Page 74 of Arresting the Warlord

Chapter Thirteen

San Gagliano, Italy is a centuries-old medieval settlement filled with quaint stone houses and an abundance of olive trees. Majestic snowcapped peaks rose behind the town, and to the east was the Adriatic Sea. The crystal blue water called to me. “I’ve always dreamed of swimming in the Adriatic and touring the Colosseum,” I yelled.

Jake stroked the side of my face. “Once. Giovanni. Jia. Tourists.”

“What? I can’t hear you over, Tyranno-snorusus Rex!” I shouted.

“I said, once we’ve dealt with Giovanni and Jia, we’ll make like tourists,”Jake said in my head.

“Deal.”

General Jones tapped away on his bracelet, seemingly oblivious to Sleeping Beauty’s sonorous rhapsody.

“Have you found Giovanni’s lab yet?”

Jake hit an icon on the command console. The rubble strewn remains of an old pre-Roman building appeared on the main screen.“According to Central Command’s database there are catacombs beneath these ruins.”

“Huh? Why aren’t they showing up on the scanners?”

“The iridium is blocking our sensors,”Jake replied.

I frowned.“There’s no iridium in Italy.”

“Exactly.”

“You’ve found Giovanni’s lab,”I said gleefully.

“We have.”

“What’s the plan?”

Jake hit the controls and a ravine filled the viewscreen. “Twenty meters down the gorge there’s a hidden entrance that leads directly to the catacombs. We locate the lab, take out the mad scientist’s security systems and do a tactical entry.”

“And if he sic’s his super soldiers on us?”

“We kill them, but Zarek wants to interrogate Giovanni. Take him alive,”General Jones instructed.

“Yes, sir.”I had a few questions of my own. Like who had sent all those bounty hunters to kill me? Had my sperm donor been responsible or was Giovanni the real culprit?“Where do you want me to park the shuttle?”The coordinates popped into my mind.“Thanks.”I set the shuttle down behind a grove of olive trees. The crawlies hit me. I opened my senses and searched for the source. Huh. Jia was hiding in a tree. Not only was she wearing camouflage face paint, skull cap and tactical gear, she had enough weapons on her to start a small war. I flashed the info to Jake and the General.“I don’t think Jia’s in cahoots with Giovanni.”

“Uncle Saul and I will circle around behind her.”

“Don’t worry, she’s not going anywhere once I hit her with my freeze ray.”

“Sounds like a plan,”Jake said and teleported.

Ten seconds later, General Jones vanished.

I shook my uncle. “Uncle Jesse, wake up.”

“What?” He jerked upright.

“We’re here and Jia, the assassin, is outside.”

“Where?”

I zoomed the monitor in on her. “See her?”

“Yep.” He peered at the screen. “Is that the new Falcon rocket launcher?”

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