Alec. I stopped again when I heard his voice.
“Alec, there’s a bomb in that case,” I repeated, watching his face for any sign that he already knew. “If you go into the embassy you’ll kill scores of people.”
He shook his head.
“Petra, you’ve got it all wrong. You’re the one who’s going to die.”
“I’m what?”
I didn’t have time for this craziness.
I took another step towards Alec.
What was I going to do if he was involved?
“Alec, you’ve got to listen to me. I don’t know what Cooper’s told you, but there is a bomb in that case. And if you take it into the embassy, people will die.”
“No!” He shook his head again, and held up his hand toward me.
“Stop! Petra. Please stay where you are.”
Reflexively I stopped again. What was he so scared of? I’d never seen him like this before. And from what I knew of Alec, he wasn’t scared for himself.
“Petra, you have a device in your heart. Cooper put it inside you and he has the activation code. If he uses it your heart will stop.”
I felt my forehead screw up. What was this bullshit?
“Alec, I know about Cooper. I know he was behind all the killings. I know about his father. He wants revenge, but you can’t let him have it.”
“Petra, it’s the truth. Cooper might be watching now. If I don’t do what he’s asked he’ll activate the defibrillator and you’ll die. You have to go. Leave me to do what I have to.”
“Alec. I can’t let you go into the embassy with that case.”
His eyes glazed for a minute, then he looked back at me.
“I know Cooper hates me for killing his father. But he’s not a mass murderer. In his own way he’s a patriot. He wouldn’t blow up the U.S. Embassy.”
Before I could say anything Alec turned his back on me.
I pulled out my gun and pointed it at the back of Alec’s head. It was the second time I’d pulled a gun on him. Only this time there was a much higher chance that I’d have to use it.
“Alec, the program was never closed,” I said to his back. “They just moved it. Here to Rome. The U.S. Government is still running the program – from the American Embassy. Cooper isn’t trying to kill innocent civilians, random citizens, or politicians. He’s killing people involved with the project. In other words, he’s behaving in a completely consistent way. This is real, Alec. If you walk through the door with that case you’ll be doing Cooper’s work for him.”
He ducked his head for a moment, then walked into the embassy.
“Alec, if you don’t stop I’ll shoot.”
Alec seemed to pause again for a fraction of a second.
I held my gun pointing at his back until he disappeared into the building.
Chapter 4
Alec
I walked straight through the embassy and out the back into one of central Rome’s multitude of narrow alleys – then jerked my head left and right. The street was packed with tourists and commuters on their way home. I watched them pass me one by one. Businessmen, tourists, mothers with young kids, all wrapped up in their own worlds. Looking at them I felt as if I knew how they would react to the devastation a bomb would cause. Of course anyone would react badly to something like that, but that’s not what I was sensing.
“That’s not what I mean,” I murmured.
I shook my head, confused for a second. What did I mean? I watched a middle-aged man in a dark suit walking towards me. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face. He was on his way home and late for a date with his wife. It was her birthday. He’d been delayed in a meeting.
Oh, Jesus. No.
It was back. Until a few hours ago I hadn’t known it was possible to see inside another person’s mind. Now it seemed I couldn’t help doing it. But the last thing I needed was to go poking around inside people’s heads.
I had to focus on the task at hand.
I glanced down at the battered attaché case in my right hand. Petra had told me the truth. Cooper had put a bomb in this case.
“Alec, there’s a bomb in that case,” I repeated, watching his face for any sign that he already knew. “If you go into the embassy you’ll kill scores of people.”
He shook his head.
“Petra, you’ve got it all wrong. You’re the one who’s going to die.”
“I’m what?”
I didn’t have time for this craziness.
I took another step towards Alec.
What was I going to do if he was involved?
“Alec, you’ve got to listen to me. I don’t know what Cooper’s told you, but there is a bomb in that case. And if you take it into the embassy, people will die.”
“No!” He shook his head again, and held up his hand toward me.
“Stop! Petra. Please stay where you are.”
Reflexively I stopped again. What was he so scared of? I’d never seen him like this before. And from what I knew of Alec, he wasn’t scared for himself.
“Petra, you have a device in your heart. Cooper put it inside you and he has the activation code. If he uses it your heart will stop.”
I felt my forehead screw up. What was this bullshit?
“Alec, I know about Cooper. I know he was behind all the killings. I know about his father. He wants revenge, but you can’t let him have it.”
“Petra, it’s the truth. Cooper might be watching now. If I don’t do what he’s asked he’ll activate the defibrillator and you’ll die. You have to go. Leave me to do what I have to.”
“Alec. I can’t let you go into the embassy with that case.”
His eyes glazed for a minute, then he looked back at me.
“I know Cooper hates me for killing his father. But he’s not a mass murderer. In his own way he’s a patriot. He wouldn’t blow up the U.S. Embassy.”
Before I could say anything Alec turned his back on me.
I pulled out my gun and pointed it at the back of Alec’s head. It was the second time I’d pulled a gun on him. Only this time there was a much higher chance that I’d have to use it.
“Alec, the program was never closed,” I said to his back. “They just moved it. Here to Rome. The U.S. Government is still running the program – from the American Embassy. Cooper isn’t trying to kill innocent civilians, random citizens, or politicians. He’s killing people involved with the project. In other words, he’s behaving in a completely consistent way. This is real, Alec. If you walk through the door with that case you’ll be doing Cooper’s work for him.”
He ducked his head for a moment, then walked into the embassy.
“Alec, if you don’t stop I’ll shoot.”
Alec seemed to pause again for a fraction of a second.
I held my gun pointing at his back until he disappeared into the building.
Chapter 4
Alec
I walked straight through the embassy and out the back into one of central Rome’s multitude of narrow alleys – then jerked my head left and right. The street was packed with tourists and commuters on their way home. I watched them pass me one by one. Businessmen, tourists, mothers with young kids, all wrapped up in their own worlds. Looking at them I felt as if I knew how they would react to the devastation a bomb would cause. Of course anyone would react badly to something like that, but that’s not what I was sensing.
“That’s not what I mean,” I murmured.
I shook my head, confused for a second. What did I mean? I watched a middle-aged man in a dark suit walking towards me. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face. He was on his way home and late for a date with his wife. It was her birthday. He’d been delayed in a meeting.
Oh, Jesus. No.
It was back. Until a few hours ago I hadn’t known it was possible to see inside another person’s mind. Now it seemed I couldn’t help doing it. But the last thing I needed was to go poking around inside people’s heads.
I had to focus on the task at hand.
I glanced down at the battered attaché case in my right hand. Petra had told me the truth. Cooper had put a bomb in this case.