Giovanni chuckled and turned back to watch the streets. They zipped through Rome, drawing closer to the neighborhood where he had kept a home for almost as long as he had been immortal. The area around the Pantheon was in the oldest part of Rome, and his unassuming home there took up half a small block. He kept it deliberately plain from the outside, but it was an excellent defensive position with many passageways and access points he had built over hundreds of years. He kept two staff members in residence, his housekeeper, Angela, and a butler, Bruno, who he saw waiting as they turned up the small, twisting street that bordered the house.
“Here we are.”
Matt, who had visited before while on business for Giovanni, nodded at Bruno as he hopped out of the car and opened the back door for Dez and Ben to climb out. Bruno and the driver grabbed their bags and carried them through the green door that led to a small open courtyard paved by marble mosaics. A fountain almost identical to the one at the Houston house bubbled there, and he saw Beatrice walk in front of him, strangely nervous for her to see his oldest home.
“Gio, this is so beautiful,” she murmured as she took in the arches that lined the lush courtyard and the climbing plants that Angela lovingly tended.
“Welcome home.” He leaned over and brushed a kiss along her cheek before he spotted his housekeeper waiting in a corner by the front door. A smaller door leading to the kitchen and the servants’ quarters was on the other side of the courtyard. Angela was wearing a simple blue dress and a warm smile, her dark eyes and silver hair shining.
“Giovanni!” She walked over, pulling him down with wrinkled hands to kiss him in greeting.
“Ciao, Angela,” he said with a smile. Angela had grown up in his home. Her parents had been his housekeeper and butler, though Angela had never married. He had hired Bruno fifteen years before.
“And this is your beautiful bride,” she said as she walked over to fuss over Beatrice. His wife squirmed in discomfort, but returned the friendly kisses Angela gave her in greeting. “I never thought I would see you married! My prayers finally are answered.”
“Angela...” He didn’t want to make Beatrice uncomfortable, but he knew that Angela had been thrilled when he’d sent her the letter that they were coming for a visit.
“And this is your boy,” Angela said as she greeted Ben and introduced herself to his other guests. Soon, Dez and Angela were chattering away, his housekeeper thrilled to have so many people to look after. Giovanni spotted Bruno paying the driver and sorting their luggage. He was a stocky man, happily sliding into middle age, but he was efficient and an excellent handyman, which was vital when you owned a five-hundred-year-old building.
“Bruno,” he called, and the man walked over. Giovanni shook his hand and patted his shoulder in greeting. “How is the house?”
They spent a few minutes going over details, Bruno describing the leaking in the first floor bathroom that had been repaired the week before while Giovanni held onto his hand.
“Bruno, I want you to take the rest of the month off. I will call you if necessary.”
He could see the man’s eyes swim under his influence. “But, the guests—”
“I will call you if you are needed, but my wife is American and not accustomed to so much domestic help. You understand, I am sure.”
Bruno blinked rapidly. “Of course.”
“And there will be no interruption in your salary.”
“Yes, Signore Vecchio.”
“Gather your things and take a holiday. Use the house outside of Florence. I’ll let them know you are coming.”
“Thank you, Signore.”
“Think nothing of it,” he said. By the time Giovanni turned around, Matt was the only one left in the courtyard.
“Did you get rid of him?”
Giovanni nodded. “As soon as he has left, we’ll check the house.”
Matt chuckled and the two men walked inside, both keeping quiet until they heard the courtyard door close as Bruno left. He caught Angela’s eye and the old woman nodded before she herded Beatrice, Dez, and Ben into the large kitchen.
“I’ll take the top two floors,” Giovanni said. “And the south passageway.”
Matt frowned. “Does Bruno know about the passageways?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It is better to be cautious. He always seems to plant a few in places I haven’t thought of before. He’s surprisingly resourceful.”
