“IS ASHER GENZANO IN YET?”
Asher’s pulse quickened as Claudia’s soft voice floated over the wall of his cubicle. The receptionist must have nodded, for Asher heard nothing else until Claudia stood in the doorway, gazing at him with a chilling intensity.
“I’ve made an appointment for you,” she said, her blue eyes focused and direct. “Will you be ready to speak to Il Presidente at fourteen o’clock?”
Asher swallowed his surprise and pushed back from his desk. “I will be ready.”
She looked at him a moment, her mouth tipping in a mirthless smile. “I thought you’d be more excited. Isn’t this what you’ve wanted all along?”
“Yes. But it is never easy.” With an effort, he tore his gaze from her face and stared at the pages he had been translating. He would put this work aside until later; everything else could wait. An eel of apprehension wriggled in his bowels, reminding him that he needed time to prepare.
“I’ll go with you.”
Asher jerked his head around. “That’s not necessary.”
“I think it is. Justus only agreed to see you because I told him you have discovered some interesting information about a possible role for Global Union in the future. So he’ll see both of us after lunch.”
The apprehension stirred again, twisting in his guts. “Claudia, I’ve done this many times, and it doesn’t always go well. You may not like the result.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She leaned her shoulder against the wall of the cubicle and lowered her voice. “I’ve decided to think of this as a little experiment. If God is in control, things will work out as they should, right?”
“What about your contract?”
She shrugged slightly and made a face. “Perhaps Rome has influenced me, Asher. Don’t you have a saying, Que sera, sera?”
Before he could object again, she turned lightly on her heel and moved away.
Asher spent the next three hours planning his strategy, scribbling notes on slips of paper, then tossing them into the waste bin. What sort of approach would work best with Santos Justus? After noticing Hitler’s care for his niece, Asher had appealed to Hitler’s mercy, only to discover the man had none. With Napoleon he attempted an intellectual approach, only to find that the little man’s great mind remained closed to the truth of God. He had tried to argue the Scriptures with the inquisitors; he had wept before the emotional Wilhelm II to no avail.
How should he approach Santos Justus?
Through the grace of God and the miracle of technology, he had caught this man at an early stage of his career. Asher could not shame him; the man’s public record was nearly spotless and his private encounters no worse than any other politician’s. He could not speak of the organized church, for Justus was irreligious. He could always point out the similarities between Justus and the Antichrist as portrayed in Scripture, but Justus would undoubtedly take offense at being likened to one called “the son of perdition.”
Perhaps he should not rely on a specialized approach. Perhaps he should just speak the truth, simply and honestly. That’s how Claudia dealt with people.
At lunchtime he did not go out to eat in the piazza with the others but remained at his desk, jotting notes on a card. Claudia would probably be alarmed at these signs of his nervousness, but at least she had arranged the interview. He had been prepared to wait months, if necessary, until a door of opportunity opened. But waiting carried the risk of speaking up too late.
A shadow fell across his desk at 13:55. Asher looked up to see Claudia standing behind him. She did not speak but lifted a questioning brow.
He slipped the scribbled note cards into his coat pocket. He probably wouldn’t use them, but he liked knowing they were within reach. “I’m ready.”
How odd, he thought as he followed her to the elevator, that he should be nervous while Claudia remained calm. Something had happened since he last saw her, for as recently as yesterday she had believed Justus would view this meeting as nothing less than harassment. Either something had convinced her otherwise, or she no longer cared what Justus thought.
They rode the elevator to the seventh floor. “Are you really ready?” Claudia whispered, turning to face him. She reached out and plucked a piece of lint from his shoulder.
Despite his apprehension, Asher felt a hot and awful joy at her touch. She cared. The depth of her concern echoed in her voice as she whispered, “I’ll be right beside you.”
