Read Online Until Twilight by Desiree Holt, Cerise DeLand - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Desiree Holt, Cerise DeLand
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Arturo said, “I have bodyguards…but they are not here…and…”
“Tell everyone, anyone not to touch it.”
“My family—”
“Do not let them come out front.” She scrambled to her feet.
Lane dialed someone on his phone.
“ Sì , Isabella. They are inside. My wife and one of our daughters. The staff. All inside.”
“Tell someone, anyone near you to get them out! Now.”
She hung on while she heard him direct one person near him to do as she had said.
“Wait,” he told her, an odd note of bewilderment in his voice. “Three men
approach. How would they know to come?” He sounded confused all of a sudden.
“Do they have bomb equipment?” she asked him. “ Arturo? Do they?”
“They are in black. They are…not…Finanza. But—wearing balaclavas. Why?”
She heard shouting, scuffling.
“What are you doing?” Arturo shouted, the sound muffled.
She hit the speaker on her phone so that Lane could hear. At the same time, she saw
Lane hit the record button on his own phone and put it next to hers.
“Get in the car!” a bass male voice shouted in Italian.
Lane put a finger to his lips.
“ Get in the car! ”
“Watch out,” said another male voice in English. This with a British accent. “Don’t
hurt him, for chrissakes. We don’t want to kill him just get the accounts frozen.”
Bella stared at Lane, mouth open and working on the silent word, Octo .
Another man cursed in French. “All in?”
“Come on! Come on !” yelled the British man.
They heard the car engine gun.
54
Until Twilight
The reception went fuzzy. Voices clear or not so as the men of different nationalities
spoke to each other.
Lane ran out into her living area and came back with a notepad and pen. We’re
listening to him being abducted?
She nodded in agreement.
Lane wrote, He left his phone on?
Again she agreed silently.
Wonder if he has a GPS on it? Lane wrote.
He’d better , she scribbled on the pad.
Lane motioned to himself and then that he was going out. To find help. To find
another phone.
Meanwhile, Isabella sat in growing fear as she listened to the men of Octo abduct
Arturo Franzoni.
55
Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand
Chapter Six
“He’s gone,” she told Lane, frozen in shock. And fear for her friend. “I heard the
engine of the car as it drove away.”
Wild to comfort her, he came to her and took her cold hands in his warm ones.
“We’ll get him, Bella. Do not worry. I promise we’ll get him back.”
“I must go to Rome to investigate this.” She pushed away the covers and swung her
slim legs over the side of the bed.
At that moment Lane’s own cell phone rang. He picked it up and flipped it open.
“Yes?”
“Have you discussed this with Isabella?” Maddie’s familiar voice all business even
though Lane had wakened them around two a.m. Texas time. No hello. Just straight to
the point.
“No. Yes.” He gritted his teeth. “Isabella’s close family friend, Arturo Franzoni, a
member of the cabinet here, was abducted from his doorway and she heard the whole
thing. He’s the head of La Guardia di Finanza, responsible for customs, art theft, and
banking for Italy.”
“Holy hell.” Maddie sounded grim.
“Also, there was a purse at his front door just like the ones left at the museums. I
think they planned to snatch him and blow up his house as a warning to others.”
“Well, that certainly fits right into the rest of this.”
Lane watched Isabella carefully push herself off the bed, pull a robe from the closet
and belt the sash tightly at her waist. She was pale but steadier than she’d been a
minute ago, and listening to his end of the conversation.
56
Until Twilight
“Listen.” He walked out of the room to continue the call. “Isabella’s insisting on
going to Rome to look into this and the bomb threat there.”
“But the G8 ministers are already assembling in Paris,” Maddie protested.
“There isn’t going to be an attack
Arturo said, “I have bodyguards…but they are not here…and…”
“Tell everyone, anyone not to touch it.”
“My family—”
“Do not let them come out front.” She scrambled to her feet.
Lane dialed someone on his phone.
“ Sì , Isabella. They are inside. My wife and one of our daughters. The staff. All inside.”
“Tell someone, anyone near you to get them out! Now.”
She hung on while she heard him direct one person near him to do as she had said.
“Wait,” he told her, an odd note of bewilderment in his voice. “Three men
approach. How would they know to come?” He sounded confused all of a sudden.
“Do they have bomb equipment?” she asked him. “ Arturo? Do they?”
“They are in black. They are…not…Finanza. But—wearing balaclavas. Why?”
She heard shouting, scuffling.
“What are you doing?” Arturo shouted, the sound muffled.
She hit the speaker on her phone so that Lane could hear. At the same time, she saw
Lane hit the record button on his own phone and put it next to hers.
“Get in the car!” a bass male voice shouted in Italian.
Lane put a finger to his lips.
“ Get in the car! ”
“Watch out,” said another male voice in English. This with a British accent. “Don’t
hurt him, for chrissakes. We don’t want to kill him just get the accounts frozen.”
Bella stared at Lane, mouth open and working on the silent word, Octo .
Another man cursed in French. “All in?”
“Come on! Come on !” yelled the British man.
They heard the car engine gun.
54
Until Twilight
The reception went fuzzy. Voices clear or not so as the men of different nationalities
spoke to each other.
Lane ran out into her living area and came back with a notepad and pen. We’re
listening to him being abducted?
She nodded in agreement.
Lane wrote, He left his phone on?
Again she agreed silently.
Wonder if he has a GPS on it? Lane wrote.
He’d better , she scribbled on the pad.
Lane motioned to himself and then that he was going out. To find help. To find
another phone.
Meanwhile, Isabella sat in growing fear as she listened to the men of Octo abduct
Arturo Franzoni.
55
Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand
Chapter Six
“He’s gone,” she told Lane, frozen in shock. And fear for her friend. “I heard the
engine of the car as it drove away.”
Wild to comfort her, he came to her and took her cold hands in his warm ones.
“We’ll get him, Bella. Do not worry. I promise we’ll get him back.”
“I must go to Rome to investigate this.” She pushed away the covers and swung her
slim legs over the side of the bed.
At that moment Lane’s own cell phone rang. He picked it up and flipped it open.
“Yes?”
“Have you discussed this with Isabella?” Maddie’s familiar voice all business even
though Lane had wakened them around two a.m. Texas time. No hello. Just straight to
the point.
“No. Yes.” He gritted his teeth. “Isabella’s close family friend, Arturo Franzoni, a
member of the cabinet here, was abducted from his doorway and she heard the whole
thing. He’s the head of La Guardia di Finanza, responsible for customs, art theft, and
banking for Italy.”
“Holy hell.” Maddie sounded grim.
“Also, there was a purse at his front door just like the ones left at the museums. I
think they planned to snatch him and blow up his house as a warning to others.”
“Well, that certainly fits right into the rest of this.”
Lane watched Isabella carefully push herself off the bed, pull a robe from the closet
and belt the sash tightly at her waist. She was pale but steadier than she’d been a
minute ago, and listening to his end of the conversation.
56
Until Twilight
“Listen.” He walked out of the room to continue the call. “Isabella’s insisting on
going to Rome to look into this and the bomb threat there.”
“But the G8 ministers are already assembling in Paris,” Maddie protested.
“There isn’t going to be an attack
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