierian pleaded from the sidewalk. “Come on. Don’t draw attention.”
She headed his way but kept an eye on the cowboy. If he turned toward her just once …
She stopped beside Kierian as the vehicles she had held up drove past.
“What’s got your attention?” he asked.
Without pointing, she said, “You see that guy with the cowboy hat and the black clothes?”
Kierian searched in the direction she was looking.
“He’s about to use the escalators just inside the entrance to the terminal.”
“Yeah, I see him.”
“He was at the airport.”
“Sarah, that’s what people do. They fly in and then come to Termini to take a train to every part of Italy—”
She bolted. He called her name, but she kept running.
A man on a Vespa drove around a BMW and had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting her. She hopped onto the sidewalk, dodged a group of teenagers with backpacks, and headed straight for the down escalator.
At the last second, the man in the cowboy hat turned around. He smiled and tipped his hat and then disappeared from view.
Now he had to explain himself.
She hit the top of the escalator, jumped around three women and ran down two steps at a time.
At the bottom, it opened up to a long hall with stores lining both sides.
The cowboy was nowhere in sight.
Kierian reached the top of the escalators and yelled something down at her.
What happened to ‘don’t draw attention to us’?
A small grocery store on her right seemed to have the most people. If she wanted to hide fast, that would be a good option.
She entered it and walked the first aisle. The store was set up in a way that she had to walk to the back of the store in order to turn down another aisle, where she found herself in the center of the store. The beer and wine was in the far corner and the cashiers were to her right.
The cowboy had disappeared.
She checked two more aisles and then walked through the checkout area and moved back into the mall’s main corridor.
Shit.
Kierian caught up with her. “What was that all about?”
“We’re being followed.”
Kierian grabbed her arm and guided her to the side. “Sarah, no one knows we’re here. That’s impossible.”
She yanked her arm out of his grasp. “Grab me again at your own risk. I’m not your employee. I don’t work for you and you don’t ever manhandle me. Clear?”
He stepped back. “Okay, sorry.”
You don’t sound sorry. “I know what I saw and that man paid more attention to us than what is considered normal. Before he dropped out of sight, he tipped his hat at me.”
“Maybe he thinks you’re hot. The Italians are known to be a passionate people.”
“He stood against a pillar at the airport and watched us leave. Whoever he is, he knows us.”
“Okay, Sarah. Since we can’t see him right now, can we go check in and get some food? Our contact is coming to meet us soon.”
“See, someone does know we’re here.”
“Sarah …”
She grunted compliance and followed Kierian up the escalators. They crossed the busy street, the city almost dark as the sun’s last rays died in the sky.
Half a block from Termini, Kierian entered a large door and took a flight of stairs to the lobby of the hotel on the second floor.
“Buonasera,” the man at the desk said. He looked like what Sarah would call a classic Italian. A Robert De Niro face with black hair slicked back.
“Buonasera,” Kierian replied. “We’re here for seven days. Sette giorni.”
“Ahh, good Italiano,” the man said in accented English. “Name-ah?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Cooper.” Kierian smiled at Sarah. She didn’t smile back. Not catching up with the cowboy, and Kierian grabbing her arm only added to her irritability.
“I gotta you in a rooma twenty-seven. Here’sah you key, you TV remoteah and the airah conditioner unit controla.” The clerk set everything on top of the counter. “Nowa, I just a needa you passaporta.”
Kierian handed the man two American passports. Sarah took the opportunity to examine the exits and memorize the lobby.
“The passaporta information may take a few minutes,” the clerk said. “Can you returno for them?”
“Certo,” Kierian said. “Of course.”
He started for the stairs with Sarah on his heels. Once inside their room, Sarah opened the balcony doors and stepped out to see how high they were and which direction the balcony faced.
She needed to go shopping. She needed a pad of paper and a pen. Vivian was probably aching to talk to her. There had to be something Sarah needed to know.
The balcony was small and the air conditioner unit sat to the left of the doors, constricting the small space even more.
The street below was a narrow one-way with small cars lining both sides. To the left, it went as far as she could see, ending in a blur of trees. To the right, it came to a stop at the road where another Terravision bus was loading passengers bound for the airport. The train station walls rose behind the bus.
