Page 113 of Once a Hero

“Still, no excuses. A marriage is a bond of lifelong trust.” Molyneux turned to Beatrice. “Remember that when you get married.”

Beatrice nodded. Taking advice from a mass murderer?

“He cheated on me so many times I lost count,” Molyneux said. “I never expected he would go for your nanny, but now I know she wasn’t a real nanny after all. It was only a ruse—for which I paid fifty percent!”

Beatrice didn’t want to get into her parents’ issues, but here they were. “He lived for another twenty years after you tried to kill him the first time.”

Molyneux shrugged. “Longevity runs on his side of the family.”

“How did you find him again a second time?” Beatrice asked.

“Yeah. Tell her how I ended up here,” Dad said. “You never told me.”

“One name: Philomena. Your greatest love was also your greatest downfall.”

Beatrice wondered what could have happened had Philomena still been alive. “She sold her family treasures to make ends meet after Dad ghosted her, and you tracked her to Cannes and California.”

“Your boyfriend was in the way.” Molyneux snarled. “If I see him again, he’s dead. You can find someone else.”

There is no one else.

Beatrice was surprised at her own thought.

Very surprised indeed.

Chapter Forty-Five

Leaves rustled in the night but there was no breeze. Crouched behind a mausoleum, Benjamin and Jake drew their weapons.

A shadow moved.

Ansel?

Jake thought the security chief had gone round the old church to secure the perimeter on the other side, around the large narthex entrance.

Jake adjusted his night vision goggles to see better as several shadows came closer. He held his breath.

Benjamin didn’t move either.

Then they heard whispers. Men and women. Russian.

Someone large and heavily armed approached the two men, weapons down.

“FSB. We’re here to assist.” In English now.

“To take home the Amber Room or parts of it?” Benjamin asked.

“Whatever you find belongs to Russia.”

“Of course. May I see some identification?”

The man complied.

Jake wasn’t sure how Benjamin could read the ID in such low light with only the glow of his wristwatch. Besides, it was probably in Russian.

Benjamin took a photograph of the identification card.

The Russians wanted an assessment of the situation. Jake hesitated to say anything. They didn’t know for sure what was going on inside the church.

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