The Moon That Night Read online

  The words to reassure her, comfort her, simply would not form in his brain. Give him any military objective and, with the appropriate equipment and manpower, chances were he’d successfully complete the mission. But kids? Completely perplexing. Teenage girls were the worst, an outright mystery, one he had no intention of trying to solve.

  The moment they’d filed off the plane, Ally stormed away from him. “Ally?” he called. “Where are you going?”

  Naturally she ignored him.

  “Ally!” He charged forward and grabbed her arm. “You need to stay close.”

  “Chill!” She yanked her arm away and rolled her eyes at him. “I’m just going to the bathroom!”

  He shook his head as she disappeared into the restrooms. “Then why didn’t you say that?” he mumbled to himself.

  “Because that would make things too easy for you,” Kate said, coming to stand by his side.

  He debated letting her comment go, but a part of him wondered. “Too easy. How?”

  “She’s mad at you for leaving Jenny. She doesn’t understand and she has no other recourse than to jerk you around.”

  “I did what I had to do. Jenny knows that.” But it didn’t stop him from feeling guilty. “I’m not going to try and explain myself, let alone make any excuses for my actions. It is what it is. Ally will have to deal.”

  “Whatever,” Kate murmured. “It’s your relationship.”

  “And you’re such an expert?”

  “No.” She slowly shook her head. “Not even close. But there is one thing I know for sure. You’re lucky to have a daughter, Riley. A family. I wouldn’t be so quick to turn your back on it all, if I were you.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t turned my back on anyone.” His defenses rose. What was taking Ally so long in the bathroom? “This conversation is over.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight.” He glared at her. “If you’re going to do this with me, you need to check the attitude.”

  “My attitude’s not the problem.”

  “Last night you said you thought I had a problem with you. I think you’ve got a problem with me.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself.”

  “Well, if it’s not me, then what is it?”

  She crossed her arms. “Pretty much all men.”

  “You don’t like men. That explains it.”

  Refusing to take his bait, she looked away from him. They stood silently for a few more minutes before Ally came out of the restroom and immediately beelined toward a shop filled with books, magazines, souvenirs and snacks. “I want something to eat,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Ally, come on,” Riley said. “We can get something to eat on the road.”

  “This’ll take a minute. Chill!”

  “I have a feeling she needs to be by herself for a bit.”

  He wanted to be in Ostia Antica before the church closed for the day, but they had time. He took a deep breath and mustered some patience. Kate stood quietly next to him, her arms crossed, glancing at the comings and goings of harried travelers. Another few quiet minutes passed before his curiosity got the better of him. “So what have you got against men anyway?”

  She glanced at him as if gauging his sincerity.

  “Honestly. I want to know.”

  “Nothing much,” she said. “Except for the fact that my father walked out on my mom before I was born. I suppose a therapist might say that got the ball rolling.”

  “He never came back, never tried to touch base again?”

  “No. And I’ve never gone looking for him, either. By all accounts we were far better off without him.”

  “No men in your life.” He shook his head. “No wonder.”

  “I’ve had men in my life.”

  He said nothing, only held her gaze as if challenging her.

  “Right out of high school, I interned with a master potter. Rufus Sherman. He was the nicest man I’ve ever known.”

  “Was?”

  “Killed in a car accident several years ago. He taught me everything I know about art. And then some.” She smiled, remembering him.

  “Were you in love with him?”

  “What?” She snapped her head toward Riley so fast it looked as if she might’ve strained a muscle.

  He couldn’t believe he was actually having this conversation with her, but at least it was keeping him from getting antsy while waiting for Ally. “Did you love Rufus?”

  “God, no. He was very happily married. He and Elena celebrated their fortieth anniversary just before they both died.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question,” he said softly.

  “No, I suppose it doesn’t.” She seemed to give it some thought. “No, I didn’t love Rufus romantically, but in a lot of ways, I suppose, he was a role model. He was certainly the closest thing to a father I ever had.”

  “And he’s very likely the man by which you measure all men.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Ever dated?” Riley asked.

  “I’m twenty-seven.” Kate glanced sideways at him. “What do you think?”

  “And?”

  “And nothing about any of those men changed my opinion about the male sex, in general. Apparently my sisters managed to nab the last good men on the plan et.”

  “All two of them.” He almost smiled.

  “I know it sounds crazy,” she said, sounding suddenly vulnerable, “but I look at Maggie and Shannon with their husbands and kids and their perfect homes and all I know is they’re happier than I’ll ever be.”

  “Ever? You’ve already given up on love? That’s a bit cynical even for a tough character like you, isn’t it?”

  “I’ll be thirty soon—”

  “You mean in three years?”

  “My point is I’m not as young as you think.”

  “Right.” He shook his head. “So what’s the first thing you look for in a guy?”

  “He has to be smart.”

  “Oh, come on, be honest. You go for looks.”

  “Maybe. A little.”

  “So what kind of guy do you like to look at?”

  “Slender. Not too tall,” she said right off the bat. “Nice, clean-cut hair. No beards or mustaches. Tans and too many muscles say self-absorbed.”

