Private Rome by James Patterson

Author:James Patterson [Patterson, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781804942529
Published: 2023-08-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 52

JUSTINE AND I finally kissed and it felt great to hold her in my arms again. We were in the small bedroom that had become my temporary home, light from the neon signs outside bleeding around the edges of the threadbare drapes, lending the room an eerie orange glow. The old shabby furniture and peeling wallpaper made it one of the least romantic venues we’d ever experienced, but I didn’t care. I was just grateful to have her with me.

“Jack,” she said. “Don’t leave me like that again.”

I smiled. “I missed you so much,” I said, kissing her.

“I know it’s selfish but I need you with me,” she replied. “Every time you leave, you take my heart with you.”

“I know.”

I pulled her close. We were alone in the room but Sci and Mo-bot were just outside, sorting through gear and checking the files I’d put together on the key players. Faduma had left a few minutes before Justine and I had moved into the bedroom. Even though I longed for her, this didn’t feel like a relaxed environment where we could be uninhibited and free. One of the pitfalls of dating my beautiful, smart, talented colleague was the blurred, sometimes confusing, line between personal and professional. This was one of those blurry moments, but it didn’t last long.

There was a knock at the door and Mo-bot entered almost immediately. Justine cleared her throat and stepped back, making a show of looking around the room as though searching for something.

Mo-bot registered the awkwardness of the scene. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting you two are an item.” She smiled and I wondered whether that was true or if she was just being mischievous.

“It’s okay,” I assured her. “We’re here on business.”

“Good,” Mo-bot said, stepping forward. She had a small device in her hand. “I wouldn’t want to intrude. Sci and I have been running inventory. We can mount a full-scale surveillance operation and we think we should target the Dark Fates.”

She drifted out to the living room and I followed, to see rows of mini-drones, listening devices and video cameras arranged on the floor by the window.

“We can get all this installed tomorrow, have eyes and ears on everything they do, with special focus on Milan Verde.”

“Sounds good,” I replied.

Sci was rearranging his holdall. “If they’re behind all these murders, we’ll find out. And we’ll get to the bottom of why.”

Satisfied with the rearrangement of his gear, he stood, slung the bag over his shoulder and walked toward my bedroom.

“I’ll bunk in with you,” he said. “I can take the floor. Mo-bot and Justine can have the other bedroom. Girls together.”

“Girls?” Mo-bot replied icily.

“Or whatever,” he said.

“Or whatever?” she countered. “You know you’re just making it worse now? You’re rude, Seymour Kloppenberg. As well as a dinosaur.”

“Not extinct yet though,” he said with a smile, before heading into the bedroom.

I glanced at Justine and saw disappointment writ large on her face. I shared it but couldn’t object. This was the best

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