Deception of the Heart (9 page)

‘
Why Piazza Navona?’ he asked, turning to her before he started the car. ‘I would have thought the Collosseum and the Spanish Steps are the most romantic sights around here.’

‘I am not much into the romantic part
.’ She shook her head, her dark hair waving in the morning breeze. ‘As for Piazza Navona, my reason is rather prosaic really. They say that is where the tartufo dessert was first invented, in one of the cafes. Right now, the Tre Scalini is known as the place to eat it. I thought it would be a nice place to start exploring Rome. Plus, I heard about it plenty of times from my grandmother when she was still alive.’

‘
Really?’ That was surprising. He couldn’t remember anything about her grandmother being Italian.

‘
That’s where she met my grandfather.’ Melanie nodded, her eyes soft and far away. It wasn’t difficult to guess she must have been close to her grandparents. ‘He was on a business trip in Italy, but he couldn’t speak one word of Italian. He happened to come to Piazza Navona, with all the cafes and outdoor tables. He saw this dark-haired girl speaking Italian with some friends and decided he liked her. He spent the next ten minutes gathering up his courage to talk to her, hoping she spoke any English. Imagine his surprise when she turned out not only to speak English, but she actually was from Wales and just vacationing there with her family. And the rest is history, as they always said…’

‘Certainly made a great family story to tell
.’ He smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. The road was lined with tall, somber looking cypresses, the almost black silhouettes contrasting beautifully with the yellow fields behind them. The Spitieris lived outside of city core, which was a blessing and a curse at the same time. Getting to downtown would take up some of their day, no doubt.

‘I was just about to think it’s all about the ice cream,’ he teased, enjoying the way she
laughed in response, her voice light and carefree.

‘No, I was thinking I’d like to have a photo taken in the same spot my grandparents did sixty years ago. Just in front of the Four Rivers Fountain. It’s
highly inappropriate with all those nude male sculptures, but my grandparents loved the photo and its history. It hung in their living room for as long as I can remember, visible to everyone who’d come over for a visit. I remember my grandpa got his kicks out of all of those very decent ladies coming to my grandma’s weekly coffee and staring at… well, men.’

‘I can imagine
.’ She was easy to be around. They merged into a larger road, the traffic getting heavier and demanding more of his attention.

‘
It must be nice to live here for a year,’ she spoke up again, and he looked at her swiftly before returning his gaze to the road. ‘I’ve always wanted to move somewhere warm, given the opportunity. How did you find it?’

‘
It’s all right.’ He smiled, changing lanes to escape a driver that seemed to think a foot of distance from the trunk of their car was plenty of space. ‘I like change; it makes life more interesting. Are you from New York?’ Officially he had no idea where she was from because the topic never came up the day before.
That’s the problem with working undercover,
he thought. She shook her head.
One always knows more than they’re supposed to, making it very easy to blurt something out and jeopardize the project.

‘No, I grew up in Toronto,’ she explained, unaware that he knew not only what city she was from but also pretty much all
of her addresses from her childhood home to the present.

‘My parents didn’t move much
. When I finished my studies, I moved to the U.S.’ He could detect a hint of sadness in her voice, well hidden but still perceptible. ‘I… I finished my degree in English and Psychology. That’s not always a winning combination when searching for a good job nowadays. I was lucky enough to be noticed by a publishing house and get offered an internship. After two years, they had to lay off about half of their staff, so I was out.’ She laughed, trying to make light of it. Before he thought about his actions, he reached out and patted her hand.

‘
We’re here.’ He nodded toward both sides of the road where more and more buildings filled in the empty spaces. ‘Look around, history is lurking around every corner.’

‘
It’s amazing,’ she agreed readily, her face glowing. ‘I have to say I got very lucky with this trip, Jon. If you told me three months ago I’d be here, on my way to see the old Rome, I’d laugh. Good things do happen to those who wait, as they say.’

‘
And this is just the beginning.’ He had to keep her happy, he told himself, if only to keep her talking. There were two kinds of people in the world: those who talked while happy and those who talked while sad. He had a feeling Melanie fit into the first category. Her delight in the scenery touched something deep inside of him that he didn’t even know he still possessed.

‘Your boss seems nice,’ he noted, his face impassive. It seemed like a good time to ask her a thing or two about Pete
. Her guard was lowered, as she looked around, visibly happy. Or was she? Upon mentioning Pete’s name, she’d stilled for a second, her smile wavering ever so slightly.

‘
He is.’ She nodded, but not fast enough to cover up the fact she wasn’t too comfortable talking about him. He had to wonder why, but his mind reluctantly guessed the most possible explanation. Was he reluctant because he wanted her to be unaware of Pete’s criminal intentions?

‘How difficult was it to get your job?’
He pressed on, sensing her discomfort. Sometimes that was the best time to ask for details because the other person’s distracted mind failed to cover up details meant to be hidden. ‘I mean, it looks like a dream job to me. So what’s the deal? Did you have to beat out a lot of competition to get it?’

‘Well, not really. I was very surprised
.’ Inexplicably she seemed much more at ease now. The tension that colored her voice when she spoke of Pete disappeared, making Jon suspect that he and he alone made her uncomfortable.

‘I applied just so I wouldn’t regret it later if I didn’t
.’ She grinned at the memory. ‘My girlfriend told me about this young, talented professor working as an assistant at her university and looking for a helper. She was just earning some extra credits to boost her career. Pete was teaching sociology and collaborating on a book with two other professors. I thought it would be a perfect fit for me. I had worked in a large publishing house for a while, so the idea of being a right hand to an actual person without the whole business around was more than appealing. The interview was short, and Pete came across like a really nice guy, not too demanding and very open-minded. Plus he offered flexible hours and benefits,’ she added wryly, her voice light.

