After daybreak, most of the team departed on separate flights for their circuitous trips home. By nightfall, all would be back in Israel, except for Nir. When mid-morning arrived, he climbed into his rented convertible BMW M440i and headed northeast along the coast of the Ligurian Sea. Two-and-a-half hours later, he made a brief stop for some bread and cheese in Genoa. Then turning north, he traveled inland for another 90 minutes before the spire of the UniCredit Tower came into view. The tallest building in Italy, the skyscraper dominated the skyline of Milan.

Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

MILAN, ITALY—SEPTEMBER 27, 2020—16:20 / 4:20 P.M. CEST

Even on an average day, Milan was a city of beautiful women, young and old. During Fashion Week, though, you couldn’t walk a city block without being disdainfully ignored by the thousand-yard stares of a dozen world-class supermodels.

But the long-legged struts weren’t what drew Nir’s attention as he rested on a bench surrounding the base of a large statue of King Victor Emmanuel II, uniter of all Italy. Across the plaza, rising 108 meters into the sky, stood the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary—or simply, the Milan Cathedral. A classic Gothic design, it was breathtaking in its ornate detail. Spire after marble spire jutted high into the sky.

Using his phone, Nir had looked up the history of the church and was amazed to read that, although work on it had begun in 1386, the structure had not been declared complete until 1965, nearly six hundred years later.

It took Noah only a hundred years to build his massive ark. They should have hired him as foreman for the project.

Something caught his eye, and he smiled at what he saw. The only thing more beautiful than a massive marble cathedral.

He stood and opened his arms. “Nicole,” he said as they embraced.

When they separated, he could see the look in her eyes didn’t match the smile on her face. “Want to sit for a second?”

“No, let’s walk. I’ve got to let off some steam.” She slipped her arm under his, which gave him a little relief. He didn’t seem to be the one she was upset with.

“Bad day at the office?”

She gave a humorless laugh. “Females are just the worst.”

“Don’t I know it.”

Nicole slapped his arm. “I get to say that. You don’t.”

They strolled across the plaza toward another large structure. Nir figured she’d let him know what was going on when she was ready. They walked through the doors, and he was surprised to find stores lining the walkway.

“What is this place?”

“The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It’s like a nineteenth-century shopping mall.”