Clinging to his purpose, Asher prayed he would not betray his agitation. The elevator doors opened, then he strode forward and opened the door that led into Justus’s private office. A blonde secretary seated at the reception desk flashed a brief smile at him, then nodded to Claudia. “Grazie, you are right on time. If you will wait but one moment . . .” She rose and stepped into the inner office, then returned a moment later, holding the door open for them to enter.
Asher drew a deep breath as a tremor of mingled fear and anticipation shot through him, then closed his eyes to focus his thoughts. Holy God, for this I have waited and worked. Send your Spirit to convict Justus’s heart. And speak through me, I beg you.
He lifted his head, saw Claudia looking at him with a question in her eyes, then gave her a confident nod and led the way into the inner office.
Justus was seated at his desk, a telephone pressed to his ear, his chair turned toward the window. Asher stood before the desk and clasped his hands at his waist, waiting. Somehow it didn’t seem polite to stand here listening to the man’s telephone conversation, but the secretary had ushered them in.
Behind him, Claudia cleared her throat. He glanced back long enough to give her a smile, then looked up as the chair squealed and Justus turned.
“See to it, then,” Justus said, then replaced the telephone in the receiver. He looked first at Claudia, then focused the full intensity of his gaze upon Asher. “Welcome, both of you. Please, Signor Genzano, sit and tell me all that is on your mind. Signorina Fischer tells me you have a unique idea about Unione Globale’s role in future world affairs.”
Asher glanced at Claudia as they sank into the guest chairs, then his gaze moved into Justus’s, seeing nothing else. “Thank you for seeing me, sir. I believe I have news that will interest you.”
“If I wasn’t interested,” Justus said, his voice as cool as the smoke off dry ice, “you wouldn’t be here.”
Claudia laughed softly, and Asher allowed himself to smile. Like a swimmer about to plunge into icy water, he took a deep breath. “You may not know, Il Presidente, that I am a student of history. I have studied many ancient works, among them the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible.”
The smile remained on Justus’s face, but Asher saw a flash of cold enter the man’s eyes.
“You may not know, Il Presidente, that the ancient prophets spoke often of a great leader who will come to power in the latter days of the planet. A charismatic and intelligent man will rise from the ancient Roman Empire to become the head of the last form of Gentile world government.”
Justus lifted his hand, his eyes as black and polished as obsidian beads. “Excuse me, signor, but are you going somewhere with this? All this talk about ancient Romans and Gentiles seems a little irrelevant to our work.”
“I was speaking of the ruler to come. For a few months the world will believe him to be a great leader, but in truth, he will be the pawn of Satan himself . . . and I believe you may be that man.” The words seemed to flow out of him, and Asher paused as they filled the silent room. For an instant, Justus did not respond, then shock flickered over his face like summer lightning.
He leaned forward across his desk. “Sei pazzo?”
Asher slowly shook his head. “No, I’m not crazy. Signorina Fischer used to think so, but she knows I am speaking the truth.”
Justus glared at Claudia with burning, reproachful eyes, then crossed his arms and turned his gaze back to Asher.
“I am the greatest of sinners,” Asher continued quickly, “so it is in total humility that I come before you today. I have come to Unione Globale for one reason only—to tell you that God demands repentance from every man who would accept salvation. Jesus Christ offers eternal life, but first you must renounce your sinful ways. Jesus Christ came into the world and was executed at Calvary to atone for the sins of mankind. His salvation is available to any who will accept it, and today he is ready and willing to accept you.”
Justus said nothing but sat motionless, radiating disapproval. Asher felt it like a chilly breeze on the back of his neck.
“Grazie, Signor Genzano,” Justus said, bridled anger in his voice. “You are dismissed.”
Asher stood and turned to go, with Claudia following, but Justus stopped her with a command: “Signorina—you will remain.”
Asher moved through the doorway, then turned in the reception area in time to steal a glance at Claudia’s face. She looked at him with an almost imperceptible note of pleading in her face, like a hunted animal peering out from the brush.