On the other side was a hallway, much smaller than the ones in the library but still larger than an average home. Sean could see paintings lining the far wall from one end to the other, each one featuring a likeness of a pope from the past. The corridor was well lit by sconces every ten feet or so and a collection of chandeliers that hung intermittently from the ceiling. Off to the right, Sean noticed a group of people walking the other direction.
“Quick,” he said to the others. “There’s a tour group to the right. Let’s join them.”
No one argued.
Sean held the door while the other three rushed out and into the adjacent hall. When they were through, he gave one last look into the library before joining his friends.
They walked at a brisk pace down the corridor, barely catching up to the tour group before they passed through into another section of the palace. Sean eased his way into the mass of people who were listening eagerly to what the tour guide was saying. He found himself standing next to a large woman with short blonde hair and huge earrings dangling from her lobes. The others mixed in with the group, too, doing their best to look like they’d been there the whole time.
The tour continued through one more section of the papal apartments before making its way down a set of opulent marble stairs to the exit. The rest of the journey only took five to ten minutes, but to the four companions, it felt like an hour.
They knew that any second the Brotherhood — or worse, the Swiss Guard — could descend on them like a pack of angry wolves.
The ambush never came.
Back in the fresh air of Saint Peter’s Square, Sean kept moving, hurrying down the stairs and into the plaza. His friends stayed close behind, none willing to linger longer than necessary. Every second they spent on Vatican property was a second they could be arrested.
“Need to get back to the car,” Sean said as they jogged around a mob of schoolchildren waiting for their teacher to finish giving them instructions.
The group reached the relative safety of the colonnade and ducked in behind one of the columns on the first row. Sean peeked around the big pillar and stared back at the entrance to the basilica. There was no sign of trouble, at least not that he could tell. He was savvy enough to know that sometimes those signs weren’t always obvious.
Every bit of paranoia his subconscious could muster rushed to his mind.
He had to push it away and focus on getting everyone out without getting caught.
“Keep going,” Sean said. “I don’t see anyone coming after us, but once we’re off of Vatican property we should be okay.”
“From the Vatican’s security, sure, but what about the Brotherhood?” Tommy asked.
“No sign of them. We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
“What about the North Koreans?” Adriana asked. “You know they could be skulking around here somewhere.”
“Yeah, I know. Which is all the more reason for us to stay on the move. Tommy, take the lead, and head back to the car. I’ll watch our backs.”
Tommy nodded. “You still have the thing you found back there?”
“Yeah.” Sean pulled the rolled-up vellum out of his belt and showed it to the others.
“Um, please tell me you’re wearing underwear today?”
“That’s private, and I’ll thank you for staying out of my personal affairs.”
“Seriously, man. You’re—”
“Yes, Tommy. I am. Boxers, if you really want the details. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get out of here so we don’t run into any more problems.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” a voice said from behind one of the columns.
The Americans spun around and saw the North Korean leader standing in the shadows with a pistol pointed at them. None of the four were armed, having left their weapons in the trunk of the car before heading to Saint Peter’s Square. They knew there was no point in taking guns since there was no way to get them into the basilica. Security was tight. They checked for guns, knives, bombs, pretty much everything before letting tourists inside.
Now that fact played to the advantage of the North Koreans.
June spun around to see if there was anyone behind her. Shaved Head appeared like a ghost from behind one of the columns in the second row. Buzz-Cut stepped into view to her right. They all had weapons leveled and ready to fire.
The companions huddled together like frightened prey surrounded by a pride of lions.
“I don’t suppose you have any ideas on how to get out of this one?” Tommy said in a hushed tone.
“Sorry, buddy,” Sean replied. “I’m fresh out at the moment. We really need to work on getting some gadgets for situations like this.”
“Silence,” Han-Jae ordered. “You have caused enough trouble for me. Now you are going to do things my way. Give me what you found inside the basilica.”
“What are you talking about?” Sean asked. “We didn’t find anything in the basilica.”
“Liar!” Han-Jae said, full of indignation. “We know you went in there looking for something. You wouldn’t have left without finding it.”
“Well, you’re wrong,” Tommy said. “There was nothing in the basilica we found to be of any help. We thought the sword was there, but it wasn’t.”
“Do you think I believe you, American dog?”
“Dog? Well, thank you. Dogs are very loyal and extremely intelligent animals. Unless you were trying to be offensive. In which case, I might recommend you use something like a cat.”
“Cat?” Sean said, pretending to be offended. “I love cats. Cats have it figured out, man. They just sit around all day waiting for people to love and feed them.”
“Shut up!” Han-Jae said, boiling over. “Where is the sword?” The gun shook in his hand as he nearly shouted.
Sean and Tommy glanced at each other and then shrugged.
“Seriously, does it look like we have the sword? I mean, it would be difficult to hide something like that in our pants.”
Sean’s answer didn’t impress the North Korean leader.
Han-Jae forced himself to calm down. “Yes, pants. I overheard you saying you had something in your pants.”
Sean raised a wary eyebrow. “Tommy, did he just say he wants to see what’s in my pants?” He turned to Han-Jae. “Sorry, man. I’m spoken for.”
Han-Jae ignored the comment. “Give me whatever it was you were hiding, or I will kill you all right here.”
“I don’t think so,” Sean said. “Too many witnesses, even with those suppressors on your guns. It will be way too loud. So unless you’ve got some other plan for killing us, it ain’t gonna happen here.”
“You know, Sean, you’re right. I’m not going to kill you here. We’re going to take you somewhere else, to a place we have someone I think both you and your friend would like to see. Perhaps if we tortured them a bit, you might change your tune.”
Tommy’s and Sean’s hearts dropped into their stomachs.
“If you do anything to Joe and Helen,” Sean said, clenching his jaw.
“Joe and Helen?” Han-Jae laughed. “No. We don’t have anyone by those names.”
The feeling worsened in Tommy’s gut. His face drained of all color, and he turned a ghastly pale.
“That’s right, Tommy. We have your parents, here, in Rome. If you want to see them alive, your friend will give me what he found in the basilica. Or you can do this the hard way, and I can let you watch as the man I have guarding them cuts off their fingers and toes, eventually working his way up to their eyes, ears, nose, tongue… he can make dying a very long and painful process.”
Tommy raged inside, but what could he do? They were surrounded.
Sean knew he was out of options. If he didn’t cooperate, bad things were going to happen to people he cared about. And now the leader of the North Koreans was playing the ace up his sleeve.