  Again he almost smiled as he wondered what she considered to be too many muscles.

  “And if he’s got a cell phone growing out of his ear, I won’t even look twice.”

  “You like suits?”

  “As much as the next girl.”

  “College educated?”

  “I see where this is going, and I am not an elitist.”

  “Maybe not. But I’ll bet a man’s appreciation for art is a must, right?”

  “What’s so wrong about understanding what I do?”

  “Nothing, in and of itself. But you add soft-spoken, sensitive, good listener and funny to the mix and you’ve got a certain type of man. A nice guy.”

  “A guy like Rufus.”

  “Exactly. But nice isn’t necessarily right for you.”

  “Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

  Now he’d hurt her feelings. Good job, Riley. What the heck was taking Ally so long? Unfortunately his curiosity got the better of him. Again. “Are you saying you’ve never fallen in love?”

  “Nope.”

  That seemed ridiculous for a smart, beautiful woman her age. “How can that be?”

  “A hazard of never getting past the third date, I suppose.”

  “You’ve never dated a man more than three times?”

  “Never.”

  “How can you possibly get the measure of a man within three dates?”

  “Easy. Date one doesn’t usually count for much. Guys are usually putting a best foot forward. But I can sometimes pick up enough clues to know things won’t be going anywhere. If we make it to the end of date two, the real man is starting to surface. By date three, he’s there. If you pay
attention.”

  “So you never give a guy a chance with date four, huh?”

  “What’s the point? I’ve dated enough to know. From my experience, there isn’t a man out there worth his weight in packing peanuts. They’re either insecure to the point of suffocating a woman to death or confident to the point of being arrogant. Overachievers or lazy. Obsessive organizers or slobs. And on the rare occasion when I’ve happened to find a man who seems to be a great match, he invariably finds something critically wrong with me.”

  “Like what?”

  She looked away.

  “Come on. Out with it.”

  “Well, apparently I do all kinds of things wrong.”

  “Like?”

  “If it’s not one thing, it’s another. I’ve been asked if I could laugh more quietly, stop talking during movies, wear my hair shorter, longer, dress sexier, dress less sexy, learn how to cook, make the bed every once in a while, or, my personal favorite, express my opinion less forcefully, please?”

  Her feelings had been hurt. The truth was there in her eyes. The words to reassure her formed in his mouth, but while he’d never been her date, he’d been one of those men in thinking her mouthy and obstinate.

  “I’ve spent enough time pretending to be Goldilocks forever testing out men,” she muttered. “The just-right man isn’t out there.”

  Riley didn’t buy it. There was someone for everyone. His someone had died. Hers was still out there. But this conversation had suddenly gotten way too personal for his tastes.

  Thank goodness Ally came out of the store. Munching on a bag of chips, she fell into step with them. The girls were blessedly silent on their way to customs. Even so, Riley found himself studying Kate. She was cocky and stubborn. Then again, maybe she was simply rightfully confident. In any case, she unfortunately seemed to get sexier every minute he spent with her.

  Shut it down, Riley. Right now. She’s barely over twenty-five and you? Pushing forty, you old geezer. Besides, you can’t have this woman in your life, no matter how sexy.

  He and Kate were cut from the same cloth, too much alike, and that was the makings for a disaster in any kind of relationship. Life was about balance. For every up there was a down, every right a wrong. Flip every cloud with a silver lining and you’d see its dark side. A hard man needed a soft woman. Unless that man had chosen to be a soldier, like him.

  There was no such thing as balance in a soldier’s life. Amy’s death and Ally’s birth had made him realize that soldiers had no right being in a relationship in the first place, let alone building families. No right whatsoever. And twenty years on active duty had confirmed that fact.

  But you don’t have to be a soldier anymore, a small voice whispered inside his head. If he signed those early-retirement papers he could make a new life for himself. He could do anything he wanted.

  There was only one problem with that scenario. He didn’t know how to start over, start fresh. Begin again. A man could never put his soldier’s life completely in the past, so there was absolutely no point entertaining the concept. Put it away.

  By the time Riley had finished his musings they’d made their way through customs. While he took care of renting a vehicle, Kate called Maggie. From what little he could hear of the one side of the conversation, Kate was making light of the situation, and he didn’t blame her. If his family had known the direness of some the missions he’d completed through the years, they’d have had a hard time sleeping at night. Sometimes ignorance truly was bliss.

  It was close to two o’clock by the time they made their way outside. Rome was a lot warmer than D.C. Although it was only about sixty degrees outside, the clear, steady sun made it feel much warmer.

  “I think we should stop and get some sleep,” Kate said, flipping on a pair of sunglasses.

  Riley glanced at his daughter. Despite having slept a good portion of their flights, she looked jet-lagged. “We don’t have time.” As the bright, hot midday sun beat down on his head, he climbed behind the wheel of their rental car. “We need to make contact with March’s man first, then scope out the church. After that, we’ll find a place to stay and get some sleep.”

  “But—”

  “Kate.” He glared at her. The woman had an opinion on everything. “We have five days to steal five statues in three different cities. Jenny doesn’t have time for us to screw around.”

