The Darkness in Dreams (Enforcer's Legacy, #1)(52)

The bright yellow light woke Lexi from a fitful sleep. For a moment she wondered why the room felt warm; her cabin was usually cold in the morning. Then she noticed the windows with the shutters thrown wide and remembered where she was. The floor was terra-cotta tile, cool against her feet. The walls were a soft salmon. An open door revealed the bathroom.

Lexi showered and dressed quickly, then explored the apartment. In the tiny kitchen, a carafe of coffee was on the counter. A box of fresh croissants sat beside the carafe with a note taped to the top.

Yogurt in the refrigerator, don’t leave, Giam will call at noon to see what you need, do not leave, we will be gone all day, I mean it Slick, I will kick your ass if you leave this flat. Arsen.

What the hell? Arsen was her minder now? Tossing down the note, Lexi opened the refrigerator, found a container of strawberry yogurt and poured a cup of the coffee that was still hot.

Her phone chimed, a startling sound, but then she remembered Ethan had loaded software that would allow the phone to operate on the European mobile networks. She slid the unlock function and answered the incoming call. Giam’s voice was jovial; Lexi glanced around, searching for a clock. Was it already noon?

“Have you acclimated yet?” Giam switched to lightly accented English as if he’d asked her a question in Italian and she’d missed it.

“Yes, just struggling with the jet lag, that’s all. It’s beautiful here.”

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself. Arsen left a note, and I don’t mean to state the obvious, but things are a little tense, so… no exploring on your own.”

“Got it,” she said, spooning yogurt into her mouth.

“I’ll send groceries—you can’t go out to eat. What would you like?”

“Haven’t been awake long enough to think about it.” And there was no way Lexi wasn’t going out. She hadn’t come to Florence to hide.

Giam laughed, a rich male sound that carried through the phone. “How about I send over a selection? Do you cook?”

“Yes.” The answer was mumbled around another spoonful of the yogurt. “Pasta, fresh vegetables in season, grated cheeses—I sound like a snobby American stereotype. Sorry. But I like red wine. Italian wine doesn’t give me headaches,” she added, revealing too much and feeling embarrassed. “I see a laptop here.” It was on a simple desk. “Okay if I use it?”

“They told me you’d want to research. We’ve completed our own investigation, and I left the information in the file labeled Lexi.” He laughed at the joke and she smiled.

“I appreciate the heads up, but I have a few sources I’d like to explore.” Not to mention any earth memories she could pick up. “Did you include Katerina’s last known location?”

“I believe Arsen left you a note,” Giam reminded smoothly.

“Uh-huh,” she agreed, reaching for a croissant. Giam didn’t need to know about her reaction to the note, nor her sources.

As for the computer, Lexi’s “research buddy Ethan” had been following along during the earlier searches, and no doubt he would follow her now. She remembered his laid-back persona from the video conference and had enjoyed playing with him once she realized what he’d been doing.

But Lexi saw no reason to expose the mentor from her college days, the one who, at fourteen, had hacked into some rather high-level and forbidden computer systems. The reward for his brilliance had been an obligation to the government until he died of old age. Occasionally, the official minders allowed him out to do community service, a service that including tutoring innocent college girls, and when she’d met Matthew, he’d been an awkward, gawky kid of eighteen.

Now Matthew was twenty-four. He’d became a friend and one overlord was enough; Lexi wouldn’t dangle Matthew’s secrets in front of immortals. She would slip in through the backdoors he had designed and taught her to access, from any computer or smart phone regardless of tracking software or hidden encryption. And Ethan would never realize where she’d gone.

“Don’t answer the door unless you get a text telling you it’s safe,” Giam was saying. He sounded satisfied, as if he had everything under control. He ended their conversation with a traditional Italian phrase and Lexi returned the phone to the counter.

It would be a long day but not in isolation. The sun-washed stones, the light brush of dry air, the layers of emotions—love, passion, laughter—were all embedded into this landscape and called to her with a siren’s song.

Welcome home… Gemma.

She would not resist.




Christan met Arsen outside the tiny flat, hidden on a narrow side street just off the Via Del Presto, near the Casa di Dante. It was the last known location of Katerina Varga.

“I thought Luca was coming.”

“Something came up.” Arsen didn’t elaborate and Christan didn’t ask. They would find out soon enough. Around them, the shadows held the coolness of the morning and the buildings were tall. Shutters had not yet been closed against the coming heat.

“This is their last known location,” Arsen was saying as he prowled around the alley. “I think I can track her.”

That came as no surprise. Arsen had an affinity for it. “Are you sure she’s your mate?” Christan asked out of courtesy.