“Oh, this is delightful. You’ve lost her now, Max.” The red-haired woman clapped. She lifted her hand as if saluting Raven and addressed her. “Your masters, whoever they are, taught you well. Although I’m wondering why they let you near a talisman. What say you, Max? Has she been a naughty little pet?”

Raven’s courage was bolstered by what she believed was their repeated reference to the relic, but she was confused by the mention of masters. A cold finger of fear traced the length of her spine. She wondered if the couple were connected with a human trafficking ring. She wondered if she resembled someone they kept as a slave.

Raven scanned the area for pedestrians, hoping she could find someone to help her.

No one came. She wasn’t visible to those congregated at the front of the Duomo. She didn’t even have her cell phone, which was still in her knapsack.

“Tell your masters this rogue is called Maximilian. They’ll know how to deal with him.” The woman laughed again.

Without turning around, Max lifted his bearlike paw and swung in the direction of the woman’s head.

She ducked.

While bent double, she struck him with her fist, plowing it into his kidneys.

“You’re lucky her masters aren’t about, Max. She’s owned by two old ones; I can smell their age from here.”

Max bellowed in anger and moved toward the woman, as if he were going to tackle her.

At that moment, sirens sounded in the distance.

The man cursed Raven and spat before fleeing to a nearby building. He scaled it quickly, moving to the roof and out of sight.

The woman lifted her skirts and ran around to the back of the Duomo, disappearing from view.

Raven leaned back against the exterior wall of the Duomo, breathing a sigh of relief. The sirens offered hope that help was on its way.

She hoped Bruno was still alive. She exited the shadows and made her way toward the alley.

Suddenly a large Triumph motorcycle approached from the front of the Duomo, skidding to a stop in a wide arc and cutting her off.

“Get on!” the driver shouted to her, in Italian.

Chapter Twenty

The motorcyclist was wearing a black leather jacket, black jeans, and black boots. His helmet, which had an opaque shield, was also black.

Raven wondered if he were a policeman, assigned to follow her.

She didn’t bother to find out. Breaking into a run, she skirted him in order to return to Bruno.

“We have to go. Now!” the driver shouted.

Raven increased her speed, fighting the pain in her leg, as she heard sirens approach.

When she came to the alley, she saw Bruno lying on the ground. She could see blood on his face and a dark pool on the cobblestones beneath his head. He wasn’t moving.

A police car turned into the alley several feet away, followed closely by an ambulance.

She was going to run to him, when an arm curled around her waist and pulled her back. The motorcyclist clutched her to his side, kicking and screaming, as he pulled away.

The driver was strong, but even so, it was nearly impossible to drive with one hand and hold a squirming woman with the other. He came to a halt near the Duomo.

“If you’re caught by the police, they’ll arrest you,” he hissed behind his helmet. “Is that what you want?”

“I didn’t do anything! A man attacked us.”

“They won’t believe you. And the boy’s blood is on your clothes.” The motorcyclist pointed to her dress.

“I have to help him.” She struggled. “I have to get my knapsack.”

He gripped her arms, his gloved fingers biting into her flesh.

“Jane, get on the bike.”

At the sound of her former name, she stilled. She couldn’t see his face from behind his helmet. Since his voice was muffled, she couldn’t swear that he was the intruder.

But a policeman wouldn’t want her to evade his fellow officers and, certainly, no one she knew ever called her Jane.

Before she could respond, the driver pressed a helmet over her head and tugged her to sit behind him. He pulled at her arms, but she resisted, favoring her right shoulder.

“Are you injured?” He turned in his seat to examine her.

“The man who attacked us wrenched my arm.” Raven massaged her shoulder, eyes screwed shut in pain.

“I’ll fix it after you’re safe.”

“Are you the intruder from my apartment?”

“Of course,” he snapped. “Who else would help you?”

“Let me go. I have to help my friend.”

“You can’t help him from a jail cell.”

Instantly, Raven thought of Amanda Knox.

She knew she would come to regret her decision, but, with a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around the intruder’s waist.

“Hold on,” he commanded.

The bike shot forward, almost toppling as it approached the Duomo and made a hard left to go around it.

The sound of a siren pierced the air as another police car, which was parked on a street nearby, began to pursue them.

Raven shut her eyes as the motorcycle wove in and around traffic, shooting through red lights and barely avoiding pedestrians.

Still the police car followed, now joined by a second one.

With a burst of speed, the motorcycle crossed one of the large vehicular bridges that spanned the Arno before darting up the winding road that led to the Piazzale Michelangelo. Trees and houses flew past them as they raced around the curves.

Raven felt sick, but the driver would not slow.

They raced past the piazzale and around a tight curve, losing the police cars for a moment. The motorcyclist shot into a hidden driveway and climbed another hill, putting them out of sight.

The sounds of sirens grew close and then far away, as the police cars sped past the driveway and continued along the main road.

Raven tried very hard not to throw up, swallowing down urge after urge to heave.

The driver slowed the motorcycle to a moderately quick speed, making several turns before stopping in front of a tall metal gate. He pushed a few buttons and the gate opened.

He entered the gate, which closed behind them, and drove along a paved driveway that led past trees and what appeared to be an orchard.

They came to a stop in front of a freestanding triple-bay garage.

Raven was clutching the driver so tightly, she couldn’t let go. He had to pry her fingers from his jacket.

“Inside. Now.” He jerked his head toward the large and palatial villa visible via the floodlights that illuminated the garden and driveway. “Ambrogio will attend to you.”