“You will regret this,” Akila shouted over the chaos of men and women running and shouting between the ancient ruins. Thomas could just see her around the corner of the arch, aiming her gun at Lord Beverly. “Antonio! What are you waiting for?” She glanced from Lord Beverly to Antonio with wide eyes.
Antonio ignored her, focusing his fury on Thomas instead. “I won’t let you take her from me,” he seethed, aiming his pistol at Thomas. His arm was unsteady, though, and his gun shook as he winced in pain.
Thomas could hardly believe his luck. The pieces clicked in his mind. Antonio was the one who had been shot in the garden a few days before. That wound gave Thomas the advantage now. “This ends here,” he said, aiming his gun at Antonio’s heart.
“No!” Violetta gasped, grabbing Thomas’s arm. “I won’t let you kill a man for me.”
Thomas’s brow flew up, and he dragged his gaze away from Antonio. “He intends to hurt you,” he said.
Before the words were out of his mouth, Antonio bolted to the side. “You’ll pay for this,” he growled as he sprinted toward the Temple of Saturn, clutching his injured arm.
Another volley of gunfire broke out. Thomas threw his arms around Violetta, intent on sheltering her from harm. The bullets weren’t directed at them, though. The heart of the action seemed to be taking place closer to the temple.
“We have to join the fight,” Violetta said, struggling out of Thomas’s arms and pulling her gun from her skirt pocket. “We have to save your brother.”
A different sort of terror filled Thomas as he remembered the essence of their mission. Protecting Violetta was one thing, but he needed to reach Asher. He needed to free his brother and get his entire family to safety.
Taking Violetta’s hand, he dashed through the arch, following the track Antonio had taken. The space between the arch and the temple looked like a battle as The Jackal’s men and Lord Beverly’s fought. Some still fired pistols, but even more were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. A few pockets of terrified tourists huddled at the edges of the battle with no way to run to safety.
“I have had just about enough of this,” Miss Sewett shouted, rushing down from the far side of the temple, a gun in each hand. “No one harms the McGovern family on my watch and gets away with it.”
Thomas was momentarily stunned, watching in shock as Miss Sewett took out three of The Jackal’s henchmen as they rushed toward her. She left the men writhing on the ground before hurrying on toward the temple.
“We have to save your brother,” Violetta said, tugging Thomas on.
Asher still stood between the pillars of the ruined temple, watching the battle unfolding below him with wide eyes. He spotted Thomas and shouted, “Tom, look out!”
Thomas ducked just in time as one of The Jackal’s men surged toward him and fired his pistol. The bullet sailed over Thomas’s head. Violetta whipped around to face the assailant, shooting him in the arm at nearly point-blank range.
“Stop where you are!” The Jackal’s voice boomed over the melee as he and Akila appeared between the pillars of the temple, each grabbing one of Asher’s arms. “Stop or Lord Addlebury dies!”
Immediately, the action taking place between the temple and the arch stilled. The Jackal’s men used the moment to point their guns at Lord Beverly’s men, taking the upper hand. Miss Sewett skidded to a stop from where she had been fighting off two henchmen. Trent and Charlotte had somehow joined the scuffle, but froze by Lord Beverly’s side. Hattie and Lord Whitemarsh were just dashing through the arch, but they stopped as well. For a moment, it was as though everyone held their breath.
“The coin and the codex,” Antonio shouted from his perch high above them on the temple. “Give them to me or Lord Addlebury dies.”
“They will never give them to you,” Asher said, struggling to free himself from Antonio and Akila’s grip.
“They will if they know what’s good for them,” Antonio said. He sought out Lord Beverly in the dying, orange-tinted light of the setting sun. “Your move, Beverly. I’ll give you ten seconds to produce the codex and the coin or—”
A thundering boom sounded through the Forum. Everyone, even Antonio and Akila, flinched and ducked. The only people who didn’t seem surprised were Lord Beverly and Asher. With sudden swiftness, Asher yanked his hands out from behind his back. The ropes that had bound them fell away. He reached to his neck to pull the rope off over his head, but instead of throwing it aside, he held on tight and jumped off the side of the temple.
Thomas laughed at his brother’s daring in spite of his shock as Asher swung down from the temple. His descent didn’t look at all smooth or comfortable, but it succeeded in getting him away from Antonio and Akila. The moment those two realized Asher had escaped, Antonio shouted, “Stop him!”
The battle resumed, even more furious than before.
“Come on,” Violetta shouted, gesturing for Thomas to follow her into the heart of the fray.
Thomas rushed after her, half to protect her from running into the renewed gunfire and half to reach his brother. He and Asher nearly collided in the center of the square. “Ash!” Thomas threw his arms around his brother, but there was no time for a reunion. A bullet whizzed overhead, and they both ducked.
A second later, Lord Beverly shouted in pain and dropped to the ground.
“No!” Charlotte screamed, dropping to her father’s side and throwing herself over him, as though she could protect him with her body. Trent lunged after her, pulling her off and sheltering her in his arms as more gunfire rang out.
“My lord!” Thomas dashed toward Lord Beverly, Violetta and Asher by his sides.
Lord Beverly groaned and writhed, clutching his side as a dark pool of blood began to form beneath him. “What are you doing?” he managed to get out as they crowded around him. “Go after him. Don’t let The Jackal get away.”
“My lord, you’re hurt,” Violetta said, her face going white with worry.
“Don’t you think I know that?” Lord Beverly snapped.
A paradoxical smile pulled at the edge of Thomas’s mouth. Lord Beverly had balls, that much was certain.
A new set of sounds filled the air as Thomas stood, Asher standing with him. More shouts—these ones in Italian—and the clangor of police bells echoed off the ancient ruins. Uniformed officers poured into the area from three sides, led by Roselyn and Evangeline. The policemen stopped short and glanced around in shock and confusion at the sight that met them, though.
“Lord Beverly is right,” Asher said, turning back to the temple. “We can’t let The Jackal get away. He’s closer to finding the tombs than we thought.”
Thomas and Violetta raced with Asher back toward the temple. Antonio and Akila still stood high above them, watching the tide turn in the area below as though they could hardly believe it.
“This is not the end of things,” Antonio shouted, pointing his gun at them. Thomas instinctually drew Violetta into his arms to shield her in case Antonio fired. “I can find what I need to find without the coin or the codex.”
“It’s over, Jackal,” Asher called up to him. “You can’t escape from this.”
“Oh no?” Antonio’s tone was mocking, though he was pale and seemed unsteady on his feet. In fact, Akila looked as though she were supporting him. “You can’t stop me from winning, Addlebury. This is only a diversion from the course I have already set. You will not win in the end.”