The Moon That Night Read online

  Knowing him, there was probably a tracking device hidden in this mess, but for now Riley wasn’t going to worry about that. Besides, March knew their game plan. Riley’s only ace in the hole was Trace. He slipped a handgun out of the bag, slammed the trunk and climbed back into the car.

  “Well?” Kate asked.

  He checked out the gun’s safety and clip, then stuffed it into his jacket pocket. Strange how being in possession of a gun made everything better. “Let’s go steal those first two statues.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  OSTIA ANTICA WAS A dying coastal town barely worth a moment of attention as far as Riley was concerned. The sooner they found the church, the sooner he could steal the statue and the sooner they could head to Greece.

  “This town is something,” Kate said. “This was Rome’s main port once upon a time.”

  “Ships couldn’t travel up the river?” Ally asked.

  “Not the big ones,” Riley said. “Not back then.”

  The comment garnered raised eyebrows from Kate.

  “I may not take in the sights, but that doesn’t mean I have no culture.”

  “Right.” Kate smiled. “So here in Ostia, more than two thousand years ago, merchandise from ships traveling the Mediterranean came here and was transferred to barges before heading to Rome.”

  Kate had picked up a tourist book, including maps and hours of main tourist attractions, the last time they’d stopped for gas. With Riley giving directions, she zipped through the town without incident. By the time they reached the church it was less than ten minutes before closing.

  Kate pulled into the nearly empty parking lot and turned off the motor. “Okay, let’s go.”

  “Oh, no,” Riley said, grabbing the camera he’d purchased during their layover in the Amsterdam airport. “You two are staying here.”

  “Why?” Kate asked.

  “I’m not staying out here in the car,” Ally immediately added. “Like a dog.”

  He would’ve given them both his evil eye if he’d thought it might have made any difference, but it was quite clear neither of these two females was the slightest intimidated by him. How had that happened?

  “Look,” Riley said, spinning to the side so he could glare at both of them at once, “you two are staying in the car because I do not want either of you involved in this.”

  “There’s no way around it, Riley,” Kate said. “We’re already involved.”

  “Yeah,” Ally agreed. “And I’m sick of sitting. First the plane, then the car. I need to walk.”

  “Me, too.”

  “You two can walk all you want once I’m done here. We’ll get some dinner and find a hotel. You’ll be done with the car for the night.”

  “No,” Kate said, opening her door. “I want to see the church.”

  “Me, too.” Ally followed suit.

  It was obvious these two had never served in the military. Some way, somehow he was going to have to impress upon them the meaning of a little thing called a chain of command, but just now he didn’t have time.

  “Fine. For now.” He got out and snapped a few pictures of the exterior of the church. At least it was a few degrees cooler here than in Rome. “We’re on vacation, okay? If anyone asks, we’re a family.”

  Ally grinned at Riley. “But is Kate your wife or your daughter?”

  Smart-ass.

  “I’m too old to be his daughter,” Kate said.

  “Then that makes you my mom.”

  “But I’m not old enough for that.”

  “You’ll do,” Riley said. “Come on. Let’s get this over and done with.”

  He crossed the parking lot and opened the front door to the church. Kate and Ally followed. They walked through the foyer—apparently there was no admittance fee—and went inside. Already the place was decorated for Christmas with lights and a nativity scene. An older couple, most likely Americans, walked around, reading displays, snapping photos.

  He handed the camera to Kate. “You and Ally take some pictures. I’m going to walk around.”

  “Yes, sir.” She mock saluted him.

  Attitude. Again.

  The old church smelled faintly of wood oil and incense, and a damp chill hung in the air. While Kate and Ally played tourist, Riley surreptitiously summed up the security, what little there was of it. If it hadn’t been for the old couple, he might have considered walking out of there with the statues. Luckily, the building was at least several hundred years old and didn’t appear to have been renovated to any great degree.

  He found a collection of artifacts locked behind glass in a vestibule near the front of the church. The case didn’t appear to be hooked up to any sensors. March was right. Chances were these people didn’t yet know what they had on their hands. He studied the pieces on display. March had given him a general description, but all the statues looked the same to him.

  “Relax,” Kate whispered, sidling up next to him. “You look like you’re on a mission, but you’re supposed to be on vacation.”

  He turned toward her, suddenly curious. “Why are you doing this for me?”

  “Who said I’m doing this for you? Maybe it’s for Ally.”

  “Ally. That makes sense.” He should have known. It couldn’t have anything to do with him. “So do you know which statues are the right ones?” he asked. “Yes.”

  He waited a moment. “You going to tell me or what?”

  “Not until you say please.” She grinned up at him.

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Pretty please would be even better.”

  Clenching his jaw, he held back the tirade forming, although there was a part of him that wanted to smile.

  “Admit that you need me, Riley, and then I’ll tell you.”

  He’d never needed anyone except other soldiers his entire adult life. He took in her self-satisfied expression, the smart curl in her lips. Suddenly he wasn’t sure what he wanted more—to wring her neck or kiss her. Probably both. Although kissing her was making headway. “Kate, this isn’t a game.”

  “I’m waiting.”

