Out of the Ashes (13 page)

“Why would it be a problem?” Hershel pulled a clean shirt out of the armoire. “I mean, I can see if she found out about him, it could get ugly. But what’s wrong with him knowing about her?”

Marsha pursed her lips, making the thin lines around her mouth more pronounced.

“I would have thought it would have put him on guard around her. After all, if his true identity is discovered, it could jeopardize his mission, even his life. Of all people, he now knows that Serafina might pick up on any Americanisms he may let slip.”

Hershel finished buttoning his clean shirt, only to find he’d misaligned the holes and had to start over again.

“He certainly didn’t seem too worried about it when I left them.”

“Obviously not, if he was kissing her.” Marsha stood and smoothed down the wrinkles on the bedspread. “This is just wonderful. At this rate, our mission on Earth might be over sooner than we anticipated.”

* * *

American?

How could he not have guessed? The American Big Band tunes she liked to sing. The sky blue eyes, highlights of red in her caramel brown hair, and freckles on an otherwise dusky complexion. It seemed so obvious now. It took everything in him not to slap his hand against his forehead at how he could have missed it.

What kind of spy was he?
David berated himself as he rode his bicycle through the narrow streets of
Pompei
.

Then he reminded himself that such physical characteristics in Italy weren’t uncommon, especially in northern Italy where the Swiss, Germans, and French had infiltrated the population centuries before. He recalled Sera’s fluent Italian and all her mannerisms. She may have been born with some of her American father’s looks, but she had certainly gotten her fair share of her mother’s Italian character.

Still, he should have known. Should have sensed it somehow.

In a way, he supposed he had suspected something. That’s why he’d kept pushing her, trying to get her to open up. For the longest time he hadn’t thought she would. Why should she? Why should she confide in him when they hardly knew each other?

But she had. She’d trusted him with her darkest secret.

The hurt when she spoke of her father was undeniable. Apparently, he had reopened deep wounds she kept hidden from the rest of the world. He ached for the lonely child she must have been. No wonder she was so aloof. She’d grown a very hard shell years before.

And he had cracked it wide open with a few well-aimed words.

Thinking back to the previous afternoon, all he had wanted to do at the time was comfort her, to somehow make things right. And so, idiot that he was, he’d slid down beside her in the pit and taken her in his arms.

It had seemed innocent enough and the right thing to do at the time. Something a friend would do. But even as he held her, he’d thought,
Better to keep your distance, Corbin. The closer you get, the more likely she is to find out who you really are
.

Then when she turned her tear-filled eyes up to his, his concern for his mission had gone flying out the window. At that moment, he just worried about her, and he comforted her in the only way he could.

He’d kissed her.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

The word was becoming a mantra in his head as he made his way to the weekly rendezvous with Frank. This time they were meeting just outside of town, on the main road leading to Naples. There was plenty of tourist traffic, so two men stopping to chat with each other generally went unnoticed.

“Where have you been?”

David hopped off his bicycle and took the offered cigarette without question this time.

“My landlady tried to talk me into going to Mass with her this morning. I had to convince her that my soul wasn’t in dire jeopardy of burning eternally in hell.”

“That’s what you think. She might have a point there.” Frank grinned, obviously not feeling the least bit sorry for him. They strolled to the top of a hill, away from traffic.

“Any luck finding out where the Germans are stashing those munitions?”

“Not yet. The ruins are crawling with
krauts
, but they’re behaving more like tourists than soldiers. Other than the weapons they carry on them, I haven’t seen a single piece of heavy artillery come through the gates.”

“Well, they’ve got to be putting them somewhere.” Frank took a drag on his cigarette. “And you need to find out where soon.”

“I know. I’m doing as much searching as I can without drawing suspicion. Speaking of which, I’ve got a big problem to deal with.”

Frank’s amused demeanor instantly turned serious. “What’s up?”

“That woman, the one I work with… for? I just found out she’s half American.”

Frank blew out a long whistle along with the smoke he’d just inhaled.

“How can that be? Weren’t all Americans still in Italy put in detention camps in forty-one?”

“That’s what I thought, too.”

“So, why isn’t she in one? Just how American is she?”

David shrugged, reluctant to rehash Sera’s painful childhood with someone who didn’t know her.

“She’s a World War I by-blow. Apparently, her father was an American G.I. stationed in Naples, but he never married her mother. She’s spent some time in the States, but I guess since she considers herself more Italian than not, she’s not considered a risk. Plus, she’s made her loyalties painfully clear, and it isn’t with our side.”

Frank pointed two fingers with the cigarette wedged between them at David.

“Yeah, but she’s a big risk to you, my friend.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”
In more ways than one
, he thought as the memory of their kiss flashed through his mind.
Stupid, stupid, stupid
chanted through his head once more.

Frank dropped his cigarette in the grass and crushed it beneath his heel.

“If I were you, buddy, I’d get myself as far away from that lady as I could. One slip from you, and she could blow the whole mission.”

David knew that. His mission, his life, might depend on it.

But how could he stay away from her when all he wanted was to kiss her again?

David parked his bicycle beside the others left outside the entrance to the ruins. Sera’s was already there, and his stomach tightened into a knot knowing she was somewhere behind the stone walls.

