No Place Like Rome Read online

  He nodded. “Yeah. By me.”

  “Maybe now, but when you’re not here, it’s taken by someone else.”

  He still didn’t look at me. He had a tattoo of a naked girl on his bicep. When he flexed, the naked girl jiggled her oversized breasts. I was pretty sure I couldn’t move him on my own.

  “Your date is busy. He got called away.”

  “I’m not on a date. I think. What happened?”

  “Dark Stallion had an important matter to attend to. He sends his apologies.”

  “Dark Stallion?”

  “He said to tell you he was sorry and that I should take you home after the opera is over.”

  “Jeez, wait. Are we talking about Slash?”

  “I’m talking about your date.”

  “I’m not on a date. We’re just friends.”

  “Whatever. He had a family emergency.”

  That took me by surprise. Not that Slash had a family. It’s just I’d never heard him speak of his family. He’d never spoken about any friends either. In fact, I hadn’t even seen him around anyone other than agents. He seemed the loner type, which happens to be my type, too. Maybe we were more compatible than I’d thought. Besides, I’d never told him about my family, so there you have it.

  “Oh, well, I hope everything is okay.”

  I kind of wished he’d give me more information, but he stared straight ahead and focused on Larissa who was on her zillionth change of costume and was swooning and singing to some bearded guy in weird-looking pantaloons and a beret.

  The opera wasn’t doing it for me, so I decided to be conversational. Which meant I was really, really bored.

  “You don’t sing opera do you?”

  He gave me a strange look. “Huh?”

  “Just checking. Are you part of the FBI detail that follows Slash?”

  Silence.

  “Fine. Can you at least tell me your name?”

  “Bald Eagle.”

  “That’s your real name?”

  “Nah, it’s a nickname.”

  Now that made sense. “So, Bald Eagle, do you like the opera?”

  “No. I prefer ballet.”

  I looked to see if he was joking, but his face remained impassive. “Slash asked you to take me home?”

  “We refer to him as the Dark Stallion.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Did Dark Stallion ask you to take me home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can we go now?”

  “Don’t you want to see the end?”

  “Truthfully I’d rather poke my eyes out with a hot stick.”

  He looked at me for the first time and smiled. “Thank God. I thought you’d never want to leave. Let’s blow this joint.”

  We left the box and Baldy took me to the coat check, gave the lady a tip, then helped me into my coat.

  We walked outside in the cool November air and I shivered. “So, are you friends with...Dark Stallion?”

  “He doesn’t have many friends.”

  Another thing Slash and I had in common. I could count all my friends on one hand.

  “Do you know if his real name is Giovanni?”

  Baldy didn’t answer, only took my elbow and steered me to a black SUV that sat idling on the street. He opened the back door and I climbed in. Another large guy sat behind the wheel and gave me a little wave.

  “You’re done early.”

  “The opera didn’t agree with me.” As I fastened my seatbelt, an unlit red light sitting on the dashboard caught my eye. “Thanks for taking me home. I didn’t know the FBI performed these kinds of services.”

  “We don’t normally. But Dark Stallion is special.”

  He didn’t have to say more. I already knew that, too.

  They drove me home without incident. I thanked them, climbed the stairs to my apartment and went inside.

  Stripping off my dress, I washed off what little make-up I had on my face, then examined the tender bruises on my shoulder and hip. They were already turning purple. I also had a scrape on my right knee and elbow. Sighing, I washed them off, then applied some antibiotic cream. Then I chased down two ibuprofen capsules with some tap water. Jeez, who knew the opera could be so dangerous?

  I brushed my teeth, pulled on an oversized T-shirt and climbed into bed. I thought I’d have trouble falling asleep, but I must have conked out immediately. At some point I began dreaming I was lost in the Italian countryside being chased by a herd of opera-singing goats. I woke up in a sweat, my heart pounding, hands shaking. Sliding out of bed, I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. After a few minutes I headed back to bed. That’s when I saw the red rose on my other pillow.

  Slash.

  He was the only person I knew who, despite my owning a top-notch alarm system, could slip in and out of my apartment without a peep. Master hacker extraordinaire. I wondered when he had come and when he had left. Had he seen me thrashing in my sleep? Jeez, why had I put on my old, ratty T-shirt?

  I picked up the rose and sniffed at it. There was a small card beneath it, so I turned it over and read the inscription.

  To be continued...

  I turned on the lights and looked through the rest of my apartment. Empty. The rose and the fact that my security chain had been unfastened were the only two bits of evidence that he’d been in my place. I wondered what had caused him to leave the opera so abruptly and, given the secretive nature of his work, whether he’d even be able to tell me.

  Interestingly enough, I was about to find out.

  It wasn’t at all what I expected.

