The SUV increased its speed. Alon wanted to take the battle to the men on the dock who were now menacing his friends on the yacht. “Call for backup. We can take those guys out. No problem.”
The driver was already on his cell phone, calling the headquarters of the Swiss Guard at Vatican City. He looked back over his shoulder at an agitated Alon. “Don’t worry, sir. We have a team on the way along with the carabinieri.” The carabinieri were the Italian military police distinguished by the bright red stripes running down the side of their trousers. They dealt with everything from major crime to speeding offenses.
Alon sat back in his seat, wishing he was more in control of the situation. He jumped as a frantic call blared into his earpiece. It was Daniel calling from Morelli’s house south of the city. “Alon, do you read me? We’re in trouble.” Alon quickly hit the speak button and answered. “What is it Daniel?”
A chilling reply came back to him. “We’re surrounded by Vatican security men with guns.”
Alon’s face took on a look of helpless panic as he yelled at the men in front. “Your men?”
“No, sir. We don’t have anyone at that location.”
From the backseat of the SUV, Alon glanced up and met the eyes of the driver in the mirror. He twirled his finger above his head as an indication to turn around and shouted for the driver to head south in the direction of Morelli’s estate in the country. Alon keyed the mike. “They’re not from the Vatican, Daniel. Stay put, and don’t do anything unless you have to. You and Sarah hide somewhere until we get there, and stay off the radio unless it’s an emergency.”
Leo leaned over the front seat and spoke to the driver. “Do you know where Father Morelli’s estate is?”
“Yes, sir. We do security sweeps of the property on a regular basis.”
“How far is it from where we are now?”
The driver thought for a second. “It’s about forty miles, Father. It will probably take about forty-five minutes to get there through this traffic and the narrow winding roads leading to the village.”
Forty-five minutes was an eternity. Daniel and Sarah were surrounded by men with guns. Leo knew what these people were capable of if they found them. His leonine nature was expressing itself as he began to take charge. “Alon, let me speak to Lev on the yacht.”
Alon immediately handed him the microphone.
Leo thought for a moment before he pushed the talk button. “Lev, come in. This is Leo.”
“Go ahead, Leo,” the reply came back. “We read you.”
“Are you in open waters now?”
Lev and Alex traded looks on the bridge. “We’re just passing the jetty into open water. What’s on your mind?”
“Did you hear the call for help from Daniel?”
“Yes. Are you en route to them?”
“We’re on the way, but it will take us some time to get there. It’s located next to a small village through twisting, narrow mountain roads.”
Lev looked back toward the harbor through the windows on the bridge. “I’ll give the Italian police a call, but I doubt they have anyone in that area. It looks like they got the ones who came after us at the dock. The whole area is lit up with blue flashing lights.”
Leo pressed his face against the side window of the speeding SUV, wondering what he could do. “Francois said there is an Israeli warship in the area. Can you give them a call?”
Lev instantly caught his meaning. “We understand, Leo. Give us the coordinates of Morelli’s house.” The Vatican security man in the front passenger seat overheard and immediately began retrieving data from their onboard GPS.
“Lev, are you ready for the numbers?”
“Go ahead. I’m ready.”
Leo began reading off the GPS coordinates of the country estate as the SUV left the city behind and began to encounter thinner traffic. Determined to cut their drive time in half, the driver pegged the speedometer at one hundred ten miles per hour as the lights of Rome faded in their rearview mirrors.