Free A Fall of Water by Elizabeth Hunter Page B

the vampire scoured the house for electronic bugs, cameras, and any other surveillance equipment. They found a few, but it was a half-hearted effort. Bruno had worked for Livia the entire time he had been in Giovanni’s employ, but he knew that the butler had gathered little intelligence for his mistress. It was an expected game; one Giovanni and Livia would both pretend to be shocked over if they ever spoke about it. Which they wouldn’t.
    After another half an hour, Matt was satisfied that the house was clean, but Giovanni still felt uneasy. He had a sudden thought.
    “Benjamin!” he called down the hallway.
    He heard a quick scuffling before the boy appeared. “Hey, you guys done? Angela made some awesome food. It’s like the best spaghetti I’ve ever had. I can’t believe how much Dez is eating. I bet she’s—”
    “Be quiet. If you wanted to hide a bug somewhere, where would you put it?”
    Giovanni had learned from experience never to underestimate the instincts of his nephew. He also wanted to accustom the boy to thinking defensively. He saw Ben cock his head to the side.
    “You said Bruno’s in charge of fixing stuff, right?”
    He smiled. “He is.”
    “Well, has he fixed anything lately? That he mentioned? He’d mention it, right? So you wouldn’t get suspicious if you noticed something.”
    “Good thinking. Yes, the first floor bathroom was just repaired.” Giovanni and Ben climbed the stairs, and Giovanni led the boy to the recently repaired bathroom. Ben turned and looked at his uncle.
    “Well?”
    Giovanni opened his senses, searching for the faint buzz, almost like a vibrating thread, that he would usually pick up from a small electronic device. It was small, but appeared to come from just behind a patch of new plaster.
    “Well, damn.” He’d have to have it repaired again. He punched through and plucked the small bug that was hidden behind the wall, holding it up so that Ben could see it before he crushed it between his fingers.
    “Cool! Got one.”
    “Excellent thinking, Benjamin. And I don’t feel anything else in here. Go tell Matt it appears the house is clear.”
    Ben rushed downstairs while Giovanni brushed at the plaster dust on his hands. He felt Beatrice come to stand in the doorway behind him.
    “How is Angela’s cooking, Tesoro?”
    “Fantastic. And tell me again why you don’t just fire him?”
    “Oh”—Giovanni chuckled as he walked past and squeezed her waist—“she’d be expecting that, and I’d just have to look for a new butler.”
    “Yep, Gio.” He heard her call down the hall as he followed the scent of herb focaccia that Angela knew he loved. “I can’t imagine why I’m nervous about meeting Livia!”
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    Rome, Italy
    May 2012
     
    There were certain things about having gobs of money that Beatrice had become used to. She never worried about paying her bills. She liked being able to buy her own house when she was single. And she never went crazy with her money; in fact, she ended up giving a lot to charity just because she felt guilty for robbing Lorenzo. She had pretty simple tastes, but liked being able to buy what she wanted, when she wanted.
    Which, that morning, happened to be another computer keyboard.
    “Damn it!” she yelled, tossing the keyboard on the floor where it shattered.
    Ben rushed into the small library, which had been light-proofed like most of the rest of the house. “What’s up?” He looked down. “Oh.”
    She sighed. “Bring me another one. This time with the rubber keyboard cover and see if Angela has any of those big freezer bags that the keyboard might fit in. I think moisture in the air is becoming a problem.”
    “If you need help looking for something—”
    “No!” She shut her eyes. “Sorry, Ben. I appreciate it, I just...”
    “It’s okay.” He nodded and backed out of the room. “I get it.”
    “Thanks.” Beatrice bent and picked up the pieces of the keyboard, tossing them in the