  Chapter Two

  I drove into the office bright and early with enough time to make a swing through Dunkin’ Donuts and pick up a blueberry muffin and an extra-large coffee to go. I didn’t like my fifty-minute commute from Jessup, Maryland, to Crystal City, Virginia, but I hadn’t yet got the courage to leave my small but cozy apartment. It was the first and only place I’d lived outside of college and I’d rented it when I started work at the NSA. Now that I worked for X-Corp Global Security and Intelligence, the commute was hell, but I was too fresh in my job to leave it just yet.

  I expected to have a little free time when I got to the office. Finn, my boss and the man who I’m sort of seeing, had his family from Ireland visiting, so I figured he’d be busy with them for the next several days. We didn’t have any new clients and I thought I’d surf the Net and get caught up on what was new in computer security. But when I strolled into my office, a handwritten note from Finn lay across my keyboard.

  Conference Room #2, ASAP.

  I snatched my laptop in one hand and coffee in the other and headed out. When I arrived, Finn was in deep discussion with a dark-haired man whose back was to me. Still there was something familiar about that hair...

  “Slash!” I dropped my laptop on the table a little harder than I expected.

  Slash looked up at me and smiled. “Ah, cara. Good morning to you.”

  I waited a beat, but he made no reference to the opera. I decided to follow his example and keep my mouth shut, especially with Finn present. Not that I felt guilty or anything because, after all, it hadn’t been a date. I think.

  “Yeah, um, hey. I’m good. What are you doing here?”

  Finn leaned back in his chair. I guess he was technically still on vacation as he was dressed in casual wear—blue jeans and a sky blue sweater, not his typical workday wardrobe.

  He smiled at me. “Lexi, I’m
glad you’re here. Is that a scratch on your face?”

  I touched my cheek. “Ah, just a little accident.”

  Finn exhaled a deep breath. “Well, we’ve got a problem.”

  I froze.

  Oh. My. God. Slash told Finn he’d taken me to the opera and I’d made a fool of myself by falling into the orchestra pit with the lead soprano. Someone had posted pictures online—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. My actions would be horrible enough to reflect badly on X-Corp and I’d have to be fired. I was so screwed. Sacked before I barely started.

  I started to hyperventilate.

  Wait. Or maybe it was something else. Something worse. What if Finn thought Slash and I were on a date and somehow I was technically two-timing him? Like I even had a clue how to do that. Would that be considered worse than a catfight with a soprano? How the hell would I know? Jeez. Better to fire me now and get it over with.

  Finn spoke. “Slash wants to hire X-Corp.”

  I blinked. Slowed my breathing. Let my heart return to a semi-regular rhythm. Okay, that was something I hadn’t expected in a million years. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach.

  “Lexi, what’s wrong with you?” Finn pointed to a chair. “Sit down already. You look deathly pale and you’re breathing funny.”

  I sat and studied Slash’s face, but he looked impeccably calm. Finn jotted something down in a notebook.

  “Slash’s uncle has been accused of money laundering at the Vatican Bank to the tune of eighteen million euros.”

  “Huh?” I glanced at Slash. “Your uncle works at the Vatican Bank?”

  He nodded and Finn continued. “His uncle insists it’s a matter of his computer network being compromised, but the Roman authorities aren’t necessarily seeing it his way.”

  “They think he’s squirreled it away somewhere?”

  Finn nodded. “Exactly. In the meantime, according to EU regulations, the Roman magistrates are freezing millions of the Vatican’s money. Obviously, this is an immediate problem for the Holy Order.”

  I wondered if this were the family emergency that had whisked him away last night. Probably. “Okay, so where does X-Corp fit in?”

  “I’d like to hire X-Corp to look into this matter on my uncle’s behalf.” Slash leaned forward on the table. “He’s been hacked.”

  I opened my laptop. “Well, it sure sounds like it. But I’d presume the Roman authorities would consider this a legit possibility and have their own experts look into it.”

  “True, cara. But their experts are not invested in my uncle’s innocence and are likely not be as good as you nor as fast.”

  The unexpected compliment warmed me to my toes. I tried not to blush, but my cheeks heated. “Well, he has you.”

  There was no question that Slash was by far a more experienced and expert hacker than me, but just the fact that he thought I was decent at what I did made my heart do a little dance.

  Finn ran his fingers through his hair and it looked like it wasn’t the first time he’d done it this morning. “Lexi, Slash works for the U.S. government in a very sensitive position. As this is a delicate matter between the Vatican and the Roman authorities, Slash would prefer to work more behind the scenes. X-Corp would be the public face of any interaction required with the authorities.”

  I could deal with that. I looked over at Slash. “You think hackers compromised the Vatican? Why would they use your uncle’s account?”

  “He is the Director-General of the bank, the second in command. He’d have access to everything.”

  Wow. Who knew Slash had relatives in such distinguished places? Yet, it fit with my earlier discovery that Slash had once worked for Vatican intelligence. “Will your uncle cooperate with us?”

  “Of course.”

  Finn made a few more notes. “When would you want us to start?”

  “Today.”

  Finn glanced up and over at me. Something in his eyes, hesitation or uncertainty, had me pause for a moment. “Lexi. This would be your case. You’re the master hacker on staff.”