  “Oh, for—fine. I need you! Okay?” In more ways than one, he was beginning to think.

  “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “One is on the middle shelf, second statue from the left. That’s Hemera. Goddess of daylight.”

  He located the piece, staring at it as he stood in front of the display case. “That one right there?”

  “Yep.”

  Naked but for a swath of fabric covering her groin area, she was a very young-looking woman. Her hair was covered in some kind of crown of leaves and her breasts were small but perky.

  “The other one,” Kate whispered. “Nyx, goddess of night, is on the bottom, last one on the right.”

  Nyx was everything her daughter wasn’t. While she might have been clothed, with only one full and lush breast exposed, the look on her face was anything but innocent.

  This was going to be a long week.

  “You’re sure?” he asked.

  “Positive.”

  Apparently, obstinate and opinionated came in handy every once in a while.

  “And March is right,” she continued. “They both have the signature rosebuds. See? In Hemera’s hair? And on Nyx’s shoulder, where her robe is clasped together?”

  He nodded.

  “When are you going to steal them?” she asked.

  “Tonight. After the town closes down.” He turned toward the front door, his prepaid cell phone rang, and the lightheartedness of the moment dissipated in an instant. There was only one person who’d be calling him on this phone. He snapped it open. “Trace?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  Thank God. “Do you have Jenny?” he asked, stepping outside.

  Kate followed him, her expression full of concern.

  “No. But I caught up with them. Landed in Tokyo right on March’s heels a few hours ago. March and two of his men took off, but Jenny’s still on the pla
ne. Still heavily guarded. I won’t be able to get near her on my own.”

  Feeling frustrated and helpless, Riley turned away from Kate and hoped Ally stayed inside the church for another few minutes. He didn’t know how he was going to tell her Jenny still wasn’t safe. “Trace, you’re going to need help.”

  “One step ahead of you, buddy. Already called in a couple favors. March’s next stop is Shanghai. They’re meeting me there.”

  “Is there anything I can do from my end?”

  “No.”

  “Stick with her, Trace.”

  “Will do. I’ll call you when I have something to say.”

  Riley hung up and glanced at Kate.

  “You don’t need to explain. I heard.”

  Ally came out of the church. “I’m starving.”

  “Me, too,” Riley said, hoping he might evade updating Ally on Jenny. He held Kate’s gaze, willing her to understand.

  “Well, then, let’s get something to eat,” Kate said, forcing a smile.

  Riley felt himself relax. “Then we can find a store for a few supplies, a hotel and get some sleep.”

  “I’M NOT LETTING YOU or Ally out of my sight,” Riley said, glancing at Kate. “So we’re all staying in the same room. Got a problem with that?”

  “No.” But she did have a problem with the accommodations. The main—nice—hotels in town were completely booked for the night due to a wine tasting sponsored by several local businesses, so they’d been relegated to an off-the-beaten-path dive.

  The fact that the hotel was minutes from the old church didn’t make up for the fact that it appeared to be a flea-bitten hole-in-the-wall. The carpets were threadbare, the hallway stank and a sign at the front desk warned all guests that the hot water would be turned off from midnight to 8:00 a.m. If the rooms weren’t in any better shape, they were in for a real treat.

  Apparently they’d used up their day’s quota of luck on the fabulous trattoria they’d found a few blocks from the church. Riley had practically inhaled his order of spaghetti with clams. Kate’s cappelletti romagnoli, ravioli in Bolognese sauce with butter and sage, was divine. And even Ally, apparently a relatively picky eater, had enjoyed her shrimp scampi risotto.

  Riley opened the door to the triple room he’d rented and led the way inside, making sure there was no one in the bathroom or closet. “We’re clear,” he announced, throwing his jacket onto the bed closest to the door.

  Kate glanced at the paint peeling off the walls and opened her mouth to protest, but Ally beat her to the punch. “I am not sleeping here,” Ally announced on examining the bed linens, which appeared to be dusty from disuse.

  “If you’re tired enough, you’ll sleep.” Riley glanced from Ally to Kate. With a couple days’ growth of beard stubble on his face, he looked much sexier than he should have, but tired. “You got anything you want to add?”

  Kate bit her tongue and shook her head. She’d given Riley enough of a headache for the day. “I’ll deal. But I’m drawing the line if there are mice in the bathroom.”

  While Ally proceeded to pout, sitting on one corner of her bed with her arms folded petulantly, Riley went through what was clearly his hotel routine. He locked the door, then went to the sliding glass door, glanced outside and tested the lock. Next he took out his gun, checked the ammunition and safety and set it on the bedside table.

  In the meantime, Ally had slowly sunk sideways onto the bed, her head barely managing to hit the pillow. Moments later, she was sound asleep.

  Poor baby. Ally was trying so hard to hold it all together, but inside she was no doubt more frightened than she’d ever been in her life. She was much older and bigger than Kate’s nieces and nephews, but she was still so much a child. Kate walked over to the bed and untied Ally’s tennis shoes. Then she grabbed the blanket and laid it over Ally’s prone form. When she glanced up, Riley was watching her.

  “Thank you,” he whispered. “I don’t think of those things.”

  She shrugged.

