Page 91 of No Stone Unturned

Color was rising in the cardinal’s cheeks, a sure sign that he was getting angry. “You’re telling me that two trained security operatives got hurt by women, one of them elderly?”

“Yes, sir. Apparently there was a cat, too. It scratched up Cinelli pretty bad.”

“A cat?” The cardinal stared at him.

Julian rushed to explain. “Obviously, Cinelli and Tucci didn’t want to hurt the women, or the cat, so they treated them gently and as a result, they got hurt.”

The cardinal’s tone turned chilly. “Explain exactly how they got hurt.”

“Cinelli and Tucci were knocked out somehow. The good news is their injuries are not permanent. They’re at the police station in Sperlonga now. Their story is they accidentally wandered into the house and the women attacked them. I’m working to get them released as quietly as possible.”

The cardinal’s face had turned as red as his zucchetto, a sure sign that his blood pressure was skyrocketing. Julian couldn’t decide if he should dash out for cardinal’s medicine, which he kept in a locked cabinet in the outer office, or whether that would be considered disrespectful to disappear in the middle of a conversation.

“Two trained team members wandered into a house by accident, got knocked out by two women, one of them elderly, and now they are at the police station?” he said, repeating the story as if he hadn’t heard it correctly. “Where’s the rest of the team?”

“They went after Slash and found him alone and on foot coming back from town. They’d just taken him down and were obtaining the sample when the fiancée showed up with a gun.”

“Excuse me? The girl, who took down one, or possibly two, of our men came after the team by herself? With a gun?”

Julian hoped the expression on his face was calm and serene because inside his heart pounded against his chest. “Yes, sir. The gun she took off of Tucci.”

“You havegotto be kidding me,” Father Lazo exploded. He reached across his desk and picked up the heavy paperweight from atop some papers. “Did she bring the cat, too?”

Julian flinched and stood his ground, but he prepared to duck, just in case. “No, sir, she didn’t. Anyway, the good news is, the team got away with a viable DNA sample, which was the primary objective. The sample is on the way to the lab. We should have results in less than forty-eight hours. What do you want me to do about Cinelli and Tucci?”

The cardinal glared at him, but thankfully returned the paperweight to the desk. “Call the police chief in Rome and patch him through to me. I’ll work that angle. You clean up the rest of your mess, Julian, and do it quickly. I want those DNA results the second the come in.”

Julian murmured a small prayer of thanks the cardinal had controlled his temper this day. Only by the grace of God was he spared.

“Yes, Your Eminence.” He bowed his head deferentially. “The very second.”

Slash

“Nonna!” Slash shouted as he dashed into the house followed closely by Lexi.

Relief blasted through him as he saw Nonna sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by several of their neighbors, seemingly fine. There was also a policeman who appeared to be interviewing some of the neighbors. The kitchen looked like a war zone, with glass and dishes and food everywhere. There was no sign of the intruders.

He quickly identified himself to the policeman and crouched down to check on Nonna.

“Are you okay?” he asked. When she nodded, he gently pulled her frail form into a hug.Mio Dio. If anything had happened to her, that would have been on him. He should have never come here and put her in danger.

“I’m fine,chierchetto,” she said, looking more angry than scared that her house had been invaded. “Lexi did most of the work dispatching the intruders. How are you?” She touched his bruised jaw and split lip, shaking her head at him in exasperation. “Trouble finds you, Romeo.”

“I know, Nonna, but I’m fine. Barely a scratch. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“I’m always safe with you around.” She glanced over at Lexi. “And now with her, too. That girl of yours is worth keeping, and you know I don’t say things like that lightly.”

“I know, Nonna.” He thanked God for her safety, but inwardly his anger ran hot and furious. Lazo would not come out of this unscathed.

He rose to his feet, looked around. “What happened to the intruders?” he asked the policeman.

“They were taken away,” he replied. “They’ll be checked in at the station and arraigned shortly.” He tipped his head toward Lexi. “Can she speak Italian?”

“No, that’s my fiancée. She’s American. I’ll translate for you.”

The policeman asked her several questions and Lexi answered them truthfully. Slash occasionally tweaked her answers when he translated, not wanting to implicate Lazo quite yet, especially when he wasn’t ready with the evidence. By the time they finished, the policeman had come to the conclusion that it was a home invasion and Slash didn’t correct him on that. Yet.

Eventually the policeman and all the neighbors left. Slash helped Nonna up to her room to rest while Lexi began the task of cleaning the kitchen. Once Nonna had settled, he returned to the kitchen help her.

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