She looked toward the street at the corner and caught a glimpse of someone pulling back out of sight.
Someone wearing a cowboy hat.
Chapter 8
“Talk to me,” Sarah demanded. “Tell me what you have on this Marconi guy while we wait for your weapon delivery guy.”
“How about over dinner?” Kierian asked from the bed he had claimed as his. He was sprawled out, hands clasped behind his head.
“No. In the privacy of this room. I don’t want anyone watching us or listening in.”
“No one is watching us.”
She tilted her head and glared at him.
“Okay,” he said. “You saw what you saw. But, seriously, no one knows we’re here.”
“I disagree. Someone does and they now know what room we’re in. You know, for an FBI agent, you’re taking this lightly.”
Kierian frowned, but a second later his face changed. He jumped off the bed and ran to the balcony. She sat on her bed and waited. After a moment he stepped back inside.
“I don’t see anyone watching us.”
Her gut warned her something wasn’t right. How could the authorities in Toronto arrest Aaron as she heard on the phone and still no word? How could Kierian be such a good FBI agent that they authorized him to take her to Italy to hunt a man who had been killing high-ranking Mafia bosses, and yet he acted like he was on holiday? She had not detected him acting as if he was in the line of duty since they had arrived.
Unless he’s not here as an FBI agent …
“What are we doing in Italy?”
Kierian walked to his bed and lay back. “Come on, Sarah, you’ve asked that question before. Don’t break my balls. You know why we’re here.”
“Why aren’t you acting like the tough, educated agent that I met in Toronto when I was working that serial killer case with Detective Lyson?”
He opened one eye. “I’m the same guy. Maybe you’ve had a change of heart.”
“Don’t put this on me. You’ve changed, not me.”
Someone knocked on the door. Kierian jumped up and ran over. Sarah entered the bathroom which was behind the hotel room door in case Kierian needed backup.
“Yeah?” Kierian said.
“It’s me. Dinello
.”
Kierian smiled and whispered to Sarah, “My gun.”
He opened the door and let a man enter. Then he checked the hall and shut and secured the door.
“Dinello, long time.”
“I know, too long.”
They embraced, then did the double kiss on the cheeks and slapped each other’s arms.
“This is Sarah. She’s here in an advisory capacity.”
Dinello nodded at her.
They moved to Kierian’s bed where Dinello pulled a rectangular box out of his jacket.
“Kierian?” Sarah said. “While you two do this, I’ll go back down to the front desk to get our passports.”
“Okay, we won’t be long.”
Sarah left the room and walked the length of the hall to see where it led. Then she went the other way. Finally, she headed down to the small lobby. The same man sat behind the desk. When he saw her coming, he reached behind the counter and produced the documents.
“Grazie.” She picked them up off the counter.
“Prego,” he said. “Buonanotte.”
“Good night to you, too.”
She headed up the stairs and knocked on their door. Kierian’s voice came through the wood.
“Yeah?”
“It’s me, Sarah.”
The door clicked. As Sarah stepped inside, Dinello passed her on his way out.
“That was fast,” she said.
“Just a drop off,” Kierian said as he shut the door. “Sarah, come look at this.”
She set the passports on the small desk and moved to the end of Kierian’s bed. A gorgeous Smith & Wesson sat in a red velvet box.
“Is that brand new?”
Kierian nodded.
“Nice, but without testing it on the range, using it a few times to get used to it …” Five boxes of ammunition sat on the bed beside the weapon. “Who are you going to war with?”
“Pick it up. Feel its weight, its beauty.”
She wrapped her fingers around the handle and checked to see if it was loaded. Everything was crisp and clean as if it came from the factory an hour ago.
After a thorough examination, Sarah set it back in the box.
“Where’s mine?” she asked.
“That’s a problem.”
She flopped onto her bed, not sure she could stay awake any longer. “Why’s that?” she asked, not willing to fight with him until tomorrow.
“Dinello was hired to bring one gun to the room upon our arrival. If we had stuck to the original plan and came to Italy in ten days, I would’ve arrived with my own weapon and this one would’ve been yours. So he’s coming tomorrow night with one more of these, same time.”
Sarah closed her eyes.
“Fine,” she whispered.
As she fell asleep, Vivian came to mind.
