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Dante straightened from the wall he had been leaning against. “You good?” he asked.
Cash nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Call Archer,” Dante instructed and then disappeared down the hallway.
Cash cursed. Someone had already ratted him out to Archer and now he’d have to own up to his mistake. Fuck. He took out his phone and punched the speed dial option for Archer.
“How many stitches?” was the man’s first words.
“Not many. It’s just a graze.”
“How did it happen?” Archer demanded.
Cash took a beat. “Riss and I were leaving Umberti’s shop and someone took a shot at us. We went down an alley and someone took another shot as we were jumping into the boat. They used a suppressor so I don’t think it attracted any attention.”
“I see.” Archer’s voice was neutral but there was a tone to it that told Cash he wasn’t happy. Well, join the fucking club. Being shot at sucked.
“Why were you at Umberti’s shop?”
“Riss wanted to talk to him and I didn’t want her going alone. He’d told her about Alicia and the bible.” There he’d said it. It changed everything. Riss was no longer allowed to go home and live her life. Now she was going to have to stay until they had the bible. She was not going to like that but now there was no choice.
“Shit.”
Archer’s mumbled curse surprised Cash. The man never let on he had emotions. Cursing was unheard of at least in the conversations he’d had with Archer in the past.
“This is not good. I was hoping we could keep Ms. Day out of this.”
The sense of failure he’d been feeling since Alicia had been murdered surged to the point of almost gagging Cash. “I know. It’s my fault. I left her at the hotel late last night and Umberti came in and spoke with her. I should’ve stayed.”
“There was no reason to or so we thought. It’s over and done with now.” The actual fuck? Archer was absolving him of his misstep? His boss continued, “The bigger issue is she is not a member of the Society. We’ve been bending the rules slightly at this point. Guiding her around and trying to get her out of town is fine under the guise of getting Alicia’s belongings to her family member and chatting with her about Alicia. But Umberti’s involvement changes everything. You were escorting her to the shop and back to the hotel when someone shot at her. You protected her and made sure she was safe, but we can no longer do that. She is not a member of the Society. She is on her own.”
Cash couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Not so much absolving him as excusing him from protecting what he saw as an expendable player. “If we let her out on her own, she won’t last more than a few hours. She’ll be dead before nightfall.”
“Yes,” Archer agreed.
Cash’s shoulders tensed. “We can’t let that happen.”
“Also agreed.”
Cash leaned against the wall and ran a hand over his face. He did not want to ask but he had no choice. “What do you want me to do?” If Archer told him to kill Riss then that’s what he had to do. It would eliminate a serious problem for them, but it would create a huge one for Cash. One he may not be able to get around.
“Killing her would stop her from chasing the bible which complicates things for us.”
Cash’s stomach churned.
“But it would also draw attention to Alicia’s death and in turn could expose us to more risk of discovery. The deaths of two women in Venice who were related would make national if not international news. The Society does not need that. We need to find that bible. Keep Ms. Day safe until that happens whether she wants that or not.” He paused, and Cash didn’t interrupt. “Convince Ms. Day to join the Society. I will give her Alicia’s token and waive the joining fee. It’s all I can offer.”
“And if she says no?” Cash asked dreading the answer.
“Do I need to say it?”
Cash closed his eyes and cursed silently. He’d been hoping for another way out. Something that would allow Riss to leave and go back to her life. It had been a naive thought and deep down he’d known this was coming. At least Archer was giving him a chance to save Riss.
“If you have any doubts about your ability to do this, tell me now. I can call Ryker. You can head back to New York. He can handle Riss and the meeting between Davenport and Li.”
Cash was shocked into silence. Archer had never given him an indication he could say no to any order and now he was offering Cash a way out? It was…weird and totally unexpected. “I…” It was a way out to avoid dealing with Riss. He could go back to New York and take the next assignment. Forget the whole thing not just with Riss but with Davenport and Li. Move forward. Go on to the next thing. That could be a relief.
Except it wouldn’t be because Riss wasn’t going to believe Ryker about the danger. He was a stranger with a strange tale of a secret society. Cash was going to have a hard enough time convincing her and he’d already saved her life a couple of times. She had to trust him at least a bit. She would walk away from Ryker and he would have to kill her.