He couldn’t be sure if the feeling was one of apprehension or anticipation at the thought of seeing her again. All weekend, he’d thought of nothing but Sera and the fact that she was part American.

That, and the kiss they’d shared.

Frank was right. He needed to get far away from her as fast as he could before she discovered who he really was. She was simply a risk he couldn’t take.

He passed several groups of people standing about and caught fragments of their conversations. The fact that people still found the time and money to travel during times of war amazed him. Each day the ruins literally crawled with tourists eager to look at the tragedy the archeologists were slowly uncovering in the ancient town. He supposed people used to come from all over the world, but for the moment, only the Italians, Germans, and Japanese were welcome. U.S. citizens did not dare travel abroad. He was the only American within a hundred miles.

Except for Sera.

A chorus of giggles filled the air as he made his way down the rutted street. He glanced over at a group of teenaged schoolgirls dressed in matching green plaid skirts and white short-sleeved blouses. They clustered with their teacher around one of the archeologists as he basked in the circle of their admiration. The man spoke Italian in a deep voice, explaining to the girls the rudimentary methods of excavating the ruins.

He held the class in rapt attention, but David couldn’t tell if their focus was on the lesson or the lecturer. He would guess women might consider the guy handsome with his dark Mediterranean looks. Of course, he didn’t have much competition, given the average age of the other archeologists and laborers at the ruins was fifty.

As David drew closer, he could tell from the smug look on the man’s face and his cocky stance that he was aware of that fact and not afraid to exploit it.

One of the young girls laughed at something the man said, and he smiled back at her, revealing a row of perfect white teeth displayed against tanned skin. Christ, the girl couldn’t have been more than fifteen.

He paused, struck by the feeling that the man was familiar somehow, that he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place him. He shook his head in disgust. He had met the man’s kind before and never could understand how women fell for them. Maybe that’s what seemed familiar about him.

As he passed the group, David overheard the man describing all his discoveries at the site. By his account, he had single-handedly unearthed the whole city himself.

“
Che
palle
.” Bullshit. David coughed into his fist, half-heartedly trying to muffle the derogatory comment.

Mr. Showoff glanced in his direction and narrowed his eyes at David until one of the girls drew his attention away with another question about his famous discoveries.

David shoved his hands in the front pockets of his pants and continued on his way. Let the mother hen of a teacher keep an eye on her chicks while the fox was about. He had his own problems to worry about.

Sera. What was he going to do about her?

Common sense told him to request a transfer to somewhere else on the dig. Maybe he could work with Sera’s friend Olympia? She seemed to get along with him well enough. Or better yet, he should just quit and find another job somewhere else outside the ruins, one that would allow him free access to observe the German’s movements. But no better place existed. He needed to be on the inside, to find out where they were hiding munitions.

Neither of the choices was good—leave now and possibly sacrifice the mission, or stay and risk being discovered and shot as a spy.

Man, this sucked. So much for thinking this would be a simple mission. Of course, nothing about the mission had been simple since meeting Sera. With a heavy heart, David realized that was the hardest part of all. His greatest reason for leaving was the main reason he wanted to stay.

Sera.

He was so focused on figuring out what he was going to do, he nearly knocked down poor
Heberto
coming the other way in the street. He reached out and steadied the old man by his thin shoulders.

“Sorry about that. Are you all right?”

“Oh, fine, fine. These old bones aren’t as brittle as you think.”
Heberto
brushed some dust off the front of his khaki vest, smiling up at him all the while. “So, how are things going over in your area?”

Here it is
, he thought.
Here’s my chance to get out of this situation before it’s too late.

“Actually, I need to talk to you about that. I’m afraid I can’t work here anymore.”

Heberto’s
smile instantly vanished.

“Oh, dear. Why not?”

“It’s just that… well, I don’t think I can work here anymore.”

“Really?”
Heberto’s
brow creased in confusion. “I thought you and Serafina were getting along.”

“We’re getting along just fine.”
Too fine.
“It’s not that.”

The old man placed a grandfatherly hand on David’s shoulder, and they started walking down the street together.

“Now, I know Serafina can be a bit of a trial. Sometimes she can even get downright bossy.”

“No, no. It’s nothing Sera has done.”
It’s who she is that’s the problem.

“Oh, then what is it?”

She’s half-American. She speaks English. She could figure out who I am and blow my cover. She could jeopardize the whole mission.
All valid reasons to avoid her, but he couldn’t give a single one of them to
Heberto
.

The old man seemed to sense David’s hesitation.

“You have to understand some things about Serafina. She hasn’t exactly had the easiest life…”

I know, she told me all about it.

“… and it takes her a while to warm up to strangers.”

David had to choke back a humorless laugh.
Hardly. She just about burst into flames when I kissed her. Both of us did.

“But believe me, once she trusts you and lets you get close, you’ll have no greater ally.”

Sure, until she finds out I’ve been lying to her all along, and I break that trust into a thousand pieces.

David looked up to find
Heberto
had walked him all the way to the street leading to their dig site. He could see Sera down the road, working alone under the canvas tent.

