1 3 7 – ZOË (16 page)

Lance took off his jacket and placed it around my shoulders.  “I think you’re experiencing shock,” he said. 

“Why hide this from me?  Why didn’t you tell me you were here?”

“It was at Michael’s insistence and I agreed with him.”  When I shot him an accusatory glance, he quickly explained, “We decided to remain hidden so that you could enjoy a sense of freedom, not because we were trying to keep something from you.  We wanted you to enjoy your trip to Rome and be safe, that’s all.  Michael is very worried because this is your first international trip since your awakening.”

“Well, this fiasco has certainly put an end to my trip, hasn’t it
?”

He looked at me
steadily for a long moment.  “You have no idea how famous you are, and do you know what that makes you?”  I shook my head and he said, “A target.”

“A target?”

“Yes, a prime target.”

“So this is about what happened in Chicago.”

“Yes, it is.” 

Lance looked over his shoulder to make sure Drew was not eavesdropping.  Lowering his voice to a whisper, he told me about the incident in Denmark.  I was horrified.  He also told me how the nations were currently repressing the media and preventing them from publicizing cryo-attacks.

“I’ll give you more details on the matter later on in private.  Please swear you won’t tell Michael that I’ve told you any of this,” he said.

“I swear,” I agreed in a trembling voice.

“So now you know…some see you as a demon and some see you as an angel.”  He paused and added, “There’s also the possibility of abduction.”

The thought had never crossed my mind.  “Why would anyone want to kidnap me?”

“God, Zoë!  You cannot be
this
naïve.  Think of the man you’re married to and the money he’s worth.”

Realization slapped me in the face.  “Ransom?”

“Bingo!  Everyone looks at the two of you as America’s perfect couple; it doesn’t take a genius to figure out he would pay a king’s ransom for your safety.”  I felt terribly stupid after Lance pointed out the obvious.  He continued, “Now do you understand why Michael is worried?”

I cursed the tears that stung my eyes
as I nodded.  “I just want things to be the way they were before…”

He caught and held my gaze.  H
e said firmly, but gently, “But they can’t.  Things will never be the same.  The sooner you accept that fact and learn to live with it, the better it will be for everyone.”

Bill came up to
the terrace and cleared his throat to announce his presence.

“Well
?” Lance asked.

“Two gypsy thieves, Mr. Adams,” Bill replied.  “
They told us they saw Mrs. Adams on the terrace and knew her room had private access.”

“That’s odd.  When I came up here earlier the only people I saw was a young couple sitting over there,” I said, pointing to the empty table in the corner.

“Yes, but you left the door unlocked behind you.  Were you facing the door when you were on the terrace?”

“No, I wa
s admiring the moon and the rooftops.”

Bill f
rowned in disapproval.  “They must have climbed up via public access and managed to slip past unnoticed while your back was turned.  These men are good at that sort of thing.  They have undergone a thorough interrogation.  They claim to have broken into the suite to look for valuables to steal.  It seems as if they’ve had their eye on Mrs. Adams since we arrived in the limo, but they don’t know who she is.”

Lance
nodded.  “Flashy limo, expensive clothing, jewels...thief magnets.”  He looked over Bill’s shoulder to the doorway that led to my suite.  “There’s no encoder on the outside of that terrace door, is there?”

“No, sir.”

“How the hell did that get overlooked?” Lance demanded.  “I want one installed immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I thought I was alone after the couple had left,” I repeated.

“These gypsies often work in teams so that couple may h
ave tipped them off in some way,” Bill explained.  “With so many trees and shrubs up here, it would be easy to sneak past undetected.  To make matters worse, the hotel security isn’t the greatest.  We can’t keep an eye on Mrs. Adams
and
the entire hotel at the same time.”

“Where are they now?” I asked.

“In your room, Mrs. Adams, begging for us not to kill them,” Bill replied.  Looking to Lance, he asked, “What would you have us do, Mr. Adams?”

“Call the police,” Lance said.  “Robbery is their business, not ours
.”

Bill gave a curt nod. 
“Yes, sir.”

“And I want that encoder installed tonight.”

“At once, sir.”

Bill went
back downstairs to carry out his orders.

“How soon do you think it will be before Michael finds out?” I wondered aloud.

Lance let out a long breath.  “I’m sure he’s already been alerted.  How about we go out for a drink?  I noticed your last one ended up on the floor, and I could surely use one right about now.  Besides, it will take a while to install the encoder.”

“Let’s go.”  The moment we moved, so did Drew.  I stepped closer to Lance and whispered, “Does he have to come, too?”

“I’m afraid so
.”

Drew accompanied us to
a nearby bar.  Several people chatted quietly in the dark room that was mainly lit by tiny white lights.  Soft Italian music played in the background as a few couples swayed on the tiny dance floor.  We found a table for two while Drew sat up front at the bar and ordered a club soda.  He strategically placed himself where he could scan the room and front entrance, inadvertently affording us a modicum of privacy.

“How about some wine?” Lance asked.

“Sounds good.”

He placed the order in Italian and the serving girl came back within moment
s with a fine bottle of Chianti and two glasses.  She uncorked the bottle, poured out the wine and left us alone.

L
ance raised his glass.  “To you.”

“
Why me?” I asked, raising my glass to meet his.

“You’ve ha
d a rough night.  You deserve it.”

“You’re right, but you’ve had a pretty rough night, too.  So, to
us
.”

