American Heroes Series - 01 - Resurrection (34 page)

Ethan gazed at the two of them a moment, having never seen anything so heartwarming in his life.  He had no idea how Tyler ended up in here, but it didn’t matter.  He was touched beyond words at the sight.  Removing his jacket and tie, he lay down on the opposite bed, on top of the comforter, and fell into a deep sleep with the two people he loved best just a few feet away.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

They didn’t need her anymore.

Coral was still crying, even now in the bright morning of the new day.  Nat told her that they didn’t need her anymore and instructed her to go home.  When Coral called her office to get flight arrangements, someone she didn’t recognize picked up the phone. 

Frightened, she hung up and called one of her operations managers, who told her that the FBI and IRS had taken over control of the company several days prior and had frozen all of her assets.  The operations manager still wasn’t clear why the government had moved in because they had only been forthcoming with the Chief Operations Officer and Executive Vice President,  neither of whom anyone could get in touch with.  The men, both of who had been with Izan collectively for eight years, had vanished.

Terrified and disoriented, Coral tried to use her credit cards but they were all declined. She couldn’t take any money out of an ATM.  Even her cellular phone had been shut off.  To top it all off, she was too frightened to return to Nat and Joseph and tell them what was happening. She didn’t want to get in any trouble. 

The United States Government was closing in on her. She didn’t want the others to know, fearful that if the Feds found her, they would find Nat and the others. She had to distance herself from them and in doing so, perhaps they would appreciate her loyalty and sense of self-sacrifice. So, hauling her considerably luggage around and using the remainder of her cash, she ended up on a city bus headed for the Colosseum.  She didn’t have anywhere else to go.

***

 The dining room of the hotel was an exquisite lesson in culinary décor and ambiance, even at breakfast time.  Cydney sat with Ethan, J.D., Christophe and Tyler at a sunny table that faced out over the expansive hotel gardens. Had the circumstances not been so harrowing, it would have been a breathtaking morning. The overcast had lifted, leaving a brilliant blue sky.  But Cydney was having difficulty focusing this morning, thoughts of her daughter weighing more heavily than ever. She just couldn’t seem to bounce back as she had the past few days.  The worry, the fear, was beginning to take its toll.

Those around her could sense it, especially Ethan. He sat silently next to her, drinking his coffee as his son wolfed down everything that wasn’t nailed to the table.  Christophe sat next to the boy, watching him eat copious amounts of food and wondering out loud if his own son would someday eat the same way. Ethan assured him that he would.

Cydney sat through the conversation, picking at her toast and sipping her coffee. When Tyler finished inhaling his breakfast and begged to go into the gift shop located down the hall near the lobby, Ethan reluctantly agreed. Tyler begged ten Euros off of his old man and ran off in a triumphant sprint.

Christophe laughed softly as Tyler raced from the dining room and nearly knocked over a waiter in the process.  He turned to Ethan.

“He’s a lively boy,” he commented.

Ethan just shook his head. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”

Christophe snorted into his espresso. “He’s a spirited and bright young man,” his gaze moved to Cydney, sitting forlorn and quiet next to Ethan. His expression softened. “I enjoy young adults. It makes me remember my own youth. So far, my experience with Tyler and Olivia has been very encouraging.”

Cydney’s head came up at the mention of her daughter’s name.  She saw that he was looking at her and she smiled faintly. “Encouraging? How?”

Christophe’s dark eyes glimmered. “Mrs. Hethington, I am not sure if you were told, but while waiting for you to arrive in Paris, Olivia stayed with my wife and I as our guest. I did not want to put a young girl in a hotel for two days, alone. That would have been cruel. So she stayed with my family.”

Cydney nodded. “Yes, I was told,” she replied. “I’m sorry I’ve not had the chance to thank you for your kindness. It was very gracious of you to take her in for a couple of days.”

Christophe waved her off. “It was our pleasure, believe me,” he said. “My children are enamored with her. She would lie on the floor and draw with them or watch cartoons. When I say that my experience with Tyler and Olivia is encouraging, I mean that they are intelligent and well-behaved young adults, not like some of these wild hooligans you see on MTV or stupid reality shows. It’s children like those two who will make a difference in this world.”

