Page 29 of Enduring Caine
“It’s beautiful.” They were the first words I’d uttered since we left my room, despite Vincenzo talking the whole way. Telling me the history of the area, pointing out the islands in the distance, sharing stories about his favorite spots in town. My throat had remained tight through the entire experience, bracing for the moment he’d say something real.
“Wait until you see the best part!” He gave me a smile which had grown progressively weaker the longer we walked. This tour was a game. We had to get to the point, eventually.
A stone walkway bordered the natural pool and when we reached the midpoint, he pointed to the cliffs at the edge of the hill. With a few more steps, the entrance to the cave Antonio told me about came into view.
The mouth opened to the Mediterranean, canted so it would be visible from the beaches of Cittavera. The sea break protected it from the open sea, allowing water to flow through a small channel then into the cave.
“Antonio didn’t tell me it was full of water.”
“It’s not completely full.” Vin grabbed my hand, and I yanked it away. “Sorry.”
“Vin, it’s about time you—”
He pulled closer and I stepped back. Still, he lowered his voice and leaned toward me. “Wait until I give you the okay.”
The okay?Something is definitely going on.
I followed him along the six-foot wide stone path edging the pool. Once we got closer, the statues he’d mentioned became visible. The inside of the natural cave was practically a round room, and its ceiling soared fifty feet above us. The walkway we were on ran along the edge of the cave, providing a view into the surprisingly deep water.
The cave wasn’t just a round room; it was like a hollow sphere, with water filling the bottom half.
Five alcoves dotted the walls, each with a marble statue inside. But the most breathtaking statue stood on a platform in the center, a twelve-foot reclining giant, surrounded by men with spears.
“The blinding of the cyclops Polyphemos,” I said.
Vin chuckled. He pressed himself against the wall by the second alcove, placed one foot next to a status of Venus, launched himself up to grab a handhold above her, then reached in behind her head.
When he hopped down, his whole body relaxed. “I can’t believe it’s you, Sam.”
“What?”
He fiddled with his watch and spoke rapidly. “The camera’s off. We can speak plainly for now. They’ll dispatch someone when any camera’s malfunctioning for more than ten minutes, so that’s it.”
I scanned the cave and spotted the camera above the Venus statue. The damn things were everywhere! “You were in a blind spot against the wall?”
He gave a quick nod. “When did the FBI get involved in this?”
Was this a test? Leonardo had asked about me being an investigator, so maybe he’d enlisted Vin to do some snooping. Antonio said it was critical they didn’t know my link to the Bureau. Vincenzo was one of Gio’s employees, so I gave the most non-committal answer I could. “FBI?”
“They didn’t tell you about their agent on the inside, did they?” He sighed, dropping his head to chuckle. “Sam, I’m with the TPC.”
He was what?
Vin looked at me, those narrow gray eyes I’d once thought were so piercing and gorgeous danced with excitement. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to talk to you in private since I saw you. But you’ve got Antonio wound like a coil and he won’t let you out of his sight. So when Leonardo assigned me to take you down here, it was the perfect opportunity.”
He couldn’t be. Couldn’t be the one Elliot was talking about. It wasn’t fair that this man, of all the people at the villa—in the entire fucking world—would be the one I was excited to find.
“You’ve changed.” He tucked his hands into his pockets, the smile slipping. “You used to be so chatty. I expected a stream of comments about the ruins, let alone the view from the top of the cliffs.”
“Yeah, life does that to a person. Changes them.”Like changing you from swearing you’d move to the States to be with me, you son of a bitch, then not bothering to tell me you decided against it.
Vin turned away from me, walking along the outer edge of the pool. “We don’t have time to rehash old wounds.”
“Then explain what you’re doing here.”
“I couldn’t tell you back then, but the job I took…” He checked his watch. “It was a special force within the TPC tackling art smuggling. I’d been undercover for a couple of years before I landed my spot here. But Giovanni’s clamped down lately and it’s been difficult to get in touch with my handler. A hidden phone gave way to dead drops, which eventually stopped going both ways. I was afraid they’d left me to the wind, except someone was picking up my messages.”
It made sense. He did the same art crimes training I did. When we’d first met, I wanted to join the FBI’s Art Crime Team, while Vincenzo had wanted to join the Carabinieri TPC. Why didn’t he tell me?