Page 105 of Code Name: Michelangelo

“No, but we kill first and ask questions later.”

It was a forty-minute drive in the hills above Radda in Chianti, where the note said we’d find Maximo. And, according to Typhon, Nemesis and whoever she’d brought with her would be in position outside the estate’s perimeter by the time we arrived.

Like so many vineyard properties in this part of Italy, the one we were headed to had a vast network of wine caves tunneled into the surrounding hillside. While there was a chance Maximo was holding Pen in the villa or an outbuilding, the caves made more sense, given in there, they’d be more difficult to find.

February’s cool temperatures would make it easier for thermal vision devices to locate warm spots. How far into the caves they were and how to get there would be our biggest challenge.

Also to our advantage, there wouldn’t have been time or the means to set up surveillance or CCTV cameras in the tunnels. Doing so would cost millions. No doubt, the entrance, or entrances, would be monitored, but those feeds were easily scrambled or disabled.

Typhon programmed the coordinates Nemesis sent into the vehicle’s GPS, and when we arrived, I was stunned by the number of people waiting. Most shocking was seeing DeDe among them. After putting on my comms headset, I exited the SUV, and she walked toward me.

“I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances, but it is good to see you, Brand.”

“Likewise,” I said as we embraced.

She motioned to where Nemesis and Typhon stood next to a vehicle, looking at a laptop.

After we’d greeted each other, she showed us a schematic of the caves and where there were hot spots. “There are several,” she pointed out, but this one is where we believe Penelope is being held.”

“What led you to that conclusion?” Typhon asked.

“It’s the only area where it appears people come and go. The rest don’t move, so they’re most likely guards. We’ve broken into teams.” The screen changed, and color overlays appeared on the schematic. She used the trackpad to indicate which Typhon, Tank, Blackjack, and I would join.

“Who am I with?” I asked.

“You and Typhon will be with Seshat. Your route is the most direct, and she’s a physician’s assistant who can administer necessary care.”

“Let’s go,” Typhon said and I followed.

33

BUTTERFLY

The same man came into the room and exited again periodically. As time went on, he became increasingly agitated. His muttering in Italian would’ve been unintelligible even in English, but his tone was what was most telling.

Whenever he left and I sensed I was alone, I tried to figure out if there was any way to get loose. I wiggled against the ropes, seeing if they’d give. Being cuffed behind my back wasn’t just uncomfortable, but it meant that even if I got loose, I had no way of untying myself.

I reminded myself that, unless there was an extremely good chance of survival, I shouldn’t attempt an escape, but just sitting here, waiting for something to happen, was making me crazy.

When I heard footfalls behind me but outside the door, followed by men shouting in Italian, I froze. The sounds took me back to my abduction and rescue six years ago. The same feeling of panic swept through me. Was this a rescue? Was I about to be killed? Would someone else be killed? The idea that it might be Brand made everything worse.

The night Aine, Tara, and I had been liberated from our captors, Ava’s now-husband, Razor, remained on the brink of death for several days. The doctors told her and his mother and sister that his condition was critical and he wasn’t improving and that they were recommending taking him off life support. Miraculously, when they did, he started breathing on his own. If something like that happened to Brand and he died, I wouldn’t know how to go on.

I wished my hands were free so I could cover my ears against the sounds that were increasingly louder. When I heard gunshots, I couldn’t swallow back the bile rising in my throat and retched onto the floor. Tears of fear spilled from my eyes, dampening the blindfold and my cheeks. “Please, God, make this end,” I cried out loud just as the door burst open.

It was then I heard the sound of a gun cock in front of me, not from behind.

“Take one more step, and she dies.” It was the voice of the same man who’d said he’d keep me for himself if Brand didn’t follow his instructions.

“Put down the gun, Maximo, and let her go. This is over.”

“If you have not brought my family to me, her death is inevitable.”

“Hurt her or me, and your uncle and his grandson will be dead within seconds.”

I screamed when shots were fired and I heard what sounded like bodies falling to the ground.

“Typhon’s hit!” a voice I recognized as Brand’s shouted as he turned my chair. “Hold on, Butterfly. I’ve got you,” he said as he removed my blindfold.

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