Cydney nodded, smiling. Then she burst into quiet tears and hung her head. Throwing appearances to the wind, Ethan put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, his lips on her forehead.  J.D. didn’t bother reprimanding him and Christophe didn’t look surprised. The truth was that they all had figured out what was going on, especially when Cydney began sporting a giant diamond the day before. Christophe leaned across the table and put a hand on her arm.

“Olivia is a brilliant girl,” he said softly. “You must not worry so much. She can take care of herself and the American FBI is looking for her. They will find her. She will be all right.”

Cydney wiped at her nose, struggling to compose herself. “I know,” she sniffed. “I… I just miss her.”

“Of course you do,” Christophe squeezed her arm and let go. “I miss her, too, and she’s not even my child. I want to have a look at those bastards who took her.”

Cydney smiled weakly, wiping at her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, dabbing her face with a napkin.  Then she glanced up at Ethan. “You didn’t tell me what you found at the Hotel de Columbus last night.”

He sighed faintly, casting J.D. a brief glance. “A message that is written in some kind of makeup pencil from what we can deduce. I brought a picture back to show you so you can confirm if it’s Olivia’s writing.”

“Why didn’t you show me last night when you came back?”

“Because you were exhausted and asleep. It could wait until this morning.”

“Where is it?”

“I have it,” J.D. piped up. “It’s in my briefcase up in my room.”

Cydney nodded. “I’d really like to see it before Tyler and I head out,” she said, wiping some black mascara out from underneath her eyes and looking at Ethan as she did so. “I need to go fix my face before we leave. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure, honey,” he replied.

The men at the table watched her walk towards the restroom at the far end of the restaurant before turning to one another. Ethan just looked distressed as J.D. blew out his cheeks.

“It’s taking its toll on her,” he commented quietly. “Considering everything that’s gone on, she’s been pretty strong up until now.”

“She’s still strong,” Ethan said firmly. “She’s a strong lady. She’ll get through this.”

Christophe sat across from them, watching the exchange, his mind working. “I came to help with the investigation,” he said pensively. “I feel responsible for Olivia’s disappearance from Paris. I take personal offense to what happened, this group of religious zealots who have a mole somewhere in my office. But when I see her mother cry, I cannot tell her what Olivia said to me.”

Both Ethan and J.D. looked at him. “What did she say?” Ethan asked.

Christophe was fidgeting with his used fork on the tabletop, distractedly. 

“I was one of the first on the scene when Olivia found safety at the Hyatt after fleeing her captors,” he said. “I came upon this lovely young lady with a look in her eye like a chased animal. Her fear was so palpable that you could breathe it. It made me feel very protective over her, which is another reason why I took her home with me. I wanted her to feel safe with a mother and father to watch over her.  But one night I found her awake when it was very late. She said she was too scared to sleep. She asked me if kidnap victims ever feel safe again. I lied and told her that they do.”

Ethan stared at him a moment before letting out a sharp sigh and looking away. J.D. scratched his bald head. He looked particularly bitter.

“If we could only figure out why they want her so badly,” he muttered. “There are so many pieces of this goddamn puzzle and none of them make any sense. Why is she so important to them?  And where is that goddamn robe?”

Ethan, sitting in brooding silence, suddenly spoke up. “I don’t want Cydney and Tyler going to the Colosseum alone,” he said. “If Olivia is still in Rome and there are other Disciples around, then they may recognize Cydney. I don’t want her to be in jeopardy if they figure out she’s here looking for her daughter. God knows how those people operate, but they seem to be everywhere. I just don’t want to take that chance.”

J.D. looked at him. “I need you with me. You can’t go with them.”

Ethan grew snappish. “Then they stay here at the hotel. I don’t want them out and about if I can’t be with them.”

“I’ll go with them,” Christophe offered.

Ethan and J.D. paused and looked at him before they could get into a verbal battle.

“But you came to help with the case,” Ethan said.

