Talia felt the butt of the gun press against her lower back and the grip of Anna’s fingers pressing tightly around her arm as they weaved through the almost deserted streets. As soon as they’d left the piazza, Anna had immediately steered them away from the heavy pedestrian traffic that ran through the popular sections of Venice like St. Mark’s Square and the route to the Rialto. Away from those tourist hot spots you could find quieter streets, where one could almost forget that twenty-five million people visited the island each year.
She’d discovered it was like that in almost every heavily trafficked tourist town. Most of the crowds tended to stick to the main arteries of the city and the tourist traps, when only a few minutes away you could find the underlying beauty and culture of a place that most people missed.
But she wasn’t here this time as a tour guide.
Instead she was here fighting for her life.
She glanced behind her, down the empty street. Joe would have noticed she was gone by now, but finding her in this maze of streets, canals and foot bridges was going to be difficult, if not impossible.
Talia stumbled over a lose brick in the pavement. Anna’s grip tightened as they turned quickly down yet another quiet street.
“Hurry up,” Anna said. “We don’t exactly have all day.”
“So what happens next?”
“Like I told your FBI hero, I went to the wrong person for the paintings. I should have gone directly to your in-laws. And since there’s a good chance they’re going to need some motivation to hand them over, having you will help guarantee that they do what they are told.”
Talia winced at Anna’s tightening grip around her arm. “They’ve already lost two sons—”
“Trying to get me to feel sorry for them isn’t going to work. You of all people should know that by now.”
An older gentleman stepped out of one of the buildings, locked a heavy wooden door with a key, then started walking toward them at a leisurely pace. Talia’s jaw clenched. This had already gone too far. If she didn’t take a chance and do something—
“Remember what I said.” Anna’s words broke into her thoughts. “I can’t have you going and making a scene, now can I, Talia? I’d hate to have to shoot the man, but I will.”
Fear encircled like a tangible presence. What was going to happen if she didn’t get away, or if Joe didn’t find her? Anna clearly didn’t have a problem with eliminating people. Once she got what she wanted, Anna would end up killing her and disposing of her body somewhere out in the surrounding islands or out in the sea.
Talia drew in a deep breath of humid air. But Anna wasn’t going to get her way. Not this time. Because she wasn’t going down that road again without a fight. But neither could she put the life of someone else at risk. The man walked past them, completely unaware of the situation. She was going to have to find a way to escape without putting anyone’s life in danger. Which meant she needed to get away from Anna.
She kept walking while her mind fought for a solution, but the odds weren’t exactly in her favor. She might have taken a number of self-defense classes over the years, but Anna had been trained by law enforcement. And in order to escape, she was going to have to take down Anna.
Her shoes clipped against the brick-lined street that was empty again. Music played from one of the apartments above. Someone was cooking. They couldn’t be far from one of the arteries of the canal, where there would be boats and maybe someone who could help her. She glanced back at Anna. The woman might be better trained, but she’d also relaxed her grip on her arm and no longer had her gun pointed at her. There was another street twenty feet or so up ahead and to the right. She wasn’t sure where it went, but gut instinct told her if she was going to run it needed to be now.
Turning quickly, she thrust her elbow into Anna’s throat while at the same time pitching her weight forward to give her the leverage she needed. Anna stumbled backward, then groaned as she slammed into the brick wall. Talia didn’t waste any time as she ran for the adjacent alley, then made the sharp turn to the right down another narrow street, with apartments towering over her. If she could get far enough ahead of Anna in the maze of streets, she just might be able to lose her.
She reached the end of the street and made another turn. Humidity hung heavy around her, making it hard to breath. She kept moving forward, unwilling to risk slowing down just to look back. Because she knew Anna was somewhere behind her. She took another corner and looked for the canal. She needed to find Joe. Needed to find someone who could get her out of here without getting either of them shot.
A bullet pinged off the brick wall next to her. Talia ducked into an alcove with a large wooden door, her heart racing. She tried the handle, her chest heaving, but it was locked. She was out of options. It was another fifty feet or so until the next street, and Anna was closing in behind her. She’d never make it.
“You don’t learn, do you?” Anna stopped in front of her, gun pointed directly at Talia’s heart. “Or maybe you don’t believe I’m serious. But you need to listen to me very carefully. That shot—that was a warning. You know I can hit any target. Like your FBI friend. That shot was calculated. But next time I won’t be aiming for the wall behind you. Or your friend’s arm.”
Talia shivered despite the heat as Anna pulled a zip tie cord from her back pocket and quickly secured her hands behind her. “I had hoped I wouldn’t have to do this. It’s hard to look like two happy tourists on a stroll when one of them is tied up, but we don’t have much farther to go, and I’m not to take another chance of your doing something stupid. Now let’s go.”
Talia winced as Anna grabbed her by the arm and started back down the street.
I can’t do this on my own, God. I’ve tried. And I don’t want anyone else getting hurt, but I need a way out...
Anna turned another corner then walked across a footbridge that spanned the murky canal water. There was a boat on the other side of the quiet space, bobbing in the water.
“Come on.” Anna caught her gaze. “And don’t try something stupid.”