The human and the vampire scoured the house for electronic bugs, cameras, and any other surveillance equipment. They found a few, but it was a half-hearted effort. Bruno had worked for Livia the entire time he had been in Giovanni’s employ, but he knew that the butler had gathered little intelligence for his mistress. It was an expected game; one Giovanni and Livia would both pretend to be shocked over if they ever spoke about it. Which they wouldn’t.
After another half an hour, Matt was satisfied that the house was clean, but Giovanni still felt uneasy. He had a sudden thought.
“Benjamin!” he called down the hallway.
He heard a quick scuffling before the boy appeared. “Hey, you guys done? Angela made some awesome food. It’s like the best spaghetti I’ve ever had. I can’t believe how much Dez is eating. I bet she’s—”
“Be quiet. If you wanted to hide a bug somewhere, where would you put it?”
Giovanni had learned from experience never to underestimate the instincts of his nephew. He also wanted to accustom the boy to thinking defensively. He saw Ben cock his head to the side.
“You said Bruno’s in charge of fixing stuff, right?”
He smiled. “He is.”
“Well, has he fixed anything lately? That he mentioned? He’d mention it, right? So you wouldn’t get suspicious if you noticed something.”
“Good thinking. Yes, the first floor bathroom was just repaired.” Giovanni and Ben climbed the stairs, and Giovanni led the boy to the recently repaired bathroom. Ben turned and looked at his uncle.
“Well?”
Giovanni opened his senses, searching for the faint buzz, almost like a vibrating thread, that he would usually pick up from a small electronic device. It was small, but appeared to come from just behind a patch of new plaster.
“Well, damn.” He’d have to have it repaired again. He punched through and plucked the small bug that was hidden behind the wall, holding it up so that Ben could see it before he crushed it between his fingers.
“Cool! Got one.”
“Excellent thinking, Benjamin. And I don’t feel anything else in here. Go tell Matt it appears the house is clear.”
Ben rushed downstairs while Giovanni brushed at the plaster dust on his hands. He felt Beatrice come to stand in the doorway behind him.
“How is Angela’s cooking, Tesoro?”
“Fantastic. And tell me again why you don’t just fire him?”
“Oh”—Giovanni chuckled as he walked past and squeezed her waist—“she’d be expecting that, and I’d just have to look for a new butler.”
“Yep, Gio.” He heard her call down the hall as he followed the scent of herb focaccia that Angela knew he loved. “I can’t imagine why I’m nervous about meeting Livia!”
Chapter Five
Rome, Italy
May 2012
There were certain things about having gobs of money that Beatrice had become used to. She never worried about paying her bills. She liked being able to buy her own house when she was single. And she never went crazy with her money; in fact, she ended up giving a lot to charity just because she felt guilty for robbing Lorenzo. She had pretty simple tastes, but liked being able to buy what she wanted, when she wanted.
Which, that morning, happened to be another computer keyboard.
“Damn it!” she yelled, tossing the keyboard on the floor where it shattered.
Ben rushed into the small library, which had been light-proofed like most of the rest of the house. “What’s up?” He looked down. “Oh.”
She sighed. “Bring me another one. T
his time with the rubber keyboard cover and see if Angela has any of those big freezer bags that the keyboard might fit in. I think moisture in the air is becoming a problem.”
“If you need help looking for something—”
“No!” She shut her eyes. “Sorry, Ben. I appreciate it, I just...”
“It’s okay.” He nodded and backed out of the room. “I get it.”
“Thanks.” Beatrice bent and picked up the pieces of the keyboard, tossing them in the waste bin before she sat down at the desk again. She took a pencil and manipulated the roller ball attached to the computer at the desk. They had learned their lesson in Chile about Beatrice and laptops, but she still had hope that she would find some way to use a desktop computer, since she had less contact while operating it. So far, she was only on her second monitor, though the keyboard was proving a challenge.
Yes, she decided, money did have its privileges.