“To us,” he agreed
before taking a sip.

I followed suit
by taking a long sip.  “I want to go on with my plans as though this never happened.  After all, it could have been anyone’s room, right?”

He nodded. 
“Right.”

“No need to cut my trip short.” 

“No need,” he agreed.  “Bill told me you’re planning to see some artwork tomorrow.  Maybe I can come, too?”

“I already have two
bodyguards coming with me,” I teased.

He apparently took my jest seriously because his eyes reflected a flash of hurt.  “Not because I have to, but because I want to,” he admitted softly.

“I would be delighted if you came with me,” I said.

“Great!  Where are we going?”

“I was going to be ambitious and see the Vatican Museum and the Galleria Borghese.”

“I’ve been to the first one, but not the latter,” he admitted.

“Then we’ll go there first.”  I sat up and exclaimed, “Wait a minute!”

Lance
also sat up, alert.  “What?” 

I peered at him closely.  “If there’s a camera in my room then there must be a monitor set up somewhere.  Who’s watching it
?”

The color rose in his
cheeks. “I am.”  When I gave him an accusatory look, he said defensively, “No!  It’s not like that.”

“L
ike what?” I demanded.

“Like…nothing perver
ted,” he stammered awkwardly.  “I can only see the entrance of the bathroom and part of the bedroom.  I haven’t seen you undress if that’s what you’re worried about.”  I continued to stare at him and he grew visibly uncomfortably.  “Say something, will you?”

I
merely shrugged and sat back while I stared at him.

“Will you qu
it that?  It’s unnerving,” he said, looking away.

Finally, I said, “
You’ve been watching me for two days and you’re uncomfortable with me staring at you for a few minutes?  At least I have the courtesy to let you know I’m doing it and not sneaking behind your back.”

“Come on, Zoë.  Don’t be like that.”

“Perhaps I should put a camera in
your
room,” I teased.  The wine was going to my head quickly.

Lance grinned m
ischievously in response to my suggestion.  “Be my guest,” he said.  “I have nothing to hide.”

I began to giggle
as I often did when I was nervous.  The stressful events of the evening, coupled with the wine, had finally taken their toll.  I was at the breaking point and felt like laughing until I cried. 

“Did you k
now that I’m actually worshipped?” I asked.

The smile on Lance’s face va
nished when he realized I was upset.  “Zoë…don’t.”

I downed the contents of my glass.  “Can you believe it
?  I guess some people would find that great, huh?  Being a deity- what a major stroke to the ego!”

“People are crazy
.  It’s not about you, it’s about them.”

“Dance with me,” I
said boldly.

He was about to protest, but I
stood up and took his hand.  It felt strong and warm as his fingers closed over mine.  We walked to the dance floor and began swaying to the music.  He stood at a respectable distance from me, but the feel of his hand on my lower back burned through my clothing, just as it had at the Christmas party.  

I whispered
, “I feel almost like a normal woman dancing like this.”

“You
are
a normal woman,” he asserted.  After a few seconds, he added reluctantly, “And Michael loves you very much.”

“H
e does, doesn’t he?” I asked, the words fumbling from my lips as I chuckled.  “He loves me so much.  Did you know it was months before he touched me?  Even he thinks I’m a freak…and why wouldn’t he?”

“Zoë…”
 

“
He barely touches me now.  It’s as if I’m repulsive to him.”

No sooner had I
confessed that piece of personal information, I felt foolish and ashamed. 

What is wrong with you
?
 

Lance looked at me
with a mixture of concern and pity.  I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. “Stop looking at me that way,” I said, pulling away from him. 

“You’re far from repulsive, Zoë.”

“I shouldn’t have said that.  Sorry.  I think maybe we should leave now.”

Drew got up from
his seat as he saw Lance and I approach the bar.  No one spoke as we walked back to the hotel.  We found Bill in my room speaking with the hotel maintenance person who had just installed an encoder outside the terrace door.

“It’s all set,” Bill said to Lance.

“Thanks, Bill.  Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, sir, Mrs. Adams,” Bill said before leaving with the worker.

Lance turned to look at me and I said, “I’m sorry for-”

He cut me off. 
“Hush.  Don’t be sorry for anything.  We should have made our presence known to you and we didn’t.  I apologize for that and I promise it won’t happen again- at least not on my part.”  I smiled ruefully at him.  He continued, “Call me if you need anything.  We’ll go for breakfast whenever you get up, okay?”

“Okay
.”

“Goodnight, Zoë.”

“Goodnight, Lance.”

***

My wrist-phone rang almost immediately after I woke up the next day.  It was Michael.

“Zoë, I didn’t want to call you last night because I got the new
s so late.  I almost got on a plane to meet you, but Lance assured me everything was fine.”

“Everything
is
fine.  It was just a couple of thieves, nothing more- it could have happened to anyone.  They didn’t even know about me...I was just another rich woman.  I’m glad you didn’t come rushing over here because I know how busy you are.”

“I’
m never too busy to make sure you’re safe.  I was told the encoder was installed last night.”

“
Yes and I didn’t appreciate the camera, Michael, but I understand why you did it.”

“I don’t want you to worry.”

“I know.  Lance explained.  I’m going to the Galleria Borghese this morning.”

“Not unaccompanied, of course.”

“Lance and the bodyguards are coming with me, so I’ll be in good hands.”