Trying to keep my voice calm, I tell Rett, “if we don’t… protect,” I choke on the next words. “Serve and love Elizabeth, life is only going to get worse.”
Hard to believe when I feel bludgeoned in the chest.
“Not to mention, Bizzy is the threat,” Hart says.
No. I’ll never believe she’d deliberately hurt us.
“You can’t tell me who to care about,” Rett says emphatically.
The ride to the Medici property grows silent. Each of us is weighing the situation.
What if we still find nothing?
When do we give up?
Walking up the path to the gate, Hart stops Rett and me.
“I don’t think either of you get it. Rippley tried to tell you. Bizzy is the threat. She faked being sick and dying with him. She was lying. Why do you think she ran off? She must’ve heard us talking to Dr. Wiley. She made fools of you both.”
We hang back as the other three continue through the gates toward the fountain.
“Sick? Did she ever tell you?”
I can’t swallow.
His voice sounds defeated. “No. She didn’t.”
Breaking over the crest of the hill, we see Hart is back to bossing everyone around. He isn’t interested in anyone but himself.
Then we all step forward and watch as Hart paces out two steps from the angel statue mounted on the fountain towards the stream calledImmacolato(the Italian word for pristine). He drops to his knees, digging where a small rise exists in the soil.
“Help me. Don’t just stand there,” he barks.
I want no part in this.
It feels wrong.
Everything does.
Soren and Deo dig with him. Through the loamy soil, nearly three feet down, they uncover a plain-looking leather messenger bag.
Hart hastily wipes his hands on his pants before setting the bag on the ground beside the hole he’d yanked it from. He pulls out an object roughly a foot long, wrapped in burlap.
A gold cylinder cipher.
Triumphant, they high-five each other and celebrate.
While our hearts break into smithereens.
Resigning myself to the fact that we almost destroyed not only the House and its members, but everything we hoped to defend. The balance.
I’m not going to pretend I’m thrilled.
Or that I’m not suffering under the weight of this new knowledge.
Hart says to me, “JJ, you did it.”
Did what? Fall in love with the woman I’m supposed to believe is my enemy? Possibly pass along information she needed? Oh, I know… believe a load of lies.
