Free Sign Of The Cross by Chris Kuzneski Page A

managed to find them in their protective haven.
    After the rocks and debris subsided, Maria said a short prayer of thanks, then turned to check on Boyd. His face was more pale than usual, but a smirk was etched on his lips. ‘Are you OK?’
    He took a deep breath. ‘Brilliant. And you?’
    ‘I’m fine.’ Maria showed him the camera that she clasped in her hand. ‘So is the video.’
    ‘Oh, dear Lord! The cylinder!’ Boyd frantically moved his fanny pack, hoping that the artifact had stayed in the pocket of his shorts during all the chaos. When he felt metal, he smiled, knowing they had lucked out. ‘Well, my dear, it appears that things aren’t a total loss.’
    ‘No, but pretty close.’ Maria pointed toward the Catacombs. Their entrance was now covered in debris. ‘I don’t think anyone will be using that door in the near future.’
    Boyd grinned as he inspected the rubble. ‘Good! In the meantime we can take our video to the authorities and use it as proof of our discovery. Then we can come back with proper protection and stake our official claim to this site!’
    ‘Yeah,’ she sighed, ‘if there’s anything left to claim.’
    ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure we won’t leave Italy empty-handed.’
    And Boyd knew that was true, for even if the Catacombs had been completely destroyed, he realized that he already possessed the object that he had come to Orvieto for.
    The bronze cylinder.

13
    Several hours passed before they came back for Payne. By then his legs were dead asleep, two lifeless limbs barely able to move. Still in handcuffs, he was dragged upstairs and shoved into a metal conference room where Jones, handcuffed as well, was sitting at the end of a long table. A large stranger in a dark suit sat on Jones’s left. A second man, speaking on a cell phone, stood in the far corner of the room, watching everything with steely resolve.
    Jones smiled when he saw Payne. It was the first time they had seen each other since they had been arrested. ‘Hey Jon, you’re looking well. How ya been sleeping?’
    ‘Like a baby. Every morning I wake up wet.’
    He nodded knowingly. ‘Fuckin’ hose.’
    Payne took the seat across from Jones and studied the man to his side. He was roughly the same height as Payne but outweighed him by a hundred pounds. Muscle, not flab. Payne stared at him for five seconds, sizing him up, and in all that time he couldn’t find his neck. Finally, to break the silence, Payne introduced himself. ‘I’m Jonathon Payne. And you are?’
    The yeti stared back at Payne but didn’t say a word. He just let out a soft growl.
    Jones, who was black and had the physique of a defensive back, laughed. ‘Thank God he hates you, too. When he didn’t talk to me, I thought he was a racist… Maybe he’s just deaf.’
    ‘Any idea what this is about?’
    ‘Nope. And you?’
    Payne shook his head. ‘I was promised a phone call for today but never got to make it. Maybe these guys are from the embassy.’
    ‘No,’ blurted the man on the cell phone. ‘We aren’t from the embassy.’
    ‘Oooooh!’ Jones teased. ‘They can talk!’
    ‘Yes, Mr Jones, we can talk. But I promise this will be a short conversation if you continue to make comments at our expense. I will not tolerate lip from a prisoner.’
    The guy was six foot one, in his mid-forties, and a total prick. They could tell that immediately. There was something about his demeanor that said,
If you fuck with me, I’ll shit in your corn flakes
. Maybe it was his hair, which was high and tight, or his eyes, which were cold and reptilian. Whatever it was, he made it work because there was no doubt he was running things. ‘So, should I leave right now, or will you shut up long enough to listen?’
    Payne hadn’t followed orders since he was in the military but got the sense that they had no choice. Either they listened to this guy, or they went back to their cells for a very long time. ‘Sure, silence can be arranged. But only if you