"You're back."

"Yes," Griffin said. "Where's Tex?"

"I see you have the map?"

See? "We have it." "We have it."

"Do not leave the room until we get there."

"And when will that be?"

"Enough time for the both of you to take a shower. You look a bit dusty." He disconnected.

Griffin tossed the phone onto the bed. "How did we not figure he'd have cameras set up in this room?"

"We had other things on our mind. What should we do?"

He looked around the room, perhaps trying to see where the camera was situated, then moved in close. "There's nothing we can do," he said, lowering his voice. Then, louder, said, "Adami's on his way. I for one am going to take a shower."

He disappeared into the bathroom, and while he was gone, she tried to determine why he was against taking a photo of it. Then again, if this room had cameras, Adami would know the moment they tried to snap a photo.

Griffin stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, towel-drying his hair, dressed only in his pants. He draped his shirt over the chair. "Dumas hasn't called?"

"Not yet."

He walked over to take another look at the map, when there was a knock at the door. Griffin strode over, peered through the peephole, then backed away. "It's Dumas. He's with Francesca. And there's someone standing beside them."

"Who?"

"Our friend from the Capuchin Crypt," he said quietly, then pointed at the map.

She lifted the ice bucket, allowing the parchment to roll up on itself. She rolled it tighter, then dropped it into the tube.

"Hold on," Griffin said loudly, grabbing his shirt. "Let me throw on my clothes."

"What do you want me to do?" she whispered.

"Hug me for good luck."

It took a moment for his odd request to sink in, and then she thought, cameras. She stepped into his arms, felt his skin, warm, moist against her, as he whispered, "Take it in the bathroom, pretend to be taking a shower, and destroy it." She looked up, about to protest, but he held her tight, his whisper filled with urgency. "We're out of ammo, and Tex or no Tex, if we can't get the map out of Naples, I'm under orders not not to let it leave our hands-even if we are killed in the process. We have to destroy it." to let it leave our hands-even if we are killed in the process. We have to destroy it."

His words sent a chill through her. She couldn't believe he would willingly let his friend die. But she knew the hopelessness of the situation the moment she looked into his eyes, saw the pain, the resignation. As much as he wanted Tex safe, it had always been about the map, keeping it from the enemy.

She took the tube, carried it into the windowless bathroom, closed the door, locked it. She turned on the water to the shower, then looked at her reflection more ghostly than real through all that steam, and in that moment, she realized the full weight of Griffin's dilemma. He was under orders not to let Adami have the map. But could she really think that he'd choose the map over Tex's life? Even then, he couldn't just turn over the map, when they knew what it might lead to. If there was any truth to this whole biblical plague thing-and so far everything she'd seen led her to believe it was all true-then everything they did from this moment on could mean countless lives saved...

Griffin's bosses wanted the map. Impossible with Adami's man outside the door.

But the impossible meant the map had to be destroyed. She took out the knife Griffin had given her, removed the map from the tube, unrolling it on the bathroom counter. She poised the knife over the map, intending to cut it to shreds, before flushing it, and it occurred to her what sort of history she was about to decimate.

But it wasn't history that came to mind. It was Tex. One life or thousands of lives?

How did one choose?

"Dumas," Griffin said, opening the door. "I see you brought company."

Father Dumas gave an apologetic shrug. "The professoressa professoressa said that you'd want to see this man. He says his name is Silvio and that Adami sent him. He wants to know if you have the map." said that you'd want to see this man. He says his name is Silvio and that Adami sent him. He wants to know if you have the map."

"I do. Where's Tex?"

Silvio, his hand in the pocket of his overcoat, no doubt holding a weapon on them, barged into the room, looking around. "Signore Adami will bring your friend, once I call to confirm the map is here. Where is it?"

"Surely you saw the map on the monitor?"

"Until I verify that it is real, no exchange will be made."

"It's in the bathroom with my a.s.sociate. I'd get it, but the door's locked and she's taking a shower."

Silvio pulled his hand from his pocket, revealing the pistol he'd been hiding. He pointed it at Griffin. "I'd suggest she hurry. We are to meet Signore Adami out front with the map in hand in exchange for your friend. And he wants to know that he has the only copy, or the deal is off."

