Talia paced the freshly waxed floor of the emergency room. As soon as they’d arrived by ambulance, news of a gunshot victim had sent the staff running. Joe had been given a priority code number that had put him in the front of the line and immediately in to see a surgeon. She glanced at her phone for the hundredth time. It was already after noon. Well over three hours since they’d arrived. And over an hour since anyone had given her an update, which had her stress level soaring.
But Joe’s situation wasn’t the only reason she was so upset.
As far as she knew, whoever had shot Joe was still out there.
A roomful of people sat on hard, plastic chairs. A television played the news. A baby cried in the background. She glanced at the doors leading outside. She’d given her statement to the police shortly after their arrival, which had let to more questions, most of them still unanswered as far as she was concerned. But she had no idea if they’d found the gunman. Or the woman on the train. Which had her jumping every time the doors opened.
Because how hard would it be to track them down to this hospital? Whoever had shot Joe would try again. But surely not here, right? It was a possibility, though. The person behind this was making some twisted decisions, so Talia wasn’t sure what might happen next.
She looked down at her hands and rubbed her fingers together. She’d scrubbed them in the restroom, trying to wash away Joe’s blood. Wishing she could as easily wash away the memories of the past few days. Asking herself how her life had managed to spiral out of control so quickly. And now if something happened to Joe, if he didn’t make it... She gulped in a lungful of air. She’d known that getting the bleeding to stop—along with getting him to the hospital—increased his chances of survival, but while he’d been lucid when they’d taken him away, she knew there could be no guarantees at this point.
She took a sip of the bottled water she’d bought a few minutes earlier, then thought back once again to that moment on the bridge when she’d been convinced he was going to kiss her. And despite all her hard work to guard her heart she felt that same undeniable attraction. But she couldn’t let that guard down now. Not when she was only caught up in a wave of emotions. That’s all this draw toward him was. She was vulnerable, scared, and he’d been the one who’d come to her rescue.
Like Thomas had always done until he’d decided to risk everything they had together and lost.
No. She wasn’t ever going through that again.
I know there’s nothing I can do, God, beyond leaving this situation to You, but this is all still so hard.
Even finding the strength to trust wasn’t easy. Not God. Not Joe...and certainly not her heart.
She started pacing again, hating the feeling of being out of control. She knew the risks someone like Joe faced. He might be after white-collar criminals and art thieves, but that didn’t make him immune to danger. Today had made that clear. And the thought of giving her heart away to someone like that... Well, that wasn’t happening.
She stared at the double doors where they’d taken him and wondered how long it was going to be until they gave her an update. She glanced at her phone She needed to let her brother-in-law know what was going on. If they did get to Venice today, which was becoming less likely, it was going to be late. Which meant the easiest thing to do was get a couple of hotel rooms and meet up with Marco in the morning. She punched in his number, waited for him to answer, then ended up leaving him a message.
She disconnected the call as a text came in from her sister.
Are you okay? I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until this is over.
It was around six in the morning in Dallas.
She started to call her sister, then stopped when one of the nurses approached her.
“You’re with Mr. Bryant, the gunshot victim, right?” she asked in Italian.
Talia’s heart raced as she dropped her phone into her pocket. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to get back to you. This place has been crazy today. We’re having trouble having enough beds for everyone.”
“How is he?”
“He’s going to need to stay a while longer, but he’s asking for you. You can come with me and see him if you’d like.”
Talia hesitated before following the woman. “Is he going to be okay?”
“As with any gunshot wound, he’s fortunate to be alive, but the bullet passed through and tissue damage is minimal. The doctor wants him to wait here a couple more hours so we can watch his vitals while waiting for the results of the CT scan. But as long as there is no further damage, it looks like after a few days of rest and a round of strong antibiotics, he’ll be okay.”
Talia blew out a sharp breath with the relief that came with the woman’s assurance, then followed her through the double doors,
Joe was sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless and his arm bandaged.
“Hey,” she said, slipping into the room. She set down a package she’d picked up while she’d been waiting, then pulled out the Firenze, Italia T-shirt she’d bought in the small hospital store. “I know it’s a bit touristy, but I thought you might need a new shirt.”
And at least he was alive. That was all that seemed to matter at the moment.
