Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“What is your decision?” Enzo asked as he rested his cutlery across his empty plate, his shoulders aching thanks to the tension that refused to let go.
Kathleen met his gaze. “There’s no choice, really. I have to come with you, or people may die. I will not be responsible for people losing their lives. I can’t be.”
The knot in Enzo’s gut loosened ever so slightly.
It wasn’t that he was worried about his people dying.
They all knew the score. No, it was more like he couldn’t stand the idea of letting Kathleen out of his sight.
Anything could happen, and he wouldn’t be there to…
To what? Save the day? That was just stupid.
She would probably be in more danger with him than with his men.
Still, he was relieved that she’d decided to come with him.
He lifted his hand and gestured to the waiter. The man came immediately. “Can you tell Carmine that we would love a tour of the kitchen?”
“Of course, sir. I will see if Chef is okay with you visiting now.”
Kathleen finished chewing her last bite and put down her cutlery. “A tour of the kitchen. That’s a lovely idea. I love this place. The food is amazing, and the ambience is truly lovely. I never would have found it on my own.”
“It’s one of my favorite restaurants. I’ve been coming here for years.
” The conversation was ridiculous, but they must keep up appearances.
There was little else to say at the moment.
He would give her all the details once they were on their way, but for now, they could both pretend it was nothing more than a lovely lunch.
“Chef would be pleased if you would come for a tour,” the young waiter said as he returned to the table.
Enzo grabbed his sunglasses and stood up. He went around and helped Kathleen out of her chair, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow as they followed the waiter into the building.
The kitchen was a hive of activity. Everyone moved quickly and, by the look of things, efficiently. A short, round barrel of a man took a step back from a flaming grill and smiled at Enzo.
“Carmine,” Enzo said as the man approached. Carmine reached out, and the two men embraced. Enzo had known Carmine since they were both kids making their way up.
“Is good to see you,” Carmine said in heavily-accented English. He nodded toward Kathleen.
She immediately offered her hand and praise for the meal. “Lunch was delicious. You are my new favorite restaurant in Milan.”
Carmine put his hand over his heart and smiled.
“Grazie, thank you. You are too kind. My staff, and my kitchen, and my restaurant are my world. Thank you for coming to share it with me.” He smiled at Enzo.
“Come to my office. We chat for a moment.” He gestured to one of his people and shouted in Italian for coffee, and then made his way to his office in the rear section of the kitchen.
Enzo ushered Kathleen along in Carmine’s wake.
They arrived in the cramped office as someone produced three cups of espresso.
“Thanks,” Enzo said, taking one for himself and one for Kathleen. He handed her the little cup, and at her bewildered expression, gave her a reassuring wink.
Carmine sipped his drink and then put it down on this desk. “They are waiting in the alley. You should go.”
Enzo nodded. “Thank you for this, my friend. If anyone comes asking, tell the truth. I don’t want you to get into trouble over this.”
Carmine chortled. “Don’t worry, mio amico, I know how it works.”
Enzo turned to Kathleen. “Drink up.”
She drained the espresso in one gulp and handed him the cup. He put them both on the desk, gave Carmine another quick hug, and then led Kathleen out the door. This time, they turned left instead of going back through the kitchen.
They emerged in a narrow alley. Stone walls on either side hid their exit as they rushed toward Danny, who was dressed as Enzo, right down to the sunglasses.
A woman wearing clothing identical to Kathleen’s stood next to Danny.
She also had long red hair styled just like Kathleen’s. She wore oversized dark sunglasses.
“Oh my God,” Kathleen blurted out. “You look just like me.”
The woman grinned. “That is the idea. You and I are different, but we are a close enough match, I think.”
Enzo disagreed but remained silent. Kathleen’s features were more delicate, and there was a dusting of freckles across her nose. Also, her emerald green eyes were a show stopper as far as Enzo was concerned. It didn’t matter to people who didn’t know Kathleen, who weren’t attracted to her.
Maria, the woman dressed like Kathleen, was slightly taller, missing Kathleen’s charming freckles and brown eyes. But for Vitale’s men, who would only see her from afar, the deception would work, unless they got right in Maria and Danny’s faces. Enzo was betting it wouldn’t happen.
“We have to go,” he said, finally interrupting the women chattering about clothing sizes and their similarities.
“Good luck,” Danny said as they bumped shoulders. He then nodded to Kathleen. He took Maria’s hand and started off, and then turned back. “I almost forgot.” He handed a phone to Enzo and another to Kathleen.
“What’s this?” Kathleen asked.
“You can’t take your phone with you in case someone is tracking it.”
Kathleen looked like she was about to protest, but then closed her mouth with a small sigh. She handed over her cell phone to Danny. “Can you make sure I get it back, please?”
“I’ll do my best,” Danny said and then nodded to Maria, and they disappeared into the restaurant.
Kathleen turned toward Enzo. “What now?”
“Now we drive to Nice.”
“Nice? As in Nice, France?” Kathleen asked.
Enzo nodded as he grabbed her hand. “Come on, we have to move.” He walked quickly down the alley and made a left at the end. Parked facing the street was a BMW X5M. He gestured to Kathleen to get in the passenger side, and he slid in behind the wheel.