Talia glanced back, still praying that Joe would find her. But if they left the main island, the odds of him finding her were only going to decrease dramatically.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter.” Anna jumped onto the boat, pulling Talia onboard behind her. “Sit down under the awning and be quiet.”
She started the engine, then quickly maneuvered down the narrow waterway. Talia felt her options of escape evaporating. Her chances of jumping overboard and making it to shore were slim to none unless she could get her hands untied. And if she called out for help... Anna had already made herself clear on that one. On top of that, she was partially hidden beneath the canopy, which would make it harder for her to signal someone.
“You seem to know Venice better than I would have thought,” Talia said. Until she could figure out a way to escape, she might as well try to get some answers.
“I backpacked across Italy one summer during college and Venice was one of the stops we made. I did have to spend some time studying a map once I discovered you were coming here. And to be honest, even a map doesn’t truly show how complicated the six main neighborhoods and street layout of Venice are. I thought about relying on a local, but even you know how far that got me the last time. It’s always better to do things yourself if you want things done.”
“Even with the risk of getting caught?”
“If you think I can’t make it through the canals, you’re wrong. I grew up near the Mississippi gulf coast. The Grand Bay is a maze of bayous, bays and marsh islands. My brother and I used to take out a skiff during summer vacation and explore the area. I’ve never really liked being in the water, but I loved driving the boat. And while Venice might be a bit more well-known than my hometown, I’ve found that I feel right at home here.”
They were heading out of the canal. If they made it out to the open water...
“Do you really think this is going to have a happy ending for you?” Talia asked.
Anna laughed. “A couple million seems like pretty good to me.”
“Not if you have to spend your time watching your back.”
“Who said I was going to be on the run? There are dozens of places I can disappear to. I looked into Thailand, for example. The weather is perfect most of the year, and the cost of living is cheap. There’s plenty of western-style restaurants and entertainment if I get bored. Do you know how far that much money could go in a place like that?”
“And you think that just because you live overseas the FBI will drop the case?” Talia asked.
“Just like you think your FBI hero won’t stop looking for you?” Anna turned around and frowned. “You know, I’m really tired of listening to your questions.”
Anna swung the gun across Talia’s temple. Lights exploded behind her eyes, then everything went dark.
* * *
Joe kept running down the canal, searching for a glimpse of Talia. He had no doubt about who was behind this. No doubt as well that the woman with the baby had been a plant to distract him. All it had taken was seconds for Talia to disappear. Why hadn’t he just stayed with her?
“Joe, are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here.” The phone cracked. He couldn’t lose the connection. “Can you hear me?”
“Okay, you’re back. It looks like the boat’s leaving the canal and heading out into the open water. Which means we’ve got a problem. You won’t be able to follow on foot.”
Where was she going?
He might not be a tour guide, but he did know there were over a hundred islands that made up Venice, as well as the mainland. It would be possible for her to leave the main island and hide out somewhere else. Close enough to return when needed, and yet remote enough to avoid detection.
“Wait a minute... I think I spotted her.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” He could see someone in a red shirt sitting beneath the awning of a boat. The woman at the wheel matched Anna’s description. It had to be them.
“If you can get access to a boat I might be able to help you follow her.”
“Okay.”
“Wait a minute...”
“What’s wrong?”
“The signal just went dead.”
“Meaning?”
“I don’t know. She must have dumped the phone or taken out the battery.”
I need something else, God. Please... I can’t lose her now.
Joe expelled a sharp breath as he ran down the sidewalk along the water, while keeping his eye on the boat that was now heading out of the canal. A young man in his early twenties was working in the back of a cargo boat organizing supplies on the small transport vessel.
“I need a ride,” Joe shouted, searching for the Italian words as he approached the boat. “A—a barca. Rapido.”
“I speak English,” the other man said in a thick accent. “What is the problem?”
“I’m with the FBI.” Joe pulled out his badge and stepped onto the boat. “A woman’s just been kidnapped.”
The man hesitated, studying the badge. “And you’re with the FBI?”
“Yes. I need to catch up with that boat. Please.”
“Get in.” The man nodded, then switched on the outboard motor as Joe pointed in the direction the other boat had gone. “I always wanted to join my country’s secret service and become an agent. All the action, covert ops, shootouts with the bad guys, women...”
Joe frowned, wishing he’d hurry. “Not everything you see on television is true.”
The reality was that ninety percent of what he did revolved around paperwork, not chasing bad guys and getting in shootouts. Though those statistics had just been shattered over the past few of days. He’d been shot, and now someone he’d promised to protect had just been taken from him.
“Can you hurry? Please. Around that next corner. They’re getting away.”
“Which boat was she in?”
“The small, flat-bottomed boat with the white awning. Six or seven meters long with an outboard motor.”
“We call those a topetta. You can rent them, and even maneuver the lagoons without a guide, which might be smart if you wanted to go undetected.”
“There it is.”
“I see it, and I’m going as fast as I can, but the traffic’s pretty controlled. There actually are speed limits out here.”
Joe stared straight ahead, keeping his focus on the boat they were following. Since they weren’t going to be able to track it via GPS, they were going to have to make sure they didn’t lose it.