He smiled up at her and nodded at the gift. “Thanks.”
“How are you feeling?”
“The pain medicine finally kicked in, so I’m feeling a bit better.”
“The nurse told me it was a clean shot.”
“I’m going to be sore for a while, but it could have been a lot worse.”
She tightened her grip around the empty bag in an attempt to calm her jumpy nerves. There had been enough lives lost. It had to stop.
“Do you know how often a train leaves for Venice?” he asked.
Her eyes widened. “Why? Because you’re not leaving Florence.”
“I’m not staying. We need to find those paintings—”
“I have a feeling the doctor isn’t going to agree.”
“The surgeon was able to stop the bleeding and repair most of the damage. As soon as they confirm the results of the CT scan, we can grab our stuff at the hotel and leave for Venice.”
Talia frowned at Joe’s stubbornness. Did he seriously think he could keep going like nothing had happened? “I was told you needed a few more days of rest before you do anything. Because in case you missed it somehow, you were just wounded by a bullet.”
“Funny.” He shot her an annoyed look. “But I don’t exactly have an option. Last time I looked we were running out of time to get the paintings. Resting isn’t going to speed up that time line. I’m already frustrated I have to hang around here as long as I’ve had to.”
“There are other options. There’s still me.”
“Meaning?”
“I’ll go on to Venice and find the paintings while you stay here and recover.”
“Not a chance,” he said. “That’s what whoever did this wants. And it’s not happening.”
“Joe—”
“I’m serious, Talia. There’s no way you’re going there by yourself.”
“What about your arm? You’re not going to do me any good if you’re not well.”
“My arm will be fine, and like I said, time isn’t exactly on our side. I’ve got antibiotics and pain medicine. I’ve had worse injuries.”
She wanted to argue with him. Ask him what injury he’d had that had been worse than this. But if she was honest with herself, she didn’t want to get on that train by herself, and she had no illusions of trying to prove to him that she was some kind of superwoman. Because she wasn’t. And the thought of going to Venice, even with Joe, had her panic level soaring. He’d just been shot to apparently get him out of the way. What were they going to do to her if she didn’t get them what they wanted? As far as she was concerned this had turned into a lose-lose situation.
“So what are you proposing?”
“As soon as they let me out, we head back to the hotel, get something to eat and then catch the train to Venice.”
She mentally weighed their options. It would be late when they got there. She hadn’t been able to get a hold of her brother-in-law, but she knew that the neighbor had a key and they could always rent a couple rooms at a hotel. It was high season, but they should be able to find something.
“What about your contact with the Carabinieri? Esposito. What if he came with me?”
“He’s willing to help out, but he’s stuck down south working a case and can’t get away for at least forty-eight hours.”
“And your boss? What does he say?”
Joe frowned. “I haven’t talked to him today.”
“Maybe you need to. Maybe he could send someone else. Because clearly someone wants you off this case. And next time you might not end up in the emergency room. You—or I—could end up in the morgue.”
* * *
The sun had just set over the medieval city as Joe walked through the train station next to Talia a few hours later, tickets in his hand for the next train to Venice. He hoped he’d made the right decision. He glanced at her solemn expression beside him. He knew she was scared. And he couldn’t blame her. The past twenty-four hours had taken a toll on both of them, physically and mentally. But he had no intention of pulling out. Not yet. The memory of his brother’s death still lingered too freshly in his mind, along with the all too real threats she was facing. He didn’t want to risk Talia’s life, but he needed answers and this was the only way he knew how to get them. “You still sure about this?” she asked as she took the tickets and validated them before they headed for the train.
He ignored the fatigue running through him. “What I am sure about is that we don’t have a lot of options at this point.”
She glanced at his bandaged arm. “And if they’ve managed to follow us onto this train again?”
“If you’re wondering if I can still take them down—” he shot her a smile “—you’d be surprised what I can do with only one good arm.”
She gave him a smile as she headed toward the doors of one of the train cars. “The thought had crossed my mind.”
“The pain’s tolerable. I’ll be fine.”
“You just need to make sure you keep taking your pain medicine so you can keep it under control.”
He nodded, but he’d rather tolerate the pain then down a bunch of pain medicine that kept him from functioning. He needed to be completely alert and not let his guard down.
