At that moment, I heard the front door open, followed by the clack of heels on the tile and voices. Rav, Scarlett, and Zac were back.
Before I could continue, Drew said, “We’re searching for something that’s apparently hidden in the sewer system beneath the amphitheater.”
Mario’s brows furrowed. “Hidden?”
The trio entered the room, and my eyes locked with Rav’s immediately. There was weight in that look. Worry, fear, resolve. A shiver ran up my spine. He wasn’t a worrier, so something wasn’t right.
A tiny voice in the back of my head urged me forward, so he could wrap those muscular arms around me. He’d tell me everything would be okay. But that wasn’t his job anymore, so I shut the voice down.
Scarlett asked, “Sit rep?”
I took Drew’s lead and filled Mario in more. “We were asking Mario for a hand with better maps of the area under the amphitheater.”
She gave a curt nod. “Our source confirmed that’s our target.”
“Target?” Mario looked between us, confusion evident. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“Scarlett,” said Emmett, “we hadn’t decided yet whether?—”
Screw dancing around the topic. Scarlett had given me an opening, and I was taking it. “An organization called The Fenix Group is planning to release a chemical agent during a concert at the amphitheater.”
“We think,” said Rav, not hiding his skepticism.
I’d been working on the assumption that Noah’s information was accurate. Did Rav doubt him?
“Chemical agent?” Mario’s face paled. “You mean… a weapon?”
“It’s called Greek Fire,” I continued. “A dual-purpose compound which, in the right concentration, can cause severe chemical burns and systemic damage. They’re going to release it through the drainage holes in the amphitheater floor during the concert.”
“Mio dio,” Mario whispered, sinking into a nearby chair. “There will be thousands of people in attendance.”
“That’s why we need to stop them,” Rav said, his voice calm but intense. I didn’t look at him, but his tone sent a ripple of recognition through me—the same controlled urgency he’d used in Afghanistan when briefing local officials about chemical threats. “And we need accurate information about those tunnels to do it.”
Mario’s shock transformed into concern. “Why aren’t the police handling this? Or military? This sounds like?—”
“Because Fenix has connections inside law enforcement,” Rav interrupted. “If we alert the authorities, someone will warn Fenix, and they’ll simply change the time and location. We’d be in the dark again.”
Mario ran a hand through his hair, visibly processing this information. “So what do you do?”
“Confirm it’s there,” I said. “Then either dismantle it?—”
“Or call in a bomb threat so the place evacuates before anyone’s hurt,” said Rav.
Mario pulled out his phone and began typing. “I can help.”
Scarlett’s phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her small handbag.
“I’ve sent you some files, including the most recent excavation surveys of the amphitheater area,” he said, pointing at Scarlett’s phone. “Most of the original drainage system remains filled with volcanic debris.”
Scarlett tapped a few things on her phone as she walked toward Emmett. “Pull that up.”
Emmett swiveled his monitor to show detailed technical drawings that made the public maps look like children’s doodles.
“Only these main channels have been cleared.” Mario joined them, tracing several pathways leading from the amphitheater floor to the exterior. “The longest path connects from the Small Theater to the House of the Arches, and finally to the Pompeii Amphitheater. There are maintenance sheds with access at each point.”
Rav settled between Scarlett and Mario. “This is good.”
“The closest access point is here.” Mario indicated a spot near the southern end of the amphitheater. “They’re all kept locked, but I have the keys.”