  For a moment she considered him. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Her mouth snapped shut.

  Well, I’ll be damned. Apparently miracles did happen. Without another word, Ally and Kate climbed inside the car.

  “First stop, March’s contact,” Riley said as he dialed the number March had included in the file he’d given them.

  The call was answered immediately. “Pronto,” a man mumbled, speaking Italian.

  “You have something for me,” Riley said. “From March.”

  “Yes. Just before you get to Ostia there is a petrol station on the right. Pull in and wait.”

  Riley hung up, drove out of the airport and toward the coast.

  “Where are we going?” Kate asked.

  “A seaside town called Ostia Antica.”

  “At the mouth of the Tiber River.”

  He glanced at her. “You’ve been there?”

  “No, but I know it’s about thirty kilometers outside Rome. Shouldn’t take us too long to get there.”

  “I want to scope out the church before it closes tonight.”

  “Too bad this isn’t a vacation,” Kate mused.

  “I’ve practically never been out of D.C.,” Ally grumbled as they zipped past the landscape.

  “Well, Rome is a beautiful city. Filled with art. In fact, it almost is art.”

  “You’ve been to Italy before?” Ally asked.

  “Four times.” Kate smiled. “What about you, Riley?”

  “Been to Rome several times.”

  “So you know what I’m talking about, then.”

  “Actually, no. I’ve only ever been here on assignment. Never had time to sightsee.”

  “For some reason, that doesn’t really surprise me,” Kate muttered.

  Every foreign city he’d ever visited had been with the military, but he’d always had a job to do. He’d been to half the countries on the planet at one time or another. When hadn’t he been either in the military or on military business?

  “Someday you’ll both have to come back and see the city properly. It’s worth it.”

  “What’s so great about it?” Ally asked, rubbernecking as they drove. “It doesn’t look all that special.”

  “That’s because we’re out by the airport,” Kate said. “This isn’t the real Rome. The real Rome is spectacular. It’s museums and ruins. Churches and chapels. The Vatican Museum alone houses the largest collection in the world of Leonardo da Vinci paintings. You can see the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps. More fountains than you can shake a stick at and some of the best restaurants in the world.”

  “Pizza and pasta,” Ally murmured.

  “And seafood and wine. Cheeses and breads.”

  For the entire time it took to leave the city, Kate talked about one museum or ruin after another. In spite of everything on his mind, Riley caught himself listening and even enjoying her dissertation on the charms of Rome.

  “It all sounds so beautiful,” Ally murmured sleepily.

  Riley glanced in the rearview mirror. Ally was lying down with her head propped against her pack. “She’s asleep.”

  “Good.”

  “Thanks for…easing her mind,” Riley whispered. He felt her eyes on him.

  “Your daughter’s a pretty neat kid.”

  “I know that.”

  “Do you?”

  Riley glanced sideways at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “From what I’ve gathered, she doesn’t even live with you.”

  For reasons he did not want to explore, this discussion with Kate seemed dangerous. “I’ve told you befor
e. My personal life is none of your business.”

  “Maybe so, but—”

  “Leave it. We’re here.” Riley pulled off the highway into the gas station and positioned the car with a clear view of the entire parking area and the ability to drive straight ahead if a quick getaway was necessary. He felt almost naked without a weapon.

  “Now what?” Kate asked.

  “You get into the driver’s seat, and we wait.”

  “Why do you want me driving?”

  Now more than ever he wished this woman had stayed in D.C. “Am I going to have to explain myself every step of the way?”

  “How would you like following orders without question?”

  What did she think he’d done in the military? But then, he had to admit, his trust and respect had not ever been given easily. He’d fought side by side with most of the men from whom he’d taken orders. Didn’t Kate deserve the same opportunity, that he earn her respect before she unconditionally gave it?

  He sighed and said, “Because if anything happens to me I want you ready to take off. Make sense?”

  She nodded and switched places with him in the front seat.

  Not more than a few minutes ticked by before a black sedan pulled into the parking spot next to them. The driver glanced at Riley.

  “This is it,” Riley whispered. “No matter what, stay in the car. The moment I get out, lock all the doors and open the trunk. If something happens to me, take off. No hesitation.” He glanced at her. “Kate?”

  “All right,” she said.

  Leaving the engine running, Riley got out of the car, glanced at Kate through the glass and pointed toward the locks. The instant he heard the telltale click, he moved to the rear of the vehicle. Without a word, the other man exited his vehicle and transferred a large black duffel bag into their trunk. Then the man got back into his car and drove away.

  Riley glanced around, made sure no one was watching and unzipped the bag. Two semiautomatic handguns, some explosives material, ammunition, smoke bombs, a tool kit. Everything a man needed to rob a museum and kill a few guards. He hoped he wouldn’t need half of it and would definitely have to leave everything here before catching their plane to Athens tomorrow morning, but better safe than sorry.

  He was about to close the bag when he noticed a couple of empty boxes with plastic windows and Greek lettering. Riley picked one up. They looked like packaging for a kid’s toy. Or a novelty gift. Like a statue. There was a note attached. “These should get the statues through customs.” Apparently March had thought of just about everything.