She smiled at Angela as the housekeeper passed in the hall, still giving her a slightly wary look. Beatrice knew the fact that she could be awake and alert during the day freaked the woman out. Despite that, Angela was so sweet that Beatrice could hardly blame her for it. She knew she was an oddity. She had the strength of an ancient vampire wrapped in the coordination and attitude of a baby. She had never fit in during her human life, why start now?
“B, got it!”
Ben barreled into the library and dropped off a new computer keyboard, a neoprene case she had cut out to fit it, and a large plastic bag that looked like a large version of the bags they received when they bought donated blood.
Speaking of blood...
Her fangs popped out when Dez entered the room. Beatrice had no idea why it was still happening. She had absolutely no desire to drink from Dez, but the longer her friend was pregnant, the more Beatrice reacted when she was near. Tenzin had speculated that, far from bloodlust, it was a latent protective instinct for Dez and her unborn child.
“Hey, I think we’re going to take Ben to the Colosseum this afternoon. He keeps asking to see where the lions ate the Christians. Think we should worry?”
“I doubt it. And you know that there’s no specific historical accounts of—”
“Yes, yes.” Dez rolled her eyes. “I know. Next you’re going to tell me Russell Crowe never really fought there, either.”
Beatrice snorted. “Well, you guys have fun. Want to meet somewhere for dinner later?”
“Don’t you and Gio have the meeting with the mother-in-law of doom later?”
She shrugged. “There’s some sort of cocktail party at her place later tonight, but not until one or two in the morning, so we could meet you guys for dinner.”
“Okay, cool! We’ll call the house after the sun sets. Also, I’m very curious what a Roman aristocrat serves at a cocktail party.”
“Um, I’m going to guess... cocktails.”
Dez narrowed her eyes. “And the blood of her enemies.”
“Oh, well that too, of course.”
“Of course!” Dez skipped out of the room and Beatrice wondered when the fabled exhaustion of pregnant women would hit her friend. So far, Dez seemed to have more energy, not less. Though apparently, from the agonized whining she heard from their room every day, the morning sickness was in full swing. Angela just clucked her tongue at Dez and fed her grapefruit for some reason.
Beatrice was reading through the journals again when she heard Giovanni start to wake. She set them down and slipped upstairs. She was trying to be better about being next to him when he woke because she knew he liked it. She was also worried about him. He seemed to be dreaming more, though when he woke, she suspected the dreams were more like nightmares. His eyes held a lean, haunted look that was only growing worse.
She slid under the covers next to him just as he began to move, tucking herself under his arm as he pulled her tight, even as he slumbered.
“Mmm.” He began to murmur something in Italian. His accent, she noticed with pleasure, was heavier since they’d arrived. He slipped into his native language more, and she was grateful that understanding him was no longer a problem. Beatrice had already been able to speak English, Spanish, and Latin before she turned. But now she could speak Italian and a lot of Mandarin, too. She could also read classical Greek, Persian, and Arabic. She was still working on her Hebrew.
Giovanni stopped speaking and nuzzled into her neck as he began to tease her clothes off even before he was fully awake. Now that, she decided, was talent.
“You move differently here.”
“I what?” Giovanni blinked and looked around as they walked up the Via dei Condotti, past the luxury shops, headed toward the ristorante where Matt had chosen to meet them after their walking tour with Ben.
“You move differently.” She slid an arm around his waist, keeping pace with easy strides. “I don’t know, you’re more... Italian, I guess.”
“Beatrice, I am a Florentine. I will always be a Florentine.”
“But see”—she poked his side—“Like that. In L.A. you would just say you’re Italian. But here, you’re Florentine.”
“So?” He frowned. “I’m in Rome. There is a difference. Is there something wrong with this?”
“No, it’s cute.”
“Cute?”
“And you walk different, too. You’re not in as much of a hurry here.”
He just grunted at her, no doubt thinking she was imagining it, but she wasn’t. He looked... lighter, somehow. Comfortable. In California, she often thought Giovanni seemed more British than Italian, but here, he gestured more. His accent was stronger. His shoulders were more expressive, and his eyes more languorous.
