Page 6 of Light Me Up

She tapped the screen. Weird. She and Noah’s brother Asa knew each other, but they’d only met a few times, under wild and stressful circumstances. Apart from the wedding, of course, which had been wild and stressful inits own right.

“Whatdoes he want?”

Caro scrolled through the texts. “Hang on. There’s a bunch of them. Five, actually. No, six.”

“Why is he texting you?” He ignored her reproving look. “Never mind. Read them.”

“So he asks, what do you give a couple who has everything,” she read, frowning at the phone. “And asks if I remember what we talked about atthe reception.”

“I don’t remember you talking to him,” Noah said. “Was that before or after we fed each other double chocolate fudge cake and pledged ourundying love?”

“After,” she said absently, though she’d noticed the edge in Noah’s tone. Something about his younger brother always got his back up.

“Uh-huh. And he needs to discuss it again, like right fuckingnow because…?”

“I don’t know why now. You’d have to ask him.”

Noah made a move for the phone, but Caro held on to it. “I didn’t mean that literally. Anyway, he’s referring to an article we both read. About the excavation of the Cross of Orazio di Coronna.”

“What’s that?”

“A legendary five-hundred-year-old cross, twelve feet high, decorated with carved religious scenes and covered with priceless gold and gems,” Caro explained, still reading. “Lost to the world for centuries, until recently. It was found, and the art world went nuts.”

“Really. And when exactly did Asa becomean art lover?”

She shrugged off the pointed question. “He’s just sharing the update, Noah. He knows I love that legend, and it turns out to be real. It was so awesome.”

“Uh-huh.”

“OK, next-to-last text. Oh, wow. This is incredible.” Her eyes were fixed on the phone’s screen. “They’re unveiling it! At a conference on global economic innovation.”

“Woohoo. We weren’t invited and we’re not goingto gate-crash.”

Caro ignored his noticeable lack of enthusiasm. “There’s a big ceremony at the Palazzo Bellocchio, right outside of Rome. Politicians and celebrities and God knows who else. And Asa knows a guy whocan get us in!”

She looked up at Noah’s face, and was taken aback by the fury in his eyes.

“Thefuck?” he growled.

Chapter 3

Goddamn Asa.

His brother should have known better. Corporate fat cats, international financiers, politicians, goddamn celebrities? There would be cameras everywhere at this event. They would be smeared all over social media.Fuck.

“Don’t panic,” she soothed. “Noah, I wrote my thesis on the legend of that cross. Orazio di Coronna’s story really grabbed me. I know I’ll be able to look at the cross online eventually, but that won’t give me the buzz I’ll get from the real thing. And it won’t be on displayfor years yet.”

“What a shame.”

She glanced at the last text. “So, um…Asa says to expect a call from a guy named Stefano Morelli. He’s with the security team. He’ll get us in, no problem. Asa says he’s an AISE agent, whatever that is.”

“It’s the Italian version of the CIA,” he said grimly. “The guy’sa fucking spy.”

At that precise moment, Noah’s phone buzzed, jangling his every last nerve.

Shit.Ambushed. Asa had timed this carefully. Manipulative bastard.

The display showed an unknown Italian number. Rome area code. He yielded to the inevitable and tapped thescreen. “Yes?”

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