  “Um, former hacker. Technically, I’m legit now. Mostly.”

  Slash smiled, but Finn didn’t notice. “Of course. Sorry. Nonetheless, as X-Corp’s Director of Information Security, this is your call.”

  “What about Ben?” I referred to Ben Steinhouser, who co-founded X-Corp with Finn and used to work at the National Security Agency just like I once did. He’s a living legend among hackers, programmers and cryptanalysts. I basically lived in awe of him.

  “Ben’s caught something else,” Finn replied. “Besides, his hacking methods are a bit out-of-date. Not that he couldn’t catch up if given the time, but time seems to be of the essence here.”

  “You mean we have another client?” In the past few months since X-Corp opened its door, we’d had only one case. Then in one day, we suddenly had two.

  Finn nodded, but didn’t elaborate. That put us back to square one, with me looking at Slash and him watching me back with smoky, mysterious brown eyes.

  “Sure. I’m game.”

  Slash stood and shook hands with Finn. “I’ll be back in half an hour to sign the paperwork. Cara, I’ll pick you up in two hours. Pack a suitcase and your passport. I’ll bring the equipment. Have one of your assistants enable your phone for international calling and texting.”

  Finn handed Slash some papers. “Don’t worry, Slash. We’ll help your uncle and be discreet.”

  Not that I’m paranoid or anything, but as soon as he said the word discreet, both men turned to stare at me.

  I lifted my hands. “Hey, discreet is my middle name.”

  Finn looked away and Slash shook his head as he left the office. I tried not to be too insulted. Then, for a moment, I just let it all sink in. I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  Oh. My. God.

  I was going to Rome.

  Chapter Three

  Before I could start dancing a jig, Finn hugged me. “How are you, Lexi?”

  “I’m stunned, of course. We have two new cases and I’m going to Rome.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

  “Are you?”

  He paused, his eyes searching mine. “I’ve missed you. My family is driving me bonkers. Thank God they leave tomorrow.”

  “It was nice of them to visit.” Finn’s parents had surprised him (and me) by showing up at Finn’s house just as I was about to take a shower. To make a long story short, his entire family saw me naked and I hadn’t even been introduced to them yet. What might have happened afterward between Finn and I remains a mystery because just as soon as I got dressed, I hightailed it the heck out of his house.

  Finn released me and sighed. “They want to meet you.”

  “They already met me.”

  “I mean in a proper way. Like when you aren’t naked.”

  “You would have to remind me of that. I’m afraid it will have to wait until another time, possibly five hundred years in the future.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Not really.”

  Secretly I was relieved I had a good excuse to avoid them because I was nowhere ready to face Finn’s family, especially when I was unsure of our relationship and whether we had one or not. Figuring this kind of thing out was definitely not my strong suit.

  I looked down at my hands. “Um, Finn, about the shower and why I didn’t invite you in with me...”

  He put a hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to say or explain anything.”

&nb
sp; “Yes, I do. I’m just not sure I’m ready for this relationship thing. Not that I’m suggesting we already have a relationship or you even want one with me. For all I know, you might be only interested in the sex. After all, it’s suggested that 94.6 percent of men’s first thought upon seeing a woman for the first time is whether or not they’d like to have sex with her. This makes sense in an evolutionary, biological way, of course. Not that I’m opposed to having sex with you. In fact, it interests me a lot. I like you and I think we would probably be compatible at sex. However, because you’re also my boss it adds a layer of complexity to the potential relationship, or non-relationship, that I’m not sure I’m ready to handle. I need to think about things.”

  Finn just stared at me and then chuckled. “God, I’ll miss you, Lexi.”

  “You will?”

  He smiled and I liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. “I will. Stop overthinking. We’ll talk over things when you get back. Okay? And just so you know, it’s not all about the sex with you.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t seem to hate me, nor did he seem ready to fire me. But now I wondered if he even wanted to have sex with me anymore. Jeez, why was it all so confusing?

  He nudged my chin up. “Be safe in Rome, okay?”

  I nodded. “And discreet. I didn’t miss the way you gave me that pointed look.”

  He laughed. “Yes, be especially discreet. Don’t forget you still owe me a birthday present.”

  I picked up my laptop. “Yeah, well, I’m working on that.”

  “As soon as you get back from Rome, it’s dinner at my place and we can have our talk.”

  “Didn’t we already try dinner at your place once and it ended in disaster?”

  “Well, this time there will be homemade clam linguine, vintage wine and no after-dinner surprise guests.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  “Bloody right, I’m promising. I’ll hire security guards, if necessary.”

  “Okay. I’ll look forward to it, then.”

  We left the conference room together and I headed toward my office. I didn’t think I’d need anything but my laptop and some cables and special outlet plugs for Europe. Undoubtedly Slash would have much more sophisticated equipment at his disposal, probably all of it unregistered and untraceable. I instructed one of my assistants to take care of the international calling for my phone and headed out.