He couldn’t let her sidetrack him, either, because as far as he was concerned, Talia was a distraction. A big one. And one that had him wondering while sitting in the emergency room what it would be like to let his heart feel again. It was something he hadn’t considered for so long, but there was something about her that had made him what to get to know her better. To see if those initial sparks he’d felt were ones that could turn into something deeper.
But that was a place he wasn’t going to allow himself to go. He’d sensed the interest in her eyes as they’d walked along the Arno River. Felt it deepen the moment when he’d almost leaned downed and kissed her. But that would have been a mistake. Mixing the high intensity of his job with a relationship. He couldn’t go there.
He reined in his thoughts and studied the train platform, his senses on high alert. A family of four—clearly tourists—struggled with too many suitcases. A handful of businessmen and students, a couple of families... This wasn’t about his feelings for Talia. It was about finding who’d killed his brother. And about ensuring Talia’s safety. Nothing more. Nothing less. And that frame of mind was where he planned to stay. The lives of both of them depended on it.
They stepped onto the train. They’d disposed of the tracking device, but he still searched for anyone who looked either familiar or suspicious. He wasn’t about to take any chances.
“Heard from your brother-in-law yet?” he asked, slipping into his seat.
“It keeps going straight to voice mail, which is strange. I’ve left a couple of messages. Not sure there’s much more I can do at this point.”
Joe’s phone rang as Talia sat down beside him.
“Joe, this is Antonio Esposito. I’ve been working with the local police regarding the shooting, but I wanted to find out personally how you were doing.”
His hand went automatically to his injured arm. “It’s been a bit crazy today.”
“Are you okay?”
“Just sore, and have to watch for infection, but fortunately the doctor was able to repair most of the damage.”
“Where are you now?”
“On my way to Venice.”
“Wait a minute...you were just shot and the doctor let you leave?”
“I can be pretty persuasive.”
“Stubborn is more like it. You shouldn’t be out there, Joe. I might be able to get away in the next day or two and take over the case—”
“We don’t have a day or two. And there’s no doubt that whoever is behind this is serious. I wouldn’t be doing this if I couldn’t handle it physically. But we need to put an end to this.”
“They might be serious, but they’re also desperate. A shooting in broad daylight?”
“What do you know about that? Have they found the gunman?”
“Not yet, but they’re going to make a mistake. I’ve made sure that the police know what’s going on. They’re going to find whoever did this.”
“There’s another reason I called. I’ve got some more information on the man who broke in to Signora Morello’s apartment. Matteo Arena.”
“What have you got?”
“He’s been in and out of prison over the past few years, mainly for theft and a couple of assaults.”
“Has he told you who hired him?”
“No. Only that he was to follow Signora Morello and ensure she found the paintings.”
“Why grab her bag at the Colosseum?”
“He said he thought she’d changed her mind when she headed toward home and away from the meeting place. He didn’t want to risk losing them if they were on her. As soon as I can get free, I’m planning to see what I can get out of him.”
“Call me if you get anything else. We’ll be in Venice tonight, and I’m hoping by tomorrow we’ll have the paintings.” He glanced at Talia, who sat staring out the window. “One more thing. What about the woman on the train? Have you been able to ID her yet from the photo?”
“Not yet, but I’ll let you know when we do.”
Talia turned to him as soon as he hung up. “What did he say?”
“They’ve been interrogating the guy who broke in to your apartment.”
“And?”
He gave her a rundown of their conversation.
Her frown deepened as he finished. “You said something about a photo of the woman on the train. What photo?”
“I thought I told you. I took one on my phone while I was walking past her pretending to text.”
“No. I didn’t know.”
“I’m sorry. I thought I showed you.”
“Can I see it?”
He found the image, then handed her his phone.
Talia seemed to zoom in on the woman’s face and stared at it.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. She looks familiar.”
“How? Like someone from the Colosseum?”
“I’m not sure. There’s something about her, but I can’t place her.” Talia zoomed in on the scar above the woman’s eyebrow. “Wait a minute... Change her hair color and the style, give her less makeup, fifteen or so fewer pounds, and place her in an entirely different setting...”
“You know her?”
“Yes.” Talia grabbed his hand and looked up at him. “Her name’s Anna Hayes. She was Thomas’s partner when he was on the force.”