Chris Kuzneski - Sign of the Cross

‘Charles,’ Dante answered, ‘I’ve wanted to talk to you all week. How have you been?’

Payne had no idea why he was being so friendly, whether he was thankful that they had delivered Maria and Boyd to him in one piece or whether it was just a facade. Payne wanted to find out, so he said, ‘I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. My name’s Jonathon Payne.’

Payne reached up to shake Dante’s hand. But Dante looked down on him with disdain.

‘You’ll have to excuse me, but shaking your hand would not be in my best interest.’

‘Is it because of the mud?’ Payne wiped his hand on his ass, even though it didn’t make any difference. ‘Is that better?’

‘It’s not the mud, Mr Payne. It’s the fact that I know who you are. I’m guessing if I were to grab your hand, you’d pull me to the ground and have me as your hostage before my men could even shoot. Not an appealing proposition.’

‘It is for me.’

Dante ignored the comment and spoke to his soldiers in Italian, practically grunting his commands. Next thing Payne knew, they were dragging everyone to their feet and marching them in a single-file line to a large clearing at the center of the plateau where the soldiers had recently been digging. The giant pit was surrounded by a series of floodlights, none of which were on at the moment, and covered by a massive tent that kept the site dry.

As they walked toward it, Payne considered overpowering one of the guards and stealing his gun but decided against it since the rope was tied around all their waists. Any quick movement on his part would’ve resulted in a knot that even a boy scout couldn’t untangle. Besides, Payne had a feeling that there’d be a better opportunity to strike in a little while.

The soldiers lowered the tinted visors on their helmets as they entered the tent. Once inside they forced everyone to their knees, then turned on the floodlights. It had been pitch-black outside except for the occasional flash of lightning, so the sudden glare was too much for them to take. Payne shielded his eyes for several seconds, blinking and squirming until he could see shadows, then shapes, and finally enough details to function. Still, due to his vantage point near the ground, he wasn’t able to see what was in the pit, although he could tell it was several feet deep.

Dante said, ‘I must admit I’m surprised you made it this far. My family has taken great pride in protecting our land and the secret it possesses. In fact, I wasn’t even aware of this site until recently. And that probably wouldn’t have happened without Mr Payne’s assistance.’

Jones gave him a look that said, What is he talking about? But Payne shrugged, unsure.

Thankfully, Dante explained. ‘If you hadn’t killed Roberto, my father never would’ve told me anything. That’s how it works, you know. The eldest son keeps the secret alive.’

Secret? What secret? They had stumbled onto this place through a combination of good luck and timing. Nothing more. Yet Dante assumed that they had figured everything out. And Payne wasn’t going to shatter that illusion, not with so many questions running through his mind.

So he said, ‘Man, your brother loved to talk, especially when I was torturing him. He was like, my father this, Orvieto that . Just one secret after another… Isn’t that right, Maria?’

As if on cue, she said, ‘He couldn’t shut up. It was embarrassing.’

Dante studied her face to see if she was lying. ‘You mean, you watched Roberto get tortured and didn’t stop it? How could you? He was your brother.’

‘My brother? He stopped being my brother the moment he tried to kill me… Just like you’ll no longer be my brother after this .’

The comment hurt Dante, Payne could see it in his eyes. A mixture of shock, heartbreak, and betrayal. Payne wanted to tell her to take it back, that she had said the wrong thing, but it was too late. Any chance of playing the family card had just been eliminated.

‘Cut her loose and put her on the chopper.’ Dante practically spat the words as he said them. ‘Same thing with the professor. I need to debrief them before we visit my father.’

One guard cut the rope in two places, while the other guards kept an eye on Payne. The severed end fell against Payne’s leg when the guard yanked Boyd to his feet. The same thing happened to Jones when they got Maria. An engine roared to life outside the tent, and Payne watched as Boyd and Maria were marched through the storm toward the waiting helicopter.

Meanwhile, Dante stood still, staring into the pit, contemplating what he should do next. ‘Wait until the weather clears then load this onto the next chopper. We can’t get this wet.’

Curious, Payne inched forward and tried to see what was down there until one of the guards raised his rifle and aimed it at his head. Payne said, ‘Sorry. Had a cramp.’

Dante smiled, knowing full well Payne was lying. ‘It’s remarkable that this is still intact after all of these years, considering all the digging that has gone on around it. In that regard I guess it is very similar to the Catacombs. Some might say divine intervention protected it, yet I know the truth. It is my family that guarded it, that did everything they could to protect this secret, including turning their backs on me and Maria… But all of that is about to end. It’s time to tell everyone the truth about Christ, whether they’re ready for it or not.’

Payne hoped that meant he was about to show them what was in the pit. Instead, he grabbed a black tarp and covered the hole like a father tucking in a newborn.

‘Keep it dry and safe,’ he told the guards. Then almost as an afterthought, he motioned toward Payne and Jones. ‘And you know what to do with them.’

His men nodded as Dante left the tent and climbed onto the chopper. Seconds later, the noise increased 300 percent as the pilot revved the turbines and prepared for a difficult takeoff. Payne knew the rain coupled with the lightning and the wind was going to make things a bitch, not only for the chopper but for the soldiers on the ground, too. The air would start whipping, and the water was going to start stinging, and before long every man on the mountain was going to be shielding their heads and eyes from the ruckus.

How did Payne know this? Because he’d seen it several times before. Even if you’re wearing a helmet, visor, and earplugs, it’s natural to protect your face in harsh conditions. That’s just human nature. And human nature was something that could be taken advantage of.

‘Jon!’ Jones shouted, although it sounded like a whisper next to the engine. ‘On three?’

Payne hid his hand on his hip, keeping it there until the wind and noise were at their worst. Then, when the moment was right, he counted down on his fingers so only Jones could see.

Three… two… one… go!

In unison they leapt to their feet and ran toward the exit. Jones was a half step quicker and beat Payne to the tent’s edge by less than a yard. Still, Payne lost track of him the moment they stepped outside. His eyes had grown accustomed to the bright lights, and now that they were back in darkness, he couldn’t see a thing. Combine that with the wind and rain and roar of the chopper, and Payne felt like Dorothy in the tornado from The Wizard of Oz .

A flash of lightning proved he was headed in the right direction and Jones was still in front of him. It gave the guards the same advantage, too, so Payne immediately cut several feet to the left in case they opened fire. The chopper was now overhead, preventing him from hearing gunshots or Jones or anything else. Darkness stole his ability to see, while the rain and mud threw off his other senses. All he could rely on were his instincts, and they told him to keep running straight.