“Whatever it is, it’s hot. So go with it.”
“Oh?” He grinned. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
He leaned down and whispered something very dirty in her ear. If she could have blushed, she would have. Then he nipped at her ear and murmured, “Does it sound better in Italian?”
“Yes.”
He pinched her waist and kept walking. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
They spotted Matt waiting outside the restaurant. He waved at them and jogged over.
“Hey, guys. Dez and Ben are inside. I just wanted to catch you before you went in. Gio, Emil Conti’s inside.”
Giovanni only raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”
Matt shrugged. “He does live around here, so it’s not that unexpected.”
Beatrice looked between them. “Emil Conti? Who’s that again?” The name sounded vaguely familiar.
“Old Roman,” Giovanni said. “Water vampire, very old family from the Republic. He’s older than Livia, but has never enjoyed her popularity. He’s not the attention-seeking kind.”
“Brilliant guy, though,” Matt added. “He could easily take Rome if he really tried.”
Giovanni hummed. “That’s debatable. I’m not certain what his support would be like. He and Livia have entertained a low-key rivalry for a few centuries, so I know she considers him a threat, but I’m not sure he has the ambition. Is Donatella with him?”
Matt shook his head. “No, a female companion. No one I recognize.”
“Probably just out for a meal.” Giovanni tugged on her waist and walked forward. “Tesoro, nothing to worry about. Let’s say hello, then we’ll join you, Matt. Thank you for the notice.”
“No problem. He nodded at me. Recognized me, so I’m sure he’s expecting you.”
“Oh my, Kirby,” Giovanni said. “Don’t tell me we’ve become predictable. I might have to fire you.”
“Eh.” Matt shrugged. “I’m not worried. Who else would keep the secret of your embarrassing pro-wrestling addiction?”
Beatrice laughed and squeezed her husband’s waist. “He’s got a point.”
Giovanni scowled, but she could see the smile flirting at the corner of his mouth. “Blackmail is an ugly business.”
“But so lucrative.” Matt held the door open and a mustached host, who nodded toward
Matt and Giovanni, greeted them. She saw her mate scan the restaurant, but her own senses had already located the energy signature in the corner. They walked toward the vampire, who rose to greet them when they were a few feet away.
Like everything else in immortal society, Beatrice had discovered that greetings usually mirrored the culture and time where the vampire originated. She briefly wondered what the form of greeting had been in the Roman Republic, but was surprised when Emil Conti simply held out a hand to Giovanni. The two men shook before Beatrice was introduced.
“Emil, I would introduce my wife, Beatrice De Novo.”
“A pleasure.” Emil bowed slightly over her hand as he took it. Emil Conti looked nothing like an ancient Roman. He looked like a very formal, very successful, Italian businessman. He was handsome and wore clothes straight out of a fashion magazine. His dark hair was trimmed neatly, and his broad smile was gleaming white. Beatrice wondered whether dental care was really that good in ancient Rome, or whether he’d had work done.
“Beatrice, this is Emil Conti, a very old acquaintance of mine.”
“May I call you Beatrice?” the vampire asked politely. “A beautiful name.”
“Sure.” She couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s nice to meet you, Signore Conti.”
“But you must call me Emil, of course.” He turned to Giovanni. “May I congratulate you on your marriage? I cannot deny I was surprised by the news, but very happy for your fortune. It is a blessing to find one’s true mate.”
Giovanni glanced at the blond woman still sitting at the table silently. “And where is Donatella this evening?”
Emil gave a careless shrug. “Shopping, probably. I think she’s in town, but she’s getting ready to leave for the lakes for the summer. You know how the city can be.”
“Of course.”
“I don’t want to keep you; I saw your friends waiting for you, but thank you for introducing me to your lovely wife.”
“Will you be at Livia’s later?”
“Of course,” he said. “Who would miss it?”
“You, Emil.” Giovanni chuckled. “If you could avoid it graciously.”