Hidden Devotion (Trinity Masters #5)(37)

Before she could decide what, if anything, to tell him, Devon emerged from the bedroom. He was fully dressed and his face was set in hard lines. “I have to go.”

Juliette nodded once, but didn’t look at him.

“Jules, I don’t want to go.” He grabbed her by the arms and hauled her up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “We’re not done. Not done with this conversation and not done with our relationship.”

She struggled under the weight of his complete focus. It still made her feel like the most important woman in the world. She tried to remind herself that she bowed to no one anymore. She could walk away. “That’s not your decision to make. It’s the Grand Master’s.”

“Then I’ll beg.” He kissed her hard and deep, leaving her breathless. “I’ll refuse any other ménage. I’d rather be expelled from the Trinity Masters than give up.”

He kissed her again, with enough force and intent that her head fell back. It was a Gone with the Wind kiss, but instead of anger it tasted of desperation. “Juliette Adams, I love you. I always have, and I always will. Don’t forget that.”

Then he was gone, taking the stairs two at a time while looking at his phone. The door opened then closed.

“You two have issues.”

Juliette looked at Franco, who was shaking his head ruefully. She burst out laughing.

“Yes, we do.” Juliette held out her hand. “I think it’s time you saw the Trinity Masters’ headquarters.”

Franco took her hand and climbed to his feet. “Further down the rabbit hole. Excellent.”

The Boston Public Library grand hallway had an elegant arched and illustrated roof, stone floors and the kind of echoing sense of history that all great buildings developed over time. It was surprisingly busy, though the noise level was a library-appropriate hush. Franco wanted to stop at the desk and speak to the librarians, to explore the stacks, but Juliette was forging ahead. Promising himself a return visit, he followed her to the elevator. They went to the top floor then snaked their way through several hallways, Juliette leading the way while toting a duffle bag. He was carrying his grandfather’s wood box.

By the time they reached the rare-book room, they were alone. A keypad protected the locked door. Juliette paused then stepped back. “You do it.”

“Me?”

“Yes. The code is three, three, three.”

“That’s easy to remember. And appropriate.”

The lock clicked and he opened the door, motioning Juliette to precede him in.

“Make sure you close it behind you.”

Franco shut the door, but if Juliette said anything else he didn’t hear it. The rare-book room was the stuff of his dreams. Tables supplied with boxes of cotton gloves begged visitors to select one of the carefully archived books and open them, revealing the secrets inside. Each shelf had a small plaque with the subject engraved on it. He gravitated towards one with diaries that had belonged to members of the semi-secret Masonic Temple.

“Franco… Franco… Francisco!”

“Huh?”

“You’re mumbling to yourself.” Juliette was fighting back a smile.

“This is fantastic. What an amazing collection. Who’s the lead curator?”

“The books are not why we’re here.”

Franco gasped like an actor in a soap opera. “Bite your tongue, woman. The books are always why we’re here.”

“I promise, what I’m about to show you is more interesting than these.”

“Impossible.”

“Really?” She motioned to a section of wall. He stepped closer and discovered a triquetra inscribed into the plaster. Below the symbol were three words. “Mitimur in Vetitum.”

“I didn’t take Latin,” he said.

“It translates to ‘We strive for the forbidden’.” Juliette set down her bag, placed both hands on the symbol and pushed. A door-size section of wall popped in, and then slid to the side, disappearing into a pocket in the wall.

“Come on.” Juliette stepped into the small, dark space. Franco joined her. The door closed behind them, sealing them in total darkness.

Before he had time to seriously start to worry, a light clicked on.

The room was as small as a closet and rather unremarkable, with walls of paneled wood, the floor the same carpet as the outer room.

“Usually whoever helped recruit you would bring you in the first time. After that, if you need to come here, you’ll get a letter from the Grand Master. Usually the letter will have a box number on it.” She motioned to the wood paneling. There were numbers etched into the wood, seemingly at random.

Juliette pressed her finger against a number. A small section of paneling popped open.

“What would be inside?”

“Usually more instructions or a key.”

“And the note would have instructions for the next place to go, like a treasure hunt?”

“Not quite.” Juliette pushed on the side of the back wall and yet another hidden door opened, revealing a narrow elevator.

“A secret elevator?”

She hit the single call button. “Yes.” Once they were inside, the elevator descended automatically.

“We’re going down.” Franco tried to keep his voice calm, but a mixture of excitement and fear made it hard to keep his cool.