There was a moment of silence, and then Griffin shouted Sydney's name.

"I'm washing my hair," she called back.

"Hurry."

Griffin leaned against the bathroom door, heard the blow dryer start up, and wondered what the h.e.l.l Sydney was doing in there.

Adami's man stood in the center of the room, his arms crossed. "You're sure she's going to come out?"

"She has to. There are no windows."

"What's taking her so long?"

"She's a girl. That's what they do."

The man's phone rang. He flipped it open, said, "p.r.o.nto." Then, "Adami is here. He wants rea.s.surance that the map is here. Now."

"No cameras in the bathroom?"

"We are not without some scruples," he said, which was when Griffin wondered if there really were cameras in the room at all. Griffin had purposefully taken a shower just in case there were cameras in there, in order to steam the things up. He was not about to destroy the map and let anyone see it being done. Adami had no scruples, and he doubted that anyone who worked for him did, either. Definitely not this man, who demanded, "Let me see the map or Adami leaves with your friend."

"Sydney! The map. I need it now."

He heard the blow dryer shut off.

A few seconds later, the door opened a crack, and Sydney stepped out, holding the tube, her hair looking damp, as though she hadn't bothered to dry it all the way.

"The map," Griffin said, nodding toward Sydney.

"Show me."

Sydney unbuckled the lid. His heart skipped a beat as he peered in, saw a bit of yellowish white. It was there, he realized, watching her tipping it upside-down to slide out the parchment partway. He wanted to throttle Sydney. She was supposed to have destroyed it. Francesca sucked in her breath at the sight of the fleur-de-lis on the outside corner. When she tried to move closer, Dumas put his hand out to stop her, and Sydney tapped the rolled parchment back into the tube and handed it to Griffin.

The man said into the phone, "It appears to be the map..."

"Satisfied?" Griffin asked.

"Signore Adami will be once he is a.s.sured there are no copies. I'll need to search the room and the bathroom, as well as any of your possessions."

"All yours," he said, indicating the man could check the hotel room.

Adami's man walked through the room, looking in Griffin's backpack, the armoire, then behind it. He ripped off the sheets, checked beneath the mattress, around and beneath the bed, then in the drawers of the small bedside table, as well as the desk. And that confirmed it for Griffin that there were no cameras. They would have known that he and Sydney came straight in, opened the map, and then took it into the bathroom. He no doubt knew they were dusty because he had someone posted out front, and that person had seen them walk in. The man pocketed a small pad of paper he found in the desk drawer.

Griffin looked Sydney in the eye, trying to figure out what she was up to, why she didn't destroy the map as ordered. "He wants to check the bathroom, to make sure there is nothing hidden in there."

"Have at it," she said, pushing the bathroom door wide open.

Adami's man walked inside, looked around, peeked behind the door and into the shower, then came out. Into the phone, he said, "All clear." He listened a moment, then told Griffin, "He's waiting downstairs in the car."

"I want to know my friend is safe before we go down there."

"You don't call the orders."

"Then you don't get the map."

He nodded, said into the phone, "He wants to talk to his friend..." He handed the phone to Griffin.

"Tex?"

"Griff? I told you not-"

And then Adami saying, "Bring me the map. You have five minutes, or your friend dies."

37.

When Griffin refused to hand over the map to Adami's goon, instead giving it to Sydney to hold, she had a feeling it was just in case any fighting had to be done. Griffin would be free. Adami's goon, instead giving it to Sydney to hold, she had a feeling it was just in case any fighting had to be done. Griffin would be free.

She slipped the parchment tube's leather strap over her shoulder, allowing the tube to hang across her back, as Adami's man ushered all through the door.

And all she could think was that Tex was alive.

But then the reality of the situation hit her as they walked down the long hallway to the elevator. What guarantee did they have that Adami would keep his end of the bargain? None, whatsoever, which meant she'd gone to all this trouble for nothing, a point brought home when Griffin caught up to her, his whisper harsh. "What the h.e.l.l? Do you realize the danger if Adami gets his hands on that map? I sent you in there to destroy it."

