Enemy Mine

Chapter 31

After our evening in Venice, my traveling companions and I spent the next ten hours going home. When the plane finally touched down, and my nerves were pacified with a locally brewed coffee, Sylvie and Colin caught a cab to her apartment. They were horny after being denied in the loft, plus she needed to check on Mr. Pearlman. Vincent and I made the obligatory stop at Trinity Church, and we saw Charles as he packed up for the day.

"Welcome home," he said, shaking Vincent's hand. "I hope your trip was a success."

At this point, Charles's gaze flicked to me, and I knew what he was fishing for.

"From the standpoint of seeing that justice was served, the trip was a success," Vincent offered in his jet-lagged, CEO voice.

Charles's eyebrows shot up, as if he hadn't expected Vincent to answer him. "Sounds like a problem was handled, then." Charles seemed unsure whether to probe further, and he happened to notice the Jaipur bracelet dangling over the back of my hand. "Pretty bracelet, Reese. Did you get that in Italy? It looks well-made."

"Yes. Vincent bought it for me." I held out my hand to let him admire the piece.

"So, a successful trip on a romantic level as well. Can't ask for more than that," Charles said as he shoved his keys into his pocket. "Well, I have a dinner date with my boss to discuss things that will probably give me heartburn. Have a good night, you two."

With the light fading fast, as it usually did that time of day, I hurried to capture the shots I needed without using a flash. Having already established a route, I quickly made my way around the restoration site, finishing up at the wall with the missing font. The scaffolding had been moved, giving me easy access to the pale design left by time.

"The spot looks less mysterious now that the scaffolding is gone," Vincent said as he joined me.

"I wonder if they'll paint over it soon. It doesn't look like any work has been done in this area." I walked up to the wall and gently pressed my hand to it, feeling the ancientness of the fading plaster. How many years had the font been there while the world yellowed around it?

I vibration rumbled under my feet, and I snapped my hand back. This caused the rumble to stop abruptly. "Did you feel that? A vibration in the floor? Or am I just jet-lagged beyond repair?"

"I felt it. You triggered something when you put your hand on the wall. Do it again."

I turned to read Vincent's expression. He didn't appear to be joking, which I would have been suspicious of. "Okay, but if the earth cracks open and swallows us, it's on you."

I reached out, holding steady as my palm came to rest on the textured plaster, and the vibration started again. This time, the surface swiftly heated up, causing my skin to tingle but not burn, so I held a tentative position with only my fingertips making contact, letting shit play out. Just then, the spot beneath my hand began to glow, the kind of glow you see just before a flame ignites, and I was ready to pull away when the tiles at Vincent's feet separated. He took several steps back as the floor yawned open with a tired groan, revealing a staircase leading down a dark passage.

"Holy saints!" I backed up from the wall to get a better look and the floor retreated, grinding closed with an echoing protest. Fortunately, the sound had been masked by the buzz of a faraway saw.

Vincent glanced around suspiciously, looking more wide-eyed than I'd ever seen him. "I think we just found Trinity Church's vault," he said.

"I think we have. But, why did it close when I lifted my hand off the wall? How can I go inside if my hand is stuck outside? That doesn't sound pleasant."