“What do you think?” I elbowed Jeremie.
“I think.” He grabbed the laptop from under his arm, setting it on the nearest couch, his fingers moving at the speed of light ashe minimized a hundred open tabs and running systems. “You need to pack a bag, because you’re flying to Venice.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Tierney
I landedat Venice Marco Polo Airport in the early hours of the morning and cabbed it into the city, paying in cash. I needed to disappear in a large body of people and use Louise’s ID as little as possible, if at all.
Flying under the radar was crucial to my operation. I only had one fake identity, and once Louise Fisher was compromised, I’d be screwed. Shewouldbe compromised. It was only a question of when. Which was why I wasn’t staying in Italy long. The more countries I skipped, the less of a trail I’d leave behind.
I’d spent my flight researching the smallest, dodgiest hotels in the city. I didn’t want Louise to check in to anywhere that required an ID. Where I landed was a small motel on the mainland near Mestre. It wasn’t a motel, per se. In truth, it was more of a whorehouse. One that didn’t require more than sixty euros per night to host me.
Tension ate at me as I treaded the stained brown-carpeted floor of the corridor, down to the last door. It looked so flimsy; I could probably kick it down myself. Swallowing a ball of nerves, I jiggled the key inside the keyhole, struggling to turn the ancient lock. Finally, the door whined open. I walked inside and locked it behind me.
The air stood still; the stench of cigarettes, cheap perfume, and sweat coated the back of my throat. A dark duvet covered the queen-size bed. The rest consisted of a small bathroom to my right, two stained recliners, and a small, round table under a shoebox-size window. The noise of old bedsprings groaning and excited moans seeped through the walls.
Shaking my head, I paced to the window—covered by a stunningly ugly yellow curtain—and withdrew the fabric an inch, peering outside.
A narrow, greenish canal stared back at me, as well as the orange building next to us. A balcony faced my room directly. If push came to shove, I could probably jump onto the balcony and pick the lock. I’d just about squeeze through the small window, but a man the size of Achilles wouldn’t.
For the first time since we’d started our cat-and-mouse game, my heart rate slowed to a reasonable speed.
I parked myself on the edge of the bed, flipping my burner open and turning it on. A text message popped up on the screen.
Call me.
It was Tiernan. My heart dropped again.Shit.
I called his number, pressing the phone to my ear. He answered immediately.
“You in Italy?”
I closed my eyes, willing myself not to fall apart. He wasn’t supposed to know that.
Well, that didn’t take long.
“I am,” I croaked. “Did he find me?”
“That’s the rumor,” Tiernan tsked. “He’s taken the private plane to Venice.”
“How’d you find out?” It couldn’t be Achilles who told him, because he knew Tiernan would warn me. Still, bastard had the nose of a bloodhound.
“Jeremie told Lyosha.” And Lyosha told Tiernan. The pakhan had always been loyal to his Irish friend.
I rubbed my face, feeling like I hadn’t slept in years. “Okay. So he found out the name I traveled under. But I’ve been paying for everything in cash since I got here and just checked into a hotel without ID.”
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Tiernan ordered. “Get armed and get out. Continue east. Keep skipping borders. Jeremie won’t defy Achilles when he asks him to find you, but he can’t go around breaking into every government database in Europe.”
I clutched my head in one hand, wondering if I should’ve gone back to Tom Rothwell and accepted the FBI’s protection. It wasn’t like me to surrender control, but Achilles was a merciless enemy and not one I could throw off easily. For all I knew, he knew exactly where I’d checked in and was halfway across the city on his way to me.
“Okay, I have to hang up.” I swallowed.
“Do you need me to wire you money?” Tiernan asked. He sounded cool and collected, like his sister’s life wasn’t on the line. I’d only ever seen him fall apart once, and that was because of Lila.
“No, I’m good for now. Give my love to Lila and Nero.”
“Stay safe.”