Christophe shrugged. “Perhaps I will be more help if I stay with Cydney and Tyler for now,” he sat forward, his dark eyes intense. “Ethan is right; if the group you are searching for has an informant inside my police station, then there’s no knowing where else they have eyes and ears. There could be someone in this hotel or it could be the taxi driver. Perhaps I am needed most with Cydney and Tyler right now.”

Ethan had to agree with his logic. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “If I can’t be with them, then I trust you completely.”

Christophe nodded shortly, feeling as if he was truly helping the situation. Olivia’s abduction from the Paris prefecture had been a mark against him. He felt responsible whether or not it was truly within his control. When Cydney returned to the table, she was glad to have Christophe as an escort. 

Leaving the restaurant, they had to track Tyler down in the gift shop where he had purchased more soda and red-hot jelly beans. Ethan couldn’t even summon the energy to comment, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. Tyler was an eating machine.  J.D. went up to his room and retrieved the photo of the bathroom stall, showing it to Cydney who confirmed that it was indeed Olivia’s handwriting. She almost burst into tears again but held herself in check. The photograph hammered home the seriousness of what they were facing, and Cydney was feeling increasingly depressed.

 Ethan put Tyler, Cydney and Christophe on the big tour bus that arrived shortly.  The tour guide was an obviously homosexual male who seemed to have an eye for Ethan.  It was the first time Ethan had seen Cydney laugh in days.  It was good to see her laugh, even if it was at his expense. Christophe offered to get the tour guide’s phone number for Ethan, an offer that was flatly turned down.

Ethan stood in the driveway, watching the bus pull out, wondering why he didn’t have a particularly good feeling at the moment. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something told him to get ready for a busy day.

***

The massive building of the Colosseum was bathed in early morning light, the stones glowing golden against the warm sun.  Disembarking the tour bus, Cydney shielded her eyes against the glare, awestruck by the glorious Roman ruin. Gazing up at the towering structure, she could almost hear the fans screaming for their favorite gladiator or the roar of the lions as they were released against the Christians. It was a surreal experience. She found herself wishing that Olivia was there to enjoy it. She knew her daughter would have loved it.

But Tyler’s enthusiasm, for the moment, took the place of Olivia’s and then some.  He bailed off the bus and stood in front of the structure with a gaping mouth.  Cydney urged him to follow the group and he did so, commenting on the cobbled street beneath his feet, the dust and the dirt of ancient Rome. When they finally entered the structure and passed from the bright light into the cool, sheltered darkness, he ran his hands all over the walls and wanted to know if this was where the gladiators would gather before fighting.

Christophe had a guidebook he had purchased at a kiosk outside the Colosseum and read from it as they followed the tour guide.  Tyler, with the remaining money his father had given him, ran back outside to the same kiosk and purchased a big, flat wooden gladiator sword called a
rudis
. 

When he rejoined the group, he was grinning like a kid at Christmas.  He swatted Cydney with it and she yelped, slapping a hand over her mouth when everyone turned to look at her.  Smiling wanly at the collection of curious and annoyed faces, she pinched Tyler when no one was looking.  He fell down on the ground as if she had stabbed him and Christophe pretended to step on him, still reading, as he walked over him. Grinning, Tyler shot to his feet and pushed his way to the front of the group.

Entering into the Colosseum proper, it was as if an entirely new world opened up. The sun was already blaring down and tourists littered the interior of the great ruins. Cydney had a disposable camera that Ethan had given her and she snapped away, struggling to move beyond the melancholy that surrounded her.

Cydney wanted to take plenty of pictures for Olivia but, having only been at the Colosseum ten minutes, she knew that pictures would not do the place justice.  One had to see it to believe it.  Based on that alone, her melancholy was lifting and she was becoming very interested in her surroundings.  It was a magnificent place.

The tour guide took the group to a platform that faced out over what was once the arena floor. Cydney and Tyler pushed their way up to the front, looking down at the labyrinth of columns and passageways where both animal and gladiator roamed.  The people around her were very excited, chatting about the games and spectacles that had happened in this skeletal ruin.