“What happened to your arm?” the man said.
Joe looked down at his wound. The man asked too many questions. But a patch of blood had soaked through part of the bandage. The sun beat down on him, causing perspiration to pool around his neck.
“I was shot.”
“Seriously?” he asked, sounding as if there had been some kind of trophy involved. His driver turned onto the next channel. “So have you ever shot anyone?”
Joe ignored the question. Kept his eyes straight ahead. It had to be Anna who’d shot him. And now Anna had taken Talia. Did she really think she could simply grab Talia and vanish? But Talia had been right about her assessment. Anna was running scared, trapped with few options, if she wanted to get her hands on the paintings.
“Can you still see her?” Joe asked.
He searched the narrow canal as they turned the corner. Buildings rose up beside them from the murky waters, with their exposed brick walls and green moss along the water line. Arched doorways, old bridges with wrought-iron rails, a row of gondolas dipped on the water line... But he could only focus on one thing. Talia. And if he lost her now he’d never forgive himself.
He caught sight of the next boat a hundred feet ahead at the next turn.
“Go left,” he ordered.
“I see her. Who is she? A girlfriend...your wife?”
“She’s—she’s just a friend.”
Crazy how a couple days ago, Talia hadn’t even been that. She’d been nothing more than a complete stranger. Someone he’d approached because he had an alternative agenda. He wanted to find his brother’s killer, and she happened to be his one lead to do just that. And yet now...no matter how many times he told himself not to get involved—that this was just another case—he couldn’t stop thinking about her. And now he’d somehow let her slip away and let that woman grab her.
She’d felt guilt over Marco’s death. Now he was feeling the same. Because somehow over the course of the past few days, anything he’d felt had only deepened. She’d somehow managed to walk into his life and turned it on end. She’d made him smile, made him laugh and made him want to protect her from everything that was going on around them. Made him want to take a chance at falling in love again.
If he was given that chance again.
“How do you know her?” the other man asked.
“It’s a long story, and confidential,” Joe added to keep the man off his back.
“So, what...if you told me you’d have to kill me?” The man laughed at his own lame joke.
“Something like that.”
“I’m Silvio Gabriello, by the way.”
“Agent Joe Bryant.”
Joe stood up in the boat, searching as far as he could see, but with the heavy boat traffic, it was becoming harder to keep up.
“Do you see the boat?” He glanced down a narrow canal, where Anna could have pulled off if she thought she was being followed. There were dozens of the small veins of water. Dozens of places where she could dock and escape.
“Wait a minute... I see it now,” Silvio said. “They’re just ahead of that second vaporetto.”
Joe moved to the other side of the boat. Bingo.
He glanced at his pilot. “We can’t lose them again.”
If Anna hadn’t found the paintings then where would she go? She couldn’t go back to the crime scene. The police would already have blocked off the Morello house. Which meant if the paintings were still there, getting access would be next to impossible.
“Where do you think she’s going?” Joe asked.
“My guess is that they’re heading toward one of the smaller, underpopulated islands. Which would be smart if you wanted to disappear, though I suppose it would be hard not to stand out. Especially if you didn’t speak Italian. And on top of that there aren’t many hotels to hole up in. You mainly have fishermen who are out at night, then take their catch to the wholesale fish market.”
“Stay back, then. Close enough to where we can see where they’re going, but far enough back that she won’t notice us.”
Silvio nodded and moved into position, keeping a larger cargo boat between them.
“A bunch of friends and I sometimes hang out on one of the other islands. There are local bars and pizzerias, gardens, antique markets and vineyards. Most of them you won’t find many tourists. Especially on San Michele.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s been the city’s cemetery for over two hundred years. The only thing you’ll find there are churches and long rows of tombs. So unless you have an interest for wandering around endless sections of graves with photos of the deceased in their Sunday best, there’s not much reason to go there. Though in November, there is a pilgrimage to these graves every year to lay flowers—”
“Fascinating,” Joe interrupted, not interested in his commentary. “Do you carry a weapon?”
“Yeah, I have a gun. Do you think you’re going to need one?”
“It’s possible, though I’m surprised you have one. I understand that private gun ownership isn’t guaranteed in Italy by law.”
“It’s not. But I transport goods on the islands. And sometimes the things I transport are pretty pricy. It’s all on the up-and-up and legal.”
“That’s good, because I can assure you that the woman we’re after isn’t following the law.”
“What has she done?”
“Killed at least two people. And now kidnapped a third.”
Silvio’s face paled. “Why?”
“She wants something worth a couple million dollars.”
“Don’t you think we should call the police?”
“We don’t exactly have time, and I’m not willing to spook her.”
Silvio pulled a handgun out of a locked box. “So what am I supposed to do?”
“You said you wanted to be an agent,” Joe said, hoping he didn’t regret his decision. “You’re now my backup.”
“Ahh...like Crockett and Tubbs.”
“Who?”
“Didn’t you ever watch Miami Vice?” Silvio asked, keeping his gaze straight ahead. “Two undercover cops trying to stop the drug trade... I watch a lot of American reruns.”
Joe frowned. “Just try not to actually shoot anyone.”