“Here.” He handed Kathleen a navy hoodie. “Put this on. And this,” he added, handing her a dark ball cap. Tuck your hair up. When you’re done, there are sunglasses in the center console for you.”
“You’ve thought of everything.” Her comment was muffled by the hoodie going over her head.
“I hope so,” he muttered as he pulled on a black hoodie. He also donned a ball cap and sunglasses. He started the SUV and then hit the accelerator. “It’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Nice, and then we will catch a train to Paris. And then on to Versailles.”
“The garden at Versailles is huge.” Kathleen tucked a wayward lock of hair under the cap. “And the map doesn’t seem that detailed. How the hell are we going to find the treasure in all that space?”
“That’s tomorrow’s problem,” Enzo said. He didn’t bother to mention that today’s problem was getting there without anyone finding out that they’d left. A lot could go wrong with this plan, and he didn’t want to get ahead of himself on this hunt. He needed to focus on the here and now.
“Well, I guess the actual location helps quite a bit,” Kathleen commented.
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “I’m guessing it’s not gold bullion if it’s hidden in the garden at Versailles.” She frowned. “I guess it could be, but that would be a lot of burying, and I’m not sure you could get away with that without someone noticing and asking questions.”
Enzo grinned. He hadn’t even thought of that yet. It was also tomorrow’s problem, but she was right. “The treasure must be manageable then, you’re right. Nothing massive.”
“That’s a positive and a negative. It’s great that we don’t have to figure out some way to move it, but damn, that makes it harder to find. If it’s a bunch of diamonds buried somewhere in all those acres, it’s going to be damn hard to find.”
Enzo grimaced. She was not wrong. A sinking sensation hit his stomach until he pushed it away. “Like I said, tomorrow’s problem. We must get to Versailles first. Then we can start trying to figure out that mess.”
Kathleen went silent. Enzo glanced at her, but she seemed to be studying their surroundings as they drove. Hopefully, she was relaxed or as relaxed as she could be. He sure as hell wasn’t. He was keeping an eye on the road behind them, but so far, no tail. Or at least not one he could see.
Settling more deeply into his seat, he let his mind go back over the conversations he’d had with Rocco and Massimo.
It was obvious that the grandfather didn’t trust Rocco to bring Bianca home, but did Rocco trust Bianca?
They were sworn enemies, but Rocco had said something on the call, among all the insults and blaming Enzo, that had made him uneasy.
He’d said Bianca knew just the right buttons to push to get what she wanted.
It was a trait Enzo had always admired about her.
Then Rocco said it was about high time she got what she deserved. What did that mean exactly?
Various scenarios ran through his head, but the one that kept rising to the top was the most frightening of all. Bianca working with Vitale was a definite possibility. She would think she could handle Vitale easily, but what if Bianca and Rocco were working together?
“What are you thinking about?” Kathleen asked. “You look angry.”
Enzo glanced over and gave her a quick smile. “Sorry. I was just thinking about the whole situation.”
“And?” Kathleen prompted.
He gave a mental shrug. Why not bounce ideas off her? “I was thinking that maybe I have this backward. Maybe it’s not Vitale using Bianca to get the treasure and get to me. Maybe it’s Bianca using Vitale.”
“Explain.”
Enzo glanced in his rearview mirror once again.
Still clear. “What if Rocco and Bianca are working together? Brad St. John sounds like someone Rocco might see as an easy target. Say Brad tells Rocco about the treasure. Rocco then talks to Bianca…No, that doesn’t work.
He and Bianca don’t get along. He would never cut her in. ”
He blew out a long breath. He was missing something.
“I assume Bianca is pretty,” Kathleen commented.
“Er, yes. She’s gorgeous.”
He glanced at Kathleen in time to see an expression he couldn’t decipher fly across her face, and just as quickly, it was gone.
“What if Bianca has the connection to Brad? What if he told her about the treasure to impress her or to get her help to find it?”
Enzo mulled that idea for a moment. “You may be on to something,” he said finally. “Bianca wouldn’t be able to find the treasure on her own without the map, but more importantly, she wouldn’t want to expend the energy to go looking for it. She would want someone with resources to do that for her.”
“Maybe she went to Vitale with the idea,” Kathleen suggested.
Enzo paused for a moment but then shook his head.
“No, as much as Bianca hates her brother, he’s still family.
She would go to family before she would go to an outsider.
If we’re right, then she went to Rocco and the two of them cooked up the idea to take it to Vitale, but why?
Why would they want to bring in Alessandro Vitale of all people? And why would he bother?”
“We need more information,” Kathleen said. “I think we should call Alex and the Callahans. Jamie relies on them for all kinds of help.”
Enzo’s first instinct was to say no.
“You said yourself that you can’t rely on your network, but we need help from somewhere,” Kathleen pointed out reasonably.
Enzo ground his teeth. She had a point. It irked him to no end that he was going to have to reach out for help, but with Kathleen’s safety on the line, he was willing to shut down his ego. Her safety was more important than anything else.
He opened the center console and pulled out one of the two burner phones. “Make the call.”