Page 96 of Enduring Caine
“I should go check on Leonardo. He’s probably still at the security desk reviewing videos.”
“Does the man ever sleep?”
“He’s a pig’s ass sometimes, but he’s doing his best to keep everyone safe.”
“He doesn’t think we’re at risk at all?”
“With patrols doubled and monitoring increased, we’re as safe here as anywhere.”
“Good. I worry about Cesca wandering around the house.” I drained my glass and stood. Perhaps a little too quickly. I braced myself against the table and let out a groan when my right arm moved too fast. “Have you ever been shot in the bicep? It hurts a surprising amount.”
Cristian laughed. “Shoulder, twice in the leg, one that nicked my waist, and a grazing shot across my forearm. But no biceps.”
“As much as I enjoyed your company—” I walked out of the room with him. The hallway swayed, but only slightly. “—I don’t miss all of that. The violence.”
“I thought I would.” Cristian pointed to the turn ahead of us. It’s all I’ve ever known. “But I don’t. I even started seeing a woman in Terracina.”
I came to an abrupt halt and grabbed his arm. “As in a relationship? More than a few nights?”
“Would you believe Papa won’t even allowmeto have overnight visitors?” He inclined his head in the direction we’d been walking and continued. “I don’t know how you changed his mind on that.”
“How long have you been seeing her?”
“She was Papa’s real estate agent for the conservation studio building. It’s been six months now.”
“Areyougoing to settle down?”
He gave me a sidelong glance. “She has children, two and five, who both like me.”
“Marone, no!” I laughed, focusing hard on the door ahead of us, which led into the security control room. “That’s wonderful news.”
He spluttered a laugh. “Just don’t tell Leo. He’d never approve.”
“What was going on with him and the recovery woman?”
Cristian paused, hand on the door, failing to control his laughter. “I think she identified the biggest threat here and neutralized him. How do you think her man got his gun past Leo?”
Leonardo barely acknowledged us as we came in. With the lockdown in place, he had two long-term men working the security displays at all times, but at the moment, he took one of the seats, its normal occupant hovering behind him. Leo’s brow was furrowed and his lids looked heavy.
Cristian slapped him on the back, still in the laughing mood we’d carried with us from the dining room. “Find anything new?”
Leonardo grunted. “I did.”
He worked the controls, bringing a view of the wine cellar to the larger central display. Johann entered the frame in fast forward mode, walked past the casks and wine bottles on their shelves and made his way into the tasting room. We’d watched this several times before, searching for clues or for someone to wander through the video. Leo let it play a few seconds longer, while the time stamp scrolled by.
“We watched all of this already.” I cast a sidelong glance at Cristian, who rolled his eyes dramatically. We should have stayed at the table for another glass of wine. “What did you see?”
Leo held up a finger to silence me—eliciting suppressed laughter from Cristian and me—and hit a button which brought the speed to normal. He increased the volume to its maximum. A faint noise came across the system and we all leaned closer, the jokes and teasing forgotten.
It was the sound of stone grinding on stone.
I hit rewind and played it again. “The door down to the cave?”
Leo shooed my hand from the controls, keeping his finger up. There was another noise. “I can’t make it out.”
Cristian said, “A voice?”
“Choking?” I asked. “Difficulty breathing?”