She sounded truthful
, which made things even more complicated. Because if he had learned anything about Pete Brunner, it was that he didn’t do things accidentally or in the spur of the moment. Every step was carefully orchestrated, making sure it went according to his plans that were invariably tied to the Peace Brigade. If, with a firm emphasis on if, Melanie was telling the truth and he hired her so easily, there must have been a reason. Knowing him, it was a rather sinister one too. He must have thought her useful.

‘I mean, you read about those jobs where you get to travel the world and meet interesting people, while getting paid for it…’
Melanie continued, unaware of his thoughts. ‘But it always happens to someone else, not you. Pete had warned me that we might travel a lot and that I would need to be available on short notice. To be honest with you, I didn’t mind a bit. I’ve failed to put my roots down in New York so far, so travelling and leaving my place didn’t seem like a big sacrifice.’

‘Your parents?
Don’t they mind you’ve became a nomad?’ he teased, trying to make sense of her words. He knew truth was hidden somewhere in there, between the lines.

‘My parents are quite busy
.’ She sighed, and he sensed a lot of pain behind the lightly spoken words. ‘They divorced when I was in high school. My dad moved to China to oversee one of the new energy projects there, and I haven’t seen him in at least four years. My mother lives in Toronto, but she remarried and helps her husband in his law practice. I guess I disappointed both of them greatly when I picked English as my major. My mom had always wanted to be a lawyer, and if she hadn’t gotten pregnant with me, she’d probably be one.’

So she was pretty much on her own. He knew about her parents
’ divorce, of course. Heck, he knew what city in China her father lived in and the name of his latest lover too. Her mother was an even easier nut to crack. He recalled the one-page report describing Mrs. Bennett-Boyle and her ten years younger husband, Nick.

So far she
hadn’t lied to him once, but he tried very hard not to get carried away by that observation. It could mean nothing, he reminded himself firmly, even though his gut was screaming at him that he had been right about her from the start. He didn’t even want to ponder why her honesty made him so happy he felt like whistling. Instead he should concentrate on her affiliation with Pete and the reason he picked her out of other applicants. There had to be numerous reasons, even though she didn’t seem to know about them. He’d figured this one out quite easily, all of the puzzle pieces falling into place.

Melanie
was alone, with nobody to get worried or upset if she disappeared for a while. She had no known confidantes, which must have appealed to Pete. Jon had to wonder what other plans Pete had for her and if she knew them. All this family talk was nice and heart-warming, but it was absolutely possible it was a rehearsed performance.

‘We will have to walk from here
.’ They had arrived at one of the many paid parking spots, a man in white uniform directing the already thickening traffic. ‘We could try getting closer, of course, but from my experience in Italy so far, it’s better to keep some distance if you want to find your way out without sacrificing too much time.’

‘No problem, I am ready
.’ He could feel her excitement as she grabbed her little bag. Her eyes were mischievous as she pointed at the little silver camera it contained. ‘All ready for my scandalous shot, Jon. Plus, as a reward, I promise to buy you the best tartufo in town.’ She laughed, and her good mood brought a smile to his lips. ‘That is, of course, if you help me order it for us. My Italian is rather weak, even though I told Pete I could find my way around without a problem. Just remember, don’t mention it to him.’

‘My lips are sealed
.’ He grinned, handed a handful of colorful banknotes to the parking attendant, and took the parking ticket. ‘As for my ordering, you should be careful, Melanie. You won’t understand what I am saying, right? For all you know, I might ask for anything I please.’

‘I trust you
.’ She smiled at him, her brown eyes warm and honest. Suddenly, in the midst of the parking lot, with cars and people all around, he felt the air being knocked out his lungs, leaving him shaky and totally speechless. In that moment of self-revelation, he saw with certain clarity that she truly did trust him. With that realization came overpowering and all-consuming fear. Because eventually she would be disappointed. She would figure out trusting him was a mistake, that he’d deceived her. And when she did, that trust would be gone. The warmth in her eyes and the ease with which her lips curled into a smile would disappear, replaced with disappointment and anger. He didn’t want that to happen. For once in his life, he didn’t want to disappoint someone, not because it was the right thing to do, but because of his selfish heart. He wanted her to trust him, but he knew that was unattainable.

She was nothing but a project, he told himself firmly as they walked together toward the street that would bring them to the Piazza
Navona. A project, just like many others he’d executed with efficiency and a cool head. He wouldn’t allow himself to slip deeper into the realm of wishes and hopes. He’d do his best to save Daniel and countless other targets for the reward of knowing he had been a part of an operation that prevented death and destruction. He’d done it before and he could do it again.

Piazza Navona was even more impressive in real life than in pictures! Melanie was amazed as they walked on, the sun-filled square welcoming them with its baroque beauty. She looked around and took in the bustling street life, the yellow and peach buildings with green shutters, and the flowers cascading down in a riot of colors from the small, wrought iron balconies. In the center of the piazza was the famous Fountain of Four Rivers.

‘We should start by looking at this gentleman
.’ Jon’s amused voice broke into her enchantment, and she looked to where he pointed at a figure of a man surrounded by tourists.

‘That is the “Talking
Pasquino,”’ she explained, delighted she remembered the stories from her grandparents. ‘In the olden days, the Romans were allowed to leave lampoons and papers with comments attached to him. Mostly complaints about social issues, I think. It let them vent their frustration, which I think was a brilliant idea.’

‘Agreed
.’ Jon nodded and pulled her along as he wove through the tourists to the statue. His fingers wrapped around her palm as he pushed ahead, the warmth of his skin pleasant. She liked holding his hand. The contact was oddly reassuring. Or maybe it was the influence of the other countless couples around, holding hands, hugging, or even kissing. She didn’t really want to continue those thoughts…