"He won't get it. Besides, I couldn't do it like that." She glanced back over her shoulder, saw Silvio, his gun in his coat pocket, the barrel jutting slightly through the wool, close the room door, then follow them. "I couldn't just let them kill Tex outright."

"Adami's not going to release Tex," he whispered. "And now, thanks to you, we need damage control. We can't let him have that d.a.m.ned map."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. I-"

"You two shut the h.e.l.l up," Silvio called out. "Onto the elevator, and no more talking." They rode the elevator to the ground floor and the lobby. Silvio motioned for everyone to exit the front door, as he held it open. Out front, she saw a black Mercedes. A taxi pulled in behind it, honking its horn, perhaps in hopes of getting the larger car to move forward. It didn't budge, and the tinted rear window of the Mercedes rolled partway down.

Adami peered out at them, smiling. "Signore Griffin."

Silvio moved to the car, standing beside it, keeping watch. Griffin dropped Sydney's arm, started toward the Mercedes, just as Adami looked over at the priest and said, "Ah, Father Dumas. I suppose I should offer my thanks to you for keeping me so well-informed."

Griffin paused, looked over at Dumas.

The priest shook his head. "A lie," he said, when he finally found his tongue.

Griffin turned back to Adami. "You expect me to believe that Dumas works for you?" he asked, taking another step forward.

Adami gave a shrug. "Perhaps indirectly. He managed to keep the amba.s.sador apprised, and the amba.s.sador, in turn, kept me very very well informed of most of ATLAS's next moves. The death of his daughter, and his return to the States, unfortunately, left me on my own these past few days, or you wouldn't have had the advantage you had in Tunisia." well informed of most of ATLAS's next moves. The death of his daughter, and his return to the States, unfortunately, left me on my own these past few days, or you wouldn't have had the advantage you had in Tunisia."

"You killed Alessandra?" killed Alessandra?"

"If you hope I'll confess to murder, you're wrong. I believe the man who killed her, Niko, met an untimely death in some apartment in Washington," he said, looking right at Sydney, before turning his attention back to Griffin. "But I suspect you may know more about that than I, seeing as how it was your FBI agent who killed him."

"You're saying the amba.s.sador willingly gave you information on our operations?"

"He's not the only one. You might want to ask him who he reports to."

"I'll certainly look into the matter," Griffin said, trying to peer into the Mercedes.

"The map," Adami said.

"That map belongs to the Vatican," Dumas replied.

Adami narrowed his gaze, and a vein pulsed in his temple. "What is it the church is so fond of saying? An eye for an eye? This map will almost make up for the warehouse I lost along with the year's worth of work, as well as the personnel within. You're lucky I don't lay claim to each life lost. But a deal's a deal, and I am in a benevolent mood."

Benevolent? Or counting on finding the lost plagues and rebuilding his bioweapons? What better source than something that hadn't seen the light of day in two thousand years? Something that hadn't been studied, something that might be deadlier because of its very isolation? And that was when Sydney realized the foolishness of her plan-and why Griffin had insisted on destroying that map.

The window rolled down the rest of the way, and Sydney saw Tex, still dressed in his tuxedo. Adami held a gun pointed at Tex's gut, just low enough that most pa.s.sersby wouldn't see. Tex looked out the window at Griffin, c.o.c.ked his head slightly. His face was bruised, dried blood crusted around his eyes and his mouth. His breathing was shallow, and he looked like h.e.l.l.

But he was alive, Sydney thought.

Griffin returned his attention to Adami, took another step forward, his hand held to his side, and Sydney wondered if he was going to pull an empty gun trying to bluff Tex out of that car alive. Griffin and Sydney had no ammunition. Dumas carried no weapons. She was sure Adami wouldn't hesitate to kill Tex right there, was probably going to do it anyway. That was precisely what Griffin had thought, and she watched as he turned, leaning as though he was merely looking into the car. His strategic placement told her he was going for Adami's guard, Silvio.

She looked at Tex, saw he was also watching Griffin, then saw him close his eyes, a look of utter defeat overtaking his features. He expected the worst. When he opened his eyes again, he looked right at Sydney. Shook his head. Glanced at Griffin, then back at her in warning. No No, he mouthed silently.