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twinkling against the velvet sky. They’d chosen a quiet little place called The
Mediterraneo. Isabella usually stayed there whenever she was in Rome, favoring the
easy walk to the train station, the Coliseum and the Forum as well as several consulates.
She loved its old-world charm and the deep, dark mahogany furnishings. They had a
magnificent breakfast buffet served in a room surrounded by Italian cut glass windows,
but regretfully she knew she’d have to pass on it this time. Their early departure would
only give them enough time for flaky pastries and strong coffee.
On any other occasion she’d be ecstatic to be here in this seductive hotel in the city
of romance. Now, however, she was consumed with worry for her friend and the
foreboding of impending disaster.
61
Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand
Lane came up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “That was Dan on
the phone. Umberto contacted him. There’s been another phone call, but this one was
from Franzoni.”
Isabella turned quickly. “Is he free? Is he safe?”
“No, sweetheart, but he says he’s not being mistreated. He just repeated what we
heard in the first call. Dan said it sounded as if he was reading from a script.”
“He probably was. I hope you’re right thinking they can’t afford to kill him.”
“He’s just a bargaining chip to let us know they mean business. Remember one of
the last things he said on his call with you was they wore balaclavas. That means he
can’t identify them, so if we comply with their wishes they have no reason to kill him.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes.” Lane turned her so she faced the window again. “He thinks they have a lead
to someone in Octo. He’s still working his contacts and he’s been talking to Adam. He
and Nicole will meet us in Paris tomorrow.”
“I’m so worried about Arturo.” She leaned back against him, loving the hard
warmth of his body.
“Everyone knows he’s a priority,” Lane assured her. “We’ll get it taken care of.”
“And there’s still the matter of Kopf Industries,” she reminded him. “Just because
Octo has decided to use terrorist means to attack them doesn’t mean there isn’t
something there to investigate.”
“But none of the G8 governments wanted to rattle that powerful cage,” Lane
reminded her. “I think when this particular crisis is resolved Nemesis may be
contracted to dig into the three men who own it. We can do it quietly, out of the
spotlight and without worrying about diplomatic breaches of etiquette.”
“I know. But right now I just feel so helpless and I hate it.” She laughed and there
was a touch of hysteria in the sound. “Give me a good bomb to dismantle any day.”
62
Until Twilight
“Not this day.” Lane nibbled her earlobe and traced a line along the column of her
neck with the tip of his tongue. “No new reports of any bombs since the one at the
Franzoni residence, thank god.”
“Waiting is the worst of it. I just wish I could remember where I’d seen a bomb like
these before. I think it’s very important.”
“Quit trying so hard and it’ll come to you.”
“I want to be doing something but there’s nothing to do until we get to Paris.
Maybe we should have left tonight.”
“Tonight you decompress,” he told her. “The conference isn’t for forty-eight hours
yet and not all the ministers have arrived. You need to be at your sharpest in case they
manage to plant any explosive devices.”
She sighed. “You’re right. I know you are. It’s just…” Her voice trailed off.
“Maybe I can help you work off some of that nervous energy.”
His hands slid down to her breasts, fingers tweaking her nipples through the silk of
her blouse while his tongue continued to dance along the sensitive skin of her neck. He
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