She was screaming for Sarah to get up and leave the room.
But Sarah fell asleep before she could listen to her.
Chapter 9
Something banged against the door, waking her with a start.
“What …” she mumbled and rubbed her eyes. She felt heavy with the time change and jet lag, her limbs difficult to lift.
“It’s just me,” Kierian said. He stood by the door, having just put his shoes on. “I’m going down to the lobby to check in with my superiors on their computer.”
Sarah sat up on the edge of her bed. Their hotel room was dim, illuminated only by the bathroom light. “Yeah, I saw that computer when we got here. What time is it?”
“Around six in the morning.”
She sat up straighter. “Really? I’ve been out all night?” She looked down at her clothes. “And I slept in these?”
“Looks that way,” Kierian said. “I’ll look up Toronto news when I’m down there to see if I can find anything on Aaron, okay?”
His voice was soft. He sounded like he actually cared.
She nodded, her mind foggy and tired. She needed a shower and coffee to wake up.
She got up, showered, redressed and opened the doors to the balcony, taking in the quiet street below and the fresh air on her face. She was awake now and ready to face their first full day in Italy.
The room’s door opened and Kierian entered.
“Anything on Aaron?” she asked as she stepped back into the room.
He pursed his lips and shook his head a few times. “Sorry.”
“Anything new at your office?”
“What do you mean?”
You’re not the same man I met in Toronto.
“When you checked in? Is there any news? Damn it, why are you so evasive? You want information from Vivian but you’re not that forthcoming yourself.”
“Is this the normal Sarah or did you wake up grumpy?”
“Fuck you, Kierian.” She walked past him and opened the door. “I’m going for a walk.”
“Where?” he asked.
She stopped and looked back. “I need a pad and paper. I need clothes. I want breakfast.” She turned and started off. “There’s no danger here. No one knows we’re even in Italy, right? And, I am not buying a bra and panties with you. It’s seven in the morning. Shops are opening soon. See you in a while.”
The door shut behind her.
In the lobby, she got on the computer and signed in to the browser. She brought up Toronto news and looked for any mention of the attack on Aaron’s building or Aaron’s arrest, but found nothing. Kierian was right. Either it didn’t happen or it wasn’t newsworthy.
She left the hotel and walked across to Roma Termini. Inside the train station, she kept a close eye on her back. The cowboy was nowhere in sight.
She realized it was stupid to fall asleep last night without changing rooms or even hotels. If the cowboy worked for Marconi, they could’ve attacked them while they were sleeping.
A cafe was open to an abundance of tourists and Italians lining up for their morning espresso or cappuccino. Sarah got in line and used one of the hundred Euro bills for her two-Euro beverage and croissant, to the clerk’s chagrin. In English, she tried to explain that she needed a lot of change to use with the pay phone. The clerk gave her almost twenty Euros in coins, probably as payback for using such a large bill.
She drank the espresso at the counter and left the store, eating the croissant as she headed to the bank of pay phones along a far wall.
At the phones, she dialed the international code for the States and added Parkman’s number from memory. Then she dropped Euros into the slot until the call connected.
He answered on the second ring.
“Parkman,” Sarah said, relieved. “I’m so happy you’re there.”
“Sarah! Long time. I’m the one who is happy you called. How are things?”
“I heard from my parents that you were back in Santa Rosa and working at your security firm full time again.”
“Someone’s got to build this empire.”
“Is there a toothpick in your mouth?” She looked around behind her. At this early hour, only half a dozen people milled around this part of the terminal.
“As always.”
“Parkman, listen. I’m into something and I’m not sure what’s going on.”
“What can I do to help?”
“I’m working with a man named Special Agent Penn Kierian of the FBI—”
“You’re working with the feds? What the hell happened to the Sarah I knew?”
“I know, long story. When I get home I’ll fill you in. Anyway, there’s something about him I don’t trust. Can you pull some strings and see what you can find out?”
“I’ll call in a favor. Come to think of it, there’s an agent who owes me a huge favor from the days when they got the bust of that Mormon compound you liberated years ago. Jill Hanover. I’ll call her. What’s bothering you?”
“Listen, the phone may cut off at any time. I’m in Termini station in Rome on a pay phone and I have to use coins to call.”