Heberto
patted him gently on the shoulder, bringing David’s attention back to the old man standing beside him. He looked at David with eyes that spoke of wisdom learned through decades of life experiences.

“David, I’ve known Serafina since she was born. She’s been like a granddaughter to us. Whatever it is, you can trust her. Take a chance. You may be surprised at what you receive in return.”
Heberto
smiled and walked away.

David watched him go. Why was it he felt the old man knew something he didn’t?

He turned back to find Sera watching him. Well, he was here now. He had no choice but to trust her, at least for another day.

As he walked toward her, he wondered what she would do if she found out he was an American spy. Probably shoot him on the spot.

She stared at him with her fathomless blue eyes. What was she thinking? What was she feeling? She looked unsure, tentative. Was she experiencing the same emotions he was?

The uncomfortable silence seemed to expand in the space between them, until he thought it might explode from the tension.

“You left early on Friday.”

Well, at least she was brave enough to face the subject head on. Coward that he was, he’d left the site that day, running like a frightened dog with his tail tucked between his legs. It had been wishful thinking that she might have forgotten that part.

“Yes, well.” What could he say?
Your confession scared the hell out of me, but kissing you scared me even more, so I got the hell out of there as fast as I could
. “What happened between us… it was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened.”

One thin brow arched at him under the brim of her hat. “A
mistake
?” She bit out the last word through clenched teeth.

“Yes… no. I mean, I can’t…we shouldn’t… it’s probably not a good idea for us to…”

“I see.”

No, she didn’t. And he wasn’t helping things, tripping over his own tongue like a virgin schoolboy.

“Is it because of what I am?”

Yes
. “No, it’s not that.” Jesus, he couldn’t think when she looked at him with those big, blue eyes brimming with wariness and vulnerability.

“Then what is it?”

The tone of her voice said she didn’t believe him. Who could blame her? He evidently wasn’t doing a very good job of lying. What she said was the truth, but he couldn’t tell her that.

“Is there…” Sera bit her lower lip, obviously trying to hold back whatever question she was about to ask. She finally asked it anyway. “Is there someone else?”

“Yes.” He jumped on the excuse.
And her name is America
.

He regretted his answer as soon as he saw the hurt flash in her eyes. She turned away and ducked back under her tent. Damn, he hated to lie to her.

David sighed and walked over to pick up his shovel. It was probably better this way, letting her believe there was another woman. Maybe it would be all he needed to keep his distance. And distance was what he needed right now. Like it or not, he had a secret to keep, even if he had to hurt her to do it.

* * *

“
Gli
uomini
sono
feccia
.” Men are scum.

“Hear! Hear!” Olympia clinked her glass of wine to Sera’s, then caught the disconcerted look of the elderly woman sitting across from her. “Well, except for
Heberto
, of course,” she conceded to Maria, their third drinking partner.

The three women sat at a tiny table in a small café. They’d been there for nearly an hour and were on their second bottle of wine. It wasn’t an expensive bottle by any means, but it served its purpose.

 
“Well, of course not
Heberto
.” Maria toasted with her own glass and took a tiny sip. “Although he does have his moments.”

“Yes, but even his few moments probably can’t compare to the rest of the male race,” Sera grumbled.

Maria reached over and patted her hand.

“There now, dear. Don’t throw all the grapes out because one has a worm in it. I’m sure there’s someone out there who’s just perfect for you.”

Sera shook her head. “I doubt it. At least I’ve certainly yet to meet him.”

Maria frowned, then smiled hopefully at her. “Well, what about that nice young man you’re working with?”

Olympia nearly choked on her wine. “He’s the scum she’s talking about.”

“Really?” Maria looked surprised, glancing back and forth between Sera and Olympia. “
Heberto
says he seems like such a pleasant young man.”

“Yes, a true gentleman. One that kisses me one day and tells me he has a girlfriend the next.”

Now it was Maria’s turn to sputter. “But he can’t have a girlfriend.”

“Why not?” Sera asked. “It’s the story of my life. Fall for a guy, then find out there’s another woman waiting in the wings.”

If the truth be told, she was angrier at herself than David. She’d let her guard down around him. Again. She never should have done that. For heaven’s sake, he even had her thinking of herself as Sera now.

What was it about him that got under her skin? How could he get her to forget herself so easily? And why did he seem almost… familiar?

She groaned inwardly, recalling their kiss in the pit.
My God, I practically threw myself at the man. How desperate am I?

Maria’s large eyes opened wider as she stared at Sera, her interest suddenly piqued.

“So you’ve fallen for him, have you?”

Apparently, Maria was choosing to ignore the “other woman” part of the story.

Sera casually waved her hand in the air, while inside she desperately wished she could take back the words.

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that, well, I thought he might be different. But apparently, he’s not.”

The disappointment tasted bitter in her mouth. She took a big sip of wine to wash down the foul taste.

“This just can’t be. It has to be a mistake,” Maria mumbled, then turned to Sera. “Perhaps you misunderstood him?”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” She chuckled humorlessly. “I asked him point blank if there was someone else, and he said yes. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.”

Maria still looked confused. “I just don’t understand it. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”