  “Will you be all right alone out here?” he asked softly. “I’d like to take a quick shower.”

  His concern for her welfare suddenly seemed touching rather than irritating. He might put himself out as gruff and callous, but she had a feeling that was anything but the truth. “You’re not expecting anyone to bother us, are you?”

  “Not really, but you never know.”

  “Go for it,” she whispered back. “We’ll be fine. I’d like to take a shower, too, but you’ll likely be done before I’m ready to go.”

  “You know how to use a gun?”

  She glanced at the weapon on the table. “No.”

  He handed it to her, his fingers brushing lightly against her palm.

  “Safety off. Safety on.” He flicked a metal switch. “Aim. Pull the trigger. Steady your arm with a hand under the gun.” He took her left hand and placed it under her right. “Got it? Otherwise the chamber action will cut you.”

  “Got it.” The gun felt much heavier and his hands much warmer than she’d expected.

  “You ever have to use this, Kate, don’t try anything fancy. Hit your target. Anywhere. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment, looking as if he might try to convince her to head back to the States.

  “Don’t even bring it up again, Riley,” she said, cutting him off before he could open his mouth. “I’m here because I want to be here, and I’m seeing this through. When it’s all over, you’re going to be glad I did.”

  Without a word, he turned and went into the bathroom. A second later, the spray of the shower sounded. Appreciative of the fact that Riley had thought to stop after dinner and buy each of them a backpack, some toiletries and a few changes of clothing, Kate dug through her bag.

  By the time she’d gathered her supplies and some clean clothes, he’d finished in the shower. He came out of the bathroom wearing sweatpants but bare chested, with droplets of water still clinging to the side of his arm. For a moment she stared. Couldn’t help herself. Well built didn’t begin to describe Riley without a shirt. His arms looked chiseled from rock. A dusting of dark curly hair was scattered across his muscular chest.

  What she would have done at that moment for a hunk of clay to sculpt and mold and attempt to do justice to this man’s perfect body. Then again, she wasn’t sure that was even possible.

  “All yours.” He held open the door, looking down at her.

  Him or the bathroom?

  “The shower’s nothing fancy,” he said quietly. “But it does the job.”

  Their hotel room was narrow and small, requiring her to get far too close to him to make her way into the even tinier bathroom. If the heat in his gaze was any indication, he, too, was affected by their proximity. Was it her imagination wanting him to, or had he actually moved closer to her?

  Feeling breathless, she reached out to steady herself and her hands flattened against him. Riley’s bare chest felt wonderful. Thick springy hair and soft, warm, velvety skin over tense, hard muscles. Oh, and he smelled so good, clean soap, heat and something so male she could almost taste him. What would he taste like?

  His head tilted down toward her, her head tilted back and as if in a dream, their lips touched. A low sound vibrated from his throat as he deepened the kiss, causing the stubble on his cheeks to graze her soft skin. Then his tongue slipped through her teeth and she leaned into him, virtually melting against him.

  His arms went quickly around her, holding her up, holding her to him. For an instant, like a rag doll, she was his to bend, to mold, to take, but then they both seemed to come to their senses at the same time. She stiffened. He released her, stepped back and glanced at Ally, as if only then remembering she was in the room.

  Kate sucked in a breath. That did not just happen. That could not have… Oh, yes, it did. As sure as she was standing there, her cheek felt tender from where his whiskers had rubbed against her skin.

  Mortified, she rushed into the bathroom, quic
kly closed the door and leaned back against it. She could still feel the warmth of his hands on her back, his lips on her mouth, and God help her but it took every ounce of her willpower not to open the door and finish what they’d started.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE LOCK TURNED IN the bathroom door and Riley stood there for a moment, thinking maybe he’d imagined that kiss. No such luck. The lingering velvety pressure of her lips on his mouth and the tightening in his groin proved it had been far too real. How could he have let that happen?

  She’d put her hands on his chest, a gesture in and of itself not that forward, but couple it with the look of longing in her eyes and all he’d been able to think about was having her hands all over him, his all over her.

  Putting his lapse in judgment down to jet lag and lack of sleep finally catching up to him, he took a deep breath to clear his thoughts and pulled a T-shirt over his head. Then he checked on Ally. Down for the count. With any luck, he would be, too, within a few minutes.

  He spread out on one of the other beds and closed his eyes, hoping the sound of the water spraying in the shower would lull him into oblivion. Instead, his brain immediately went to work imagining bare, wet, female skin. Kate naked in a shower. Wouldn’t that be a sight for tired eyes?

  The remembered image of her as a teenager in only a bra and thong popped into his mind. Her tattoos. The lines of her curves. He couldn’t help but wonder how she’d matured. Probably to absolute perfection.

  He tossed and turned a few more times. Finally accepting there was no chance he’d be falling asleep any time soon, he swung his legs out of bed, slid open the balcony door and sat near the rail. A relatively warm autumn breeze blew in from the Mediterranean. He took his mind off the sound of the shower stopping by locating the church and studying its dark outline. Although the nearest streetlight was half a block away and there were no lights either inside or outside the building, a nearly full moon illuminated the sky, destroying any cover the night would provide. That wasn’t good.