Page 22 of Enduring Caine

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Page 22 of Enduring Caine

Leonardo’s jaw flexed, but he said nothing more, nor did he glower at my reflection. All I had to do now was listen to my own words for the rest of this visit.

Chapter 10

Samantha

Whenwegotbackfrom town, Antonio headed off with Cristian to choose some clothes to borrow. Leonardo’s plan was to lock me in my room—like a princess in a tower—but the apple-cake loving German guard, Johann, offered to take me on a tour of the property.

With the sun fully up, the air was warming, much like a nice spring afternoon, so I left the jacket behind and wore my favorite white Foster Mutual sweater.

“You can see all of Cittavera from here. Can you spot the square where the bakery is?” Johann pointed to the north, coming close enough I could use his arm as a sight.

Why did he bring me outside? Did the apple cakes buy me a shred of kindness? Did Antonio have a word with him? Or maybe…

What ifhewas the TPC agent?

“Cittavera?” White buildings crammed together on a low hill by the water. Between trees and bushes, terracotta roofs popped up here and there. I couldn’t make out the bakery, but a square by the water’s edge with a short white wall stood out. “Town of Vera?”

He nodded and continued the stroll. “The town’s named after the merchant, whose ruins are below the hill. It was a small fishing village, but close enough to the Via Appia—the main Roman road across the country—that he took an interest and built it into a market town. It was never as successful as some of the other towns nearby, but it makes a pleasant home now.”

“You know the area well?”

“I’ve been here four years. Giovanni loves to talk about the region and history, plus an understanding of the local geography can be critical in my job.” He shrugged. “The tower and the site of the main villa were originally a small medieval monastery, which housed forty monks.”

“I imagine the rooms were smaller back then?”

He laughed, pointing up to the tower’s peak. “From what I’m told, the seven stories you see today were originally nine.”

“What happened?”

“Earthquake, they say.” He guided me toward a vine-covered archway. “The coast here is at lower risk than much of the rest of the country, but still high enough to show evidence of quakes over the centuries.”

The pebbled walkway opened into a vast garden with squared hedges, round bushes, and edged flowerbeds that were little more than dirt and pruned stalks. “Do you live in town?”

“No, in the—” He turned, walking backward, gesturing to a pair of low stucco buildings near the tower. “—we call it ‘the village.’ Leonardo and Henri have rooms in the villa, of course, since they’re needed so often. But the rest of the staff live there. Twenty of us, some with families, some not.”

“Twenty? Is there really that much to do here?”

“It was thirty-five when I started. Giovanni’s cut back in the last two years.”

Cut back? Why would he do that? Decrease in business? “Why’s that?”

He made a playful grimacing face, eyes wide. For such a big and intimidating man, carrying a pistol at his waist, he was very easygoing. “I don’t get into the business, just do what I’m told.”

We continued around a dry marble fountain, ten feet across at its base, with a carved angel holding a lyre in one hand, reaching to the heavens with the other. It would be beautiful here in the summer.

“Yeah, Leonardo seems to enjoy giving orders,” I said.

Johann slowed to swipe some leaves from the edge of the fountain. “He’s the head of security. It’s expected.”

“Do you like working for him?”

“The pay is good. The winters are easy.” He knelt as we passed a stone bench, and a calico cat appeared from between some bushes. The cat looked up at him, purring when he picked it up and resumed his walk. “I get along with the other staff.”

“You’re from Germany?”

He nodded, stroking the cat’s back as it settled against his chest. “A small town north of Hamburg. So far north it’s practically in Denmark.”

The TPC wouldn’t have a German on their payroll, would they? Elliot had told me their man inside the estate was with the TPC, specifically. Johann could be lying about his background. Or Elliot could have meant that their man was with Interpol, coordinating with the Italian authorities.




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