Ark

Chapter 31

Tyson navigated the throng of tourists outside St. Peter’s Basilica. He hated crowds, especially when he was in a hurry. The intel he had received indicated that Dima Zafrini had left Turkey on a flight to Rome. Also, he finally had names for the two men with whom she was traveling: Dane Maddock and Uriah Bonebrake. Both were former Navy SEALs who had turned to treasure hunting. Oddly, the Trident’s best men had been unable to learn much about their backgrounds. Great portions of their service records were locked down tightly, and bits of their civilian lives seem to have vanished. It was highly suspicious and suggested that they had powerful connections. He didn’t need a report, however, to realize Bonebrake was related to the old man whose family had protected the secret of the Noah Stone for so many years. That made this personal for Bonebrake, which meant the man would not be easily diverted. That was fine by Tyson. He looked forward to evening the score with the two men when he finally caught up to them.

“You think they’re here?” Ahmed asked, his hand resting too close to the spot where his pistol was concealed.

“A traffic camera spotted them heading in this direction.” Tyson never cease to be amazed at the sorts of connections the Trident had. They even had eyes among the Polizia in Rome. “Bonebrake stands out in a crowd. Once they picked him out, the other two were easy to recognize.”

“I can’t wait to catch up to them,” Ahmed said. “I owe Maddock for what he did to Felipe.”

Tyson felt his hackles rise at the mention of their friend whom Maddock had taken down in the ice cave. Felipe was still hospitalized with a concussion. It further galled him that, once again, Zafrini had gotten away. If he and Ahmed didn’t catch them soon, things could get ugly.

“Any idea where they would have gone?” Ahmed asked, craning his head to see over the mass of humanity that milled about the famed basilica.

“I think the tomb of St. Peter makes the most sense considering its history.” Tyson had heard rumors of secret places beneath the ancient tomb. Perhaps Zafrini had found something more definite. “The rest of the place is like a museum, so it’s doubtful they’d bother with it.”

“We’ll have to hurry to catch them.”

Tyson shook his head. “The tomb area is a dead end so we should be able to trap them there.”

“Fine. Let’s get on with it. I’m tired of Zafrini’s narrow escapes. If we could just get these bloody tourists out of the way.” Ahmed shot an angry look at an elderly man with a walker who barred their way.

Growing impatient, Tyson forced his way forward until he reached the spot where the Scavi tour began. An annoyed-looking man in a Swiss Guard uniform moved to block his way. Tyson’s first reaction was to knock the fellow down, but nothing good would come of that.

“Excuse me, but we were supposed to meet some friends for the Scavi tour, and I’m afraid we are running late. Have you seen them? A tall American Indian, a blond man, and a Jordanian woman? Fairly attractive?”

The guard’s frown deepened until his eyebrows almost touched. “I think you should come with me, sir.”

Tyson was suddenly aware of the other guards milling about. He had been so focused on looking for Maddock’s party that he had failed to notice something was very wrong. All around him were the subtle signs of a major disturbance: men in suits interviewing witnesses; other men, hands pressed to their ears, speaking rapidly in Italian; members of the Swiss Guard in their colorful uniforms stalking back and forth, looking like caged dogs ready to be released for the hunt.

“What is it?” Ahmed asked.

“Nothing. This gentleman was just about to help us find our friends.” Tyson smiled.

And then punched the guard in the temple with all his might. The man crumpled silently to the ground.

He turned and gave Ahmed a shove toward the exit. “Run.” As they barreled toward the door, upending anyone to slow to get out of their way, Tyson had only one thought: How was he going to explain this to Shawa?