RJ joined him. Picked up a tomato. Spoke to her in Russian. “Did you have fun here with Winchester?”

She nodded.

So maybe he wouldn’t be taking the guy down in the pool again.

“So, did you enjoy Florence?” Winchester said. “Such a beautiful city.”

Still, the night was young.

He followed Hana around to the back, past the pool, then into the kitchen garden where she unloaded her tomatoes onto the kitchen table. Tessa returned to dinner. Santini stood at the grill.

It was like they’d never left.

He sank onto a bench, not sure how to shake off the day. The fact he’d nearly lost RJ, again.

Maybe, her, too, because she came over and slid next to him. Pressed her fingers through his.

“Let’s get married,” he said.

She looked at him. “I said yes, York. You don’t have to ask me again.”

“I mean—now. Today —”

“Yes.”

He looked at her, and she smiled. “Yes. And then we go home.”

Yes.

Logan’s phone, still in her hand, pinged. She turned it over. Looked at the text. “Coco found Grey.”

Logan had joined them in the kitchen, clearly appreciating the grounds, but his attention went to RJ. Who knew how much he’d heard of their conversation.

Ziggy had disappeared with Roy into the house.

“Where?” Logan said.

“She tagged everything she knew about Grey—his history, education, friends, past locations—he showed up in a tweet.” She leaned in, reading from the phone. “It’s a picture of him and another man—some professor. Some announcement of him guest-teaching for the day.”

“What?” Logan reached for the phone and RJ handed it over. He read it, frowned. “He’s in Lauchtenland.”

“Where is that?” York asked.

“It’s a tiny country off the coast of Germany. The future king just married an American. It was in the news,” RJ said.

“According to Coco, Grey attended the school for one semester in his graduate years.” Logan looked at them, his jaw tightening. “This isn’t good.” He set the phone down. “Coco continues to find information on the laptop you found in France, the one belonging to Ruslan Gustov.”

Another explosion during which York nearly lost his life. Yes, this was getting old.

“He has on it the itinerary of the Russian General, Boris Stanislov —”

“The general who was nearly assassinated a couple years ago.”

“He also has the itinerary of the CDC director.”

“Which included this week’s conference,” York said.

“Indeed. The trip to Lauchtenland was clearly something not on the agenda.”

Logan looked at York, then RJ. “Sorry guys. Home is not on the agenda yet. We need to get to Lauchtenland.”

Chapter 8

Chapter 15/Portami a casa: un ricordo della resistenza italiana

He has left me.

Of course, we planned it, and it is the only answer.

He cannot stay. The Janowitz family must be led to safety.

My heart does not matter.